Andy Ruiz Jr. has heard all the fat jokes, and understands he has a reputation to rehabilitate.
The former heavyweight champion also knows his comeback fight Saturday night against 40-year-old Chris Arreola has been criticized both for the quality of opponent and the price fans will have to pay to watch it.
But entertainment is entertainment. And Ruiz promises there will be plenty of action on the pre-Cinco de Mayo weekend as he takes his first baby steps toward regaining the title he so unexpectedly won in a stunning stoppage of Anthony Joshua two years ago.
Yes, he was 310 pounds when he began training camp. But for $49.95 those watching at home can tune in to see just how serious Ruiz is about becoming a force in the heavyweight division again.
"It's going to be an all action fight,"' the first heavyweight champion of Mexican heritage said. "All the Mexican fans are going to come and support us. The best way to watch this fight is being at home, watching on TV and celebrating."
Just how much there is to celebrate is debatable, considering Arreola is not exactly a prime-time opponent. But comebacks have to start somewhere, and this one will start in a pay-per-view against an aging fighter who is rugged and throws plenty of punches -- but has won only two fights in five years and has had weight issues of his own.
It wouldn't be a proper comeback, of course, if it didn't come with a back story of redemption and renewal. Ruiz has that and more, including a new trainer and his engaging tale of what happened when he suddenly became the heavyweight champion of the world before and discovered he wasn't quite ready for prime time.
"I killed the old Andy and a new Andy was born," Ruiz said. "I have a lot to prove. I let a lot of people down, and that's why I had to make big changes to myself. I know what I'm capable of doing and I know what I can accomplish. I have it inside of me to become the Mexican two-time heavyweight champion of the world."
The biggest mistake, according to Ruiz, is that he let the heavyweight championship get to his head. Hard to blame Ruiz for that, because few gave him a chance when he shocked everyone in boxing by stopping the previously undefeated British champion at Madison Square Garden.
The scale at the rematch in December in Saudi Arabia told the tale better than anything. Ruiz weighed a whopping 283.5 pounds for the fight, and his lack of conditioning and desire were both evident in dropping a lopsided decision to Joshua to lose the title in his first defense.
Now Ruiz has a new trainer, is some 60 pounds lighter than when he began training for Arreola, and has a new perspective on what it means to be a champion. He'll meet Arreola in a scheduled 12-round fight from the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, where a limited number of fans will be allowed because of pandemic restrictions.
"I didn't know what was coming my way. I didn't know what to expect," he said about winning the title. "At the time I had cousins that I didn't even know, I had uncles and friends from a long time ago I didn't know until I won. So I kind of went with the flow and that was kind of my distraction. But we all learn from our mistakes. And I've got to start all over again, start back at the bottom of the ladder."
Ruiz isn't exactly at the bottom, but he's got a ways to go before reaching the top again. Joshua has moved on and is planning to fight two bouts against Tyson Fury this year, though they haven't been finalized, and the path to another heavyweight championship isn't exactly wide open.
But Ruiz says he's motivated now to win back what he once had, and has hooked up with Eddy Reynoso, the trainer of Canelo Alvarez, to help him stay disciplined. He also says he's learned a lot from being around Alvarez, widely considered to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
But the 31-year-old had to learn a bit about himself, too. The partying had to go, and the overeating had to stop before he could be comfortable again in the ring.
"The main thing is we're learning discipline and that's something you cannot buy into," he said. "That's something you have to learn on your own and you have to want it. Discipline is the main thing plus the fundamentals that we've been working on that include moving once I lost some weight. Little by little, I started learning new ability that I probably had but now I'm using."
Ruiz plans to fight again in December if he is successful against Arreola and eventually fight for the title again. He also wants to show fans he deserves his place among the heavyweight elite, despite his lackluster fight with Joshua his last time out.
"At the end of the day things happen for a reason and I learn from my mistakes," he said. "So I think I'm in a way better place."
With Alina Starkov's light-wielding palms, Ben Barnes' hotness, and Milo the goat's cuteness, there's just so much to love about the series.
So now, we're here to proudly present all of the hilarious commentary on Twitter and Tumblr about the show — keep reading ahead to see what the people have to say!
2.Ben Barnes is hot.
If *I* was Alina, I’d be fucking the hot, mysterious general by the end of episode two. Mal is cute and all, but carpe dickum. #ShadowAndBone
5.Coming up with Shadow and Bone theories *is* schoolwork, TBH.
school work school wor school wo school w school schoo scho sch sc s sh sha shad shado shadow shadow a shadow an shadow and shadow and b shadow and bo shadow and bon shadow and bone
Priscilla B. Kees is delightful. She grew up in rural Acadiana, playing and working in the rice fields with her family. She is one of 11 children — and all of them are still alive today, their ages range from 70something to 96.
I’m not telling you how old Pris is, but she’s the fifth eldest. She is funny and feisty and has lots of great stories.
I ask her the secret to a happy life, and she tells me, “Don’t sit down too long” and explains that you should stay spiritually, mentally and physically active, in that order.
The only time you’ll catch Pris sitting is to make her next ceramic masterpiece or on a airplane to somewhere. She creates pottery and sells it at craft shows. She doesn’t have an online store, but the people at Pottery Alley in Lafayette know where to find her.
Pris loves to hike, bike and travel. She shouts for the Braves in baseball (and also likes the Padres and the Nationals)
Pris was a teacher at L Leo Judice Elementary School in Scott and then a substitute teacher for 27 years, only stopping when COVID-19 complicated things. She has a glint in her eye that made me grin. We can all learn something from this wonderful lady.
What was your first job? Second-grade teacher
Describe a typical day in your life. AM prayer, breakfast, chores, visit friends, lunch, power nap, read, maybe shop, dinner, TV prayer, bedtime.
What advice would you give the younger you? Learn all you can everyday. Keep active. Share happiness with others. Make good choices.
What event in your life most shaped who you are now? Being part of a family of 11 children.
What values do you live by? Honesty, spirituality, patriotism
What do you most appreciate? Peace, good health
What is your favorite journey? Life. You are allowed only one. Make it a good one.
Where is your favorite place to be alone? Enjoying nature, anywhere
What living figure most inspires you? A devout Christian person
What was the best advice you were ever given? Knowing that life has peaks and valleys. One has to accept and work to climb out of the valleys, and enjoy the peaks to the fullest.
What book would you tell everyone to read? Any book by John Grisham
What is the best thing about where you live? Peaceful neighborhood
How do you "let the good times roll" ? Make the best of what comes along in life.
What did you want to be when you grew up? As a teen, I waned to live on a ranch. As an adult, a mother and teacher.
What is your motto? You’re never too old to learn.
How would you like to be remembered? Fun loving, positive, active.
What do you say to yourself when you doubt yourself? Believe in yourself.
What three things are vital to being YOU? God-loving, family, patriotic.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
What is your favorite word? Love
What do you collect? Possible Dream Santas, eggs, religious items from different countries.
What food could you live on for a month? Seafood
What would you change about yourself? Knowing more about technology
Describe yourself in five words. Active, positive, friendly, creative, spiritual
What is your idea of happiness? Live, love laugh and be happy
What music defines who you are? Broadway, big band, patriotic
Malaysian teenager Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam came home from school last week and posted a video on TikTok, taking a male teacher to task over an alleged joke about rape during class.
The video went viral overnight, sparking a nationwide debate on sex education, misogyny and sexual violence in the Southeast Asian country, where such subjects are often considered taboo.
"There's been numerous students who have been coming forward with their own stories to me... but people didn't take any action on what the students had to say. And for me, that is very, very sad," Ain told Reuters.
The 17-year-old, who loves drawing and watching Japanese anime, said she had always been outspoken about social issues but had not expected the "overwhelming" response to the video, which has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on TikTok.
The debate prompted her to create the hashtag #MakeSchoolASaferPlace, which she hopes will encourage other teenagers to come forward about problems they face at school, including other issues such as racism.
"Our movement focuses on making school a safer environment for every student, no matter what gender you are, either girls or boys," Ain said.
Malaysian teenager Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam uses her phone to check on the comments towards her TikTok video in her bedroom in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia April 29, 2021. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng
The hashtag began trending as Ain explored the backlash she received from some students and teachers, who accused her of drawing negative attention to her school.
She also received a rape threat from a schoolmate, as well as lewd remarks about her appearance from some social media users.
Ain's parents said they were initially unsure of how to respond but decided to report the teacher's remarks and the rape threat to the police.
"If we act like it's normal, or keep brushing off such remarks as mere 'jokes'... my younger children will probably go through this too with the same teacher," said Ain's mother, Norshaniza Sharifudin, who has five children.
Police have vowed to investigate Ain's complaint while the women's ministry on Thursday called for stronger action over rape jokes, sexist remarks and body-shaming. The country's education ministry said on Wednesday it would investigate.
Cheryl Fernando of education advocacy group Pemimpin GSL said students like Ain represented a new generation who were not afraid to use social media to speak up.
"It's very important for the teachers and the leaders then to know how to deal with these students," she said. "This is a generation that has too much access to technology and to any social media that they want and this can reach worldwide."
Damn, a lot of movies came out this week! Not all of them are good but there are some real charmers. Especially if you need a laugh. Here’s the low down.
Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse
On Prime
by Hope Madden
Michael B. Jordan is a bona fide movie star, a butts-in-seats celebrity ready to front his own spy thriller franchise. He’s ready to Harrison Ford.
He definitely is ready, there’s no doubt he has the talent, charisma, looks and mass appeal to bring a Tom Clancy series to the big screen. But should he do it?
Jordan’s John Kelly finds himself in an unexpected operation in Aleppo. He loses a friend and nearly loses his commanding officer (Queen & Slim’s Jodie Turner-Smith, wasted), much thanks to a cagey CIA operative (Jamie Bell) who’s hiding something from the team. Something Russian.
Well, those Russian secrets keep resurfacing, and they rack up a heavy body count. Next thing you know, Jordan has to take off his shirt and splash water on his bare chest because…I don’t know. It might honestly just be a contractual thing now.
I’m not saying I’m sorry it happened.
Stefano Sollima directs this espionage thriller, and he has even less luck than he did with his last feature, Sicario: Day of the Soldado. The problem this time around is not that his film suffers terribly by comparison. (Man, that was the problem last time.) The problem is that writers Will Staples and Taylor Sheridan just don’t seem to be trying very hard.
And Sheridan can be one of the finest writers working in film (Sicario, Hell or High Water). But you would not know that here.
The thrills are mediocre, the shootouts and fights are middling, and the only thing more obvious than the plot points are the performances. Worse still, the writing is sloppy and convenient. There’s an unmanned, unlocked, running vehicle right when John Kelly needs one, and don’t even ask how he gets unconscious villains from point A to point B. I guess that’s confidential.
It’s not that Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse is a terrible movie. It isn’t. But there’s no excuse for it to be utterly mediocre, which it is. The director’s proven to be competent and the co-writer has proven to be genius. Plus there’s a bona fide movie star at the height of his wattage leading the effort.
I blame Putin.
Grade: C-
Cliff Walkers
by George Wolf
At this point, Yimou Zhang could bring a two-hour rendering of my neighbor’s lawn maintenance regimen to the big screen, and I’ll be there opening night.
After Shadow, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Raise the Red Lantern and so many more, Zhang has proven himself a bona fide stare-at-the-screen-in-awe visual master.
He’s no slouch in the storytelling department either, and those skills move a little closer to the spotlight in Cliff Walkers, screenwriter Yongxian Quan’s intricate tale of espionage in the years before WWII.
It is 1931, and four Russian-trained Chinese communist party agents parachute into snow-covered Manchukuo (a Japanese occupation that was previously Chinese Manchuria) to put operation “Utrennya” into action. Their orders are to locate a surviving witness to a Japanese massacre, and smuggle him out to shed light on the atrocities.
The four agents agree to split up in pairs, and the double-crosses come early and often. As one pair of agents attempts to find and warn the other, a cascade of spy games, torture, accusations and suspicion gels into a suspenseful and engrossing ride.
And though Cliff Walkers may be less overtly showy than Zhang’s usual visuals, it is no less stunning. The constant snowfall becomes a character in itself, deadening the footsteps that run through the streets and enveloping the wonderfully constructed set pieces in gorgeous color contrast.
Many a butt is smoked in Cliff Walkers, and many a deadly stare is leveled in the criss-crossing searches for moles, snitches, turncoats and witnesses. Blood will be shed, and sacrifices will be made.
And again, Yimou Zhang will make it easy to get lost in, and nearly impossible to look away from.
Grade: A-
Four Good Days
In theaters
by Hope Madden
In many ways, Four Good Days feels like a Rodrigo Garcia film. The co-writer/director frequently spins tales of women, often mothers and daughters whose own pain keeps them from clearly seeing and addressing the pain they inflict.
His films (Nine Lives, Mother and Child, Albert Knobbs) routinely examine relationships built as much on survival as on love, and the strain that puts on people.
Glenn Close, a frequent Garcia collaborator, stars as Deb, put-upon mother of a drug addict. That addict, Molly, is played by Mila Kunis as you’ve never seen her. Kunis’s trademark big eyes swim in a gaunt face marked by the scars of the life of an addict, the actress’s million-dollar smile replaced with rotten nubs.
Kunis clearly lost a substantial amount of weight to complete the transformation from Hollywood sweetheart to hopeless addict. Her performance is not simply skin deep, either.
Characteristic of Garcia’s strongest films, the friction and flaws in these women leave the biggest impression. Kunis lands on the button-pushing most effective in manipulating her mother: chaos and accusation. In her hands, Molly is profoundly unlikable because why would she need anybody to like her? What does that get her? She shoots rapid-fire guilt and shame bullets at her mother and sees what hits.
Molly’s defenses and manipulations blend together so believably that when she does hit a note of emotional depth and sincerity, it’s heartbreaking.
Close’s performance is no less commendable, though her character is frustrating. The writing here has some trouble creating the natural if infuriating behaviors of a woman torn between protecting herself and believing in her daughter. Too often, the situations and behaviors feel like what they are: plot points meant to increase tension as we rush toward the inevitable climax.
Here is where Four Good Days (co-written with Eli Saslow) does not feel like a Rodrigo Garcia film.
The movie mainly makes up for these missteps. It’s a difficult film to watch in that it doesn’t tread on your sympathies, doesn’t create tragic and noble characters, doesn’t even ask you to like either lead. Instead, it insinuates itself in the battle between the shrill, ugly survival tactics a mother and daughter wield like daggers as they claw their way toward sobriety.
Grade: B+
Golden Arm
On VOD
by George Wolf
You know it’s been 34 years since we got a funny movie about arm wrestling?
True, it was Stallone’s Over the Top and it wasn’t meant to be a comedy, but the point is…the drought is over! Golden Arm is here with a new tournament, new stakes and plenty of laughs.
Danny – aka The Dominator! (Betsy Sodaro) – is a tough lady trucker who enjoys a good bar fight and the womano y womano competition of arm wrestling. Danny’s good, but not good enough to beat “Fuckin’ Brenda” The Bonecrusher (Olivia Stambouliah) in the upcoming championship tourney.
But you know who could be? Danny’s old friend Melanie (Mary Holland, who stole so many scenes in last year’s Happiest Season). Mel might be a soft spoken wimp who can’t even stand up to rude customers at her struggling bakery, but Danny also remembers Mel as having one impressive right arm.
So we’re gonna need a training montage!
First-time feature director Maureen Bharoocha serves it up, along with some nicely organic info on the rules of the game that serve to get us situated (don’t forget to “suck and tuck!”). And as Danny and Mel take to the road, the debut screenplay from Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly provides plenty of room for inspired antics (the bit about Twister had me howling) on the way to the arms race that ends with a 15k Grand Prize.
Holland and Sodaro make an endearing odd couple, and it’s the pure engagement of their characters that keeps the film afloat during a shaky first act. But hang in, because from picking out Mel’s wrestling persona (“I’m ‘The Ex-Wife!'”) to a gynecologist’s detailed condemnation of the phrase “balls out,” it just gets funnier as it rolls along.
Call it “stupid funny” if you want, but it’s still funny, with some underlying themes about gender stereotypes, personal growth and female friendships that are far from dumb.
It’s the bawdy excess that’s in your face, so close you may even miss the wink-wink nods to both the Stallone flick and TheKarate Kid. But those bits of subtlety are even more evidence that the rough edges in Golden Arm don’t come from sloppy construction.
With this one, it’s guns out, fun’s out.
Grade: B+
Best Summer Ever
On VOD
by George Wolf
Bad Mood? Tough week?
If Best Summer Ever doesn’t turn your frown upside down, I’ll eat a bug.
Two high schoolers not named Danny and Sandy enjoy some sweetly romantic summer nights, then go their separate ways…until fate brings them back together for a musical teenage dream filled with a wonderfully diverse cast of actors.
Anthony (Rickey Wilson, Jr., showing easy charisma) and Sage, a charmer in a wheelchair (Shannon DeVido – who effortlessly steals this film) meet at a summer dance camp in Vermont. Anthony tells Sage he attends a dance academy in NYC – but’s he’s really a football star in Pennsylvania who relishes the chance to indulge his secret love of dance. Sage has a secret of her own – the illegal pot business her two moms (Eileen Grubba and Holly Palmer) operate that keeps the family constantly on the move.
But at summer’s end, an unexpected complication leads to Sage’s family landing in PA – and Sage enrolling at the very same high school Anthony attends! Oooh, this is delicious, especially for Queen Bee Beth (a terrific Madeline Rhodes, aka MuMu, also part of the songwriting team), the evil cheerleader who hatches a devious plan to become Homecoming Queen and take Anthony as her King!
Directors/co-writers Michael Parks Randa and Lauren Smitelli craft an irresistible take on the high school musical, populated by just as many physically and/or developmentally challenged actors as not. The joyful representation in this film will swell your heart, especially when you realize – early on – that none of the characters’ perceived disabilities are treated as anything less than ordinary.
And more than that, there isn’t an ounce of condescension to be found, as Randa and Smitelli find some big laughs skewering high school stereotypes. Beth casually drops surprise dick jokes, and two Statler and Waldorf-type booth announcers (Eric Folan and Phil Lussier) bring some hearty sarcasm to the big Homecoming game. See, Anthony is the team’s kicker – and he’s the star because the rest of the team sucks so badly (which causes the resentful quarterback [Jacob Waltuck] to hilariously cuss out the crowd).
Yes, the songs are often cheesy and sung over what sounds like weak karaoke backing tracks, but the title tune’s been stuck in my head for days now.
You’ll see some big names in the film’s list of producers, and some (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard) even pop-up in cameos. But the most important may be the members of Zeno Mountain Farm – a Vermont retreat committed to a world where “all can thrive, feel connected, and be empowered.”
For 72 minutes, Best Summer Ever gives us a glimpse of what that world might look like, and it’s inspiring, exhilarating and fun.
But watch out for that Beth – she’s so mean!
Grade: B
The Truffle Hunters
In theaters
by George Wolf
On the surface, a documentary about old men searching for subterranean fungi might not sound overly compelling. But as great docs often do, The Truffle Hunters introduces a world you may not be aware of, and the souls struggling to keep that world from slipping away.
To date, the highly-prized white Alba truffle has been resistant to cultivation. Documentarians Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw take us deep in the wilds of Piedmont, Italy, to meet a group of 70 to 80-year-olds who rely on traditional methods and trusted dogs to find the elusive white Alba.
Dweck and Kershaw (The Last Race) employ a vérité style that’s instantly immersive and completely charming. These old time foragers cherish their proven methods and their canine partners in equal measure, taking care to protect both from the ravages of climate change and cutthroat profiteering as long as possible.
Often reminiscent of 2019’s Oscar-nominated Honeyland, the film transports you to a community that seems a nuisance to the modern world – even as gourmet palettes continue to cherish its fruits.
The 84 minutes in The Truffle Hunters is time well spent with old timers who are holding back the charge of progress in ways that are funny, defiant and sometimes curious, but always joyful. Their days may be numbered, but their spirit endures, a spirit this film captures with beautifully subtle intimacy.
Grade: A-
The Outside Story
by Hope Madden
Even the title The Outside Story sounds like a children’s book. It’s a vibe writer/director Casimir Nozkowski conjures intentionally. His film is about a man who really never leaves his Brooklyn apartment because, why bother?
That man, Charles, is portrayed with real tenderness and charm by Brian Tyree Henry. An actor of absolutely stunning range, Henry has delivered stellar supporting turns as every type of character in every genre of film over the last few years (Widows, If Beal Street Could Talk,Godzilla v Kong and about a dozen more). The dude works a lot, and he has yet to hit a false note. It’s high time he leads a movie.
The film Nozkowski builds around him feels like Sesame Street for adults. Once Charles finds himself locked out of his apartment, he (and we) gets to learn Who are the people in his neighborhood?
There’s an angry traffic cop (Sunita Mani, Save Yourselves!), brats with water balloons, an incredibly pregnant woman having a stoop sale, a young girl (Olivia Edward) with a problematic mother and so many more.
Nozkowski creates a series of harmless, even sweet mini-adventures for Charles to fall into, each one helping him recognize that maybe he’s closed himself off a bit too much.
It’s not entirely Sesame Street, though. There are plenty of f-bombs, a congenial threesome, and that problematic mom thing. But the darker elements feel downright wholesome in the bright sunshine of Charles’s street.
For the most part, that cheery disposition really aids in the film, and Henry’s wildly compassionate performance is the soft gooey center inside Nozkowski’s brightly colored candy shell.
The Outside Story nearly derails in a late-act scene during which local police mistake Charles for a stocking-footed burglar who’s been breaking into apartments in the neighborhood. Played for good-natured laughs, the scene feels instantly and uncomfortably tone-deaf.
There are other storyline missteps, as well, but The Outside Story is so refreshingly uncynical, so huggable, and often so funny that those misses are easily forgiven. It’s very rare that you see a film this dissimilar to anything else in recent memory.
I may have to think as far back as the last time I watched Sesame Street.
Grade: B+
Percy vs. Goliath
In theaters and on VOD
by George Wolf
Not that long ago, this film was called Percy and ran a full two hours. Since then, it’s gained a word and a half in the title while losing about twenty minutes of run time. What’s left is a rushed, but fairly standard telling of a real-life everyman’s battle with a corporate behemoth.
In the late 1990s, Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser (played with weary conviction by the iconic Christopher Walken) was sued by the Monsanto corporation for “patent infringement.” Their claim was that Percy was planting his fields with some of Monsanto’s patented GMO seeds without a license.
A multi-generational family farmer, Percy argued that he has never planted with anyone’s seeds but his own. His father taught him to be a “seed saver” and store the most robust seeds for use the following year. Any Monsanto seeds found in his fields, Percy argued, must have traveled by wind or passing trucks.
Monsanto’s lead counsel Rick Aarons (the always welcome Martin Donovan) ain’t buying it, and Percy’s folksy lawyer Jackson Weaver (Zach Braff) advises Percy and his wife Louise (Roberta Maxwell) to cut their losses and settle.
But Percy’s moral code – along with plenty of encouragement from environmental activist Rebecca Salcau (Christina Ricci) – lead him to the courtroom. Once there, the introverted Canadian farmer gets more attention than he bargained for, and pariah status in his own community.
The script from Garfield Lindsay Miller and Hillary Pryor hits all the required notes, but director Clark Johnson (2003’s S.W.A.T) never provides the breathing room to let events in or out of court truly connect. While many films are wise to trim the fat, the twenty minutes gone from PvG feel haphazardly culled, leaving behind whiplash edits and stalled resonance.
Led by the sympathetic Walken, the ensemble cast is uniformly effective, but caught in a scattershot narrative. With its mind on justice for the little guy, local and global farming conflicts, manipulation from all sides and above all, doing the right thing – Percy vs Goliath has many hearts.
And while all those hearts may be in the right places, what holds the film back is a tendency to take the early advice that Percy ignored. Make the cuts and settle.
Grade: B-
Murder Bury Win
by Cat McAlpine
Friends Chris, Adam and Barrett are trying and failing to launch their indie board game Murder Bury Win. When a mysterious benefactor expresses interest in developing the game, the friends have to ask themselves how far they’re willing to go to make their dreams come true.
Those unfamiliar with modern board games and the cutthroat, rarely lucrative industry that’s behind them may be left out on a handful of jokes. Especially the constant references to “Flaming Puppies,” a stand-in for the real game Exploding Kittens. But the film eventually descends into stakes we can all understand – life or death.
Writer/Director Michael Lovan spends a little too much time setting up the story and the other shoe could drop 10 minutes earlier. Murder Bury Win shines best when it’s being silly, and the more fun it has, the better it gets.
When Chris (Mikelen Walker) discovers he’s in the presence of his hero, he’s bathed in a holy glow from the window behind him. Fantasy scenes of the board game world make for fun vignettes. The horrifying use of a cheese grater pushes the comedic thriller into horror. These little moments stand out despite a sometimes stilted script.
The performances from the small ensemble cast shine across the board. Walker is a dreamer, and a stoic straight man who has finally had enough. Henry Alexander Kelly is able to summon grit for the soft and caring Barrett. And Erich Lane’s Adam becomes unhinged so easily, so seamlessly as the film progresses that he matches increasingly insane circumstances perfectly. Brian Slaten as Officer Dan and Craig Cackowski as V. V. Stubs both create fun, sometimes outlandish characters that counterbalance the main trio. And Lovan’s cameo brings such a weird energy that I wish he’d been in more of the film.
Lovan has an eye for color, effectively using red to bathe the remote cabin where most of the film takes place. The custom game mat, the too-long curtains, and even the backing of The Murder Wall (yes, you read that correctly) are all the color of blood. It trains you to recognize blood later as it appears in an otherwise white bathroom, in a fine mist across faces, and seeping through the bottom of a brown paper bag.
Each of the best friends is dressed in a bold signature color, yellow, blue, and green, like tokens on a gameboard.
Overall, Murder Bury Win is a zany look at our murder fantasies and what it takes for an ordinary person to suddenly become capable of such bloody acts. Whether you’re a board game fan or not, this film makes for a fun playtest.
Grade: B-
Here Are the Young Men
On VOD
by Christie Robb
Based on Rob Doyle’s 2014 novel of the same name, Eoin Macken’s Here Are the Young Men is a bleak look at the emotional lives of three boys poised between school, with a somewhat sheltered boyhood, and real life, with its associated responsibility.
The boys witness the death of a little girl and their individual reactions send them down different paths. Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Vikings) sinks into depression and nihilism, more or less disappearing from the movie.
Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman, 1917/Game of Thrones) desires the stabilization of a proper job and a romantic relationship. Kearney (an unsettling Finn Cole, Peaky Blinders) is awakened, inspired by the immediacy of death, and gives himself permission to satisfy his dark impulses.
The boys’ days and nights are awash in a staggering amount and variety of drugs, downed with beer or vodka. Much of the movie is shot out of focus or uses staccato editing to reinforce the sense that the boys are more or less skating over the surface of their lives, ignoring the emotional depths beneath.
Despite their purported friendship and shared traumatic experience, there’s no solace for the boys in their relationships with each other. The few adults that occasionally appear are either menacing, distracted, or bearers of tired bromides. The young men are isolated and left to stumble along, making choices that aren’t informed by reason. The choices are a creature’s response to an applied stimulus.
Matthew and Kearney’s inner lives are somewhat illustrated by shots of their television screens, which show a kind of cartoonish representation of their subconscious or inner lives. Sometimes the TV shows what is happening to a character separated from the others by distance. I imagine this is an attempt to compensate for the lack of the novel’s inner monologues. And it’s ok, but is kind of jarring, given the spare emotional tone of the rest of the film, and inconsistently applied.
You might ask where the young women are. Well, there is one, Jen (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit), Matthew’s sometime girlfriend. Taylor-Joy is magnetic and draws the eye in every scene. There’s just not much for her to do except to express disappointment and defend her virginity. With another actress, this character would be all but forgettable. In the real world, Jen would hang out with other people.
Ultimately, the film serves as a reminder of similar, but more memorable entries in the genre like A Clockwork Orange or Trainspotting. Here Are the Young Men fails to differentiate this generation’s young men from the generations proceeding them. Just more sludge in the puddle of toxic masculinity.
Grade: C-
The Virtuoso
by Hope Madden
Hey, Anthony Hopkins just won his second Oscar! The octogenarian was not the favorite, but there’s no denying that, after dozens of phoned-in near-cameos, he landed the role of a lifetime and gave a performance to match.
So, back to phoned-in near-cameos, I guess.
In director Nick Stagliano’s The Virtuoso, Hopkins plays The Mentor, an enigmatic man in a shadowy office. Mentor to whom, you ask? To The Virtuoso (Anson Mount), of course. He’s one of those “put my black ops training to good use responding only to this one guy by phone who sends me on my missions and otherwise I am utterly, stoically alone” kind of guys.
The Virtuoso is a man of few words—except in voiceover. In voiceover you cannot get him to shut up, his monotone musings on scheduling, technique, blah blah blah so wearying you can’t help but suddenly, brightly realize all over again what an absolute masterpiece American Psycho was.
One hit goes well. One hit goes south. Then we dig in for the next hit, where all the voiceover details about planning, timing, persistence and detail go straight out the window.
From here, we’re with The Virtuoso step by step as he bungles this and misunderstands that and misfires his weapon over here and makes poor decisions over there. It might make a half-decent comedy if it weren’t played so, so, so seriously.
Stagliano and writer James C. Wolf aim for neo-noir hipness but miss the mark by a wide distance.
Mount does what he can and almost generates interest as his character practices making normal people faces in the mirror before going out in public. Hopkins is saddled with nonsensical speeches meant to suggest his deadened soul. He doesn’t try too hard to make anything of it.
Abbie Cornish does try, bringing a flash of human interest as The Waitress. But no amount of homespun charm can save a movie this dumb.
Grade: D+
Follow George and Hope on twitter @maddwolf and listen to their weekly movie review podcast, THE SCREENING ROOM.
--The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Volkswagen influenced its share price when it joked about rebranding itself as 'Voltswagen,' German news magazine Spiegel reports.
--The investigations are at an early stage and the company confirmed to Spiegel that the SEC had requested information from its U.S. subsidiary Volkswagen Group of America, according to the magazine.
--Volkswagen declined to comment to The Wall Street Journal.
It started as a joke on the internet, now it's an actual investment.
WASHINGTON — By now, you have probably heard of Bitcoin. It's the popular cryptocurrency that is making and breaking fortunes for online investors.
But, have you heard of Dogecoin? The latest cryptocurrency to trend online has turned into an investment for millions of people.
What is Dogecoin?
Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that started as an online joke and now is much more.
Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange company and Matt Hougan, a cryptocurrency expert from Bitwise Asset Management.
What We Found:
Cryptocurrency can be confusing. It is a type of currency that is all online and has no government backing it. At this point, it is mostly seen as an investment.
“They're trading their dollars for Bitcoin, they're trading their dollars for Ethereum,” Matt Hougan said. “They're making that trade in the hope that it will be more valuable in the future.”
So what is Dogecoin?
“It's ridiculous,” Hougan laughed. "Let's start with that point."
Two software engineers saw people investing in cryptocurrency in 2013, according to Hougan.
“They found it sort of humorous to create their own coin, but to model it after an internet dog,” Hougan said.
If you have seen that Shiba Inu meme, that is what they based the coin on. The whole thing was meant to be a joke, with cryptocurrency as the punchline.
But last year, Bitcoin really started to take off. Then after billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Cuban started tweeted their support--Dogecoin followed.
“It's one of those sorts of speculative excesses that ride shotgun with disruptive innovation,” Hougan said. “Bitcoin and crypto is a disruptive innovation with spectacular returns.”
This one-time joke that was worth less than a penny now is worth more than 30 cents. Which doesn’t seem like a lot, but that is 7,400% growth.
All based on what Hougan believes is speculation.
“So, it’s maybe not surprising that you have an internet meme dog currency coming along for part of the ride [with the rest of cryptocurrency],” Hougan said.
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Andy Ruiz Jr. has heard all the fat jokes, and understands he has a reputation to rehabilitate.
The former heavyweight champion also knows his comeback fight Saturday night against 40-year-old Chris Arreola has been criticized both for the quality of opponent and the price fans will have to pay to watch it.
But entertainment is entertainment. And Ruiz promises there will be plenty of action on the pre-Cinco de Mayo weekend as he takes his first baby steps toward regaining the title he so unexpectedly won in a stunning stoppage of Anthony Joshua two years ago.
Yes, he was 310 pounds when he began training camp. But for $49.95 those watching at home can tune in to see just how serious Ruiz is about becoming a force in the heavyweight division again.
“It’s going to be an all action fight,”’ the first heavyweight champion of Mexican heritage said. “All the Mexican fans are going to come and support us. The best way to watch this fight is being at home, watching on TV and celebrating.”
Just how much there is to celebrate is debatable, considering Arreola is not exactly a prime-time opponent. But comebacks have to start somewhere, and this one will start in a pay-per-view against an aging fighter who is rugged and throws plenty of punches — but has won only two fights in five years and has had weight issues of his own.
It wouldn’t be a proper comeback, of course, if it didn’t come with a back story of redemption and renewal. Ruiz has that and more, including a new trainer and his engaging tale of what happened when he suddenly became the heavyweight champion of the world before and discovered he wasn’t quite ready for prime time.
“I killed the old Andy and a new Andy was born,” Ruiz said. “I have a lot to prove. I let a lot of people down, and that’s why I had to make big changes to myself. I know what I’m capable of doing and I know what I can accomplish. I have it inside of me to become the Mexican two-time heavyweight champion of the world.”
The biggest mistake, according to Ruiz, is that he let the heavyweight championship get to his head. Hard to blame Ruiz for that, because few gave him a chance when he shocked everyone in boxing by stopping the previously undefeated British champion at Madison Square Garden.
The scale at the rematch in December in Saudi Arabia told the tale better than anything. Ruiz weighed a whopping 283.5 pounds for the fight, and his lack of conditioning and desire were both evident in dropping a lopsided decision to Joshua to lose the title in his first defense.
Now Ruiz has a new trainer, is some 60 pounds lighter than when he began training for Arreola, and has a new perspective on what it means to be a champion. He’ll meet Arreola in a scheduled 12-round fight from the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, where a limited number of fans will be allowed because of pandemic restrictions.
“I didn’t know what was coming my way. I didn’t know what to expect,’’ he said about winning the title. ”At the time I had cousins that I didn’t even know, I had uncles and friends from a long time ago I didn’t know until I won. So I kind of went with the flow and that was kind of my distraction. But we all learn from our mistakes. And I’ve got to start all over again, start back at the bottom of the ladder.”
Ruiz isn’t exactly at the bottom, but he’s got a ways to go before reaching the top again. Joshua has moved on and is planning to fight two bouts against Tyson Fury this year, though they haven’t been finalized, and the path to another heavyweight championship isn’t exactly wide open.
But Ruiz says he’s motivated now to win back what he once had, and has hooked up with Eddy Reynoso, the trainer of Canelo Alvarez, to help him stay disciplined. He also says he’s learned a lot from being around Alvarez, widely considered to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
But the 31-year-old had to learn a bit about himself, too. The partying had to go, and the overeating had to stop before he could be comfortable again in the ring.
“The main thing is we’re learning discipline and that’s something you cannot buy into,” he said. “That’s something you have to learn on your own and you have to want it. Discipline is the main thing plus the fundamentals that we’ve been working on that include moving once I lost some weight. Little by little, I started learning new ability that I probably had but now I’m using.”
Ruiz plans to fight again in December if he is successful against Arreola and eventually fight for the title again. He also wants to show fans he deserves his place among the heavyweight elite, despite his lackluster fight with Joshua his last time out.
“At the end of the day things happen for a reason and I learn from my mistakes,” he said. “So I think I’m in a way better place.”
___
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg
Rodgers is reportedly upset about a number of things, including the way the Packers have (or haven’t) built around him and the team’s decision to trade up to draft quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of last year’s draft.
We’ll have to wait and see if this fissure between Rodgers and the organization will close up or continue to crack. In the event that it does, it seems like everyone on social media is making the same joke about the superstar quarterback’s next career move.
Rodgers was a guest host of Jeopardy! for a two-week period this month and loved the gig so much that he’s even expressed interest in doing it full-time. Not surprisingly, there have been plenty of people joking about Rodgers making the move to host right now.
When it comes to hosting Jeopardy! full-time, Rodgers told The Ringer recently he thinks he could do it and continue to play football.
“I don’t think I’d need to give up football to do it,” he said. “They film 46 days a year. I worked 187 this year in Green Bay. That gives me, eh—[pauses]—178 days to do Jeopardy! So I feel like I could fit 46 into that 178 and make it work. It would be a dream job for sure, and I’m not shy at all about saying I want the job. That’s how I went into it. I want an opportunity to be in the mix.”
It would be something to see him try to do that, even if he’s playing football somewhere other than Green Bay in 2021.
“He is sweet and funny, happy and kind, and I love him more than I ever thought possible," Cooper wrote of Wyatt, melting our hearts and leaving us puddles of goo.
TikTok comedian Amy Sloan and her husband made us laugh with their take on parenting and teen fashion.
"Oh! Everybody's wearing it. Pshhh... If I'd have known that... I'll be right back!"
And we're invested in Heather Ketcham's regular series of videos from the school car line in which she blasts her jams embarrassingly loudly while picking up her teenage daughter.
What makes her posts even better is that though she is mortified, her daughter is an amazingly good sport about her antics. We love a kid with a sense of humor.
We'll leave you with this video of a third grader's baseball victory and his team's reaction, just because we think everyone deserves this kind of celebration in life.
Allison Slater Tate is a freelance writer and editor in Florida specializing in parenting and college admissions. She is a proud Gen Xer, ENFP, Leo, Diet Coke enthusiast, and champion of the Oxford Comma. She mortifies her four children by knowing all the trending songs on TikTok. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Are you ready to laugh with these funny country songs?
It’s pretty amazing how country music could give you all these feelings in the world! Like how listening to sad country songs will surely make you cry a river, while patriotic ones can make your heart swell with American pride.
Suffering from a bad breakup? Well, there is definitely a perfect country song for that – some may make you feel empowered, while some may help you savor the pain.
While the genre can take you on a full rollercoaster ride of emotions, there are also those tracks that are full of fun and humor – just plain funny! So, we’ve gathered some of the crankiest lyrics of all time to make you smile or perhaps laugh out loud!
1. “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty
The beloved country duo of the ‘70s definitely knows how to poke fun at marital troubles and each other through one of the funniest country songs of all time. The song tells the tale of two old lovebirds throwing major shade on each other that would be just plain mean, and then there are the ugly children they must share. Well, on the brighter side, the couple chose to stick with each other.
2. “Way Too Pretty for Prison” by Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris joined forces together for a murderous revenge fantasy against a cheating partner. However, the country superstars chose to behave, afraid that they might end up in jail. The big problem is that “the state won’t pay for lash extensions” and “that lack of waxing situation” inside the prison.
3. “When It Rains It Pours” by Luke Combs
Perhaps you’ve known Luke Combs as the man behind some of the most soulful ballads in today’s country music, but did you know one of his first hits was this comedic song When it Rains it Pours, about how a man’s luck started changing for the better the moment his girlfriend walked out on him?
4. “Did I Shave My Legs for This?” by Deana Carter
This is definitely one of the most humorous 90s country songs that describes marriage! Deana Carter finds herself fantasizing about a luxurious lifestyle with her husband only to come home to a deteriorating mobile home where she halfheartedly prepares supper for him as he watches television and drinks up his beer – absolutely not showing any sympathy towards her.
5. “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)” by Brad Paisley
The country superstar brought some laughs with this song he had written long before he even had a record deal. The song tells the tale of a man whose lover has threatened to leave him if he goes fishing instead of staying home with her.
And yes, you got it right! Our man has chosen to go fishing, saying he will “miss her when [he gets] home” from the lakeshore.
6. “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” by George Strait
George Strait shows his funny side in this late-1980s song where he humorously sings about why a man can no longer visit the Lone Star State. And it’s all because of a string of failed relationships with women in that state, and they all ended pretty terribly.
7. “Big Green Tractor” by Jason Aldean
Though fans find the song as a funny one, Jason Aldean thought of it as romantic. It tells the tale of a man who asks his lover if she wants to go to town with him, or he could instead take her for a ride “on [his] big green tractor.”
8. “Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart” by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash had always shown his silly side through his songs such as “Everybody Loves a Nut,” and definitely with “A Boy Named Sue.” But his real crowning achievement as a comedian is definitely this love song expressing the emotion of heartbreak.
9. “Like My Dog” by Billy Currington
Billy Currington sings about his judgmental girlfriend by listing off several different things that his pet dog will never do, wishing his lover to “love [him] like [his] dog does.”
10. “I Don’t Even Know Your Name” by Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson revealed that the song was written as a joke requested by some of his family members, and it turned out to be a hilarious one with the most ridiculous stories in country music. It tells the tale of a man who ended up marrying a waitress after one wasted night, and the rest was pretty awkward.
Other funny country songs you need to check out:
“How Come Your Dog Don’t Bite Nobody But Me” by Webb Pierce and Mel Tillis
“Why Haven’t I Heard from You” by Reba McEntire
“Some Beach” by Blake Shelton
“You Ain’t Much Fun” by Toby Keith
“Do You Want Fries With That” by Tim McGraw
“Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” by Joe Nichols
“She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” by Kenny Chesney
“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
“Ticks” by Brad Paisley
“As Good As I Once Was” by Toby Keith
“I Think She Only Loves Me for My Willie” by Paul Overstreet
“When You’re Screwin’ Other Women (Think of Me)” by Doyle and Debbie
“Why Haven’t I Heard from You” by Reba McEntire
“I’ve Never Gone To Bed With An Ugly Woman, But I Sure Woke Up With a Few” by Bobby Bare
