Two years ago, I penned an article about Colby Corino, the second generation grappler that had quite literally grown up in a squared circle, running around empty ECW venues before the doors opened for that night's mayhem. At the time, Colby had just reemerged onto the independent circuit, refreshed and healthy, as he prepared to live up to the potential that so many saw in him from such an early age. It was easy to cheer for the young wrestler because he genuinely sounded dedicated toward the goal of putting his talents to use inside the ring ropes, not squandering the opportunities he was provided.
Since that time, the blond-haired technician has not only stayed on a healthy path, but he made strides that got him noticed and represented the family name very well, logging hundreds of miles on weekend trips to events for the chance to hone his craft. Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, and Chicago were just a few places on the map for him as he zigzagged along the east coast and into the midwest to establish himself as someone to watch on the indy scene. Along with a brief appearance on 205 Live in early 2019, Colby elevated his profile with stellar work in Evolve as a part of the Unwanted Stable with indy standout Joe Gacy and the freshly-signed AEW competitor, Eddie Kingston. Despite the notoriety and gaining more exposure through those opportunities, Colby recognizes the importance of continuing to polish his game to achieve the biggest platform possible.
"I’m very satisfied with everything I’ve done in the last two years. I’ve wrestled on 205 Live, RAW Underground, Evolve, wrestled at the last ever Warped Tour for Game Changer Wrestling, and so much more, but those things just feel more like steps in the right direction rather than achieving my goals. I felt I’ve grown so much as a performer in the last two years and I can’t wait until everyone sees what I can do," Colby explained.
In the midst of watching his stock in the professional wrestling world increased, he experienced something that completely eclipsed standing in a giant arena full of screaming fans for a WWE taping or soaring through the air at an Evolve event, as his son, Orion Steven Corino was born happy and healthy on May 8, 2019. The newest Corino definitely has sports entertainment in his DNA, as he often plays in the ring at Carolina Wrestling Academy, where Colby helps as a trainer with other veteran coaches. As much as he gets an adrenaline rush from inside the ring ropes, nothing compares to the role of family man for him.
"It was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. My perspective on the business aspect of wrestling completely changed for the better and his presence in my life motivates me and gives me so much drive to succeed for my family so we can live a comfortable life. I think I adjusted to father hood pretty well. I’m a homebody anyway, so having a whole little family of my own to share my life with is pretty great," Colby said.
In a moment that was a major contrast to the mayhem that usually takes place in the ring, Colby and his dad, former ECW and NWA champion, as well as current WWE Performance Center coach, Steve Corino were sitting in the backyard to enjoy the warm weather. During the course of the conversation, Steve, who has a roadmap of scar tissue to decorate his forehead as a reminder of his days in the ring, sipped on a coffee when he made a suggestion for his son's birthday. Considering that Colby is most at home inside the squared circle, why not bring the square circle to his home? With a variety of connections through the previously mentioned Carolina Wrestling Academy and
Premier Wrestling Federation, Colby realized he could get all the equipment that he needed to produce an event in his own backyard.
Thus, the concept of "Colby's Backyard Birthday Brawl" was announced for this Saturday with plans to stream the closed set production live on independentwrestling.tv for fans around the world to be able to watch safely for the comfort of their own home. But, Colby isn't taking even his birthday celebration lightly, as he considers the ability to follow proper safety protocols to be the most important aspect of this event. Furthermore, he hopes that the blue print he puts forward can be an example for other independent groups, as many struggle to maintain their business model during the economic crunch of the pandemic.
"Running a show during a pandemic definitely makes things a bit more stressful, but if the alternative is no wrestling at all, we’ll do whatever we have to to work around the obstacles.
Some of the measures were taking are not opening the show to the public and exclusively streaming the show on IWTV, obviously doing the show outside in an open air environment, requiring masks for everyone not in the ring, enforcing social distancing as much as possible, having a sanitation crew to sanitize the ring in between matches, requiring all performers get tested for COVID before coming, and having sanitation stations on site.
It sounds like a lot of hurdles but independent wrestling is in shambles at the moment, and the ones left standing in the rubble can’t wait for someone else to rebuild it. It’s up to us, and I hope this show is a step in the right direction," he commented.
Trying to focus on the more entertaining aspects of the sports in such a bleak year is challenging, but Colby looks to bring together a talented cast of Carolina stars, including The Ugly Ducklings, accomplished veteran George South, and many others to give the fans a show they can enjoy while he spends his 24th birthday with his friends and family.
"Fans can expect a fun night of wrestling. I am putting my trampoline and pool next to the ring, so expect craziness and probable shenanigans. There may be some names on the show that some fans may not recognize, but they will definitely remember their names after watching. This is the first show we’ve ever streamed live on IWTV and everyone is very excited to show out what we can do. I hope fans give us a chance to entertain them. My birthday wish is that people tune in and just enjoy wrestling for a night. We can’t wait to perform for you, and I hope you can’t wait to watch us. I’m so excited to just be able to wrestle," he said.
So, while the term "In Your House" will always be a part of the wrestling fan lexicon, Colby Corino will quite literally invite fans in his house through the power of the internet to celebrate his birthday. For Colby, the production will be highlighted by cake and drop kicks, but it also is an example of how someone can overcome obstacles and in their life and find true happiness. This Saturday Colby Corino celebrates his 24th birthday in the sport that he loves surrounded by the friends and family that he loves, in a showcase to entertain the fans that have supported him on his journey in the professional wrestling industry.
Friday, August 21, 2020
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
The Retribution stable
Over the past few weeks, the vigilante stable, Retribution has crashed WWE shows at the Performance Center, throwing bricks through the doors of the facility, interfering with the broadcast, and even destroying the ring on Smackdown. The bold antics have been enough to spark some intrigue in the rather bland product of the pandemic era, but you have to wonder, will there be a payoff to this angle or is it going to be a major letdown?
The reason I ask this is because, much like Raw Underground, the writing team appears to favor anything out-of-the-box recently in an attempt to boost sluggish ratings and most of it is more or less their attempt to throw anything against the wall to see if it sticks to stabilize viewership. Granted, the majority of these tactics like Raw Underground with its countless camera cuts or Tozawa booked as a comedy act seem more like desperation than anything else from management to try to avoid the negativity associated with the decline in numbers.
In theory, Retribution could be a stable that ushers in a new and fresh look to the WWE landscape, but its reveal and just as important, if not more so, the follow-up to it could determine if the angle picks up steam or falls flat. There continues to be speculation online about who the members of the stable might be, and it's logical to expect this stable to be used to introduce new faces, but this can't be just NXT wrestlers that move up to the main roster because they don't have the star power among the main WWE audience to generate a buzz about the group. Furthermore, a crew of just NXT wrestlers would basically be a retread of the original Nexus storyline, and we all know how well that got over long-term, considering none of them had the chance to become stars with the initial angle.
In my opinion, the Retribution stable will need someone recognizable to be involved in the group to generate some hype around it and thus be able to put a spotlight on the lesser known members. I saw some speculation online that perhaps CM Punk might be brought back into the fold, especially because his stint on the now-defunct WWE Backstage show got him involved in the WWE environment again without anything too direct, which could've helped mend some of the animosity between the two sides. Punk said in the past that he would be willing to talk to the office if it was the right opportunity, and since his UFC career didn't take off the way he hoped, it's possible that he was away from the ring long enough to allow for some of his hostility toward the industry to fade. Plus, with the mega TV deals now a major revenue source for the company, they might be able to offer him a deal that could persuade him to work a limited schedule.
From a storyline respective, CM Punk as the leader of a rouge crew of wrestlers makes sense because it could be his way to get "retribution" toward the company that he publicly spoke against for the way he thought he was mistreated during his run there. The circumstances for it are right, as the WWE has the previously mentioned TV money to throw enough cash at him to make him consider a return, the product obviously needs a spark that his return could deliver, especially after the public disagreements between the two sides, and Punk has the leverage to work a schedule that could make a return to the company at least possible.
Don't get me wrong, do I think CM Punk will be the leader of Retribution? No, but it's not impossible either. For those that discount this option because of the way Punk left the promotion, keep in mind that Ultimate Warrior, Stone Cold, Brock Lesnar, and even Bruno Sammartino eventually made their way back to WWE. As is usually the case in business, cash in the key and there could be a lot of money involved for everyone, particularly a way to build some hype around the company again if Punk is back to seek revenge with a stable of NXT wrestlers. As I penned in an article last month, I really think that Punk had the talent and was over enough to bring pro wrestling back into the main stream conversation with the notable run he had in 2011, but management squashed it because it wasn't a part of their corporate agenda. That sets up for his involvement in the Retribution stable and it would undoubtedly draw better numbers for Raw.
Now, if Punk isn't involved, there still must be someone will legitimate star power to put over the rest of the stable as a credible threat to the company. So far, the vignettes have been rather tacky and considering that Linda McMahon donated $6 million dollars to the Trump campaign in 2016 and had a spot in his cabinet, you have to wonder if the nature of these segments were an attempt to spoof some of the discontent of current society. NXT has a stellar roster and there's speculation that this stable will consistent of some of those stars, but remember that NXT is the lowest viewed show on WWE TV so those competitors don't have the same exposure as the roster of Raw or Smackdown. If the Retribution reveal is just a group of vaguely known NXT stars, it might be a rather flat moment for the Raw and Smackdown audience. If there's someone with star power as the figure head, it can give the storyline more depth and that makes it possible for a better follow-up after the reveal. As mentioned, arguably the most important aspect of the entire angle is how the group will be used after they unmask on television. The Nexus angle didn't make any long-term stars because the entire stable was more or less used as a way to give John Cena opponents. After Cena defeated them, they didn't have a direction to go on TV. Those from the original Nexus that eventual got over were repackaged before they made progress to be seen as a star in the WWE. Considering the typical shift in direction of Raw in recent months, it will be interesting to see if management actually has a specific plan about where the angle will go or if it's booked week-to-week depending on the ratings, but if WWE brass wants the group to have any mileage after the reveal then it must be presented as a credible stable on WWE TV. That being said, if I had to guess, I would say that this angle probably won't have a conclusion that makes its members bigger stars because the booking the past several months hasn't done much to solidify any new stars for the company.
The reason I ask this is because, much like Raw Underground, the writing team appears to favor anything out-of-the-box recently in an attempt to boost sluggish ratings and most of it is more or less their attempt to throw anything against the wall to see if it sticks to stabilize viewership. Granted, the majority of these tactics like Raw Underground with its countless camera cuts or Tozawa booked as a comedy act seem more like desperation than anything else from management to try to avoid the negativity associated with the decline in numbers.
In theory, Retribution could be a stable that ushers in a new and fresh look to the WWE landscape, but its reveal and just as important, if not more so, the follow-up to it could determine if the angle picks up steam or falls flat. There continues to be speculation online about who the members of the stable might be, and it's logical to expect this stable to be used to introduce new faces, but this can't be just NXT wrestlers that move up to the main roster because they don't have the star power among the main WWE audience to generate a buzz about the group. Furthermore, a crew of just NXT wrestlers would basically be a retread of the original Nexus storyline, and we all know how well that got over long-term, considering none of them had the chance to become stars with the initial angle.
In my opinion, the Retribution stable will need someone recognizable to be involved in the group to generate some hype around it and thus be able to put a spotlight on the lesser known members. I saw some speculation online that perhaps CM Punk might be brought back into the fold, especially because his stint on the now-defunct WWE Backstage show got him involved in the WWE environment again without anything too direct, which could've helped mend some of the animosity between the two sides. Punk said in the past that he would be willing to talk to the office if it was the right opportunity, and since his UFC career didn't take off the way he hoped, it's possible that he was away from the ring long enough to allow for some of his hostility toward the industry to fade. Plus, with the mega TV deals now a major revenue source for the company, they might be able to offer him a deal that could persuade him to work a limited schedule.
From a storyline respective, CM Punk as the leader of a rouge crew of wrestlers makes sense because it could be his way to get "retribution" toward the company that he publicly spoke against for the way he thought he was mistreated during his run there. The circumstances for it are right, as the WWE has the previously mentioned TV money to throw enough cash at him to make him consider a return, the product obviously needs a spark that his return could deliver, especially after the public disagreements between the two sides, and Punk has the leverage to work a schedule that could make a return to the company at least possible.
Don't get me wrong, do I think CM Punk will be the leader of Retribution? No, but it's not impossible either. For those that discount this option because of the way Punk left the promotion, keep in mind that Ultimate Warrior, Stone Cold, Brock Lesnar, and even Bruno Sammartino eventually made their way back to WWE. As is usually the case in business, cash in the key and there could be a lot of money involved for everyone, particularly a way to build some hype around the company again if Punk is back to seek revenge with a stable of NXT wrestlers. As I penned in an article last month, I really think that Punk had the talent and was over enough to bring pro wrestling back into the main stream conversation with the notable run he had in 2011, but management squashed it because it wasn't a part of their corporate agenda. That sets up for his involvement in the Retribution stable and it would undoubtedly draw better numbers for Raw.
Now, if Punk isn't involved, there still must be someone will legitimate star power to put over the rest of the stable as a credible threat to the company. So far, the vignettes have been rather tacky and considering that Linda McMahon donated $6 million dollars to the Trump campaign in 2016 and had a spot in his cabinet, you have to wonder if the nature of these segments were an attempt to spoof some of the discontent of current society. NXT has a stellar roster and there's speculation that this stable will consistent of some of those stars, but remember that NXT is the lowest viewed show on WWE TV so those competitors don't have the same exposure as the roster of Raw or Smackdown. If the Retribution reveal is just a group of vaguely known NXT stars, it might be a rather flat moment for the Raw and Smackdown audience. If there's someone with star power as the figure head, it can give the storyline more depth and that makes it possible for a better follow-up after the reveal. As mentioned, arguably the most important aspect of the entire angle is how the group will be used after they unmask on television. The Nexus angle didn't make any long-term stars because the entire stable was more or less used as a way to give John Cena opponents. After Cena defeated them, they didn't have a direction to go on TV. Those from the original Nexus that eventual got over were repackaged before they made progress to be seen as a star in the WWE. Considering the typical shift in direction of Raw in recent months, it will be interesting to see if management actually has a specific plan about where the angle will go or if it's booked week-to-week depending on the ratings, but if WWE brass wants the group to have any mileage after the reveal then it must be presented as a credible stable on WWE TV. That being said, if I had to guess, I would say that this angle probably won't have a conclusion that makes its members bigger stars because the booking the past several months hasn't done much to solidify any new stars for the company.
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Raw Underground
In the midst of a global pandemic and ratings that have dipped to a record low, WWE brass introduced the concept of "Raw Underground," a fight club gimmick ripped directly from 1999, two weeks ago. The results and the feedback have been mixed at best.
First, I have to say to present something so out-of-the-box rather abruptly projects a sense of desperation, as ratings have slipped below two million viewers. This goes back to something I wrote earlier this year about the lack of a live crowd in the pandemic era, it exposed much of the WWE product for it's lack of substances without the state-of-the-art production value to camouflage programming with the sizzle of all the smoke and mirrors that goes along with WWE live events. Granted, it doesn't help that Roman Reigns, the star they organization has continuously banked the most on, can't be there because of rightful health concerns, but without the previously mentioned smooth production value that pans the camera around full arenas to make the product look major league, some of the more glaring flaws in company philosophy have shown through. Another aspect I've written about extensively in recent years is the 50/50 booking that doesn't actually allow performers to progress or be showcased as bigger stars. Plus, most of the product was put on autopilot as the WWE machine churns out content with the same formula, which led to mediocrity and complacency on WWE TV.
There are several examples, and it will sound too negative, but an objective look at the situation shows those mishaps are the basis of the problem for the lack of legitimate star power, despite the fact that the current roster might arguably have the best in-ring talent in the history of the company. As talented as Dolph Ziggler is and as much as he probably should've been given better chances to run with a better spot on Raw, he's more or less glorified enhancement talent because he's often booked against top guys in an attempt to make them look good. The problem is, it was done so often that those angles lost any value for the champion because it was obvious that Dolph didn't have any chance to actually win the title. He was booked against Braun Strowman as only a way to make Braun look strong and then he worked a feud against Drew McIntyre that not only made him look foolish, but his value as a contender was reduced to zero when he couldn't beat Drew in a match where he could pick the stipulations. Sure, that gimmick was used to attempt to sell the possibility that Ziggler could use his pick to get enough of an advantage that he could win the title, but if the writing team is going to book something like that and then Dolph loses, what value does he have as a challenger on the show? Furthermore, how could he retain any type of star power after that? The whole scenario is so predictable that the audiences knows they don't have to tune in to see the result, and they obviously didn't based on the recent ratings.
Another recycled angle is that Randy Orton was booked against the Big Show prior to the Drew feud. How many times has a heel beat down the Big Show to attempt to get them over for a title match? Remember when Brock literally did the exact same thing a few years ago? Considering the Big Show is usually only brought back for a short-term feud to get someone else over in the same type of angle that was done repeatedly before, isn't there a point where that situation is also too predictable to retain viewers? Speaking of Randy Orton, it's debatable if he should be in the top feud on Raw because while he's tremendously talented, he sometimes mails in performances, depending on the opponent. If I had to guess, I'd say he will be motivated to work with Drew, but how many stellar Orton matches have happened in recent years? That's not meant to bury him either, but considering how talented he is, he doesn't have the extensive list of classic matches to him name that you might expect of someone at his level. The bottom line is, will McIntyre be a bigger star after these matches against Orton?
The tired cliches of WWE programming are ultimately why management is trying something completely different with the Raw Underground setting, but the concept is flawed on a fundamental level. The problem with worked MMA is that it looks blatantly phony and it's a situation where the audience will roll their eyes at something that is so obviously fake because it goes to a level that it's insulting to watch. The concept of MMA within a WWE context actually neutralizes the advantages that pro wrestling has over mixed martial arts. Since sports entertainment is predetermined, the performers can ensure the paying customer gets a good show with the intention that they get their money's worth. Sure, some pro wrestling shows fall flat, but the intention is to try to deliver a solid three-hour pay-per-view etc. If you follow the UFC, it's well-known that there are times that highly-anticipated cards are changed because of injuries or there's occasional lackluster main events on pay-per-view. Finally, pro wrestling is a work where there is cooperation between competitors to avoid potential injuries. It can't be understated how important that is because if an athlete is on the shelf, regardless of it's within sports entertainment or MMA then they can't draw money, which is the entire point of the business side of sports.
The WWE simply can't get away with the countless camera cuts to try to hide the fact that the "worked shoot" matches are obviously staged and it looks so tacky. Keep in mind, from an MMA prospective, fans can watch similar action in the UFC and see a slow motion replay of a legitimate knockout so how is Raw Underground going to try to sell the action as a shoot when the camera is clearly trying to avoid how far away the strikes are in the ring? Furthermore, you have to wonder what exactly the selling point is for Raw Underground? Is it that Raw Underground is the "real fighting" on the show? If that's the case then why should the audience care about the previous two hours of scripted fighting on the same show? The previously mentioned Dolph Ziggler was on par with The Brooklyn Brawler just a few weeks ago, but he got a win on Raw Underground so why couldn't he use any of those skills against McIntyre? If the presentation is supposed to be that Raw Underground is the "legitimate" competition on the show then management is telling the audience that the scripted matches aren't as important. It's ironic that WWE's sports entertainment numbers are in a slump when they've spent the past few years pushing the fact that MMA is more important than the actual pro wrestling on the shows. Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar were presented as more important than the typical wrestlers because of their MMA background. Maybe fans would be more enthusiastic about watching sports entertainment if management emphasized the stars of it instead of trying to get wrestling fans to tune in for something other than the pro wrestling industry.
First, I have to say to present something so out-of-the-box rather abruptly projects a sense of desperation, as ratings have slipped below two million viewers. This goes back to something I wrote earlier this year about the lack of a live crowd in the pandemic era, it exposed much of the WWE product for it's lack of substances without the state-of-the-art production value to camouflage programming with the sizzle of all the smoke and mirrors that goes along with WWE live events. Granted, it doesn't help that Roman Reigns, the star they organization has continuously banked the most on, can't be there because of rightful health concerns, but without the previously mentioned smooth production value that pans the camera around full arenas to make the product look major league, some of the more glaring flaws in company philosophy have shown through. Another aspect I've written about extensively in recent years is the 50/50 booking that doesn't actually allow performers to progress or be showcased as bigger stars. Plus, most of the product was put on autopilot as the WWE machine churns out content with the same formula, which led to mediocrity and complacency on WWE TV.
There are several examples, and it will sound too negative, but an objective look at the situation shows those mishaps are the basis of the problem for the lack of legitimate star power, despite the fact that the current roster might arguably have the best in-ring talent in the history of the company. As talented as Dolph Ziggler is and as much as he probably should've been given better chances to run with a better spot on Raw, he's more or less glorified enhancement talent because he's often booked against top guys in an attempt to make them look good. The problem is, it was done so often that those angles lost any value for the champion because it was obvious that Dolph didn't have any chance to actually win the title. He was booked against Braun Strowman as only a way to make Braun look strong and then he worked a feud against Drew McIntyre that not only made him look foolish, but his value as a contender was reduced to zero when he couldn't beat Drew in a match where he could pick the stipulations. Sure, that gimmick was used to attempt to sell the possibility that Ziggler could use his pick to get enough of an advantage that he could win the title, but if the writing team is going to book something like that and then Dolph loses, what value does he have as a challenger on the show? Furthermore, how could he retain any type of star power after that? The whole scenario is so predictable that the audiences knows they don't have to tune in to see the result, and they obviously didn't based on the recent ratings.
Another recycled angle is that Randy Orton was booked against the Big Show prior to the Drew feud. How many times has a heel beat down the Big Show to attempt to get them over for a title match? Remember when Brock literally did the exact same thing a few years ago? Considering the Big Show is usually only brought back for a short-term feud to get someone else over in the same type of angle that was done repeatedly before, isn't there a point where that situation is also too predictable to retain viewers? Speaking of Randy Orton, it's debatable if he should be in the top feud on Raw because while he's tremendously talented, he sometimes mails in performances, depending on the opponent. If I had to guess, I'd say he will be motivated to work with Drew, but how many stellar Orton matches have happened in recent years? That's not meant to bury him either, but considering how talented he is, he doesn't have the extensive list of classic matches to him name that you might expect of someone at his level. The bottom line is, will McIntyre be a bigger star after these matches against Orton?
The tired cliches of WWE programming are ultimately why management is trying something completely different with the Raw Underground setting, but the concept is flawed on a fundamental level. The problem with worked MMA is that it looks blatantly phony and it's a situation where the audience will roll their eyes at something that is so obviously fake because it goes to a level that it's insulting to watch. The concept of MMA within a WWE context actually neutralizes the advantages that pro wrestling has over mixed martial arts. Since sports entertainment is predetermined, the performers can ensure the paying customer gets a good show with the intention that they get their money's worth. Sure, some pro wrestling shows fall flat, but the intention is to try to deliver a solid three-hour pay-per-view etc. If you follow the UFC, it's well-known that there are times that highly-anticipated cards are changed because of injuries or there's occasional lackluster main events on pay-per-view. Finally, pro wrestling is a work where there is cooperation between competitors to avoid potential injuries. It can't be understated how important that is because if an athlete is on the shelf, regardless of it's within sports entertainment or MMA then they can't draw money, which is the entire point of the business side of sports.
The WWE simply can't get away with the countless camera cuts to try to hide the fact that the "worked shoot" matches are obviously staged and it looks so tacky. Keep in mind, from an MMA prospective, fans can watch similar action in the UFC and see a slow motion replay of a legitimate knockout so how is Raw Underground going to try to sell the action as a shoot when the camera is clearly trying to avoid how far away the strikes are in the ring? Furthermore, you have to wonder what exactly the selling point is for Raw Underground? Is it that Raw Underground is the "real fighting" on the show? If that's the case then why should the audience care about the previous two hours of scripted fighting on the same show? The previously mentioned Dolph Ziggler was on par with The Brooklyn Brawler just a few weeks ago, but he got a win on Raw Underground so why couldn't he use any of those skills against McIntyre? If the presentation is supposed to be that Raw Underground is the "legitimate" competition on the show then management is telling the audience that the scripted matches aren't as important. It's ironic that WWE's sports entertainment numbers are in a slump when they've spent the past few years pushing the fact that MMA is more important than the actual pro wrestling on the shows. Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar were presented as more important than the typical wrestlers because of their MMA background. Maybe fans would be more enthusiastic about watching sports entertainment if management emphasized the stars of it instead of trying to get wrestling fans to tune in for something other than the pro wrestling industry.
Friday, August 7, 2020
The Pope of Greenwich Village
The first article that I penned for this site late last year was about Robert De Niro's debut as a director, A Bronx Tale, the 1960s street saga based on Chazz Palminteri's one-man stage show. As mentioned in that original review, I discovered the film when my dad put a copy that he taped from HBO into the VCR. This time, I'd like to discuss another movie that I originally watched from a home recorded copy, The Pope of Greenwich Village. Another street saga, this 1984 release shifts to another famous location in New York, the Greenwich section of Manhattan. With the screen play written by Vincent Patrick, adopted from his novel of the same name, the film blends together tense moments of uncertainty with occasional comic relief, as two wise guys find themselves lost in the shuffle of the hustle of the streets.
Directed by Stu Rosenburg, who has the classic "Cool Hand Luke" on his resume, the production brought together a tremendously talented cast, including the two main characters, Charlie and Paulie, played by Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts respectively. At the time the film hit theaters, Rourke, a sharp and charismatic actor, was on an upswing with titles like 1982's Diner and the Coppola-directed Rumble fish on his resume. Eric Roberts, the brother of famous actress, Julia, played the role of Charlie's clumsy sidekick perfectly to give the narrative more depth as the film progressed.
The opening scene finds Charlie swaying to the rhythm of Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" as he files through his closet to pick a snazzy suit to wear for his shift as a manager at a high-end restaurant. In a slight example of foreshadowing, his carefree jam session set to Frank's suave voice is interrupted by his search of several pairs of his Italian-made dress shoes to look for extra cash to make a payment to one of the loan sharks waiting at the restaurant. As he strolls into the eatery, a co-worker gives his supervisor the heads-up that the crusty owner of the establishment plans to check tabs that night to make sure the waiters aren't excluding items on the bill in exchange for better tips. This is where we're first introduced to Paulie, Charlie's third cousin, who naively disregards the same warning from him. Roberts' character decides to skip the high-priced items on the bill, which the owner obviously notices and fires both cousins since the manager didn't catch the underhanded tactic first. The confrontation outside of the establishment when Charlie angrily informs Paulie that his mishap resulted in the pair of cousins getting their walking papers sets the tone for their dynamic in the film. Charlie is a hustler trying to stay above water with hopes of owning his own restaurant someday. Paulie immaturely tries to explain his rational for skipping items on the check before the audience sees that he legitimately feels bad that he costs his cousin the job.
The next scene finds a distressed Rourke at his kitchen table shuffling through bills and late notices in the apartment he shares with his girlfriend Diane, played by Daryl Hannah, who went on to work in dozens of roles in TV and film, including the 2003 cult favorite, Kill Bill. Adding to his financial struggles are alimony, child support payments, and credit card debit. Unwavering, Diane assures Charlie everything will work out for the best, prompting Sinatra's "Summer Wind" to rejoin the film as we find the freshly unemployed cousins playing stick ball in the neighborhood the next day. The good times were short-lived, as his visit to the bank for a loan was denied and when he arrives home, more pressure was heaped upon him with the news that Diane is pregnant. Back to bop around the village, Paulie tells Charlie about his next outlandish venture in an attempt to hit it big. The dim-witted waiter explains that he bought into a race horse that was conceived through "artificial inspiration" without realizing that he misspoke on the terminology while he makes himself a comically large sandwich. Paulie claims the thoroughbred has the "champion gene," but the out-of-work waiter needs to score some big cash to bet with, revealing his next narrow-minded scheme.
The two meet Barney McMillian, an eccentric and edgy clock dealer, in a bar. The Irishman explains his work repairing clocks gave him the tools to pick locks. Before the trio can discuss details of a heist of the safe of a shipping company, the hard-nosed officer that patrols the streets tows Paulie's car, despite his pleas to accept a ticket without getting the car impounded. Finally Charlie agrees to the heist, with the mounting financial pressures in his life as the determine factor.
During the next scene the audience is introduced to Jack Kehoe's Walter "Bunky" Ritter as he shuffles through the crowded sidewalk into the local mafia hang out. Similar to Kehoe's character in the film, Serpico, "Bunky" Ritter is a crooked cop on the take, paid to drop off mob collections in exchange for a piece of the pie. Detective Ritter meets with "Bed Bug" Eddie Grant, the local kingpin, to discuss details for his next pick up. "Bed Bug" is portrayed by Burt Young, who famously played Paulie as Sylvester Stallone's pal in Rocky. Despite the boxing corner man as probably his most well-known role, the Eddie Grant character shows that Young has depth to his acting repertoire, replacing the good natured Rocky role with a sense of danger on-screen as a ruthless mob ruler.
The tense introduction of "Bed Bug" Eddie is contrasted in the next scene when the patrolman that had Paulie's car towed was back on the street writing tickets when he stopped into the bar to use his position of authority to get a free drink after he used the bathroom. While the cop was taking care of business, Paulie slipped in the bar and put a packet of horse laxative in the cop's whiskey. The gluttonous patrolman emerges from the restroom, downs the free drink, and goes back to the street to gleefully write more citations. Within seconds, the stomach tremors hit him and he attempts to waddle like a penguin back toward the bathroom before his digestive track can't offer any more resistance. Paulie rushed to a pay phone and called in an officer down, prompting squad cars to swarm the street, only to find the diarrhea-stricken cop holding his stomach. As an Irish folk song crescendos, Paulie proclaims to the public that the cop defecated on himself.
Back to business, Paulie, Charlie, and Barney meet up that night to break into the shipping company's offices to crack the safe, hoping to score the $150,000 inside. As fate would have it, as those three prepare to begin work on the safe, Bunky Ritter is shown at the apartment he shares with his mom getting ready to go pick up the same money. Geraldine Page, an actress that had a 40-year career through the stage, film, and television, was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Mrs. Ritter. Page does such a stellar job with this character, as she authentically presents a no non-sense character, but still brings a caring side to it. Different from Kehoe's role in Serpico, Detective Walter agreed to the collections as a way to ensure a retirement fund for himself and his mother, who worked as a housekeeper for several years. Bunky's actions might not be legal, but his intentions are noble, a recurring theme in the narrative of the film.
It's revealed that Bunky keeps a wire on him during all meetings about the collections as an insurance policy for his safety, and as he drives to the office for the pick up, he acknowledges the other detectives involved in the bribes. Unaware of Bunky's impending arrival, Barney is cracking the safe while Paulie sips on a coffee and watches the parking lot. Tense drama builds as the former waiter tells his accomplices that someone is walking up to the building. With the lights out, the trio hide as Detective Ritter enters the office that has equipment strewn around the room since the building was being remodeled. The tools don't phase him, but the hole drilled into the safe is a red flag. Unsure of how recent hole was made, Bunky uses his detective skills to see how warm Paulie's coffee was. Immediately, Bunky takes out his gun, knowing the fresh coffee meant someone was still in the room. As he backs up and yells for the person to reveal themselves, he fires a shot before he accidentally falls down an unfinished elevator shaft. The trio attempt to check on him, but realize that Walter is dead, with Charlie retrieving the tape that was used to record the audio from the wire the cop wore to the meetings. Despite Charlie's objections, Barney finishes the safe job, garnering the $150,000 that Paulie promised would be there.
Charlie found the detective's arrival too suspicious so he confronts his cousin about what else he knew about the situation. With a little pressure, Paulie admits that the shipping company is run by Eddie Grant, which meant they just stole from the local mafia crew. Charlie is almost hysterical as he questions why his cousin would want to steal from the "Bed Bug." Again, we see the naive side of Paulie because he thought that including his cousin in the heist would make up for getting him fired, but it actually put his life in danger.
The news of the safe cracking and the aftermath have a ripple effect throughout the film, as word of Detective Ritter's wire makes his fellow officers concerned about their future if their involvement in bribes is revealed. Two gruff cops visit Mrs. Ritter to attempt to search their apartment for the missing recordings. Again, Geraldine Page does such an incredible job in this scene, mixing her grief by clutching a rosary with a tone of toughness, as she aggressively puffs on an unfiltered cigarette and sips a whiskey. When the cops try to intimidate her with the threat of trying to withhold Walter's pension, she promptly kicks them out of her house before she tearfully hold the rosary close to her, the wall of grittiness finally tumbles down from the waves of grief at the death of Walter at the office. At the same time, Bed Bug Eddie gets word from the street that Paulie and an unknown partner were the ones that stole the cash. A member of Bed Bug's crew knows Paulie, but Uncle Pete as the waiter affectionately calls him, insist his nephew isn't a safe cracker. Eddie Grant wasn't the only one to take the news hard, as Charlie visits Diane at the studio where she teaches dance classes and tells her that he landed $50,000 from the robbery. Diane is livid that Charlie allowed his cousin to get him in another jam, and an argument ensues before Charlie leaves, the situation with her unsolved.
Eventually, Paulie is at the stables to check on his horse with the "champion gene" that he plans to race soon, wagering the cash he lifted from Bed Bug's safe. He was faced with a game of chance sooner than expected, as Uncle Pete and a few of Eddie Grant's goons, including Frank Vincent, who made a career of supporting roles in mafia dramas, including Casino, Raging Bull, The Sopranos, and others, were there to meet him. Uncle Pete takes a walk with his nephew, informing him that someone identified him as one of the thieves. Bed Bug Eddie had a reputation for slicing people up, and Pete tells Paulie that the only way for him to leave the stables alive is to tell him who his partner was in the safe job. Paulie begs for a reprieve, but Pete assures him there are only two options in this scenario. As the tension builds, Paulie leaks the information that Barney cracked the safe, but doesn't mention Charlie in an attempt to protect his cousin from the wrath of the Bed Bug. As Uncle Pete hugs Paulie, the previously mentioned Frank Vincent approaches and cuts off Paulie's thumb, the penalty for robbing the head of the mafia crew.
With Barney revealed to be the partner, the crooked cops are sent to retrieve him, but the savvy clock dealer was a step ahead and escaped through a side door. Later, Barney gives Charlie his share of the robbery and asked him to mail it to him after he escaped the city. During this conversation, Barney's motivation for the heist is explained, as he plans to use the extra cash to provide for his wife and care for his special needs child. Again, not exactly legal, but a noble cause.
Charlie finds himself in a cash flow problem of his own, as he returned home with flowers for Diane to smooth over the earlier argument at the dance studio. A message from her on the answering machine tells Charlie that she took $45,000 of the money for their unborn child and decided to leave him. Enraged being the victim of his own theft case, Charlie begins smashing the furniture, pummeling the refrigerator and breaking chairs. The next morning, with a half empty bottle of wine next to him, Charlie is awoken by a faint knock at the door. When he answers, his cousin is standing there delirious with his hand wrapped up from the Bed Bug form of justice. Only after rambling on about his decision to give up Barney as the partner does the medicated Paulie ask what happened to all the broken appliances. Upon hearing the news that Diane ran off with most of the cash, Paulie rants for a while before the reality of his missing appendage sets in when he looks at his hand. In one of the most memorable lines of the film, Paulie proclaims, "Charlie! They took my thumb!" collapsing to the floor after taking too many pain killers before he arrived.
Despite the lovable dork's mistakes, Charlie immediately tends to his cousin, as the next scene shows him feeding Paulie soup. To make up for the theft, Paulie will have to serve coffee at the mafia hang out and within days, the Bed Bug interrogates him as to the number of people involved in the robbery. After Barney skipped town, another measure of revenge was being plotted, and after tense questioning, Paulie finally cracks, naming his cousin as the third participant in the robbery. As was usually the case, the new coffee server had a plan to get his cousin out of this predicament. With his race horse, "Starry Hope " set to run at the track, he bought two tickets for Miami as an escape plan for the cousins after they hit it big on the horse bet. Unaware that the Bed Bug knows about him, Charlie bets Starry Hope across the board with his remaining share of the theft, a safer bet than his cousin makes, who put everything on the horse to win. After an exciting race, Charlie's place or show bet pays off, as he lands $20,000 from the horse's second place finish.
To celebrate the victory, the two stop at a bar where Paulie nervously confesses to Charlie that he had to give up his name to the mafia crew. Totally irate, Charlie screams at Paulie and throws trash cans through the street, storming off as Paulie tearfully tries to explain the tickets to Miami are a way to leave. As Charlie listens to Detective Ritter's wire tape again, he realizes he has evidence and leverage that proofs of Bed Bug's involvement in crime. There's a montage that shows Charlie getting ready for an eventual showdown with the kingpin. His finest suit, a manicure, and a hair cut prepare him as he walked into the mob club for the confrontation. He sits across from Eddie Grant and explains that the Bed Bug will give him a pass on the robbery because he has a tape that can link him to the police corruption in the city. Implying that he plans to severe Charlie's hand, Grant claims, "Nobody but the Pope could walk out of here with this hand." Without hesitation, Charlie's response is a nod to the title of the film, "This might be your church, but right now, I'm the Pope, I'm the Pope of Greenwich Village because I have a tape."
Just as it looks to be seconds away from a physical confrontation, Paulie shows up to serve coffee. A tense stare down takes place between Grant and Charlie, as the mafia leader looks to signal his henchmen. As Bed Beg confidently finishes the expresso in split second, he suddenly grabs his throat and charges through the door and down the street as most of his crew follow him. Paulie exclaims, "Lye! I packed his expresso with lye!" The abrasive chemical rendered the mob leader useless, allowing Charlie the chance to escape. Paulie stood up for him cousin, despite Charlie's claims that he had things going his way before the expresso ended the conversation. Once again, "The Summer Wind" can be heard as the two walk down the street, presumably on their way to Miami to relax on the beach and enjoy their winnings from the horse race.
Directed by Stu Rosenburg, who has the classic "Cool Hand Luke" on his resume, the production brought together a tremendously talented cast, including the two main characters, Charlie and Paulie, played by Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts respectively. At the time the film hit theaters, Rourke, a sharp and charismatic actor, was on an upswing with titles like 1982's Diner and the Coppola-directed Rumble fish on his resume. Eric Roberts, the brother of famous actress, Julia, played the role of Charlie's clumsy sidekick perfectly to give the narrative more depth as the film progressed.
The opening scene finds Charlie swaying to the rhythm of Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" as he files through his closet to pick a snazzy suit to wear for his shift as a manager at a high-end restaurant. In a slight example of foreshadowing, his carefree jam session set to Frank's suave voice is interrupted by his search of several pairs of his Italian-made dress shoes to look for extra cash to make a payment to one of the loan sharks waiting at the restaurant. As he strolls into the eatery, a co-worker gives his supervisor the heads-up that the crusty owner of the establishment plans to check tabs that night to make sure the waiters aren't excluding items on the bill in exchange for better tips. This is where we're first introduced to Paulie, Charlie's third cousin, who naively disregards the same warning from him. Roberts' character decides to skip the high-priced items on the bill, which the owner obviously notices and fires both cousins since the manager didn't catch the underhanded tactic first. The confrontation outside of the establishment when Charlie angrily informs Paulie that his mishap resulted in the pair of cousins getting their walking papers sets the tone for their dynamic in the film. Charlie is a hustler trying to stay above water with hopes of owning his own restaurant someday. Paulie immaturely tries to explain his rational for skipping items on the check before the audience sees that he legitimately feels bad that he costs his cousin the job.
The next scene finds a distressed Rourke at his kitchen table shuffling through bills and late notices in the apartment he shares with his girlfriend Diane, played by Daryl Hannah, who went on to work in dozens of roles in TV and film, including the 2003 cult favorite, Kill Bill. Adding to his financial struggles are alimony, child support payments, and credit card debit. Unwavering, Diane assures Charlie everything will work out for the best, prompting Sinatra's "Summer Wind" to rejoin the film as we find the freshly unemployed cousins playing stick ball in the neighborhood the next day. The good times were short-lived, as his visit to the bank for a loan was denied and when he arrives home, more pressure was heaped upon him with the news that Diane is pregnant. Back to bop around the village, Paulie tells Charlie about his next outlandish venture in an attempt to hit it big. The dim-witted waiter explains that he bought into a race horse that was conceived through "artificial inspiration" without realizing that he misspoke on the terminology while he makes himself a comically large sandwich. Paulie claims the thoroughbred has the "champion gene," but the out-of-work waiter needs to score some big cash to bet with, revealing his next narrow-minded scheme.
The two meet Barney McMillian, an eccentric and edgy clock dealer, in a bar. The Irishman explains his work repairing clocks gave him the tools to pick locks. Before the trio can discuss details of a heist of the safe of a shipping company, the hard-nosed officer that patrols the streets tows Paulie's car, despite his pleas to accept a ticket without getting the car impounded. Finally Charlie agrees to the heist, with the mounting financial pressures in his life as the determine factor.
During the next scene the audience is introduced to Jack Kehoe's Walter "Bunky" Ritter as he shuffles through the crowded sidewalk into the local mafia hang out. Similar to Kehoe's character in the film, Serpico, "Bunky" Ritter is a crooked cop on the take, paid to drop off mob collections in exchange for a piece of the pie. Detective Ritter meets with "Bed Bug" Eddie Grant, the local kingpin, to discuss details for his next pick up. "Bed Bug" is portrayed by Burt Young, who famously played Paulie as Sylvester Stallone's pal in Rocky. Despite the boxing corner man as probably his most well-known role, the Eddie Grant character shows that Young has depth to his acting repertoire, replacing the good natured Rocky role with a sense of danger on-screen as a ruthless mob ruler.
The tense introduction of "Bed Bug" Eddie is contrasted in the next scene when the patrolman that had Paulie's car towed was back on the street writing tickets when he stopped into the bar to use his position of authority to get a free drink after he used the bathroom. While the cop was taking care of business, Paulie slipped in the bar and put a packet of horse laxative in the cop's whiskey. The gluttonous patrolman emerges from the restroom, downs the free drink, and goes back to the street to gleefully write more citations. Within seconds, the stomach tremors hit him and he attempts to waddle like a penguin back toward the bathroom before his digestive track can't offer any more resistance. Paulie rushed to a pay phone and called in an officer down, prompting squad cars to swarm the street, only to find the diarrhea-stricken cop holding his stomach. As an Irish folk song crescendos, Paulie proclaims to the public that the cop defecated on himself.
Back to business, Paulie, Charlie, and Barney meet up that night to break into the shipping company's offices to crack the safe, hoping to score the $150,000 inside. As fate would have it, as those three prepare to begin work on the safe, Bunky Ritter is shown at the apartment he shares with his mom getting ready to go pick up the same money. Geraldine Page, an actress that had a 40-year career through the stage, film, and television, was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Mrs. Ritter. Page does such a stellar job with this character, as she authentically presents a no non-sense character, but still brings a caring side to it. Different from Kehoe's role in Serpico, Detective Walter agreed to the collections as a way to ensure a retirement fund for himself and his mother, who worked as a housekeeper for several years. Bunky's actions might not be legal, but his intentions are noble, a recurring theme in the narrative of the film.
It's revealed that Bunky keeps a wire on him during all meetings about the collections as an insurance policy for his safety, and as he drives to the office for the pick up, he acknowledges the other detectives involved in the bribes. Unaware of Bunky's impending arrival, Barney is cracking the safe while Paulie sips on a coffee and watches the parking lot. Tense drama builds as the former waiter tells his accomplices that someone is walking up to the building. With the lights out, the trio hide as Detective Ritter enters the office that has equipment strewn around the room since the building was being remodeled. The tools don't phase him, but the hole drilled into the safe is a red flag. Unsure of how recent hole was made, Bunky uses his detective skills to see how warm Paulie's coffee was. Immediately, Bunky takes out his gun, knowing the fresh coffee meant someone was still in the room. As he backs up and yells for the person to reveal themselves, he fires a shot before he accidentally falls down an unfinished elevator shaft. The trio attempt to check on him, but realize that Walter is dead, with Charlie retrieving the tape that was used to record the audio from the wire the cop wore to the meetings. Despite Charlie's objections, Barney finishes the safe job, garnering the $150,000 that Paulie promised would be there.
Charlie found the detective's arrival too suspicious so he confronts his cousin about what else he knew about the situation. With a little pressure, Paulie admits that the shipping company is run by Eddie Grant, which meant they just stole from the local mafia crew. Charlie is almost hysterical as he questions why his cousin would want to steal from the "Bed Bug." Again, we see the naive side of Paulie because he thought that including his cousin in the heist would make up for getting him fired, but it actually put his life in danger.
The news of the safe cracking and the aftermath have a ripple effect throughout the film, as word of Detective Ritter's wire makes his fellow officers concerned about their future if their involvement in bribes is revealed. Two gruff cops visit Mrs. Ritter to attempt to search their apartment for the missing recordings. Again, Geraldine Page does such an incredible job in this scene, mixing her grief by clutching a rosary with a tone of toughness, as she aggressively puffs on an unfiltered cigarette and sips a whiskey. When the cops try to intimidate her with the threat of trying to withhold Walter's pension, she promptly kicks them out of her house before she tearfully hold the rosary close to her, the wall of grittiness finally tumbles down from the waves of grief at the death of Walter at the office. At the same time, Bed Bug Eddie gets word from the street that Paulie and an unknown partner were the ones that stole the cash. A member of Bed Bug's crew knows Paulie, but Uncle Pete as the waiter affectionately calls him, insist his nephew isn't a safe cracker. Eddie Grant wasn't the only one to take the news hard, as Charlie visits Diane at the studio where she teaches dance classes and tells her that he landed $50,000 from the robbery. Diane is livid that Charlie allowed his cousin to get him in another jam, and an argument ensues before Charlie leaves, the situation with her unsolved.
Eventually, Paulie is at the stables to check on his horse with the "champion gene" that he plans to race soon, wagering the cash he lifted from Bed Bug's safe. He was faced with a game of chance sooner than expected, as Uncle Pete and a few of Eddie Grant's goons, including Frank Vincent, who made a career of supporting roles in mafia dramas, including Casino, Raging Bull, The Sopranos, and others, were there to meet him. Uncle Pete takes a walk with his nephew, informing him that someone identified him as one of the thieves. Bed Bug Eddie had a reputation for slicing people up, and Pete tells Paulie that the only way for him to leave the stables alive is to tell him who his partner was in the safe job. Paulie begs for a reprieve, but Pete assures him there are only two options in this scenario. As the tension builds, Paulie leaks the information that Barney cracked the safe, but doesn't mention Charlie in an attempt to protect his cousin from the wrath of the Bed Bug. As Uncle Pete hugs Paulie, the previously mentioned Frank Vincent approaches and cuts off Paulie's thumb, the penalty for robbing the head of the mafia crew.
With Barney revealed to be the partner, the crooked cops are sent to retrieve him, but the savvy clock dealer was a step ahead and escaped through a side door. Later, Barney gives Charlie his share of the robbery and asked him to mail it to him after he escaped the city. During this conversation, Barney's motivation for the heist is explained, as he plans to use the extra cash to provide for his wife and care for his special needs child. Again, not exactly legal, but a noble cause.
Charlie finds himself in a cash flow problem of his own, as he returned home with flowers for Diane to smooth over the earlier argument at the dance studio. A message from her on the answering machine tells Charlie that she took $45,000 of the money for their unborn child and decided to leave him. Enraged being the victim of his own theft case, Charlie begins smashing the furniture, pummeling the refrigerator and breaking chairs. The next morning, with a half empty bottle of wine next to him, Charlie is awoken by a faint knock at the door. When he answers, his cousin is standing there delirious with his hand wrapped up from the Bed Bug form of justice. Only after rambling on about his decision to give up Barney as the partner does the medicated Paulie ask what happened to all the broken appliances. Upon hearing the news that Diane ran off with most of the cash, Paulie rants for a while before the reality of his missing appendage sets in when he looks at his hand. In one of the most memorable lines of the film, Paulie proclaims, "Charlie! They took my thumb!" collapsing to the floor after taking too many pain killers before he arrived.
Despite the lovable dork's mistakes, Charlie immediately tends to his cousin, as the next scene shows him feeding Paulie soup. To make up for the theft, Paulie will have to serve coffee at the mafia hang out and within days, the Bed Bug interrogates him as to the number of people involved in the robbery. After Barney skipped town, another measure of revenge was being plotted, and after tense questioning, Paulie finally cracks, naming his cousin as the third participant in the robbery. As was usually the case, the new coffee server had a plan to get his cousin out of this predicament. With his race horse, "Starry Hope " set to run at the track, he bought two tickets for Miami as an escape plan for the cousins after they hit it big on the horse bet. Unaware that the Bed Bug knows about him, Charlie bets Starry Hope across the board with his remaining share of the theft, a safer bet than his cousin makes, who put everything on the horse to win. After an exciting race, Charlie's place or show bet pays off, as he lands $20,000 from the horse's second place finish.
To celebrate the victory, the two stop at a bar where Paulie nervously confesses to Charlie that he had to give up his name to the mafia crew. Totally irate, Charlie screams at Paulie and throws trash cans through the street, storming off as Paulie tearfully tries to explain the tickets to Miami are a way to leave. As Charlie listens to Detective Ritter's wire tape again, he realizes he has evidence and leverage that proofs of Bed Bug's involvement in crime. There's a montage that shows Charlie getting ready for an eventual showdown with the kingpin. His finest suit, a manicure, and a hair cut prepare him as he walked into the mob club for the confrontation. He sits across from Eddie Grant and explains that the Bed Bug will give him a pass on the robbery because he has a tape that can link him to the police corruption in the city. Implying that he plans to severe Charlie's hand, Grant claims, "Nobody but the Pope could walk out of here with this hand." Without hesitation, Charlie's response is a nod to the title of the film, "This might be your church, but right now, I'm the Pope, I'm the Pope of Greenwich Village because I have a tape."
Just as it looks to be seconds away from a physical confrontation, Paulie shows up to serve coffee. A tense stare down takes place between Grant and Charlie, as the mafia leader looks to signal his henchmen. As Bed Beg confidently finishes the expresso in split second, he suddenly grabs his throat and charges through the door and down the street as most of his crew follow him. Paulie exclaims, "Lye! I packed his expresso with lye!" The abrasive chemical rendered the mob leader useless, allowing Charlie the chance to escape. Paulie stood up for him cousin, despite Charlie's claims that he had things going his way before the expresso ended the conversation. Once again, "The Summer Wind" can be heard as the two walk down the street, presumably on their way to Miami to relax on the beach and enjoy their winnings from the horse race.
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Eric Bischoff appears on TNT
This past week on AEW Dynamite, Eric Bischoff, the former president of WCW, returned to the TNT network for the first time in twenty years as he was the guest moderator for the Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy debate. I'm sure some of the immediate reaction was "oh no" because any affiliation with WCW is somehow frowned upon in the modern era, despite the fact that the existence of World Championship Wrestling and more specifically, some of the influence that Bischoff had made it possible for the Monday Night wars that those same fans view as perfect through a nostalgic lens. While Bischoff did fine in his role, it seemed like a rather random spot for him, especially considering his history with the network. So, was this a one-off or could the former Raw General Manager bring more to the table for AEW?
In truth, since the winners usually write the history books, Bischoff and WCW as a whole don't get the credit they deserve from the narrative that WWE pushes toward a main stream audience through its documentaries. At the same time, Bischoff's view point that he expresses regularly on his podcast, 83 Weeks, is obviously slated to paint him in a better light than is necessary. So, similar to basically anything else, there's two perspectives on a story and the most accurate history probably lands somewhere in the middle. The Turner organization's success wasn't just because Bischoff could freely use Ted's check book and sign talent that were already established stars in the WWF. If that were the case, fans wouldn't have been chanting "Hogan sucks" in 1995 when his tired routine was rejected by the audience. On the flip side, it was the presentation of those athletes, including how Bischoff portrayed the New World Order at the time. Keep in mind, Eric didn't buy the rights to Razor Ramon and Diesel, he signed Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to contracts. The value to the names Hall and Nash in the late-90s were because of how they were presented on television in that era. If Bischoff didn't pitch an angle that got noticed, the names Hall and Nash wouldn't have picked up steam at a time when most performers' real names weren't easily accessible on the internet.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bischoff isn't totally blameless for the downfall of WCW either. In fact, for a promotion to completely tank almost as fast as it ascended, there's enough blame to go around for many people. The chaos within the corporate structure and the lack of control of the product at certain points probably falls on his shoulders. But, the infamous, "it don't work for me, brother" was probably a bigger factor in the promotion's inability to solidify any other talent for the future. Furthermore, if there's one particular reason the company fell off a cliff in the year 2000 and went out of business a few months later, it's the absurd writing of Vince Russo, who was the lead writer for the group during most of the year where it lost $60 million as an organization. As much as the AOL/Time Warner merger sealed WCW's fate, it's not difficult to understand why an executive would want to get rid of an entity that lost the corporation $60 million in a year. The bottom line is, if WCW was making money, it wouldn't have been sold to Vince McMahon for pennies on the dollar.
The point being is that Bischoff's legacy within professional wrestling is complex, to say the least. His work as GM in the early-2000s was really good stuff and he was involved in many of the memorable moments of that era. There was also the infamous TNA stint that everyone, including Bischoff himself, want to forget. More recently, he was hired as the head of creative for Smackdown ahead of its move to Fox as a part of WWE's mega TV deals last year, but was fired from the position three months later. Similar to how Paul Heyman was moved from the Raw writing team because of the sluggish ratings due to the pandemic, Bischoff basically took the fall for the ratings on Fox last year. Eric definitely has and deserves his critics, but it's obvious that he wasn't really given a chance to do much with the Smackdown brand if he only had a three month tenure.
At 65,one might assume that Bischoff's involvement with the industry, aside from his podcast, might be near its conclusion. However, because of the WWE spin that is put on much of the late-90s era, sometimes it's often forgotten that Eric is a tremendous television performer. That being said, I think it might actually be beneficial if we saw one last Bischoff run as a TV character, and it would give him a better exit from the industry than getting sandbagged for the Fox ratings. Ironically, his best fit in AEW might also involve Jericho, who brought him into the storyline as the guest moderator. The Inner Circle has really shined on Dynamite because despite seeming like a random stable on the surface, the members are so talented and have worked together very well. Plus, just as it was designed to do, Jericho's association has elevated the others in the stable. As I've written many times before, Jericho has put himself in a league of his own in many ways the past few years with his work in New Japan and AEW.
Granted, I know there are five members of the Inner Circle, but follow me on this, the only thing the group might be able to add an extra emphasis on it would be a JJ Dillon type of figure for the role he had with the Four Horsemen. I could see using the negative perception of WCW to get heat with the AEW audience because it takes the WWE spin of the narrative and uses it to infuriate the AEW crowd, who have been told for almost two decades that Bischoff was one of the main reasons that the alternative to WWE collapsed. Perhaps the only thing, if anything, that is missing from the Inner Circle is major heat, which isn't a jab at their act, but rather the state of the industry. The group is so solid and so entertaining, it's somewhat difficult to really get heat from the audience. Could you imagine the reaction to Bischoff on the mic in front of a diehard AEW crowd?
The logic for Bischoff's involvement is that he can claim that he brought pro wrestling to TNT and that AEW is trying to takeover his legacy. Again, it uses the perception of the narrative about WCW and it's association with TNT to get heat from the AEW demographic. Obviously, Bischoff's role should be strictly as a TV character and not within management, but he could still bring value to the table.
As far as the Jericho/Orange Cassidy feud, I really think that at the conclusion of this angle, the pieces will be assembled to make Cassidy a much bigger star than he was previously and prove any critics wrong in the process of it. Sure, he has a gimmick that has to be portrayed careful so it doesn't get overused or stable, but the bottom line is, he has the talent to be a major star for the company and this could be the path to it. Again, this is Jericho helping to make new stars, which is a credit to his ability as a performer. Don't get me wrong, AEW isn't perfect and not every segment is a home run, but if you rewind to the previously mentioned Attitude era that many people think was flawless, not every segment was perfect in the late-90s either. Nitro had a few of those Jerry Flynn vs. Disco Inferno matches, while Kurrgan was dancing on Raw. The point being, AEW is making progress as a promotion, even during the pandemic and that's a good thing, especially because its success benefits the entire industry.
In truth, since the winners usually write the history books, Bischoff and WCW as a whole don't get the credit they deserve from the narrative that WWE pushes toward a main stream audience through its documentaries. At the same time, Bischoff's view point that he expresses regularly on his podcast, 83 Weeks, is obviously slated to paint him in a better light than is necessary. So, similar to basically anything else, there's two perspectives on a story and the most accurate history probably lands somewhere in the middle. The Turner organization's success wasn't just because Bischoff could freely use Ted's check book and sign talent that were already established stars in the WWF. If that were the case, fans wouldn't have been chanting "Hogan sucks" in 1995 when his tired routine was rejected by the audience. On the flip side, it was the presentation of those athletes, including how Bischoff portrayed the New World Order at the time. Keep in mind, Eric didn't buy the rights to Razor Ramon and Diesel, he signed Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to contracts. The value to the names Hall and Nash in the late-90s were because of how they were presented on television in that era. If Bischoff didn't pitch an angle that got noticed, the names Hall and Nash wouldn't have picked up steam at a time when most performers' real names weren't easily accessible on the internet.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bischoff isn't totally blameless for the downfall of WCW either. In fact, for a promotion to completely tank almost as fast as it ascended, there's enough blame to go around for many people. The chaos within the corporate structure and the lack of control of the product at certain points probably falls on his shoulders. But, the infamous, "it don't work for me, brother" was probably a bigger factor in the promotion's inability to solidify any other talent for the future. Furthermore, if there's one particular reason the company fell off a cliff in the year 2000 and went out of business a few months later, it's the absurd writing of Vince Russo, who was the lead writer for the group during most of the year where it lost $60 million as an organization. As much as the AOL/Time Warner merger sealed WCW's fate, it's not difficult to understand why an executive would want to get rid of an entity that lost the corporation $60 million in a year. The bottom line is, if WCW was making money, it wouldn't have been sold to Vince McMahon for pennies on the dollar.
The point being is that Bischoff's legacy within professional wrestling is complex, to say the least. His work as GM in the early-2000s was really good stuff and he was involved in many of the memorable moments of that era. There was also the infamous TNA stint that everyone, including Bischoff himself, want to forget. More recently, he was hired as the head of creative for Smackdown ahead of its move to Fox as a part of WWE's mega TV deals last year, but was fired from the position three months later. Similar to how Paul Heyman was moved from the Raw writing team because of the sluggish ratings due to the pandemic, Bischoff basically took the fall for the ratings on Fox last year. Eric definitely has and deserves his critics, but it's obvious that he wasn't really given a chance to do much with the Smackdown brand if he only had a three month tenure.
At 65,one might assume that Bischoff's involvement with the industry, aside from his podcast, might be near its conclusion. However, because of the WWE spin that is put on much of the late-90s era, sometimes it's often forgotten that Eric is a tremendous television performer. That being said, I think it might actually be beneficial if we saw one last Bischoff run as a TV character, and it would give him a better exit from the industry than getting sandbagged for the Fox ratings. Ironically, his best fit in AEW might also involve Jericho, who brought him into the storyline as the guest moderator. The Inner Circle has really shined on Dynamite because despite seeming like a random stable on the surface, the members are so talented and have worked together very well. Plus, just as it was designed to do, Jericho's association has elevated the others in the stable. As I've written many times before, Jericho has put himself in a league of his own in many ways the past few years with his work in New Japan and AEW.
Granted, I know there are five members of the Inner Circle, but follow me on this, the only thing the group might be able to add an extra emphasis on it would be a JJ Dillon type of figure for the role he had with the Four Horsemen. I could see using the negative perception of WCW to get heat with the AEW audience because it takes the WWE spin of the narrative and uses it to infuriate the AEW crowd, who have been told for almost two decades that Bischoff was one of the main reasons that the alternative to WWE collapsed. Perhaps the only thing, if anything, that is missing from the Inner Circle is major heat, which isn't a jab at their act, but rather the state of the industry. The group is so solid and so entertaining, it's somewhat difficult to really get heat from the audience. Could you imagine the reaction to Bischoff on the mic in front of a diehard AEW crowd?
The logic for Bischoff's involvement is that he can claim that he brought pro wrestling to TNT and that AEW is trying to takeover his legacy. Again, it uses the perception of the narrative about WCW and it's association with TNT to get heat from the AEW demographic. Obviously, Bischoff's role should be strictly as a TV character and not within management, but he could still bring value to the table.
As far as the Jericho/Orange Cassidy feud, I really think that at the conclusion of this angle, the pieces will be assembled to make Cassidy a much bigger star than he was previously and prove any critics wrong in the process of it. Sure, he has a gimmick that has to be portrayed careful so it doesn't get overused or stable, but the bottom line is, he has the talent to be a major star for the company and this could be the path to it. Again, this is Jericho helping to make new stars, which is a credit to his ability as a performer. Don't get me wrong, AEW isn't perfect and not every segment is a home run, but if you rewind to the previously mentioned Attitude era that many people think was flawless, not every segment was perfect in the late-90s either. Nitro had a few of those Jerry Flynn vs. Disco Inferno matches, while Kurrgan was dancing on Raw. The point being, AEW is making progress as a promotion, even during the pandemic and that's a good thing, especially because its success benefits the entire industry.
Monday, August 3, 2020
Scream 2
Earlier this year, I did a write-up on the original Scream film, analyzing how a movie designed to spoof the horror genre actually revived it back into the main stream after the tired cliches of the previous generation. Ironically, as much as Scream flipped the script with the Ghost Face killer, it followed at least a portion of the slasher playbook with an almost immediate sequel, which is what I'm going to discuss here during the week dedicated to the 90s and 2000s of horror.
The 1997 version of Scream made its debut in theaters less than a year after the original, requiring a quick production time throughout the middle of the year, but as he showed with his work later for the WB's Dawson's Creek, writer Kevin Williamson was forward-thinking after he finished the script for the original. Prior to Scream's release or the massive success it had, Williamson already developed the concept for a sequel that would take main character, Sydney Prescott to college. The work put into the next phase of the franchise paid off, as the Ghost Face was the highest-grossing horror film of its time and the turn around time allowed Dimension Films to strike while the iron was hot and a rejuvenated audience anticipated the next chapter of the Woodsboro cast. With legendary director Wes Craven signed on again, and the pieces of the puzzle nearly assembled because Williamson's work set up for continuity, the stars of the original cast were back to see who would survive this time. But, would the Ghost face stumble in his sequel the way so many of his slasher peers had before him?
The challenge of a sequel based on a franchise that wants to mock or spoof the major players of the industry is to not became a caricature of itself. If the Ghost face exploited the success of the original without substance or quality then its legacy among slashers would be short-lived. Another nod to and a way to poke fun at at the horror industry, the opening scene finds the fictional movie "Stab" set to premiere to tell the story of the Woodboro murders that played out in the original Scream production. Not surprisingly, the audience at the theater is bloody thirsty, as dozens of movie goers are dressed as the Ghost face, seemingly with less interest in the narrative and more focused on the gore, perhaps a subtle statement about the expectations of society?
We find Jada Pinkett Smith and Omar Epps, who starred in 1994's Juice alongside Tupac before he began an eight-year run on the Fox series, House throughout the mid-2000s, on a movie date. Epps' jokes about Stab aren't received well and Jada opts to go to the concession stand while he takes a bathroom break. With several "Ghost faces" lined up in the rest room, there's a sense that you don't know who is who, a form of foreshadowing to set up the suspense for the film. Omar never made it through his restroom trip, as he was stabbed in the ear, and the killer takes his jacket to return to the theater next to Jada, who unknowingly finds herself in danger with a masked figure sitting next to her that she doesn't realize isn't her boyfriend that left a few minutes earlier. Again, the unknown danger is a theme of the film. Seconds later, Jada gets stabbed and staggers onto the platform of the movie screen before she dramatically collapses as her death is the conclusion of the opening sequence.
Next, Sydney, in her college dorm room, is woken by a phone call with the mysterious voice on the other end of the line. Immediately, Syd shuts it down as a prank call with the use of her trusty caller ID and writes it off as hype around the release of Stab. Her roommate, Hallie, played by Elise Neal, who went onto to numerous roles in film and television, including The Hughleys series and the Hustle and Flow film, attempts to invite her to a sorority party that night. Just as Syd deflects the chance to attend the pretentious gathering, a fellow student tells the roommates to check the news, where they see the broadcast about the previous night's murders at the Stab premiere. Sydney instinctively ask where her pal Randy is, the film buff that correctly proclaimed the rules of horror during Ghost Face's original spree and survived because of it. With reporters buzzing around campus, it was no shock to find Randy in film class, as the group of students discussed violence in movies, an aspect that was listed as a motive for one of the original Ghost face killers. Still staying true to the original formula to poke fun at the horror genre, the conversation shifts to the thought that sequels are subpar films in an actual sequel. More than just the irony of the debate, this scene introduces the audience to some of the new cast with the addition of Mickey, CiCi Cooper, and a cameo by Josh Jackson, the kid that was Charlie in the Mighty Ducks before this and would go on to take a role in Williamson's Dawson's Creek after it.
Sydney is there to meet Randy after class, but he dismisses the connect between the new murders and those from Woodsboro before Jerry O'Connell swoops in to meet with the two friends. The Vern of 1986's Stand By Me is grown up as Sydney's boyfriend, Derek and the two head off to lunch. After the introduction of new faces, we are greeted by some familiar characters as Courtney Cox's Gale Weathers is never far behind the trail of blood to get the scoop on the story. As Gale is ready to get the inside information, she was pestered by rookie reporter Debbie Salt, and she gives the "cut throat" reporter a taste of her own medicine as she was faced with unwanted questions about the murders as the tables were turned when she was asked for a quote for a story. As Syd and her friends finish lunch, another familiar face pops up as she rushes to hug Deputy Dewey, who now walks with a slumped posture and without full use of his right arm thanks to the injuries he sustained in Woodsboro.
After Dewey tells Syd he asked the local sheriff if he could hang around temporarily to make sure she's safe, the reunions continue as Gale greets her with the camera rolling and reveals Cotton Weary, Lev Schreiber's character, is there to be interviewed with her for the first time since his name was cleared in her mother's death. In true tabloid style, Gale surprised Sydney with this meeting, something that Weary was unaware of, and Syd decks the reporter with a right hand for the second movie in a row. More than emphasizing Gale is still out for the story despite the near-death scenarios in Woodsboro, these sequences bring the old gang together, while new characters are involved, and following the premise, all of them are potential victims.
With Sydney and Hallie at the sorority party mentioned earlier, Sarah Michelle Gellar's CiCi Cooper is back at the sorority house as a designated driver, leaving her alone in the house. She's greeted by the typical Ghost face phone call and the usual chase ensues before she was stabbed and tossed from the balcony, crashing to the pavement below. There's nothing ground breaking about the action of the scene, but it's pivotal to the narrative because it lets the Woodsboro crew know that the Stab murders weren't just random acts of violence at the theater. At the scene of the crime, Debbie Salt was there to record the gory details when Gale arrives, still brushing off the amateur. The sorority sisters ooze insincerity toward Syd before news of the incident at the house sends the party flocking to the bloody spectacle down the street. This was another indirect example of the public's fascination of violence.
When Derek was waiting on the porch, Syd goes back into the empty party to get her coat and the phone rings. She attempts to walk away but is drawn back to answer it, greeted by the same mysterious voice that tormented her in Woodsboro. After a short, but tense verbal exchange, Derek is locked outside while the killer pursues Syd inside the house. Finally, Derek gets through a side door and charges inside to confront the knife-wielding manic, while Dewey runs to check on Sydney. Despite the limited use of his arm, Dewey goes to look for Derek, who he finds slashed on the arm. At the hospital, with her friends there for support, Sydney waits for Derek to get bandaged up, and Mickey asked why he went back into the house, prompting her to wonder if another killer boyfriend is stalking her.
While Dewey and Randy munch on ice cream, they review possible suspects, which gives Randy a chance to run down the rules of the horror sequel, something that adds another layer to the narrative because it gives the audience elements to consider as the movie progresses as to who might be the killer now. At the same time, Syd is at theater practice and becomes hysterical when she thinks she saw the Ghost face on stage. Moments later, Derek pops up again to meet her after practice, but she finds it too suspicious and asked him for some distance. He agrees and leaves dejected. Post-ice cream, Dewey and Randy met up with Gale in the park when she gets a call from the distorted voice. As the trio patrol the park to find someone with a cell phone, Randy is put on the phone with the killer to distract him while Dewey and Gale begin grabbing the clunky 90s phones from those sitting in the park. Randy backs up toward Gale's news van, another example of the unknown danger that is near him. The killer snatches him inside the van and bludgeons him.
After Randy's body is discovered, Syd is in the library when she's confronted by Cotton Weary, who offers her a Dianne Sawyer spot along with $10,000 as payment, but when she declines, Weary is almost obsessive with his insistence on the media attention. Thankfully, her bodyguards intercept him and he was detained at the police station, but released. However, the incident certainly makes it seem possible that Weary might be more dangerous than we first thought. Outside of the station, Gale is bombarded with questions from reporters again, another example of the tables being turned with her as the subject of unwanted inquiries. Her and Dewey find common ground in their pursuit of the killer and decide to check her news camera for any leads on the footage. With the campus on curfew, they find an empty film room to view what clues the candid footage might provide. The tension between them boils over and in a moment of relief from the murder spree, they kiss, but before things can move forward, there's an impromptu screening of footage projected of the previous victims, which meant that someone else was in the auditorium. The Ghost face appears in the projector room, prompting Dewey to hobble up the stairs in pursuit. When Gale heads for cover, she almost accidentally runs into the killer, as a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game plays out with the music for added drama. Dewey finds himself in a sound proof booth still searching for the killer when he gets blindsided and stabbed, collapsing against the blood-stained glass of the booth.
At the same time, Sydney and Hallie are put into a car with the body guards that were assigned to her, presumably to be taken to a safe location, but as you might expect, they experience a detour. The car crashes and the killer is there, stabbing Hallie before Syd escapes. Another escape saw Gale look for a way to get out of the film building when she runs into a bloody Cotton Weary, claiming he found Dewey on the floor. Not buying it, the reporter bolts for the exit, running to the nearest pay phone to call the authorities. Debbie Salt was on the line to call in her next story, but Gale snatches the phone away from her to call her help, naming Cotton Weary as the killer.
We find Sydney sprinting toward the theater building, anywhere familiar that might be a safe haven for her. On stage, she finds Derek tied to a symbol, seemingly helpless. As she frantically tries to untie him, the Ghost face killer appears on stage and suggest that Derek might be in on the plan. The killer unmasks to reveal it was Mickey, the deranged film student that wanted to be the star of his own mystery. Mickey continues to imply that Derek is his accomplice, which Syd begins to believe until he shoots Derek, proving his innocence. Mickey goes on to explain his motive, not to get away with murder, but rather to become infamous with a trial that garners national coverage. Mickey wants to gain notoriety from the typical question, do films cause violence? But, Mickey couldn't have done all this alone so he was his partner in the killing spree?
Reporter Debbie Salt emerges from the stage, but Sydney recognizes her as Mrs. Loomis, the original killer's mother. Mrs. Loomis found Mickey online and funded his tuition at Syd's college and assumed a new name in a plot to get revenge on the girl that killed her son. While Mickey looks forward to the press coverage he will receive, Mrs. Loomis has other plans, shooting him to set up her own plot, pin the murders on Mickey and escape unnoticed. Just as Sydney and the unbalanced newspaper reporter face off, Cotton Weary joins the gathering and must decide if he saves Syd or sides with the reporter that claims she can get him TV appearances. During the tense showdown, Syd finally agrees to Weary's request for a Dianne Sawyer interview and he shoots Debbie Salt, saving Sydney in the process. Injured, Gale shows up and the trio conclude the dramatic sequence. Before the credits roll, we see that Dewey survived and taken for help and Syd tells the crew of reports to talk to Cotton, who finally gets some press coverage.
I always found the conclusion of the movie to be a little flimsy because while they are a few hints at why Mickey suggest who the killer might be, he's not necessarily a major character throughout most of the film so there's not really a shocking revelation for the final scene. In a similar fashion, there's some foreshadowing about Debbie Salt, but she also a relatively minor role in the narrative. It makes sense why Mrs. Loomis would seek revenge, but again, there wasn't a lot known about her even throughout both films. Still, the film built suspense well and was well-received, both by critics and at the box office. The sequel ranked in $172 million, just a little less than a million dollars less than the record-setting revenue of the original film.
The 1997 version of Scream made its debut in theaters less than a year after the original, requiring a quick production time throughout the middle of the year, but as he showed with his work later for the WB's Dawson's Creek, writer Kevin Williamson was forward-thinking after he finished the script for the original. Prior to Scream's release or the massive success it had, Williamson already developed the concept for a sequel that would take main character, Sydney Prescott to college. The work put into the next phase of the franchise paid off, as the Ghost Face was the highest-grossing horror film of its time and the turn around time allowed Dimension Films to strike while the iron was hot and a rejuvenated audience anticipated the next chapter of the Woodsboro cast. With legendary director Wes Craven signed on again, and the pieces of the puzzle nearly assembled because Williamson's work set up for continuity, the stars of the original cast were back to see who would survive this time. But, would the Ghost face stumble in his sequel the way so many of his slasher peers had before him?
The challenge of a sequel based on a franchise that wants to mock or spoof the major players of the industry is to not became a caricature of itself. If the Ghost face exploited the success of the original without substance or quality then its legacy among slashers would be short-lived. Another nod to and a way to poke fun at at the horror industry, the opening scene finds the fictional movie "Stab" set to premiere to tell the story of the Woodboro murders that played out in the original Scream production. Not surprisingly, the audience at the theater is bloody thirsty, as dozens of movie goers are dressed as the Ghost face, seemingly with less interest in the narrative and more focused on the gore, perhaps a subtle statement about the expectations of society?
We find Jada Pinkett Smith and Omar Epps, who starred in 1994's Juice alongside Tupac before he began an eight-year run on the Fox series, House throughout the mid-2000s, on a movie date. Epps' jokes about Stab aren't received well and Jada opts to go to the concession stand while he takes a bathroom break. With several "Ghost faces" lined up in the rest room, there's a sense that you don't know who is who, a form of foreshadowing to set up the suspense for the film. Omar never made it through his restroom trip, as he was stabbed in the ear, and the killer takes his jacket to return to the theater next to Jada, who unknowingly finds herself in danger with a masked figure sitting next to her that she doesn't realize isn't her boyfriend that left a few minutes earlier. Again, the unknown danger is a theme of the film. Seconds later, Jada gets stabbed and staggers onto the platform of the movie screen before she dramatically collapses as her death is the conclusion of the opening sequence.
Next, Sydney, in her college dorm room, is woken by a phone call with the mysterious voice on the other end of the line. Immediately, Syd shuts it down as a prank call with the use of her trusty caller ID and writes it off as hype around the release of Stab. Her roommate, Hallie, played by Elise Neal, who went onto to numerous roles in film and television, including The Hughleys series and the Hustle and Flow film, attempts to invite her to a sorority party that night. Just as Syd deflects the chance to attend the pretentious gathering, a fellow student tells the roommates to check the news, where they see the broadcast about the previous night's murders at the Stab premiere. Sydney instinctively ask where her pal Randy is, the film buff that correctly proclaimed the rules of horror during Ghost Face's original spree and survived because of it. With reporters buzzing around campus, it was no shock to find Randy in film class, as the group of students discussed violence in movies, an aspect that was listed as a motive for one of the original Ghost face killers. Still staying true to the original formula to poke fun at the horror genre, the conversation shifts to the thought that sequels are subpar films in an actual sequel. More than just the irony of the debate, this scene introduces the audience to some of the new cast with the addition of Mickey, CiCi Cooper, and a cameo by Josh Jackson, the kid that was Charlie in the Mighty Ducks before this and would go on to take a role in Williamson's Dawson's Creek after it.
Sydney is there to meet Randy after class, but he dismisses the connect between the new murders and those from Woodsboro before Jerry O'Connell swoops in to meet with the two friends. The Vern of 1986's Stand By Me is grown up as Sydney's boyfriend, Derek and the two head off to lunch. After the introduction of new faces, we are greeted by some familiar characters as Courtney Cox's Gale Weathers is never far behind the trail of blood to get the scoop on the story. As Gale is ready to get the inside information, she was pestered by rookie reporter Debbie Salt, and she gives the "cut throat" reporter a taste of her own medicine as she was faced with unwanted questions about the murders as the tables were turned when she was asked for a quote for a story. As Syd and her friends finish lunch, another familiar face pops up as she rushes to hug Deputy Dewey, who now walks with a slumped posture and without full use of his right arm thanks to the injuries he sustained in Woodsboro.
After Dewey tells Syd he asked the local sheriff if he could hang around temporarily to make sure she's safe, the reunions continue as Gale greets her with the camera rolling and reveals Cotton Weary, Lev Schreiber's character, is there to be interviewed with her for the first time since his name was cleared in her mother's death. In true tabloid style, Gale surprised Sydney with this meeting, something that Weary was unaware of, and Syd decks the reporter with a right hand for the second movie in a row. More than emphasizing Gale is still out for the story despite the near-death scenarios in Woodsboro, these sequences bring the old gang together, while new characters are involved, and following the premise, all of them are potential victims.
With Sydney and Hallie at the sorority party mentioned earlier, Sarah Michelle Gellar's CiCi Cooper is back at the sorority house as a designated driver, leaving her alone in the house. She's greeted by the typical Ghost face phone call and the usual chase ensues before she was stabbed and tossed from the balcony, crashing to the pavement below. There's nothing ground breaking about the action of the scene, but it's pivotal to the narrative because it lets the Woodsboro crew know that the Stab murders weren't just random acts of violence at the theater. At the scene of the crime, Debbie Salt was there to record the gory details when Gale arrives, still brushing off the amateur. The sorority sisters ooze insincerity toward Syd before news of the incident at the house sends the party flocking to the bloody spectacle down the street. This was another indirect example of the public's fascination of violence.
When Derek was waiting on the porch, Syd goes back into the empty party to get her coat and the phone rings. She attempts to walk away but is drawn back to answer it, greeted by the same mysterious voice that tormented her in Woodsboro. After a short, but tense verbal exchange, Derek is locked outside while the killer pursues Syd inside the house. Finally, Derek gets through a side door and charges inside to confront the knife-wielding manic, while Dewey runs to check on Sydney. Despite the limited use of his arm, Dewey goes to look for Derek, who he finds slashed on the arm. At the hospital, with her friends there for support, Sydney waits for Derek to get bandaged up, and Mickey asked why he went back into the house, prompting her to wonder if another killer boyfriend is stalking her.
While Dewey and Randy munch on ice cream, they review possible suspects, which gives Randy a chance to run down the rules of the horror sequel, something that adds another layer to the narrative because it gives the audience elements to consider as the movie progresses as to who might be the killer now. At the same time, Syd is at theater practice and becomes hysterical when she thinks she saw the Ghost face on stage. Moments later, Derek pops up again to meet her after practice, but she finds it too suspicious and asked him for some distance. He agrees and leaves dejected. Post-ice cream, Dewey and Randy met up with Gale in the park when she gets a call from the distorted voice. As the trio patrol the park to find someone with a cell phone, Randy is put on the phone with the killer to distract him while Dewey and Gale begin grabbing the clunky 90s phones from those sitting in the park. Randy backs up toward Gale's news van, another example of the unknown danger that is near him. The killer snatches him inside the van and bludgeons him.
After Randy's body is discovered, Syd is in the library when she's confronted by Cotton Weary, who offers her a Dianne Sawyer spot along with $10,000 as payment, but when she declines, Weary is almost obsessive with his insistence on the media attention. Thankfully, her bodyguards intercept him and he was detained at the police station, but released. However, the incident certainly makes it seem possible that Weary might be more dangerous than we first thought. Outside of the station, Gale is bombarded with questions from reporters again, another example of the tables being turned with her as the subject of unwanted inquiries. Her and Dewey find common ground in their pursuit of the killer and decide to check her news camera for any leads on the footage. With the campus on curfew, they find an empty film room to view what clues the candid footage might provide. The tension between them boils over and in a moment of relief from the murder spree, they kiss, but before things can move forward, there's an impromptu screening of footage projected of the previous victims, which meant that someone else was in the auditorium. The Ghost face appears in the projector room, prompting Dewey to hobble up the stairs in pursuit. When Gale heads for cover, she almost accidentally runs into the killer, as a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game plays out with the music for added drama. Dewey finds himself in a sound proof booth still searching for the killer when he gets blindsided and stabbed, collapsing against the blood-stained glass of the booth.
At the same time, Sydney and Hallie are put into a car with the body guards that were assigned to her, presumably to be taken to a safe location, but as you might expect, they experience a detour. The car crashes and the killer is there, stabbing Hallie before Syd escapes. Another escape saw Gale look for a way to get out of the film building when she runs into a bloody Cotton Weary, claiming he found Dewey on the floor. Not buying it, the reporter bolts for the exit, running to the nearest pay phone to call the authorities. Debbie Salt was on the line to call in her next story, but Gale snatches the phone away from her to call her help, naming Cotton Weary as the killer.
We find Sydney sprinting toward the theater building, anywhere familiar that might be a safe haven for her. On stage, she finds Derek tied to a symbol, seemingly helpless. As she frantically tries to untie him, the Ghost face killer appears on stage and suggest that Derek might be in on the plan. The killer unmasks to reveal it was Mickey, the deranged film student that wanted to be the star of his own mystery. Mickey continues to imply that Derek is his accomplice, which Syd begins to believe until he shoots Derek, proving his innocence. Mickey goes on to explain his motive, not to get away with murder, but rather to become infamous with a trial that garners national coverage. Mickey wants to gain notoriety from the typical question, do films cause violence? But, Mickey couldn't have done all this alone so he was his partner in the killing spree?
Reporter Debbie Salt emerges from the stage, but Sydney recognizes her as Mrs. Loomis, the original killer's mother. Mrs. Loomis found Mickey online and funded his tuition at Syd's college and assumed a new name in a plot to get revenge on the girl that killed her son. While Mickey looks forward to the press coverage he will receive, Mrs. Loomis has other plans, shooting him to set up her own plot, pin the murders on Mickey and escape unnoticed. Just as Sydney and the unbalanced newspaper reporter face off, Cotton Weary joins the gathering and must decide if he saves Syd or sides with the reporter that claims she can get him TV appearances. During the tense showdown, Syd finally agrees to Weary's request for a Dianne Sawyer interview and he shoots Debbie Salt, saving Sydney in the process. Injured, Gale shows up and the trio conclude the dramatic sequence. Before the credits roll, we see that Dewey survived and taken for help and Syd tells the crew of reports to talk to Cotton, who finally gets some press coverage.
I always found the conclusion of the movie to be a little flimsy because while they are a few hints at why Mickey suggest who the killer might be, he's not necessarily a major character throughout most of the film so there's not really a shocking revelation for the final scene. In a similar fashion, there's some foreshadowing about Debbie Salt, but she also a relatively minor role in the narrative. It makes sense why Mrs. Loomis would seek revenge, but again, there wasn't a lot known about her even throughout both films. Still, the film built suspense well and was well-received, both by critics and at the box office. The sequel ranked in $172 million, just a little less than a million dollars less than the record-setting revenue of the original film.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
The career of Brohemoth
The concept of family, blood-related or otherwise, has been a staple of the American entertainment narrative for as long as they has been an entertainment business. Regardless of if it's Tony Soprano sipping coffee with Paulie Walnuts to plan their next mob deal or James and Florida Evans discussing the day's events at the kitchen table, the aspect of family is such a mainstay of films, television, and other media because the elements of family resonate with so many viewers. Along with that, the family influence, especially from an early age can have a direct impact on a path someone takes for themselves.
A staple of Ian Taylor is certainly his family unit, as from his earliest age, he found himself planted in front of a television, cheering along when his mother and aunt conquered levels on Dr. Mario and Tetris for hours with the traditional accessories of pop corn and Mountain Dew to fuel the eight-bit mayhem.
"I've been gaming ever since, gaming was always my escape from the stress of life. Whether it's World of Warcraft or League of Legends, games that force you to think on the fly mid-combat help me a lot," he said.
A few decades later, Taylor remains vastly dedicated to the ever-evolving technology of video games and its new platforms, often hosting live stream events as he battles friends in a variety of digital combat. At the same time, the jumps, sound effects, and storylines of heroes on Sega, Playstation, or Xbox were usually compliments with other forms or jumps, music, and stories on television through the larger-than-life professional wrestling industry. Always involved in sports during his youth, the young Ian Taylor was memorized by the mythical figures that beamed through the television at him, with the major difference being that these heroes were actual people, not just designed through a gaming engine. Legends like The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Booker, T, Samoa Joe, and others drew his admiration and envy.
As much as those names are immortalized through the glitz and glamour of the sports entertainment lens, there's a much different reality for hopefuls that want to break into an often harsh business. Standing over 6'2 with a weight that hovered around 300 LBS, it seemed like the physical tools were there, but could the lifelong video game fanatic really parlay this into a potential wrestling career?
Just over five years ago, Ian made the decision to give it a shot, knowing he would always look back and regret the hesitation if he didn't at least give himself a chance to pursue the lofty goal. So, he began the extended travels toward Erie, Pennsylvania, where he began to learn the craft of professional wrestling at a basic training center that lacked the grandeur of the spectacle that drew him to the sport. Those weekly trips were grueling, as it tested his physical fitness and his dedication to obtain the goal that he set for himself, but he learned many valuable lessons from the start of his journey.
"I trained under Aaron Draven, and he was all about perfecting the craft. So, no matter what we were taught, we were taught to do it as if we were in front of a crowd, and cardio drills were until you dropped. I will forever be grateful for those three days a month. It was a long road but I'd probably do it again," Taylor explained.
After he was taught the ropes by Draven, a 15-year pro with a notable career on the independent circuit, Ian was ready for his professional wrestling debut in 2015, the cumulative of years of dreams and aspirations. But, just who he was going to be inside the squared circle posed an interesting question, and he decided quickly that he would blend the other passion in his life into his wrestling career. With a pixelated-inspired persona, Brohemoth, a reference to his hefty size, stormed the ring with an announced weight of "20,0000 mega pixels" and control designs on his career. Since that time, he has spent the majority of his time in the business attempting to break through and make a name for himself, mostly around the Western Pennsylvania scene as well as around the tri-state area.
"Positive to my style, I'm always underestimated in most matches because they see this mountain and think they can outrun me. When they turn and see me right behind them, it's priceless and the only negative is being on the receiving end of my offense," Brohemoth said.
However, as we know, even those that lace up the boots to try to make it big deal with many of the same tasks as everyone else, and Ian is no exception, as family still remains a top priority to him, as he juggles a regular job, a training schedule, and his duties as a dad while he tries to progress forward in the world of sports entertainment.
"I've always wanted to be a pro wrestler since as long as I can remember. My biggest inspiration are my children, they push me to better myself to give them the dream life," Ian commented.
So, it's not uncommon for Brohemoth to unlace his boots after an exhausting match on a Saturday night, only for Ian to weary to put his much more formal work attire for shifts at a restaurant the following day before he finally gets the chance to spend time with his family that night. Still, that family aspect and a support system around him allows him to maintain a crammed schedule.
"My boss is very flexible and tries to cut me slack but I take most of my free time to study and learn more. In February, I welcomed another little girl to my pack and I barely get enough time with them, but my mom and my brother help me huge watching them when I have shows. On occasion, I bring them along to shows. It's a rough balance, but my kids understand I'm away to grind and when I come home it's their time," he explained.
With two kids, and his mother and brother cheering him on, Brohemoth is always looking for that next chance to get noticed, as he strides to continue to always improve his craft. One such opportunity is Fight Underground, the newest organization in Pittsburgh that plans to base itself on the competition of the action with the accessibility for athletes from different joins to perform at events. Under the guidance of veteran Quinn Magnum, one of the most tenured and well-respected bookers in the area, The Fight Underground is a platform that Brohemoth was thrilled to be invited to this year.
"The Underground is everything I want, new challenges arriving and my ultimate goal is to be the face of a company. I want to show everyone I'm capable of being in the ring with the best there is and I look forward to every challenge," he said.
If Ian Taylor hits it big in professional wrestling with a national deal or an international contract remains to be seen, but it's certainly a wonderful example of how his family unit, some of them that inspired his wrestling persona, continue to support his ventures in the sport throughout his career.
A staple of Ian Taylor is certainly his family unit, as from his earliest age, he found himself planted in front of a television, cheering along when his mother and aunt conquered levels on Dr. Mario and Tetris for hours with the traditional accessories of pop corn and Mountain Dew to fuel the eight-bit mayhem.
"I've been gaming ever since, gaming was always my escape from the stress of life. Whether it's World of Warcraft or League of Legends, games that force you to think on the fly mid-combat help me a lot," he said.
A few decades later, Taylor remains vastly dedicated to the ever-evolving technology of video games and its new platforms, often hosting live stream events as he battles friends in a variety of digital combat. At the same time, the jumps, sound effects, and storylines of heroes on Sega, Playstation, or Xbox were usually compliments with other forms or jumps, music, and stories on television through the larger-than-life professional wrestling industry. Always involved in sports during his youth, the young Ian Taylor was memorized by the mythical figures that beamed through the television at him, with the major difference being that these heroes were actual people, not just designed through a gaming engine. Legends like The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Booker, T, Samoa Joe, and others drew his admiration and envy.
As much as those names are immortalized through the glitz and glamour of the sports entertainment lens, there's a much different reality for hopefuls that want to break into an often harsh business. Standing over 6'2 with a weight that hovered around 300 LBS, it seemed like the physical tools were there, but could the lifelong video game fanatic really parlay this into a potential wrestling career?
Just over five years ago, Ian made the decision to give it a shot, knowing he would always look back and regret the hesitation if he didn't at least give himself a chance to pursue the lofty goal. So, he began the extended travels toward Erie, Pennsylvania, where he began to learn the craft of professional wrestling at a basic training center that lacked the grandeur of the spectacle that drew him to the sport. Those weekly trips were grueling, as it tested his physical fitness and his dedication to obtain the goal that he set for himself, but he learned many valuable lessons from the start of his journey.
"I trained under Aaron Draven, and he was all about perfecting the craft. So, no matter what we were taught, we were taught to do it as if we were in front of a crowd, and cardio drills were until you dropped. I will forever be grateful for those three days a month. It was a long road but I'd probably do it again," Taylor explained.
After he was taught the ropes by Draven, a 15-year pro with a notable career on the independent circuit, Ian was ready for his professional wrestling debut in 2015, the cumulative of years of dreams and aspirations. But, just who he was going to be inside the squared circle posed an interesting question, and he decided quickly that he would blend the other passion in his life into his wrestling career. With a pixelated-inspired persona, Brohemoth, a reference to his hefty size, stormed the ring with an announced weight of "20,0000 mega pixels" and control designs on his career. Since that time, he has spent the majority of his time in the business attempting to break through and make a name for himself, mostly around the Western Pennsylvania scene as well as around the tri-state area.
"Positive to my style, I'm always underestimated in most matches because they see this mountain and think they can outrun me. When they turn and see me right behind them, it's priceless and the only negative is being on the receiving end of my offense," Brohemoth said.
However, as we know, even those that lace up the boots to try to make it big deal with many of the same tasks as everyone else, and Ian is no exception, as family still remains a top priority to him, as he juggles a regular job, a training schedule, and his duties as a dad while he tries to progress forward in the world of sports entertainment.
"I've always wanted to be a pro wrestler since as long as I can remember. My biggest inspiration are my children, they push me to better myself to give them the dream life," Ian commented.
So, it's not uncommon for Brohemoth to unlace his boots after an exhausting match on a Saturday night, only for Ian to weary to put his much more formal work attire for shifts at a restaurant the following day before he finally gets the chance to spend time with his family that night. Still, that family aspect and a support system around him allows him to maintain a crammed schedule.
"My boss is very flexible and tries to cut me slack but I take most of my free time to study and learn more. In February, I welcomed another little girl to my pack and I barely get enough time with them, but my mom and my brother help me huge watching them when I have shows. On occasion, I bring them along to shows. It's a rough balance, but my kids understand I'm away to grind and when I come home it's their time," he explained.
With two kids, and his mother and brother cheering him on, Brohemoth is always looking for that next chance to get noticed, as he strides to continue to always improve his craft. One such opportunity is Fight Underground, the newest organization in Pittsburgh that plans to base itself on the competition of the action with the accessibility for athletes from different joins to perform at events. Under the guidance of veteran Quinn Magnum, one of the most tenured and well-respected bookers in the area, The Fight Underground is a platform that Brohemoth was thrilled to be invited to this year.
"The Underground is everything I want, new challenges arriving and my ultimate goal is to be the face of a company. I want to show everyone I'm capable of being in the ring with the best there is and I look forward to every challenge," he said.
If Ian Taylor hits it big in professional wrestling with a national deal or an international contract remains to be seen, but it's certainly a wonderful example of how his family unit, some of them that inspired his wrestling persona, continue to support his ventures in the sport throughout his career.
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