Ballers SN2 EP7 – ‘Everybody Knows’

Whoa! Friendships are teetering on edge in this episode! Right off the bat we witness Spencer Strasmore (Dwayne Johnson) and Joe (Rob Corddry) in a hot house getting into more of a heated discussion than the sauna as Joe storms out with a few choice words!

 

Ricky Jerrit (John David Washington) is still contemplating which team to sign with, but he has bigger problems at the moment. If you remember in last week’s episode, he and pops ended up rolling around the kitchen floor after Dennis ruined his option to accept a $30mil offer with the Saints. Whenever Ricky has a problem, he runs over to the home of his dear friend and confidant, Charles Greane (Omar Benson Miller) get some advice where he is always met with honesty and trust. Taking the advice given to repair the father and son relationship that Ricky has always wanted, it is a happy moment for us viewers as they both agree to make it work!

Now Spencer seems to have more problems brewing than his personal issue with addiction. He walks into the office to see Andre (Andy Garcia) talking to the big man, Anderson. “What’s he up to?” he wonders. He assumes Andre is spilling the beans about his previous money mismanagement that he encountered while Andre was managing his money.

He will face that issue in a bit, right now he continues to work supporting his, “soon to be client” Matt at an interview on Glazed and Confused. Of course! This is Ballers, has those interviews ever went to plan?  You’ll have to see for yourself!

When Spencer gives Joe a ring to let him know about Andre, Joe is out digging up dirt on his own on non-other than his buddy, Spence. Yes, after talking with the doctor of a little clinic in the Barrio, Joe feels like he has all of the answers!

However, as the show always leaves us hanging in suspense every week, this week is definitely no different! Two bomb shell news gets laid out in the last few minutes of the show! One that will affect Charles and Ricky’s friendship and the other was a huge   bomb that took Joe and Spencer as casualties! You have to watch it for yourself!

If you’re like me, you’ll be on the edge of your seat until next week! I’m happy to keep you all up to date on this series, as it is exciting, always moving, and lots of fun! Until next week, I’m Malia Mercedes, blogging for Skatronixx.com. You can also catch me at maliamercedes.com where I’m always boasting my loyalty with “Loyal Bloodline”.

 “Loyal people wear their loyalty with Loyalbloodline.clothing”

The Top 20 Box Office Movie Chart For The Weekend Of 26-28th Aug 16

Welcome back to the latest Weekend Box Office Movie Chart, if you have just joined us, each weekend we bring you the best performing 20 movies at the box office, where they raked and also how much they grossed. Lets take a look and see if the Suicide Squad has managed to hold onto No.1 again this weekend?

Chart Legend

Rank/ Movie Title/ Studio

W/E Gross = Weekend Gross – LW = Last Weeks Rank

Red = DOWN – Green = UP – Blue = No Movement – Teal = New

 

 

BOX OFFICE MOVIE CHART

  1.  Don’t Breathe / SGem

 W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$ 26,115,000     $26,115,000      NEW

 

---

  2.  Suicide Squad / WB

 W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$12,11,000         $282,882,627     #1

 

---

 3.  Kubo and the Two Strings / Focus

 W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$7,909,000       $24,920,378       #4

 

---

 4.  Sausage Party / Sony 

 W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$7,665,000       $80,008,510      #2

 

---

 5.  Mechanic: Resurrection / LG/S

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$7,500,00         $7,500,000       NEW

 

---

 6.  Pete’s Dragon (2016) / BV 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$7,282,000      $54,715,378        #5

 

---

 7.  War Dogs / WB

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$7,255,000       $27,757,687       #3

 

---

 8.  Bad Moms / STX 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$5,760,000       $95,453,235        #8

 

---

 9.  Jason Bourne / Uni. 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$5,230,000      $149,357,235       #7

 

 

---

 10.  Ben-Hur (2016) / Par. 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$4,530,000       $19,552,877       #6

 

---

 11.  The Secret Life of Pets / Uni. 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$3,760,000       $353,221,005     #9

 

---

 12.  Hell or High Water / LGF 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$3,725,000        $8,564,099        #12

 

---

 13.  Southside with You / RAtt. 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$3,060,065        $3,060,065       NEW

 

---

 14.  Florence Foster Jenkins / Par. 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$3,000,000       $19,853,295        #10

 

---

 15.  Star Trek Beyond / Par. 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$2,240,000      $150,870,049     #11

 

---

 16.  Hands of Stone / Wein 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$1,734,000       $1,734,000        NEW

 

 

---

 17.  Lights Out / WB (NL)

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$700,000           $65,498,451       #13

 

---

 18.  Finding Dory / BV

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$634,000           $479,602645     #17

 

---

 19.  Ghostbusters / Sony 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$550,000          $124,952,612     #16

 

---

 20.  Nerve / LGF 

W/E Gross       Total Gross       LW

$545,000           $36,823,294      #15

 

---

This week we have seen a few new movies enter the box office movie chat but there are also some movies that are still hanging in there and obviously still making money. check back next Sunday (UK time) Monday (Aus time) to find out who is in the top 20 and how much they made.

See you back here Sunday (UK time) which is Monday (AU time). Have a fantastic week all!

Westworld Season 1 Photos Released

HBO has released photos of the new series Westworld based on 1973 sci-fi western movie of the same title.  This is the first we’ve seen of the show since Comic Con in July. Check them out!

The series is about a futuristic theme park that features some robotic characters that appear to be more than nuts and bolts.  People pay to interact with the artificial intelligence of the adult theme park.  Gaming is a big part of the show and brings the story up to date with the incorporation of robotic hosts instead of gaming consoles and virtual reality gear.  Things get interesting with the robotic beings begin to develop a consciousness.  Did someone say robot apocalypse??

The 1973 version was written and directed by Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Zoo) and starred Yul Brynner, James Brolin, and Richard Benjamin.  This movie was the first to use computer digitized images as part of the film.  This story also featured a malfunction that gave the robotic beings freewill, causing chaos and loss of life.

The new series stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Barnes, Tessa Thompson, and many others. Westworld premieres October 2 on HBO.

One Piece Review And Primer: My Favorite Anime

One Piece has been one of the big three in Anime for a long time. Now that Bleach and Naruto have ended, One Piece is the only one of the three to be still running. One Piece will always be special to me as it was also one of the first anime I watched. It hilariously is also one of the only anime to be dubbed by the 4kids studio a studio known for making cartoons more appropriate for children.

While this story may seem childish in the way Luffy the main character bounces around because he is made of rubber, it truly is something for everyone. The character’s really do grow and change and I love that Eichriro Oda even used a time skip so his characters could physically change.

Now here’s how the story go we find out about a treasure in the grand line there’s no doubt, the pirate who’s eye is on will sing I’ll be king of the Pirates I’m gonna be King! Those are actual lyrics to the first dub of One Piece before the great Funimation Studios took over the show. As a young man those lyrics, rapped of course sound pretty good to my ears, though now they do make me laugh.

What is really great about this anime is the characters. Now they may not seem to be so interesting on the surface but when a swordsman, a cook, a cyborg, a reindeer, two beautiful women, a skeleton, a liar, and a rubber man come together, you are in for a thrill. This crew cares for each other like family and Luffy will do anything to protect his crew. He truly is the captain of captains.

All Luffy wants to do is become Pirate King, he isn’t a good guy and he isn’t a bad guy. He faces who ever stands in his way with the only thing he really cares about being sailing with his crew. He loves the thrill of jumping out of his boat and exploring new lands, even if he can’t swim because of his cursed powers.

Along the way he meets characters who may at first be wary of him because of his pirate status but soon cheer him on as his bounty rises. They even appear in so many circumstances. You never know when a character will appear again, and with a two year time skip in play they even look different. Oda sensei has crafted a story that he says will last ten more years at least. We could even be in for another time skip down the line!

The music is also beautiful and fun and I thrill hearing every new opening. I will say that I have tried to memorize the japanese versions of the theme songs because honestly  I listen to them even when the show isn’t on.

Another amazing thing is the amount of work Oda puts into sharing Pirate lore. He has characters based on actual pirates and they may be totally anime style but he does them justice. Now I’m not saying you could watch One Piece and do a report on a pirate but he does them right.

All I know is I love watching this show and so many people love watching it too.This anime is really something to be applauded and if you like anime or haven’t really watched Anime, you could start with this one!

Adventure Time, C’mon Grab Your Friends, And Watch This Show!

Adventure Time started about the same time as Regular Show and is also one of my all time favorite shows. This radical show stars a boy and his dog after humans are wiped away from the Earth by a Mushroom cloud.  So basically a nuclear holocaust.

Just like Regular Show this show breaks down many of the old world Cartoon ideals. With a consistent use of the word sexy and other innuendos this show is hilarious. Though it only does this from time to time so it is still super charming.

Finn and Jake are two heroes of justice who protect the land of OOO from whatever may rear its ugly head be it the Ice King, or even a science cat. They are best friends and brothers who live in a tree house. This show really does go out of its way to highlight these characters pasts which honestly Cartoonnetwork has been really good at because it has backed amazing creators.

This show often brings in story lines that last for seasons or pop in suddenly and often unexpectedly. Hear a joke anywhere in the series, there is a chance for it to be used again. Finn has even aged with his actor over the course of the series and has been found in many a situation that the younger hero might not have found himself in.

It is nice watching this young man grow and change while he discovers what life is about in this weird world he lives in.He’s met and made many friends from a vampire, to a bubblegum princess, to a flame princess, and even a kingdom of cats. Really to go through this whole series would be a long thing to do, as anything goes.

All I know is I enjoy every episode and I think many of you will especially if you haven’t discovered this gem. So, seriously jump into this show with open eyes and expect the unexpected.I hope this show continues to last as Pendleton Ward is a fantastic man with a wonderfully weird mind.

 

Fear The Walking Dead SN2 EP8 – ‘Grotesque’

A quiet, reflective episode is a welcome change as the past is explored.

It might come as a surprise to some, but on reflection, just about every episode of this season of ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ has been action heavy. Since that initial escape from Los Angeles- one of the show’s most exciting moments that was cut disappointingly short- it doesn’t seem like this dysfunctional band of misfits has had much time to just pause and take stock of their situation. Now an emphasis on action is all well and good, but one of the main complaints about ‘The Walking Dead’ is that the balance between action and inaction isn’t always the best, and it’s a trap that ‘Fear’ is in danger of falling into as well, except viewers a probably more forgiving of a show with too much action. It should be noted then that two of the best episodes this season have been much slower paced, and involved exploring a characters past.

We saw this with Strand earlier in the season, an ultimately more mysterious character, however Nick’s flashbacks here were just as informative. Nick’s actions and behaviour have been a point of mystery over the course of the show. The idea that his addict tendencies gave him some form of connection or understanding with the walkers never quite clicked, so the flashbacks go a long way to forming some reasoning behind his mind-set. Nick has always felt distanced from his own family, and with the absence of a father, including when said father was alive but depressed, caused him to fill that void with his drug addiction. However that feeling of being an outsider never really went away, causing him to feel more at home among the walkers.

It’s not that Nick wants to remain this way though. It’s been clear throughout this season that Nick craves a functioning family dynamic, just not with his own family. There’s too much history and judgement present there, so when figures such as Strand or Celia came along, he clung to their every word in the need of having someone who actually saw his talents. So when Nick finds a new group at the end of the episode, there’s a real sense that he’s finally found somewhere he belongs, free of the clutches of his family. The hapiness he feels translates to the audience. Sure part of the reason we watch this show is to see people suffer through an apocalypse, but the suffering is so heavy that when a character gets the chance to smile, we smile with them.

Whilst the flashbacks brought about some excellent character building moments, the rest of the episode brilliantly explored the reason behind the episode title ‘Grotesque.’ Often, 30 minutes of someone wandering aimlessly around the desert wouldn’t exactly make for riveting TV. Yet ‘Fear’ manages to pack in just enough thrilling moments to make the episode exciting without hitting us with a barrage of unlikely scenarios. It’s completely plausible that whilst wandering through 100 miles of hostile territory Nick would wander into a few issues, but pile too much stuff on and it starts to get tiring.

It was fascinating to see how quickly Nick devolved being out in the wilderness on his own. After losing his supplies he resorts to drinking his own urine and eating the Walker chewed carcass of a dog. Up until now the characters on this show have had a fairly cosy time of it, so it’s great to see more ‘Grotesque’ moments pop up. It also brilliantly conveys how important company is in this world. As has been proven on the main series, being alone really isn’t an option, however we’ve never really seen much regarding why it’s so horrible. So here with Nick, watching him struggle to survive over and over not only adds to his character, but has the knock on effect of adding more understanding to characters like Michonne over on ‘The Walking Dead.’

Of course it wasn’t all flashbacks and fleabags, so other notable highlights include:

• Crazy lady with a metal bat! Gotta hand it to the marketing team for teasing this moment in the promos leading up to the episode. I’m sure the possibility of a Negan-esque character on the show drew in a few more viewers. That being said, I think I’d actually rather face Negan than the crazy woman we saw here.

• Speaking of Negan, we saw some Saviour types throughout the episode. These guys win the award for most avoidable death ever, which is something The Walking Dead social media team agree with too. There’s stupid and then there’s not running away from a marauding band of cannibalistic dead people when a perfectly good car is right behind you.

• Was a little disappointed we didn’t see the rest of the crew this episode, mainly because the storyline containing Strand’s group looks so damn interesting, but I’m all for these more self-contained episodes. Provides a much better chance of developing characters.

• So what dark and horrible secret is Nick’s newfound community harbouring? There’s always something, and if you’ve seen the trailer for this half season, you know it really could be horrible.

So, ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ pleased this week with a truly solid episode. The show has struggled getting here, but with each passing episode the show is getting better and better. The look into Nick’s past provided us with some much needed context for his actions that can only help one of the better characters on the show become even more of a fan favourite. The brutal look at solitary survival was also a welcome treat, and I look forward to learning more about this new community Nick finds himself in. In the meantime though it seems like we can look forward to catching up with Maddison and Co next week, which promises to be a treat all of its own.

 

 

 

 

Daredevil Season 1 Overview

After reviewing every single episode from the first season of Daredevil one by one, it’s time to give a look at the first season overall.

Looking at the season overall, it is important to look at how things changed over the course of 13 episodes. The first season relied heavily on suspense and buildup. Matt Murdock’s origins are spaced out through each episode. The opening shot of the series is Matt being blinded and every episode puts together a new piece of the puzzle – meeting and being trained by Stick, becoming friends with Foggy. Daredevil’s story isn’t even complete during the course of the season as he spends most of the season in a cheap ninja costume, never donning the famous red Daredevil suit until the finale.

As entertaining as a lot of the movies are, they have to tell their stories in a two-and-a-half hour time-frame. Pacing these events over 13 hour-long episodes gives us the chance to experience the full story. Matt makes mistakes, he is assaulted by hoods and other villains. Every loss is a lesson, he builds on what he learns.

Speaking of changes, I talked time and again in individual episodes of what a draw Fisk/Kingpin was. First, the series builds suspense for the character by showing little of him. Once we finally do see him, he does not disappoint. His subordinates built him up as a violent threat and they weren’t joking. He seems willing to kill anyone, even his right hand men, he can hold his own in fighting. His romance with Vanessa shows his unique honor system and every episode features a new face to the man’s personality.

Speaking of the 13 episodes, the first season is paced wonderfully. I was tempted to do a best/worst comparison, but it was hard because there were no real bad episodes or weak links. There were slower episodes and episodes lighter on action, but EVERY episode served some purpose – they established character, established part of a character’s origin or at least kept the flow of the story going. Some of these slower episodes worked because instead of cramming every episode with action, they were able to pace things out in a cinematic way – heavy action, then a slower episode to pace things out and not overwhelm the viewers.

There were a few weak links. Foggy and Karen largely seemed to just be there. Both had moments to shine. Foggy was a little more engaging with his relationship with Matt, which was explored greatly in “Nelson vs. Murdock”, but he also had a relationship with an old flame that really didn’t add up to match. Karen was an alright character, her subplot of hunting Fisk through investigating with Urich. Her intro is exciting when she is wrongly accused of murder and toward the end of the season, she actually commits a murder to save her life. In between that is little to write home about. However, those were minor nitpicks.

Overall, the first season was superb. There was a perfect balance of story, action and good character development.

Breaking News American Horror Releases Another Teaser for Upcoming Season 6

Hot off the press!!  12 minutes ago American Horror Story releases the latest teaser for the upcoming season 6. Watch the latest Teaser # 20 ‘Pitch A Fit’ below.

 

AHS6 Pitch A Fit

---

 

The Expanse SN1 EP6 – Rock Bottom

If you’re wondering what TV series you should be watching for free online or on demand, look no further. You need to be watching The Expanse over on the Syfy channel.

If you’re new to the series, click here to start from the beginning. If you’re caught up on things, then get ready. Episode 6 is fast paced.

Earth

To start, we quickly touch base with events on Earth. It’s the end of a conversation between Avarasala and an old acquaintance. She’s trying to strike a deal with him. She’s asking for spy equipment so she can spy on Fred Johnson. In return, she offers her “friend” a deal he can’t refuse.

Ceres Station

It’s a few minutes after Miller’s kidnapping at the end of Episode 5. It turns out Dawes is behind the abduction. Dawes is mad at Miller for not taking the deal he offered to give up Havelock’s attacker. He now decides Miller needs to be “taken care of.” But before that, he decides to question Miller to find out exactly what he knows about Julie Mao.

As Dawes and his thugs beat Miller to get information, we learn a bit of Dawes’s background. We hear the story of the sister who Dawes loved and the choices he had to make for the good of his family. It seems those rough choices led Dawes to the OPA.

Finally, Dawes is done. He has Miller taken to be executed, but Miller is saved by Octavia Muss. She get’s Miller back to his apartment but is shaken from the ordeal. In saving Miller, she also kills for the first time.

Octavia Muss

 

Miller is finally able to look into the data chip he pulled from the hamster in Julie Mao’s apartment back in EP 5. He takes his findings directly to the Star Helix station and his Captain. The Captain listens as he gives his report and his theory on the Julie Mao case. Then, to our surprise, locks the chip away and fires Miller.

It seems Dawes has gotten to her.

Abandoned Asteroid Mine

A side story is interspersed with the scenes of EP 6. Two asteroid miners, an uncle and his nephew, are out in the asteroid belt scavenging for ore.

As they finish with the asteroid, they’re suddenly hailed by an MCRN (Mars Congressional Republic Navy) ship, the MCRN Scipio Africanus, and told to prepare to be boarded. The MCRN troops tell the uncle and nephew they are not authorized to be where they are. They’re also informed that their ore is being confiscated and they must take the long way around the area to get home.

Unfortunately, the miner’s ship does not have enough fuel to make it.

After an argument with the troops where the uncle insists they’re not doing anything wrong, the troops leave.

Later, the drunk and frustrated uncle tosses the nephew out into space then speeds off towards the MCRN Scipio Africanus.  

Holden. Naomi. Amos. Alex. Fred Johnson.

Holden and crew arrive at Tycho Station.

Finally face to face, Holden asks Johnson why he’s invited them. There’s a palpable tension in the air since no one trusts anyone. While Amos and Holden enter a standoff with Johnson and his security force, Naomi has to take charge and diffuse things before they get out of hand.

Things calm down and we find out that Johnson actually needs Holden’s help to find a survivor of the Scopuli. Naturally, Holden agrees to go search for the survivor alone. This causes an argument with Naomi, Amos, and Alex who don’t want to be left on Tycho with Johnson. During the argument, the truth about who really sent the distress call out from the Canterbury comes out.

Naomi and Johnson’s crew get the Rocinante ready for the mission. Finally having some down time, Holden, Naomi, Amos, and Alex get to know each other. We get to find out a bit about each of their pasts.

When the Rocinante is ready for take-off, Holden is pleasantly surprised to find that Naomi, Amos, and Alex have all decided to go with him. It seems they’re all finally bonding.

As we’re shown scenes of how close the four are becoming, we hear Johnson explaining the parameters of their search and the dangers ahead.

Finally, they set off and the audience is left with the feeling of nervous excitement as if the climax of the season is finally here.

Do us and the show a favor. Share this with your friends. We promise you won’t regret it.

Criminal Minds: A replacement for ‘Hotch’?

According to TVLine two new BAU members will be cast to eventually fill the space Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) left behind on the team. No details have emerged yet about what kind of characters that might be or who is thought fit to fill that position on Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds is keeping everything concerning these new members very hush-hush as they are still working out all the details after Thomas Gibsons sudden departure of the show. Enough is already said about that so I won’t elaborate on that.

Opinions on the internet are not in favour of adding an outsider to replace Hotch, as Aaron Hotchner is lovingly called. People would rather see Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), Jennifer Jareu (AJ Cook) or David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) as the new Unit Chief. It would feel more like a natural flow as one progresses in a team. And their main concern is how many agents does one need on a team. I think they have a valid point with that as two new members were already added this season, Luke Alvez (Adam Rodriguez, CSI: Miami) and Dr. Tara Lewis (Aisha Tyler, Whose Line is it Anyway?)

So I truly hope that the executives of Criminal Minds will listen to the fans and opt for an in-house promotion rather than appointing some outsider as unit chief. Either way the team will be severely shaken up by the events of Hotch leaving the BAU. And suffice it to say the show will never be the same (at least for me that is).