TV Tuesday, Wrestling Thursday, Film Friday, and the occasional ad hoc post. Netflix Stream Team member (for which I receive a complimentary subscription), however all opinions are my own. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Kevinwritestuff
Wrestling Thursday 20/9/18 - OTT Wrestling Live in Belfast (16/9/18)
OTT come up trumps once again with a loaded card of top Irish and international talent which features a singles main event between Damien Corvin and Pete Dunne which ranks, for me, as Corvin's best singles match to date and also highlights how Pete Dunne is top five in the world right now. There is no other wrestler on the planet who is as in sync with their character as he is.
Check out the trailer above and hit www.ottondemand.com and subscribe to their on demand service which has a massive back catalogue to sift through!
Both seasons of this show are now available on Netflix in full and it's a great time to catch up prior to the next, Netflix exclusive season, coming next year. Kiefer Sutherland stars as lowly cabinet member Tom Kirkman who, by way of an incredible tragedy that befalls the U.S. government, finds himself as the de facto President of the United States.
The show is a cross between 24 and The West Wing, as we go between Tom trying to adjust to his new life all the while a massive investigation is led by Agent Wells (Maggie Q). Tom also has to negotiate political minefields that he previously avoided in his previous position. Sutherland is excellent here as the president who's biggest issue is the fact that he's honest to a fault, but is not afraid to make the tough decisions that come his way. Maggie Q deals with the action side of things, which she is well able for as we've seen in films like Mission Impossible 3.
Both seasons of Designated Survivor are now streaming on Netflix UK and Ireland.
Film Friday 7/9/18 - The Mummy Trilogy, now on Netflix UK and Ireland.
During the week, my better half and I decided to revisit this set of films, despite the fact that we were well aware that each one was a case of diminishing returns.
The first film still stands up as a terrific action adventure with some classic horror elements. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are at their absolute best and have great chemistry and John Hannah makes for some brilliant comic relief.
While the original cast return, and we get the big screen debut of The Rock, the second film suffers from being mostly just a retreat of the memorable beats from the first film with a script written around them. That, combined with some special effects that were clearly unfinished means we get a film that's good, but had some great potential.
The third film is for completists only. Fraser isn't fully into it, Maria Bello tries her best to replace Weisz but doesn't even come close to capturing the charm of the character. The guy playing their adult son isn't great, and it's not helped by the fact that the mere thirteen year age gap between him and his on screen parents is very noticeable. He and Fraser could literally be playing brothers here. Overall, it's a bit of a mess and not really worth going out of your way to see.
If you're going to revisit these, you're better to just stick with the first one as it still holds up really well almost twenty years later. The other two, you can probably skip and not miss much.
All three are now streaming on Netflix UK and Ireland.
The former KENTA returned to his old NOAH stomping ground last week in a match that was somewhat overshadowed by All In which happened on the same day.
Check out the match above. It's well worth your time!
One of the less popular Netflix shows (even though I really enjoyed it) is returning this Friday for a new thirteen episode season. We saw Danny recently in Luke Cage, but this time he's back to fight his own battles as the past is catching up with him. There seems to be some crossover again with Luke Cage, as we see in the trailer above that Misty makes an appearance. While I'm hoping it will be good, it has a long way to go before it tops Luke Cage's second season. We'll see this Friday!
There are some moments in pro-wrestling that are, to put it simply, magic. To quote Bill Murray in “Ghostbusters”, “Call it fate, call it luck, call it karma” but on a very rare occasion the stars align and you can practically feel the electricity in the air. The last time I witnessed something like it was the CM Punk vs John Cena match at Money in the Bank 2011. Everything from the performances of both men, to all the outside influences lined up to produce a special moment that people still talk about.
On Saturday the 18th of August, in the Arena on Suir Road, lightning struck again. This time, in the match between Walter and Jordan Devlin for the OTT Championship. I’ve rewatched this match a couple of times since my first watch, and it’s absolutely incredible. Luckily for me, I hadn’t seen the result before watching the match (a miracle, I know). But what made it so special? Let’s break it down.
The Build:
The lead into this match was so simple, yet so effective. Devlin was choked out by Walter in a tag match two months ago while Devlin was teaming with his best mate, David Starr. The two came to the ring with a jokey entrance, and while it seemed to diminish the importance of Walter and Low Ki’s debut in OTT, it was made into part of the story; Devlin was so focussed on having the craic with his friend that he was distracted and lost in an OTT ring for the first time in almost two years. The following month, Walter came back to OTT and gave a great interview with Aonghus Og, and also destroyed another of Devlin’s friends in the form of Sean Guinness. Guinness put up a great fight, but Walter ultimately prevailed. Following the finish to his match with Mark Haskins on the 7th of July, Walter confronted Devlin and the course was set. From there, OTT utilised some excellent video packages and interviews with OTT talent, as well as footage of Frank Bruno vs Mike Tyson, to really get across the “big fight” nature of the match. It showed how you don’t need three hours of TV a week to build a compelling rivalry between two men who had only interacted twice.
The Crowd:
It was because of the build, and that “big fight feel” that had been created that meant the crowd for this was absolutely insane. With the usual venue of the Tivoli Theatre unavailable, the question was would the venue on Suir Road be able to match the intensity that the Tivoli could generate. In this case, the venue doesn’t make the crowd, the crowd makes the venue. The whole night, the crowd was really into the show, but for the main event it went up another level. Multiple times during the match the crowd were whipped into an absolute frenzy of hysteria. My brother was there live and he has never witnessed anything like it. This wasn’t just wrestling, it was a battle. A battle where every Irish person was living vicariously through Jordan Devlin, our champion, willing him on despite the odds. It was as if the crowd were in the ring with him. It was a crowd reaction that’s usually saved only for football matches, GAA, or boxing, but tonight it was wrestling’s turn.
The Match:
All of this would have been for naught if not for the performances of Devlin and Walter and both men delivered in spades. We all know how talented Devlin is, but here he was a true master psychologist. The guy can flip and dive for days, but here everything had purpose and meant something. There was no “kicking out at one” spots. Every hit felt real. One of the spots that really got the crown on their feet wasn’t even that spectacular. It saw Devlin just unleash a barrage of stiff punches to Walter and the crowd ate it up due to the intensity. Walter gets a lot of stick online from people who complain about his style, but frankly I don’t know what people are expecting from the guy. He hits hard, he chokes people out. If he was an MMA fighter people would be calling him the best in the world but the expectations on wrestlers in this day and age is sometimes a bit excessive. He hung in there with Jordan every step showing incredible stamina for a guy his size, and played the monster heel perfectly. It may not have been the most technical match in history, but the emotion and intensity elevated it immeasurably.
The Commentary:
Aonghus Og and Don Marnell are probably the best commentary team in independent wrestling right now, and here they showed it. Aonghus as the straight play-by-play man is as good as Jim Ross was in his prime and shows that you don’t have to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of every wrestling move to deliver a great call on a match. From saying things like “Walter isn’t going to just have to beat Devlin to take his title, he’ll have to kill him”, Aonghus played the hometown commentator, but never took away from Walter’s prowess. One fantastic touch was towards the end where Aonghus noted that referee Niall Fox was calling the match straight down the middle and wasn’t being swayed by the hometown crowd. This little attention to detail legitimized the match, and everything about it. Marnell, who usually takes a more comedic stance, was excellent as well. He showed the match the correct level of seriousness it needed, and acted as a surrogate for the fans through his commentary.
David Starr and Timothy Thatcher:
Both Devlin and Walter were flanked by seconds in the form of David Starr and Timothy Thatcher respectively, following their match earlier in the evening. While Thatcher played his part with a typical stoicism associated with the Ringkampf stable, Starr was exceptional as Devlin’s second and sold as much as you would expect in a match. It was a brilliant performance, which again added so much to the match. At one stage you could see Starr with a towel in hand thinking “will I, won’t I”. Vitally, neither men got involved in the match at any stage apart from one small interaction between Starr and Walter which played no real outcome in the match.
The Finish:
After what seemed like an eternity of back and forth action, near falls, near submissions, and high drama, Walter spiked Devlin with a modified piledriver after it became apparent that Devlin was not going to submit to Walter’s lethal sleeper hold, and Niall Fox counted the pin. It was over. Devlin’s almost two year undefeated singles run was over, and we had a new OTT champion. It was shocking, but at the same time there was a strange air of inevitability about it. Walter left the ring with Thatcher and the OTT Championship and a disconsolate Devlin was comforted by Starr. The crowd rallied behind Devlin once again, a fitting end to the night. Devlin was amazing here, as I’m sure that it was a mix of selling the loss and real emotion. For a crowd that used to reject him, the acceptance and encouragement he has received over the last year had to have been overwhelming as the crowd in the Arena lifted the roof one last time before heading home. From a storyline point of view, it made perfect sense. Devlin had put down anyone in his way, but he has finally met his match. From a business point of view, this rematch will be huge.
In Conclusion:
The entire show was another great effort from OTT, and I don’t want you, the reader, to think that it was a one match show, nor am I attempting to diminish the efforts of the other talent on the roster because they all worked incredibly hard on the night. I singled out this match because while there have been OTT matches that have been excellent over the years, the online reaction to this by people who don’t usually watch OTT has made me realise that this main event was worthy of any main event spot in any promotion anywhere in the world. And that is something for any and all people associated and supportive of OTT, and Irish wrestling in general, to be proud of.
Bring on the rematch.
Over The Top Wrestling is one of Europe's leaning WRESTLING companies featuring top stars from around the world such as The Elite, Marty Scu
Created by Tracey Wigfield, a former writer on "30 Rock" and executive produced by Tina Fey, this series, set in the world of television news, follows an up-and-coming news producer who finds herself dealing with a new intern: her mother. Briga Heelan and Andrea Martin star as daughter and mother respectively and have some great chemistry. The storylines are a bit more farcical than the usual sitcom, similar to that of "30 Rock" although the satire isn't quite as biting as that show was.
The real highlight of the show for me is John Michael Higgins as Chuck Pierce, a once respected journalist who has turned into a pampered TV personality that nobody takes seriously. He gets some of the best lines and his characters is developed really well. Nicole Richie also should get special mention as Chuck's co-anchor, a social media obsessed personality who pitches nothing but fluff pieces for their TV news show, The Breakdown.
At only twenty minutes each, the episodes breeze past and there's only ten in the first season, so it's very bingeable. Well worth checking out.
Film Friday 17/8/18
Planning a rainy weekend on Netflix.
As if the darker evenings aren’t sure sign that summer is coming to a close, the imminent arrival of Tropical Storm Ernesto really seals the deal.
As well as this, kids summer camps are over and if the weather breaks, they’ll be stuck in all weekend. Luckily, Netflix has you covered with some thoroughly entertaining movies for kids that parents can enjoy too.
First up is Netflix Original, “Benji”. A modern interpretation of the heroic dog’s adventures, this is an old fashioned family film in the vein of “Homeward Bound”. There’s no computer animated talking dogs or anything like that. It’s just an entertaining, simple story that’s devoid of cynicism.
Next up is a Disney double bill in the form of two updated versions of old school Disney classics. The live action version of “The Jungle Book” is far better than I predicted and features some excellent voice acting and some incredible effects. “Pete’s Dragon” is a variation on a very popular original from the early seventies and has great performances from Bryce Dallas Howard and especially Robert Redford. Kids will marvel at Elliott the dragon, and adults will probably cry at the end, as per usual with Disney movies.
Finally, we have last year’s “My Little Pony: The Movie” which is a sugar rush of colour, a fast moving plot, and quickly deleted dialogue. It also contains some really catchy, original songs that kids will be singing along with in no time. The film features all the favourites from the show, and introduces some new characters along the way.
All the above films are now streaming on Netflix UK and Ireland and are all well worth a look!
Wrestling Thursday 16/8/18
OTT Wrestlerama 2 - Saturday 18/8/18
OTT returns to the Arena on Suir Road for the second time this year following on from Homecoming in January for this monster event with an absolutely loaded card. This is the first of a double header weekend, with a follow up Contenders show on Sunday. But for now, I’m just going to talk about the eight matches that make up the Saturday night show, from main event on down.
A proper David and Goliath encounter that’s had an incredible build with Walter tapping Devlin out in their tag match two months ago, followed by Walter giving Devlin’s good friend Sean Guinness an absolute kicking. Devlin hasn’t lost a singles match in OTT in 18 months and while logic dictates he’ll triumph again, a part of me thinks there could be one more dramatic twist in the tale.
While the Cruzers have been on a great run as of late, a ghost from the past has been plaguing B-Cool. Could this ghost cost them on the night, or will Angel Cruz manage to convince his partner that he’s chasing shadows. The Kings will be represented by Duncan Disorderly and the Big Strong Da, Bonesaw.
This title hasn’t been defended in quite a while due to Sammii suffering an injury, but she’s back with a huge challenge in the form of not one, but two of the best in Harvey and Valkyrie.
Six Man Tag: Legit 100 vs More Than Hype
Losing team must disband
These two teams formed at roughly the same time last year and their careers have run parallel ever since. As both teams have come along, this town ain’t big enough for the both of them so the stakes in this match couldn’t be higher, and this promises to be a fast paced, super athletic affair featuring six of the best the country has to offer.
Tomohiro Ishii vs Juice Robinson
This high profile match featuring two of the best from New Japan should be an excellent affair, following Robinson’s last minute drafting in for the recently made unavailable Matt Riddle. Robinson’s rise through the ranks has been nothing short of incredible in recent years following his forgettable run in NXT.
Kushida vs Shane Strickland
Another import match between two of the best, but unlike the match above, these two are coming from two different sides of the world. Strickland is an OTT stalwart at this stage so you’d assume he’d have home field advantage, but the appearance of Kushida could sway the fans very easily in this one.
Timothy Thatcher vs David Starr
While his best friend takes on Walter in the main event, David Starr looks to seek some measure of revenge on Ringkampf in the form of the technical wizard Timothy Thatcher.
Aussie Open vs Club Tropicana
Chances are this match will open the show because Tropicana and Jose Idol are perfect for getting the crowd going. They’re taking on the equally popular Aussie Open who are looking to get back into the title picture after already picking up a win over the Kings at a Contenders show just a few months ago.
This sold out show promises to be another top drawer offering from OTT and considering the other options available this, this show and in particular the main event, has every chance of stealing the weekend.
The show will be available on www.ottondemand.com within a week or so.
TV Tuesday 14/8/18 "Next Gen" coming to Netflix in September. September 7th sees the release of a new movie that Netflix bought the rights to around the time of the Cannes film festival. The voice cast includes Charlyne Yi, Michael Peña, Constance Wu, Jason Sudeikis and David Cross. The film also marks the directorial debut of which marks the feature directorial debut of animation and vfx veterans Kevin R. Adams (art director, Free Birds, 9) and Joe Ksander (animation director, Yogi Bear, 9). Have a look at the trailer which has just landed, and see for yourself. I'm really looking forward to watching this as part of a family movie night!
Film Friday 10/8/18 Watching "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" with my six year old. I recently picked up Lego Indiana Jones 2 for my Xbox360 (finger on the pulse, I know) and my daughter has really gotten into it. What I didn't tell her was that the movies existed. Imagine her surprise when I put this movie on and scenes and music from her new favourite pastime showed up in real life in front of her. As the film went along, she delighted in seeing her favourite moments from the game show up, to the point where she knew what Indy and company had to do to get to the next mystery. She was amazed to see them find the actual Crystal Skull, and was even more amazed when I showed her the picture I took of the Crystal Skull in the British Museum that I saw a few years ago. The only part she didn't see was when Cate Blanchette met her fiery end at the hands of the aliens in the movie (yeah, I spoiled it. It's ten years old, gimme a break) because it was a bit too intense, but she thoroughly enjoyed the ending and the wedding. All in all, she loved it. As for me, maybe because my little one was enjoying it so much but I found a new found enthusiasm for this film, even if it's not perfect and not a patch on the originals. There's still a lot of problems and weird moments, but when Harrison Ford puts on that costume and *that* music kicks in, it's hard to be cynical about it.
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