When it's all said and done, this is easily my favorite season of Australian Survivor (which is already always great), but ends up being my top season in overall enjoyability. Between US and Australian I have rated 57 seasons, 4 get the perfect 10/10. This one saw the best winner of those 4 seasons. Every single tribal was bonkers. It was the trust clusters of Season 31 (Second Chance) and with such a high level of gameplay. Watching the start of Season 46 of this was like watching a circus in comparison. If you are even moderately a fan of Survivor, please watch this.
Rating: Rating: 5/5 (:star:) - 100% - Must See
Where 45 was pretty great, this one reverted back to pure annoyance as a Survivor season. The premerge was possibly the worst ever. This is not an exaggeration. Each of the first 5 episodes spiral into more nonsense with no sense of actual Survivor play anywhere. Then the season gets good. It builds towards a compelling duo having a showdown as the season progresses, with actual strategy and gameplay...then the finale entirely falls apart. "Cheating" in crucial challenges, complaining, bitter jury, irrelevant votes. This was all so messy and I could go for not seeing anyone from this cast again (one player aside). There is still a lot of decent "tv" here, but I watch Survivor for Survivor.
Rating: 2/5 - 65% - Not Recommended to Everyone
Missed that I did not comment on this after the finale! This was easily the best season of the new era. People were there to play. The final 6 all had decent resumes and chances heading into the finale. The premerge was fun. The winner was actually a pretty great and well rounded winner. Despite much of the same complaints as 41-44, this cast really made this a standout season and I hope we get more like this coming up.
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
This does not reinvent the wheel in any way, but it also does not need to. It is a sitcom, made by Happy Madison, starring David Spade. That's the pitch. If you like 2 or more of those things, you will really enjoy this show.
Average Season Review: 8.14/10
Recommendation: At Least Give it a Whirl (For Sitcom Fans)
Sad to see this one end! While I never enjoyed it as much as the original series, this was fun! I think it steadily improved throughout its three seasons and then suddenly it gets cut. If you are a fan of these shows you should already know by now, and it if you are this one was worth checking out.
Average Season Review: 7.67/10
Recommendation: At Least Give it a Whirl (For Crime Investigation Fans)
I had no idea what type of movie this was when I sat down. For some reason I was thinking this was more focused around an actual "Flight" without a plane. This was not the case. 99% of the movie takes place on the ground and it a bunch more of a legal character drama. Solid film, happy to have finally gotten around to it and had my misconceptions cleared up!
Rating: 3.5/5 - 80% - Would Recommend
Was it better than the last one? Yes. Was it as good as the old ones? No. Not really sure this needs to exist in the franchise, but it was a fun adventure nonetheless.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
Not my typical style of horror, and it shows in my takeaway of the film. There was a decent mystery, but the world failed to hook me in. I am sure many others will be much more better receptive of this one than I was. It was not anywhere close to bad, but preferential taste will probably prevent me from watching this one again.
Rating: 2/5 - 65% - Not Recommended to Everyone
This cast of comedians in a "serious" tone was always going to be a mixed bag. With that being said, I did quite enjoy it. The film is surprisingly lighthearted, has a decent message, and does lots of things to make it enjoyable despite not overly outrageous as this cast is used to.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
This is another one that I remember vividly when it was coming out. The concept was awesome, the cast was great, the execution left me wanting. Almost a decade later, I share much of the same sentiment. The premise really carries this film, but it is interesting to see the advancement of technology since then. Everyone has doorbell cameras tracking anything and everything on your property, our phones share all of our data all the time with anyone in the world, and ultimately technology is kind of scary. This movie makes you think quite a bit, even if the movie aspect is okay at best.
Rating: 2.5/5 - 70% - Worth Watching
When this one came out I was teenage boy that was really into Joseph Gordon-Levitt content (thank Christopher Nolan) that thought Scarlett Johansson was hot (I still do, I am not trying to fool anyone). Obviously a decade later, my tastes have changed so I was curious what revisiting this one would do. In many aspects, it was surprisingly more relatable. Primarily, the Julianne Moore ending no longer threw me for a loop. I genuinely think this was a much better film than I remembered it to be, even if it still is questionable in its execution in several other ways.
Rating: 3.5/5 - 80% - Would Recommend
I have been a big fan of the Paramount+ South Park films, so naturally I was really excited for this one. I don't think it was anywhere near my favorite, but it was really solid and a nice way to pass an hour of my time.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
I remember when this one came out and it screamed my name! I love murder-game movies and this one offered a compelling new twist. The cast is good enough to also appeal, but not great enough to spoil who will likely be favorable to the plot. Not the best of its kind out there, but it was a fun time revisiting.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
Alex Garland is a gem in the movie making world, and this one caught me off guard. It was a total departure from his usual sci-fi inspired content, but possibly more thought provoking! Easily one of the strongest movies of the year so far!
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
As the five year anniversary, this show hit any possible expectation someone could have had for it! Ospreay is simply incredible and was the perfect start of the night to the main card, followed by the MJF return. Despite no real slouch anywhere here, the five match home stretch beginning with the Moxley fight was superb. At the time of watching, the spectacle of the Copeland/Black match was incredible and was instantly memorable (sucks about the injury), and I did not expect it to be topped in spectacle by the end of the night. Then the Anarchy in the Arena was easily the craziest one to date and will go down in the AEW history books for countless reasons. In hindsight, the World Championship match was top tier, but gets overshadowed by so much more.
The Revolution > Dynasty > Double or Nothing back-to-back-to-back PPV run will easily go down as one of the best in the history of wrestling.
Best Match: Will Ospreay vs Roderick Strong
Rating: 5/5 - 95% - Highly Recommend
Black Panther knockoff poster and short match card aside, this was a great event! Several quality matches from start to finish in an arena that felt grand. The outcomes were all rather predictable, but executed well. Curious how they progress some of these storylines going forward, and really digging the guaranteed championship match at SummerSlam stipulation.
Best Match: Cody Rhodes vs Logan Paul
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
I am biased towards wrestling content, without a doubt. However, this movie is incredible and one of the beset of the year. Obviously, with these types of films some of the truth is stretched for movie purposes. The crazy part of this film is that several aspects were "toned down" for believability and digestibility sake for the audience. I cannot wait to rewatch this one!
Rating: 5/5 - 95% - Highly Recommend
My favorite critique of the Tony Khan PPVs is that they are "too loaded". People get "tired" after too many fights. That is an easy critique here as there were 12 fights, the final three all going over 20 minutes. My response to those critiques, "SORRY YOU LIKE FUN". These shows are a blast and there was so much here to like. When reflecting on the "bad", it is overshadowed by more "good". Half (or more) of these matches were memorable in some way, which is something when you look at like WWE Backlash France which had two standout matches on a five match show.
Best Match: Kyle Fletcher vs Lee Johnson
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
Nikki Glaser is one of the funniest comedians alive...if you aren't too sensitive. Not my favorite performance of hers, but it was damn enjoyable.
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
Considering this is my least favorite of the NJPW content that I have watched this year, that is a big accomplishment. The card was stacked and provided countless good matches. I will be here committed through this Jon Moxley reign, and this card makes it pretty easy to stick around!
Best Match: Jon Moxley vs Shota Umino (bias be damned)
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
A romantic movie that I actually enjoy is pretty rare, especially not in a rom-com makes me chuckle sort of way. Hathaway is great as always and makes this a solid watch despite its typical clicheness.
Rating: 3.5/5 - 80% - Would Recommend
Marshawn Lynch appearing in this was not something I expected when I turned it on! While I did not personally love it, it is easy to see why many would. If the summary sounds compelling to you then its certainly worth watching.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
It's not quite Road Trip or American Pie, but it does a nice job satisfying fans of the genre. Good time with some memorable parts that I will happily revisit from time to time.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
Kubrick is a madman and this comedy just shows it. After so many mind bending films, this one was odd in a way only Kubrick could pull off. Glad to have had this one come up in my Movie Club or I likely would have never gotten around to it. Likely not revisiting anytime soon due to the age, but one worth recommending nonetheless.
Rating: 3.5/5 - 80% - Would Recommend
Classic 80's action for better and worse. Much better film than the remake with a rock solid cast, but if you don't like 80's action then there is not much here to recommend.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
I don't understand this documentaries existence. It "feels" like a chapter within a longer documentary. But what they cover also feels dragged out for its runtime. Very enjoyable watch, with a good story, but questionable execution for various reasons.
Rating: 3/5 - 75% - Worth Watching
Possibly one of the most unnecessary sequels/remakes/reboots ever, but that doesn't make it bad. The original is incredible and this one is often shot for shot remade with relevant changes for 2024. Yes, it is a musical, but not so much of a musical that it merits the full remake.
I enjoyed it, but just watch the original.
Rating: 2.5/5 - 70% - Worth Watching
Roasts are always a good time, and this one is no exception. The cast being people I enjoy to watch and the topic material being something I love made this one of the more memorable roasts. The runtime was surprisingly long with little to no bland points. Check it out for a nice chuckle!
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
I have stated it a couple times, but I do not really like these short PLE cards. Five matches over such long events with only half of the time spent on actual wrestling is frustrating to me. There are so many killer performers that I would love to see mixed in to fill out the time. Despite this fact, this was a fun event. The crowd was bonkers. The opener and main event were killer. Time well spent, but the middle card bouts hold it back from greatness.
Best Match: Cody Rhodes vs AJ Styles
Rating: 3.5/5 - 80% - Would Recommend
Pretty easily this was my least favorite of all the TNA events this year. It isn't outright bad, but there is not anything remotely notable here. It is pretty shameful that my favorite match was the Gresham fight just because I enjoyed his presentation.
Best Match: Jonathan Gresham vs Kushida
Rating: 2/5 - 65% - Not Recommended to Everyone
