Redskins Preseason Pros & Cons – So Far

Going into the new 2017 season, it’s hard to imagine what kind of record the Redskins will produce. Just considering how the team looked throughout training camp and on paper, Washington seemed to look stable and one of the teams that is going to make another playoff push. However, it has been difficult to reinforce this belief when the team actually played so far in the preseason.
During Game 1 of the preseason against the Baltimore Ravens, Washington was flat-out handled throughout. No matter which rotations of players went in the game, the other side was always one step ahead. If the offense was on, Baltimore’s defense did not let Washington’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd stringers gain any significant yardage (Nate Sudfield was only allowed to pass for 68 yards, completing 5 of 12 attempts). If the defense was on, the Ravens offense cut through both running and throwing the ball.
In Game 2 against the Green Bay Packers at Fedex Field, the Washington Redskins looked good. They ran the ball well despite early struggles by the starters. It was clear to say that both teams were equally in the game and competing for the victory, and despite leading for most of the second half, the Redskins’ defense eventually gave out during one last Packers possession which ultimately gave Green Bay the victory. Even though this match ended with another mark in the loss column, the fans could see the team was coming in its own, but the starters still needed to find their rhythm. 
During Game 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals at Fedex Field, everyone could see the Washington Redskins they saw last year: a consistent running and passing team. I believe struggles in the previous games by the starters have been due to injuries and the inability for everyone to actually practice with one another. It seemed as if the Redskins had finally found some rhythm. Kirk Cousins was 10/19 on his passes and threw for 109 yards with 0 TD and 1 INT. Despite the interception which went all the way for a touchdown for Cincinnati, Cousins was looking more like the quarterback we are used to seeing. Also, the running game was looking smooth, as well, with Rob Kelley running for 57 yards and 1 TD off of 10 carries. 
With the final preseason game approaching against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fans are hopeful that the 2nd and 3rd stringers make one last push for momentum before heading into the regular season. This game is also significant for the many players who are fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster. Players on both teams will putting everything they have in their tanks to look their best for the coaches in order to earn their roster spot.

Football time is back!
-Akash Mathur, TheMathurWebsite

Photos credits – Washington Redskins Instagram Page

Suicide Squad – Review

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW

“It feels good to be bad”.  This was the theme of the recently released DC Comics movie – Suicide Squad.  For the most part, the movie followed the comic-storyline of an underground special units force consisting of “bad guys…the worst of the worst”, put together by Amanda Waller (the director of A.R.G.U.S., a government agency).  The main purpose for Task Force X (later to be titled the “Suicide Squad”) was to part-take in a high-risk mission against an entity of supernatural powers with access to the largest and most powerful arsenal in the United States’ disposal.  What is so different about this group is that the government had nothing to lose.  If by any chance the mission was to be a failure, the initiative would go dark and any information that could link the nation to the group would be destroyed.  The United States and A.R.G.U.S. would never have known about the Suicide Squad, what their plans were, or how they became.  Although, when the members of the group found that they were just objects that could easily be disposed if anything bad were to happen, the real test they faced was whether to die for their cause/mission or walk out on the group.

Pros: Throughout the film Will Smith (Deadshot) and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) absolutely nailed their characters.  Smith brought majority of the comic relief to the movie, making certain moments light when the movie moved in a darker path.  Robbie did a phenomenal job as Harley Quinn, as well.  It was the first time that the character was part of a live-action film and and no one really knew what to expect at first.  Harley Quinn was almost as twisted as the Joker, so Robbie knew what kinds of shoes she had to fill, which she did perfectly.  Also, Jared Leto did an outstanding job of playing the Joker.  Although many people compare and criticize him to Jokers from the past, previously played by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, I believe that Leto’s Joker was amazing based on the character’s new twist in behavior and personality.  He was still the cynical and psychotic character, but this movie took more a mafia/gang leader Joker outlook, which showed the world a new kind of Joker-crazy.

Cons: Too much time in the movie was spent or wasted building up the main antagonist of the film and we did not see the Enchantress enough in action.  Also, the Joker and Batman appear in the film a few times, and not nearly enough times for the viewers’ pleasure (which technically, is a good thing since I was longing for more the two characters in the movie).  Also, I agree with some of the movie critics who say the editing of the movie was a bit “choppy” in the sense that some events would occur and then the movie would move forward with the plot without giving an explanation of what just happened, and why it happened.  An example would be when all of the heartbroken members of the Suicide Squad movie are sitting at the bar, and when Rick Flag told them they could go, Captain Boomerang instantaneously ran out the room.  But, when the team decides to stand up and fight Enchantress, he suddenly returns, without any explanation of why he came back and what made him want to rejoin the team.

In summary, I really enjoyed Suicide Squad.  There were a multitude of characters that were absolutely outstanding and their performances made me want to see them on screen as much as possible.  It is quite strange to see how large the difference in opinions is between critics and viewers, as critics gave the movie a 27% Rotten Tomatoes score and viewers gave it a 69% Rotten Tomatoes score.  I mostly agree with the viewers, that it is an enjoyable movie, and a must-see for these reasons: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and the Joker.  All in all, I recommend this movie to watch as a fun and comical, yet tense comic-based summer movie.

-Akash Mathur, TheMathurWebsite

Nerve – Review

Are you a watcher or a player?  That was the main question in the teen-thriller “Nerve”, which released recently.  The movie circled the idea around an online game where those who join can either play and carry out dares created by their peers, or watch others perform them.  “Nerve” could not have released at a better time because currently the game Pokemon Go is a real-life example of how intent users become “digitally-led zombies”, as stated by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.

The dares which the players had to complete would be created by the watchers tuning into their streams.  After completing the dares (which had to be recorded by either the player or nearby watchers-if not done so, the dare would not count), the players would immediately receive money into their bank accounts.  And the more difficult the dare was, the more money would be rewarded to them.  If the player were to “bail” or quit the game, all of the money they earned would be wiped away and if a player went to any form of law enforcement, then the term “snitches get stitches” (as used in the movie) would be carried out as the game was completely underground.

On to the characters: the story circles around a teenage girl, Vee, who was skeptical about the game she heard so much about from her closest friends and peers.  After being consumed into peer pressure, Vee joins the game (not heeding the advice of her friend Tommy, who did not like the concept of the game) as a player.  After completing her first dare, Vee runs into Ian, another Nerve player.  The watchers eventually liked the pairing of the two and gave them dares to be completed together.

The movie starts out fun and energetic with small dares which gave the viewers some laughs.  But as the movie went on, we saw how dangerous the dares had become.  The rewards certainly came with a high risk.  Such examples were obtaining a 60 mile-per-hour speed while blindfolded and when Ian had to hang from a crane with one hand.  Eventually, we saw how the main characters became prisoners of the game, where if they left now, all of their information, money, identities, were stolen from them.  As we neared the end we saw how the main characters became blinded-zombies as they had everything to lose.  With a climax that surprised everyone, Nerve provided a nice thrill that watchers can enjoy, learn from, and apply into their lives, as well.

-Akash Mathur, TheMathurWebsite

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Batman V. Superman – Dawn of Justice Review

A movie that consists of two of the most known superheroes in history, that is what Batman V. Superman – Dawn of Justice is.  Firstly, before going into review details, let us start off with the fact that this movie had enormous shoes to fill.  Fans had been asking for this movie for years and of course over the years many have wanted different things to be included in it.  Well it is safe to say that this movie provided a strong basis for DC to build on for future movies.  A very strong basis.  This review consists of our thoughts on the movie, as well as some spoilers on the plot.  We will not go into detail about the story, but will only highlight certain key points to the plot.

In this movie, there were so many instances and short segments where, as a huge comic book fan, I loved to witness, point out, and predict what storylines Zack Synder would include in his future movies.  Some of which included Batman’s short dream with the Parademons which included the Darkseid enigma and when Bruce/Batman decrypted the files of Lex Luthor which included details of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg, and others.  Instantly, comic book fans could appreciate how compact the movie was with information and “easter eggs” for future stories.

Now to the story.  The film highlights Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman, who is having an extremely difficult time adapting to the ways of Earth and the likings of humans after his incident shown in Man of Steel with his conflict with General Zod.  No matter what Superman did after, no matter how many people he saved, his heroic deeds went overlooked.  The majority of people still viewed him as a threat due to his Kryptonian powers, including Batman.  Batman also saw Superman’s abilities to pose as a serious threat to mankind, and for that reason he prepared to do what was necessary in case something went wrong.  It was quite evident by his line, “He has the power to wipe out the entire human race, and if we believe there’s even a one percent chance that he is our enemy we have to take it as an absolute certainty… and we have to destroy him.”  Now, Batman was quite the adaptation in this move, as well.  Zack Synder adapted this version of Batman to be aged and more experienced in crime fighting in Gotham.  Due to his length in years of the “world’s best detective”, Batman is more aggressive and even uses a gun, which may seem strange to many viewers, but those who have heard of the comic book story The Dark Knight Returns know that he did so in that story which made him quite different than Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight.

Although, Batman was not the only one who was against Superman.  Lex Luthor was a major character who stayed low-key and “pulled many strings” which ultimately turned the world against Superman (and might I add, Synder’s adaption of Luthor was brilliant.  Jessie Eisenberg nailed the roll, playing a twisted and poetic dark soul who made his way into everyone’s mind).  Further into the movie, Luthor ultimately put Superman into a situation where he basically had him under his influence by placing a twisted situation in front of him: he had to destroy Batman in order to save his mother, Martha, who had been kidnapped by Luthor’s men.  Due to this situation, Superman was forced to brawl with Batman, who had trained and readied himself for that moment.  The fight between Batman and Superman was only eight minutes long, which was unusual due to the fact that the title was Batman V. Superman, but the short fight was action-packed.  Like I said earlier, Batman was extremely ready for the fight, with Kryptonite-laced guns and a spear as well.  Through his tactics, he was able to defeat the unready Superman (although Superman was able to fight back quite strong, dealing heavy damage to Batman’s robotic suit).  After conversation and reasoning (which we will not go into detail to avoid even more spoilers) Batman and Superman turn towards the real enemy: Lex Luthor, who created a monstrous-like being with abilities very similar to Superman.  This is where Wonder Woman steps in.  Throughout the movie, Wonder Woman made her appearances, but they were very short which added a sense of mystery to her character.  But she joined in with Batman and Superman in this final duel to fight Luthor’s creation, also known as Doomsday.  After a long brawl (with an intense amount of CGI use), the heroes come out victorious, but it came with a heavy price: Superman’s life (although, we all know there is no way he’s gone for sure.  One, the Justice League movie is set to come out within the next few years and you cannot have a Justice League without Superman.  And two, the dirt above his grave began to rise, hinting his return.)

On the whole, Batman V. Superman was a good movie.  There were many, many positive things about the film, including a very thickened plot and an extremely well-thought out conflict, but the movie did have some negatives as well, such as a long run-time and a lot of items included in one film.  As a comic book fan, it is safe to say the movie was enjoyable to watch, as we got the opportunity to see two of the most beloved superheroes in history compete and ultimately work together.  All in all, DC has definitely built a strong basis in which it will be easy for the company to continue making movies on the heroes we anticipate to see on the big screen.

-Akash Mathur, TheMathurWebsite

 

RealAJPlayz Minecraft!

There is a channel on YouTube that is run by a young and rising star.  Who is that you ask?  Well, it’s AJ of course!  AJ is an upcoming Minecraft YouTuber, check out his YouTube Channel if you want to witness Minecraft greatness.  Definitely hit the “Like” button and Subscribe to his channel.

Check out the link to witness Minecraft greatness:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKlkqYAwc0shv-jNXJVYTcw

How It Should Have Ended

How It Should Have Ended (HISHE) is a comical YouTube channel that animates movies into shorts and provides alternate endings for movies.

Click the link to watch How It Should Have Ended: Lord of the Rings!

Avengers: Age of Ultron – Things You Missed

If you ever watch a movie, do not think that what was visible to YOU in the movie is it.  Directors often have hidden messages during movies to either set up upcoming movies, reference something else, etc.  If you ever think you missed anything during a movie, go to the Mr. Sunday Movies YouTube channel, who reveal hidden references during movies.  For example, click the video to find out everything you missed in the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie.

Fantastic Four

Click the link for a video on the history of the Fantastic Four by Variant Comics!

Batman: The Killing Joke

Click the link for a video of the Batman: The Killing Joke storyline by Comicstorian!

Ultron

Click the link for a short video on the history of Ultron by Variant Comics!