All posts by Ben Sears

Comics

Twelve Percent Dread – Comics Review

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Twelve Percent Dread

  • Writer: Emily McGovern
  • Illustrator: Emily McGovern

Grade: A-

Do you often experience feelings of anxiety or depression? Do you worry about the future? Do you feel like you’re not doing enough on a day-to-day basis? Does it feel like your life isn’t heading in the right direction? Do you spend too much time staring at a screen? Emily McGovern is acutely aware throughout Twelve Percent Dread that we’re asked some version of these questions in our social media feeds, podcast ads, TV and radio commercials, billboards, and everywhere in-between throughout our daily lives, and it forms the backbone of her new graphic novel.

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Comics

Radiant Red Vol. 1 – Comics Review

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Radiant Red Vol. 1 (#1-5)

  • Writer: Cherish Chen
  • Illustrator: Miguel Muerto, David Lafuente

Grade: A-

Super villain origin stories are nothing new in popular culture, especially in the 21st century. Radiant Red had been set up early in Radiant Black’s run as the hero’s main antagonist, but Radiant Black #6 showed there was more behind the mask. Series writer Cherish Chen introduced Red’s backstory in #6 and was given the green light to expand the character for an initial 5 issue run, and the result is another solid entry in what has quickly become one of my personal favorite new superhero stories. 

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Movie Reviews

Nope – Movie Review

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Nope

  • Director: Jordan Peele
  • Writers: Jordan Peele
  • Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Michael Wilcott, Keith David

Grade: B+

In just three feature films as a director, Jordan Peele has enjoyed a noticeable upgrade in virtually every aspect of his production scale. His reputation as an exciting auteur of genre filmmaking has similarly skyrocketed. Get Out was a left-field cultural smash that garnered critical and popular attention and won Peele an Oscar for its screenplay. 2019’s Us received similar praise but steered more sharply into its horror trappings while still making a unique statement on class. Now comes Nope, a sci-fi/horror blend that manages to have a lot on its mind but never manages to bring it all together cohesively.

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Movie Reviews

The Gray Man – Movie Review

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The Gray Man

  • Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo
  • Writers: Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
  • Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Julia Butters, Alfre Woodard

Grade: C

You know your movie is in trouble when the behind-the-scenes happenings are more intriguing than what’s put forth on the screen. Such is the case with Joe and Anthony Russo’s newest action blockbuster The Gray Man. The film represents Netflix’s biggest production ever, a $200 million franchise starter that’s based on Mark Greaney’s book of the same name. And with A-list stars like Ryan Gosling (making his first on-screen appearance since 2018), Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas on board, the streamer is hoping for a big return on its investment.

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Awards, Emmys 2022, Special Features

2022 Emmy Predictions

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The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented on September 12, 2022. Here are our ranked predictions for the actors and shows most likely to win. Check back in, as the list will be updated often.

Best Drama SeriesBest Comedy Series
1. Succession
2. Squid Game
3. Stranger Things
4. Better Call Saul
5. Ozark
6. Euphoria
7. Severance
8. Yellowjackets 		1. Abbott Elementary
2. Ted Lasso
3. Barry
4. Hacks
5. Only Murders in the Building
6. What We Do in the Shadows
7. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
8. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Best Actress – DramaBest Supporting Actress – Drama
1. Zendaya, “Euphoria”
2. Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”
3. Laura Linney, “Ozark”
4. Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”
5. Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”
6. Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”		1. Julia Garner, “Ozark”
2. Sarah Snook, “Succession”
3. Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul”
4. Sydney Sweeney, “Euphoria”
5. Jung Ho-yeon, “Squid Game”
6. J. Smith-Cameron, “Succession”
7. Patricia Arquette, “Severance”
8. Christina Ricci, “Yellowjackets”
Best Actor – DramaBest Supporting Actor – Drama
1. Brian Cox, “Succession”
2. Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
3. Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
4. Lee Jun-jae, “Squid Game”
5. Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
6. Adam Scott, “Severance”
1. Matthew Macfayden, “Succession”
2. Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
3. Park Hae-soo, “Squid Game”
4. John Turturro, “Severance”
5. Oh Yeong-su, “Squid Game”
6. Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
7. Nicholas Braun, “Succession”
8. Christopher Walken, “Severance”
Best Actress – ComedyBest Supporting Actress – Comedy
1. Jean Smart, “Hacks”
2. Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
3. Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
4. Issa Rae, “Insecure”
5. Elle Fanning, “The Great”
6. Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”		1. Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
2. Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
3. Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
4. Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”
5. Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”
6. Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
7. Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
8. Sarah Niles, “Ted Lasso”
Best Actor – ComedyBest Supporting Actor – Comedy
1. Bill Hader, “Barry”
2. Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
3. Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
4. Donald Glover, “Atlanta”
5. Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
6. Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”		1. Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”
2. Henry Winkler, “Barry”
3. Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”
4. Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”
5. Toheeb Jimoh, “Ted Lasso”
6. Anthony Carrigan, “Barry”
7. Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
8. Tony Shaloub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Best Limited SeriesBest TV Movie
1. Dopesick
2. The White Lotus
3. The Dropout
4. Pam and Tommy
5. Inventing Anna		1. The Survivor
2. Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers
3. Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas
4. Reno 911!: The Hunt for QAnon
5. Ray Donovan: The Movie
Best Actress – Limited SeriesBest Supporting Actress – Limited Series
1. Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout”
2. Lily James, “Pam and Tommy”
3. Toni Collette, “The Staircase”
4. Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story”
5. Margaret Qualley, “Maid
6. Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”		1. Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus”
2. Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”
3. Mare Winningham, “Dopesick”
4. Alexandra Daddario, “The White Lotus”
5. Connie Britton, “The White Lotus”
6. Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”
7. Sydney Sweeney, “The White Lotus”
Best Actor – Limited SeriesBest Supporting Actor – Limited Series
1. Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”
2. Colin Firth, “The Staircase”
3. Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven”
4. Sebastian Stan, “Pam and Tommy”
5. Oscar Isaac, “Scenes From a Marriage”
6. Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”		1. Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus”
2. Michael Stuhlbarg, “Dopesick”
3. Will Poulter, “Dopesick”
4. Jake Lacy, “The White Lotus”
5. Peter Sarsgaard, “Dopesick”
6. Seth Rogen, “Pam and Tommy”
7. Steve Zahn, “The White Lotus”
Best Animated SeriesBest Variety Talk Show
1. Rick and Morty
2. Bob’s Burgers
3. What If…?
4. The Simpsons
5. Arcane: League of Legends		1. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
2. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
3. Late Night with Seth Meyers
4. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
5. Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Comics

Saga: Chapters 58-60 – Comics Review

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Saga: Chapters 58-60

  • Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
  • Illustrator: Fiona Staples

Grade: B

It’s hard not to say that, as a whole, Saga Volume 10 was a bit of a let down. I recognize that six chapters amongst a planned 108-chapter story is but a drop in the bucket, but, on the whole, I’m struggling to come up with any major plot or character developments that unfolded by the end of the last page. It’s refreshing to see that Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples have kept up the series’ consistency after such a long hiatus, continuing to expand on the seemingly endless number of worlds and characters at play.

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Movie Reviews

The Sea Beast – Movie Review

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The Sea Beast

  • Director: Chris Williams
  • Writers: Chris Williams, Nell Benjamin
  • Starring: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens, Kathy Burke

Grade: B+

Netflix’s quest to win the Academy Award for Best Picture has been a well-documented pursuit in recent years. With The Sea Beast, they perhaps have their best chance at winning the Best Animated Feature. The streamer’s newest animated film arrives on Friday and, while it’s likely to be swallowed up by their bigger, more palatable films, it deserves a spot at the table as one of the best animated films of the year.

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Movie Reviews

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On – Movie Review

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Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

  • Director: Dean Fleischer-Camp
  • Writers: Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate, Nick Paley
  • Starring: Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini, Dean Fleischer-Camp

Grade: A-

More often than not, I’m alone when I go to the theater. Sometimes I even have the theater to myself, which is what I secretly hope for whenever the lights go down and nobody else has entered. There’s a sense of freedom that comes with the sensation; freedom to laugh loudly at all the stupid jokes, freedom to squirm at an uncomfortable development, or freedom to simply stretch myself out. But at my screening of Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, there wasn’t an empty seat to be found, and somehow the experience made the film all the more potent. Because when you’re watching a film that’s all about finding friendship amongst the vast loneliness of the world, being surrounded by a room full of strangers (and right next to my wide-eyed 7-year old) is oddly cathartic.

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Best of 2022, Special Features

Best TV Shows of 2022 So Far

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Though I’ve done better this year at keeping up with television, notably absent from this list are some of the shows that tend to dominate the cultural conversation like Succession, Abbott Elementary, The Staircase, Hacks, Euphoria, Our Flag Means Death, Better Call Saul, and more. Nevertheless, here are some of the best series of the first half of the year.

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