Fanboys Anonymous

The latest entry in Marvel's Netflix television series is Iron Fist, surrounding the story of Danny Rand and leading us one step closer to The Defenders. Season 1 was just released, which means it's time to start binge-watching all 13 episodes.

So far, the advanced reviews have treated it pretty poorly, stating it is by far the worst of the bunch and has virtually no redeeming qualities. Going into the show with those expectations should be interesting, but let's hope that there are more positives than negatives.

Instead of doing my standard "episode 1 first impressions" video or a Minute Man Review of sorts, I figured we would try something different here. As I go along and watch this season, I'll be adding notes of my thoughts throughout each episode as almost a stream of consciousness. Then, we'll wrap everything up with a full season recap and review to see just how good or bad the overall package was.

Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.

Episode 1 - "Snow Gives Way"

- Neat opening credits. Not what I expected.
- Uh...this opening scene and it's music are a strange way to start this off. I'm not sure if I wanted to jump into the story this way, but let's see.
- Homeless dude is nice. He's probably going to die, isn't he?
- Ward is a dick. He needs to eat a fist. An iron fist. Joy is okay for now but she's doomed to be a traitor down the line.
- Yup. Homeless dude can't even make it one full episode.

Episode 2 - "Shadow Hawk Takes Flight"

- We aren't going to spend too too much time with this whole "maybe he isn't Danny Rand" thing, right? We know he is, so don't waste the audience's time. As long as it's cleared up by the end of this episode, I'm okay with it.
- I also wouldn't mind a little humor.
- If he were really Canadian, he'd be more apologetic and less willing to fight people. Also, he'd probably want a donut instead of that chicken parm. Damn it. Now I want a chicken parm and a donut.
- So Colleen just casually carries around a sword? Oh. Nevermind.
- Why is Colleen doing the Molly Shannon "superstar" thing with her hands under her armpits? Just don't smell them.
- Is it wrong that I kind of like Harold?
- Cool shot with the window writing/handprint.
- Dat product placement.

Episode 3 - "Rolling Thunder Cannon Punch"

- Digging Colleen in the sleepwear.
- Darryl is so dead.
- Oh hey, Hogarth...and she has a heart?
- Very nice transition of the sheets to snow.
- That whole restaurant scene was very CW.
- So that scene with Colleen in the cage was mostly just to try to make her look legitimately tough again after losing her sparring session with Danny, wasn't it? Not a fan of transparent stuff like that. We already saw that she can handle herself. Losing to the fucking Iron Fist is no dishonor. At least she'd better keep doing this for money to bite her in the ass down the line. She also needs to have to fight Darryl.

Episode 4 - "Eight Diagram Dragon Palm"

- Can we actually see the dragon in this episode? Probably not, right?
- After 15 years, why didn't they change the company name from Rand to Meachum?
- I'd like to see a face turn for Ward. All of these shows have a good person revealed to be a heel and I'd like a switch on the trope expectations.
- Gender-bending Hogarth really was such a smart decision, as was her casting. Moss is charming despite also seeming like such a bitch.
- I'm getting a suspicion that in an episode or two, the villain will switch over again like what happened in Luke Cage.
- Colleen in a white outfit? I see what you're doing here. Nice :-)
- T minus 10 minutes before Danny and Joy bang.
- Hahahaha we have a hallway fight scene. Everyone is jealous of Daredevil.
- Madame Gao is boss
- Well, that was some dragon

Episode 5 - "Under Leaf Pluck Lotus"

- Someone really, really wanted to do that first shot and made it a priority, didn't they?
- Since we didn't see a dragon last episode, what's the likelihood this doesn't have a lotus in it?
- Drugs'll kill you, Ward.
- Okay, so we have a paper flower. Does that mean we'll get a paper dragon?
- Sup Claire? Been a while. Such an endearing character. She's really a highlight of this section of the MCU.
- I'm so hungry.
- Chastity, eh? No wonder you didn't bang Joy before the hatchet men showed up.
- Do we need another playful flirting karate scene?
- This pier stuff is taking forever and it isn't even fun. Get to the point already.
- "When are they gonna get to the fireworks factory?!"
- There better be a vampire kid here that Danny shoots in the heart with a bow and arrow. (Vampires are my theory of what Black Sun and the revival tech and all boils down to, with Blade coming into the mix after The Defenders)
- Don't fuck with Gao, son.

Episode 6 - "Immortal Emerges From Cave"

- Thanks for that butcher shot. That cured my hunger pangs.
- Taaaaake oooooon meeeee. Taaaaake meeee ooooon. I'll beeee gooooone in a day or twoooooooooo
- I can't help but feel like this entire power plant cancer storyline is entirely filler added after they realized they had nothing else for the Meachums to do once they started fucking with The Hand. I hope they prove me wrong.
- Danny should talk to Stick instead. Or Obi-Wan.
- So do they wash those towels in that well, or is that a job for a laundromat?
- Challenge #2 is hot.
- Ha. Claire said "sweet Christmas" which means Luke Cage is rubbing off on her (giggity)
- I would be okay with Gao meeting her end in this season. She's made her mark.
- The glowing hand effect isn't really a wow factor.
- Sabina is cute. She's still a side quest to eat up time, though.
- Oh damn, Gao.

Episode 7 - "Felling With Tree Routes"

- Why would you cut your finger off after specifically wanting to avoid cutting your finger off?
- This is usually the point where things slow down and I think it's been pretty slow already. Don't do this.
- Also, we still haven't seen the costume, the dragon, or Turk. Come on.
- Colleen's rocking those shorts again. Can't blame Danny for opting out of that whole chastity vow. Shouldn't the "You sure?" line be Colleen asking him, though?
- I feel like this is the end for Ward.
- "Don't forget to watch your plant, Danny. It is your responsibility now." I repeat, Gao is boss.
- Wait, who is this bearded dude again?
- Boy, Roxxon sure does have some bloody hands and yet we haven't seen them get what's coming to them in the MCU so far.
- RIP Harold.

Episode 8 - "The Blessing Of Many Fractures"

- Good fakeout, Ward.
- Luke Cage wrote a prison letter. Nice touch.
- Homeless people to the rescue again.
- Jessica Jones spied on the company? Even better than the Luke Cage letter thing.
- Drunk dude is cool. He should come back.

Episode 9 - "The Mistress Of All Agonies"

- Yesssss. Harold rocks. He can kill Ward now. Little John Malkovich looking traitor.
- Still waiting on that dragon and costume and Turk cameo.
- So you're just gonna keep selling hot dogs after this random lunatic stuck his hand in the water?
- You would get sick of ice cream pretty damn fast, Kyle.

Episode 10 - "Black Tiger Steals Heart"

- Is this another CW episode of needlessly wasting time by having everyone argue?
- Isn't Davos the big villain for Iron Fist? I guess they're doing the Baron Mordo thing.
- Yeah, this feels like a waste of an episode almost. These seasons are always a few episodes too long and it seems like this is stretched out. I kind of want it to just reach it's conclusion already.
- Also, who is the big bad? Obviously The Hand is, but you can't introduce this bearded dude so late and have me think he's the big monster to overcome if that's the case.

Episode 11 - "Lead Horse Back To Stable"

- Oh great. Just skip over the dragon. It's not like that wasn't one of the main things people were interested in seeing. I'm sure another board room meeting was a better decision. Much more exciting.
- Maybe if you showed his powers being more than just a glowing fist that seemingly does almost nothing more than normal beyond a slight upgrade, I would feel more threatened that he can't get over losing his power.
- "You cut off the head and the snake will die." No, two more will take its place.

Episode 12 - "Bar the Big Boss"

- This has lost a lot of steam despite how it should be the most entertaining right now just before the finale.
- Also, I'm hoping they don't change the primary villain again and the title means that he'll be fighting an actual bar.
- The Davos heel turn is completely unearned. This dude hasn't done enough yet for it to mean anything.
- That music cue is inspired by Interstellar, right?
- I'm also way past the point of seeing extended sequences of Danny Rand doing the same meditation poses. I get it. I've seen it about 30 times by now. Setting this one to some lighthearted hip hop stuff doesn't change it up outside of making it feel like an awkward music choice.

Episode 13 - "Dragon Plays With Fire"

- If we don't at least get the costume here, I'll be pissed.
- Come ooooooon. This is the finale. Why is this so boring? Get on with it! I'm halfway through and it's mostly people just going "oh man, we're still so scowly like we've been for 12 and a half episodes already."
- LOL at the shot where he flies through the window. That was supposed to be so much cooler than it came off.
- This was the most underwhelming finale of the five seasons we've had so far.
- How do you not have the easiest costume to put on screen? You were able to do TWO Daredevil costumes, Jessica Jones pulled out her Jewel attire, Punisher had his stuff and Luke Cage wore his crazy getup, but a yellow bandana and a green shirt was too hard to pull off?
- Very, very disappointed with how this all turned out in the end. I still think Jessica Jones had half a season of filler but this season with Iron Fist just felt like it was poorly balanced from the very start.

With the upcoming reboot of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series set to come out March 24th, the hype is building up fast and our nostalgia is kicking in full force! To coincide with that, Fanboys Anonymous is partnering up again with HalloweenCostumes.com to hold a special contest where you can win a free Power Rangers costume t-shirt just for showing your support for our website!

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Three winners will be picked to receive a free t-shirt of their choosing from the six available designs above dependent upon completion of entering the contest below, so GO GO enter now!

Power Rangers T-Shirt Contest


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On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Kong Skull Island.

What were the positives and negatives of Kong: Skull Island? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?

Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on Kong Skull Island in the comments below!

Kong: Skull Island reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from Jordan Vogt-Roberts Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.

On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, Kong: Skull Island is given as full of a spoiler-free 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 Kong Skull Island!

Kong: Skull Island reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from Jordan Vogt-Roberts Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Logan.

What were the positives and negatives of Logan? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?

Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on Logan in the comments below!

In the near future, a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) cares for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) at a remote outpost on the Mexican border. His plan to hide from the outside world gets upended when he meets a young mutant (Dafne Keen) who is very much like him. Logan must now protect the girl and battle the dark forces that want to capture her.

On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, Logan is given as full of a spoiler-free 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 Logan!

In the near future, a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) cares for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) at a remote outpost on the Mexican border. His plan to hide from the outside world gets upended when he meets a young mutant (Dafne Keen) who is very much like him. Logan must now protect the girl and battle the dark forces that want to capture her.

We're back with another unboxing video from SuperHeroStuff.com for March 2017.

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If you want to get in on the fun and reserve yourself some cool stuff for next month, place your order at SuperHeroStuff HeroBox and use the code 15-HERO-BOX to save 15% off your order of $40+.

Thanks again to SuperHeroStuff for sending this our way!

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 2017?

Logan

Synopsis: In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

Will I watch? = Yes

The Shack

Synopsis: A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack."

Will I watch? = Maybe

T2 Trainspotting

Synopsis: After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Before I Fall

Synopsis: February 12 is just another day in Sam's charmed life until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her last day over one inexplicable week, Sam untangles the mystery around her death and discovers everything she's in danger of losing.

Will I watch? = Yes/Maybe/No

Table 19

Synopsis: Ex-maid of honor Eloise - having been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text- decides to attend the wedding anyway only to find herself seated with 5 "random" guests at the dreaded Table 19.

Will I watch? = Maybe

My Scientology Movie

Synopsis: Louis documents his investigation into what goes on behind the scenes of the infamous church of scientology.

Will I watch? = No

Leap!

Synopsis: An orphan girl dreams of becoming a ballerina and flees her rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes for someone else and accedes to the position of pupil at the Grand Opera house.

Will I watch? = No

Junction 48

Synopsis: Junction 48 is the love story of two young Palestinian hip-hop artists who use their music to fight against both the external oppression of Israeli society and the internal repression of their own crime-ridden, conservative community. It depicts a new generation of young Arabs who seek normality through their love and music - and against all odds.

Will I watch? = No

Contemporary Color

Synopsis: In the summer of 2015, legendary musician David Byrne staged an event at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to celebrate the art of Color Guard: synchronized dance routines involving flags, rifles, and sabers. Recruiting performers that include the likes of Saint Vincent, Nelly Furtado, Ad-Rock, and Ira Glass to collaborate on original pieces with 10 color guard teams from across the US and Canada, Contemporary Color is a beautifully filmed snapshot of a one-of-a-kind live event.

Will I watch? = No


Kong: Skull Island

Synopsis: A team of explorers and soldiers travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific, unaware that they are crossing into the domain of monsters, including the mythic Kong.

Will I watch? = Yes

Raw

Synopsis: When a young vegetarian undergoes a carnivorous hazing ritual at vet school, an unbidden taste for meat begins to grow in her.

Will I watch? = No

The Last Word

Synopsis: Harriet is a retired businesswoman who tries to control everything around her. When she decides to write her own obituary, a young journalist takes up the task of finding out the truth resulting in a life-altering friendship.

Will I watch? = No

The Wall

Synopsis: An American sharpshooter is trapped in a standoff with an Iraqi sniper.

Will I watch? = No

The Ottoman Lieutenant

Synopsis: The Ottoman Lieutenant is a love story between an idealistic American nurse and a Turkish officer in World War I.

Will I watch? = No


Beauty and the Beast

Synopsis: An adaptation of the Disney fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love.

Will I watch? = Yes

Free Fire

Synopsis: Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs turns into a shootout and a game of survival.

Will I watch? = No

The Belko Experiment

Synopsis: In a twisted social experiment, 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogotá, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Frantz

Synopsis: In the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious Frenchman who visits the fiancé's grave to lay flowers.

Will I watch? = No

Betting on Zero

Synopsis: Writer/director Ted Braun follows controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman as he puts a billion dollars on the line in his crusade to expose Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme in history.

Will I watch? = No


Power Rangers

Synopsis: A group of high-school kids, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities in order to save the world.

Will I watch? = Yes

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Synopsis: Robbed of his birthright, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy - whether he likes it or not.

Will I watch? = Maybe

Wilson

Synopsis: A lonely, neurotic and hilariously honest middle-aged man reunites with his estranged wife and meets his teenage daughter for the first time.

Will I watch? = No

Keep Watching

Synopsis: A family become imprisoned in their home by intruders, who force them to play a life-and-death game, where the mysterious rules become clear as the night unfolds.

Will I watch? = No

Their Finest

Synopsis: A British film crew attempts to boost morale during World War II by making a propaganda film after the Blitzkrieg.

Will I watch? = No

Tommy's Honour

Synopsis: In every generation, a torch passes from father to son. And that timeless dynamic is the beating heart of Tommy's Honour - an intimate, powerfully moving tale of the real-life founders of the modern game of golf.

Will I watch? = No

Prevenge

Synopsis: Widow Ruth is seven months pregnant when, believing herself to be guided by her unborn baby, she embarks on a homicidal rampage, dispatching anyone who stands in her way.

Will I watch? = No


Ghost in the Shell

Synopsis: A cyborg policewoman attempts to bring down a nefarious computer hacker.

Will I watch? = Yes

The Boss Baby

Synopsis: A suit-wearing briefcase-carrying baby pairs up with his seven-year old brother to stop the dastardly plot of the CEO of Puppy Co.

Will I watch? = No

The Zookeeper's Wife

Synopsis: The Zookeeper's Wife tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the German invasion.

Will I watch? = No

Cezanne and I

Synopsis: A historical drama traces the lifelong friendship between two renowned 19th century French artists - painter Paul Cézanne (Guillaume Gallienne) and writer Emile Zola (Guillaume Canet) - from their first meeting as schoolmates to their creative rivalry as fame and success continue to elude Cézanne.

Will I watch? = No


Which films make the cut?

HONORABLE MENTIONS: The few films that almost reached the bottom sixth spot were The Belko Experiment, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, The Shack, T2 Trainspotting, Before I Fall. All of them seem intriguing enough that I might check them out down the line, but they didn't edge out the competition, which really was only one extra spot as the top five were above and beyond everything else.

6. Table 19  — If you look at the list below, this is something different. It's more lighthearted and more of a date night type of thing. Sometimes, it's good to break up the monotony of superhero films and such. The trailer didn't make me laugh out loud hysterically or anything, but it seems pretty harmless and it could have some good jokes in it. Plus, I've got a bit of a crush on Anna Kendrick and that doesn't hurt at all.

5. Ghost in the Shell — With no prior knowledge of this other than the title, I wasn't all that interested until I saw the trailer for it. Now, I'm in. Hell, if I saw Lucy, I damn sure better see this, right?

4. Beauty and the Beast — It's a Disney classic. While it's nowhere near even my top 10 favorites of all time, it's still something worth checking out. Obviously, it will be in Oscar contention, so I'll be getting a jump on that as well.

3. Kong: Skull Island — Already bought my tickets. It's King Kong, even bigger than normal, fighting Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, etc. Come on.

2. Power Rangers — I was a HUGE fan of the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, so there's no way in Hell I'm missing the opening night of this, even if I end up being disappointed with how they change some things around. All in all, it doesn't look that bad, though, so I'm trying to go into this with low enough expectations that I'm not annoyed afterward, but high enough that I can actually enjoy it.

1. Logan — Already bought my tickets. Even if this looked like trash, I'd be there opening night, but it looks great and the reviews all speak to it being worth the watch, so there's nothing working against it as far as I'm concerned.

The 2017 Oscars are in the bag and our winners have been determined, which means its time to breakdown what transpired both on the show itself and regarding the winners of the different categories. Was this a better show than before? What snubs, surprises, and interesting things happened throughout the night?

BEST PICTURE(S)

Obviously, we can't get started at all in any means without addressing the absolute biggest story of the night when La La Land was announced for Best Picture only to have it snatched away a minute later and for them to retract that to say Moonlight won instead.

There is so much to talk about here that I don't even know where to get started.

First off, I don't understand how Moonlight won. Out of all the films nominated for Best Picture, that was my second least favorite (with Lion being dead last). I honestly do not see how that beat out La La Land or even Arrival or Hidden Figures etc.

Was it set up with someone purposely handing Warren Beatty the wrong envelope? How did this happen? Seriously, how does a mix up like this happen to the most important category of them all and it just also happens to be the favorite movie that gets upset at the last second by the underdog? I'm suspicious as hell.


As far as the situation itself, I think mostly everybody handled it extremely well. The La La Land group didn't storm off and piss and moan, the Moonlight people didn't rub it in their face, Jimmy Kimmel threw out some levity to ease the tension a bit and Warren Beatty got a chance to explain what went wrong before people started giving him shit.

I couldn't resist making a joke out of the situation with this t-shirt design below:

Grab it in black text or white text

Since I was rooting for La La Land and I was really hoping Moonlight wouldn't win, this whole ending really put a sour end-cap on what I thought was a fantastic show, so it's a good thing the rest of my notes below were almost entirely written up before I started to get tainted, which makes me laugh.

THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS PROBLEM

The situation with Best Picture wasn't the only controversy going on, but funny enough, the other one I wanted to talk about was something more related to the nominations in general rather than what happened with a messed up card placement.

Others have weighed in on the issue not just this year, but previous years before, that there should be more rules in place to determine which people can be nominated for lead/supporting awards and this year saw both Viola Davis and Dev Patel under scrutiny. Both of them have to really be debated about as to whether or not they qualify as "supporting" roles considering how much screen time they have.

When it comes to Dev Patel, it's doubtful he would have even received a nomination for Best Actor when compared to the other five men who achieved that goal, so the producers lumped him into the easier category to get into as Best Supporting Actor. How is that okay, though, considering he's likely on screen just as much if not more than Sunny Pawar? I don't have the exact numbers, but they should at the very least be equals, and when it comes to name recognition to try to sell the movie, you're certainly relying more on Patel than Pawar.

It didn't work for him, but a similar situation did work for Viola Davis. Granted, she put on one hell of a performance and I think it could be argued that if she were in the Best Picture hunt, she could have won that as well, but it makes you think about just how fair or unfair it is for her to be considered Best Supporting Actress when she's the second-biggest lead in the film and unarguably the top female in the picture. There literally is no other candidate that could have taken the "lead actress" stipulation away from her in Fences.


Should the academy allow for contenders to be determined based off the production companies opting to lobby for smaller awards to shoot for just to manage the possibility of being nominated? Should there be a system in place that tells them "no, that's not a supporting role, it's a lead one, so you can either submit them for lead or not submit them at all" or something along those lines? Food for thought.

POLITICS

Obviously, the Oscars and every ceremony like this always becomes a platform for personal politics, which is something I've never been a fan of. Whether I agree or disagree with what each person says, I don't see a reason why a celebration of the work done in the film industry where we give awards to individual movies should turn into a discussion about issues that have nothing to do with the particular movies being discussed.

When Zootopia won, I would have been fine with a quick mention about the social issues that the film touched upon, and that's perfectly okay to me. What I don't like, though, is when you're announcing Best Animated Feature/Short and you turn it into a discussion about the whole wall/immigration issue. Is it dumb? Yes. Does it have anything to do with the progress of animation in movies? Absolutely not.

Some people will say it was offensive for Asghar Farhadi to not show up to accept his award for The Salesman for Best Foreign Language Film, but I would disagree. To me, that's one of the few categories where a statement on immigration actually isn't out of place, nor was the small video package about cinema perspectives from other countries. You could take that as being a planned response to current government agendas but since it's an actual thing about movies, I'm cool with it.

Then, of course, there's the #OscarsSoWhite reflection from last year. I had seen some thankfully short backlash with people saying they purposely started the evening with a black actor (Mahershala Ali) winning an award to try to prove how that wasn't true. In actuality, if you look back on previous years, they tend to start off the ceremony with Best Supporting Actor/Actress quite often, so no, that wasn't some plot to be politically correct.

Nothing I say will convince you otherwise if you disagree with me, which is basically the problem we have when it comes to politics since nobody likes to listen, which is why I think it's better to just keep everything politically-charged away from a ceremony which boils down to "hey, that movie was good!"



Let's start getting into the show itself, shall we not?

THE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES

I always skip the red carpet. I don't need to watch two and a half hours of people saying other people look beautiful and asking them which designer wanted to promote their stuff enough to give a gorgeous actress an expensive dress to put on for free. I have no interest in fashion whatsoever, it's a waste of time to hear them all say that they're having a blast and so excited, blah blah blah.

For me, the show kicks off when the actual ceremony begins, and we've had a variety of ideas in the past. My personal favorite is some kind of scripted pre-filmed video montage that references a ton of the movies that came out that year, because, well, I love movies, which is why I watch this to begin with. I'm not a big song and dance guy (despite doing some theater in my past) nor do I like concerts (having never been to one in my life—yeah, crucify me in the comments, I don't like bands, only individual songs) which brings me to this year's opening number.

Justin Timberlake killed it. I haven't seen Trolls and I hadn't heard that song before, but it was super catchy and you could tell the entire crowd was really into it. It really made things hit the ground running with a ton of energy, but funny enough, it also killed two birds with one stone since the song was nominated for Best Original Song. What a great way to bring vivacity to the beginning of a long night and put smiles on everyone's faces while also showcasing a nominee.


I always love the random inserts of classic scores used for commercial breaks or to bring the next presenter to the podium. That's never going to change, so a big thumbs up for that, per usual.

Is it just me, or was Lin-Manuel Miranda kind of shoehorned into things quite a bit? They went to him multiple times and referenced him throughout, but by far the most egregious and awkwardly weird aspect of the night regarding him was his awful prologue before "How Far I'll Go" from Moana. That was cringeworthy. By the way, Auli'i Cravalho looked great in more ways than one even in the midst of being hit in the face with one of the blue flags swirling around her. Lots of poise. Great job all around for her.

Sting's performance was pretty blase. The song itself does nothing for me, the segment was bland and uninteresting, and I forgot about it immediately after it was done.

Great choice to have John Legend perform the medley of the two songs from La La Land. I'm so glad that "City of Stars" won that category. Well-deserved.

I also like the trend of having ta live musical performance to go along with the "in memoriam" segment. I'll admit that I actually teared up during it despite never meeting a single one of those people. Sara Bareilles' rendition of "Both Sides Now" was just fantastic and having it end with Carrie Fisher's "may the Force be with you" was such a great way to cap it off.

THE HOST & PRESENTERS

Jimmy Kimmel did such a great job and even though he said at the end of the show that he promised he'd never be back due to whole Best Picture fiasco, I would love to see him return in the future.

Mostly all of his jokes were great, but some of my favorites included:

• "It has been an amazing year for movies. Black people saved NASA and white people saved jazz. That's what you call progress."
• "14 nominations—one for every year Damien Chazelle has been alive. Tonight is very important for Damien. If he wins, he'll get to go to any college he wants."
• "You know if you search for Manchester by the Sea on Amazon it says customers who bought this item also purchased Zoloft."
• The line about O.J. Simpson getting an extra slice of bologna on his sandwich
• The story of a conscientious objector who chooses to work with Mel Gibson anyway

By far, the best running gag of the night, though, was the material with Matt Damon. This has been going on for a long time and for them to carry it over onto the Oscars was such a good idea as it provided some of the biggest laughs for me. Busting on The Great Wall and We Bought a Zoo, Damon tripping him, "two-time Academy Award winner Ben Affleck and guest" along with being played off with the music while he was presenting an award had me in stitches.

Perhaps the most memorable bit was the Starline Tours segment, which was falling flat at first but picked up when he started riffing with the two couples.


Next year's host of the 2018 Oscars, whoever that may be, will have a tough act to follow.

Many of the other presenters of the night were great as well. Kate McKinnon's makeup sex joke was funny, The Rock was charming as always, Shirley McLaine got in some great laughs, and I loved the ditzy Sci-Tech Awards spot with Leslie Mann and John Cho.

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS

The Rolex advertisement was very well done, but I didn't quite connect with the series of short films with the Walmart commercials. I liked the idea behind it, but they pretty much went over my head and reminded me of the type of film school pieces that are supposed to be "super deep" to pretentious future failures. Decent concept I'd like to see them do again in the future, though.

Can we get a fact check on any sponsorship deals from the little bags of candy falling from the sky? I have a sneaking suspicion Junior Mints, Red Vines, Lemonheads and Mike and Ike are happy tonight. Great touch having the parachutes come down to "Ride of the Valkyries"


You mean to tell me Suicide Squad wins Best Makeup when Killer Croc looked like the fakest thing in a superhero movie since The Thing from Fantastic 4? Come on.

MY PREDICTIONS SCORE

I did worse than I thought I would do. This year, I honestly thought I had a chance to get nearly every guess correct, but I ended up with 15 right and 9 wrong.

The ones I got wrong were:

• Best Picture (although for a minute there, I had it right!)
• Best Actor (I thought it would be Denzel Washington)
• Costume Design (my guess was La La Land)
• Makeup and Hairstyling (I thought Star Trek Beyond)
• Film Editing (I guessed La La Land)
• Documentary Short Subject (shot in the dark; I went with Extremis)
• Foreign Language Film (shot in the dark; I went with Toni Erdman)
• Live Action Short Film (shot in the dark; I went with Ennemis Interieurs)
• Sound Editing (I had Hacksaw Ridge and Arrival as the winners for both and split the difference so I knew I'd get at least one wrong but at least one right)

When you consider the upset with Best Picture and the fact that I was completely blindly guessing with three of the awards, it's not too bad, but I was really hoping I would do better. Oh well, there's always next year.

All in all, I think this show was fantastic all the way up until the very end. A lot of progress was made this year in trying to reach out to different audiences and show that whether it's a film about an alien invasion being taken seriously as a contender, a blacklisted director getting another chance to be respected again, overlooked older talent or up and coming younger talent being recognized and the birth of a whole new future level of CGI with The Jungle Book, I think this was an overall very solid exhibition of what Hollywood has to offer. 

The 89th Academy Awards were presented on February 26, 2017 and honored the best in film for 2017. Here are the results of all of the winners in their respective categories.

BEST PICTURE: Moonlight

BEST ACTOR: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea

BEST ACTRESS: Emma Stone for La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mahershala Ali for Moonlight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis for Fences

BEST DIRECTOR: Damien Chazelle for La La Land

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Manchester by the Sea

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Moonlight

BEST FILM EDITING: Hacksaw Ridge

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: The Jungle Book

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: La La Land

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: La La Land

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: Suicide Squad

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: La La Land

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "City of Stars" from La La Land

BEST SOUND EDITING: Arrival

BEST SOUND MIXING: Hacksaw Ridge

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: Zootopia

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM: Piper

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: O.J.: Made in America

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: The White Helmets

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Salesman

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: Sing

The 37th annual Golden Raspberry Awards looked back on the films released in 2016 and determined which were the worst movies, actors, actresses and more. Here are the results of the "winners" for the 2017 Razzies Awards:

2017 Razzies Awards Winners

WORST PICTURE

Assassin's Creed
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Collateral Beauty
The Darkness
Dirty Grandpa
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
Fifty Shades of Black
Gods of Egypt
Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Independence Day: Resurgence
London Has Fallen
Mother's Day
Suicide Squad
Zoolander 2

WINNER: Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party

WORST ACTOR

Ben Affleck for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Kevin Bacon for The Darkness
Gerard Butler for Gods of Egypt and London Has Fallen
Henry Cavill for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Dinesh D’Souza for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Robert De Niro for Dirty Grandpa
Zac Efron for Dirty Grandpa and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Liam Hemsworth for Independence Day: Resurgence
Brad Pitt for Allied
Will Smith for Collateral Beauty and Suicide Squad
Ben Stiller for Zoolander 2
Marlon Wayans for Fifty Shades of Black

WINNER: Dinesh D'Souza for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party

WORST ACTRESS

Jennifer Aniston for Mother's Day and Office Christmas Party
Marion Cotillard for Allied and Assassin's Creed
Megan Fox for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Radha Mitchell for The Darkness
Tyler Perry (as Madea) for Boo! A Madea Halloween
Margot Robbie for The Legend of Tarzan and Suicide Squad
Julia Roberts for Mother's Day
Rebekah Turner for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Naomi Watts for The Divergent Series: Allegiant and Shut In
Shailene Woodley for The Divergent Series: Allegiant

WINNER: Rebekah Turner for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Nicolas Cage for Snowden
Benedict Cumberbatch for Zoolander 2
Johnny Depp for Alice Through the Looking Glass
Jesse Eisenberg for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Will Ferrell for Zoolander 2
Jeff Goldblum for Independence Day: Resurgence
Jeremy Irons for Assassin's Creed and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Jared Leto for Suicide Squad
T.J. Miller for Office Christmas Party
Geoffrey Rush for Gods of Egypt
Brenton Thwaites for Gods of Egypt
Owen Wilson for Masterminds and Zoolander 2

WINNER: Jesse Eisenberg for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cassi Davis for Boo! A Madea Halloween
Julianne Hough for Dirty Grandpa
Kate Hudson for Mother's Day
Keira Knightley for Collateral Beauty
Helen Mirren for Collateral Beauty
Aubrey Plaza for Dirty Grandpa
Jane Seymour for Fifty Shades of Black
Octavia Spencer for The Divergent Series: Allegiant
Sela Ward for Independence Day: Resurgence
Kristen Wiig for Masterminds and Zoolander 2
Kate Winslet for Collateral Beauty

WINNER: Kristen Wiig for Zoolander 2

WORST DIRECTOR

Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Roland Emmerich for Independence Day: Resurgence
Justin Kurzel for Assassin's Creed
Dan Mazer for Dirty Grandpa
Greg McLean for The Darkness
Babak Najafi for London Has Fallen
Tyler Perry for Boo! A Madea Halloween
Alex Proyas for Gods of Egypt
Zack Snyder for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Ben Stiller for Zoolander 2
Michael Tiddes for Fifty Shades of Black

WINNER: Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party

WORST SCREENPLAY

Assassin's Creed - Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
Dirty Grandpa - John M. Phillips
The Divergent Series: Allegiant - Stephen Chbosky, Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Noah Oppenheim
Fifty Shades of Black - Rick Alvarez and Marlon Wayans
Ghostbusters - Katie Dippold and Paul Feig
Gods of Egypt - Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless
Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party - Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley
Independence Day: Resurgence - Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, James Vanderbilt, James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright
Mother's Day - Tom Hines, Anya Kochoff Romano, Matt Walker, Lily Hollander and Garry Marshall
Suicide Squad - David Ayer
Zoolander 2 - John Hamburg, Ben Stiller, Nicholas Stoller and Justin Theroux

WINNER: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer

WORST REMAKE OR SEQUEL

Alice Through the Looking Glass
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Blair Witch
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
Fifty Shades of Black
Independence Day: Resurgence
The Legend of Tarzan
London Has Fallen
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Ride Along 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Zoolander 2

WINNER: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

WORST SCREEN COMBO

Ben Affleck and his BFF (Baddest Foe Forever) Henry Cavill in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Any two Egyptian gods or mortals in Gods of Egypt
Gerard Butler and his on-again/off-again accent in Gods of Egypt and London Has Fallen
Robert De Niro and either Zac Efron or Aubrey Plaza in Dirty Grandpa
Johnny Depp and his vomitously vibrant costume in Alice Through the Looking Glass
The entire cast of once respected actors in Collateral Beauty
The entire cast of once respected actresses in Mother's Day
Megan Fox and either Stephen Amell or any ninja turtle in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Tyler Perry and that same old worn out wig in Boo! A Madea Halloween
Ben Stiller and his BFF (Barely Funny Friend) Owen Wilson in Zoolander 2

WINNER: Ben Affleck and his BFF (Baddest Foe Forever) Henry Cavill in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

RAZZIES REDEEMER AWARD

Mel Gibson for Hacksaw Ridge

BARRY L. BUMSTEAD AWARD

Misconduct

For the fourth year in a row, Fanboys Anonymous is proud to be joining the efforts for The Dacetacular Gaming for a Cause charity gameathon event hosted by our very own Chris "The Dace Man" Dace!

In its first year on February 15, 2014, $900 was raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The second year of the fund raiser saw improvements as $1,200 was raised for Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania. Better still, the team was able to break the record in 2016 by raising $1,800 for Alzheimer's Association - Delaware Valley Chapter. This year's 24-hour video game marathon funds will be going to The Messages Project and we're hoping to get well past the $2,000 mark, so make sure to donate what you can and to tune in to the live stream to watch us have some fun (and suffer once we hit the late morning hours) for a good cause!

Free Fundraising Thermometer by:
Easy Fundraising Ideas

Leading up to the big event you can catch The Dace Man and Friends streaming live on Twitch! You can find a different streamer each night featured on the the DaceManAndFriends Channel!

• Sunday February 19th To Be Annonunced!
• Monday February 20th - Chris Bompadre
• Tuesday February 21st - Special Dace Man Show featuring the hosts playing Video Games!
• Wednesday February 22nd - To Be Annonunced!
• Thursday February 23rd - Amber Gilroy
• Friday February 24th - Travis Goss
• DACETACULAR GAMING FOR A CAUSE IV Feb 25th Noon EST- The Kick Off ​
• As per tradition we will kick off the event with Twisted Metal 2 for the PlayStation.
• Afterwards the crew will venture into various retro arcade games ​
• 8:00 PM EST - 3rd Annual Smash Bros Tournament ​Watch the worst Deptford has to offer when it comes to the game Super Smash Bros. as they try to dethrone 2x Champ Vince Ciafardoni!
• Immediately Following Smash Bros Tournament ​The crew will dance and humiliate themselves to one of the gazillion installments of the Just Dance Franchise.
• ​2:00 AM - 6:00 AM - The Over Night Struggle ​The Second Stage official shuts down around this time and the few stragglers try to power through the overnight hours of the game-a-thon!
• ​6:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Second Wind to The Finish ​The Remaining crew will pound breakfast sandwiches and energy drinks making the desperate run for the finish line!

For every $5.00 donated you will be automatically entered into win one of these awesome prizes! Check back regularly because prizes are added every week leading up to the event!

• ​(2) $50 Gift Card to The Village Pub (Sewell, NJ & Swedesboro, NJ locations)
• Opening Day Tickets to a Major League Baseball Game. (We realize our fan base has grown outside the realm of New Jersey and the incredible Philadelphia fan base, so The Dace Man Show will provide you with Opening Day tickets to your local team)
• ​3 Month Subscription to Loot Crate
• $50 Gift Card to Best Buy
• 10 Tee Turtle Shirts (Various Sizes) designs
• $30 Revolution Barber Company Gift Card
• Lunacy Brewing Tasting for Two (Includes a Shirt, Hat and Growler)
• Custom Made Walking Dead Purse by Comic Nerd Craft
• Rosie's Deli & Sandwhich Shop Gift Certificates
• $50 Amazon Gift Card
• Amazon FireStick
• $30 Gift Certificate Studio 240
• Captain America & Iron Man Tsum Tsums

Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on Dace Man & Friends Twitch

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Movie Reel Rundown podcast, host Tony Mango discusses his thoughts on some of the best films to watch on Valentine's Day which may be overlooked or underrated.

What are some of the best romance films that aren't too sentimental and overly sweet?
Which movies deal with love and relationships in different ways from your average go-to picks?
Are there any classic romantic movies that are overrated and shouldn't be recommended?

Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on this topic in the comments below!

With the upcoming release of Logan set to be the final time Hugh Jackman will sport the trademark Wolverine claws, Fanboys Anonymous is partnering up with TV Store Online to hold another contest giveaway where you can win a free Wolverine costume hoodie just by showing your support for our website!

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Wolverine Adult Brown Costume Hoodie Sweatshirt

Have you ever wanted to be just like Wolverine? If so, show it off in style with this officially licensed Wolverine hoodie! Featuring the design of Logan's most recognizable suit, this X-men hoodie includes a hood that pulls down to reveal his mask, making it an excellent choice for any die hard fan. Now all you'll need is some Adamantium claws! This Marvel hoodie could easily be used as a Wolverine costume, giving it multiple functions. Let the world know who your favorite X-men character is with this awesome super hero hoodie!

• Brown
• 60% Cotton / 40% Polyester
• Standard Fit
• Officially Licensed

Browse the rest of their supply of Wolverine and X-Men items

HOW TO WIN

One winner will be chosen upon completion of entering the contest below.

X-Men LOGAN Contest


If any aspect of the above widget does not function, please leave a comment below to call attention to the matter at hand.

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On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE.

What were the positives and negatives of The Lego Batman Movie? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?

Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on The Lego Batman Movie in the comments below!

There are big changes brewing in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) wants to save the city from the Joker's hostile takeover, he may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.

On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE 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 The Lego Batman Movie!

There are big changes brewing in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) wants to save the city from the Joker's hostile takeover, he may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.