Why CM Punk may have given the WWE a big problem.

Why CM Punk may have given the WWE a big problem?

It was all set up so well. Planned to perfection to build the optimum amount of publicity. Two of the biggest stars of all time to face off against each other. A perfect recipe for success. I’m clearly talking about The Rock vs. John Cena. Maybe the most anticipated match of all time. Pitting one of the all time greats, The Rock against the biggest star is the company. 

At the time, I thought booking the match a year in advance was a stroke of genius. Wrestlemania 27 was the most successful Wrestlemania for a few years, mainly because The Rock was attached. Now intensify that build up for a year and add the fact that The Rock is actually wrestling this time should make for a very successful event. It will put bums on seats and turn TVs on. 

Then CM Punk made that promo...

CM Punk sat Indian position and had his very own ‘Austin 3.16’ moment. For those of you who don’t know an ‘Austin 3.16’ moment refers to when Steve Austin cut his infamous promo about Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Many people site that promo as the start of not only the era of Stone Cold but the beginning of the Attitude Era itself. 

So when Punk sat down and cut a promo about the state of affairs in the business, people talked and things started to change. Not only, did Punk turn baby face shortly after. He became the most talked about man in the company. Wrestlers past and present were praising Punk and THAT promo. Going into the Money in the Bank PPV, whether Punk would win the title was all anyone could talk about. 

He won the title, jumped into the crown and blew Vince McMahon a kiss in one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history. Ever since, the Punker has been involved in the biggest angle on TV with now COO HHH and is coming pretty close to John Cena as the number one babyface in the company. Why is this a bad thing?

Well, as things stand CM Punk’s stock is only going to continually rise. This raises questions about what he is going to do at Wrestlemania. I know it’s still over half a year away, but WWE would be foolish not to start thinking about it now. WWE will obviously want to capitalize on Punk’s new popularity but no matter how popular he is going to be he won’t be able to headline the grandest stage of them all.

This is going to give Vinnie Mac and the members of creative a bit of a problem. The way I see it they have a few options. They could put Punk in The Rock and Cena match? They could have Punk against COO HHH? Maybe a match against The Miz? Or have a certain Stone Cold Steve Austin come back and face the Punker. 

Obviously, it would be everybody’s dream choice to have Austin. It would act as the ‘smart’ wrestling fans main event, where as The Rock vs. Cena match would take all the headlines, but I just don’t see Austin wrestling again. He may do, but it’s a long shot.

 I personally wouldn’t add Punk to the Cena vs. Rock match as I think adding more people would hurt the match. I wouldn’t have minded a Punk vs. HHH match, but it looks like that’s going to happen a lot earlier. So that leaves Punk vs. Miz for the title. That’s a match I would definitely like to see get 25 minutes on the biggest stage of them all. 

It’s pretty fresh and could definitely work. I would have Miz side with HHH and become the corporate champ. Have Punk chase the title all the way to mania and finally win the gold. You could even have HHH in Miz’s corner and maybe a returning Mick Foley in Punk’s. This could be the realistic choice and probably the best suited one. 

Punk’s rise to stardom will definitely give Vince McMahon a few problems when it comes to booking Wrestlemania and he may even regret booking the Cena vs. Rock match a year in advance, but I think in a way it’s a good problem. Punk maybe not in this Wrestlemania’s main event, but in my eyes, that just means that Wrestlemania 28 will be something special. 

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Until next time, go to the movies.

Daniel Morris.

Review Recall: Swimming with Sharks

Review Recall: Swimming with Sharks

The last stop on our magical memoirs of the movies was the 1997 Jack Nicholson Comedy/Drama as good as it gets. Next we’re travelling three years earlier to the year 1994. A year where a douche named Kurt Cobain was pretty famous, where as fellow douche Vanilla Ice wasn’t. Also, a certain actor named Kevin Spacey was about to rocket to fame. 

Whereas 1995 was Kevin Spacey’s year as he had two little films out called The Usual Suspects and Seven (never heard of it? Me neither). 1994 was the year when dark comedy Swimming with Sharks was released to the world and people everywhere cowered over a paper cut. Does the film hold a candle to other Spacey Classics? Or is it a footnote in the great man’s career. Let’s find out. 

The Plot: Nice guy, Guy (Frank Whaley) is a young , fresh faced, wannabe Hollywood executive who gets an assistants job for one of Hollywood’s big wigs. Everything is not as peachy as Guy might expect as the big time producer, Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey) is a total asshole, and that’s being polite about the man. 

Guy tries his best to be a good assistant but Buddy makes his life a living hell. To make matters more complicated for Guy, he falls in love with Dawn Lockwood (Michelle Forbes), who wants to get her movie made by Buddy. With the pressure mounting up on Guy from both sides guy snaps and decides to take his anger out on Buddy. 

The Film: Directed by little known director George Huang, Swimming with Sharks is definitely an interesting and scathing look at the Hollywood system. Only, having two films to his name, this film probably showcases some of the director’s distain for tinsletown. 

That is because nobody in this film really comes across in a good light. While this makes the film interesting to watch the viewer never really get to connect with any of its characters because quite frankly, all of them suck. Even at the start of the film, I don’t really get how Guy got to be an assistant in the first place. He’s too much of a whiney pushover. 

I also don’t quite see the moment that Guy snaps. I get that it’s because Buddy is sleeping with Dawn, but I don’t actually believe Guy loves Dawn that much to snap. This brings me to the biggest flaw in the movie. The climax. 

If you want me to make me believe that Guy is ready to sacrifice his dream for the woman he loves. Don’t have him kill her. It just doesn’t make sense. Again, I get what the message is supposed to be: that Hollywood is bad and everybody working there has no morals, but it’s not believable in your set up. 

Don’t get me wrong the film does have some good set pieces. For example, the much talked about paper cut scene, is truly uncomfortable. But, for me the film just doesn’t really have much reasoning for the emotional truth of its characters. 

The Performances: There is no doubting that Kevin Spacey’s Buddy Ackerman is by far the best thing in the movie. The performance is that good that I would happily watch Buddy insult people for the whole movie and forget about Dawn and Guy totally. 

After this performance, it is no surprise that Kevin Spacey became as successful as he is because Buddy Ackerman is that good of a character. A performance that inspired several other famous actors such as Tom Cruise (Les Grossman) Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestly) and most recently Kevin Space himself, who paid homage to the roll in hit and miss comedy Horrible Bosses. 

That being said, Kevin Spacey’s performance is that good, that it possibly damages the movie. Nobody seems to get on his level.  Not Frank Whaley. Not Michelle Forbes. No one. It’s interesting to note that the film was made with relative unknowns and it’s only Spacey who really thrived. That says it all really. 

The Verdict: An interesting look at Hollywood and an outstanding performance by one of the finest actors of our generation doesn’t really save this film from being an angry outburst at an outdated system. 6/10

Hope you enjoyed the latest instalment of Review Recall. Don’t forget to leave a comment. All feedback is good feedback. 

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And until next time: Go to the Movies. 

Daniel Morris

From stalkers, To Superstars: John Cena

From Stalker to Superstars: John Cena

Dear John Cena,

It has taken me about six months to pluck up the courage to write this letter to you. I think it’s safe to say that I am your BIGGEST fan. I have watched every match you have ever wrestled; I own every brightly coloured piece of merchandise. I even bought six copies of Thuganomics, That AMAZING rap album that I listen to every day whilst eating the biggest bowl of Fruity Pebbles I can find. 

I love everything about you John. I love the way you dress like you’re a douche bag from the 90s. I love your clothing so much that I started dressing like you at work. However, since I’m a doctor, my stupid boss didn’t appreciate my attire. He’s not like me and you. He just doesn’t get it. I love your extremely sophisticated verbal skills. Every time you make a poop joke I laugh out loud at your wit and pure intellectual intelligence. I don’t know anyone who can fit fifteen poop jokes into a three minute promo. An achievement that has to be marvelled by everyone. 

But most of all John, I love you. Being a social recluse, I don’t make many friends. The closest person to me is an old man named Leroy. But, that’s mainly because he’s in a coma so can’t run away. But I know we would be friends John. I know that spiritually we are friends and it is as a friend I need to tell you this John. Don’t do it. 

I can see the cogs in your head turning. The seeds have been sown in that magnificent cranium of yours. You want to become a bad guy, again. You’re getting more aggressive on the microphone and more violent in the ring. It might not be obvious to the everyday wannabe fan. But I can see it. You’re thinking of leaving the Cenation and becoming a heel. I beg you. I implore you. DON’T. 

I can look past your character discrepancies. I can look past your inconsistencies in your morals and see the good within. But I can’t look past you being nasty to us, the fans. It’s just not you. OK so you were actually more popular when you were a bad guy. OK maybe you had better matches and cut better promos. But, it’s just not you. You’re not the bad ass who does what he wants when he wants and listens to know one. That’s CM Punk and he’s pretty good at it. 

You’re the goofy, baby face, who makes an obscene number of jokes that you would hear in day nursery. You wear silly clothes and fight for what is right and just. You only need five moves to beat most opponents and you can be beaten with an inch of your life then get up and beat your opponent in seconds. 

It’s your own life to live john and I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I am going to offer you up this. You may make more fans by turning heel. You may even be liked again. However, when you look in the mirror and the man looking back isn’t the man The Rock once called a Yabba Dabba Bitch, will you really be happy? I know I won’t. 

I hope you agree with me and appreciate my honesty. If you want to get in touch feel free to phone me. But I warn you we won’t be able to meet because if I come within 500 yards of someone ‘famous’ I will be sent away. On second thought, it’s probably best that you burn this letter after reading it. 

Thank you. 

Yours Faithfully. 

President of The Cenation, Jeremy, James, Jones.

I hope you enjoyed  the latest issue of From Stalkers, To Superstars.

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and until, next time, go to the movies.

Daniel Morris

3d or not 3d?

3d or not 3d? 

Huge Production budgets, terrific movie explosions and now a little concept called 3d. There is no doubt that everything is getting bigger in the world of cinema, but is it getting better? The concept of 3d is not a new one. Films, theme park rides and even books have been trying to utilize 3d for decades. So why is it different now?

Well 3d as a gimmick has definitely improved. Its crisper and the images are definitely more impressive. But this article won’t be discussing the quality of 3d; it will be analysing the good and the bad points of 3d and whether it’s a worthwhile improvement to cinema. 

I have been to the cinema more times in the last 18 months than I ever have in my life. With that mass amount of cinema going, I have seen my fair share of 3d films. The first three films I watched in the new 3d were a rerelease of the original Toy Story, How to train your Dragon and Toy Story 3. 

I have to say that I thought the 3d on all these movies was absolutely fantastic. From the glimmer on Buzz’s wings to the opening imagination sequence in Toy Story 3, I was incredibly impressed. The visuals were stunning and definitely enhanced my viewing of the movies. However, this being said, these three films are all great films regardless of 3d, so it’s not easy to judge the effect 3d has. 

So what about a movie that isn’t exactly going to be a classic? Well I went to see Final Destination 5 in 3d last Wednesday and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Director Steven Quale definitely used 3d to his advantage in the latest instalment in the defeating death franchise. Body parts flew past us, weapons were thrown in all directions and blood spattered everywhere. Was it a movie with a lot of depth? No, but was it good fun for a Wednesday afternoon? Hellz Yeahz. I sat down at the start of the film a bit reserved, by the end of the movie I was genuinely giddy having enjoyed the experience. 

However, there are some movies that clearly just don’t work in 3d. With all these great 3d fun fests there has definitely been some duds where it is clear that 3d hasn’t enhanced the movie in the slightest. My favourite example of this is the Seth Rogan comedy The Green Hornet. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie. But it was obvious from the get go, that 3d was an afterthought. There was absolutely no reason for it and I for one felt ripped off. 

Speaking of ripped off, it’s time to talk about 3d’s biggest pitfall. The price. Going to watch a 3d movie is pretty expensive. It costs around £5 to watch a movie off peak at the cinema. Which, is not cheap in itself, but it’s not extortionate. If you want to see a movie in 3d that price rises way up to £8. That’s a £3 increase which would rise to £4 if you have to buy 3d glasses. That’s just ridiculous. 

Everything being said, I actually think I’m for 3d at the cinema. I quite enjoy the experience and I do think it adds to the spectacle of the movies. However, I just can’t get over the price. It might be the student in me, but for me 3d is just too expensive. If it was cheaper I’d be a happy endorser of the third dimension, but until then, 2 dimensions is enough for this cinema goer. 

Thanks for reading, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @glamgrunge

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Until next time, go to the movies

Daniel Morris.

Review Recall: As Good As It Gets

Review Recall: As Good as it Gets

The next stop in our theatre screen time machine is a shorter. We’re going back fourteen years to 1997. The century was in its final years, cell phones were becoming household and Simpson’s producer James. L. Brooks directed a drama called As Good As It Gets.

The Story: Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) hates everyone and I mean EVERYONE. What’s more Melvin has got these certain quirks. He can’t step on the cracks, he has to lock every door and he eats at the same restaurant every day, the restaurant where Carol Connolly (Helen Hunt) begrudgingly serves him. It’s safe to say that her and Melvin don’t get on. . 

It’s not just meal time where Melvin gets on people nerves. He’s not on the best of terms with his next door neighbour, gay artist, Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear). Melvin hates Simon and his Dog Verdell. That is until Simon is attacked in his own apartment and Melvin is forced to look after Verdell. 

Melvin shows another act of kindness when he pays for a Doctor to look at Carol’s ill son. It might be to get Carol to come back to work or it might be something more. Are these new friendships the start of Melvin turning the corner? Or is he doomed to be lonely and hated. 

The Film: James L Brooks fourth directed film is definitely one of his sweetest. Yes, Melvin starts the movie hating everybody. But, the journey he takes is so sweet and accurate to real life that I dare the most cold hearted audience member not to warm up to the story. 

Despite being labelled as a drama As Good As It Gets definitely has comedic overtones and is able to tiptoe the line between drama and comedy quite accurately. The film bounces between hilarity and heartbreak with ease. 

Brooks’ script is well crafted so all the laughs are tight without distracting from the big dramatic beats of the story. Successful stories are about character change and this is no different with Melvin accepting the need to change by the time the credits role. 

My only gripe with As Good As It Gets is everything seems to be a bit too easy at the end. All the drama happens at the beginning of the film. I realise this is a journey of the self, but by the end I was praying for drama when there wasn’t a bunch of it too be had. 

The Cast: I can’t really knock the acting too much if at all. Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt both thoroughly deserved their Academy Awards for their performances of Melvin and Carol respectively. They both play unattached odd bods to a tee and there on screen chemistry is very believable. We believe that Jack is willing to change and that Carol is willing to except he won’t and that’s a credit to both actors.

 I don’t think its Jacks performance by far as he’s done better that he hasn’t even won the Academy Award for, but a good performance it is. I will say this though, I know Robin Williams was good in Good Will Hunting, but Greg Kinnear was robbed for the Academy Award. Greg Kinnear as Simon Bishop was humble yet heartbreaking  and the subtlety of the performance is something to be admired. 

The Verdict: Maybe lacks drama in the final third of the film, but the getting is pretty good. 7/10

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Daniel Morris