Episode 26 of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast reviews season 2 of the Marvel Netflix television series Daredevil.

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Welcome to the latest edition of Making the Grade—a review format segment here on Fanboys Anonymous where we break down the five major components of something and give it a score based on the standard report card lineup: A, B, C, D, and F for a total failure.

The next report card is for season 2 of the Marvel television series Daredevil available on Netflix.

Daredevil Season 2—starring Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock / Daredevil), Deborahn Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), Elodie Yung (Elektra Natchios), Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle / Punisher).

CHARACTERS: A

There's not much to say about Matt Murdock that wasn't already spoken about the last season, as the character hasn't downgraded in the slightest bit. It's interesting to see him struggle this season with how he needs to be more reserved rather than as brutal as he was before. Of course, in comparison to The Punisher, Daredevil looks harmless.

Foggy gets to show off his intelligence more, to the point where I actually buy into him being a legitimate lawyer now. Last season, he was kind of a bumbling sidekick for a good portion of it, and although he wasn't an idiot and he eventually was instrumental in the case against Wilson Fisk, from the start of this season, he's clearly advanced in confidence and skill. I'm still glad he took a bit of a backseat, though, as I wouldn't have wanted much more than what we got out of him.

Speaking of taking a backseat, Karen Page may have had just a tad too many scenes over the 13 episodes of season 2. At times, I felt like she was sticking around just because she's a main character and not because the plot dictated that she appear. I'm also getting a bit sick of the "woe is me" act about her being a bad person. By the third or fourth time this was brought up, I wanted her to just get her comeuppance already. Karen fills that Lois Lane role where she digs up some stuff and eats up time looking into things that could have probably been accomplished much quicker. Having her as a journalist rather than a secretary for the majority of this season just made me want Ben Urich back rather than the tag team of Karen and Ellison.

The Punisher's story arc was my favorite of this season by far. The episode where Frank Castle has Daredevil tied up on the rooftop equals or surpasses the hallway action scene from last season for my favorite moments of the show's history. I loved the idea of the power struggle coming up from the vacuum left behind by Kingpin, whose appearance was greatly appreciated as well. This is definitely my favorite version of The Punisher so far and I want to see a spinoff series for sure.

The other major storyline was The Hand with Elektra and Stick. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed that most of this was so simple as to just be "insert ninja fight" but that the more complex plot behind it all is still up in the air. I want some clarification as to what Black Sky really is, damn it! Stick is the man, Elektra is welcome back any time, but I'll be disappointed if The Hand alone are the sole villains of The Defenders.

Nice to see shout outs to Jessica Jones characters, the Stilt Man legs, Melvin Potter in general still being quite cool, and a decent use for Turk. No Bullseye appearance, though? Still? Very disappointed in that.

ACTING: B+

Everyone from the previous season matches up to what they were before, so let's just jump right into the two major newbies who are both fantastic.

Jon Bernthal is the best Punisher yet, hands down. Somehow, he was able to do the character justice when it comes to the hard edge brutality and also throw in some humanity. Over the course of the season, I found myself thinking he was legitimately insane, downright a villain, or the best hero of them all. As hard as it would be to cheer someone like this in real life, I was rooting for the guy so much more than the other incarnations.

And then you have Elodie Yung as Elektra, who is pretty much the total opposite of Jennifer Garner's version, thankfully. I buy into her being a foreign assassin instead of just some bored white chick from Oklahoma or wherever Garner is from. I feel like it's Oklahoma for some reason. Anyway, Yung provides another example of a character that I probably wouldn't like for real because of how murderous she is, but I actually liked. She's got that "bad girl" sexiness going on that I was digging a lot.

VISUALS (FX, MAKEUP, COSTUMES, SETS): A

For the limited budget that this show is working with, I don't remember a single time that I thought something looked cheap. I'm sure the sets are recycled, but they're redressed well enough that I couldn't pinpoint anything looking too similar. There aren't a lot of visual effects to be concerned with, the makeup for all the wounds is believable and the costumes are reminiscent of the comic book iterations while keeping them grounded in reality.

MUSIC & SOUND: C–

By no means is anything offensive to the ears with this show, but I'm not a huge fan of the main title sequence and it actually bugged me that Netflix didn't skip it like they did with Jessica Jones. Having to manually skip past that theme 13 times got frustrating, and nothing else stood out to me as a positive to balance it out. Stick's theme from the last season was probably my favorite track and I can't even remember that necessarily being too prevalent this time around (although I could easily be wrong about that and just didn't pick up on it as I was focused on the action). The sound is fine, but the music could use an upgrade.

TONE (ACTION, ROMANCE, COMEDY): A–

This is definitely the darkest that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gotten so far when it comes to violence (with the sex aspect of the R-rating going to Jessica Jones of course, and I'm sure Luke Cage will push the boundaries for racial issues while Iron Fist will...uh...have glowy hands)

ACTION: Guns and ninjas galore. Sometimes, the stunt choreography got a bit fantastical with how Daredevil flips to kick so many people, but I'll allow it.

COMEDY: Not too much to laugh at here...

ROMANCE: Elektra is so much hotter than Karen, am I right?

FINAL GRADE: A

If you liked the last season, I can't imagine you'll be disappointed with this one. The weak point continues to be the need to keep Karen at the forefront instead of letting her take some time off like Foggy did this season, but by no means does this suffer from the same pacing and stretching issues that Jessica Jones did. This is a strong season that I highly recommend.

On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, season 2 of Marvel's Netflix television series Daredevil is given as full of a review as possible in under 60 seconds.

Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe and leave your comments on what you thought of Daredevil season 2!

We're back with another unboxing video from SuperHeroStuff.com to celebrate the upcoming release of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film coming out March 25th.

SuperHeroStuff's latest Hero Box actually gives you the option of choosing a Batman/Superman box or a Wonder Woman theme to coincide with the DC Trinity's first time on screen together.

The Hero Box Batman Vs Superman Gold Edition for Men is the ultimate gift box for fans of DC Comics' Dawn of Justice. Containing 100 bucks worth of stuff for 70, you'll get a shirt and tons of other stuff with the Hero Box Batman Vs Superman Gold Edition for Men!

Gold Edition: $69 for $100+ worth of goodies

Silver Edition: $49 for $70+ worth of goodies

If you want to get in on the fun and reserve yourself some cool stuff for next month, place your order at SuperHeroStuff HeroBox.

Thanks again to SuperHeroStuff for sending this our way!

Welcome to the latest edition of Making the Grade - a review format segment here on Fanboys Anonymous where we break down the five major components of something and give it a score based on the standard report card lineup: A, B, C, D, and F for a total failure.

The next report card is for the sci-fi thriller and "blood relative" of Cloverfield entitled 10 Cloverfield Lane.

10 Cloverfield Lane - directed by Dan Trachtenberg; written by Drew Goddard and Daniel Casey; starring John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr.

CHARACTERS: B+

Howard (Goodman) was definitely the best character. He was creepy and unstable, a solid combination for a psychological thriller antagonist. Michelle (Winstead) was very reminiscent of a young Ripley (Alien), determined and strong. Right away, she assumed the position of a fighter instead of slowly transforming into one, a welcomed choice instead of what we normally see in most thrillers or horror movies.

Emmett was a bit too monotone for me. Even when the stakes were high, he maintained a cool demeanor. A slightly strange choice for a supporting character in thriller.

ACTING: B+

John Goodman is the man. He is able to go from scary to vulnerable to homicidal with great believability. Mary Elizabeth Winstead held her own so she earns major props. John Gallagher Jr. felt a bit stale. Anyone could have played his part.

VISUALS (FX, MAKEUP, COSTUMES, SETS): B+

Every now and then I found the CGI to be a little bit shaky, but it might have just been the snob in me. Overall they did a good job, specially when it came to creature design. The creatures in 10 Cloverfield Lane bordered the line between the mechanical and the organic, which gave the flick a fresh and innovative look. Though we don't see the big Lovecraftian alien from Cloverfield in this one, the presence of tentacles and a octopus-like mouth on one of the flying beings allows us to deduce they are all in fact part of the same universe.

The makeup was also good. Nothing looked particularly bad and I appreciated the continuity of Michelle's pealing nail polish as the days went by.

Howard bunker was quite possibly one of my favorite aspects of Cloverfield Lane. Just like Howard's character, it had cold scary areas (like Michelle's room) and nostalgic bits like the jukebox and movie collection. It felt light at times and in the next second oppressing. Perfect.

MUSIC & SOUND: A

Sound design was really important in this film since Michelle's only connection to the outside for the majority of the story is based on what she hears. Music was also very entertaining and present in the movie, since Howard has a good old jukebox in his bunker. The rendition of Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" was particularly cute.

TONE (ACTION, ROMANCE, COMEDY): A

This movie is a psychological thriller. Prepare to feel tense and uneasy for most of it.

ACTION: The final scenes are charged with action. Michelle needs to save herself from Howard and then from a force she does not understand. It definitely kept my attention and I was cheering for her safety and success.

COMEDY: There are some fun moments in this film and some non intentional funny ones, but comedy is not a major point.

ROMANCE: This is not a romantic movie, thank the gods. Though you will find interesting to know that the voice of Michelle's boyfriend is actually Bradley Cooper's.

FINAL GRADE: B+

10 Cloverfiel Lane is a successful movie. It plays with paranoia, murder, alien invasion, and survival. The characters (for the most part) are very interesting and likable, which allows for the story to be enjoyed even by those who are not big fans of science fiction.
I throughly enjoyed this movie and if you watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Hey, hey, hey, Dacetacular nation! Check out episode 143 of The Dace Man Show with hosts The Dace Man, Frank Ward, Gibby, Patty McTitties and Travis Goss!!

::SPORTS NEWS::

• The NHL, MLB, NFL, and our favorite: curling!

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY::

•  Gibby brings the class to the show with weird things going on in the world!

::FRANK'S CORNER::

• Frank-tastic facts for your everyday life

::CELEB NEWS::

• Dace is back, and he's packing a punch since he's on some diet pills and Red Bull. Get ready Hollywood!

Plus the occasional game of Who Said It, the crowning of The Doucebag of The Week, and much, much more, only on The Dace Man Show.



As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course,the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case a comfy seat in front of your computer—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!


Follow on Facebook: Mega Powers Radio | Fanboys Anonymous | The Dace Man Show | Nerd Court | Sports Talk Weekly | Addicted to Anime

Hey, Hey, Hey Dacetacular nation!! The Dace Man Show is partnering up with Fanboys Anonymous and Mega Powers Radio as well as Say Yes, Think No to host a 24-hour video game marathon with all proceeds going directly to charity. Join us March 12, 2016 starting at noon!

DONATE HERE

On February 15, 2014, The Dace Man Show was able to raise $900 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and on February 28, 2015, we raised $1,200 for Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania. This year, we're looking to do even better as we do battle again for 24 hours!

Check back regularly for updates and more information on the gaming blocks, prizes, and ways you can donate to Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter!

If you can't donate, you can still help out by spreading the word. Share us on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, or any other sources that you have so we can reach as many people as possible.

  MAIN STAGE

Watch live video from DaceManShow on www.twitch.tv  

SECOND STAGE PS4
 

Watch live video from dacemanandfriends on www.twitch.tv The Lineup

• March 12th Kick off at Noon - Twisted Metal 2—tis tradition!
• After Twisted Metal 2 to 4PM: TBD
• 4PM to 8PM: TBD
• 8PM: SUPER SMASH BROS TOURNAMENT - It's time to crown a true champion, and we actually have a trophy. We will have one or two (depending on the amount of entries) eight-man mayhem matches to determine seating on the tournament. From there, we will engage in one-on-one battles to determine the Super Smash Champion! To enter the tournament, please reach out to Chris Dace on Facebook or shoot an email to thedacemanshow@gmail.com with the subject SMASH BROS. TOURNAMENT
• Immediately Following the Tournament: TBD
• Twilight Limbo After Hours - Who honestly knows what's going to happen?
• 9AM to Finish: John Calls It - My nephew John—who will be wide awake and ready to go—will close us out on the 24-hour game-a-thon, picking games and playing while the rest of us try to stay awake LIKE HE DOES EACH YEAR.

The Prizes

For every $5 donated to the cause your name will be entered into a random drawing for awesome prizes brought to you by our sponsors!

• (2) $25 Dollar Gift Certificates to Applebee's
• (2) 3-Month Subscriptions to Loot Crate
• (5) T-Shirts from TeeTurtle.com 
• Marvel Civil War and Road to Civil War Paperback 
• $25 Game Stop Gift Card
• Amazon Fire Stick TV
• (5) Steam Game Codes
• Fanboys Anonymous Movie Club Pack - January Edition "Winter Movies" 
• (Snowpiercer, Groundhog Day, Edward Scissorhands, Frozen)
• (2) Philadelphia Phillies Home Opener Tickets [Section 141 Row 22 Seats 17 & 18

Check back regularly to see what other awesome prizes we will be giving away.

DONATE HERE

Our latest unboxing video is sponsored by Pop in a Box—a monthly subscription service for Funko POP! Vinyl Figures.

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Thanks again to Pop in a Box for sending this our way!

On the latest edition of Movie Trailer Reactions for Fanboys Anonymous, host Tony Mango gives his live response and overall thoughts about the latest trailer for Captain America: Civil War released earlier today. Make sure to subscribe and tell us in the comments what you think of the trailer!

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark's surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability. Get ready to pick a side and join the nonstop action playing out on two fronts when Marvel's Captain America: Civil War opens in U.S. theaters on May.

Hey, hey, hey, Dacetacular nation! Check out episode 142 of The Dace Man Show with hosts The Dace Man, Frank Ward, Gibby, and Travis Goss!!

::SPORTS NEWS::

• The NHL, MLB, NFL, and our favorite: curling!

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY::

•  Gibby brings the class to the show with weird things going on in the world!

::FRANK'S CORNER::

• Frank-tastic facts for your everyday life

::CELEB NEWS::

• Dace is back, and he's packing a punch since he's on some diet pills and Red Bull. Get ready Hollywood!

Plus the occasional game of Who Said It, the crowning of The Doucebag of The Week, and much, much more, only on The Dace Man Show.



As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course,the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case a comfy seat in front of your computer—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!


Follow on Facebook: Mega Powers Radio | Fanboys Anonymous | The Dace Man Show | Nerd Court | Sports Talk Weekly | Addicted to Anime

Apple has become increasingly less risk-free as users were targeted by hackers over the weekend with a malicious software known as Ransomware, in what is believed to be the first attack on Apple products.

Hey, hey, hey, Dacetacular nation! Check out episode 141 of The Dace Man Show with hosts The Dace Man, Frank Ward, Gibby, Pattie McTitties and the return of Mr Travis Goss!!!!

::SPORTS NEWS::

• The NHL, MLB, NFL, and our favorite: curling!

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY::

•  Gibby brings the class to the show with weird things going on in the world!

::FRANK'S CORNER::

• Frank-tastic facts for your everyday life

::CELEB NEWS::

• Dace is back, and he's packing a punch since he's on some diet pills and Red Bull. Get ready Hollywood!

Plus the occasional game of Who Said It, the crowning of The Doucebag of The Week, and much, much more, only on The Dace Man Show.



As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course,the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case a comfy seat in front of your computer—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!


Follow on Facebook: Mega Powers Radio | Fanboys Anonymous | The Dace Man Show | Nerd Court | Sports Talk Weekly | Addicted to Anime

Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.

Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!

Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in March 2016?

Zootopia

Synopsis: In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a fugitive con artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

Will I watch? = Yes

London Has Fallen

Synopsis: In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Synopsis: A journalist recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Will I watch? = Maybe

The Other Side of the Door

Synopsis: A family lives an idyllic existence abroad until a tragic accident takes the life of their young son. The inconsolable mother learns of an ancient ritual that will bring him back to say a final goodbye. She travels to an ancient temple, where a door serves as a mysterious portal between two worlds. But when she disobeys a sacred warning to never open that door, she upsets the balance between life and death.

Will I watch? = No

Knight of Cups

Synopsis: A man reflects upon some of his past relationships.

Will I watch? = No

Desierto

Synopsis: A group of people trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States encounter a man who has taken border patrol duties into his own racist hands.

Will I watch? = No

The Wave

Synopsis: Even though awaited, no-one is really ready when the mountain pass of Åkneset above the scenic narrow Norwegian fjord Geiranger falls out and creates a 85 meter high violent tsunami. A geologist is one of those caught in the middle of it.

Will I watch? = No


10 Cloverfield Lane

Synopsis: Waking up from a car accident, a young woman finds herself in the basement of a man who says he's saved her life from a chemical attack that has left the outside uninhabitable.

Will I watch? = Yes

The Young Messiah

Synopsis: Tells the story of Jesus Christ at age seven as he and his family depart Egypt to return home to Nazareth. Told from his childhood perspective, it follows young Jesus as he grows into his religious identity.

Will I watch? = No

The Perfect Match

Synopsis: A playboy named Charlie, convinced that all his relationships are dead, meets the beautiful and mysterious Eva. Agreeing to a casual affair, Charlie then wants a bit more from their relationship.

Will I watch? = No

The Brothers Grimsby

Synopsis: A new assignment forces a top spy to team up with his football hooligan brother.

Will I watch? = No

Creative Control

Synopsis: In near future Brooklyn, an ad executive uses a new Augmented Reality technology to conduct an affair with his best friend's girlfriend...sort of.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Eye in the Sky

Synopsis: A military officer in command of a drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya sees her mission escalate from "capture" to "kill" just as a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone.

Will I watch? = No

Hello, My Name is Doris

Synopsis: A self-help seminar inspires a sixty-something woman to romantically pursue her younger co-worker.

Will I watch? = No

Lolo

Synopsis: Violette, a 40-year old workaholic with a career in the fashion industry falls for a provincial computer geek, Jean-Rene, while on a spa retreat with her best friend.

Will I watch? = No

Marguerite

Synopsis: Paris, 1920s. Marguerite Dumont is a wealthy woman, lover of the music and the opera. She loves to sing for her friends, although she's not a good singer. Both her friends and her husband have kept her fantasy. The problem begins when she decides to perform in front of a real audience.

Will I watch? = No

River of Grass

Synopsis: Near the Everglades, the "river of grass," lives Cozy (named for her father's favorite drummer), lonely, in a loveless marriage, ignoring her kids. She fantasizes being a dancer, an acrobat, and a gymnast. One night at a bar she meets Lee. He's jobless, homeless, and unbeknownst to Cozy, is in possession of her father's handgun. Dad's a cop and lost the gun chasing a robber. Cozy and Lee climb a fence to swim in a pool. Playing around with the gun, they think they kill the pool's owner, so they go on the lam. An odd partnership develops even though they're short on ideas. But how can they escape their barren lot if they don't even have a quarter for the road toll?

Will I watch? = No


The Divergent Series: Allegiant

Synopsis: Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton venture into the world outside of the fence and are taken into protective custody by a mysterious agency known as the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Miracles from Heaven

Synopsis: A young girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder finds herself miraculously cured after surviving a terrible accident. Based on the book 'Miracles From Heaven' by Christy Beam.

Will I watch? = No

The Bounce Back

Synopsis: Father, author and relationship expert, Matthew Taylor is on a whirlwind book tour promoting his new best seller, The Bounce Back. He's got it all figured out until he meets the acerbic Kristin Peralta, a talk show circuit therapist who's convinced he's nothing but a charlatan. Matthew's life is turned upside down when he inadvertently falls for Kristin and has to face painful truth of his past relationship.

Will I watch? = No

Midnight Special

Synopsis: A father and son go on the run after the dad learns his child possesses special powers.

Will I watch? = Yes

The Bronze

Synopsis: A foul-mouthed former gymnastics bronze medalist must fight for her local celebrity status when a new young athlete's star rises in town.

Will I watch? = No

The Program

Synopsis: An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong.

Will I watch? = No

The Little Prince

Synopsis: A little girl lives in a very grown-up world with her mother, who tries to make sure she's prepared for it. Her neighbor, The Aviator, introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where anything is possible, the world of The Little Prince.

Will I watch? = No

Krisha

Synopsis: Krisha returns for Thanksgiving dinner after ten years away from her family, but past demons threaten to ruin the festivities.

Will I watch? = No

My Golden Days

Synopsis: Paul is preparing to leave Tajikistan, while thinking back on his adolescent years. His childhood, his mother's madness, the parties, the trip to the USSR where he lost his virginity, the friend who betrayed him and the love of his life.

Will I watch? = No


Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Synopsis: Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

Will I watch? = Yes

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

Synopsis: A Portokalos family secret brings the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding.

Will I watch? = No

The Disappointments Room

Synopsis: A mother and her young son release unimaginable horrors from the attic of their rural dream home.

Will I watch? = No

I Saw the Light

Synopsis: The story of the country-western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his rise to fame and its tragic effect on his health and personal life.

Will I watch? = No

The Invitation

Synopsis: While attending a dinner party at his former home, a man thinks his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister intentions for their guests.

Will I watch? = No

Mia Madre

Synopsis: Margherita, a director in the middle of an existential crisis, has to deal with the inevitable and still unacceptable loss of her mother.

Will I watch? = No


Which films make the cut?

6. Creative Control — Future, augmented reality, "sort of" and other vague concepts that somewhat appeal to me at a glance have won me over without even seeing the trailer. I'm at least a little bit interested right off the bat.

5. The Divergent Series: Allegiant — I've seen the others, and while I haven't been too impressed, I want to see how the story ends.

4. Zootopia — That sloth joke in the trailer got some chuckles out of me and convinced me to give this a shot.

3. Midnight Special — If I'm a fan of superhero stories, then having something like a darker turn on the genre always piques my curiosity. Hopefully, this is more like Chronicle and less like Carrie as I'm not too big a fan of the horror aspect.

2. 10 Cloverfield Lane — I know almost nothing about this movie...and I fucking love that. Cloverfield was super cool and I literally had a ticket purchased in my mind just when I saw that there was a movie coming out that had this title. Even if it doesn't have any monsters in it, I'm still intrigued quite a bit by the concept of a survivalist going crazy.

1. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — Come on. Do I really need to explain why this is at the top of my list?

The 88th Academy Awards just passed by, but the entertainment industry is already looking ahead to next year's ceremony. The pomp and circumstance is over, the winners are in the bag, and everyone has given their reaction to what happened, so it's effectively yesterday's news.

Turning our sights to next year, however, is the topic at hand. Which movies will end up making an impact? How will the Oscars be impacted by pop culture trends? Will there be more diversification or was that just a running gag this time around? Let's break out our crystal balls and attempt to see into the future.

#OscarsSoWhite

By far, the biggest story of this year's Academy Awards was the lack of diversity. Hopefully, if you're reading this, you're not on either of the two extreme sides that are militantly against it on principle alone OR you're not someone who is advocating diversification purely for the sake of it, even at the expense of judging purely on talent. If that's the case, then you're in that middle ground of logic and reason that it appears most of the industry has come to the conclusion of, that there should be a more concerned effort not to discriminate against anyone of any background when it comes to hiring them for particular jobs that don't have any specifications behind them that are prohibitive. For example, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone that would argue an Asian man should be cast as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there should be no discussion saying that only men can direct superhero films if there are any women qualified enough to take on the reigns.

That being said, don't be too surprised if there isn't a grand, sweeping change when it comes to diversity for the nominees of next year's Oscars. Many of the films that will be nominated are already being worked on now—some even completed—and they haven't had time to reflect any changes in the mentality of the production companies.

This year's Best Picture winner Spotlight was pretty much the textbook definition of "Oscar bait" and I honestly didn't care for it all that much, similar to a lot of the nominees from history's past. By far, I would recommend people to watch Creed over it, since that was a much more enjoyable film, but I don't think that film was snubbed in favor of Spotlight because of its lead actor being black. Instead, I think that was more of a byproduct of the type of films those two are.

Creed is the seventh film in a fictional sports franchise, while Spotlight is a drama based on a true story that deals with a political scandal about a social issue. The latter is always going to receive more attention than the former. That is why 12 Years a Slave and The Help were given awards in the past (despite the subject matter not being something "white-washed") and why Star Wars: The Force Awakens—the seventh film in a fictional sci-fi/fantasy franchise which broke virtually every possible box office record this year—wasn't nominated for Best Picture.

Just as Dope and Straight Out of Compton weren't nominated for 2016, don't be surprised to see similar films not on the list for 2017. On the same token, don't be shocked if Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange aren't even remotely close to in the running for Best Picture. That's not a judgment of racial undertones in voting, but being biased against certain genres and favoring things that are by-the-books "Oscar films" from public perception over the years. It will take a lot more time for things to change, rather than just a few months. Seeing Mad Max: Fury Road get so much attention is a good sign that there are indeed changes happening, and one change begets the next. It will be shocking if by 2018, there isn't a noticeable difference, but don't be outraged if 2017's films are very similar to 2016's.

To counteract this, it'll be interesting to see who hosts the show. This year, Chris Rock was in a prime position to address the subject. Imagine how awkward it would have been if James Franco and Anne Hathaway were the hosts. Do they talk about it and risk being viewed as "unqualified to speak about the matter" or do they ignore it and risk being accused of sweeping it under the rug?

It's doubtful that the topic will have as much of a presence in 2017 as it did this year, as time will inevitably take some of the stinging sensation away. However, it still will resonate in some fashion, and it will be hard not to acknowledge last year's main talking point when looking back on how things have changed so much over the past year (if that happens). That being said, it seems like a comedian would be the best choice to host next year, with several suggestions of who should be the host including Kevin Hart (mentioned several times this year during the show), Louis C.K. (who had one of the funniest bits of the night when addressing the Best Documentary Short award), late night host Jimmy Kimmel (who has been doing his Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars show for a while and could step it up to a whole new level), and even just bringing someone like Chris Rock or Whoopi Goldberg back.

Either way, when it comes to the atmosphere of next year's Academy Awards, I don't expect to see #OscarsSoWhite being anywhere near as much of a focal point at the forefront, despite how it will inevitably have effects behind the scenes.

Leonardo DiCaprio Memes

The other biggest story for this year's Academy Awards was whether or not Leonardo DiCaprio would finally win the Oscar for Best Actor after years of putting on great performances, but coming up short. Yes, indeed he did walk away with the prize for his work in The Revenant, and while that will be celebrated, it also means the end of the memes that have been going around.

That was part of the fun of this season's buzz—the anticipation and anxiety of the outcome for Leo. All of that is gone, and there likely won't be a single person to rally around next year that fits the bill. The upside to that is how it means other people can work their way into the limelight and not be overshadowed, but the downside is that the average moviegoer might not be invested in the ceremony. I've heard more people talking about this award than any others, including Best Picture, so without that aspect to garner some attention, 2017 could be another year that passes by where people post on Facebook that they didn't even realize the ceremony was on the previous night.

Movies to Watch Out For

It's far, far too early to speculate with any kind of certainty, but just by reading some of the descriptions of what's to come over the next few months, it's not hard to pick up on a few red flags that stand out from the pack.

The Jungle Book is my go-to prediction for Best Visual Effects, as that movie just looks gorgeous. It's an amazing achievement to have one kid be the only thing "real" in the entire film and for it to be so photo-realistic in its look. Of course, it will have some other contenders nipping at its heels to take the statue away from it, such as Warcraft (which has CGI that looks much worse to me) and Rogue One (which could nab Best Costume Design) but Jon Favreau's team looks like the early winner.

The Angry Birds Movie seems like an easy pick for Best Animated Feature. I know, that's crazy, isn't it? The mobile game is so basic that it seems like a film based off it would be terrible, yet the trailers look pretty decent. Zootopia is coming out so early that it could hurt its positioning, as many people will have forgotten about it by next year. It sure as hell isn't going to Ice Age: Collision Course, am I right? Then again, Sausage Party could take us all by surprise, or things could be just as they always are with Pixar getting the win with Finding Dory.

As far as Best Picture goes, I wouldn't be shocked to see Birth of a Nation in the mix, especially considering the climate of diversity. Supposedly, the film is fantastic, which could mean that Nate Parker may end up at least being nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the film.

Silence is another early contender that I know almost nothing about, but the list of people involved just screams a nomination. When you've got Martin Scorsese working with Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, how can you bet against it being good? I would love to see someone like Garfield get recognition as I think he's a dangerously undervalued talent in the industry.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk could receive Best Picture contention as well as a Best Director nod for Ang Lee. It's based off a novel by Ben Fountain about the war in Iraq, so it checks off a lot of qualifiers for the type of material the voters are looking for. This seems like something that will lose Best Picture, though, but possibly win Best Adapted Screenplay, if it doesn't go to The Girl on the Train, which some reviewers have said is "the next Gone Girl" (which received some attention in its own right a while back).

Weightless from Terrence Malick, starring Christian Bale and Natalie Portman seems like the #1 movie that I'll be hoping doesn't win, as my track record with Malick is horrible. This comes off as pretentious fluff in the trailer for me, similar to The Tree of Life, but just because I didn't like it didn't stop others from raining praise upon it.

It's always good to stumble across new movies that are being released that we didn't even know about, so it'll be interesting to see what else pops up out of the blue to make an impression. Could Passengers be as awesome as its potential? Is Money Monster by the numbers enough? What about La La Land? Who knows!?

We have until February 26, 2017 to figure this all out, when the 89th Academy Awards are decided.

On episode 29 of the Fanboys Anonymous Group Meeting podcast, the panel has a roundtable discussion about the 88th Academy Awards results and the 2016 Oscars ceremony in general.

Hosted by Tony Mango along with Alex Grimley

Some topics we address:

• #OscarsSoWhite
• Chris Rock's hosting duties
• Results and our predictions
• and more!

You can watch the podcast below. Make sure to subscribe!

The 88th Academy Awards will be hosted by Chris Rock and take place on February 28, 2016 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, broadcast by ABC.

This post will be updated with the full list of results of the winners. In the meantime, please tell us your predictions and let us know which movies you're hoping will walk away with an Oscar.

BEST PICTURE

NOMINEES: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight

PREDICTION: The Revenant
- Before I had seen it, Spotlight was the movie I was hearing the most buzz about, but that's died down considerably. After watching it, I definitely would rather not see this win. Room was great, so I'd be okay with that winning. I'm surprised Bridge of Spies is on there despite hearing not all that much. I'm also VERY surprised about Mad Max getting the nomination. The Revenant isn't good enough to win, but it wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing ever, either, and the buzz for it has picked up considerably. I'm rooting against The Big Short for sure. It's really a shame Ex Machina wasn't nominated.

RESULT: Spotlight

BEST ACTOR

NOMINEES: Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)

PREDICTION: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
- Poor DiCaprio has a very good chance of being passed over this year for Michael Fassbender, but while I think Tom Hardy stole the show in The Revenant, there's just too much buzz going around about Leo to deny him the prediction.

RESULT: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

BEST ACTRESS

NOMINEES: Cate Blanchett (Carol), Brie Larson (Room), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

PREDICTION: Brie Larson (Room)
- Lawrence gets a nomination because she's expected to, and the same could apply to Blanchett. Brie Larson, though, is so great in Room that she'll be taking this for sure.

RESULT: Brie Larson (Room)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

NOMINEES: Christian Bale (The Big Short), Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

PREDICTION: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
- My GOD is this one tough. I could see anybody winning this except Bale and Ruffalo. In comparison to the other three, they just don't compare. I would then rank Stallone at #3 because I think the nomination will suffice enough rather than giving him the award itself. Rylance is someone who comes out of left field for his actual performance rather than just brand name recognition, so he has an extremely good chance of stealing this, even though I think Hardy gave the better performance.

RESULT: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

NOMINEES: Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

PREDICTION: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
- This is another tough one. I haven't seen The Danish Girl, so I can't judge Vikander's performance in that, but I think she was fantastic in Ex Machina and deserved to be nominated for that, if not win for that. I definitely would pick her over everyone else on this list except for how I also can't judge Rooney Mara for having not seen her performance yet. Jennifer Jason Leigh was good, but not better than Vikander. Winslet and McAdams...I'm just confused about what was so great with those two performances. They were fine, but did they really stand out as amazing?

RESULT: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

BEST DIRECTOR

NOMINEES: Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

PREDICTION: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant)
- I would not be surprised if anybody won this other than Abrahamson, but I think there's a ranking here. Iñárritu has a slight edge over Miller and McKay in my predictions, with McCarthy coming in fourth.

RESULT: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

NOMINEES: Bridge of Spies, Ex Machina, Inside Out, Spotlight, Straight Outta Compton

PREDICTION: Spotlight
- I don't think Spotlight was that impressive, but I'm not the one voting here. I could see it either winning both Best Picture and this, or winning this as a consolation prize for being passed over if The Revenant wins. I've still yet to see Straight Outta Compton but out of this list, I would probably give the award to Bridge of Spies.

RESULT: Spotlight

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

NOMINEES: The Big Short, Brooklyn, Carol, The Martian, Room

PREDICTION: The Big Short
- I'm imagining The Big Short coming up short for the Best Picture award and getting this to make up for it.

RESULT: The Big Short

BEST FILM EDITING

NOMINEES: The Big Short, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Spotlight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

PREDICTION: Mad Max: Fury Road
- Call me ignorant, but I saw nothing special about the editing in every film on this list for the most part.

RESULT: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

NOMINEES: Ex Machina, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

PREDICTION: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- There's a chance The Revenant steals this, but I think that will be more of a cinematography award while this goes to the galaxy far, far away.

RESULT: Ex Machina

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

NOMINEES: Carol, The Hateful Eight, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Sicario

PREDICTION: The Revenant
- This movie is beautiful. I'm sure a lot of people are upset that Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn't nominated and there will be lots of people rooting for Mad Max: Fury Road, but I'm rooting for Emmanuel Lubezki here.

RESULT: The Revenant

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

NOMINEES: Bridge of Spies, The Danish Girl, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant

PREDICTION: Mad Max: Fury Road
- The latter three options have the best chances, I feel, but the one that stands out the most is Mad Max. We've seen space films before (and recently with Gravity and Interstellar) so that could hurt The Martian's chances, and The Revenant is predominantly outside and seems to have less work involved in this aspect than Fury Road.

RESULT: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

NOMINEES: Carol, Cinderella, The Danish Girl, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant

PREDICTION: Mad Max: Fury Road
- This is tough. Does the academy give the more ambitious, world-building oddball choice the win, or does it just go with "lavish means great" with Cinderella? I'm hopeful that they'll go outside the box.

RESULT: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

NOMINEES: Mad Max: Fury Road, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, The Revenant

PREDICTION: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
- You've got to pick the odd one out, right?

RESULT: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

NOMINEES: Bridge of Spies, Carol, The Hateful Eight, Sicario, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

PREDICTION: The Hateful Eight
- Lots of buzz around Ennio Morricone doing this and considering his age and his lack of Oscars from the past, I think the Academy Awards will be good to him this year. I didn't like it, though, so I'm okay with it not winning. As much as I like Star Wars, I actually hope it doesn't win for this, because I felt the score for The Force Awakens was the most lackluster of the seven films so far and I don't want them to be rewarded for something so unmemorable.

RESULT: The Hateful Eight

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

NOMINEES: "Earned It" (Fifty Shades of Grey), "Manta Ray" (Racing Extinction), "Simple Song #3" (Youth), "Til It Happens to You" (The Hunting Ground), "Writing's on the Wall" (Spectre)

PREDICTION: "Writing's on the Wall" (Spectre)
- I only know of "Writing's on the Wall", which I know performed very well on the charts, but it still didn't get as much attention as the previous Bond film's song, "Skyfall" by Adele. A nomination could be the best it's hoping for, but I have heard zilch about the others.

RESULT: "Writing's on the Wall" (Spectre)

BEST SOUND EDITING

NOMINEES: Mad Max: Fury Road, Sicario, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Martian, The Revenant

PREDICTION: Mad Max: Fury Road
- Call it a weird hunch.

RESULT: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST SOUND MIXING

NOMINEES: Bridge of Spies, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

PREDICTION: Mad Max: Fury Road
- Normally, the same movie wins both sound awards.

RESULT: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ANIMATED (FEATURE)

NOMINEES: Anomalisa, Boy and the World, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep Movie, When Marnie Was There

PREDICTION: Inside Out
- Come on. Lots of people think this should be nominated for Best Picture in general. I disagree, but these awards aren't based on what I prefer. If anything else wins this category, it will be the biggest shock of the whole set of awards as far as I'm concerned.

RESULT: Inside Out

BEST ANIMATED (SHORT)

NOMINEES: Bear Story, Prologue, Sanjay's Super Team, We Can't Live Without Cosmos, World of Tomorrow

PREDICTION: n/a
- I know nothing about any of these films, per usual, so my prediction is meaningless.

RESULT: Bear Story

BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

NOMINEES: Amy, Cartel Land, The Look of Silence, What Happened, Miss Simone?, Winter on Fire

PREDICTION: What Happened, Miss Simone?
- I know nothing about any of these films, per usual, so my prediction is meaningless. However, I've heard more about this than any other, so that receives as random of a prediction as you'll get from me.

RESULT: Amy

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)

NOMINEES: Body Team, Chau, Beyond the Lines, Claude Lanzmann, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, Last Day of Freedom

PREDICTION: n/a
- I know nothing about any of these films, per usual, so my prediction is meaningless.

RESULT: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

NOMINEES: Embrace of the Serpent, Mustang, Son of Saul, Theeb, A War

PREDICTION: Son of Saul
- I know nothing about any of these films, per usual, so my prediction is meaningless.

RESULT: Son of Saul

BEST SHORT FILM

NOMINEES: Ave Maria, Day One, Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut), Shok, Stutterer

PREDICTION: n/a
- I know nothing about any of these films, per usual, so my prediction is meaningless.

RESULT: Stutterer