6/10 - Rules Don’t Apply [2016] marks Warren Beatty’s return to the director’s chair, which he most recently occupied for 1998’s Bulworth. Similar to that film, Beatty takes a comical approach to a serious topic with Rules Don’t Apply telling the story of Howard Hughes. The eccentric billionaire is known for owning TWA airlines, RKO pictures, and a variety of other enterprises most notably received a biographical film in 2004 with Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator. Yet, Beatty’s picture is hardly a rehash of that film as Rules Don’t Apply opts to wear many different hats. Part romantic comedy, part celebration of old Hollywood akin to Hail, Caesar, and part Howard Hughes biopic, Rules Don’t Apply hits its targets with varying effect and winds up often becoming a fun, yet oddly unpolished production.

Stream of consciousness: Often taking the form of a stream of consciousness, it is both a gift and a curse that this consciousness most likely belongs to Howard Hughes. Jumping between the burgeoning relationship between RKO contract actress Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins) and driver Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), Howard Hughes’ (Warren Beatty) issues with his business and investors, and various other elements of their respective lives, the film simply lacks cohesion. It takes an awkward hopscotch-styled approach its story and never seems to be content with telling any single story. Instead, it opts to tell a cast of stories and never really settles in on a single topic. It is a fair question to sit and wonder what Rules Don’t Apply was really all about at the end of the film or at any select moment in the film. It seems to ride this wave of eccentricity-derived straight from Hughes himself and attempts to stick the landing. Though this approach certainly has its flaws and undoubtedly divided audiences upon its release, it makes it for an entirely captivating watch. As the film skips from moment-to-moment and character-to-character with no apparent purpose or reason, it becomes a highly unique and entertaining film, escaping the trappings of the romantic comedy and biographical genres that it often threatens to become.

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8/10 - A tremendous Cold War thriller that shows the paranoia of the times with both the Americans and Soviets building up their military might, but entirely out of fear for what the other side might be capable of doing. After a UFO is sighted over American territory, a scenario plays out in which the Americans try to identify what the UFO actually is, with the situation getting further and further out of hand. Yet, just as it appears to be fine, an American plane leaves its "fail-safe" point - the point at which the plane is to wait for word on whether to advance on the Soviets or not with nuclear warheads - after receiving a faulty signal to proceed with war. Quickly entering a position where they are instructed to reject all orders to turn back, Fail-Safe shows the costs of a small mechanical malfunction in the Cold War as the world spirals head first into mutual destruction all because one machine spit out the wrong code.

Starring Henry Fonda as the President of the United States who is forced to figure out the situation and negotiate a resolution with the Kremlin that sees either Moscow saved from destruction or war averted if it is destroyed, the film really rides on Fonda's performance, as well as the character itself. Though director Sidney Lumet's films do not always work for me, Fail-Safe shows what works so well with him. Seemingly innocuous personal idiosyncrasies that define our being are always found in his characters. Small remarks from the President about how good of a job his translator is doing or how he reacts to certain things really speak to the nuance of the moment and just how difficult this call is for a man that is, other than being President, rather normal and unassuming. He is an average guy who would be fine doing an average job, but happens to be President and must rise to the occasion. Fonda, always an excellent hero, really plays this role with great charisma and confidence when needed, but is unafraid to show fear and nerves when those are necessary.

A truly intricate character, it is hard to say whether the President is the hero at the end or if he should have followed the advice of Professor Groeteschele (Walter Matthau). Speaking to the Pentagon in the War Room when things go haywire, the Professor is known for calculating potential casualties from nuclear war, but is thrown into a position where he is able to advocate for the war he believes is needed. Matthau plays this reprehensible character with great skill to the point that you hate him, but wonder if his point that the Americans should just proceed with a full out attack has merit. A great foil to Fonda's more peace-minded President, Matthau's war hungry Professor is often hard to watch, but makes a compelling point that shows the dichotomy of opinions in this scenario. When the fate of the world is in your hands, it is impeccably hard to decide what to do with many possibilities as to your course of action. In this nuclear thriller, Lumet goes to great lengths to show both sides - peace versus violence - with both the President and the Professor being excellently drawn out characters with the performances to match. Highlighting this hate the stance not the man nature of the character, the Professor implores people to throw the first stone as he continues to argue in favor of war.

In terms of tension, the film is absolutely riveting. Though dialogue heavy, Fail-Safe rolls right through the minutia of its situation and comes out ahead with the audience armed with the knowledge of how these things work and what will happen if this crisis cannot be avoided. Throughout, Lumet shows how the stakes continue to rise and become increasingly disastrous for both countries. Dripping with tension and suspense, Fail-Safe easily keeps you on the edge of your seat even with its dialogue-heavy script. Each line and situation is just so compelling and frightening that it is hard to not to immediately buy into the paranoia and tension of the situation that leads many of the men charged with defending the United States to sheer hysteria.

A film that plays on the paranoia of the Cold War with a thrilling film that excellently shows the stakes of the situation, Fail-Safe has some impeccable acting and incredibly detailed characterizations that arm it with emotional firepower and pathos at every turn. The film, from the very beginning, introduces seemingly innocuous moments only to then turn around and have them play major parts in the film as a whole. Not a frame goes to waste in Lumet's incredibly tight film that is character-led cold war tension at its very finest.



8/10 - Long before Mike Nichols released his masterpiece The Graduate in 1967, Humphrey Bogart's Linus Larrabee and writer/director Billy Wilder knew what the future held: plastics. That guy in The Graduate was a day late and a dollar short, even though he pretended to be ahead of the curve on plastics. Ha!

Telling the story of a chauffeur's daughter who falls for one of the sons of the family he father works for, only to wind up being shipped off to France to lose this affection, only to return and fall in love with both him and his brother, Sabrina is an incredibly fun film. Starring Audrey Hepburn as the titular character, she may be much younger than either David (William Holden), her first love, or his brother Linus (Bogart), but still sells the romance incredibly well. Tremendously written and directed by Wilder, Sabrina is a light on its feet romantic comedy that consistently delivers laughs, charm, and wit, as this woman struggles with love only to find it in a place that she never expected.

Always radiant in her roles, Hepburn's naturally bubbly demeanor makes her a perfect match for the role of Sabrina. A Manic Pixie Dream Girl through and through, she exists to make Linus and David find themselves and embrace new possibilities in life to improve their happiness. Shipped off to France for two years to learn how to cook and get over David, she returns only to fall in love with both David and Linus again and then head off to Paris once more, except she will possibly not be alone. While the role is one that largely exists to open the eyes of her male counterparts, Hepburn makes Sabrina her own and really injects life into the role. Nominated for Best Actress for the role, it is immediately apparent why and it has nothing to do with her natural charisma and charm. While the comedic lines zip and the romance swoons, Hepburn's greatest characteristic is her eyes. She knew how to work her eyes and have them communicate an entire scene simply by emoting through her face and eyes. As she dances with David and Linus, you can practically read her thoughts through her frequent usage of non-verbal cues. While her natural bounce and radiance are certainly quite appealing and Hepburn makes great use of both in this dreamy role, she finds her best success in these non-verbal cues that communicate more than words ever could.

As one of her potential mates, Bogart plays the rough and tough-nosed Linus incredibly well. As is typical of Bogart roles, he has an incredibly hard exterior to the point that one begins to wonder if there is a beating hard inside or not. Running his father's company with his brother David more interested in chasing a new dame each week, Linus is business focused. Dating is not for him and he never even considered marriage. Instead, he is married to his job and would not want a woman to get involved in that, for fear of her getting hurt. Yet, as he shows with Sabrina, there is a heart inside after all. No matter how tough he appears to be and how career-focused he professes to be, he longs to have that connection with a woman, but is simply afraid to take that leap without being pushed. Once pushed, however, he falls hard and becomes a hopeless romantic. As the main recipient of Sabrina's dream girl powers, Linus finally embraces life's pleasures and is able to leave his office and find a love for experience and romantic indulgence.

His brother David similarly grows, even if the film does not really focus on him. From playboy to settled in engaged man, David learns to embrace the business side of his family and not always actively revolt against adulthood. Though forced into a marriage of convenience, he finds that everything is not so bad after all and he does actually love the girl he is marrying. Instead, similar to his brother, he was afraid to jump in and settle down, for fear of becoming an adult. Yet, through his encounters with Sabrina, he finally finds what he always wanted and was afraid to grab: a life that is not just bed hopping.

While its characters are admittedly a bit cliche by today's standards, they are all impeccably interesting and fun to watch grow throughout. Plus, while Sabrina may be a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, she does have a mind of her own and is not just some helpless girl. Instead, she desperately wants romance and will take whatever is given to her. When she cannot get this, she is entirely satisfied with running off to Paris and finding the romance she craves in the Parisian aesthetic that she so loves. That said, while the film's characters are a great credit to it, the film's comedy is really where it stands out. As a romantic comedy, the comedy is always crucial and the film's comedic wit and whip smart moments are really what makes this one so endearing and charming. Hepburn, Bogart, and Holden, certainly all contribute to this charm and speak to how well-cast the film was, but a lot of this charm is also found in the writing as the film just flies by.

Though relying on some stock characters, Sabrina does draw them out quite nicely and infuses them with enough originality to really make them rise above the cliche foundation. Though 30 years apart, pairing together Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn proves to be an excellent match of romantic foils with Bogart's reserved nature and Hepburn's bubbly inclinations providing a sweet, adorable, and authentically written romance. As with any Hepburn role, moments in Sabrina - such as the dreamy sequence of her singing "La vie en Rose" in the car to Bogart - have become iconic, yet what often gets lost in the shuffle is how talented of an actress she was. Her turn in Sabrina is nothing less than excellent with her skills often outpacing the legendary Bogart or the equally well-recognized Holden in this sweet, endearing, and absolutely hysterical romantic comedy from director Billy Wilder.



8/10 - In Robert Aldrich's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Bette Davis delivers one of the best performances of her career and helps to bring to life one of the best villains every put to screen. A child star, Baby Jane Hudson (Davis) was her father's favorite daughter as a result of her vaudeville act in the 1910s. However, by the 1930s, her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) was the star in the family with her career in Hollywood taking off to the point that she had incredible power and more than a leg to stand on in negotiations. Compared to the vicious and cruel Jane, Blanche is much more giving with her fame and negotiates for her less-than-talented sister to have a career, even if those movies never saw the light of day. Now, years later, Blanche is handicapped as a result of an accident and the cruel Jane continues to exact revenge on her for making Jane feel bad about herself, until Blanche clings to life with nobody to help.

The film that is famous for bringing to life the feud between Davis and Crawford, the film feeds off of their animosity. There is no acting taking place when Jane kicks around the paraplegic Blanche or when she ties her and shuts her up. The course of anger and resentment between the two legends of the screen is readily apparent with both of them trying to consistently get one over on one another. As a result, both bring their A-games to this role, even if Davis' role has far more meat to it than Crawford's. As Jane, she absolutely steals the show and without her, the film would hardly be the classic that it is today. While I love that Crawford pulled that stunt at the Oscars where she accepted the award on behalf of Anne Bancroft to just rub it in Davis' face after she lost, it was clearly misguided. Though Davis should have been more gracious to her co-star and credited Crawford's performance, it is impossible to say that Davis' Jane does not rule this picture with her repulsive face and walk carrying fear, anger, and panic whenever she walks anywhere. No matter where she goes, she is an intimidating presence as a woman who wishes she never grew up and resents her sister for "stealing" her career. That said, Crawford is hardly bad, though her role is more silent and reserved. She plays the nervous and battered Blanche excellently and not many actresses could breathe as much life into this mostly silent and stowed away role than Crawford.

Using mostly dark lighting and a variety of supporting actors that come and go from the house or speak to Blance and Jane and could find out what is going on, the film creates great suspense. As with any film with dark lighting, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane heavily uses shadows that create this ominous presence in the home. It always feels as though there is something hidden between them and looming ominously over this relationship between two sisters. We eventually learn what it is and it really speaks to just how twisted and emotionally disturbed Jane had become over the years. In many ways, it is this insanity that lurks in the home and constantly keeps everybody on edge. The constant near misses with supporting characters may become too plentiful at times with the film continuously going back to that well, but it does work for the most part. They, at the very least, create great tension and anticipation with regard to whether or not they will see Blanche's struggles or if they will continue on in ignorance.

Another strength of the film is its incredible use of sound. Relying upon a haunting score, bumps, screams, and haunting dance routines performed by Jane, the film's use of sound is always exemplary. It always creates tension and great suspense, serving a great role in this film. It really speaks to the brilliance of Aldrich's film where a simple song could really be haunting, but Jane's insistence on performing, "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" is both sad to watch and entirely horrifying to watch transpire due to her scratchy vocals. Aldrich utilizes this and other uses of sound and music to ramp up the fear conjured up by the atmosphere of this film to great effectiveness.

A classic, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane makes you look at your siblings (well, it would if I had any) and wonder quietly if they would do the same to you. With a startlingly excellent performance from Bette Davis standing tall, she uses her hatred of Joan Crawford to produce a great performance as you can constantly feel her real contempt for her co-star. Alongside her, Crawford's fear and similar animosity equally feel real and is what makes this film so dynamic, terrifying, and oddly haunting. An excellent psychological thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby's use of sound, lighting, and its entire cast to create suspense and anticipation would be its crowning achievement, if Davis had not stolen the whole show.



6/10 - Clearly based on Romeo and Juliet with its tale of two juvenile delinquent gangs warring over control of New York City's asphalt jungle, only to see the sister of the "Sharks" fall in love with the semi-retired leader of the "Jets". Just like the Montagues and the Capulets, this is simply unacceptable and leads to strife that culminates in avoidable blood shed. Taking Romeo & Juliet and adding music to it along with a message of acceptance, West Side Story is too long and preachy to really work, no matter how excellent its music can become at times. Above all, for rough and tumble teen troublemakers, all of the hopping and skipping in the streets hardly makes them appear intimidating. Instead, it makes it appear as though my 15-pound dog and a gang of shih tzus under his charge could mop the streets with the them in 10 minutes flat.

Setting the scene in this sun-drenched couple of days on New York's west side, we have the Puerto Rican Sharks and the Italian/Irish/white Jets. Battling over turf, the Sharks are led by Bernardo (George Chakiris), while the Jets are led by Riff (Russ Tamblyn) due to former leader Tony (Richard Beymer) actually getting a job. At a dance where the Jets try to rile up the Sharks, Tony shows up and falls in love with Bernardo's sister Maria (the totally Hispanic Natalie Wood). Though their romance is rushed due to it just being Romeo and Juliet, this meeting at the dance is undeniably the highlight of this film. As chaotic dancing ensues around them, Tony and Maria have only eyes for one another as everything fades out and the spotlight shines only on them. It is cinematic love to be sure, but one that is rapturously romantic and gorgeously staged and shot by director Robert Wise. It speaks to the film's epic romantic inclinations and really swells with the right amount of heart and spunk. Ensuing songs concerning their love such as "Maria", "Tonight", "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" all stand as my favorites. Light, romantic, and gorgeously written and composed, these songs also feature some of the best singing of the film. It is this romantic core that really makes the film sing at moments.

Yet, its insistence on preaching about acceptance culminates in its Romeo and Juliet ending with Maria turning to everybody and begging everybody to come together and stop hating each other. If only things were that simple. This simple, naive, and preachy final speech is well delivered by Natalie Wood, but is so hamfisted and preachy, it practically feels written by an amateur dreaming up good lines that carry social importance. In amateur scripts, this speech is a mainstay and the emotional peak. In a real movie, it is a shocking inclusion and a great example of a film taking a moment and opting to blow a possibly powerful scene by telling us what to think and how everybody will act, instead of merely showing everybody coming together finally. The fact that Ernest Lehman (a legend) wrote this closing monologue is shocking.

The film is also deprived of originality at any moment due to its roots in Shakespeare. I wish West Side Story were just a film was a straight adaptation instead of a reimagining. While its introduction of racial struggles between the whites and hispanics is well handled, aside from that final piece, its inspiration makes it highly predictable and kind of dull to watch unfold at times since we all know how it will end. This is hardly helped by some questionable music with dreadful singing in the beginning on songs such as "Jet Song" and some songs that just fail to capture the imagination such as "Something's Coming", "America", and "Tonight Quintet", West Side Story's song are a mixed bag. This is not due to bad composition or lyricism, mind you. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim are obviously legends and it shows in these songs. However, they are just exceptionally dull. That said, my biggest issue is the choreography. Constantly snapping, jumping in the air, and skipping, these kids just do not act like street toughs. They act like theater street toughs aka not street toughs, but rather the kid on the other end of the street toughs' wrath. This makes the film incredibly hard to believe. I am not asking for them to be beating up kids in the streets, but for guys who carry themselves with such bravado and machismo to be skipping in the streets is a bit of a reach, no? This over-the-top and ill-fitting choreography is perhaps what makes the songs really fall flat at times as they never seem to be in harmony with one another.

While definitely a classic with well put together music, West Side Story just never wowed me. It largely falls flat despite good direction from Robert Wise and obviously brilliant music from Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. For a film from those minds, however, one could reasonably expect more and I did not really get that. Instead of any fundamental flaw, the crippling blow for West Side Story is simply that it is too much. It is over-the-top, flamboyant, and decadent, all of which make it appear too fluffy and drawn out to actually be a compelling romance or depiction of crime-ridden teenagers in New York City. It never seems to understand its characters and as such loses sight of its plot. Instead, it is clearly a theater production of real world issues and feels overly choreographed to the point that it appears dream-like, in direct contrast to the real issues present in the film. In an act of self-recognition, the film tries to pull a round about and just preach about acceptance to finish the film because it lacked the character development and pathos to allow the scene to come off on its own. Lacking heart in any moment other than the romantic odes, West Side Story is an over-produced, overlong, and under-written film that may contain excellent music (even if some are just not really needed and all are really over-choreographed, especially the dreadfully ill-conceived and ill-fitting opening), but really lacks the heart to make it all come off in the end. While one to be appreciated for its use of color and that aforementioned musical, West Side Story is not exactly as good as its classic billing may suggest.

Above all, the film is dull. It is the type of film that makes me sad. As I write this, I derive no pleasure and recognize it is great in areas, but it just never worked for me. Perhaps it is not my type of film or something, as this is usually how I feel when that is the case, but nonetheless, it is always sad to watch a classic pass you by and not really click. That said, had Burt Reynolds or Warren Beatty actually been cast in this film, I would have paid serious money to watch either of those two "manly men" skip, toss their arms in the arm, and snap while crossing the street. Man would that ever create some serious cognitive dissonance.



8/10 - Pairing together John Garfield and Lana Turner as two people plot a murder only to wind up getting caught in the sinister web that a murder plot weaves, The Postman Always Rings Twice is a classic Hays code era film where the bad guys pay. With a morality inherent in the title, hinting at how justice always comes around eventually and will be heard the second time it knocks. Everything in this film takes two times for it all come around and have it pay-off, even the bad. With this idea in tow, director Tay Garnett's film may be predictable like any other film that had to end with evildoers punished, but it is a classic noir nonetheless that spins a terrific yarn and has some excellent performances from Garfield and Turner in the lead roles.

Many have cited this film as Lana Turner's best performance and though I am not overly acquainted with her entire body of work, it is easy to see why. Entering the screen with a holy white light adorning her body as John Garfield's Frank Chambers sees Turner's Cora Smith for the first time, she always has this same glow. Yet, there is a hidden element to her. Part of it is definitely the expectation that she will behave like a femme fatale, but these expectations often go unmet. Instead, she is a girl with dreams who thought that her older husband Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway) could help her reach these heights, only to then fall in love with Frank when he shows up. She is certainly a mysterious girl who always appears to be more innocent than she really is on the inside. Rather, she is a calculating girl who has no qualms about killing her husband in any number of ways. For the women in these films who use shriek at the sight of blood or simple manipulate men into pulling triggers for them, Cora is not really a femme fatale as she is manipulated just as much by Frank and men. Instead, she is a girl who is unafraid to murder and do the dirty work herself in order to achieve her happiness. She is a frightfully selfish person and Lana Turner really does a terrific job in this role as she captures this. At no point do we feel as though she is shifty or trying to put one over on Frank. If anything, it is the other way around. Instead, she is straight forward and just wants to be with Frank and leave Nick. Though she is most certainly a femme fatale who does a number on Frank and convinces him to kill her husband, she is more willing to get her hands dirty and even signs up to do the deed herself initially. Compared to the more emotionally and sexually manipulative femme fatales that just sit back and let the men do the dirty work, Cora is a lot more hands on. Turner plays this innocent, yet devious woman incredibly well and really shines in this picture.

Plot-wise, The Postman Always Rings Twice has some compelling murder cases, murder plots, and resolutions to go in its back pocket and really speaks to how intricately and well-written this film is. Incredibly tight and always resolving subplots it introduces, the film's unique portrayal of justice is really what makes it pay off. While it is obvious that Cora and Frank will not be able to get away with what they have done, the film is quite unique is how it makes them pay the price and face justice for what they have done to Nick. It really speaks to the morality at play, while also speaking to the morality at play in the source material. It is clear that to James M. Cain, violence begets violence. An eye for an eye may make the whole world blind, but perhaps the world needs to be blind if everybody kills other. Taking the life of a person is acceptable when the crime is murder and he is not alone in that belief. Hell, even Frank is fine with this by the time he realizes he must pay for his crime with his life.

Lighting-wise, the film is far brighter than many film noirs, perhaps because this one comes from MGM. Making use of the bright sun of Los Angeles in contrast to the dark crimes, the film contains frequent references to keeping the lights on and not being afraid to pay higher electric bills. Perhaps these are little digs at competitor Warner Bros., known for their dimly lit noirs as a result of having comparatively less funds available to them. As such, the film does not really rely upon chiaroscuro lighting, instead opting to bathe the film in light as a direct contrast for the darkness on display in the plot.

A compelling, well-acted, and well-directed film, The Postman Always Rings Twice goes for a tale about justice and paying for your crimes and succeeds entirely. Yet, it would not be half the film if not for Lana Turner's easy to believe performance as the sultry seductress that ropes in Frank, actually does fall in love with him, and then colludes with him to knock off her husband.

7/10 - Telling the story of a paroled convict that returns home in the inner city to his parentless son (his mother got locked up as well), Imperial Dreams shows the walls built around the inner city by "the system" to keep the impoverished locked inside. Broke and required to get a job to stay out of jail, he needs his driver's license. However, he does not have it and cannot get it because of backdue child support. While his baby mother did not file for it, it had been filed on her behalf. To pay-off the child support, he needs a job. He also needs a job to get an apartment because he and his son live in his car. Unfortunately, he needs an apartment to keep his son from social services. Now, naturally, all of this could be fixed by getting a job. Unfortunately, the cycle merely starts again. The only way to get out is to take his Uncle's offer of driving a car full of Oxycontin from Los Angeles to Portland for $4,000. Imperial Dreams asks the question; how can a man change if there are no ways for him to change?

Starring John Boyega, the film was shot in 2014 and really shows Boyega debuting the skill that landed him a role in Star Wars. Raw, powerful, and excellently displaying the conflict experienced by a man who wants to change and tries to escape by writing (even going as far as dropping off pages to be read by a publisher), but has to climb such a high wall to escape that it is nearly impossible. This is a situation where this man cannot be expected to do anything different, yet the constant presence of police, his parole officer, and social services weigh on him and force him into action even when it is impossible. Even worse, his Uncle Shrimp (Glenn Plummer) is a destructive force that pulls him back into the hood whenever it seems he may be able to get out. This is a tragic film bolstered by Boyega's performance that is emotionally raw, honest, and the right balance between moving and tough due to the demands of the character and his environment.

Well-written, Imperial Dreams' biggest issue is that it is simply not the first film to touch on these topics. Better films have come out and shown the strife in the inner city and how hard it is to make it out alive and come out ahead in the end. While the film is bolstered by Boyega's tour de force performance, the rest of it is pretty much a run-of-the-mill film about the inner city. From dead relatives, deadbeat parents, and troubling influences, there is not much light in this film, but also not much originality. It is as if Imperial Dreams just worked off of a checklist to make sure it got all of the stereotypical inner city characters before sending the film off for post-production. It is this reliance upon cliches that really holds the film back and never really lets it soar as possible.

That said, the film's crushing weight really speaks to how hard it is to get out of the hood. The second things look up for Bambi (Boyega), something goes wrong. There is this inevitability to the film that is really heart breaking. No matter what goes right, we know that in the end, Bambi will wind up back in a life of crime that he can never escape. No matter how hard he works. No matter where he turns. This is his life and nothing can change that, not even sheer will. This is really tragic to watch unfold and it is this emotional core and sense that things never change, just the faces, is really what makes Imperial Dreams click.

Though cliche and too willing to just rely upon stock characters, Imperial Dreams features an impeccable lead performance from John Boyega in a tragic and often hard to watch film that shows a man that, no matter what he does, will never achieve his dreams. If one thing goes right, three things go wrong. He cannot escape this life and keeps getting pulled back down by people who do not want to see him escape and leave them all behind. Well-written and powerfully acted, Imperial Dreams shines a light on a topic that all too often goes untouched. Though it invokes inner city cliches in the process, it is hard to deny that this film is imperative to watch and one that does an excellent job creating empathy for people stuck in a no-win situation. In many ways, it feels like a gambling movie, except Bambi and others have addiction or choice. Instead, they just keep losing.



7/10 - With each passing critically maligned Woody Allen film that I watch, it becomes readily apparent that I am an Allen apologist. Either that or his films are never as bad as many see them. Known as a legend in the world of comedy, Irrational Man finds Allen blending mystery - a genre who has some great affinity for - and blending it with straight drama. Though he is also certainly celebrated for his dramas, he had never really made a film that was a mystery and a drama with no comedy. Mysteries of his that come to mind include Manhattan Murder Mystery, Small Time Crooks, and Scoop, all of which included a heavy dosage of comedy. In his late period, Irrational Man stands alone as a film with no real comedy (Blue Jasmine is close, but can be categorized by some as black comedy). Yet, it comes with a plenty of that Allen philosophy that we have come to love over the years. Thus, though its genre may be a bit of a unique blend, it is always apparent that Allen is sitting there behind the camera, if the unique style and camera work did not tip you off right away.

Focusing upon a philosophy professor, Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix), Irrational Man tells the story of his time at a small liberal arts school as a member of its philosophy department. Known for his affairs with students and having a rock-and-roll reputation upon arrival, Abe is now quite the classic Allen misanthrope. Detesting the world, having no reason for living anymore, and unable to perform sexually due to how lost he is, Abe Lucas is a man that just floats through the day and complains about the world to students. While teaching, he strikes up relationships with student Jill Pollard (Emma Stone) and chemistry professor Rita Richards (Parker Posey). Yet, neither satisfy him. He still experiences writer's block and drowns his sorrows in a bottle of alcohol constantly. It is only when he overhears a conversation in a diner about a crooked judge that is taking away a woman's children because he is friends with her deadbeat ex-husband's lawyers that he figures out what will make him feel alive again: murder.

Clearly inspired by the works of Alfred Hitchcock, Allen shows Abe Lucas planning out the perfect murder. A constant theme in Hitchcock's work, Abe takes pleasure in the artistry of planning out the murder akin to films such as Shadow of a Doubt or Dial M for Murder where men joyfully plot out what the perfect murder would turn out to be. Similar to Strangers on a Train, Abe reasons that he is the perfect man to commit this murder since he has no ties to the judge. Finally, similar to the murderers in Rope, he revels in conversations about the murder after the fact as people try to guess who did it and how it was done, all while Abe can sit there with a sly grin on his face knowing that he was the one who had taken out the judge. Having committed a murder on a supposed inferior akin to the boys in Rope, he is able to celebrate the death in callous fashions and shows no remorse for his actions, only to learn that the one person he expected to side with him (Emma Stone's Jill here and James Stewart's professor character in Rope) is actually the most appalled by the act.

This murderous pleasure may reinvigorate Abe's reason for living, yet the key to Allen's film is always the philosophy behind the killing. In particular, how it relates to Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative. In an extended classroom scene, Allen quickly briefs the audience on the concept that suggests lying, in any situation, is wrong. If you are asked a question, it is imperative you respond truthfully because one lie opens the door and a slippery slope begins where one must then determine, situation-by-situation, when to tell a lie. However, Abe interjects that it is a fairy tale situation described by Kant, one that has no basis in reality because any moral person would lie if the Nazis came to their home and asked if Anne Frank was hiding in their attic or not. Foreshadowing how Abe would defend his murder - that it was a net positive to the world for an immoral person to be killed by a moral one - the categorical imperative comes back when Jill references how one murder inevitably leads to another as he must then cover it up. This philosophical concept is what kicks off the climax once Abe realizes that he must cover it up as the police close in on a suspect. Anybody who knows must go and everything is on the table as his supposed superior morality and place of judgment are thrown into question once he realizes the full ramifications of his actions.

Though Allen is an atheist, this film is yet another late period work where he seems to contemplate death, religion, and what life means. Repeated references to existentialism adorn this film with Abe repeatedly declaring that life is meaningless, while also playing with death via russian roulette and alcoholism. Yet, the film's ultimate moral tale that we are not to judge others and damn them to death simply because they are immoral feels inherently Christian, what with the whole "he without sin cast the first stone" portion of the Bible. Though perhaps not finding its roots in the Bible, Irrational Man certainly does apply this principle in formulating where Abe misstepped and where Kant's categorical imperative comes from: that we humans are poor judges of character. Even worse, Abe acts without knowing the full extent of stories in his judgment. To judge others, let alone based on half of a story, is highly irrational and where the film derives its title from. Furthermore, having the judge be the murder victim and the recipient of Abe's wrath speaks to Allen's contempt for those who spend their lives judging the sins and morality of others. While perhaps a bit defensive on Allen's part for how he has been judged over the years by those that do not know him or have similarly dirty hands, the film lashes out anybody who judges others without basis. As we are all deeply flawed and just trying to get by in the world, it is highly irrational to ever sit back and judge another person for actions they commit when nobody knows what they are doing anyways. In the film, it is clear that everybody is lost. While Abe is lost clearly, so is Jill. Dumping her boyfriend to be with Abe (who is also with Rita), her boyfriend is rewarded for not judging her. Though she steps out of the relationship and becomes obsessed with Abe, he takes her back. Meanwhile, Abe spends the whole film casting judgment on others before paying the ultimate price for sitting on his high horse.

How did Abe ever wind up there, however? In perhaps a comment about progressives and those who spend their whole day protesting things on the internet, Allen argues that doing is more impactful than simply protesting. Abe laments about issues regarding any number of people, only to learn that the rush he gets from killing the judge comes from the fact that he actually did something. For him, after years of helping people in desperate situations and seeing the corruption and lack of change in the world no matter how hard he worked, changed his entire demeanor. From a naive optimist, he became the misanthrope we see on display in the film. It is only by killing this judge that he sees a point to life again, as he became the change he had long wished to see in the world. He had made an impact and left his mark. While Allen shows the dangers in judging others, he also shows the benefits to actually doing instead of saying. Merely complaining about the judge would not move the needle, just as complaining about government corruption with Hurricane Katrina does not change anything. It is only by standing up and taking action against those forces that you will find any fulfillment and it is the only avenue we have to truly create change in our world. Though Abe is wrong to kill the judge, he was right that to really make an impact, you must do and not say. While the world may be pointless and our existence futile, helping others in a moral and rational fashion is greatly rewarding. It is just unfortunate that Abe opted to help in an immoral and irrational fashion, which leads to fleeting rewards.

Touching on an array of themes, Woody Allen's Irrational Man is yet another maligned film by the director that I came away really enjoying. Though not one of his best works, it is yet another incredibly compelling character study that shows Allen's increasing tendency to get more-and-more existential as he nears his own death. While he may not be wondering what is waiting for him, as he already has his mind made up, he is looking back and wondering what it was all for. Here, he explores a man that is highly irrational and opts to judge based on one-side of a story. In many ways, one could argue that this is Allen's declaration to those that judge him that there is no justice and reward for those that judge others without cause. In a terrific Allen-esque existential performance, Joaquin Phoenix really nails it opposite Emma Stone and Parker Posey, both of whom also deliver good performances. However, the film not only benefits from its character study of this philosophy professor, but also on murder itself. Using similar themes as Hitchcock in regards to pulling off the perfect murder due to a supposed moral superiority, Allen creates a compelling murder mystery film that speaks to just how irrational and morally unethical murder is, no matter who the deceased may have been in their life.



5/10 - Life is just fine. Telling the story of a photoshoot done for Life Magazine by photographer Dennis Stock (Robert Pattinson) of James Dean (Dane DeHaan) before he really became James Dean, Life is an interesting film with some nice Golden Age of Hollywood name drops and some slick digital cinematography, but it just feels done before. Its cliche set up of two men coming together and learning more about themselves before forming a lifelong bond has been done to death and this film hardly breathes, ahem, life into the concept. While DeHaan and Pattinson are solid in their respective roles, the film feels content just going through the motions and referencing old movies and stars as a shortcut to actual character development. That said, as a somewhat buddy film, Life is pretty much easy breezy entertainment that never really becomes too dull, but is never that interesting either.

As James Dean, Dane DeHaan largely captures the essence of the legendary screen actor from his casual coolness to this certain rebellious spirit lying beneath, alongside the general appearance that he could care less about anything in Hollywood. No matter the threats from Jack Warner (Ben Kingsley) regarding his career, Dean never seems to care and instead revels in spending time with his family in Indiana and merely goes through the motions of stardom as he chain smokes cigarettes. He is a man that feels more at home as a farm boy than as a star, perhaps explaining his casual coolness. He is simply not trying because he does not wish to be a star or to be seen. Instead, he is content just being who he is and living on his farm in Indiana with his family. DeHaan captures these two sides of Dean incredibly well, even if his acting slips at moments. These momentary lapses do show that the performance is not perfect, but DeHaan's capturing of Dean's essence is certainly impressive and stands as one of the bigger achievements of his young career.

Opposite him, Robert Pattinson turns in an average performance. Though I think he is deeply underrated and a guy that is better than Twilight would suggest, his performance in Life never seemed natural. He seemed to always be more of a fit for the Dean role than the photographer and it felt as though he kept watching DeHaan with this envy and disinterested knowing that he should have been Dean. In the role of Dennis Stock, a man with a son he never sees and a career going nowhere in Los Angeles, he plays a man with dreams with no passion. No life. He never seems to show excitement and just mopes about and broods in every scene. Perhaps this was how he was, but then Pattinson feels ill-fit for the role as he is more than capable of showing more emotion than none at all. His performance is what contributes to the film feeling largely quite lifeless and without any heart. Though he is fine and performs acceptably, it just never is a performance that invigorates the film or gets you to root for him.

This lack of emotion translates to the film as a whole, no matter how well shot it is. Director Anton Corbijn has shown a knack for making truly gorgeous digitally-shot films in recent years and Life is no exception with a beautiful array of colors that feel entirely modern in how they are shot, but also manage to capture that classic Hollywood feel that the film must have. However, its story and characters just feels so bland. It never really captures the imagination or wows at any point. It is entirely tepid and unwilling to go out on a limb with anything. Instead, it just tells its story in a mildly interesting fashion with pretty okay performances and just fine writing that sort of scratches the surface of the characters, but never goes too in-depth. It is a film that is wholly average and entirely remarkable, even if the Hollywood references are fun and watching DeHaan turn in a solid performance as Dean is enjoyable.

Life is a film from director Anton Corbijn and though it has the same slick cinematography as the other films he has put out recently, it just lacks any sort of soul or heart. It captures the essence of its subjects, but never their heart. This creates quite the crater in the center of the film and leads it feeling largely quite empty and unfulfilling, which is obviously a disappointment for such an interesting subject. As it stands, its reliance upon cliches and name dropping stars (Natalie Wood, Nicholas Ray, Elia Kazan, Judy Garland, Eartha Kitt, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Pier Angeli, Jack Warner, and more), feels like Corbijn trying to manipulate the audience into a sense of familiarity instead of actually bringing life to the film as a whole. Life may be slick and cool to watch, but its persona as a film is too reserved to really make a lasting impact. It is the exact opposite of its legendary hero, who became iconic by simply being. Life is forgettable the moment it ends.



8/10 - Upon watching An American in Paris, its influence on La La Land becomes readily apparent. Focusing on an artist struggling to make it in a big city only to have their career dreams come to fruition, only to then lose the love they had as a result, An American in Paris touches on many of the same touchstones as Chazelle's masterpiece. The film even ends on a final dream sequence with the famous seventeen minute ballet sequence at the end of the film as painter Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) goes through a wide variety of people, colors, and set pieces, a he dreams of being with Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron). While its happy ending is not quite La La Land, An American in Paris is still very similarly an ode to love, to dreaming, and to the dream-like and dream catalyst city in which it is set. With fantastic music and choreography, An American in Paris is a classic musical with flaws, but remains excellent.

The main flaw impacting An American in Paris is also a great source of originality. As MGM had money and wanted to spend it on big choreography and impressive visual splendors, the seventeen minute inclusion of the ballet is certainly the result of some posturing by the mega studio. It is also a brilliant sequence of exquisite choreography, terrific music, and typically excellent dancing from Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. However, even if it fits in thematically with Jerry's day dreams about being with Lise, the scene really breaks up the picture. After creating this intimate look at a starving artist trying to make it in Paris, a city he romanticizes, and then falls in love with a girl who is taken, the scene just goes on for too long to really fit with the rest of the film. The casual and in-the-moment nature of the other musical numbers allows a certain flow to the film that allows the film's pacing and lyricism to really shine. Yet, this extended ballet piece may be technically brilliant, but feels too separate from the rest of the film to really pull it all off. The end result is a terrific array of colors, but one that is largely lacking cohesion and coordination with the hour and a half before the ballet dancing.

That said, until then, An American in Paris fires on all cylinders. Gene Kelly gives a classically upbeat performance as struggling artist Jerry Mulligan who meets a rich woman that serves as his benefactor, but expects some romantic escapades in return. Along the way, he strikes up a relationship with Lise, only to learn that she is the mystery girlfriend of one of his singing friends. While this set-up is hardly original, it is the perfect foundation for a musical that is more about the singing, dancing, and choreography anyways. That said, this simple set-up lends itself to many of the film's themes such as dreaming, aspirations, the price of achieving your dreams, and love. Perhaps the strongest of these are the latter two with the film showing that, sometimes, love cannot coincide with your dreams. Instead, it must be one or the other. Additionally, love is not just to have and to hold, it is also to know when to give away the one you love to let them pursue those dreams. Henri Baurel (Georges Guetary) really hits the nail on the head when he expresses to Jerry that love is best when both partners love one another completely. It may be a bit simplistic, but it is entirely elusive in the modern world. Either one partner loves the other more or the expression of love must be stated multiple times to have an impact. In Henri's world, saying it once is enough and says more than repeating it constantly ever would. This comfort and knowledge of love is one craved by everybody and one that Jerry and Lise have, forcing Henri (Lise's boyfriend) to admit that whisking her off to America to follow him as he pursues his stage career is not the right decision. Not only is their love not complete, as she is not fully there alongside him, but her dream is to simply stay in Paris with Jerry. As he loves her completely, it is his solemn duty to give her away to Jerry, no matter how painful it may be for him.

Musically, An American in Paris is similarly top-notch. With great songs such as "'S Wonderful", "Tra-la-la", "I Got Rhythm", and "Love Is Here to Stay", this is a musical with no clunkers. Mind you, it has a very limited selection of songs for a film so music heavy, but nonetheless, each song is magical with excellent singing and choreography accompanying the moment each inspires. As with many musicals, the songs here really do an excellent job setting this dream-like mood and expressing the sheer joy and elation of the characters when things go their way. This joyous mood, especially from Kelly, is infectious and infused into the musical array of this film. Compared to more nostalgic and melancholy musicals such as La La Land, An American in Paris is not just a celebration of its themes, but an ode to living and to life with its characters loving every second.

A visual feast with an array of colors to go along with the beautifully composed, written, and choreographed musical numbers, An American in Paris may not be as good as Gene Kelly's follow-up, Singin' in the Rain, but it has the same spirit as that film with Kelly's constant smile becoming quite infectious as you watch the film. While its seventeen minute ballet sequence to close the film, no matter how brilliant, is too much of a diversion from the rest of the film, the film still winds up being a terrific piece of entertainment that shows the power of musicals to infuse happiness and joy into every waking second of a motion picture.



3/10 - It seems Hollywood has this factory in which it manufactures a variety of products. From bad by-committee scripts, unholy editing mishmashes at the behest of studios when a director gets too auteur for their liking, and of course their most rewarding product line: bland 20-something actors for young adult movies. Brenton Thwaites and Odeya Rush have to be the most bland of them all with both entirely lacking any semblance of acting ability, yet they look young and the teen target audience will find them mildly attractive. Thwaites is so bland, in fact, that I did not remember I saw him in Gods of Egypt where he was practically the lead. Now that is bland. He is a cardboard cut out of a young adult actor and Rush is hardly much better. The Giver also has a rare bad performance from Meryl Streep alongside a good one from Jeff Bridges, who constantly seems shocked by how bad the movie around him is turning out to be. You can practically see Bridges trying to remember how big the paycheck was for this one and trying to ascertain whether it was worth it or not in the end.

Surrounding these unfortunate actors is the plot of The Giver, which is actually quite compelling when considering just the premise. Set in a world where all emotion, feeling, memory, and color has been erased, the world is divided into communities watched over the elders, namely Chief Elder (Streep). At various stages of life, there are ceremonies. When one is given to their family, when they are nine years old, when they graduate from school and are given their job, and when they are released to elsewhere. At the graduation ceremony, Jonas (Thwaites) is skipped over and called last, as he is to become the new Receiver of Memory. He is the only one allowed to feel, have emotions, and learn about the past and what the world used to be and he must learn from The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the current receiver of memory. Yet, armed with his knowledge about how they "release" aka kill the elderly and babies, as well as his love of Fiona (Rush), Jonas wants to save the world and give everybody what the Elders had taken away many years ago.

Yet, how the film approaches this is quite heavy-handed. Acting all knowing, the film shows how with hate and war, which are bad and why feeling was stamped out, also comes love. And love is worth everything. While this may be true to some degree, it simply sounds preachy and then the film further digs its grave by including obnoxious montages where it celebrates life and shows the beauty of the world. It practically plays like an advertisement for life where the film constantly preaches about the power of love and how it outweighs hate in the world. Again, maybe true, but The Giver always comes off as pretending to know everything about the world and having to teach the viewer about what it all means. While it has a compelling premise, it panders too heavily to the young adult audience in this regard with an over-the-top demonstration of love and how it can solve all things. It is too naive and romanticized to really work and not come off as pandering, ham-fisted, and coming from a place of great superiority.

This same appeal to young adults is found in the "transformational" and "eye opening" romance between two bland leads that lack chemistry or any character development whatsoever. Instead, they are just young adult romantic stock characters that have this unspoken passion for one another even when neither are actually able to feel anything. They lack any definition and instead are written to have the other complete their worlds. In many respects, they are Manic Pixie Dream Boy/Girl's for one another and act entirely selflessly to advance the other, but ironically, when two Manic Pixie Dream Boy/Girl's meet, nobody advances. These are thinly written characters to the point that they are practically invisible. Every action is for plot convenience and the acting hardly breathes life into these stock characters found in The Giver.

For a film with such a compelling premise, it winds up being largely quite tame. With bad characters, a bad romance, bad acting, and a heavy handed and naive take on life and love, The Giver winds up piling up weaknesses that sinks its ship. Yet, these are mostly quite passive. None of these bad elements are absolutely abhorrent and the film never winds up battling between being bad and dreadful. Instead, it just toes the line and is entirely passively bad, going down with nary a whimper. It is a film that is content to appeal to its target demographic, present hollow and naive ideas that appear thoughtful and appeal to the minds of teenagers, and then toss out some bland young actors that also appeal to that demographic. It is a film that is defined by just how below average it is and how safe it plays everything. It is this paleness that relegates The Giver to being so average and safe that it is bad.



6/10 - While a gorgeous technicolor explosion of color, John Huston's Moulin Rouge simply does not really click. It touches on some similar Huston themes regarding human nature - namely primal instincts, birth circumstances, and self-loathing - though it never really dives into its characters that are under its lens. Instead, its portrayal of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (Jose Ferrer) sort of skims through his life at the Moulin Rouge, his loves, and his alcoholism that eventually killed him. In particular, the romantic elements really falter and given their significance in the story, it was essential to get those portions right. No matter how beautiful Moulin Rouge may be, it simply never really sings and performs the way it should and is a rather clunky effort from director John Huston that firmly cements it as lower-tier Huston.

In its romance, the greatest depth comes from those typical Huston ruminations on human nature. As a man of privilege, Henri has turned his back on his wealth and finds more enjoyment spending his time with those with very little. In particular, dancers at the Moulin Rouge or prostitutes such as Marie Charlet (Colette Marchand). Engaging in a tumultuous relationship that largely gets skimmed over to just a few arguments with comments regarding how much they love one another sprinkled in, Henri remarks to his mother after the end of it all that it would never work. Marie, as somebody used to freedom, would only naturally revolt against a man who tries to get her to settle down and stop jumping around. To him, this is a by-product of her upbringing with very limited resources and a result of his more sturdy upbringing and how they could never work together as a result. For her, it came down to primal instincts - her nature - to run away from somebody who wishes to contain her. Yet, for him, he underestimates his own nature. His own nature is to destroy. His parents destroyed him and the family bloodline by marrying their first cousin and having this incestuous child as a result. For him, he runs every girl he falls in love with away due to his self-deprecation and shockingly low self-esteem. Drowning these sorrows in a bottle and never going after his loves that love him back, he lets himself be played for a fool by women and just drives further and further into destitution. For him, no matter how successful his painting may become of the infamous Moulin Rouge, he cannot accept that is he that is successful and not somebody else. He despises himself, lashes out, and winds up wallowing in loneliness.

However, Moulin Rouge undoubtedly suffers from the production code. Having to rely upon suggestion and controversies based around rather tame paintings of the Moulin Rouge by Toulouse-Lautrec to communicate the scandal and sexuality of the place, the film really loses a lot. Compared to Baz Luhrmann's 2001 take (though not a remake), the sexuality is on full display with nothing hidden. Though not Huston's fault, it does hamper this one severely, especially given the locations and the subject himself. Both deal heavily with the "gutter" in France, but you never get that grimy feeling. Instead, they just dance and have fun. To the unknowing viewer, they would be none the wiser, which is a shame that it is lacking that angle.

Yet, the film's greatest weakness is how rushed it all feels. This is one of those films where I found myself constantly asking myself if I missed anything. In particular, this is an issue with the romances as they go from meeting by chance to being passionately in love with one another in one scene. In reality, this took months or years and the film references the fact that time advances in a variety of ways, but it always feels rushed nonetheless. Essentially, the film tries to cover far too much time and never winds up covering anything. As a result, scenes at the Moulin Rouge are incredibly abbreviated, the romances are short, the flashback is brief, and on and on. Thus, as a character study, it largely falls flat because we never get to see these in-depth moments that make Henri so depressed and alcoholic. Those romance scenes are what really show his personality and mental issues, yet they never get the depth they need to make it all come off smoothly.

As a whole, John Huston's Moulin Rouge is pretty disappointing. Lesser Huston for sure, it is a very colorful film with a beautiful rainbow array of colors, but it ends up just juggling too many balls. Its character study element suffers greatly for this and that is where Huston is most adept. Though the take on human nature in this underground world is compelling, it is too abbreviated and akin to a montage to really work and add great depth to the characters and the film's thematic considerations. Furthermore, this a film that should have waited to be made until the production code was lifted to be made. As it stands, it just feels incredibly neutered by replying upon suggestion instead of just showing everything it tells us about. As a result, this is a tough film to watch nowadays and winds up feeling too safe, average, and mildly dull to work.



4/10 - Casey Newton: There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins?
Eddie Newton: Come on, Casey.
Casey Newton: Okay, fine. Don't answer.
Eddie Newton: Whichever one you feed.

Often feeling like a modern attempt to rekindle the joy and sense of adventure of 1980s science fiction films, Tomorrowland largely feels like a paltry imitation that has no idea what made those films work. Though capably acted throughout with a compelling premise, Tomorrowland gets too bogged down in the details and forgets to have a good time, instead opting to rush through its conclusion that may have a heart warming message, but really lacks the quality build-up to make it all pay-off. Though fashionable to criticize screenwriter Damon Lindelof for the issues of every film he touches, I have never had that much of a problem with the man. However, Tomorrowland most certainly falters because of its script, though with Brad Bird having a hand in the script and directing the film, the buck stops with him and there are some issues here that should have been stopped from the beginning, ignoring the internal inconsistency that also plagues the film, but could be ignored if the film were better.

This major issue is the fact that the film is two-thirds exposition and character introduction. Introducing us to Frank Walker (George Clooney), his love of inventing, and how he arrived in Tomorrowland with the help of a young girl/robot named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) who recruits dreamers to come to Tomorrowland, the film then introduces us to Casey Newton (Britt Robertson). Explaining everything about their lives, showing pointless backstory about how they love science and invention, and then having Athena and Casey race to meet Frank, it takes a while for the film to introduce its central problem. While some could say they introduce it early when Athena says that Casey is needed to fix Tomorrowland because somebody made something they should not have made, that is merely a foreshadow to what the actual problem is. It is not until two-thirds of the way into the film or so that we actually learn what the problem is: the world is ending. Within half an hour, the disaster is averted due to Casey's optimism and ability to help the world stop focusing on the negative and instead refocus the world on the positive sides of things. How does she do this, you ask? Spoiler: (though a spoiler, it is one that can save you 130 minutes of your life, so I do recommend you read it) she blows it up. Yes, that is literally all there is to it.

In order to justify going an extra thirty minutes, there is some fighting between our heroes and chief bad guy David Nix (Hugh Laurie), some fuss about a bomb, and sequences of Casey learning the world will end and freaking out about all of it before saving it and then teaming up with Frank to fix everything and repopulate Tomorrowland with a new set of dreamers. Until this largely cliche sequence that is just filler, there is further filler early on with Frank initially being hesitant to help Casey only to be influenced to help her when he sees guard robots from Tomorrowland following her with the mission of killing her. The film largely goes through the beats of any adventure film about somebody tasked with saving the world and needing the help of somebody who came before them and may or may not have had a hand in creating the present situation. It is a film that has been done many times before and will be made again in the future. For a film that has such an inventive premise, it is a shame to see it just slowly wind up becoming highly derivative and never breathing life into anything.

The script's internal consistency is also a major issue. For example, David Nix says the machine cannot be turned off. Though it is not turned off, it is blown up, which apparently turns it off. Without any explanation as to how the world is saved and rapidly becomes what it once was where people were optimistic about the future instead of afraid of what was to come, everything is fixed. The machine that caused it having the impact it has similarly makes no sense. Allowing the user to see the past, present, and future around the world, it apparently sends radio waves or something out to other dimensions and its mere presence via these waves - even if not tapped into - caused the world to see a bleak future that was coming true via a self-fulfilling prophecy. Or something like that. With regard to the character of Athena, she is incapable of love, emotion, and having ideas, until she loves Frank, has emotions regarding the end of their time together, and has an idea on how to fix everything. Though just minor examples, these do hint to how much this film alters from its 80 minutes of exposition just out of pure convenience or forgetting the fact that it had been previously defined. The film even contradicts things mere moments after it is introduced, which really makes this one incredibly lazily written and inexcusable.

Yet, no matter the issues with cliches and internal inconsistency, the worst part of Tomorrowland should have been its chief mission: a sense of adventure. It is a film celebrating dreamers and asking us to all be more optimistic about everything coming our way, yet it never dares to do either itself. Instead, it just goes through the motions and explains what Tomorrowland is like and only gives us small glimpses of the world. For a film with a $190 million production budget, it would be nice to spend more time in Tomorrowland with that money and see the expanses of the world. Instead, much of the film is on Earth and them finding a way to get to Tomorrowland. So, with that out, there has to be other ways of having fun, right? Unfortunately, no. For a film that has the Eiffel Tower actually being a spaceship, Tomorrowland never seems to have much fun and instead tries to check off boxes on family adventure films and never tries to infuse it with fun. What makes older, similarly cliched, family adventure films is their heart and their power. Lacking understanding of how to make either of these happen, Tomorrowland just preaches about being optimistic and then includes a highly politicized finale where the next round of dreamers are all minorities. Though uplifting and encouraging to see Disney recognize the potential of minorities, it comes off as incredibly hamfisted and playing more akin to a commercial about diversity and its benefits than the end to a major motion picture that allegedly cost somewhere around $330 million after production and marketing. Ultimately lacking any sense of wonder or power, Tomorrowland tries to make up for it with social appeals, which really drives at the misguided nature of the film. Written by adults and for adults, Tomorrowland seems to forget its child audience - even if it is a family film - and never actually invokes any sense of childlike wonder. Perhaps including a child main character would have helped, but even if not, it could still capture this sense of wonder and see the world as a child would view everything. Yet, it is too simultaneously jaded and naive about the world to really make it all click.

That said, there are a variety of strengths presented by the film. For one, the special effects and design of Tomorrowland are incredible. No matter how little time we actually spend there, it is undoubtedly the highlight. Incredibly designed with unique and inventive takes on the future, the scenes in the city have a certain sense of awe that nearly makes up for the complete lack of soul in the rest of the picture. The one scene in the throwback store owned by Hugo Gernsback (Keegan-Michael Key) and Urusla Gernsback (Kathryn Hahn) also shine with both Key and Hahn stealing the show quite easily. It is a shame to see both relegated to such small roles as in their short moments in the film, their comedic energy and ability really shine through and, juxtaposed with their killer instincts, really make the film soar. Unfortunately, it is just for one scene and is quite fleeting, but the blend of adventure, mystery, and comedy, in this scene as Casey learns more about the pin she received, about Athena, and about Tomorrowland, this scene really stands as the best of the film. The follow-up, when we are first introduced to old Frank, is also quite good. In particular, the neat gadgets in the home really show a spark of creativity. Yet, as is a trend, we spend very little time there and never really see the full potential of everything.

A pale and soulless attempt at making a nostalgia picture that captures the sense of wonder from 1970s/1980s childhood classics and capturing the anticipation and sense of awe of the future held by people in the 1950s/1960s/1970s, Tomorrowland mostly fails. While there are some moments of brilliance, it simply never explores any of them enough and instead opts to spend two-thirds of the film explaining everything before quickly wrapping up its problem in thirty minutes, accompanied by plenty of fluff and filler along the way. Though its actors try their best and show themselves capable of their respective roles, Tomorrowland's reliance upon cliches and internal inconsistencies bog down the picture and leave it being nothing but yet another science fiction film with a compelling premise that goes nowhere.

8/10 - Gaslight is an absolutely terrifying adaptation of the play of the same name by Patrick Hamilton that created the term "gaslighting". Referencing how the gaslight would flicker whenever Paula (Ingrid Bergman) was being tricked by her husband Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer), the term refers to the psychological torment of a person by convincing them that they are insane. Putting this on full display as Paula is gaslighted by her husband for seemingly no reason, Gaslight is a terrifying display of evil that is good to the very last drop. Mesmerizing and entirely frightening, Gaslight is a film noir with some serious bite that leaves a mark and allows the viewer to see the face of pure evil and greed, who would drive a woman mad just to become rich.

Starring Charles Boyer as the venomous and cruel Gregory Anton, Gaslight benefits greatly from his menacing performance in the lead role. He is entirely convincing and, though you know he is lying, it is easy to see why Paula falls for his every trick. Small suggestions along the way that she forgets things or is misunderstanding others makes you wonder if perhaps she is going a bit mad, no matter what the camera shows us to be true. The sounds coming from the upstairs and seeming confirmation from the maids that nobody is upstairs only exacerbates this and truly shows Gaslight's brilliance. Boyer's performance further bolsters this mystery as you begin to believe that, while Anton is not always right, there is a possibility that Paula is going mad. It almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for her as she continues to spiral out of control and breaks down into hysterics at the mere drop of a hat. This spiral into insanity would be impossible to believe if it were not for Boyer's performance, as he is cold, chilling, and unwelcoming at all times, yet entirely believable. He is a devious man that uses his charm and wit, as well as apparent care and love for Paula, to manipulate us, her, and those around them into believing she is severely ill.

Alongside Boyer is a typically brilliant turn from Ingrid Bergman. She is quiet or bewildered for much of the film until police officer Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten), who has been wise to Gregory's tricks all along, tells her what has been going on. At this point, Bergman really turns on the jets and turns in an empassioned, powerful, and truly emotional performance as Paula gets revenge on her cruel husband for what he has done to her. There, Bergman unleashes all the emotion that had been stewing inside of her for the prior hour and a half or so. While I am always impressed with her acting, the scene of her really giving it to Gregory in the attic certainly stands at the top of the mountain when it comes to her performances. She aces the scene and captures the right balance between anger, hurt, and absolute shock.

As with many noirs, one of the highlights of this film is undoubtedly the lighting. Incorporating the gaslight into the film constantly when Gregory is playing tricks on Paula's mind, the greatest use of light still comes from the shadows. Immediately upon entering this home in Thornton Square, it is easy to identify that there is something wrong about the home. It honestly feels more akin to a gothic horror film with the dark hallways and dimly lit rooms that constantly create an ominous presence in the home. By the time we learn that it is, however, Paula cannot get away and must await help from the outside world. Using very little light throughout, there are moments where the rooms are mostly lit, but for the most part, these are the most useless candles ever. Things are constantly shrouded in darkness and seems to be hiding the past of the home with the darkness being just another distinguishing piece of this home with a dark past involving Paula's aunt.

An impressively put together mystery thriller, Gaslight rises on the back of excellent lead performances from Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman, but has many other excellent elements in its own right aside from its leads. With a tight script and terrific direction that keeps the tension high and the characters cloaked in mystery, Gaslight manages to be a fully developed film noir that keeps you guessing until the very end.



5/10 - J. Edgar is a flawed biopic from Clint Eastwood that continues to show that his late period fact-based stories always seem to lack something that to make them rise above the trappings of the facts they are based upon. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, the film focuses on him starting the agency and the period right before his death. Both show a man fearlessly holding onto his baby and ensuring that it is established as the foremost expert on all matters of crime. Along the way, we see the impact his mother Anna Marie (Judi Dench) had on him, his clearly gay relationship with Associate Director Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), his trusty secretary Miss Gandy (Naomi Watts), his obsession with communists, his obsession with organized crime, assisting in the Lindbergh baby case, his dealings with political leaders such as MLK, and his dealings with presidents. All the while, he builds up the agency to nearly being the behemoth we see today. Though well-constructed, J. Edgar has some fundamental flaws that keep it from being successful.

Foremost is the make-up. It may be odd to start here since there are some narrative issues and cinematography issues that also plague J. Edgar, but it only makes sense given how absolutely horrific the make-up is in this film. While DiCaprio and Watts' old age make-up are quite bad, it is really the make-up caked onto Armie Hammer's face that stands as the worst. Throughout much of the film, particularly when Tolson has a stroke, he looks more like a CPR test dummy than a man (or like this meme). His emotions and facial expressions are necessarily overdone and too expressive as Hammer must force his way valiantly through the make-up that undoubtedly made him feel caged within his own body. That said, he is hardly the only one with bad make-up in this film. DiCaprio's is also very bad and never looks authentic. It looks like DiCaprio wearing a lot of make-up and never really makes the audience suspend their disbelief regarding his characters' age.

Narratively, the film never finds a way to use the make-up either, which may make it even worse. Overly convoluted and confusing for a biopic, Eastwood's film freely skips between the 1920s/1930s to the 1960s/1970s without ever really letting you know what year we are in and what situations we are in beyond just tossing Hoover into major cultural touchstones of the 20th Century. Having Hoover dictate his autobiography to a staff member - which was not true anyways - reveals just how slipshod this film really is as we jump from year-to-year without order and go long stretches in the past or present before the film seems to realize we have not seen the other time period in a long time. While it may make sense to use this screenwriting shortcut to tell the story, it really makes the film feel incredibly disjointed and lacking any sort of cohesion. This convoluted approach to telling a story where Eastwood constantly leaves off in the middle of a timeline before jumping to a new one really hampers J. Edgar and makes it feel overlong, poorly paced, and exasperatingly dull.

J. Edgar also struggles when considering the lighting. Now, I love noir films and shadows. Yet, this film is too much. Now, it is not noir, but the chiaroscuro feels pulled directly from those under-budgeted 1940s Warner Bros. noirs and Eastwood seems to try and capture that feeling for this biopic. It is ill-fitting and overdone with faces sometimes entirely obscured by shadows. This really hinders many moments in Hoover's office where we can hardly see the man or the people he is talking to. This may be hinting at some thematic considerations on the part of Eastwood, but if they are, they are never fully realized and really miss the mark.

Now, all of that said, the acting is quite good. As is typical, for DiCaprio, he delivers an excellent lead performance as Hoover and really captures his great power and presence, while still maintaining the other elements of his life quite capably. In particular, these "other elements" include his homosexuality, which is nicely portrayed by Eastwood with a gentle approach. Showing the secrecy that they must live in with Edgar and Colson restricted to slight touches of the hand and two brief kisses, the film shows both the troubles at the time and gives a tender look at the personal and intimate life of such a tough man. Their relationship is not just well-written and nicely handled, but DiCaprio's excellent performance is matched by a similarly terrific performance from Armie Hammer, who plays the only man that really ever understood Hoover at his most vulnerable, being able to quickly tell if he is lying or not.

It is the aforementioned development of this homosexual side of Hoover that really reveals the most about him and how reserved of a person he was. He accepted very little distraction from his work, aside from Colson and his mother. Interestingly, they represent foils. Colson accepts his homosexuality, loves him anyways, and yet is unafraid to challenge him positively. His mother is mostly negative. She is tough and criticizes his failure to save Lindbergh's baby, while also telling him she would rather he be dead than gay. However, she undoubtedly loves him. The two have a unique and special relationship where he still lives with her throughout the rest of her life, even when he is the director of the FBI. This acceptable of these limitations to her love really do speak to how much he loved her and wanted to change himself. Often, he pushes Colson away because he too rejects his homosexuality. How could the leader of the nation's biggest law enforcement agency be gay? It was inconceivable and Hoover knew this. Thus, he had to find ways to push away Colson, driving him towards women at the urging of his mother. This split personality between what he shows the world and is like behind closed doors shows how complex of a man Hoover was and the emotional turmoil he underwent as a result of his homosexuality. For all of the film's narrative faults, it really does paint a compelling picture of Hoover's personal life and his struggles to balance this with his macho stances in public, particularly with how being gay was perceived during his lifetime. In many ways, his homosexuality and inability to channel his passion into a relationship that he could be entirely committed to, could be cited as how he was able to build up the FBI. Entirely married to his work, he never showed any interest in having a life outside of work and instead focused all of his energy on the job. His extreme passion about communism and organized crime, as well as to restoring patriotism and morality to a country he sees as being devoid of both, essentially replaces that emotional side of him as he seeks a way to define himself in the public and to stave off internal questions about his masculinity.

This interesting character study does lend itself nicely to a compelling story that recounts the major cases of the FBI during his time as director. Though it may be too ambitious to do both, and the film feels stretched out as it tries to cram in more investigations, it is quite admirable and interesting to watch. In particular, the Lindbergh case takes up much of the runtime and is always engaging as we watch them try and find the people responsible. The introduction of the personal files also adds another layer to the film, particularly when Nixon (Christopher Shyer) becomes President and when Miss Gandy is tasked with destroying them after Hoover's death. It not just shows Hoover's killer instinct with how he is willing to use it against his enemies, while adding tension with regard to how he will use the information. Additionally, though the film's pacing is definitely off, the stories it tells are always interesting and are matched by excellent costume design. In its crime tales, it often mirrors a gangster film with the big guns, boiler hats, and suits. This costume design brings great authenticity to the time period of the story and somewhat makes up for the awful make-up.

The definition of a mixed bag, Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar is an ambitious biopic with excellent acting performances, a terrific exploration of what made J. Edgar Hoover tick, great costume design, and a compelling story. However, its awful make-up, fractured storytelling to the point that it is convoluted, poor pacing as a result of trying to fit in too much, and awful lighting, really cancel out many of the positives. That said, it is worth a watch for lovers of history or those who appreciate watching terrific actors turn in terrific performances.



7/10 - A light, cute, and funny musical romantic comedy, director Stanley Donen's Funny Face is a charmer, even if it is never excellent. With good music, strong performances, and smart comedy along the way, Funny Face may be skinnier than Audrey Hepburn when it comes to plot, but as is always the case with musicals, it makes up for it with only-in-the-movies moments as the characters dance, sing, and fall in love in the most romantic of fashions. Though perhaps criminally underwritten with the perplexing casting of Audrey Hepburn as an unconventionally attractive girl who loves philosophy and is chosen as the face of a new catalog (who the hell thinks she has a "funny face"?), the film is still a nice and breezy mix of love and song with Paris in the backdrop, as well as audacious dresses and styles.

Audrey Hepburn, even if not meeting the spirit of the role due to not having a funny face, is a perfect match for a musical. Capturing the buoyancy and frenetic energy, as well as the innocence and perfection necessary for such a romanticized genre, Hepburn was born to be in musicals. The only shortcoming is that she simply cannot sing, though she tries her hardest and makes up for it with her natural charm and comedic delivery when the moment calls for either. Additionally, her frantic dancing is both choreographed well and performed well by her, showcasing that incomparable essence that she has in all of her films. Of course, this state of being is only bolstered by the endless stream of high-end dresses she wears in this film that merely hints at the fashion icon should would become a few years later in Breakfast at Tiffany's. With how many of her films I have seen recently, it may get tedious to keep reading me gush about her, but she is impossible to look away from. No matter the film, she is always the highlight of it by simply being herself. It is astounding to watch. Her charms, wit, and acting ability elevate every film she touches and, along with it, brings an indescribable presence that makes even the most mundane material seem entirely fresh and unique.

Her magnetism is matched by that of the film itself with it defining why I do love musicals. Though Funny Face may be too thinly written and too sugary sweet to really work entirely, its terrific staging and use of the set is always exemplary. Scenes of Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn dancing with Hepburn's Jo Stockton wearing a wedding dress, only for them to step on a raft that seamlessly carries them to the other side of the creek are rapturously gorgeous. This sort of fantastical inclusion shows the beauty of the romance, but also the romanticism of the genre itself. It never strives to be real, instead opting to create an other worldly and fantastical appeal as we see an endless stream of moments that can only be defined as movie magic. This is a film unashamed to be made on a set that constantly reminds you it is not real and more akin to a dream than reality. Musicals constantly remind me of hyperreality and postmodernism for this reason as they exist in a world that exists, but the approach and use of that world is always beyond real world definitions. This embracing of the dream world and hyping up of the love between Jo and Dick Avery (Astaire) creates an undeniable magic and swell of emotion that can only truly be felt in a musical. It may be entirely cheesy and too sweet, while also having no basis in what is real, but is undeniably entertaining and wholly moving.

Yet, none of that beauty or acceptable detours into the set and the world of the film would be possible without excellent music. With lyrics by Ira Gerswhin and music by George Gerswhin, Funny Face features a rendition of the excellent "'S Wonderful" with Astaire and Hepburn on the vocals that may not be as good as Gene Kelly's take in An American in Paris, but is certainly charming nonetheless. Alongside that terrific song are songs such as "Funny Face" that really speak to the romantic side of the film. Sung by Dick to Jo on two occasions, the song speaks to how he loves her no matter how funny her face may seem to others. To him, she is beautiful because she has a funny face. A touching song that elegantly sung by Astaire on both occasions, the song is also met by excellent choreography that captures the elegance and simple beauty of the film by never becoming too over-the-top and instead favoring more intimate and down to Earth dance sequences. Songs such as "Bonjour, Paris!" may be a little too sweet and romantic about Paris for some, but plays quite well in how it captures the excitement and joy of arriving in a city of dreams such as Paris with all three characters - Dick, Jo, and fashion magazine president Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson) - all exuberantly singing about their sheer joy at being in Paris. The first sequence with the song may be one of the more visually compelling as well as it uses a technique that Brian De Palma would go on to trademark: split-screens. Using a split-screen to show the trio simultaneously singing about their joy about being in Paris and seeing the sights after lying to one another about going to rest in the hotel, the film shows them concurrently walking the streets and singing about what they want to do there. Winding up with all three at the same spot and awkwardly arguing with one another about how they all lied to each other, the scene is a real charmer, but shows great artistry on the part of Stanley Donen for how it is shot and presented to the audience.

If Funny Face is about anything, it is about not looking down on others and instead embracing life opportunities of any kind, while showing empathy along the way. Starting off with the song "Think Pink", the film quickly establishes Maggie Prescott as a tough-as-nails editor that expects nothing but the best. Think Meryl Streep's character in The Devil Wears Prada. They are one in the same with Maggie being ruthless and lacking any empathy towards others as she instructs her crew to just barge into Jo's bookstore, which they promptly destroy beyond repair. She looks down on Jo for being disheveled and pompous, as Jo preaches about various philosophical theories and annoys the crew who are there to take shots for Quality Magazine. Likewise, Jo resents the magazine people and views them as entirely vapid and beneath her intellectual mind. Yet, both have their misconceptions challenged. Maggie comes to see Jo as a beautiful woman that is smart and has that "it" factor, while being a delightful person on the inside as well. She finds empathy and begins to see things from Jo's point of view, understanding that she loves these philosophical theories and wishes to indulge them, alongside her newly discovered enjoyment of modeling. Through her modeling career and relationship with Dick, Jo begins to see the magazine world as not being that bad and instead containing people who are passionate about things other than intellectual pursuits. While she still loves philosophy, a negative encounter with her hero Professor Flostre (Michel Auclair) shows her that even intellectuals can act crass. Thus, why would see judge all magazine employees as such when intellectuals can be as well? Though she preaches empathy, it is only through this negative encounter that she truly begins to practice it and see how many chances the magazine people took on her because they believed in her modeling ability. Yet, she carelessly blew them off due to her own misconceptions about them, even if they never treated her as less than their equal. She was too naive and innocent about the world until the events of the film transpires as she had romantic notions about intellectual pursuits and saw a love of fashion as being pointless. However, she learns that you cannot put people of both pursuits in a category simply based upon what they enjoy. There are good and bad people who enjoy philosophy. There are good and bad people who enjoy fashion. You are not good for liking one over the other or bad for the same. Instead, she must learn to understand why one would like one over the other and put herself in their shoes to truly understand the similarities between their passions: enjoyment.

With good music, a good message, and a classically elegant and eye-catching turn from Audrey Hepburn alongside Fred Astaire, Funny Face may not be the best musical around, but it is a sweet and charming one nonetheless. While Hepburn is not the best singer, which certainly holds the film back, Funny Face still has strong choreography and lyrics, as well as a greatly endearing charm and wit to it all that makes even the roughest vocals come out alright in the end. Though often too sweet and sugary - which will turn away many viewers - Funny Face's pairing of Hepburn and Astaire is as good as it sounds.



5/10 - The Great Gatsby is a clunky adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic high school reading list novel that really lacks any sort of inspiration. Though handsomely shot with excellent costume design, while capturing the extravagance of Gatsby's lifestyle, as well as nicely handling its portrayal of high society and the green light, there are flaws here. From being stodgily paced and being over-written, as well as some sketchy acting, Jack Clayton's take on The Great Gatsby lacks the impact that the novel has and, as a result, is largely quite dull to watch unfold and feels simultaneously rushed and too drawn out. This is an odd feeling and the end result is an odd film that never truly justifies its existence. Though Baz Luhrmann's 2013 take on the story may be a bit too poppy, it is definitely a better take on the novel that captured the spirit of everything depicted.

The problems with this spirit come in scenes where Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford) and Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow) are together. Scenes of him tossing clothes at her or sharing the work he has done stalking her over the years come of as stiff and undercooked. They lack a strong romantic tone and instead feel thrown in with neither Redford nor Farrow seeming entirely convinced they are in love with one another. Yet, as this film is incredibly mixed, some of these scenes come off incredibly well. For example, when they first see each other and their eyes light up, it is undeniable that the film has reached a romantic peak. The two stand in silence as they gaze into one another's eyes, underscoring the depth of their love for one another, as well as showing a rare moment where the film allowed non-verbal cues to tell the tale.

Some of these scenes do similarly feel rushed, however. In particular, the handling of the killing of Myrtle Wilson (Karen Black) is just off. Scenes immediately beforehand go far too quickly with Farrow over-acting and pouring on the melodrama, only for her to do the same afterwards. This not comes off as lacking authenticity, but it violently uproots the emotional toil of everything and turns the film into a cheesy rendition of a soap opera. Along the same lines, scenes at the parties held by Gatsby, particularly when Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston), seem to cut too soon. They may be the right length, but pick awkward times to cut away to a new scene, harming the overall flow of the film and turning it into quite a choppy mess.

However, the film's most egregious misstep deals with the dialogue. As with every bad to mediocre adaptation of a novel, The Great Gatsby had an allegedly beautiful script from writer Francis Ford Coppola that was botched in the production process. Whether that is true or not, the general feeling that the film is both too rushed and too long is likely due to the dialogue. Far too verbose with many scenes playing out exactly how they are depicted in the book with the same dialogue, The Great Gatsby shows why film language is different from what can be found in a novel. What is poetic and beautiful to read sounds awkward when heard as the actors stumble over lines and try to capture the dense language found in the script accurately. The film's rushed portion comes from how it tosses in exact lines from the novel like a student turning in a book report on a book they never read. Dragging in between and then having a character utter one of those verbose lines and trip over themselves in the process, the film just never really captures the essence of the novel or the characters. Instead, it goes for a few keys scenes that it tries to cram in to spruce things up, while filling it with fluff in between.

That said, the cinematography and costume design do really capture the imagination. With it appearing more akin to a dream than reality with the characters all dressed in white, the film really captures this other worldly nature of the film. None of the characters operate in the real world, due to how unconcerned they are with others and how focused upon their own lives they are. As such, they indulge in fantasy and these lavish lifestyles that are uncommon to the average person and are a direct result of their extreme wealth. These are people that exist around the real world, not in it due to how audacious and unique their life and lifestyle is, which is what Nick Carraway really captures. He is shocked to see these events play out and is like a kid having a dream about some far off place that he would never be able to reach. It is this general dream-like aesthetic that really bolsters director Jack Clayton's film, no matter the flaws under the hood. Its outside appearance is so gorgeous and handsomely constructed that it is impossible to look away.

A mostly flawed and usually dull adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic, the film mostly wastes a good performance from Robert Redford as the legendary literary character. A man of mystery who is a tragic figure as he pursues his doomed romance with Daisy, even if it may kill him, Gatsby is always a watchable man. Redford captures this presence and mysterious nature of the man, while balancing it with the unbridled romanticism and head-in-the-clouds nature that makes Gatsby so endearing and charming. While Mia Farrow is too expressive as Daisy, the film's general lack of bombast and more controlled approach to the romance and the party scene leaves the film lacking a heart. Luhrmann seemed to recognize this for his adaptation as he spruced up the proceedings with a splash of color. That infuses it with a strong heart with blood flowing through the film. This one, no matter its lovely dreamy aesthetic, is too cold and distant to really work, with that issue only exacerbated with the apparent disinterest in the source material expressed by the screenplay. The film lacks the understanding of why the film worked so well. To make up for this, it uses verbose language from the novel and sprinkles it freely throughout the film, which only worsens its issues. Wholly disappointing, one must wonder if there will ever be a completely good adaptation of The Great Gatsby or if we should just stop trying.



8/10 - NOTE: Spoilers throughout, particularly later on in the review. The beginning is pretty safe.

Anybody who sees the trailer and expects a monster movie is set to be disappointed, which seems to be a constant theme among those disappointed: they expected something different. Whether they expected more of a monster movie or a comedic take on one, Colossal winds up missing the mark on both, simply because it is not necessarily either. Using elements of monster movies and comedy to tell its tale, Colossal is a genre bending film with a character study core as it examines the life of its lead character, her problems, and how she became who she is today. To do this, it does use a monster terrifying Seoul, but it is merely a device through which we learn about our protagonist and the people in her life. Smartly written with top-notch acting all around, Colossal is a surprisingly satisfying film that will make you laugh, but also terrify, thrill, and entertain you with everything in its arsenal. It is, essentially, the swiss army knife of films. This, naturally, has its limitations, but writer/director Nacho Vigalondo deftly blending everything together into a cohesive and highly rewarding film is a practically miraculous achievement.

Colossal tells the story of Gloria (Anne Hathaway). An out-of-work alcoholic, Gloria abuses the trust of boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) and makes a mockery of his hospitality in light of her financial status. Tim opts to show her some tough love by kicking her out and breaking up with her. Returning to her small hometown, Gloria pitches her tent in her parents' empty house, which is being rented out at the moment. While there, she runs into old elementary school friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) and, while paling around with him and his friends, scores a job as a bartender at the bar owned by Oscar. The only hitch in this newfound success? At 8:05 in South Korea, if Gloria walks through a playground near her home, she will appear as a huge monster and terrorize the people of Seoul. As we quickly learn, Oscar has the same affliction, appearing as a large robot. Becoming a global phenomenon, the film finds great comedy and excitement in the hysteria by showing the internet's reaction to the insanity, as well as the sheer bloody carnage created by Gloria and Oscar without any intent on their part.

Yet, these kaijus are merely a gateway into the psyches of Colossal's protagonists. Peering into why both Gloria and Oscar are undeniably broken people, the film borders on becoming a thriller at moments, as well as being a fully-fledged character study. Tracing their current predicament with an event 25 years prior, which was also the first time the monster was seen in Seoul, Colossal shows just how deeply unhappy and self-loathing its characters are. A woman who got fired from her job as a writer and apparently faced some harassment online over it, Gloria feels inadequate and depressed. Fighting to be heard and stand tall as an individual, Gloria feels personally attacked whenever things go wrong or a situation turns sour, in part because she lacks the confidence in herself to really follow through on anything. As a result, she drowns her sorrows in a bottle in order to forget her past and allow her to not be consumed with the crushing weight of being a failure after having so many expectations placed upon her after getting out of her small town.

On the other side, Oscar is a much darker character. Deeply disturbed, obsessed with Gloria, and caught in a vicious cycle of self-loathing that sees him exact his self-hatred on the world in order to vent, Oscar is a surprisingly dark and terrifying man. Gloria is taken aback by this, but Colossal quickly establishes just how much he envies her for having achieved so much by simply leaving the town. Pointing to the death of his mother - of whom he has a photo with her face scratched out - as the event that made Oscar turn, Colossal shows how Oscar seems to play Gloria for all of the inadequacy her feels and the sense that he is a complete failure. Lashing out at her and his friends, Oscar runs everybody off purely because of the violent and passionate hate he feels for himself. In a thrilling scene that plays more like a psychological thriller than anything else, Oscar goes as far as threatening to kill more citizens of Seoul if Gloria does not stay in the town. Underscoring how deeply disturbed Oscar is and how afraid of others having success he is, he resorts to murder in order to stave off his feeling of failure, which had consumed his life until then. Essentially, those who have it better must be brought down to his level or else they, and anyone near them, will pay the price.

As a result of this characterization, we see how destructive their personalities and situations are. Though Gloria and Oscar suffer from their own issues, the people most impacted by their problems are those around them. They are greatly destructive people, both literally and figuratively squashing every opportunity, friendship, and relationship, set before them purely because they cannot get out of their own way and are consumed with their self-loathing. If they simply looked down and watched what they were stepping on, they may be able to catch themselves and stop before causing too much damage. However, like a kaiju, they simply stomp about and ruin every life they encounter along the way. A smart usage of kaijus to personify the inner demons of a person and the damage it can cause for those they love and hold dear, Colossal handles the issue in the proper way. Never hamfisted or over-the-top, this theme of destroying those around them also further shows the development of the characters as they face their issues. Once she learns the ramifications of her actions as a kaiju, Gloria is horrified. Immediately trying to stop drinking, Gloria refuses to even come near the playground anymore. Oscar, however, continues to fuel his demons and embrace them. Driving him into a downward spiral, Oscar changes from a relatively nice person to a horrible demon. Seeking to destroy as many lives as possible in an effort to ensure he is not the only one going down due to his personal issues, he is a man that lashes out and tries to tear down others to make himself feel better about himself.

Ultimately about facing one's demons and conquering them, the film has a perfect finale for its thematic considerations and its study of both Gloria and Oscar. Pitting them against their destructive natures and forcing them to either conquer them or give in, both make decisions in line with their characters up to that point. Depicting this as a semi-kaiju battle, Colossal makes the sequence both incredibly entertaining to watch with great special effects and incredibly nuanced with great consistency with the motivations of the characters and how far along they are with their respective issues. With Gloria having already confronted her demons and opting to make a change for the better, she tries to make Oscar realize he is hurting real people with his destructive tendencies, only for him to lash out. At that point, there is no option but to put his reign of terror to an end and ensure that he can no longer hurt those around him any longer.

One of the major achievements of Colossal, however, is certainly the relationship between Gloria and Tim. Far too often, films chastise caring significant others as being too restrictive or hands on. If they have a fight, clearly it is the person that is not the protagonist that is in the wrong. Colossal steers clear of this issue in its depiction of Tim. An average guy who just happens to love Gloria with all his heart, he goes out of his way to get her back after breaking up with her for her own benefit. He knew he was enabling her and, by kicking her out, he hoped to get her back. Though he fights with her and lectures her far too much, Tim recognizes both of these things and does it out of love and wanting her to fix her self-identity and overcome her turmoils. Yet, it is an issue she must overcome herself and Tim takes a step back to let her either defeat her demons or be driven further underground.

In a role that feels along the same lines as her starring role in the excellent film Rachel Getting Married, Anne Hathaway shines in this role that is both against type and along the same lines as her being a protagonist. Toeing the line between destructive antihero and a woman who has been to hell and back, but must now return and save the world from their demons, Hathaway is brilliant. She turns in a nuanced and sensitive take on a woman without direction that is entirely broken, but is certainly fixable, if she cares to fix herself. Capturing both the caring nature of her, the part that wants more, and the part that is entirely destructive, Hathaway delivers her best performance since Les Miserables. Alongside, Jason Sudeikis is entirely against type, using his everyman persona as a great way to lull unsuspecting audiences into believing he is nothing more than a comedic sidekick to Gloria's problems, instead of a man coping with his own dark and damaged past. In perhaps her strongest acting performance, Sudeikis shows great acting range, able to make us laugh or shiver from fear almost instantly. Perhaps the greatest sequence for him comes in the bar with flames all around him. Symbolizing his final descent into hell, from which nobody returns, Sudeikis shows his ability to play an unhinged and wholly deranged man. Yet, earlier, we see him goofing around with his friend Garth (Tim Blake Nelson) as the robot. This about-face turn in character from lovable loser to calculating and manipulative psychopath is somewhat shocking, but always made convincing by Sudeikis' excellent performance.

Smartly written and capturing the pain, agony, and turmoil one must go through in order to overcome their demons - including having to go into hell and face them yourself - Colossal is an excellent film from Nacho Vigalondo that hints at better things to come for the writer-director. Deftly weaving between genres and styles, Colossal manages to be a rare film that checks every box in near equal measure. Is it imaginative? Yes. Is it funny? Yes. Is it thrilling? Yes. Is it entertaining? Yes. Is it scary? Yes. How Vigalondo manage to make this scattershot set of influences blend together and still result in an excellent film shows the strength of both his direction and writing. No matter what turns the film takes, the script is the backbone of this film that sees is overcomes every turmoil, sculpting multi-dimensional characters who see their arcs to their proper conclusion and act like real human beings. No matter how fantastical the film may become, the human core of this film always shines through and is what makes it such a success.

I can’t do movie reviews like Spangle..So detailed and you can tell it’s really a passion..  so I won’t .
Suffice it to say in this year of 2020 and COVID ..I like most people trapped at home occasionally get bored. So I came across this little gem last week and was pleasantly surprised..it’s a Blumhouse flick so it leans on the gore a little but the sci-fi element and the neat twist was an entertaining evening ..Besides I tend to identify with the technophobic hero...but that’s just me. Give it a try if you haven’t seen it already..

The Wawazat Score...7.5/10 -or- 3 1/2 bags of Popcornopolis Nearly Naked Popcorn.

 SUPERNAW

~~~#1~~G~ C.K. SUPERNAW~~NBB~~USA~~~
~…6’7”/ 230.lbs/ Full Right

~...POB: Manhattan...........Kansas,USA.
~…SMJHL LATE S55 F.A. Signee
~NBB S55 Stats~.13 Games (2-8-2) ...3.64 GAA...0.914% SV%.
~NBB S56 Stats~ 25 Games (15-8-2)...2.58 GAA.. 0.917% SV%…1 SOwin
~USA S56 WJC Stats~10 Games ( 5-3-1)...2.09 GAA..0.914 % SV%…2 SOwins
~NBB S57 Stats~ 18 Games (8-8-2)…2.96 GAA…0.913% SV%…3 SOwins..
~NBB S58 Stats~ 59 Games (28-27-3)…2.59 GAA…0.910% SV%… 6 SOwins..

[/color]
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UPDATE PAGE

S56 WJC AWARDS
“Our third award is one that is dear to my heart as a SHL goaltender… The Peter Larson Award for the Top Goalie! This is voted by the GMs and considers both the round robin and medal rounds. The S56 Winner of the Peter Larson Award is….…
C.K. Supernaw! “

Tenet. So good!!

Wilhelm von Hindenburg II  || Center || Kelowna Knights || 268 TPE
Name: Wilhelm von Hindenburg II
Birthplace: Germany
Height: 6'6
Weight: 220 lbs
Number: 44
Drafted: SMJHL- Round 2, Pick 28, Kelowna Knights
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career Accomplisments:
------------------------------------------------------------
Career Statistics:
SMJHL Regular Season Totals:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S69 | 68 GP | 18 G | 12 A | 30 P | -2 | 18 PIM | 69 H | 27 SB | 94 SOG | 
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SHL Regular Season Totals:
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                   Jarmo Kekäläinen  || Left Wing || Texas Renegades || 1411 TPE [RET]
Name: Jarmo Kekäläinen
Birthplace: Finland
Height: 6'1
Weight: 185 lbs
Number: 72
Drafted: SHL- Round 2, Pick 19, San Francisco Pride
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career Accomplisments:
WJC S57 Gold (Finland)
WJC S58 Gold (Finland)
WJC S59 Silver (Finland)
SMJHL S57 2nd Team All-Star
------------------------------------------------------------
Career Statistics:
SMJHL Regular Season Totals:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S56-59 | 247 GP | 63 G | 96 A | 159 P | +15 | 68 PIM | 202 H | 151 SB | 562 SOG | 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHL Regular Season Totals:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S60 [MTL] | 66 GP | 11 G | 19 A | 30 P | -23 | 14 PIM | 86 H | 60 SB | 139 SOG |
S61 [MTL] | 66 GP | 08 G | 19 A | 27 P | -10 | 20 PIM | 85 H | 67 SB | 135 SOG |
S62 [MTL] | 66 GP | 13 G | 13 A | 26 P | -82 | 32 PIM | 69 H | 130 SB|114 SOG |
S63 [MTL] | 66 GP | 09 G | 19 A | 28 P | -40 | 18 PIM | 63 H | 98 SB | 130 SOG |
S64 [TEX] | 66 GP | 12 G | 18 A | 30 P | +18| 18 PIM | 74 H | 64 SB | 144 SOG |
S65 [TEX] | 66 GP | 24 G | 25 A | 49 P | -21 | 26 PIM | 103 H | 127 SB | 187 SOG |
S66 [TEX] | 66 GP | 24 G | 39 A | 63 P | -27 | 45 PIM | 116 H | 61 SB | 229 SOG |
S67 [TEX] | 66 GP | 17 G | 29 A | 46 P | -30 | 37 PIM | 96 H | 60 SB | 169 SOG |
S65 [TEX] | 66 GP | 23 G | 28 A | 51 P | -40 | 24 PIM | 93 H | 31SB | 154 SOG |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOT         | 594 GP | 141 G | 209 A | 350 P | -255 | 234 PIM | 785 H | 698 SB | 1393 SOG |

3/10. Awful storyline. Wondered to myself the entirety of the movie why Ewan McGregor took this role. He was convincing which was cool to see but it was just a train-wreck of a film. Don't recommend.

 

Beau Kavanagh | Goaltender | Great Falls Grizzlies

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BIRTHPLACE: Kilkenny, Ireland

HEIGHT: 6'4

WEIGHT: 205 lbs

JERSEY NUMBER: 29

PLAYER TYPE: Hybrid Goalie

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SMJHL Career Regular Season Statistics

Cillian Kavanagh | Goaltender | Texas Renegades | S51-S70 

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BIRTHPLACE: Limerick, Ireland

HEIGHT: 6'4

WEIGHT: 205 lbs

JERSEY NUMBER: 30

PLAYER TYPE: Hybrid Goalie

PEAK TPE: 2084

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SMJHL Career Regular Season Statistics

KEL S51: GP: 5, W: 1, L: 2, OTL: 1, SAVE %: .840, GAA: 4.30

KEL S52: GP 20, W: 8, L: 8, OTL: 2, SAVE %: .897, GAA: 2.97

KEL S53: GP: 44, W: 27, L: 14, OTL: 3, SAVE %: .906, GAA: 2.43

KEL S54: GP: 39, W: 22, L: 11, OTL: 6, SAVE %: .915, GAA: 2.14

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SHL Career Regular Season Statistics

SFP S55: GP: 50, W: 15, L: 32, OTL: 2, SAVE %: .901, GAA: 4.06

SFP S56: GP: 32, W: 4, L: 22, OTL: 1, SAVE %: 9.16, GAA: 4.79

TEX S57: GP: 37, W: 23, L: 13, OTL: 0, SAVE %: 9.26, GAA: 2.36

TEX S58: GP: 37, W: 30, L: 6, OTL: 0, SAVE %: .914, GAA: 2.17

TEX S59: GP: 42, W: 30, L: 10, OTL: 2, SAVE %: .923, GAA: 2.16

TEX S60: GP: 54, W: 32, L: 19, OTL: 3, SAVE %: .914, GAA: 2.57

TEX S61: GP: 54, W: 39, L: 14, OTL: 1, SAVE %: .911, GAA: 2.56

TEX S62: GP: 54, W: 38, L: 10, OTL: 5, SAVE %: .914, GAA: 2.36

TEX S63: GP: 54, W: 38, L: 14, OTL: 2, SAVE %: .924, GAA: 1.92

TEX S64: GP: 54, W: 35, L: 12, OTL: 7, SAVE %: .911, GAA: 2.64

TEX S65: GP: 58, W: 16, L: 34, OTL: 5, SAVE %: .911, GAA: 3.94

TEX S66: GP: 53, W: 17, L: 30, OTL: 5, SAVE %: .900, GAA: 3.92

TEX S67: GP: 54, W: 11, L: 37, OTL: 2, SAVE %: .887, GAA: 4.62

TEX S68: GP: 49, W: 11, L: 35, OTL: 3, SAVE %: .887, GAA: 4.87

TEX S69: GP: 29, W: 6, L: 14, OTL: 0, SAVE %: .892, GAA: 4.54

TEX S70: GP: 26, W: 9, L: 8, OTL: 1, SAVE %: .916, GAA: 4.71

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transactions

S51 - Signed by the Kelowna Knights for $3M ($2M HO Bonus)

S52 - Drafted 22nd Overall by the San Francisco Pride in the SHL Entry Draft

S52 - Signed 1 Year, $2.5M with the San Francisco Pride

S53 - Signed 2 Year $4M (S55 $2M) with the San Francisco Pride

S57 - Signed 3 Year, $4M a Year, with the Texas Renegades

S60 - Signed 3 Year, $6M a Year, with the Texas Renegades

S63 - Signed 1 Year, $6M with the Texas Renegades

S64 - Signed 2 Year, $5M a Year, with the Texas Renegades

S66 - Signed 2 Year, $5M a Year, with the Texas Renegades

S68 - Signed 1 Year, $4M a Year, with the Texas Renegades

S69 - Signed 1 Year, $3M a Year, with the Texas Renegades

S70 - Signed 1 Year, $3M a Year, with the Texas Renegades

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Awards & Honors

S51 - Silver Medal at the WJC as Team Sweden's Starting Goaltender

S53 - Finalist for Tom Corcoran Trophy for SMJHL's Best Goaltender

S54 - Recipient of Tom Corcoran Trophy for SMJHL's Best Goaltender

S54 - All-SMJHL Team (1st Team)

S57 - SHL 2nd Team All-Star Participant

S59 - SHL Western Conference All-Star Team Participant

S59 - Texas Renegades, Challenge Cup Champions

S59 - IIHF Bronze Medal, Team Norway

S59 - Finalist for John McBride Award for SHL's Best Goaltender

S59 - Recipient of Anton Razov Award for SHL Playoff MVP

S59 - Recipient of the Mike Honcho Award for Lowest Goal Against Average

S59 - SHL 3rd Team All-Star Participant

S60 - SHL All-Star Participant

S60 - Recipient of the Mike Honcho Award for Lowest Goal Against Average

S61 - IIHF Best Goaltender, Team Norway

S62 - Texas Renegades, Challenge Cup Champions

S62 - Recipient of Anton Razov Award for SHL Playoff MVP

S63 - Recipient of the Mike Honcho Award for Lowest Goal Against Average

S63 - Finalist for John McBride Award for SHL's Best Goaltender

S63 - SHL 2nd Team All-Star Participant

Charlie Conway | Center | Colorado Mammoths | S26-S30

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BIRTHPLACE: St. Paul, Minnesota

HEIGHT: 5'11

WEIGHT: 200 lbs

JERSEY NUMBER: 96

PLAYER TYPE: Playmaker

POSITION: Center

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Awards & Honors

S25 - Drafted 4th Round, 32nd Overall by the Colorado Mammoths

S26 - Named Assistant Captain of the Colorado Mammoths

S26 - Colorado Mammoths, Four Star Cup Champions

 

3/10. Awful storyline. Wondered to myself the entirety of the movie why Ewan McGregor took this role. He was convincing which was cool to see but it was just a train-wreck of a film. Don't recommend.

Harsh.

It was a 6 for me. Not good, not bad but better than most DC films.

3/10. Awful storyline. Wondered to myself the entirety of the movie why Ewan McGregor took this role. He was convincing which was cool to see but it was just a train-wreck of a film. Don't recommend.

Harsh.

It was a 6 for me. Not good, not bad but better than most DC films.

Only somewhat related, but Suicide Squad was one of the most offensively bad movies I've ever seen.  Harley Quinn looked good and there were a few mildly entertaining action scenes, but on the whole the movie made me wish I could devolve into an early hominid form so I could at least enjoy the pretty moving lights without letting thoughts ruin my experience.

Jean-François Bokassa


Proud Father of Johnny Wagner-Svenson


Sven Svenson Career Stats

Sven Svenson | LW | #10 | San Francisco Pride | Peak 2,259 TPE
Birthplace: Stockholm, Swedend
Height: 6' 2"   Weight: 210 lbs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHL
Highlights:
S51 WJC Silver Medal - Team Sweden
S52 Drafted 34th overall in the SMJHL Draft - Colorado Raptors
S52 WJC Bronze Medal - Team Sweden
S52 IIHF Silver Medal - Team Sweden
S53 Drafted 15th overall in the SHL Draft - San Francisco Pride
S53 Colorado Raptors Alternate Captain
S53 WJC Silver Medal - Team Sweden
S56 IIHF Bronze Medal - Team Sweden
Named S57 San Francisco Pride Captain
S63 Ron Mexico Award Winner


Richard Hogsworth | GM of the Colorado Raptors | S56 - S59
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Co-GM: S54-S55
Regular Season
  SEASON         TEAM          GP            W            L          OTL        P     
       54           |     COL     |     50      |      24      |    21     |     5      |    53      
       55           |     COL     |     50      |      27      |    18     |     5      |    59      
       56           |     COL     |     50      |      24      |    24     |     2      |    50     
       57           |     COL     |     66      |      33      |    27     |     6      |    72     
       58           |     COL     |     66      |      34      |    27     |     5      |    73     
       59           |     COL     |     66      |      35      |    23     |     8      |    78     
  CAREER    |                  |    348     |     170     |   140    |     31    |   385     
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Playoffs
S54 - Eliminated in the Western Conference Semi-Finals
S55 - Eliminated in the Conference Semi-Finals
S56 - Eliminated in the Conference Semi-Finals
S57 - Eliminated in the Conference Semi-Finals
S58 - Eliminated in the Conference Semi-Finals
S59 - Eliminated in the Conference Semi-Finals

  

Elemental! I know people didn’t like it for whatever reason, but it was cute and hit pretty close to home in parts.

Sig credits to @sköldpaddor @ihatereyson @enigmatic

Anastasia Söderström | #35 Detroit Falcons/Calgary Dragons Prospect | G | 365 TPE

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 165 lbs

Birthplace: Sundsvall, Sweden

~~~

Transaction History

S75: Drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Falcons

S75: Signed a 1-year, $2 million rookie contract with Detroit

S76: Drafted 44th overall by the Calgary Dragons

S76: Signed a 1-year, $3 million entry level contract with Calgary

~~~

SMJHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO

S75 | DET | 54 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 2.68 | 0.910 | 5

Career | DET | 54 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 2.68 | 0.910 | 5

~~~
SMJHL Playoff Stats
Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO
S75 | DET | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4.51 | 0.858 | 0
Career | DET | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4.51 | 0.858 | 0

~~~
World Junior Championship Stats
Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO

S75 | ICE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.41 | 0.906 | 1

Career | ICE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.41 | 0.906 | 1

~~~

Awards, Nominations, and Honours

S75 SMJHL 1st Team All-Star

S75 SMJHL All-Defensive Team

S75 SMJHL All-Rookie Team

S75 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy (SMJHL Rookie of the Year)

S75 Ideen Fallah Trophy (SMJHL Committee MVP)

Sophie Bordeleau | #20 Calgary Dragons | C | 2039 TPE Peak

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 155 lbs

Birthplace: Trois-Rivieres, QC

~~~

Transaction History

S63: Signed a $1 million DFA contract with the Nevada Battleborn

S64: Drafted 8th overall in the SMJHL Entry Draft by the Quebec City Citadelles

S64: Signed 1-year, $2 million rookie contract with Quebec City

S65: Drafted 8th overall in the SHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Blizzard

S65: Signed a 1-year, $3 million entry level contract with Edmonton

S65: Traded to the San Francisco Pride; signed a 3-year, $7.5 million contract extension starting in S66

S68: Signed a 3-year, $13 million contract extension with San Francisco starting in S69

S71: Traded to the Calgary Dragons

S72: Signed a 5-year, $30 million contract extension with Calgary

~~~
SMJHL Regular Season Stats
Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S63 | Nevada BattleBorn | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3

S64 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 19 | 40 | 59 | 23 | 26 | 95 | 51

S65 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 16 | 41 | 57 | 26 | 12 | 65 | 30

S66 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 7 | 24 | 89 | 18

S67 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 43 | 45 | 88 | 14 | 30 | 24 | 83

Career | Nevada/Quebec City | 274 | 114 | 166 | 280 | 70 | 96 | 276 | 185

~~~

SHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S68 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 12 | 29 | 41 | -24 | 40 | 64 | 24

S69 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 30 | 44 | 74 | -38 | 36 | 83 | 54

S70 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 30 | 49 | 79 | -16 | 66 | 91 | 57

S71 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 30 | 43 | 73 | -41 | 47 | 73 | 39

S72 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 27 | 48 | 75 | -25 | 48 | 69 | 75

S73 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 30 | 58 | 88 | -21 | 30 | 56 | 75

S74 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 38 | 55 | 93 | -32 | 40 | 76 | 49

Career | San Francisco/Calgary | 462 | 197 | 326 | 523 | -197 | 307 | 512 | 373

~~~

SMJHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks]

S63 | Nevada BattleBorn | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 3

S64 | Quebec City Citadelles | 14 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -4 | 0 | 16 | 14

S65 | Quebec City Citadelles | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 8

S66 | Quebec City Citadelles | 17 | 5 | 3 | 8 | -4 | 0 | 21 | 3

S67 | Quebec City Citadelles | 21 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 23

Career | Nevada/Quebec City | 68 | 20 | 33 | 53 | -3 | 4 | 50 | 51

~~~

SHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S68 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S69 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - 

S70 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S71 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S72 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S73 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S74 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

~~~

IIHF Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S65 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 2 | 6 | 2

S66 | Latvia | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -10 | 0 | 6 | 1

S67 | Latvia | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -11 | 0 | 11 | 2

S68 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -2 | 8 | 12 | 8

S69 | Latvia | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 12

S70 | Latvia | 15 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16

S71 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -5 | 2 | 8 | 9

S72 | Latvia | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -12 | 4 | 6 | 10

S73 | Latvia | 12 | 7 | 3 | 10 | -3 | 8 | 12 | 12

S74 | Latvia | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 | -6 | 6 | 7 | 10

Career | Latvia | 125 | 39 | 48 | 87 | -50 | 44 | 86 | 82

~~~

World Junior Championship Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S64 | Team Canada | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 7

S65 | Team World | 13 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 7

S66 | Team UCORCAL | 15 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 20

S67 | Team UCORCAL | 15 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 4

Career | Canada/World/UCORCAL | 43 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 9 | 48 | 34

~~~

Awards, Nominations, and Honours

S64 WJC Gold Medal (Canada)

S64 SMJHL All-Rookie Team

S64 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy (SMJHL Rookie of the Year)

S67 SMJHL 1st Team All-Star

S73 Jeff Dar Trophy (SHL Best Two-Way Player)

S66 DeMaricus Smyth Award (Best WJC Forward)

S66 Brady McIntyre Award (WJC MVP)

S68 Pride of the Pride Award (SFP Best User)

S69 Kelly Rivet Award (SFP Team MVP)

William Hartmann | #47 Edmonton Blizzard | RD | 2170 TPE Peak

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 196 lbs

Birthplace: Lugano, Switzerland

~~~

Transaction History

S52: Drafted 7th overall by the Vancouver Whalers in the S52 SMJHL Entry Draft

S52: Signed 1-year, $3 million rookie contract with Vancouver

S53: Drafted 16th overall by the Edmonton Blizzard in the S53 SHL Entry Draft

S53: Signed 3-year, $8.5 million entry-level contract with Edmonton

S56: Signed 3-year, $9 million contract extension with Edmonton

S59: Signed 2-year, $10 million contract extension with Edmonton (team option on 2nd year)

S60: Voided option with Edmonton, then signed a 3-year, $12 million contract extension with Edmonton

S61: Converted to right defense

S63: Signed 3-year, $12 million extension with Edmonton

S63: Traded to the Toronto North Stars

~~~

SMJHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -8 | 53 | 156 

S53 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 13 | 14 | 27 | -17 | 20 | 72 

S54 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 10 | 14 | 24 | -13 | 26 | 36 

S55 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 4 | 32 | 40 

Career | Vancouver Whalers | 200 | 46 | 53 | 99 | -34 | 131 | 304 

~~~

SHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S56 | Edmonton Blizzard | 50 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 9 | 18 | 58

S57 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 19 | 26 | 45 | -5 | 30 | 116

S58 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 28 | 32 | 60 | 30 | 26 | 78

S59 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 1 | 18 | 90

S60 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 25 | 43 | 68 | 2 | 28 | 122

S61 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 8 | 26 | 34 | -9 | 20 | 98

S62 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 7 | 35 | 42 | -17 | 18 | 98

S63 | Edmonton Blizzard/Toronto North Stars | 66 | 12 | 30 | 42 | -2 | 13 | 83

Career | Edmonton Blizzard/Toronto North Stars | 512 | 123 | 242 | 367 | 9 | 171 | 643

~~~

SMJHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Vancouver Whalers | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 22 

S53: Did not qualify

S54: Did not qualify

S55 | Vancouver Whalers | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 | 4

Career | Vancouver Whalers | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2

~~~

SHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S56 | Edmonton Blizzard | 19 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -1 | 4 | 27

S57 | Edmonton Blizzard | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 0 | 19

S58 | Edmonton Blizzard | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 19

S59 | Edmonton Blizzard | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -9 | 0 | 14

S60 | Edmonton Blizzard | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 2 | 18

S61 | Edmonton Blizzard | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 28

S62 | Edmonton Blizzard | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6

S63 | Toronto North Stars | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9

Career | Edmonton Blizzard | 81 | 11 | 30 | 41 | -7 | 14 | 140

~~~

IIHF Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Switzerland | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -6 | 8 | 15

S53 | Switzerland | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -7 | 2 | 12

S54 | Switzerland | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -7 | 4 | 7

S55 | Switzerland | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 14

S56 | Switzerland | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -6 | 8 | 17

S57 | Switzerland | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5

S58 | Switzerland | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 7

S59 | Switzerland | 14 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 8 

S60 | Switzerland | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 11

S61 | Switzerland | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 18

S62 | Switzerland | 13 | 0 | 6 | 6 | -3 | 0 | 7

S63 | Switzerland | 15 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 22

Career | Switzerland | 153 | 16 | 37 | 53 | -7 | 58 | 143

~~~

WJC Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S51 | DACH | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 8 | 19

S52 | DACH | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 11

S53 | DACH | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13

S54 | DACH | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -8 | 6 | 29

S55 | DACH | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 2 | 15

Career | DACH | 74 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -1 | 24 | 87

~~~

Awards and Honours

S53: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S54: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S55: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S63: SHL East All-Star Team

S63: IIHF Silver Medal

19th all-time in peak TPE pre-regression changes

~~~

Ellie Williams, Calgary Dragons Head GM
Movement
S71: Hired as Calgary Dragons Head GM

Season Records

S71: 20-43-3, missed playoffs

S72: 20-39-7, missed playoffs

S73: 22-41-3, missed playoffs

S74: 24-40-2, missed playoffs

S75: 25-39-2, missed playoffs

Awards, Honours and Records

Career Regular Season Record: 111-202-17

Career Playoff Record: 0-0

Kelvin Jensen, Retired Edmonton Blizzard Head GM

Movement

S53: Hired as Vancouver Whalers Co-GM

S57: Hired as Vancouver Whalers Head GM

S59: Hired as Edmonton Blizzard Co-Gm

S61: Hired as Edmonton Blizzard Head GM

~~~

Season Records

S53: 17-30-3, Missed Playoffs

S54: 11-37-2, Missed Playoffs

S55: 24-23-3, 4-0 vs. St. Louis Scarecrows, 0-4 vs. Carolina Kraken

S56: 39-11-0, 1st Round Bye, 4-0 vs. Kelowna Knights, 4-3 vs. Carolina Kraken, 4-2 vs. Newfoundland Berserkers

S57: 30-30-6, 4-1 vs. Nevada Battleborn, 4-0 vs. Detroit Falcons, 1-4 vs. Anaheim Outlaws

S58: 28-33-5, 4-2 vs. Carolina Kraken, 3-4 vs. Kelowna Knights

S59: 11-19-3 with VAN, 18-13-2 with EDM, 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Panthers, 0-4 vs. Hamilton Steelhawks

S60: 34-26-6, 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Panthers, 0-4 vs. Calgary Dragons

S61: 36-28-2, 4-1 vs. Seattle Argonauts, 4-1 vs. Calgary Dragons, 0-4 vs. Texas Renegades

S62: 24-37-5, 0-4 vs. Chicago Syndicate

S63: 21-37-8, 0-4 vs. Texas Renegades

S64: 28-34-4, 2-4 vs. Los Angeles Panthers

~~~

Awards, Honours and Records

Career SMJHL Regular Season Record: 160-193-22

Career SMJHL Playoff Record: 32-20

Career SHL Regular Season Record: 161-175-27

Career SHL Playoff Record: 18-30

S54: Fewest Wins in a Season in Vancouver Whalers History (11)

S56: Most Wins in a Season in Vancouver Whalers History (50-Game Era) (37)

S56 Laurifer Trophy (39-11-0, 78 Points)

S56 Linna-Landvik Cup (Western Finalist)

S56 Four Star Cup

Elemental! I know people didn’t like it for whatever reason,  but it was cute and hit pretty close to home in parts.

I haven’t seen it but what made it unappealing to check out for me was it looked like a pretty standard pixar movie, it even had the clumsy racism/bigotry allegory that’s pretty boilerplate for kids movies.
Also I think it suffers going up against spiderverse which has a much stronger style to it, so like when it comes to dropping my 7 dollars on the Tuesday matinee there’s just not really anything that draws me in.

Credit to Geck, Ragnar and Juni for sigs

Самат Бейбітжанов | G | Colorado | Atlanta 

Name: Samat Beibitzhanov

Age: 19

Birthplace: Karaganda, Kazakhstan

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 191 lbs

Number: 12/20

Name Bodycount: IIIIIIII

------------------------------------------------------------

Career Statistics:

SMJHL Regular Season: 

S51 | COL | GP: 44 (20-22-2) | .889 SV% | 2.65 GAA | SO: 1 | 0 PIM

S52 | COL | GP: 41 (22-13-5) | .892 SV% | 2.83 GAA | SO: 0 | 4 PIM

S53 | COL | GP: 32 (11-18-2) | .910 SV% | 2.73 GAA | SO: 2

S54 | COL | GP: 30 (15-11-4) | .910 SV% | 2.27 GAA | SO: 2

SHL Regular Season: 

S54 | MAN | GP: 5 (4-0-0) | .903 SV% | 1.45 GAA | SO: 1

S55 | MAN | GP: 10 (6-1-1) | .928 SV% | 1.70 GAA | SO: 1

S56 | ATL | GP: 44 (22-19-3) | .915 SV% | 3.12 GAA | SO: 3

S57 | ATL | GP: 51 (25-21-4) | .910 SV% | 2.89 GAA | SO: 4

S58 | ATL | GP: 51 (24-25-0) | .914 SV% | 3.19 GAA | SO: 3

IIHF Regular Season: 

S53 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .912 SV% | 3.01 GAA | SO: 0

S54 | RUS | GP: 12 (3-9-0) | .917 SV% | 3.01 GAA | SO: 0 

S55 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .903 SV% | 3.30 GAA | SO: 0 

S56 | RUS | GP: 12 (2-10-0) | .879 SV% | 5.55 GAA | SO: 0

S57 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .905 SV% | 4.64 GAA | SO: 0 

S58 | RUS | GP: 12 (7-3-2) | .926 SV% | 3.50 GAA | SO: 0

------------------------------------------------------------

Clout Box:

S50 WJC Gold Medal Team Russia

S51 All-Rookie Team

S51 Brutal SMJHL RoTY snub

S52 Tom Corcoran Nomination

S52 WJC Gold Medal Team UCORCAL

Original Colorado Goal Horn Creator

S53 WJC Bronze Medal

2x SMJHL All-Star

Мағжан Шаяхметов | Russia Co-Fed Head

Name: Magzhan Shayakhmetov

2x WJC GM, 1x Gold Medal S52 UCORCAL

S56-Present Russia Co-Fed Head

S58 IIHF Semifinalist

GoalieScore Record Holders and Winners

CHAMPION OF LIFE

S53 - Luca Del Vecchio

S54 - Harry Carpet

S55 - Markus Tegernako

S56 - Knox Booth

S57 - Luca Del Vecchio

S58 - Frans Eller
S59 - Nicolae Antonescu

S60 - Vincent Mietitore

-----------------------------------

HISTORICAL CHAMPIONSHIP

S53-54 - Luca Del Vecchio

S54-55 - Harry Carpet

S55-56 - Markus Tegernako

S56-Present - Knox Booth

I haven’t seen it but what made it unappealing to check out for me was it looked like a pretty standard pixar movie, it even had the clumsy racism/bigotry allegory that’s pretty boilerplate for kids movies.
Also I think it suffers going up against spiderverse which has a much stronger style to it, so like when it comes to dropping my 7 dollars on the Tuesday matinee there’s just not really anything that draws me in.

Without spoiling anything it does discuss that a bit because it is an immigrant story (Peter Sohn was born to Korean immigrants and grew up in the Bronx), but it’s not really that overt, it’s not Zootopia - mostly the obstacles are just the city not being designed for fire people and there’s like one overt thing and a couple of microaggressions but that’s it. I found it does handle the culture clash very well, and for anyone who’s been in that situation they can see a bit of themselves in it. Plus the lead was also in one of my favourite movies.

Having seen both, it doesn’t really “compete” with Spiderverse other than them both being animated, they’re two totally different genres.

Sig credits to @sköldpaddor @ihatereyson @enigmatic

Anastasia Söderström | #35 Detroit Falcons/Calgary Dragons Prospect | G | 365 TPE

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 165 lbs

Birthplace: Sundsvall, Sweden

~~~

Transaction History

S75: Drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Falcons

S75: Signed a 1-year, $2 million rookie contract with Detroit

S76: Drafted 44th overall by the Calgary Dragons

S76: Signed a 1-year, $3 million entry level contract with Calgary

~~~

SMJHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO

S75 | DET | 54 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 2.68 | 0.910 | 5

Career | DET | 54 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 2.68 | 0.910 | 5

~~~
SMJHL Playoff Stats
Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO
S75 | DET | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4.51 | 0.858 | 0
Career | DET | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4.51 | 0.858 | 0

~~~
World Junior Championship Stats
Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO

S75 | ICE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.41 | 0.906 | 1

Career | ICE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.41 | 0.906 | 1

~~~

Awards, Nominations, and Honours

S75 SMJHL 1st Team All-Star

S75 SMJHL All-Defensive Team

S75 SMJHL All-Rookie Team

S75 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy (SMJHL Rookie of the Year)

S75 Ideen Fallah Trophy (SMJHL Committee MVP)

Sophie Bordeleau | #20 Calgary Dragons | C | 2039 TPE Peak

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 155 lbs

Birthplace: Trois-Rivieres, QC

~~~

Transaction History

S63: Signed a $1 million DFA contract with the Nevada Battleborn

S64: Drafted 8th overall in the SMJHL Entry Draft by the Quebec City Citadelles

S64: Signed 1-year, $2 million rookie contract with Quebec City

S65: Drafted 8th overall in the SHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Blizzard

S65: Signed a 1-year, $3 million entry level contract with Edmonton

S65: Traded to the San Francisco Pride; signed a 3-year, $7.5 million contract extension starting in S66

S68: Signed a 3-year, $13 million contract extension with San Francisco starting in S69

S71: Traded to the Calgary Dragons

S72: Signed a 5-year, $30 million contract extension with Calgary

~~~
SMJHL Regular Season Stats
Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S63 | Nevada BattleBorn | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3

S64 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 19 | 40 | 59 | 23 | 26 | 95 | 51

S65 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 16 | 41 | 57 | 26 | 12 | 65 | 30

S66 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 7 | 24 | 89 | 18

S67 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 43 | 45 | 88 | 14 | 30 | 24 | 83

Career | Nevada/Quebec City | 274 | 114 | 166 | 280 | 70 | 96 | 276 | 185

~~~

SHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S68 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 12 | 29 | 41 | -24 | 40 | 64 | 24

S69 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 30 | 44 | 74 | -38 | 36 | 83 | 54

S70 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 30 | 49 | 79 | -16 | 66 | 91 | 57

S71 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 30 | 43 | 73 | -41 | 47 | 73 | 39

S72 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 27 | 48 | 75 | -25 | 48 | 69 | 75

S73 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 30 | 58 | 88 | -21 | 30 | 56 | 75

S74 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 38 | 55 | 93 | -32 | 40 | 76 | 49

Career | San Francisco/Calgary | 462 | 197 | 326 | 523 | -197 | 307 | 512 | 373

~~~

SMJHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks]

S63 | Nevada BattleBorn | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 3

S64 | Quebec City Citadelles | 14 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -4 | 0 | 16 | 14

S65 | Quebec City Citadelles | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 8

S66 | Quebec City Citadelles | 17 | 5 | 3 | 8 | -4 | 0 | 21 | 3

S67 | Quebec City Citadelles | 21 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 23

Career | Nevada/Quebec City | 68 | 20 | 33 | 53 | -3 | 4 | 50 | 51

~~~

SHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S68 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S69 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - 

S70 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S71 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S72 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S73 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S74 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

~~~

IIHF Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S65 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 2 | 6 | 2

S66 | Latvia | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -10 | 0 | 6 | 1

S67 | Latvia | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -11 | 0 | 11 | 2

S68 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -2 | 8 | 12 | 8

S69 | Latvia | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 12

S70 | Latvia | 15 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16

S71 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -5 | 2 | 8 | 9

S72 | Latvia | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -12 | 4 | 6 | 10

S73 | Latvia | 12 | 7 | 3 | 10 | -3 | 8 | 12 | 12

S74 | Latvia | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 | -6 | 6 | 7 | 10

Career | Latvia | 125 | 39 | 48 | 87 | -50 | 44 | 86 | 82

~~~

World Junior Championship Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S64 | Team Canada | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 7

S65 | Team World | 13 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 7

S66 | Team UCORCAL | 15 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 20

S67 | Team UCORCAL | 15 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 4

Career | Canada/World/UCORCAL | 43 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 9 | 48 | 34

~~~

Awards, Nominations, and Honours

S64 WJC Gold Medal (Canada)

S64 SMJHL All-Rookie Team

S64 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy (SMJHL Rookie of the Year)

S67 SMJHL 1st Team All-Star

S73 Jeff Dar Trophy (SHL Best Two-Way Player)

S66 DeMaricus Smyth Award (Best WJC Forward)

S66 Brady McIntyre Award (WJC MVP)

S68 Pride of the Pride Award (SFP Best User)

S69 Kelly Rivet Award (SFP Team MVP)

William Hartmann | #47 Edmonton Blizzard | RD | 2170 TPE Peak

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 196 lbs

Birthplace: Lugano, Switzerland

~~~

Transaction History

S52: Drafted 7th overall by the Vancouver Whalers in the S52 SMJHL Entry Draft

S52: Signed 1-year, $3 million rookie contract with Vancouver

S53: Drafted 16th overall by the Edmonton Blizzard in the S53 SHL Entry Draft

S53: Signed 3-year, $8.5 million entry-level contract with Edmonton

S56: Signed 3-year, $9 million contract extension with Edmonton

S59: Signed 2-year, $10 million contract extension with Edmonton (team option on 2nd year)

S60: Voided option with Edmonton, then signed a 3-year, $12 million contract extension with Edmonton

S61: Converted to right defense

S63: Signed 3-year, $12 million extension with Edmonton

S63: Traded to the Toronto North Stars

~~~

SMJHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -8 | 53 | 156 

S53 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 13 | 14 | 27 | -17 | 20 | 72 

S54 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 10 | 14 | 24 | -13 | 26 | 36 

S55 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 4 | 32 | 40 

Career | Vancouver Whalers | 200 | 46 | 53 | 99 | -34 | 131 | 304 

~~~

SHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S56 | Edmonton Blizzard | 50 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 9 | 18 | 58

S57 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 19 | 26 | 45 | -5 | 30 | 116

S58 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 28 | 32 | 60 | 30 | 26 | 78

S59 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 1 | 18 | 90

S60 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 25 | 43 | 68 | 2 | 28 | 122

S61 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 8 | 26 | 34 | -9 | 20 | 98

S62 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 7 | 35 | 42 | -17 | 18 | 98

S63 | Edmonton Blizzard/Toronto North Stars | 66 | 12 | 30 | 42 | -2 | 13 | 83

Career | Edmonton Blizzard/Toronto North Stars | 512 | 123 | 242 | 367 | 9 | 171 | 643

~~~

SMJHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Vancouver Whalers | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 22 

S53: Did not qualify

S54: Did not qualify

S55 | Vancouver Whalers | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 | 4

Career | Vancouver Whalers | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2

~~~

SHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S56 | Edmonton Blizzard | 19 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -1 | 4 | 27

S57 | Edmonton Blizzard | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 0 | 19

S58 | Edmonton Blizzard | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 19

S59 | Edmonton Blizzard | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -9 | 0 | 14

S60 | Edmonton Blizzard | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 2 | 18

S61 | Edmonton Blizzard | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 28

S62 | Edmonton Blizzard | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6

S63 | Toronto North Stars | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9

Career | Edmonton Blizzard | 81 | 11 | 30 | 41 | -7 | 14 | 140

~~~

IIHF Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Switzerland | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -6 | 8 | 15

S53 | Switzerland | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -7 | 2 | 12

S54 | Switzerland | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -7 | 4 | 7

S55 | Switzerland | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 14

S56 | Switzerland | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -6 | 8 | 17

S57 | Switzerland | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5

S58 | Switzerland | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 7

S59 | Switzerland | 14 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 8 

S60 | Switzerland | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 11

S61 | Switzerland | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 18

S62 | Switzerland | 13 | 0 | 6 | 6 | -3 | 0 | 7

S63 | Switzerland | 15 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 22

Career | Switzerland | 153 | 16 | 37 | 53 | -7 | 58 | 143

~~~

WJC Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S51 | DACH | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 8 | 19

S52 | DACH | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 11

S53 | DACH | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13

S54 | DACH | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -8 | 6 | 29

S55 | DACH | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 2 | 15

Career | DACH | 74 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -1 | 24 | 87

~~~

Awards and Honours

S53: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S54: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S55: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S63: SHL East All-Star Team

S63: IIHF Silver Medal

19th all-time in peak TPE pre-regression changes

~~~

Ellie Williams, Calgary Dragons Head GM
Movement
S71: Hired as Calgary Dragons Head GM

Season Records

S71: 20-43-3, missed playoffs

S72: 20-39-7, missed playoffs

S73: 22-41-3, missed playoffs

S74: 24-40-2, missed playoffs

S75: 25-39-2, missed playoffs

Awards, Honours and Records

Career Regular Season Record: 111-202-17

Career Playoff Record: 0-0

Kelvin Jensen, Retired Edmonton Blizzard Head GM

Movement

S53: Hired as Vancouver Whalers Co-GM

S57: Hired as Vancouver Whalers Head GM

S59: Hired as Edmonton Blizzard Co-Gm

S61: Hired as Edmonton Blizzard Head GM

~~~

Season Records

S53: 17-30-3, Missed Playoffs

S54: 11-37-2, Missed Playoffs

S55: 24-23-3, 4-0 vs. St. Louis Scarecrows, 0-4 vs. Carolina Kraken

S56: 39-11-0, 1st Round Bye, 4-0 vs. Kelowna Knights, 4-3 vs. Carolina Kraken, 4-2 vs. Newfoundland Berserkers

S57: 30-30-6, 4-1 vs. Nevada Battleborn, 4-0 vs. Detroit Falcons, 1-4 vs. Anaheim Outlaws

S58: 28-33-5, 4-2 vs. Carolina Kraken, 3-4 vs. Kelowna Knights

S59: 11-19-3 with VAN, 18-13-2 with EDM, 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Panthers, 0-4 vs. Hamilton Steelhawks

S60: 34-26-6, 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Panthers, 0-4 vs. Calgary Dragons

S61: 36-28-2, 4-1 vs. Seattle Argonauts, 4-1 vs. Calgary Dragons, 0-4 vs. Texas Renegades

S62: 24-37-5, 0-4 vs. Chicago Syndicate

S63: 21-37-8, 0-4 vs. Texas Renegades

S64: 28-34-4, 2-4 vs. Los Angeles Panthers

~~~

Awards, Honours and Records

Career SMJHL Regular Season Record: 160-193-22

Career SMJHL Playoff Record: 32-20

Career SHL Regular Season Record: 161-175-27

Career SHL Playoff Record: 18-30

S54: Fewest Wins in a Season in Vancouver Whalers History (11)

S56: Most Wins in a Season in Vancouver Whalers History (50-Game Era) (37)

S56 Laurifer Trophy (39-11-0, 78 Points)

S56 Linna-Landvik Cup (Western Finalist)

S56 Four Star Cup

space chimps

watched it cause i saw a tiktok that someones boyfriend proposed to them in the middle of the movie. 0/10 proposal movie but solid 7/10 fun movie

Player Page

space chimps

watched it cause i saw a tiktok that someones boyfriend proposed to them in the middle of the movie. 0/10 proposal movie but solid 7/10 fun movie

When did this come out again? I vaguely remember seeing a battery of ads for it on like Cartoon Network.

Without spoiling anything it does discuss that a bit because it is an immigrant story (Peter Sohn was born to Korean immigrants and grew up in the Bronx), but it’s not really that overt, it’s not Zootopia - mostly the obstacles are just the city not being designed for fire people and there’s like one overt thing and a couple of microaggressions but that’s it. I found it does handle the culture clash very well, and for anyone who’s been in that situation they can see a bit of themselves in it. Plus the lead was also in one of my favourite movies.

Having seen both, it doesn’t really “compete” with Spiderverse other than them both being animated, they’re two totally different genres.

Tbh I’m not a person who really cares that much about “problematic” content unless it’s like hateful, but when you do a clumsy metaphor as what appears to be like the structural foundation of ur movie I feel like it does have to hold up to scrutiny. I think the problem that racism allegories like this face is they just don’t hold up because they all end up accidentally justifying it. Like predators and prey in zootopia or fire and water in this movie there are actual reasons why these things don’t interact in real life. Yknow it’s not like if two people of different ethnic group sleep in the same bed one of them could kill the other on accident.

Also I mean in a literal sense it does compete with spiderverse cuz they released at the same time and I have a limited amt of movie time and therefore I must decide between them. There really wasn’t anything to draw me in. Visually it looked like every other pixar movie, it had what looks like a pretty bogstandard plot and I’m not someone who cares about brands or media franchises that aren’t godzilla so there’s really nothing to draw to me.

Its a shame cuz I really liked turning red and its seeming like that may have been lightning in a bottle

Credit to Geck, Ragnar and Juni for sigs

Самат Бейбітжанов | G | Colorado | Atlanta 

Name: Samat Beibitzhanov

Age: 19

Birthplace: Karaganda, Kazakhstan

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 191 lbs

Number: 12/20

Name Bodycount: IIIIIIII

------------------------------------------------------------

Career Statistics:

SMJHL Regular Season: 

S51 | COL | GP: 44 (20-22-2) | .889 SV% | 2.65 GAA | SO: 1 | 0 PIM

S52 | COL | GP: 41 (22-13-5) | .892 SV% | 2.83 GAA | SO: 0 | 4 PIM

S53 | COL | GP: 32 (11-18-2) | .910 SV% | 2.73 GAA | SO: 2

S54 | COL | GP: 30 (15-11-4) | .910 SV% | 2.27 GAA | SO: 2

SHL Regular Season: 

S54 | MAN | GP: 5 (4-0-0) | .903 SV% | 1.45 GAA | SO: 1

S55 | MAN | GP: 10 (6-1-1) | .928 SV% | 1.70 GAA | SO: 1

S56 | ATL | GP: 44 (22-19-3) | .915 SV% | 3.12 GAA | SO: 3

S57 | ATL | GP: 51 (25-21-4) | .910 SV% | 2.89 GAA | SO: 4

S58 | ATL | GP: 51 (24-25-0) | .914 SV% | 3.19 GAA | SO: 3

IIHF Regular Season: 

S53 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .912 SV% | 3.01 GAA | SO: 0

S54 | RUS | GP: 12 (3-9-0) | .917 SV% | 3.01 GAA | SO: 0 

S55 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .903 SV% | 3.30 GAA | SO: 0 

S56 | RUS | GP: 12 (2-10-0) | .879 SV% | 5.55 GAA | SO: 0

S57 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .905 SV% | 4.64 GAA | SO: 0 

S58 | RUS | GP: 12 (7-3-2) | .926 SV% | 3.50 GAA | SO: 0

------------------------------------------------------------

Clout Box:

S50 WJC Gold Medal Team Russia

S51 All-Rookie Team

S51 Brutal SMJHL RoTY snub

S52 Tom Corcoran Nomination

S52 WJC Gold Medal Team UCORCAL

Original Colorado Goal Horn Creator

S53 WJC Bronze Medal

2x SMJHL All-Star

Мағжан Шаяхметов | Russia Co-Fed Head

Name: Magzhan Shayakhmetov

2x WJC GM, 1x Gold Medal S52 UCORCAL

S56-Present Russia Co-Fed Head

S58 IIHF Semifinalist

GoalieScore Record Holders and Winners

CHAMPION OF LIFE

S53 - Luca Del Vecchio

S54 - Harry Carpet

S55 - Markus Tegernako

S56 - Knox Booth

S57 - Luca Del Vecchio

S58 - Frans Eller
S59 - Nicolae Antonescu

S60 - Vincent Mietitore

-----------------------------------

HISTORICAL CHAMPIONSHIP

S53-54 - Luca Del Vecchio

S54-55 - Harry Carpet

S55-56 - Markus Tegernako

S56-Present - Knox Booth

Tbh I’m not a person who really cares that much about “problematic” content unless it’s like hateful, but when you do a clumsy metaphor as what appears to be like the structural foundation of ur movie I feel like it does have to hold up to scrutiny.

It's not a racism allegory, it's an immigrant allegory that occasionally discusses that because you can't tell that story without including those difficult-to-hear bits, but it's not anywhere near as overt as Zootopia (which is still one of my favourite Disney movies). There really isn't any systemic segregation in the movie.

I think the problem that racism allegories like this face is they just don’t hold up because they all end up accidentally justifying it. Like predators and prey in zootopia or fire and water in this movie there are actual reasons why these things don’t interact in real life.

The whole point of both those movies is that the leads, Judy and Ember, have both been conditioned to think they can't have fulfilling relationships outside their species/element/race, when that's not actually the case. It's similar to how many immigrant families want their kid to date someone within their race - nothing bad inherently happens if they go outside those boundaries, it can just be difficult to accept. It's also noted that every other element lives together with no issues, so the "elements can't mix" is largely propagated by the fire people themselves.

Visually it looked like every other pixar movie, it had what looks like a pretty bogstandard plot and I’m not someone who cares about brands or media franchises that aren’t godzilla so there’s really nothing to draw to me.

Its a shame cuz I really liked turning red and its seeming like that may have been lightning in a bottle

I think this probably comes from the marketing not being great at revealing what the movie is actually about, I didn't make the connection that "oh this is an immigrant story!" until I actually started watching the movie in the theatre, it wasn't in the trailer at all. If you liked Turning Red, you'll like this movie - the general reaction I've seen from people is that once they actually gave the movie a chance, they came away impressed.

Sig credits to @sköldpaddor @ihatereyson @enigmatic

Anastasia Söderström | #35 Detroit Falcons/Calgary Dragons Prospect | G | 365 TPE

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 165 lbs

Birthplace: Sundsvall, Sweden

~~~

Transaction History

S75: Drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Falcons

S75: Signed a 1-year, $2 million rookie contract with Detroit

S76: Drafted 44th overall by the Calgary Dragons

S76: Signed a 1-year, $3 million entry level contract with Calgary

~~~

SMJHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO

S75 | DET | 54 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 2.68 | 0.910 | 5

Career | DET | 54 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 2.68 | 0.910 | 5

~~~
SMJHL Playoff Stats
Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO
S75 | DET | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4.51 | 0.858 | 0
Career | DET | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4.51 | 0.858 | 0

~~~
World Junior Championship Stats
Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO

S75 | ICE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.41 | 0.906 | 1

Career | ICE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2.41 | 0.906 | 1

~~~

Awards, Nominations, and Honours

S75 SMJHL 1st Team All-Star

S75 SMJHL All-Defensive Team

S75 SMJHL All-Rookie Team

S75 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy (SMJHL Rookie of the Year)

S75 Ideen Fallah Trophy (SMJHL Committee MVP)

Sophie Bordeleau | #20 Calgary Dragons | C | 2039 TPE Peak

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 155 lbs

Birthplace: Trois-Rivieres, QC

~~~

Transaction History

S63: Signed a $1 million DFA contract with the Nevada Battleborn

S64: Drafted 8th overall in the SMJHL Entry Draft by the Quebec City Citadelles

S64: Signed 1-year, $2 million rookie contract with Quebec City

S65: Drafted 8th overall in the SHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Blizzard

S65: Signed a 1-year, $3 million entry level contract with Edmonton

S65: Traded to the San Francisco Pride; signed a 3-year, $7.5 million contract extension starting in S66

S68: Signed a 3-year, $13 million contract extension with San Francisco starting in S69

S71: Traded to the Calgary Dragons

S72: Signed a 5-year, $30 million contract extension with Calgary

~~~
SMJHL Regular Season Stats
Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S63 | Nevada BattleBorn | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3

S64 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 19 | 40 | 59 | 23 | 26 | 95 | 51

S65 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 16 | 41 | 57 | 26 | 12 | 65 | 30

S66 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 7 | 24 | 89 | 18

S67 | Quebec City Citadelles | 66 | 43 | 45 | 88 | 14 | 30 | 24 | 83

Career | Nevada/Quebec City | 274 | 114 | 166 | 280 | 70 | 96 | 276 | 185

~~~

SHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S68 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 12 | 29 | 41 | -24 | 40 | 64 | 24

S69 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 30 | 44 | 74 | -38 | 36 | 83 | 54

S70 | San Francisco Pride | 66 | 30 | 49 | 79 | -16 | 66 | 91 | 57

S71 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 30 | 43 | 73 | -41 | 47 | 73 | 39

S72 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 27 | 48 | 75 | -25 | 48 | 69 | 75

S73 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 30 | 58 | 88 | -21 | 30 | 56 | 75

S74 | Calgary Dragons | 66 | 38 | 55 | 93 | -32 | 40 | 76 | 49

Career | San Francisco/Calgary | 462 | 197 | 326 | 523 | -197 | 307 | 512 | 373

~~~

SMJHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks]

S63 | Nevada BattleBorn | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 3

S64 | Quebec City Citadelles | 14 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -4 | 0 | 16 | 14

S65 | Quebec City Citadelles | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 8

S66 | Quebec City Citadelles | 17 | 5 | 3 | 8 | -4 | 0 | 21 | 3

S67 | Quebec City Citadelles | 21 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 23

Career | Nevada/Quebec City | 68 | 20 | 33 | 53 | -3 | 4 | 50 | 51

~~~

SHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S68 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S69 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - 

S70 | San Francisco Pride | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S71 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S72 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S73 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

S74 | Calgary Dragons | DNQ | - | - | - | - | - | - | -

~~~

IIHF Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S65 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 2 | 6 | 2

S66 | Latvia | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -10 | 0 | 6 | 1

S67 | Latvia | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -11 | 0 | 11 | 2

S68 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -2 | 8 | 12 | 8

S69 | Latvia | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 12

S70 | Latvia | 15 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16

S71 | Latvia | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -5 | 2 | 8 | 9

S72 | Latvia | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -12 | 4 | 6 | 10

S73 | Latvia | 12 | 7 | 3 | 10 | -3 | 8 | 12 | 12

S74 | Latvia | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 | -6 | 6 | 7 | 10

Career | Latvia | 125 | 39 | 48 | 87 | -50 | 44 | 86 | 82

~~~

World Junior Championship Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits | Blocks

S64 | Team Canada | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 7

S65 | Team World | 13 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 7

S66 | Team UCORCAL | 15 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 20

S67 | Team UCORCAL | 15 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 4

Career | Canada/World/UCORCAL | 43 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 9 | 48 | 34

~~~

Awards, Nominations, and Honours

S64 WJC Gold Medal (Canada)

S64 SMJHL All-Rookie Team

S64 Esa Anrikkanen Trophy (SMJHL Rookie of the Year)

S67 SMJHL 1st Team All-Star

S73 Jeff Dar Trophy (SHL Best Two-Way Player)

S66 DeMaricus Smyth Award (Best WJC Forward)

S66 Brady McIntyre Award (WJC MVP)

S68 Pride of the Pride Award (SFP Best User)

S69 Kelly Rivet Award (SFP Team MVP)

William Hartmann | #47 Edmonton Blizzard | RD | 2170 TPE Peak

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 196 lbs

Birthplace: Lugano, Switzerland

~~~

Transaction History

S52: Drafted 7th overall by the Vancouver Whalers in the S52 SMJHL Entry Draft

S52: Signed 1-year, $3 million rookie contract with Vancouver

S53: Drafted 16th overall by the Edmonton Blizzard in the S53 SHL Entry Draft

S53: Signed 3-year, $8.5 million entry-level contract with Edmonton

S56: Signed 3-year, $9 million contract extension with Edmonton

S59: Signed 2-year, $10 million contract extension with Edmonton (team option on 2nd year)

S60: Voided option with Edmonton, then signed a 3-year, $12 million contract extension with Edmonton

S61: Converted to right defense

S63: Signed 3-year, $12 million extension with Edmonton

S63: Traded to the Toronto North Stars

~~~

SMJHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -8 | 53 | 156 

S53 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 13 | 14 | 27 | -17 | 20 | 72 

S54 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 10 | 14 | 24 | -13 | 26 | 36 

S55 | Vancouver Whalers | 50 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 4 | 32 | 40 

Career | Vancouver Whalers | 200 | 46 | 53 | 99 | -34 | 131 | 304 

~~~

SHL Regular Season Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S56 | Edmonton Blizzard | 50 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 9 | 18 | 58

S57 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 19 | 26 | 45 | -5 | 30 | 116

S58 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 28 | 32 | 60 | 30 | 26 | 78

S59 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 1 | 18 | 90

S60 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 25 | 43 | 68 | 2 | 28 | 122

S61 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 8 | 26 | 34 | -9 | 20 | 98

S62 | Edmonton Blizzard | 66 | 7 | 35 | 42 | -17 | 18 | 98

S63 | Edmonton Blizzard/Toronto North Stars | 66 | 12 | 30 | 42 | -2 | 13 | 83

Career | Edmonton Blizzard/Toronto North Stars | 512 | 123 | 242 | 367 | 9 | 171 | 643

~~~

SMJHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Vancouver Whalers | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 22 

S53: Did not qualify

S54: Did not qualify

S55 | Vancouver Whalers | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 | 4

Career | Vancouver Whalers | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2

~~~

SHL Playoff Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S56 | Edmonton Blizzard | 19 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -1 | 4 | 27

S57 | Edmonton Blizzard | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 0 | 19

S58 | Edmonton Blizzard | 12 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 19

S59 | Edmonton Blizzard | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -9 | 0 | 14

S60 | Edmonton Blizzard | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 2 | 18

S61 | Edmonton Blizzard | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 28

S62 | Edmonton Blizzard | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6

S63 | Toronto North Stars | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9

Career | Edmonton Blizzard | 81 | 11 | 30 | 41 | -7 | 14 | 140

~~~

IIHF Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S52 | Switzerland | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -6 | 8 | 15

S53 | Switzerland | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -7 | 2 | 12

S54 | Switzerland | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -7 | 4 | 7

S55 | Switzerland | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 14

S56 | Switzerland | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -6 | 8 | 17

S57 | Switzerland | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5

S58 | Switzerland | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 7

S59 | Switzerland | 14 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 8 

S60 | Switzerland | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 11

S61 | Switzerland | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 18

S62 | Switzerland | 13 | 0 | 6 | 6 | -3 | 0 | 7

S63 | Switzerland | 15 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 22

Career | Switzerland | 153 | 16 | 37 | 53 | -7 | 58 | 143

~~~

WJC Stats

Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Hits

S51 | DACH | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 8 | 19

S52 | DACH | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 11

S53 | DACH | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13

S54 | DACH | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -8 | 6 | 29

S55 | DACH | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 2 | 15

Career | DACH | 74 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -1 | 24 | 87

~~~

Awards and Honours

S53: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S54: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S55: SMJHL West All-Star Team

S63: SHL East All-Star Team

S63: IIHF Silver Medal

19th all-time in peak TPE pre-regression changes

~~~

Ellie Williams, Calgary Dragons Head GM
Movement
S71: Hired as Calgary Dragons Head GM

Season Records

S71: 20-43-3, missed playoffs

S72: 20-39-7, missed playoffs

S73: 22-41-3, missed playoffs

S74: 24-40-2, missed playoffs

S75: 25-39-2, missed playoffs

Awards, Honours and Records

Career Regular Season Record: 111-202-17

Career Playoff Record: 0-0

Kelvin Jensen, Retired Edmonton Blizzard Head GM

Movement

S53: Hired as Vancouver Whalers Co-GM

S57: Hired as Vancouver Whalers Head GM

S59: Hired as Edmonton Blizzard Co-Gm

S61: Hired as Edmonton Blizzard Head GM

~~~

Season Records

S53: 17-30-3, Missed Playoffs

S54: 11-37-2, Missed Playoffs

S55: 24-23-3, 4-0 vs. St. Louis Scarecrows, 0-4 vs. Carolina Kraken

S56: 39-11-0, 1st Round Bye, 4-0 vs. Kelowna Knights, 4-3 vs. Carolina Kraken, 4-2 vs. Newfoundland Berserkers

S57: 30-30-6, 4-1 vs. Nevada Battleborn, 4-0 vs. Detroit Falcons, 1-4 vs. Anaheim Outlaws

S58: 28-33-5, 4-2 vs. Carolina Kraken, 3-4 vs. Kelowna Knights

S59: 11-19-3 with VAN, 18-13-2 with EDM, 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Panthers, 0-4 vs. Hamilton Steelhawks

S60: 34-26-6, 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Panthers, 0-4 vs. Calgary Dragons

S61: 36-28-2, 4-1 vs. Seattle Argonauts, 4-1 vs. Calgary Dragons, 0-4 vs. Texas Renegades

S62: 24-37-5, 0-4 vs. Chicago Syndicate

S63: 21-37-8, 0-4 vs. Texas Renegades

S64: 28-34-4, 2-4 vs. Los Angeles Panthers

~~~

Awards, Honours and Records

Career SMJHL Regular Season Record: 160-193-22

Career SMJHL Playoff Record: 32-20

Career SHL Regular Season Record: 161-175-27

Career SHL Playoff Record: 18-30

S54: Fewest Wins in a Season in Vancouver Whalers History (11)

S56: Most Wins in a Season in Vancouver Whalers History (50-Game Era) (37)

S56 Laurifer Trophy (39-11-0, 78 Points)

S56 Linna-Landvik Cup (Western Finalist)

S56 Four Star Cup

I think this probably comes from the marketing not being great at revealing what the movie is actually about, I didn't make the connection that "oh this is an immigrant story!" until I actually started watching the movie in the theatre, it wasn't in the trailer at all. If you liked Turning Red, you'll like this movie - the general reaction I've seen from people is that once they actually gave the movie a chance, they came away impressed.

The thing that I loved about turning red was it was oozing with style and it felt like a fresh perspective. I remember looking at some random promo art by the guy who was the creative lead and I don’t know how hot of a take this is but the movie should have been 2D. The characters looked great drawn, way more impressive and distinct than they really do in the trailers, although honestly given this guys track record as a director I’m inclined to be suspicious cuz isnt the Good Dinosaur like the definition of a boilerplate late pixar film.

Idk yknow I gotta save my money for barbie and oppenheimer

Credit to Geck, Ragnar and Juni for sigs

Самат Бейбітжанов | G | Colorado | Atlanta 

Name: Samat Beibitzhanov

Age: 19

Birthplace: Karaganda, Kazakhstan

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 191 lbs

Number: 12/20

Name Bodycount: IIIIIIII

------------------------------------------------------------

Career Statistics:

SMJHL Regular Season: 

S51 | COL | GP: 44 (20-22-2) | .889 SV% | 2.65 GAA | SO: 1 | 0 PIM

S52 | COL | GP: 41 (22-13-5) | .892 SV% | 2.83 GAA | SO: 0 | 4 PIM

S53 | COL | GP: 32 (11-18-2) | .910 SV% | 2.73 GAA | SO: 2

S54 | COL | GP: 30 (15-11-4) | .910 SV% | 2.27 GAA | SO: 2

SHL Regular Season: 

S54 | MAN | GP: 5 (4-0-0) | .903 SV% | 1.45 GAA | SO: 1

S55 | MAN | GP: 10 (6-1-1) | .928 SV% | 1.70 GAA | SO: 1

S56 | ATL | GP: 44 (22-19-3) | .915 SV% | 3.12 GAA | SO: 3

S57 | ATL | GP: 51 (25-21-4) | .910 SV% | 2.89 GAA | SO: 4

S58 | ATL | GP: 51 (24-25-0) | .914 SV% | 3.19 GAA | SO: 3

IIHF Regular Season: 

S53 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .912 SV% | 3.01 GAA | SO: 0

S54 | RUS | GP: 12 (3-9-0) | .917 SV% | 3.01 GAA | SO: 0 

S55 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .903 SV% | 3.30 GAA | SO: 0 

S56 | RUS | GP: 12 (2-10-0) | .879 SV% | 5.55 GAA | SO: 0

S57 | RUS | GP: 12 (4-8-0) | .905 SV% | 4.64 GAA | SO: 0 

S58 | RUS | GP: 12 (7-3-2) | .926 SV% | 3.50 GAA | SO: 0

------------------------------------------------------------

Clout Box:

S50 WJC Gold Medal Team Russia

S51 All-Rookie Team

S51 Brutal SMJHL RoTY snub

S52 Tom Corcoran Nomination

S52 WJC Gold Medal Team UCORCAL

Original Colorado Goal Horn Creator

S53 WJC Bronze Medal

2x SMJHL All-Star

Мағжан Шаяхметов | Russia Co-Fed Head

Name: Magzhan Shayakhmetov

2x WJC GM, 1x Gold Medal S52 UCORCAL

S56-Present Russia Co-Fed Head

S58 IIHF Semifinalist

GoalieScore Record Holders and Winners

CHAMPION OF LIFE

S53 - Luca Del Vecchio

S54 - Harry Carpet

S55 - Markus Tegernako

S56 - Knox Booth

S57 - Luca Del Vecchio

S58 - Frans Eller
S59 - Nicolae Antonescu

S60 - Vincent Mietitore

-----------------------------------

HISTORICAL CHAMPIONSHIP

S53-54 - Luca Del Vecchio

S54-55 - Harry Carpet

S55-56 - Markus Tegernako

S56-Present - Knox Booth