caley

I like Big E. a lot. If he'd stayed in NXT all year as a dominant face champion, I MIGHT have voted him here as everything he did in NXT was amazing. But he didn't and Luke Harper has been amazing everywhere. I just really want him to bring the "Yeahyeayeahyeah" to WWE.

I voted Regal for this because I liked his occasional matches from the time period more than Lesnar's occasional matches from the time period. I also assumed he would need the votes more, but then it turns out he's leading by 15 so that point was a poor one.

Neville actually said on NXT last week that he looks like a "deranged elf man" and that no one can really understand him. After that promo, I couldn't not vote for him.

It was my #8 favourite. Cary Grant's bizarre Triple H-level suntan was so distracting that it bumped it down a notch for me.

I have seen more Alfred Hitchcock movies than any other director, by a considerable amount (27 films of his, with Woody Allen (which is interesting as I grew disinterested in basically everything he's done since 'Match Point'), Werner Herzog, Akira Kurosawa, and Steven Spielberg all tied with 16). So, I'll give you my Top 7...and then my Bottom 3. 01. Psycho: I know people think 'Vertigo' is the masterpiece (I saw it once and wasn't floored, but would like to go back to it) and others go to bat for 'Notorious' (which I find to be kind of a bore), but to me this is the basic distillation of everything Hitchcock ever wanted to down to its purest form, that is, pure terror. I waver sometimes with this as my #1 (or whether it's #2 or #3) because I'm not sure it's as endlessly watchable as the films that will follow it on the list. But, then I remember the shock of the murder scene, but what is infinitely scarier in its cold-blooded ruthlessness is the aftermath: the slow pan out from the eyes staring endlessly in terror, as Norman meticulously washes and cleans everything with the unending care of someone who has done this thing many, many times before. Or the awesome murder of the detective as he falls backwards down the stairs! Or the reveal of Norman in his mother's clothes which no matter how many times you've seen, still makes you jump out of your chair (admit it!)! And then I go, "Nope, 'Psycho's the best." 02. Read Window: This is one of those films you just won't ever see again. I mean, it's ridiculously silly and artificial: the city block the laid-up Jeff looks over doesn't even look real, and everything is really well lit with neighbours who don't much care for curtains. But, as an exercise in pure terror, it almooooooost hits the highs of 'Psycho' with a more everyday evil, the idea that your neighbour has done something awful, only you witnessed it, no one will believe you, and he's coming for you, and you can't move. There might not be a more evil scene in any Hitchcock ever, than Raymond Burr sitting in the dark smoking a cigarette, staring directly at Jeff with bad intentions on his mind. 03. North By Northwest: Hitchcock's most fun movie. An action-packed romp, full of twists and turns with the incomparably charismatic Carey Grant as an everyman who gets pulled into a major spy caper. It's smart, it's exciting, you're never entirely sure what side you're on, and it has some of the best action sequences ever: especially the oft-lampooned and imitated airplane attack. 04. The Birds: Y'all are crazy, 'The Birds' is amazing. It's scary and eerie (I mean, c'mon, the scene at the school with thousands of birds sitting peacefully on the playground but you know they're about to go berserk) but it's also really funny. The scene in the diner with all the people muttering and complaining and gossiping is as good of a send-up of small-town life as has ever been put on film. Plus, you've got to respect a director who would drive his star to basically a nervous breakdown in order to get his shots, don't you?! 05. Rebecca: It's really old-fashioned, but really neat and creepy in an old-style gothic way. 06. Rope: This is Hitchcock as a show-off with a fairly simplistic story in the foreground while he shoots the entire film in lengthy, showy takes with hidden cuts, so that it's almost like you're placed right in the shoes of the two murderers and feel the panic overtake them. 07. Young and Innocent: My favourite unknown Hitchcock film is largely forgotten because of a rather unfortunate and tasteless appearance of a character in blackface in the final stretch. But, as far as Hitchcock goes, even though it deals in all his usual tropes - wrongfully accused man, murder, innocent girl who loves a man so he CAN'T be guilty - it's the most fun and carefree and breezy Hitchcock film you can get! BOTTOM 3 03. The Man Who Knew Too Much: Either of them, honestly. The later one is basically a vehicle for Doris Day to sing, so if that's your bag, you'll probably dig it. The ending scene at the orchestra is pretty nifty/the scene where Day has to sing her song to find her daughter is not so much. The earlier one isn't as polished and doesn't have the awesome orchestra scene, but it does have an incredibly bizarre chair fight where guys repeatedly whip exploding chairs at each other. Truthfully, this spot could've gone to 'Sabotage' or 'Suspicion' but I don't remember either well enough to make that determination. 02. Jamaica Inn: This was about pirates or something. It was off one of those awful cheap early Hitchcock collections and the version I had features an irritating high-pitched squeal that played constantly in the background of the film. I shouldn't hold a poor transfer against a movie, but I'm going to. I also really didn't enjoy it. 01. Marnie: There's just something wrong here. Marnie's condition (Blacking out when she sees red or a lightning storm) is such a poorly-contrived plot point that it's impossible to suspend disbelief that she would be able to function in day-to-day life with it. Sean Connery also seemed like he was baffled by the film, while he was in it! I had high hopes for this one. You could also put 'Torn Curtain' here as I've tried to watch 3-4 separate times and get completely bored about anywhere from 5-25 minutes into it and have never gotten any further.

I'm sure there will be hundreds of these in the next little while (Like the 'Downfall' one), but as a hater of the Vancouver Canucks, I greatly enjoyed this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFb7qPyVlEk

Wow, a quick google search and these guys are the kings of unflattering photographs

Clearly, but then again who in the current NWA is? Um... the Lords of Kaos? I hope for the sake of people in the crowd that that the guy on the right never takes his title belt off, otherwise his gut is liable to take out the eyes of everyone sitting in the first couple rows.

Were people complaining about Rey or the fact that he was getting squashed in non-title matches every week? Some were complaining about the booking, but just as many (if not more) were complaining about his size: "He's not a believable World Champion, he's too small" or "I don't buy him winning against bigger opponents". It was really dumb and awful. "I hate WWE and all their "hosses" [fast-forward to Rey's title reign] "They can't get the belt off him fast enough, I don't buy him as a world champ, he's too small."

I can't really think of any extravagant entrances that have ever really gotten old for me. That said I think Rose's entrance is one that probably has the most legs to it. The best I could even compare it to would be the Godfather in that every show you can go out and use a mixture of local workers, go-go dancers/strippers, backstage crew, and real fans to give him a different assortment of "Rosebuds." Then you take maybe an hour and hit up thrift stores, toy stores, costume stores, porn stores, etc.. to give them some crazy mixture of outfits and accessories. So overtime you make the fans excited and wanting to turn in just to see what his intro is going be like this week. Hell, you could have themed parties (An all-leprechaun party around St. Patrick's Day, Sumos and geishas on a Japanese tour, mounties in Canada!) from time to time.

So, 'Short Term 12' is pretty much the greatest film of 2013 that few saw/heard about, right? I know I wouldn't have been aware of it if not for Hollinger's recommendation, but it's just so good. Brie Larson plays a supervisor for a foster care facility for at-risk teens and it's so super-perfect. I mean, she's incredible in the lead, but what really struck was how all the kids were really good, too. I mean, when Marcus recites his rap lyrics that are all about his terrible treatment at the hands of his mother and at the end his eyes are just BLAZING as he spits out his lyrics, you can't believe for a second that it's an actor and not a real kid rapping through his pain. I loved every minute of it, was a little worried it would go off the rails in the third act, but it reins itself in well. Go rent it right now!

Add 14. Hollinger 15. throughsilver to the above list. I have been felled by a might cold/flu so I will hopefully kick this off on Monday. You should use this weekend to watch 'Short Term 12' like I just did, because it's easily the best film of 2013 to get the least attention/publicity. It's on DVD! You have no excuse!

I actually totally loved The Wolverine (!). Thought the action sequences were well-done and actually vulnerable Wolvie was fun. Was surprised at the depth of the drama and there was even a tinge of sexiness to the love story. It's not like the greatest thing I've ever seen, but it was a totally entertaining and slightly-better-than-average comic book movie. And that's after I read an IMDB post that compared one of the actresses appearance to that of Stewie Griffin that totally took me out of the moment every time she was onscreen! For comparison's sake

BTW, the way this title is set up it sounds like a battle for Henry Rollins' soul: Henry Vs Rollins. That's really all I have.

Bears released Julius Peppers.

I already voted for Zayn...because it's Zayn. But everything about this picture makes me laugh like crazy: dude standing angrily, shirtlessly next to the ironing board like he can't face ironing his shirt before going to work. And the androgynous referee lurking in the background going "I wonder if he's going to iron that shirt."

I voted for Brock Lesnar because he kinda epitomizes pro wrestling: big, scary dude with a trophy wife who would rather run around in the woods than actually wrestle, which he does a few times a year for money and throws himself completely into it. I voted against CM Punk because I've grown increasingly tired of his superhero cosplaying. That goes for all wrestlers (Though I would change my mind if Brock Lesnar painted himself green and came out to the ring as Daniel Bryan's alter-ego).

Man, I did not get much out of 'The Spectacular Now' which puts me firmly in the minority (I think it's 92% on RT right now) here. I didn't particularly care for the main character (Miles Teller) and, I mean, I get that he had a less-than-ideal childhood but at some point you want him to take some responsibility for his life and stop whining. I didn't for a second believe that Shailene Woodley was that nerdy high school girl that no one would ask out and I thought it was rather disturbing how quickly he corrupted her into hard-drinking and it just being something that happens with no real judgement, like when she's slipping liquor from her flask into her drink at graduation and it's just like routine. Also the supporting cast were never in it enough: Kyle Chandler has a quick part as Teller's dad, Andre 'Bubbles' Royo pops up a couple times as a nice math teacher, and Bob Odenkirk has a tiny little role as the owner of the store where Teller works and is really frickin' good that you want a whole lot more of him.

Oh man, had no idea from reading the write-ups that Abyss is just Joseph Park with weapons...that bums me out. I mean, the Abyss gimmick wasn't good or anything, but I always thought he looked reasonably badass for a Kane rip-off in the mask. Out of it, he looks like someone that would be hired to do security at a Brad Paisley show.

Actually, now that you mention it, another staple of Vince Russo is re-packaging perfectly known commodities with new names/gimmicks that are just...dreadful (Hugh Morrus becoming Hugh G. Rection, Booker T senselessly becoming G.I. Bro) and now Jeff Hardy is needlessly becoming Willow. Definitely has to be Russo.

Just when i think I've got Harper figured as a worker, he throws in something new, like his tope on Monday. Great wrestler.

I think there's some truth to it. I've never, for one minute, thought Marty's wife came across like a one-dimensional shrew. I've found her to be just as interesting of a character as her onscreen husband.

Cool, thanks! Plus I realized who he reminds me of now

So, I watched a few minutes of ROH TV last night, but didn't really have the sound on. Who was the Bruiser Brody-looking guy wrestling against Tommaso Ciampa?! I liked him. Tried to google this and all I could find was people talking about Cole-Hero (Which I did not enjoy).

I thought this quote from the interview on the previous page was pretty spot-on