This boredom inspired comeback is a review of Wrestlemania X-7 (2001), widely considered by the popular consensus of wrestling fans to be the best Wrestlemania of all time, and possibly the greatest pay-per-view of all time. I decided to see whether or not I'd agree with this, by watching the event in its entirety. So, like Limp Biskit (Who were absent from this ppv due to the version I watched being a WWE dvd release from years later, which made me sad), let's get rollin'.
The event kicked off with an overly sentimental video-package of random people watching classic Wrestlemania moments on TV's. The oddest thing was when it cut to a clown watching one of the TV's, prompting a 'The Fuck?' response from myself. J.R and Paul Heyman were on commentary, providing enjoyable face/heel banter with engaging analysis.
Chris Jericho (c) vs. William Regal (Intercontinental championship)
This was an enjoyable match despite its short length, given the abilities of Jericho and Regal. The match featured the story of Regal targeting Jericho's shoulder, plus neat high-spots such as a butterfly suplex off the top rope by Regal. Jericho picked up the win with a lionsault, which was a bit out of nowhere, but played in with the idea that Jericho couldn't use the Walls of Jericho due to his shoulder. A fun opener that could've been great if given a longer time.
Match rating: 7.5/10
We then got a backstage segment with the APA, in which Bradshaw got a cheap pop by making very obscure Texas sports references, which brought to mind his use of obscure trivia today as a commentator, guess little has changed.
APA/Taz vs. Right to Censor
This was fairly generic match, with few high-spots, and the short length meant no-one really stood out except Bradshaw; who picked up the win. The thing I remember most about this match is J.R referring to the legendary Stan Hansen as 'Little Stan Hansen'...that says a lot.
Match rating: 5.5/10
Raven (c) vs. Kane vs. Big Show (Hardcore championship)
It was very odd seeing main event level guys like Kane/Big Show in a Hardcore title match, it's as though Vince went "We need to use these guys, but there's no room on the upper card...fuck it, put them with Raven". For the most part, this was a fun match, with silly spots such as Raven being sent through a glass window, and Big Show/Kane crashing through an obviously fake wall. Plus there was an infamous spot where Raven drove away on a golf cart, but crashed into a fence, almost breaking a cable that would've cut the power of the arena; ending the pay-per-view there and then. The match ended with Kane sending Show/Raven off the stage (and onto a crash mat), then hitting a legdrop to become the new Hardcore champion, an accomplishment I'm sure he's still proud of today.
Match rating: 7.5/10
Test (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero (European championship)
I was fairly disappointed in this match, with Guerrero being in it I expected better. But Guerrero played the methodical heel role, working on Test's leg, giving the match a slow pace. There were some decent moments, but for an Eddie Guerrero match at Wrestlemania, I expected better. A notable thing during the match was a crowd sign saying 'Eddie Guerrero mows my lawn'...um.
Match rating: 6.5/10
We then had a simple Mick Foley promo where he hyped the Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon street fight later, which he'd be refereeing, then got is trademark cheap pop from the Houston crowd.
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
After an amusing pre-match promo from Angle where he admonished the Texas crowd for wearing cowboy hats, the match kicked off with nice grappling. The story of the match both men wanting to make the other tap, but it soon escalated into brawling after Angle couldn't 'out wrestle' Benoit. At one point, the referee was knocked down (they're very fragile you know) and Benoit had Angle tapping, but when the ref got back up, Angle pinned Benoit using the tights, and picked up the win, a great way of getting heel heat.
Match rating: 8/10
We then had a throwaway segment where William Regal walked in on Kamala trashing his office, though Regal's overly English reactions made it enjoyable.
We then had a vignette showing the superstars visiting an Army base, with Kurt Angle staying in heel character during the visit, something you'd rarely see these days, and which was quite amusing.
We then had the man himself being interviewed backstage, only to be jumped by Benoit and made to tap out, a good way of continuing the feud and giving Angle more heat.
Ivory (c) vs. Chyna (Women's championship)
Despite the story of Chyna's injured neck (hey, a women's match having a story) this was a throwaway match, not lasting long, and only being used to make Chyna look strong, though she'd be gone from the company soon afterwards anyway.
Match rating: 3/10
Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon (Street fight)
Side note: Vince and Shane had the same theme for this match, which confusing and annoying (besides, we all love 'Here comes the money'). The match started with Shane giving out some unimpressive offense of jabs and kendo stick shots, until Shane went through the announce table after Stephanie pulled Vince out of the way of a leap of faith. Then there was about 10 minutes of stalling with Vince taunting his 'sedated' wife Linda, then a catfight ensued between Stephanie and Trish Stratus, and Vince hitting Foley with a steel chair, it dragged, and killed the match. Things finally picked up when it was revealed that Linda wasn't actually sedated, she then preceded to low blow Vince, then Shane ended the match with an impressive coast-to-coast that got a large pop. Overall it was underwhelming for a street fight, with things mainly being carried by the McMahon storyline.
Match rating: 6/10
We then got an interview with the Hardy boyz, with Matt talking about their upcoming TLC match and how 'personal' it was, though he said it with the monotony of a WCW Lance Storm promo. It's easy to see why Matt wasn't the 'big thing' he hoped he'd be.
Edge & Christian (c) vs. The Dudley Boys vs. The Hardy Boyz (TLC match, Tag Team championship)
There's always been a certain magic to the TLC matches between these 3 teams that's been seldom found thereafter. The way each high-spot seems to flow into the next, with appropriate, yet not that apparent build. In this match, all participants had their moments and spots, the match had the benefit of a year-long feud to give it the feel of an epic climax. All-in-all, with 3 over teams engaging in extraordinary spots such as Jeff Hardy being speared whilst dangling from the tag belts by Edge; who jumped from a ladder, needless to say, this match was epic.
Match rating: 10/10
Then we had footage from the Wrestlemania fan Axcess, with a man who suspiciously looked like Bruce Pritchard buying a sock off Mick Foley for $200. We also had Kurt Angle AGAIN acting in heel character, bloody Angle, he can sure keep Kayfabe.
Gimmick Battle Royal
To be honest, I can't rate this match like a normal match, since the only real highlights were seeing the legends involved make their way to the ring, and during the match itself you couldn't see much due to the amount of people in the ring. The personal highlight for me was having Bobby Heenan as a guest commentator alongside Gene Okerland, with quips like *Gobblty Gooker comes out "Didn't you used to date her?"
Match rating: N/A
HHH vs. Undertaker
After an awesome HHH entrance with a live performance from Motorhead (who amusingly sung the wrong lyrics to HHH's theme) and a not so awesome Undertaker entrance (they replaced Limp Biskit with some generic rock) the match got underway. Both men looked strong, exchanging each others big moves with a crisp flow. Then action went to the outside and in the technical area, with the famous botch of when 'taker chokeslamed HHH off a camera tower in what looked like an impressive spot, but a replay from an unfortunate angle showed HHH landing on a crash mat. Then in the ring, HHH got a near-fall after hitting Undertaker with his sledgehammer, but 'taker picked up the win with a Last Ride. This was an enjoyable match, though in my opinion, I think the quality would've been better if both men had kept it in the ring instead of brawling in the crowd, as their recent matches have shown.
Match rating: 8.5/10
The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin (No disqualification, WWF championship)
This was the largely hyped main event, and it didn't disappoint, as it was, in my view; the match of the night. It was a back and forth all out brawl of epic proportions, you really felt the sense that both men wanted the title at any cost, as they tried to destroy each other with ring bells, sharpshooter's, exposed turnbuckle's, ring posts, and the other man's finisher. The match gave off the big fight feel, showcasing near-fall after near-fall. Then there's the highly disputed climax: Austin's heel turn, which is highly regarded as a booking miscalculation, though I believe, viewing the match as a one-off, it works. The turn/alliance is so unexpected and shocking, it almost gives the match an epic ending, as you get the sense that a match like this needs a major element to finish on, it's just the subsequent booking of the heel Austin that made the turn fall flat.
Match rating: 10/10
So yes, I found this to be a great pay-per-view, but was it the best Wrestlemania? or even the best pay-per-view? Well I've seen recent WWE offerings with higher rated undercards (It's arguable that WM29's undercard was better than this ones), yet, I think this is the best pay-per-view I've watched in full, but I wasn't thinking this halfway through the show. It is clearly the triple main event of the TLC match, HHH/'taker, and Austin/Rock that has raised the quality of this event. I remember having high opinions of WM28 despite its poor undercard, yet the great triple main event. This possibly gives an indication a pay-per-view will only ever be as good as its upper card.
Monday 17 February 2014
Thursday 1 August 2013
ECW One Night Stand 2005 review
Because of the cornucopias amount of free time I have on my hands these days, I've decided to post a new blog reviewing an old school wrestling PPV (8 years is old school for me). So I'm posting my thoughts on the generally enjoyed ECW One Night Stand 2005, a one night revival of the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, brought about by the success of the 'Rise & Fall of ECW' DVD.
The event featured the return of long forgotten ECW alumni, as well as those who were working with WWE at the time. A noticeable feature of the event was it's rushed pace, as even main event matches were noticeably short, and there were few ads and segments between matches. This was refreshing when compared with modern WWE pay per views, yet the time constraints of the matches meant it was difficult for any of them to be considered great. Without further adieu, here's my rundown of the matches etc.
Chris Jericho vs. Lance Storm (w. Dawn Marie)
This was a sound technical match, with Storm showcasing how underutilised he's been throughout his career. The commentary team of Joey Styles and Mick Foley got over how these 2 had their very first wrestling match against one-another, which added a special quality to this match. If these 2 had ever been given 20-30 minutes in WWE, I'm sure they'd have put on a great. The match finished with interference by Justin Credible, caning Jericho in the head, giving the fans a nice Impact Players reunion.
Match Rating: 8/10
Super Crazy vs. Tajiri (w. Mikey Whipwreck & The Sinister Minister) vs. Nunzio (w. The F.B.I)
This match didn't enthral me like I thought it would, the beginning was mainly one guy being taken out so the other 2 can fight. The obvious moment of the match was when Super Crazy performed a moonsault off of a balcony, a dangerously insane high spot. We saw widespread interference from all managers, with Nunzio being eliminated (ECW triple threats, or 3 way dances, have elimination rules) after a Whippersnapper from Whipwreck. Finally Crazy won after 3 moonsaults, a fun match, but not what I expected.
Match Rating: 7.5/10
Rey Mysterio vs. Psychosis
Though both men weren't as agile as their heydays in the 90's, this was still a good high flying match, with cool spots such as a guillotine leg drop off the top rope on the barricade, and Mysterio sentoning Psychosis in the crowd. The match ended with Mysterio hitting the West Coast Pop, which was nice for me since I havn't seen Rey do it in years.
Match Rating: 8/10
After the match, the Smackdown invaders, consisting of JBL and Kurt Angle arrived, and took seat in the balcony. The volatile ECW fans shouted vehemently at the invaders, with chants such as 'You suck dick!' to which Angle replied "Your mother taught me how!" After generic heel promos about how they hate ECW etc. the heels were interrupted by an injured Rob Van Dam, and Bill Alfonso. Van Dam cut a shoot promo on how he hated being injured on this night, and how his time in ECW was better than WWE. Though Van Dam isn't the best on the mic, the shoot aspect made it more interesting, though his mentioning of scripts and storylines didn't sit too well with me, I believe if you're gonna shoot, you should still try and keep the suspension of disbelief. Van Dam was then interrupted by Rhino, who Gored him and beat him up, only for Sabu to make the save, setting up an 'impromptu' match, despite Foley later saying how Sabu's been preparing for this match.
Sabu (w. Bill Alfonso) vs. Rhino
This was an enjoyable hardcore match, with Sabu displaying his springboard arsenal, and luckily not botching. Later in the match, Van Dam interfered, attacking Rhino with a chair and giving him a running Van Daminator, which was impressive due to his injury. After an Atomic Arabian Facebuster through a table, Sabu picked up the win.
Match Rating: 7.5/10
The Raw invaders them arrived, lead by Eric Bischoff. After embarrassing ECW heel Joel Gertner, which would've delighted die hard ECW fans, Bischoff cut his own generic promo about hating ECW and how the WWE invaders are gonna destroy it.
Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero
Due to the calibre of both men involved, I was expecting more from this match. Though fine from a technical stand point, it seemed quite slow and never grabbed my attention except when Benoit hit his vintage (Cole!) 3 German suplexes. Benoit won after a crossface, and the match itself garnered applause from the WWE invaders, though my response wasn't as enthusiastic.
Match Rating: 7.5/10
Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka
This was the match of the night for me, with crazy chair, table and powerbomb spots, I haven't seen any of their ECW matches, but if they're like this or better, then I'll give them a watch. This match also showed how Awesome was underutilised throughout his career, he was a good power wrestler with amazing agility. The thing about this match fans remember most is Joey Styles shooting on Awesome throughout, upset over the incident where Awesome left for WCW while he was ECW champion, lines such as after Awesome performed a suicide dive "Too bad he didn't succeed in taking his own life" This statement is made the more awkward by the fact that Awesome actually ended up committing suicide 2 years later.
Match Rating: 8.5/10
Paul Heyman came out to a loving reception from the ECW fans, Heyman cut a promo thanking the fans for supporting ECW and helping it succeed as long as it did. Heyman turned his attention to the WWE invaders, cutting great shoot promos on Bischoff; saying it's an ECW PPV people are attending now, not a WCW one. On Edge, referencing his affair with Lita, and Matt Hardy. Heyman then gave the line of the night by saying that the only reason JBL was WWE champion for so long was that HHH didn't wanna work Tuesdays. By far the best promo of the night.
The Dudley Boys vs. Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman
This was an enjoyable match, featuring interference from the ECW wrestlers they couldn't fit into matches, such as the B.W.O, Axel Rotten and Balls Mahoney, Francine and Beulah Mcgillicutty, and Spike Dudly. It also featured hardcore spots such as the use of a cheese grater, and the finish; a powerbomb through a burning table.
Match Rating: 8/10
Steve Austin came out, it was nice to see Austin and Sandman in the ring together, as many people argue the Stone Cold character is based off of Sandman. Austin brought the ECW wrestlers out and challenged the WWE invaders to a brawl, which they accepted. Due to the large cluster of people in the ring, the only notable action was Taz giving Kurt Angle a Tazmission on the outside. Predictably the ECW wrestlers won, then Bischoff was dragged in the ring to receive a 3-D, a 619, a Benoit flying headbutt, and a Stone Cold Stunner. A fun way to end the show, with the ultimate heel Bischoff getting his comeuppance.
Overall this was a fun show, though I'm not an old school ECW fan, I can see how this event would be highly enjoyable for those who are, as a piece of nostalgia, and the last great proper ECW event.
The event featured the return of long forgotten ECW alumni, as well as those who were working with WWE at the time. A noticeable feature of the event was it's rushed pace, as even main event matches were noticeably short, and there were few ads and segments between matches. This was refreshing when compared with modern WWE pay per views, yet the time constraints of the matches meant it was difficult for any of them to be considered great. Without further adieu, here's my rundown of the matches etc.
Chris Jericho vs. Lance Storm (w. Dawn Marie)
This was a sound technical match, with Storm showcasing how underutilised he's been throughout his career. The commentary team of Joey Styles and Mick Foley got over how these 2 had their very first wrestling match against one-another, which added a special quality to this match. If these 2 had ever been given 20-30 minutes in WWE, I'm sure they'd have put on a great. The match finished with interference by Justin Credible, caning Jericho in the head, giving the fans a nice Impact Players reunion.
Match Rating: 8/10
Super Crazy vs. Tajiri (w. Mikey Whipwreck & The Sinister Minister) vs. Nunzio (w. The F.B.I)
This match didn't enthral me like I thought it would, the beginning was mainly one guy being taken out so the other 2 can fight. The obvious moment of the match was when Super Crazy performed a moonsault off of a balcony, a dangerously insane high spot. We saw widespread interference from all managers, with Nunzio being eliminated (ECW triple threats, or 3 way dances, have elimination rules) after a Whippersnapper from Whipwreck. Finally Crazy won after 3 moonsaults, a fun match, but not what I expected.
Match Rating: 7.5/10
Rey Mysterio vs. Psychosis
Though both men weren't as agile as their heydays in the 90's, this was still a good high flying match, with cool spots such as a guillotine leg drop off the top rope on the barricade, and Mysterio sentoning Psychosis in the crowd. The match ended with Mysterio hitting the West Coast Pop, which was nice for me since I havn't seen Rey do it in years.
Match Rating: 8/10
After the match, the Smackdown invaders, consisting of JBL and Kurt Angle arrived, and took seat in the balcony. The volatile ECW fans shouted vehemently at the invaders, with chants such as 'You suck dick!' to which Angle replied "Your mother taught me how!" After generic heel promos about how they hate ECW etc. the heels were interrupted by an injured Rob Van Dam, and Bill Alfonso. Van Dam cut a shoot promo on how he hated being injured on this night, and how his time in ECW was better than WWE. Though Van Dam isn't the best on the mic, the shoot aspect made it more interesting, though his mentioning of scripts and storylines didn't sit too well with me, I believe if you're gonna shoot, you should still try and keep the suspension of disbelief. Van Dam was then interrupted by Rhino, who Gored him and beat him up, only for Sabu to make the save, setting up an 'impromptu' match, despite Foley later saying how Sabu's been preparing for this match.
Sabu (w. Bill Alfonso) vs. Rhino
This was an enjoyable hardcore match, with Sabu displaying his springboard arsenal, and luckily not botching. Later in the match, Van Dam interfered, attacking Rhino with a chair and giving him a running Van Daminator, which was impressive due to his injury. After an Atomic Arabian Facebuster through a table, Sabu picked up the win.
Match Rating: 7.5/10
The Raw invaders them arrived, lead by Eric Bischoff. After embarrassing ECW heel Joel Gertner, which would've delighted die hard ECW fans, Bischoff cut his own generic promo about hating ECW and how the WWE invaders are gonna destroy it.
Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero
Due to the calibre of both men involved, I was expecting more from this match. Though fine from a technical stand point, it seemed quite slow and never grabbed my attention except when Benoit hit his vintage (Cole!) 3 German suplexes. Benoit won after a crossface, and the match itself garnered applause from the WWE invaders, though my response wasn't as enthusiastic.
Match Rating: 7.5/10
Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka
This was the match of the night for me, with crazy chair, table and powerbomb spots, I haven't seen any of their ECW matches, but if they're like this or better, then I'll give them a watch. This match also showed how Awesome was underutilised throughout his career, he was a good power wrestler with amazing agility. The thing about this match fans remember most is Joey Styles shooting on Awesome throughout, upset over the incident where Awesome left for WCW while he was ECW champion, lines such as after Awesome performed a suicide dive "Too bad he didn't succeed in taking his own life" This statement is made the more awkward by the fact that Awesome actually ended up committing suicide 2 years later.
Match Rating: 8.5/10
Paul Heyman came out to a loving reception from the ECW fans, Heyman cut a promo thanking the fans for supporting ECW and helping it succeed as long as it did. Heyman turned his attention to the WWE invaders, cutting great shoot promos on Bischoff; saying it's an ECW PPV people are attending now, not a WCW one. On Edge, referencing his affair with Lita, and Matt Hardy. Heyman then gave the line of the night by saying that the only reason JBL was WWE champion for so long was that HHH didn't wanna work Tuesdays. By far the best promo of the night.
The Dudley Boys vs. Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman
This was an enjoyable match, featuring interference from the ECW wrestlers they couldn't fit into matches, such as the B.W.O, Axel Rotten and Balls Mahoney, Francine and Beulah Mcgillicutty, and Spike Dudly. It also featured hardcore spots such as the use of a cheese grater, and the finish; a powerbomb through a burning table.
Match Rating: 8/10
Steve Austin came out, it was nice to see Austin and Sandman in the ring together, as many people argue the Stone Cold character is based off of Sandman. Austin brought the ECW wrestlers out and challenged the WWE invaders to a brawl, which they accepted. Due to the large cluster of people in the ring, the only notable action was Taz giving Kurt Angle a Tazmission on the outside. Predictably the ECW wrestlers won, then Bischoff was dragged in the ring to receive a 3-D, a 619, a Benoit flying headbutt, and a Stone Cold Stunner. A fun way to end the show, with the ultimate heel Bischoff getting his comeuppance.
Overall this was a fun show, though I'm not an old school ECW fan, I can see how this event would be highly enjoyable for those who are, as a piece of nostalgia, and the last great proper ECW event.
Tuesday 1 January 2013
My Top 100 Films of All Time!
As an avid cinephile, I often enjoy compiling film related lists, and this was a doozie. Through a 2 month process of making a giant list of films i like and swapping them around in order of excellence, then after watching a new film; looking to see if it'd been worthy of the list, I have finally completed this list. This is mereley my opinion, but i believe there are many quality films in this list worth a watch. Here...we...go...
100. The Conversation. 1974 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
99. Halloween. 1978 (Dir. John Carpenter)
98. Drive. 2011 (Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)
97. Hud. 1963 (Dir. Martin Ritt)
96. Ghostbusters. 1984 (Dir. Ivan Reitman)
95. Rain Man. 1988 (Dir. Barry Levinson)
94. The Trueman Show. 1998 (Dir. Peter Weir)
93. There Will Be Blood. 2007 (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
92. Memento. 2000 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
91. Get Carter. 1971 (Dir. Mike Hodges)
90. Inglorious Basterds. 2009 (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)
89. The Quiet Man. 1952 (Dir. John Ford)
88. The Artist. 2011 (Dir. Michel Hazanavicius)
87. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. 2011 (Dir. Tomas Alfredson)
86. Twelve Monkeys. 1995 (Dir. Terry Gilliam)
85. Kind Hearts and Coronets. 1949 (Dir. Robert Hamer)
84. Witness. 1985 (Dir. Peter Weir)
83. Double Indemnity. 1944 (Dir.Billy Wilder)
82. The Wrestler. 2009 (Dir. Darren Aronofsky)
81. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 2004 (Dir. Michel Gondry)
80. L.A Confidential. 1997 (Dir. Curtis Hanson)
79. Blue Velvet. 1986 (Dir. David Lynch)
78. The Social Network. 2010 (Dir. David Fincher)
77. Lost in Translation. 2003 (Dir. Sofia Coppola)
76. Miller's Crossing. 1990 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
75. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 1986 (Dir. John Hughes)
74. Don't Look Now. 1973 (Dir Nicolas Roeg)
73. Trainspotting. 1996 (Dir. Danny Boyle)
72. Blazing Saddles. 1974 (Dir. Mel Brooks)
71. Seven. 1995 (Dir. David Fincher)
70. Die Hard. 1988 (Dir. John McTiernan)
69. Life of Brian. 1979 (Dir. Terry Jones)
68. Batman Begins. 2005 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
67. No Country For Old Men. 2007 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
66. Dawn of the Dead. 1978 (Dir. George A Romero)
65. Casino. 1995 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
64. Donnie Darko. 2001 (Dir. Richard Kelly)
63. Raiders of the Lost Ark. 1981 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
62. E.T. 1982 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
61. Terminator 2: Judgement Day. 1991 (Dir. James Cameron)
60. Fargo. 1996 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
59. Alien. 1979 (Dir. Ridley Scott)
58. The Terminator. 1984 (Dir. James Cameron)
57. The Wild Bunch. 1969 (Dir. Sam Peckinpah)
56. Inception. 2010 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
55. Aliens. 1986 (Dir. James Cameron)
54. Badlands. 1973 (Dir. Terrence Malick)
53. Back to the Future. 1985 (Dir. Robert Zemeckis)
52. The Seventh Seal. 1957 (Dir. Ingmar Bergman)
51. Raising Arizona. 1987 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
50. Rear Window. 1954 (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
49. The Apartment. 1960 (Dir. Billy Wilder)
48. It's a Wonderful Life. 1946 (Dir. Frank Capra)
47. This Is Spinal Tap. 1984 (Dir. Rob Reiner)
46. Unforgiven. 1992 (Dir. Clint Eastwood)
45. All About Eve. 1950 (Dir. Joseph L Mankiewicz)
44. Scarface. 1983 (Dir. Brian De Palma)
43. Seven Samurai. 1954 (Dir, Akira Kurosawa)
42. Dark Knight Rises. 2012 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
41. Saving Private Ryan. 1998 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
40. Jaws. 1975 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
39. Brazil. 1985 (Dir. Terry Gilliam)
38. The Bridge on the River Kwai. 1957 (Dir. David Lean)
37. Vertigo. 1958 (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
36. City of God. 2002 (Dir. Fernando Meirelles)
35. Heat. 1995 (Dir. Michael Mann)
34. Dr Strangelove. 1964 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
33. Casablanca. 1942 (Dir, Michael Curtiz)
32. Rio Bravo. 1959 (Dir. Howard Hawks)
31. The Sting. 1973 (Dir, George Roy Hill)
30. 2001 A Space Odyssey. 1968 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
29. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 2001-2003 (Dir. Peter Jackson)
28. The Shining. 1980 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
27. Sunset Boulevard. 1950 (Dir. Billy Wilder)
26. The Searchers. 1956 (Dir. John Ford)
25. Fight Club.1999 (Dir. David Fincher)
24. The Deer Hunter. 1978 (Dir. Michael Cimino)
23. Once Upon a Time in America. 1984 (Dir. Sergio Leone)
22. Schindler's List. 1993 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
21. The Big Lebowski. 1998 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
20. Blade Runner. 1982 (Dir. Ridley Scott)
19. A Clockwork Orange. 1971 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
18. The Usual Suspects. 1995 (Dir. Bryan Singer)
17. Taxi Driver. 1976 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
16. The Third Man. 1949 (Dir. Carol Reed)
15. Goodfellas. 1990 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
14. Once Upon a Time in the West. 1968 (Dir. Sergio Leone)
13. Reservoir Dogs. 1992 (Dir. Quentin Tarentino)
12. Lawrence of Arabia. 1962 (Dir. David Lean)
11. Butch Cassidy an the Sundance Kid. 1969 (Dir. George Roy Hill)
10. Chinatown. 1974 (Dir. Roman Polanski)
9. The Dark Knight. 2008 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
8. Raging Bull. 1980 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
7. Apocalypse Now. 1979 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
6. Pulp Fiction. 1994 (Dir. Quentin Tarentino)
5. The Shawshank Redemption. 1994 (Dir. Frank Darabont)
4. The Godfather part II. 1974 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
3. The Godfather. 1972 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
2. The Good the Bad and the Ugly. 1966 (Dir. Sergio Leone)
1. Citizen Kane. 1941 (Dir. Orson Welles)
100. The Conversation. 1974 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
99. Halloween. 1978 (Dir. John Carpenter)
98. Drive. 2011 (Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)
97. Hud. 1963 (Dir. Martin Ritt)
96. Ghostbusters. 1984 (Dir. Ivan Reitman)
95. Rain Man. 1988 (Dir. Barry Levinson)
94. The Trueman Show. 1998 (Dir. Peter Weir)
93. There Will Be Blood. 2007 (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
92. Memento. 2000 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
91. Get Carter. 1971 (Dir. Mike Hodges)
90. Inglorious Basterds. 2009 (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)
89. The Quiet Man. 1952 (Dir. John Ford)
88. The Artist. 2011 (Dir. Michel Hazanavicius)
87. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. 2011 (Dir. Tomas Alfredson)
86. Twelve Monkeys. 1995 (Dir. Terry Gilliam)
85. Kind Hearts and Coronets. 1949 (Dir. Robert Hamer)
84. Witness. 1985 (Dir. Peter Weir)
83. Double Indemnity. 1944 (Dir.Billy Wilder)
82. The Wrestler. 2009 (Dir. Darren Aronofsky)
81. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 2004 (Dir. Michel Gondry)
80. L.A Confidential. 1997 (Dir. Curtis Hanson)
79. Blue Velvet. 1986 (Dir. David Lynch)
78. The Social Network. 2010 (Dir. David Fincher)
77. Lost in Translation. 2003 (Dir. Sofia Coppola)
76. Miller's Crossing. 1990 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
75. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 1986 (Dir. John Hughes)
74. Don't Look Now. 1973 (Dir Nicolas Roeg)
73. Trainspotting. 1996 (Dir. Danny Boyle)
72. Blazing Saddles. 1974 (Dir. Mel Brooks)
71. Seven. 1995 (Dir. David Fincher)
70. Die Hard. 1988 (Dir. John McTiernan)
69. Life of Brian. 1979 (Dir. Terry Jones)
68. Batman Begins. 2005 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
67. No Country For Old Men. 2007 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
66. Dawn of the Dead. 1978 (Dir. George A Romero)
65. Casino. 1995 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
64. Donnie Darko. 2001 (Dir. Richard Kelly)
63. Raiders of the Lost Ark. 1981 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
62. E.T. 1982 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
61. Terminator 2: Judgement Day. 1991 (Dir. James Cameron)
60. Fargo. 1996 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
59. Alien. 1979 (Dir. Ridley Scott)
58. The Terminator. 1984 (Dir. James Cameron)
57. The Wild Bunch. 1969 (Dir. Sam Peckinpah)
56. Inception. 2010 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
55. Aliens. 1986 (Dir. James Cameron)
54. Badlands. 1973 (Dir. Terrence Malick)
53. Back to the Future. 1985 (Dir. Robert Zemeckis)
52. The Seventh Seal. 1957 (Dir. Ingmar Bergman)
51. Raising Arizona. 1987 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
50. Rear Window. 1954 (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
49. The Apartment. 1960 (Dir. Billy Wilder)
48. It's a Wonderful Life. 1946 (Dir. Frank Capra)
47. This Is Spinal Tap. 1984 (Dir. Rob Reiner)
46. Unforgiven. 1992 (Dir. Clint Eastwood)
45. All About Eve. 1950 (Dir. Joseph L Mankiewicz)
44. Scarface. 1983 (Dir. Brian De Palma)
43. Seven Samurai. 1954 (Dir, Akira Kurosawa)
42. Dark Knight Rises. 2012 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
41. Saving Private Ryan. 1998 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
40. Jaws. 1975 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
39. Brazil. 1985 (Dir. Terry Gilliam)
38. The Bridge on the River Kwai. 1957 (Dir. David Lean)
37. Vertigo. 1958 (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
36. City of God. 2002 (Dir. Fernando Meirelles)
35. Heat. 1995 (Dir. Michael Mann)
34. Dr Strangelove. 1964 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
33. Casablanca. 1942 (Dir, Michael Curtiz)
32. Rio Bravo. 1959 (Dir. Howard Hawks)
31. The Sting. 1973 (Dir, George Roy Hill)
30. 2001 A Space Odyssey. 1968 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
29. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 2001-2003 (Dir. Peter Jackson)
28. The Shining. 1980 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
27. Sunset Boulevard. 1950 (Dir. Billy Wilder)
26. The Searchers. 1956 (Dir. John Ford)
25. Fight Club.1999 (Dir. David Fincher)
24. The Deer Hunter. 1978 (Dir. Michael Cimino)
23. Once Upon a Time in America. 1984 (Dir. Sergio Leone)
22. Schindler's List. 1993 (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
21. The Big Lebowski. 1998 (Dir. Joel/Ethan Coen)
20. Blade Runner. 1982 (Dir. Ridley Scott)
19. A Clockwork Orange. 1971 (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
18. The Usual Suspects. 1995 (Dir. Bryan Singer)
17. Taxi Driver. 1976 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
16. The Third Man. 1949 (Dir. Carol Reed)
15. Goodfellas. 1990 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
14. Once Upon a Time in the West. 1968 (Dir. Sergio Leone)
13. Reservoir Dogs. 1992 (Dir. Quentin Tarentino)
12. Lawrence of Arabia. 1962 (Dir. David Lean)
11. Butch Cassidy an the Sundance Kid. 1969 (Dir. George Roy Hill)
10. Chinatown. 1974 (Dir. Roman Polanski)
9. The Dark Knight. 2008 (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
8. Raging Bull. 1980 (Dir. Martin Scorsesse)
7. Apocalypse Now. 1979 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
6. Pulp Fiction. 1994 (Dir. Quentin Tarentino)
5. The Shawshank Redemption. 1994 (Dir. Frank Darabont)
4. The Godfather part II. 1974 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
3. The Godfather. 1972 (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
2. The Good the Bad and the Ugly. 1966 (Dir. Sergio Leone)
1. Citizen Kane. 1941 (Dir. Orson Welles)
Monday 31 December 2012
Top 5 matches of 2012
Yes i'm back, as a special treat i'm gonna reveal what i view as the 5 best wrestling matches of 2012. This is merely my personal opinion, as every wrestling fan is entitled to it, I base this list solely on how these matches enticed me and kept me excited with their high-spots, drama and the skills of those involved. I'll give my reasons for why each match is on the list, you may not agree, but i can give you an understanding. So, without further delay, here are my top 5!:
5. Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan, 2/3 falls match (Extreme Rules)
There was an outrage among fans after Sheamus beat Bryan at Wrestlemania in 18 seconds, percievably making smark-favourite Bryan look weak, and robbing the fans of what could've been an awesome match. 4 weeks later, WWE gave these two a chance to amend the miscalculation of Wrestlemania, with a full match, and they didn't disapoint. This match displayed good technical wrestling, along with Bryan being made to look strong, dominating Sheamus for a fair bit of the match, even knocking him out at one point, I actually wouldn't have been suprised if Bryan had won. The minor psycology of Sheamus' injured arm also made the match gripping. It wasn't the best it could've been, but it was still gripping.
4. Davey Richards vs Michael Elgin (Showdown in the Sun)
Davey Richards matches usually irk me due to his inconsistant selling (e.g. being piledriven on the floor/powerbombed off the top rope, then 2 minutes later doing a cartwheel-kick). Although, there are elements I enjoy, such as his athletic display and 'Holy Shit' spots, and this match had them in spades. A cavalcade of cool spots and false finnishes made this an exciting bout, the athletic/technical Richards battled the athletic/powerhouse Elgin. Despite Elgin's no-selling of big moves, he proved to be a star in the making against ROH's standard bearer; Richards, putting on a display of brutal power moves (powerbomb into barricade) mixed with finece'. On the eve of Wrestlemania, these two wanted to show that WWE wasn't the only game in town, although Wrestlemania proved to be a spectacular show with 2 10/10 matches, this showcased ROH as a worthy contender.
3. CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (Wrestlemania)
After Wrestlemania, there was debate over what was the best match of the night, with people siding with either the epic HHH vs Undertaker match, or this one, and in my view it's easy to see why. Going into the bout, Punk and Jericho claimed to the best wrestlers in the world and that they were going to put on a clinic, many felt the match couldn't live up to these expectations, and i'd be lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to my 2 favourites of the modern day going at it. But if you look beyond the fan boy hype and build, you can truely appreciate it as a skillfully put together match. There's the in-match story of Punk losing his title if he's disqualified, and Jericho using his animosity with Punk to gain the title. Then there's the high-spots (suplex to outside, mid-air codebreaker etc.) and tension of the false finnishes; with Jericho countering many big moves with the Walls of Jericho. Some i know wern't fussed on it, but I see this match as two modern greats trying not to be overshadowed by the hype of Rock/Cena and Taker/HHH, and successfully etching a place as a great Wrestlemania match.
2. CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (Over the Limit)
The two indie kings, facing off on a WWE pay-per-view for the WWE title, something many fans thought they'd never see. Although the build to this match was flash in the pan and bland, Punk and Bryan decided to show the WWE higher-ups what they were made of by putting on a clinic. This match often had the feel of an ROH match, with emphasis on submissions and technical wrestling throughout, with a figure four, indian death lock and a surfboard turned into a dragon sleeper. This was a fun match with both men giving it their all, proving they deserved a top place on the card, as opposed to the debacle of John Cena vs John Laurinaitis.
1. HHH vs The Undertaker, Hell in a Cell, guest referee Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania)
What made this match #1 for me? Drama. This is a match that had me jumping on my sofa, that was due to the big spots, granted, but more pertinantly, it was the story that entwined these spots together, without the drama, this match would just be Undertaker kicking out of chair shots, pedigrees and sledgehammers. The story was effective in building the match: Undertaker wanted to prove he wasn't a decrepid relic by winning unnanimously, HHH realised the only way he could end the streak was by annihlating the Undertaker, and you had the referee; Shawn Michaels who didn't want it to go too far. This match told that story, with Undertaker dominating early on to negate his weakness, HHH taking control by unleashing a blitzkrieg of chair shots etc. to destroy Undertaker, Shawn Michael's compasion in trying to save Undertaker from destruction (with me wondering what that'd mean, him dying live on ppv?). The match progressed into an epic encounter, proving to be better than Taker's Wrestlemania 26 and 27 outings. This match went beyond wrestling, it told a story through the action and told it well, i was heavily invested throughout, thus making it worthy...of #1.
5. Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan, 2/3 falls match (Extreme Rules)
There was an outrage among fans after Sheamus beat Bryan at Wrestlemania in 18 seconds, percievably making smark-favourite Bryan look weak, and robbing the fans of what could've been an awesome match. 4 weeks later, WWE gave these two a chance to amend the miscalculation of Wrestlemania, with a full match, and they didn't disapoint. This match displayed good technical wrestling, along with Bryan being made to look strong, dominating Sheamus for a fair bit of the match, even knocking him out at one point, I actually wouldn't have been suprised if Bryan had won. The minor psycology of Sheamus' injured arm also made the match gripping. It wasn't the best it could've been, but it was still gripping.
4. Davey Richards vs Michael Elgin (Showdown in the Sun)
Davey Richards matches usually irk me due to his inconsistant selling (e.g. being piledriven on the floor/powerbombed off the top rope, then 2 minutes later doing a cartwheel-kick). Although, there are elements I enjoy, such as his athletic display and 'Holy Shit' spots, and this match had them in spades. A cavalcade of cool spots and false finnishes made this an exciting bout, the athletic/technical Richards battled the athletic/powerhouse Elgin. Despite Elgin's no-selling of big moves, he proved to be a star in the making against ROH's standard bearer; Richards, putting on a display of brutal power moves (powerbomb into barricade) mixed with finece'. On the eve of Wrestlemania, these two wanted to show that WWE wasn't the only game in town, although Wrestlemania proved to be a spectacular show with 2 10/10 matches, this showcased ROH as a worthy contender.
3. CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (Wrestlemania)
After Wrestlemania, there was debate over what was the best match of the night, with people siding with either the epic HHH vs Undertaker match, or this one, and in my view it's easy to see why. Going into the bout, Punk and Jericho claimed to the best wrestlers in the world and that they were going to put on a clinic, many felt the match couldn't live up to these expectations, and i'd be lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to my 2 favourites of the modern day going at it. But if you look beyond the fan boy hype and build, you can truely appreciate it as a skillfully put together match. There's the in-match story of Punk losing his title if he's disqualified, and Jericho using his animosity with Punk to gain the title. Then there's the high-spots (suplex to outside, mid-air codebreaker etc.) and tension of the false finnishes; with Jericho countering many big moves with the Walls of Jericho. Some i know wern't fussed on it, but I see this match as two modern greats trying not to be overshadowed by the hype of Rock/Cena and Taker/HHH, and successfully etching a place as a great Wrestlemania match.
2. CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (Over the Limit)
The two indie kings, facing off on a WWE pay-per-view for the WWE title, something many fans thought they'd never see. Although the build to this match was flash in the pan and bland, Punk and Bryan decided to show the WWE higher-ups what they were made of by putting on a clinic. This match often had the feel of an ROH match, with emphasis on submissions and technical wrestling throughout, with a figure four, indian death lock and a surfboard turned into a dragon sleeper. This was a fun match with both men giving it their all, proving they deserved a top place on the card, as opposed to the debacle of John Cena vs John Laurinaitis.
1. HHH vs The Undertaker, Hell in a Cell, guest referee Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania)
What made this match #1 for me? Drama. This is a match that had me jumping on my sofa, that was due to the big spots, granted, but more pertinantly, it was the story that entwined these spots together, without the drama, this match would just be Undertaker kicking out of chair shots, pedigrees and sledgehammers. The story was effective in building the match: Undertaker wanted to prove he wasn't a decrepid relic by winning unnanimously, HHH realised the only way he could end the streak was by annihlating the Undertaker, and you had the referee; Shawn Michaels who didn't want it to go too far. This match told that story, with Undertaker dominating early on to negate his weakness, HHH taking control by unleashing a blitzkrieg of chair shots etc. to destroy Undertaker, Shawn Michael's compasion in trying to save Undertaker from destruction (with me wondering what that'd mean, him dying live on ppv?). The match progressed into an epic encounter, proving to be better than Taker's Wrestlemania 26 and 27 outings. This match went beyond wrestling, it told a story through the action and told it well, i was heavily invested throughout, thus making it worthy...of #1.
Sunday 9 October 2011
HHHow Useful?
HHH is one of the most controversial superstars in wrestling history. His in-ring career has been atributed with stealing the spotlight, unnecessarily squashing promising stars, only being in the position he's in because of his family ties. This is a view held by many fans, although I'd argue that he's a skilled worker who's over with the majority of fans and therefore deserves a lead spot. This year, HHH is now in the non-wrestling role of COO (can't they just say chairman?) and it's valid to ask how effective he's been in this role. So let's play the game and find out.
It all started off with The Game usurping Vince Mcmahons position after the latter made some bad decisions. He spent most of the summer acting as a moderater for the John Cena/CM Punk fued, and acting as the special referee in their Summerslam match. Some would say this detracted from the Cena/Punk fued, although the majority of promos worked to showcase Punk's grand, shoot-style mic-work, and the promotion emphasis was kept mainly on Cena/Punk. Due to another Kevin Nash injury, we saw a build to a Night Of Champions match of HHH/Punk, and the COO embroiled in the top storyline. Even though HHH proved he could still go and the match was pretty good, it felt sort of unnecessary for him to be in the main event with Punk and go over. Now we have HHH in the centre of a 'walkout' storyline, in which he's portrayed in a sympathetic face manner, not only is he the main focus of this storyline, but he's been the only face to gain from it so far.
The Hunter detracters would say that this is another case of The Game taking up the spotlight, and that few faces are getting much exposure now that HHH is COO. When 42 year old Paul Levesque is in the major angles, how can the likes of Money in the Bank winner Daniel Bryan or Zack Ryder benefit? Many are saying that this walkout angle could lead HHH wrestling a main event again, so where's Sheamus' spot? People are also saying that this is becoming a repeat of 2003, with HHH in most, if not all main events, making deserving stars job to him (I mean main event guys like Benoit, Goldberg, Booker T, mid-carders are understandable).
You could argue that some are actually benefiting from HHH. An array of heels are getting good coverage due to their involvment in his angles, the likes of Christian, Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger are showcasing their mic-skills and to an extent ring skills through them heading the walkout angle. Miz/R-Truth are 2 of the most talked about and interesting heels today due to their firing angle. Behind the scenes, HHH knows that other faces are needed and has managed to make CM Punk the hottest star in wrestling, partially due to the angle they had. It is thought that faces such as John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk and Sheamus are going to get a rub from the walkout angle, possibly siding with Hunter. And whether people like it or not, HHH has decent mic-skills and his overness makes him ideal to be a large part of WWE storylines.
In conclusion, yes Hunter is up to his old tricks of hogging the spotlight in WWE and making himself the centeral focus. But just as was the case from 2000-2005, his abilities and status makes him deserving, sure it's not wise to make him a huge staple In WWE, but let's see where this walkout angle goes, before we make judgements, and if I'm wrong, the smarks get to have the last laugh.
It all started off with The Game usurping Vince Mcmahons position after the latter made some bad decisions. He spent most of the summer acting as a moderater for the John Cena/CM Punk fued, and acting as the special referee in their Summerslam match. Some would say this detracted from the Cena/Punk fued, although the majority of promos worked to showcase Punk's grand, shoot-style mic-work, and the promotion emphasis was kept mainly on Cena/Punk. Due to another Kevin Nash injury, we saw a build to a Night Of Champions match of HHH/Punk, and the COO embroiled in the top storyline. Even though HHH proved he could still go and the match was pretty good, it felt sort of unnecessary for him to be in the main event with Punk and go over. Now we have HHH in the centre of a 'walkout' storyline, in which he's portrayed in a sympathetic face manner, not only is he the main focus of this storyline, but he's been the only face to gain from it so far.
The Hunter detracters would say that this is another case of The Game taking up the spotlight, and that few faces are getting much exposure now that HHH is COO. When 42 year old Paul Levesque is in the major angles, how can the likes of Money in the Bank winner Daniel Bryan or Zack Ryder benefit? Many are saying that this walkout angle could lead HHH wrestling a main event again, so where's Sheamus' spot? People are also saying that this is becoming a repeat of 2003, with HHH in most, if not all main events, making deserving stars job to him (I mean main event guys like Benoit, Goldberg, Booker T, mid-carders are understandable).
You could argue that some are actually benefiting from HHH. An array of heels are getting good coverage due to their involvment in his angles, the likes of Christian, Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger are showcasing their mic-skills and to an extent ring skills through them heading the walkout angle. Miz/R-Truth are 2 of the most talked about and interesting heels today due to their firing angle. Behind the scenes, HHH knows that other faces are needed and has managed to make CM Punk the hottest star in wrestling, partially due to the angle they had. It is thought that faces such as John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk and Sheamus are going to get a rub from the walkout angle, possibly siding with Hunter. And whether people like it or not, HHH has decent mic-skills and his overness makes him ideal to be a large part of WWE storylines.
In conclusion, yes Hunter is up to his old tricks of hogging the spotlight in WWE and making himself the centeral focus. But just as was the case from 2000-2005, his abilities and status makes him deserving, sure it's not wise to make him a huge staple In WWE, but let's see where this walkout angle goes, before we make judgements, and if I'm wrong, the smarks get to have the last laugh.
Sunday 2 October 2011
I'm A Family Dad Guy
Since the 1990s, animated comedies have been a mainstay in pop culture, from South Park to Simpsons. One of the modern pioneers of this genre is Seth Macfarlane, a man who's now one of the highest payed people in television, and he keeps busy as his 2 biggest creations are Family Guy and American Dad (Cleveland Show isn't that great). With 2 major Macfarlane comedies usually running side by side on Fox, FX or BBC3, the question I'm asking now is, which is the overall better show? Well as you guessed, I'm gonna try and deduce it, so let's find out 'what's the deuce'.
Let's look at the comic content of the show. Since both are Macfarlane creations, they have similar writing staffs, all be minor exceptions. When it first started, Family Guy had a wry lunacy about it, the cut-away gags were fresh, yet the show also had pretty sharp one-liners. American Dad tends to avoid the cutaway jokes, as not to seem like a complete rip-off, but it still uses wry dialogue, whereas in the later seasons, Family Guy has mainly relied on shock comedy, such as vomit, peadophilia, rape, poop and racism jokes, some work well others don't. One main factor that Family Guy relies on is the grandness of it's show, American Dad is often seen as the formers little brother and there's a reason. Family Guy showcases lavish musical numbers that tend to split sides, as well as epic stories such as Stewie and Brians 'Road to...' episodes. The cut-away gags allow Family Guy to tackle a vast array of subjects and parody them unmercifully, but American Dad can combat this by using main plots to tackle large subjects such as Abortion, terrorism and homeland security. The set up of American Dad (main character being a CIA agent) allows for pretty surealy fun storylines, often involving terrorists, aliens and super gadgets. I'll cover how the humour of each show has held up over time later, but for now we can see that at their peek, both shows can be immensly enjoyable.
Any great show needs great characters as fodder for the mad situations that occur to them. Both shows have a similar character set up (due to the family situation in both), so let's compare each title member of each family. In the husband/father characters, Peter is a fat, drunk idiot, basically a more outlandish Homer Simpson, and although he can provide a laugh here and there, his character is getting a bit out-dated. Stan tends to be the more well rounded character, whilst somewhat stupid, he also has a xenophobic ignorence, along with often pathetically moral beliefs, mixed with a past teenage insecurity. Francine just tends to be a tamer version of Lois, the MILF with a sordid past who has to be responsible for her family, although Lois let's her past out frequently and provides some good humour. Whereas Chris' dull nature can be quite funny if written right, Steve's teen runt with an unfufiled libedo have a humour yet pathetic sympathy to it, making him a character some can relate to. In the daughter scene, while Hayley is often just a moral voice against Stans bigotry, Meg is the ugly, unpopular girl who everyone pics on (including her family) and her repression can be quite amusing. Both shows have the anthropomorphic character of Stewie/Brian and Roger/Klaus, Stewie and Roger are quite similar, both are antagonistic, with Stewie bordering on maniacle and Roger bordering on Bitchy, both treat most of those around them with contempt and both are often the funniest characters on the shows, due to a lack of conscience or restraints that allow them to commit questionably funny acts. Klaus is a very minimal character, nothing ever insightful comes from him and he can be at times grating to watch, whereas Brian is a multilayered character, often the most human ironically. He's an intelectual liberal who lusts after his friends wife, smokes pot, longs for love, has no writing ability despite believing otherwise and is the moral voice for many of the characters.
With Family Guy now nearing a 10th series, it's aparent that it's lost some pizaz. It's been suffering Simpsons esq stagnation, with past series being remembered as better and some jokes that often fall flat. American Dad is now nearing a 6th series, and while a few episodes have mild stagnation, it's still as sharp, if not more than it once was. When compairing the newest Family Guy and American Dad boxsets together, I often find AD volume 5 being better than FG volume 9, and AD volume 4 better than FG volume 8. However, while volume 6 of American Dad was very good, in fact better than the last, Family Guy stepped it up with volume 10 being the best in years, despite a few stragling episodes. With Family Guy now practically being an institution, it's a valid question whether it's quality can last and when it will get to the point where it'll become a husk of it's former self, just as the Simpsons. American Dad might be hitting that stagnation soon, but only time will tell whether it'll be better than Family Guy's stagnation.
In conclusion, the majority of people would favour Family Guy, due to it being the forerunner and the longer running show, but as I said earlier, new American Dad tend to be better than the new Family Guys in terms of story/laughs. But when we look at both shows in their prime, we see Family Guy trumping with moments like PTV, Surfin Bird, the Y2K episode, the Pilot and many other greats, in conclusion, Family Guy may be dwindling now, but at it's prime, it was Freaking Sweet.
Let's look at the comic content of the show. Since both are Macfarlane creations, they have similar writing staffs, all be minor exceptions. When it first started, Family Guy had a wry lunacy about it, the cut-away gags were fresh, yet the show also had pretty sharp one-liners. American Dad tends to avoid the cutaway jokes, as not to seem like a complete rip-off, but it still uses wry dialogue, whereas in the later seasons, Family Guy has mainly relied on shock comedy, such as vomit, peadophilia, rape, poop and racism jokes, some work well others don't. One main factor that Family Guy relies on is the grandness of it's show, American Dad is often seen as the formers little brother and there's a reason. Family Guy showcases lavish musical numbers that tend to split sides, as well as epic stories such as Stewie and Brians 'Road to...' episodes. The cut-away gags allow Family Guy to tackle a vast array of subjects and parody them unmercifully, but American Dad can combat this by using main plots to tackle large subjects such as Abortion, terrorism and homeland security. The set up of American Dad (main character being a CIA agent) allows for pretty surealy fun storylines, often involving terrorists, aliens and super gadgets. I'll cover how the humour of each show has held up over time later, but for now we can see that at their peek, both shows can be immensly enjoyable.
Any great show needs great characters as fodder for the mad situations that occur to them. Both shows have a similar character set up (due to the family situation in both), so let's compare each title member of each family. In the husband/father characters, Peter is a fat, drunk idiot, basically a more outlandish Homer Simpson, and although he can provide a laugh here and there, his character is getting a bit out-dated. Stan tends to be the more well rounded character, whilst somewhat stupid, he also has a xenophobic ignorence, along with often pathetically moral beliefs, mixed with a past teenage insecurity. Francine just tends to be a tamer version of Lois, the MILF with a sordid past who has to be responsible for her family, although Lois let's her past out frequently and provides some good humour. Whereas Chris' dull nature can be quite funny if written right, Steve's teen runt with an unfufiled libedo have a humour yet pathetic sympathy to it, making him a character some can relate to. In the daughter scene, while Hayley is often just a moral voice against Stans bigotry, Meg is the ugly, unpopular girl who everyone pics on (including her family) and her repression can be quite amusing. Both shows have the anthropomorphic character of Stewie/Brian and Roger/Klaus, Stewie and Roger are quite similar, both are antagonistic, with Stewie bordering on maniacle and Roger bordering on Bitchy, both treat most of those around them with contempt and both are often the funniest characters on the shows, due to a lack of conscience or restraints that allow them to commit questionably funny acts. Klaus is a very minimal character, nothing ever insightful comes from him and he can be at times grating to watch, whereas Brian is a multilayered character, often the most human ironically. He's an intelectual liberal who lusts after his friends wife, smokes pot, longs for love, has no writing ability despite believing otherwise and is the moral voice for many of the characters.
With Family Guy now nearing a 10th series, it's aparent that it's lost some pizaz. It's been suffering Simpsons esq stagnation, with past series being remembered as better and some jokes that often fall flat. American Dad is now nearing a 6th series, and while a few episodes have mild stagnation, it's still as sharp, if not more than it once was. When compairing the newest Family Guy and American Dad boxsets together, I often find AD volume 5 being better than FG volume 9, and AD volume 4 better than FG volume 8. However, while volume 6 of American Dad was very good, in fact better than the last, Family Guy stepped it up with volume 10 being the best in years, despite a few stragling episodes. With Family Guy now practically being an institution, it's a valid question whether it's quality can last and when it will get to the point where it'll become a husk of it's former self, just as the Simpsons. American Dad might be hitting that stagnation soon, but only time will tell whether it'll be better than Family Guy's stagnation.
In conclusion, the majority of people would favour Family Guy, due to it being the forerunner and the longer running show, but as I said earlier, new American Dad tend to be better than the new Family Guys in terms of story/laughs. But when we look at both shows in their prime, we see Family Guy trumping with moments like PTV, Surfin Bird, the Y2K episode, the Pilot and many other greats, in conclusion, Family Guy may be dwindling now, but at it's prime, it was Freaking Sweet.
Saturday 24 September 2011
Hangin' 10
This week is a new top 10 list, and I'll be covering my top 10 current WWE superstars, these are the 10 superstars that out of the entire WWE roster, I like the most. This is a list of current wrestlers, not my all time top 10, although that may come one day yet. Now there are certain exceptions that have to be made to the list, I.e since HHH is only a semi-competitor, then I can't include him on the list. So here's my personal view of who's the best in WWE at the moment.
10. Cody Rhodes
Sure Cody doesn't share the same electricity as his father, but Cody has proven to be a rather skilled athlete, and someone who's broken away from his fathers shadow. He has a crisp fluidity in the ring, with moves such as the beautiful disaster or crossRhodes being executed with ease when most wrestlers would stumble. His realistic punches and kicks have been comended by the legendary Bret Hart. He first stood out in mid-2010, by portraying an over-the-top pretty boy or 'Dashing' gimmick, Cody exuded a vain, smuggness that made him a good heel. While I prefered the Dashing gimmick to what he does now, his disfigured psycho gimmick Is pretty good due to creative booking, and Cody does a good job of conveying it. Cody is a star on the rise, who's stepped out of his fathers spotlight.
9. Alberto Del Rio
Del Rio is one of the most talked about stars today. While his WWE title reign was seemingly unnoticable, there may be a reason for that, due to some mild problems I think Del Rio has. His in ring style is seemingly blad, as in he only has 2 major moves (1 finisher and 1 signiture), granted he wrestles a methodical heel style, he isn't the best technical wrestler, so that doesn't gell well. I believe that if Del Rio added more signature moves, maybe incorperates some lucha moves, he could be greater. Apart from that, his finisher/1 signiture (cross armbreaker and inziguri on top rope) that he does have are pretty good moves. Del Rio also has a smarmy charisma that is necessary for a heel. Complete with cool Mexican aristocrat gimmick, cool entrance and cool personal ring announcer (Ricardo!), Del Rio is a superstar that's always fun to watch.
8. Daniel Bryan
Although many of you will be angry at me for placing him this low, Bryan hasn't had much chance to shine recently. Maybe in autum 2010, when he was having good PPV matches, he'd have been higher on the list, but apart from Money in the Bank and Summerslam, he's had little PPV time this year, he's lost the majority of his matches and has been made to be Sin Cara's bitch. However, even his short Smackdown matches are gems, he is a wrestler who can adapt to any style and carry any opponent, he has an exciting moveset and is probably one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. All WWE need to do is put some faith in Bryan, give him more wins, maybe an IC title run and more PPV matches to showcase his ability, and Bryan can be one of the top wrestlers in the world.
7. Wade Barrett
A man who was probably the top heel of 2010, Barrett is someone who may be that again someday. He has all the qualities of a good superstar. Unique look, with a 6ft5 frame on a meaty body, his combed back hair and beaky nose add heel characteristics to him. His promos are carried out with a thick Prestonian accent that makes his monologues smooth, while he also has a sly, arrogance that's easily conveyed. His has a good moveset, and with his aformentioned frame, he can give these moves to most wrestlers (he gave his finisher to bloody Mark Henry!). Yes Barrett has all to tools to make him a major player in WWE, he's proven this during his fued with Randy Orton and John Cena, I'd like to see him as the top heel of Smackdown, I'd rather him than bloody Mark Henry.
6. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler on many occasions has been compared to the late great Mr Perfect Curt Henning, and there's a damn good reason. Ziggler is someone who's ability sets him apart from the rest, his technical skills mixed with pure athleticism, a good moveset and entertaining selling makes him a modern great. Drifting in the mid-cards now, I believe soon enough that Dolph will make it to the main event some day, he's had many great matches with the likes of Kofi Kingston, John Morrison and Daniel Bryan, his Royal Rumble match with Edge proved that he could be something. Dolph has a great look with a chisled physique and bleech blonde heel hair, his mic skills are a bit average, but that's why he had a manager, and he is one of the best athletes in wrestling right now, if WWE are smart, they'll use Dolph to his full potential.
5. Sheamus
Sheamus is what most promotions would look for in a wrestler, this is probably why he was pushed so early, like a young Brock Lesner, he can be the next big thing. He has a unique look that immediatly gains peoples attention, with unbelievably pale skin (which I think is a great counterpart for all the orange posers) and a striking Ginger haircut mixed with a huge physique that WWE loves so much. His mic-skills are pretty decent, the smooth Irish accent (it seems most wrestlers with cool accents are good on the mic) either striking fear when a heel, or being jolly and lighthearted as a face. Sheamus has a great range of moves for a man his size, and he hits each move with perfect timeing, a move like a brouge kick is hit so well that you'd think it was fecking real. All in all, Sheamus has every quality that makes a good wrestler, look, mic-work and in ring skills, and he has the later in spades.
4. Christian
After years of being considered one of the most underated wrestlers in the world, Christian has finally made it to the big time. Christian has earned the fans respect with his crisp moves, executed so smoothly, and having an array of moves to use in his matches. His series with Randy Orton this year was great, some of the best wrestling seen in a while. But it's Christians other qualities that've come out this year as well after his heel turn. His mic-work helps convey his heel character, which is what good heel mic-work should do, his pompus, arrogant, smarmy character who thinks he's so great that he deserves title shot after title shot, no matter how many times he's lost, his heel character is one you love to hate, thus making Christian the best heel today. It's good to see that Christian is in the main event, and with great matches and an awesome heel persona, it's obvious he belongs there.
3. The Miz
you either love or hate the Miz, and I love him. While his momentum has seemed to dwindle in the past month, he's shown that he's one of the most entertaining wrestlers there is. His mai attribute is his skills on the mic, he's done many promos that have grabbed the audiences attention and captivated them, his delivery is excellent, he's already spawned 2 catchphrases, Miz has a verbiage that is delivered slowly, yet with emphasis on each word, putting over whatever angle he's in. The Miz constantly presents himself as a superstar, with flashy suits and a certain charismatic swagger to him, making him, and anything he's involved in seem special. While he's not a Ric Flair or Bret Hart when it comes to ability, he still has a decent style, and can have pretty good matches with the right opponents. All these attribute make the Miz (sigh)....AWESOME!
2. Randy Orton
At one point the top wrestler in the world, only at the age of 31, he's already a 9 time world champion, winning his first at just 24, Orton is truely something special. At this point in his career, Orton is one of the best and at the top of his game. He has a quick, intense style that perfectly matches his persona of an angry psychopath with quick bursts of anger, his move have an impact, yet also a smooth flow to each sequence, making most of his matches with anyone enjoyable. He's had some of the best matches of his career with Christian this year, excelling his legacy even further, no other wrestler could match intensity with match quality at the same time, but Orton does it well. His dangerous Viper gimmick makes him a good anti-face character, someone who's badass and malicious, yet cool and justified, making him an extemely over superstar. Orton is only young, yet he's acomplished more than most veterans do, there's a reason for that, he's a perfect mixture of ability and persona, he's Randy Orton.
1. C.M Punk
In my view he is not only the best in WWE, but the best in the world right now, he's worked hard to get where he is, he had the respect of many fans, he's the top wrestler right now, he's CM Punk. After competing in the match of the year with John Cena at Money in the Bank, Punks career has skyrocketed, he has great in ring skill, a vast array of moves mixed with good psychologhy. Punk is a jack of all trades, he's a good technical wrestler, he can be a good highflyer, he incorperates martial arts kicks, and he knows how to build a match, use the perfect spots and come out as great. His mic-skills are also great, his promos recently have been entertaining, mixing a shoot style humour with a seriousness to intensify the fued. Any time Punk is on RAW, you know it's gonna be good, whether it's a well put together match, or a memorable segment, Punk is the star of WWE, let's hope it stays this way.
10. Cody Rhodes
Sure Cody doesn't share the same electricity as his father, but Cody has proven to be a rather skilled athlete, and someone who's broken away from his fathers shadow. He has a crisp fluidity in the ring, with moves such as the beautiful disaster or crossRhodes being executed with ease when most wrestlers would stumble. His realistic punches and kicks have been comended by the legendary Bret Hart. He first stood out in mid-2010, by portraying an over-the-top pretty boy or 'Dashing' gimmick, Cody exuded a vain, smuggness that made him a good heel. While I prefered the Dashing gimmick to what he does now, his disfigured psycho gimmick Is pretty good due to creative booking, and Cody does a good job of conveying it. Cody is a star on the rise, who's stepped out of his fathers spotlight.
9. Alberto Del Rio
Del Rio is one of the most talked about stars today. While his WWE title reign was seemingly unnoticable, there may be a reason for that, due to some mild problems I think Del Rio has. His in ring style is seemingly blad, as in he only has 2 major moves (1 finisher and 1 signiture), granted he wrestles a methodical heel style, he isn't the best technical wrestler, so that doesn't gell well. I believe that if Del Rio added more signature moves, maybe incorperates some lucha moves, he could be greater. Apart from that, his finisher/1 signiture (cross armbreaker and inziguri on top rope) that he does have are pretty good moves. Del Rio also has a smarmy charisma that is necessary for a heel. Complete with cool Mexican aristocrat gimmick, cool entrance and cool personal ring announcer (Ricardo!), Del Rio is a superstar that's always fun to watch.
8. Daniel Bryan
Although many of you will be angry at me for placing him this low, Bryan hasn't had much chance to shine recently. Maybe in autum 2010, when he was having good PPV matches, he'd have been higher on the list, but apart from Money in the Bank and Summerslam, he's had little PPV time this year, he's lost the majority of his matches and has been made to be Sin Cara's bitch. However, even his short Smackdown matches are gems, he is a wrestler who can adapt to any style and carry any opponent, he has an exciting moveset and is probably one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. All WWE need to do is put some faith in Bryan, give him more wins, maybe an IC title run and more PPV matches to showcase his ability, and Bryan can be one of the top wrestlers in the world.
7. Wade Barrett
A man who was probably the top heel of 2010, Barrett is someone who may be that again someday. He has all the qualities of a good superstar. Unique look, with a 6ft5 frame on a meaty body, his combed back hair and beaky nose add heel characteristics to him. His promos are carried out with a thick Prestonian accent that makes his monologues smooth, while he also has a sly, arrogance that's easily conveyed. His has a good moveset, and with his aformentioned frame, he can give these moves to most wrestlers (he gave his finisher to bloody Mark Henry!). Yes Barrett has all to tools to make him a major player in WWE, he's proven this during his fued with Randy Orton and John Cena, I'd like to see him as the top heel of Smackdown, I'd rather him than bloody Mark Henry.
6. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler on many occasions has been compared to the late great Mr Perfect Curt Henning, and there's a damn good reason. Ziggler is someone who's ability sets him apart from the rest, his technical skills mixed with pure athleticism, a good moveset and entertaining selling makes him a modern great. Drifting in the mid-cards now, I believe soon enough that Dolph will make it to the main event some day, he's had many great matches with the likes of Kofi Kingston, John Morrison and Daniel Bryan, his Royal Rumble match with Edge proved that he could be something. Dolph has a great look with a chisled physique and bleech blonde heel hair, his mic skills are a bit average, but that's why he had a manager, and he is one of the best athletes in wrestling right now, if WWE are smart, they'll use Dolph to his full potential.
5. Sheamus
Sheamus is what most promotions would look for in a wrestler, this is probably why he was pushed so early, like a young Brock Lesner, he can be the next big thing. He has a unique look that immediatly gains peoples attention, with unbelievably pale skin (which I think is a great counterpart for all the orange posers) and a striking Ginger haircut mixed with a huge physique that WWE loves so much. His mic-skills are pretty decent, the smooth Irish accent (it seems most wrestlers with cool accents are good on the mic) either striking fear when a heel, or being jolly and lighthearted as a face. Sheamus has a great range of moves for a man his size, and he hits each move with perfect timeing, a move like a brouge kick is hit so well that you'd think it was fecking real. All in all, Sheamus has every quality that makes a good wrestler, look, mic-work and in ring skills, and he has the later in spades.
4. Christian
After years of being considered one of the most underated wrestlers in the world, Christian has finally made it to the big time. Christian has earned the fans respect with his crisp moves, executed so smoothly, and having an array of moves to use in his matches. His series with Randy Orton this year was great, some of the best wrestling seen in a while. But it's Christians other qualities that've come out this year as well after his heel turn. His mic-work helps convey his heel character, which is what good heel mic-work should do, his pompus, arrogant, smarmy character who thinks he's so great that he deserves title shot after title shot, no matter how many times he's lost, his heel character is one you love to hate, thus making Christian the best heel today. It's good to see that Christian is in the main event, and with great matches and an awesome heel persona, it's obvious he belongs there.
3. The Miz
you either love or hate the Miz, and I love him. While his momentum has seemed to dwindle in the past month, he's shown that he's one of the most entertaining wrestlers there is. His mai attribute is his skills on the mic, he's done many promos that have grabbed the audiences attention and captivated them, his delivery is excellent, he's already spawned 2 catchphrases, Miz has a verbiage that is delivered slowly, yet with emphasis on each word, putting over whatever angle he's in. The Miz constantly presents himself as a superstar, with flashy suits and a certain charismatic swagger to him, making him, and anything he's involved in seem special. While he's not a Ric Flair or Bret Hart when it comes to ability, he still has a decent style, and can have pretty good matches with the right opponents. All these attribute make the Miz (sigh)....AWESOME!
2. Randy Orton
At one point the top wrestler in the world, only at the age of 31, he's already a 9 time world champion, winning his first at just 24, Orton is truely something special. At this point in his career, Orton is one of the best and at the top of his game. He has a quick, intense style that perfectly matches his persona of an angry psychopath with quick bursts of anger, his move have an impact, yet also a smooth flow to each sequence, making most of his matches with anyone enjoyable. He's had some of the best matches of his career with Christian this year, excelling his legacy even further, no other wrestler could match intensity with match quality at the same time, but Orton does it well. His dangerous Viper gimmick makes him a good anti-face character, someone who's badass and malicious, yet cool and justified, making him an extemely over superstar. Orton is only young, yet he's acomplished more than most veterans do, there's a reason for that, he's a perfect mixture of ability and persona, he's Randy Orton.
1. C.M Punk
In my view he is not only the best in WWE, but the best in the world right now, he's worked hard to get where he is, he had the respect of many fans, he's the top wrestler right now, he's CM Punk. After competing in the match of the year with John Cena at Money in the Bank, Punks career has skyrocketed, he has great in ring skill, a vast array of moves mixed with good psychologhy. Punk is a jack of all trades, he's a good technical wrestler, he can be a good highflyer, he incorperates martial arts kicks, and he knows how to build a match, use the perfect spots and come out as great. His mic-skills are also great, his promos recently have been entertaining, mixing a shoot style humour with a seriousness to intensify the fued. Any time Punk is on RAW, you know it's gonna be good, whether it's a well put together match, or a memorable segment, Punk is the star of WWE, let's hope it stays this way.
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