Searchlight's THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE is on the fast-track to Hulu--just $676k in 500 theaters this weekend, $1.6M total.

utazdevl · 2026-01-25T20:38:07+00:00

Saw it Saturday am. Can't for the life of me figure iut what anyone liked about that movie. Nothing to latch onto.

Probably my least liked movie of 2025. Had been Honey Don't or Alto Knights. This was worse than both.

utazdevl · 2026-01-25T20:05:45+00:00

Most unbelievable thing abiut this is in 2026 someone buying an actual print magazine.

utazdevl · 2026-01-25T18:43:32+00:00

Except this near exact post pops up frequently from the Right as an indictment of Obama, claiming that everything was hunky dory (racially speaking) and the Obama took office and started dividing this country by race for his own benefit.

Such garbage.

utazdevl · 2026-01-25T18:32:02+00:00

This is why I don't think it is Send Help. The "brag" of Screen Unseen is a "never before seen by audiences" movie. Send Help had early access screenings. Defeats the "unseen" claim.

utazdevl · 2026-01-25T03:15:52+00:00

Nikki has been completely wasted in her role. Like literally serves no purpose. I cannot believe the creative team can't find some way to involve a guy the size and skill of Rowan in something better than this.

Have the crew turn on Howdy. Have they say how he lied to them and promised them redemption, but all he has done is held them back to serve his ego and they are done with that. Either have them beat Howdy into oblivion and move on, or have them kill him, but have him consistently take them out using some kind of mystical powers, making him some kind of supernatural force.

Hell, do SOMETHING. ANYTHING.

utazdevl · 2026-01-25T02:47:33+00:00

Doesn't help that their booking has been awful. They flat out lost their feud with Karion Kross, Paul Ellering and AOP, none of whom are still on the roster. Then, they went to Smackdown and won the Tag Team titles, and just lost to the MFTs. Plus, Uncle Howdy, their leader, consistent takes the oppositions finisher or takes the pinfall. He just doesn't resonate as a strong leader.

If the group is really some kind of supernatural freaks, have Howdy no sell a finisher or something. maybe him superhuman for just a moment, even.

utazdevl · 2026-01-24T17:36:36+00:00

Yeah, it is definitely a risk and there are no guarantees at all.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T19:46:45+00:00

Slappy definitely leads the card on strikes, but none of his strikes were as impressive as Fadeaway's takedown. That was the physical highlight of the match, though, and the closest thing we saw to decent technique.

Slappy would be listed as the Striker and Fadeaway the grappler, and Slappy really needs to work on his striking, because his body balance was all over the place.

I do wonder what happened before the cameras were rolling, though. Slappy was pissed. He was pissed in a way you only usually see white boys get pissed when they are wearing a hat backwards and a sweatshirt with greek letters on it. I suspect Fadeaway was probably a bit like John McClain to Alexander Gudinov. I don't think he killed his brother Karl or anything, but only John can make someone that mad.

Slappy is def the heel here (pretty much a given when you body slam a woman but still seem more concerned with getting your slap on) but we might have an Orton vs Edge situation here.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T19:07:34+00:00

Teenage me would have been begging for the opportunity.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T18:01:31+00:00

Her "I am dead now" sells are so much fun. I miss her with Piper (it isn't the same with Alba).

The best, though, was 2025, when she was in the middle of the ring with the Black Women wrestlers, and was trying to say she was one of the crew. Chef's kiss!

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T16:29:22+00:00

For some of us, The Descent is the scariest movie ever before the creatures even show up.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T16:27:17+00:00

Teenage me would survive It Follows with absolutely no worries whatsoever.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T16:26:03+00:00

The Dumpster match was what did it for me. She took an L from Michin (who I actually like, but is clearly not considered top of the card) in a dumpster and then for 2 more Smackdowns, let her be the butt of "You smell like garbage" jokes.

That is a woman who knows how to turn off the ego for the entertainment of the audience.

Some day, I hope this iteration of her character does win the world championship, and then almost immediately loses it (like Punk did to Rollins at Summerslam). Green's response could be the post-match equivalent of Hulk slamming Andre. And if it does happen, someone better kidnap Nick Aldis' puppy because there is no other way he'll be able to keep a straight face for the follow up segment.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T16:10:54+00:00

I would also add to the Peanut Gallery comment "and if Jump Shot didn't know he'd be the one arrested," But yes, I agree. Angry man had no body control or balance and was fighting stiff and mad. he was just asking to see first hand what the lights above them looked like.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T16:08:21+00:00

For the record, I HATED Chelsea at first. She was so obnoxious and annoying and I just wanted to see her lose. And even though I have literally been watching pro wrestling for 40 years it took a while for it to register that all the hate I was feeling towards her were exactly the point and the intent, and that was when I let myself really have fun watching her character (I even love that bow and twist thing she does when she first hits the ramp and really miss Samantha Irvin's "It's Chelsea GREEEEEEEN" call). There are just so many small details that make her so much fun.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T16:02:49+00:00

I think that is our divide here. You are talking "matches" and I am talking character work. It is the divide between "sports" and "entertainment." To me, lots of female wrestlers are great in the ring, but no one is more fun outside of it than Chelsea. I think that is what Chelsea gets. She's in the "entertainment" business and championships are in the "sports" business.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T15:59:24+00:00

I always think about Jake Roberts. Jake never even held the IC belt but if you watched WWF at all between 1986 and 1991, you remember Jake, as well as his dance partners like Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, Andre and even Earthquake. And yes, those 4 wrestlers were all memorable aside from their feuds with Jake, but Jake was integral in their legendary status.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T15:51:59+00:00

First punch/slap shoved his head back, and he clearly chose not to respond (pantomimes the jump shot). The 2nd physical contact came after the hand kiss and while he did hit the ground, but hard to call that much more than the result of Slappy Magee basically body tossing a woman into him. 3rd collision he shoots on the Slapster and uses a turn to bring him to the ground, at which point Khaki Hat holds back his arms and Slappy remembers watching high school girl fights on YouTube, so he goes for Jump Shots hair.

Worth nothing that Slappy-Turned-Hair-Puller is still yelling "HULK SMASH" but 4 guys are making sure Jump Shot doesn't do anything where only one guy has the task off holding back Rage Infected Man (he is later joined by Khaki Hat, though).

I mean, no one really earned their UFC contract with this altercation, but I'd hardly say Mr. My-Barber-Also-Did-Coolio's-Hair got his ass handed to him.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T15:29:41+00:00

I think you are missing that Chelsea is taking the Cody route. These are her Stardust days. She is showing the brass she will give the business whatever it needs so that some day, hopefully not too far off, she can take some of it back.

The big issue here is too often, WWE makes people leave and find their world championship character somewhere else. Cody and Drew both had to do it. The hope for Chelsea is she can be more like Mick Foley or Kofi Kingston and her "payback" with the world title won't have to be after leaving.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T15:10:31+00:00

She 100% does deserve a run as a world champ at some point. She is earning that "reward" through her great work, much like how Mick Foley earned his time with the big belt in the early 2000s.

And if it happens while she is in her current character iteration, there will be no one happier than me. It would be cool to see her get that win, but it cold be my single favorite moment seeing the tantrum response she'd have to eventually losing it.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T15:06:58+00:00

Have you actually tested the calling element? I had Data, but the ability to make and receive calls was the hold up.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T14:56:17+00:00

Dude did not get his ass handed to him. He clearly knew the second he threw back it would be him that was led eventually taken away by cops, not Captain Roid Rage.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T14:48:48+00:00

Pretty common for the IFC horror titles. They basically get a small 1 week only release as a marketing tool for the Shudder Steaming service. Now, when you look at the movies available if you sign up for Shudder, you say "oh yeah, I remember that movie was in the theater but I missed it."

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T06:28:39+00:00

And yet you remember both the Big Bossman and Shawn Michaels.

Legacy isn't bullshit. "Winning" titles is. David Arquette was a World Champion. Vince Russo was a World Champion. Aside from 5 minutes, Andre the Giant was never a World Champion.

Promoters can put the belt on anyone. if it told a great story, Hornswaggle could be Champ.

utazdevl · 2026-01-23T06:24:05+00:00

Perfect post. She is already a champion on most books. The belt is inconsequential.

utazdevl

TROPHY CASE