Universal has done well with their Trolls sequel. There are reports that say it has made near or at 100 million dollar via the video on demand. There were statements from its CEO on potentially doing on demand with a theatrical release in the future on their movies. Obviously, backlash has occurred. AMC theaters and Regal have shown displeasure and the former is not going to allow their films in the future. At least what I would assume is a short ban. A ton of stuff in terms of accusations and just a bunch of crap.
I wouldn't want to gloat about how well the movie is doing so far. In this pandemic, that's the last thing to do or even mention what your intentions are in the future. At the same time, what could be considered for on demand and theaters at the same time. Because a lot of Universal's properties have been pushed back. Same for many companies. I'm going to assume licensing and wanting to make quick money with Trolls. There's no good answer to this situation.
There's probably more to this controversy and probably one that could get addressed soon. But Universal has to understand that not everybody is going to instantly go for demand. It has to do with where you are and prices for the movie theaters. Whether you're alone or have a family. If you're busy. Not everyone will think it's easy to justify 20 dollars for two days of viewing a movie. In that same token, AMC and Regal are not cheap theaters. Last year, for three people. tickets all together was over 30 dollars for a matinee. There's pros and cons for both sides. I'm sure this isn't far from over.
Things do feel like they are getting back to normal, kind of. But we're not out of this yet. Even considering the circumstances, these companies can get to fixing the relationships they have and hopefully we see the Universal films back in more theaters.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Geeks and Jocks: Episode 35
The newest episode. You can find it on Anchor.fm
https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-35-Draft-a-Movie-edckjv
https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-35-Draft-a-Movie-edckjv
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Saving the 42
I do think NASCAR will be back sooner than you think. Chip Ganassi Racing has their man to helm the 42 car. Last month following a racial slur, Kyle Larson was suspended and then fired. Sponsors ran away. Coming back and out of retirement once again is Matt Kenseth, one of the sports more well known drivers.
Kenseth has been around the Cup series going back to 2000. He always finds ways to win. That's how it ultimately got him a championship win in 2003, which was huge for Roush Racing, who would win the next one in 04 with Kurt Busch. Combined for over 70 wins in all kinds of auto racing, he always finds ways to get into contention. Some bad luck here and there, but an all around driver that isn't a bad guy the fans will boo.
Ganassi gets an experienced man for the job. Other guys considered reading the articles included Carl Edwards and Ross Chastain. Edwards hasn't raced in over three years and seems more content with staying retired. Unfortunate, because he was a good natured driver and came close a couple times to winning the championship, including his final year in 2016. If he had more wins than Tony Stewart in 2011, he could have won the Cup. And Chastain filled in for the injured Ryan Newman. Maybe he gets his chance next year because I don't see Kenseth being a long term answer. He'll probably go back to his home in November and live peacefully until he is in the Hall of Fame.
Embrace it for now. Hopefully, no more stupid moments that cause controversy. And a good guy like Kenseth is a solid answer.
Kenseth has been around the Cup series going back to 2000. He always finds ways to win. That's how it ultimately got him a championship win in 2003, which was huge for Roush Racing, who would win the next one in 04 with Kurt Busch. Combined for over 70 wins in all kinds of auto racing, he always finds ways to get into contention. Some bad luck here and there, but an all around driver that isn't a bad guy the fans will boo.
Ganassi gets an experienced man for the job. Other guys considered reading the articles included Carl Edwards and Ross Chastain. Edwards hasn't raced in over three years and seems more content with staying retired. Unfortunate, because he was a good natured driver and came close a couple times to winning the championship, including his final year in 2016. If he had more wins than Tony Stewart in 2011, he could have won the Cup. And Chastain filled in for the injured Ryan Newman. Maybe he gets his chance next year because I don't see Kenseth being a long term answer. He'll probably go back to his home in November and live peacefully until he is in the Hall of Fame.
Embrace it for now. Hopefully, no more stupid moments that cause controversy. And a good guy like Kenseth is a solid answer.
Monday, April 27, 2020
2020 NFL Draft Reaction
I'm going to talk mainly the choices that were in the first round and a few notables outside of it.
I would say that the teams got what they needed to fix certain spots in the positions that they have problems in. Joe Burrow was obvious with going to the Bengals. Washington, Detroit and the New York Giants got big help with their picks. Big defensive boosts for the first two and an offensive one for the last. Miami and the LA Chargers got guys that could be the next big signal callers. Some defensive guys going to Carolina, Arizona, San Francisco, Jacksonville, Atlanta. Receivers going to Denver, Philadelphia, Minnesota. Kansas City needing a running back. New Orleans getting a new center. Tampa and Miami getting insurance for offensive lineman. Some of the big notables in that round
Some notables in other rounds Jake Fromm going to Buffalo. Jalen Hurts was a surprise pick for Philadelphia. Jonathan Taylor heads to Indy and the thought of a one two punch with Marlon Mack. Jon Runyan Jr. following in his father's footsteps as a lineman for Green Bay. Certain guys were seen going other places this weekend. Trent Williams goes to the 49ers in the wake of the retirement of longtime vet Joe Staley. Matt Brieda heads to Miami, which will help the ground game. Jameis Winston backs up Drew Brees in New Orleans. The NFC South and AFC East have some interesting playmakers heading into the regular season, pending if it even starts on time.
The Hurts pick may seem weird, but I don't think it is. I'd consider it insurance in case Carson Wentz goes down. Knocked out of the playoffs this past season. Lingering injuries in 2018 that stemmed from the end of the 2017 season. Makes sense a little bit. Not to mention Wentz is now a risky player. Green Bay fans are upset with Jordan Love in the first round as their pick. Regardless of talent, Aaron Rodgers has injury history. Not his best year last season, but could be better this upcoming year.
This is the best we're going to see for sports until things go back to normal.
I would say that the teams got what they needed to fix certain spots in the positions that they have problems in. Joe Burrow was obvious with going to the Bengals. Washington, Detroit and the New York Giants got big help with their picks. Big defensive boosts for the first two and an offensive one for the last. Miami and the LA Chargers got guys that could be the next big signal callers. Some defensive guys going to Carolina, Arizona, San Francisco, Jacksonville, Atlanta. Receivers going to Denver, Philadelphia, Minnesota. Kansas City needing a running back. New Orleans getting a new center. Tampa and Miami getting insurance for offensive lineman. Some of the big notables in that round
Some notables in other rounds Jake Fromm going to Buffalo. Jalen Hurts was a surprise pick for Philadelphia. Jonathan Taylor heads to Indy and the thought of a one two punch with Marlon Mack. Jon Runyan Jr. following in his father's footsteps as a lineman for Green Bay. Certain guys were seen going other places this weekend. Trent Williams goes to the 49ers in the wake of the retirement of longtime vet Joe Staley. Matt Brieda heads to Miami, which will help the ground game. Jameis Winston backs up Drew Brees in New Orleans. The NFC South and AFC East have some interesting playmakers heading into the regular season, pending if it even starts on time.
The Hurts pick may seem weird, but I don't think it is. I'd consider it insurance in case Carson Wentz goes down. Knocked out of the playoffs this past season. Lingering injuries in 2018 that stemmed from the end of the 2017 season. Makes sense a little bit. Not to mention Wentz is now a risky player. Green Bay fans are upset with Jordan Love in the first round as their pick. Regardless of talent, Aaron Rodgers has injury history. Not his best year last season, but could be better this upcoming year.
This is the best we're going to see for sports until things go back to normal.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Tampa's Party Animal
Tampa Bay might become the new destination for partying. A big boy like Rob Gronkowski will be turning heads. What has happened is that he is unretiring. New England traded him and a draft pick in exchange for a draft pick. Offensively, it should help a bit and the combo of him, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin will make secondaries scramble to figure who will get the ball.
I think this will help him. A few more years under his belt and getting to near 10,000 yards and maybe close to 100 touchdowns will solidify an already big career. The Pats are in clear need of a tight end. No one amounted to anything in that position this past season. No one could make big plays and the run game suffered a bit. Tampa gets a healthy Gronkowski in what is a small trend of players taking time off and coming back into the league. But I'd be more concerned about getting a ground game going and having a running back that will help compliment the passing.
New England might look to deal with defensive guys in the draft. Or maybe a tight end. These two teams face each other next year unless both reach the Super Bowl, which that seems impossible. The way the NFL is right now, anything can happen and anybody could win. A big wind of change.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Geeks and Jocks Episode 34
The newest episode is up. On Anchor
https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-34-Favorite-TV-Shows-ed3dvj
https://anchor.fm/ryan-sullivan1gaj/episodes/Episode-34-Favorite-TV-Shows-ed3dvj
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Playdate with Destiny Review
Eight years ago, Fox made a short for The Simpsons to go along with a new movie release. In all the years since, it's a surprise that they didn't make another one until this year. Playdate with Destiny was the short that aired in theaters before Onward and it's a cute and funny one.
As with The Longest Daycare, it is centered around the Simpson baby, Maggie. Marge take her to the park and she gets to play and meets a little boy. Everything is pure joy until the day ends. It's that Simpson fantasy of things being right with the world. Things go hectic with Homer taking her to a different park that is rough and rowdy. She will do anything to get back to the nice park and play with that little boy.
There's no dialogue and much like Daycare, it works effectively. The emotions seen out of Maggie is executed well. It has loads of nice animation throughout it. Music that fits the scenes perfectly. Quite a bit of visual gags and the fantasies are a sight to see. A cute way to cobble together another baby centric short that you can't get anywhere from Fox. It was much better than Onward. If you're a Simpson fan, give it a watch.
Score: 8 out of 10
As with The Longest Daycare, it is centered around the Simpson baby, Maggie. Marge take her to the park and she gets to play and meets a little boy. Everything is pure joy until the day ends. It's that Simpson fantasy of things being right with the world. Things go hectic with Homer taking her to a different park that is rough and rowdy. She will do anything to get back to the nice park and play with that little boy.
There's no dialogue and much like Daycare, it works effectively. The emotions seen out of Maggie is executed well. It has loads of nice animation throughout it. Music that fits the scenes perfectly. Quite a bit of visual gags and the fantasies are a sight to see. A cute way to cobble together another baby centric short that you can't get anywhere from Fox. It was much better than Onward. If you're a Simpson fan, give it a watch.
Score: 8 out of 10
Monday, April 20, 2020
Da Bull...spit
If the next month will be an indication, a lot will talk about the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls. It was the last year they won a championship and the last to have Michael Jordan with them along with Phil Jackson. When 1999 hit, they were one of the worst teams and no playoffs until 2005. ESPN is airing a documentary that was filmed during that 97-98 season. Jordan, from reading from places like ESPN and the New York Post, had authority on when it would be shown. A couple takeaways from my opinion.
I don't have much interest in the documentary or any drive to watch it. But looking at details from articles, it seems like general manager Jerry Krause had no interest in keeping the Bulls the way they were. And the meddling he did destroyed arguably the biggest 90s team in all of sports. He had been involved since 1985 during "The Last Dance", the name of the documentary. He got players he wanted and the expertise of Jackson and players like Scottie Pippen, early players like John Paxson and Horace Grant, later ones such as Dennis Rodman and Ron Harper. Steve Kerr was a part of those last three championships as a player. It's so loaded with talent, why? Why ruin the team you brought fortune to?
Going to the few articles, I'll assume an ego on Krause's part. Not feeling like he gets credit. Even if it's not mentioned by players and staff, he would have still been given credit via retrospectives and front office interviews. Part of it is probably why he got tired of Jackson, who I believe was the fourth coach for Jordan in five years. Reading the salary of Pippen, I don't know how you don't try to give a sizable contract or renegotiate to where both sides are happy. Rodman and a few others had bigger paychecks than him.
As far as other stuff mentioned from reading the articles, it tells you how versatile Jordan was and the drive to win. Keeping the team relevant in those early years of his career and going all out every night in a productive manner, especially when Jackson started coaching the Bulls. I read a tweet from NFL great Julius Peppers about Krause being gone (passed away in 2017) and not being able to defend himself. No offense, but I'm not sure if he could defend himself. You have a huge dynasty. The best since the 70s Steelers teams and for basketball, those 80s Celtics and Lakers teams. Having beefs with your own talent is a huge recipe for disaster. And not wanting to pay huge contributors and petty shit that is blown into a big deal. Krause destroyed the team.
I'll be curious to see how the reputation goes for Chicago. There will be a lot of good and bad things that will be discussed in what some argue could be the greatest NBA player (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might be equal or better than him). Maybe clearer answers will be given as to what may have caused the drive for a final championship before its ultimate downfall skid.
I don't have much interest in the documentary or any drive to watch it. But looking at details from articles, it seems like general manager Jerry Krause had no interest in keeping the Bulls the way they were. And the meddling he did destroyed arguably the biggest 90s team in all of sports. He had been involved since 1985 during "The Last Dance", the name of the documentary. He got players he wanted and the expertise of Jackson and players like Scottie Pippen, early players like John Paxson and Horace Grant, later ones such as Dennis Rodman and Ron Harper. Steve Kerr was a part of those last three championships as a player. It's so loaded with talent, why? Why ruin the team you brought fortune to?
Going to the few articles, I'll assume an ego on Krause's part. Not feeling like he gets credit. Even if it's not mentioned by players and staff, he would have still been given credit via retrospectives and front office interviews. Part of it is probably why he got tired of Jackson, who I believe was the fourth coach for Jordan in five years. Reading the salary of Pippen, I don't know how you don't try to give a sizable contract or renegotiate to where both sides are happy. Rodman and a few others had bigger paychecks than him.
As far as other stuff mentioned from reading the articles, it tells you how versatile Jordan was and the drive to win. Keeping the team relevant in those early years of his career and going all out every night in a productive manner, especially when Jackson started coaching the Bulls. I read a tweet from NFL great Julius Peppers about Krause being gone (passed away in 2017) and not being able to defend himself. No offense, but I'm not sure if he could defend himself. You have a huge dynasty. The best since the 70s Steelers teams and for basketball, those 80s Celtics and Lakers teams. Having beefs with your own talent is a huge recipe for disaster. And not wanting to pay huge contributors and petty shit that is blown into a big deal. Krause destroyed the team.
I'll be curious to see how the reputation goes for Chicago. There will be a lot of good and bad things that will be discussed in what some argue could be the greatest NBA player (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might be equal or better than him). Maybe clearer answers will be given as to what may have caused the drive for a final championship before its ultimate downfall skid.
Friday, April 17, 2020
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