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Red’s Recommendation of the Week: The Umbrella Academy

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This show is, simply put, just delightfully weird.

The Umbrella Academy is a quarantine must watch for anyone who’s into sci-fi, graphic novels, time travel, and just generally weird shows. You definitely have to kind of go with it in this show since it really leans into the bizarre, but hey that’s to be expected when you base a show off a comic written by the lead singer of My Chemical Romance.

“I’m Not Okay” still slaps to this day.

It stars mostly unknown actors, but features prominent roles from Ellen Page (Inception, X-Men, Juno) and Mary J Blige (music superstar) rounding out the cast. The Umbrella Academy has a couple of goofy moments that are to be expected when adapting graphic novel artwork to live action (think Wolverine’s yellow jumpsuit), but the show actually deals with a lot of heavy topics too: drug addiction, suicide, and tons of childhood trauma just to name a few.

The show begins on a day in 1989 when 12 children were all born at the same exact time to unsuspecting women all around the world who weren’t pregnant when the day began. Like the Immaculate Conception on steroids. Some quirky billionaire then travels around the world to essentially adopt/buy as many of these kids as he can (he gets 7) because these can’t be ordinary children. Well he’s right and he brings them all to live and train together as a team of kid superheros. They all have abilities ranging from super strength, to teleportation, to even conjuring the dead. All of the kids, except for Ellen Page, which is unintentionally hilarious if you remember the Family Guy Justice League…and Meg episode.

Anyways, the kids fight crime together under the moniker The Umbrella Academy, but the show actually starts 17 years later after they’ve all grown up and drifted apart. They’re brought back together by tragedy and are now adults who are all understandably pretty fucked up from a childhood as kid soldiers raised by an emotionally void billionaire who gave them NUMBERS for names.

It’s a mix between a number of genres that shouldn’t really work when thrown together, yet somehow it does. You have elements of a murder mystery/sci-fi/super heroes/time travel/gothic opera/buddy cop/dry humor and it oddly works in the end.

I won’t give away too much, but when one of the main characters learns of the exact date of the apocalypse (eight days away) he has to recruit his brothers and sisters as they try and figure out what the hell is going on and how exactly they can stop it.

The Umbrella Academy definitely isn’t for everyone, but I’ve had enough friends DM me after I posted a pic of the show asking me “how is that?” People are curious and this show is weird AF, but I just finished season 1 and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So I recommend checking it out because what else are you doing these days? Oh and if you like it, Season 2 just dropped on Netflix so you’ve got about 20 hours of binge TV ahead of you.

The Batfleck is Back! Ben Affleck Set to Return as Batman in The Flash

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The Batfleck is back! All hail Ana de Armas for saving the DC cinematic universe.

But seriously what a bombshell to drop the night before DC’s long awaited virtual conference, Fandome, that kicks off on Friday. We all thought Ben Affleck was hanging up his cowl forever when he retired from the role last year and walked away from his own standalone film. But it seems like he might have just been going through a shitty time in his life and didn’t want to do anything, which is something we can all relate to. I mean his best/only role the last couple of years has been as the alcoholic Coach Carter. Plus an A+ heartwarming cameo in the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.

But it seems like it was less about being done with Batman than it was about just taking some time to mentally recharge.

And for that I think we all need to declare Ana de Armas our new queen. If nothing else she is on deck to become the First Lady of Boston as her and Affleck have been globetrotting together with puppy dog eyes of love. Through it all, Affleck refuses to ever change though. I mean he’s in exotic locations with one of the most beautiful women in the world and he’s still wearing $10 Boston t-shirts like he’s me working from the spare bedroom in sweatpants.

What an absolute meteoric rise de Armas has had the past couple of years. She was obviously in movies before (Blade Runner, War Dogs), but it’s safe to say she blew up with her role in Knives Out where she stole every scene she was in. Then she linked up with Daniel Craig again to become the next Bond girl in a movie that looks awesome, yet I still haven’t seen because of the goddamn coronavirus.

And now she has singlehandedly rejuvenated Ben Affleck and saved the DC cinematic universe.

Granted it’s not a standalone film and is all but likely just a cameo in The Flash, it’s great to have Batfleck back in our lives. Even better, this movie is going to be an absolute wet dream of weird storylines since it’s going to delve into the Multiverse. I blogged about this a couple months back, but we’re going to see both Affleck and Michael Keaton playing the Batman in the same movie and I don’t know what the hell to expect. It’ll be great to see Affleck and Ezra Miller’s Flash back on screen together because their banter was the highlight of a pretty meh Justice League. At least until the Snyder Cut drops next year.

I just hope Matt Damon doesn’t feel left out with all of this Ana de Armas talk.

This is a Connor Clifton Appreciation Blog

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Full disclaimer since I do possess a degree in Big J Journalism, I am a bit biased on this because we are both Quinnipiac grads, but it’s time for people to put some respect on Connor Clifton’s name.

With his all around game as an energy guy that’s not afraid to lay the wood and mix it up, not to mention his rocket of a slapshot, Clifton needs to be in the lineup every single night. Since he was inserted into the lineup by Cassidy in Game 3 (plus Halak taking over for Tuukka) the Bruins have looked like a more energetic team that’s playing with an edge.

Just look at last night’s 3rd period 4 goal explosion that all happened in just 6 minutes and 51 seconds; Clifton was making huge plays in every facet of the game.

And that was immediately followed by Clifton getting into position for a rocket to tie the game at 2 and really swing the momentum in the B’s favor.

Marchand followed that up just a minute later with a slick goal of his own, followed by a goal from Jake DeBrusk (2nd of the night) less than 3 minutes after that.

I’m not saying a third pairing defenseman has been the difference in this series, but I am saying Connor Clifton finished with a goal, an assist, was second on the team in hits with 3 (+ 5 in Game 3), and led the team in +/- at +2 last night. Not too shabby for Cliffy Hockey. There’s a reason the Bruins gave the QU grad a 3-year extension last summer with one year still left on his deal.

With their No. 1 goalie done for the season, Pastrnak’s return date a complete unknown, and an old veteran laden team the B’s desperately need some energy and production from the young guys and Clifton has done just that.

We’ve Got Bruins AND Celtics Playoff Games Tonight!

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I won’t lie, living in semi-quarantine for the past 5-6 months has been a mixed bag of misery for all of us so night’s live this take on even more significance than ever before. Two playoff games in one night was alway a luxury, but when you have nothing to watch for months except Netflix and reruns of Bar Rescue then you really appreciate this kind of sports overload. So kudos to Adam Silver for leading the way with the idea of putting an entire league into a bubble.

Boston Bruins (-1.5) vs Carolina Hurricanes
Bruins Lead the Series 2-1
Puck Drop: 8 pm, NESN
Breakdown: After Tuukka left the B’s in a precarious position by opting out of the season…the morning of a playoff game…Jaroslav Halak stepped in and played pretty damn well (minus the ugly goal he gave away trying to play the puck behind the net). So while it was en vogue to bash Tuukka for a number of reasons, many Bruins fans have ironically gotten exactly what they were hoping for: a new goalie. Halak was obviously never supposed to play in the playoffs because he’s the backup, but he’s not your typical backup. Since Tuukka never played well with a heavier workload, he and Halak have basically been splitting time evenly the past 2 seasons. Granted Tuukka was 2nd in the NHL this year in GAA, Halak wasn’t far behind at 7th in the league so we’re still in pretty good hands all things considered.

Boston Celtics (-5.5) vs Philadelphia 76ers
Tip Off: 6:30 pm, ESPN
Breakdown: The Celtics have had a lot of success against the Sixers in recent years, winning the last four playoff series the two have played against one another. Not to mention the C’s have beaten the Sixers in 18 of the last 24 regular season matchups. Now the Sixers are without Ben Simmons who suffered a season ending knee injury. Philly was already a dysfunctional mess before that so while I am always fearful of what a motivated Joel Embiid can do on any given night, I think the C’s win the series in 6 games.

#RushHourRap – Souls Of Mischief – 93 ‘Til Infinity

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Not to sound like an old head, but this song is a classic from back when rap was rap. Even if you don’t know this song, you for sure recognize the beat as it’s been sampled by everyone from J. Cole on The Warmup to Rick Ross on Thug Cry to Big K.R.I.T. on Somedayz to even Tyga on ’09 Until. EVERYONE got on this beat. It was even ranked No. 93 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs of All Time.

As I was saying the other day, one of my favorite elements of rap is how artists find old, obscure songs and chop them up into something else entirely. This beat was originally sampled from a 1970’s jazz track 

“A-Plus’s flip is one of the most infamous ever, looping two different parts of the Cobham song to layer over each other. With the perfect truncation of sound and a little pitch increase, it’s up there with Havoc’s ‘Shook Ones Pt. II’ and RZA’s ‘Verbal Intercourse’ samples as one of the craziest flips of all time.” – TheBoomBox.com

Absolutely bananas.

If you really want to go down the YouTube rabbit hole of music inspiring music, check out this old video of Kanye, Just Blaze, and John Mayer all chopping it up over the 93 ‘Til Infinity beat.

Who do you think we need to feature on Rush Hour Rap? Tweet us @The300sBoston and use the hashtag #RushHourRap to send us what you want to hear in the AM.

Win a FREE Bear Force One T-Shirt for the Cup Run

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I just found an unopened Bear Force One t-shirt at The 300s HQ so what better time than now to run a giveaway? Just enter your email address below and we’ll pick one random winner this weekend!

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#RushHourRap – Clear Soul Forces – Get No Better

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A song that dropped back in 2012 and is one I only stumbled onto after it was used on Toucher and Rich as a bed coming back from commercial. Love the old school Mos Def/Talib Kweli sound and style. But this is what I love about hip hop man, this beat just sounded familiar to me so I was trying to track down the sample and it led me to this artist/producer Alien Folk Urban Aire / Kankick, which led me to the original sampling of this Latin jazz artist, Airto. Unreal. Thats exactly why Kanye will forever be one of the best producers to ever lay down a beat. The samples the man was able to repurpose are just absurd.

It would seem like these guys never really popped mainstream, but as we all know you can make a hell of a living as an indie rapper these days. So I may be nearly a decade late on these guys, but better late than never.

Dale Arnold Just Got Bagged Dressing Like a Mannequin On Live TV

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Dale Arnold so hot right now, Dale Arnold.

Apparently this is an old TV trick for guys when they’re sitting down, but come on Dale you’re making it too easy for people. You can get a suit tailored for literally less than $100 at Men’s Wearhouse.

As one would expect, Twitter took Dale to the woodshed.

Bruins Take Game 1 With a Double OT Winner from Patrice Bergeron

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First off let me just say, watching a game from 11 AM-3 PM is a gigantic pain in the ass if you have a job that requires even moderate human interaction. I went from watching on my TV to streaming on my phone as I jumped on a client Zoom, then a client called my phone and as I was switching the stream back to my laptop I was just in time to see the Bruins celebrating. Damnit.

Now that I got that off my chest, the Bruins dodged a bullet there and are lucky to get out of there with a win. They controlled the game for long stretches, but let mental errors nearly bury them. After going up 2-1 the Hurricanes challenged the goal claiming goaltender interference.

The Bruins rightfully won the coach’s challenge, which automatically resulted in a two minute minor on the Hurricanes for delay of game. So how do the Bruins capitalize on a massive momentum swing like that? Well Pastrnak almost immediately throws a slap dick cross ice pass that gets picked off and taken the other way for a shorthand goal to tie the game at 2.

While I don’t love the fact that the old veteran filled Bruins team had to play an extra 20+ minutes of hockey, I did take some morbid pleasure in how ridiculous bubble hockey has become already. After 5 OTs last night pushed the Bruins game back to this morning, the Bruins double OT game today then pushed the Islanders game back 90 minutes and around and around we go.

The Bruins are back at it Thursday night at 8 pm as they try to take a 2-0 lead in the first round series.

Is Marvel Eyeing Shia LaBeouf to Play Iceman in an X-Men Reboot?

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The Loop – According to We Got This Covered (the same site that correctly first reported a She-Hulk show at Disney Plus and a live-action Robin Hood remake at Disney), Marvel is hoping to land LaBeouf to play Iceman in their new X-Men reboot. Previously, MCU was supposedly considering LaBeouf to breathe life into Moon Knight (a rich vigilante character similar to Batman), and while the site reports that LaBeouf is still in the running for that role, the powers-that-be are supposedly more interested in his take on the X-Men character. And, considering LaBeouf’s previous criticism with doing big-budget studio films, this could be a nice way for him to ease back into things without having the pressure as a lead.

Yes, 100 times yes. Count me in. I stan for Shia LaBeouf because he has the makings of a truly elite actor. He’s got action chops (Transformers, Indiana Jones), he’s got Indie chops (Honey Boy, Peanut Butter Falcon), he’s handsome but not overly good looking, he’s already gone off the rails and been to rehab, and he is just generally a weird dude. Not to mention the man can tell one HELL of a drinking story.

LaBeouf is a more of an artist than a traditional actor, which is why I am fascinated by just watching what the guy does. He’s just as likely to be chopping it up on late night TV as he is going to yoga in the outfit of a homeless man.

In all seriousness though the dude is yoked these days and should have no problem convincing people he is an all powerful mutant.

Disney needs to nail this reboot and they know it. I am a huge X-Men fan and I enjoy all of the movies over the last 20 years, some of which were excellent (X-Men 2, Logan, First Class) whereas others were an unmitigated disaster (X-Men 3, Apocalypse). So in this reboot they have to do it right.

I know it’s going to be a massive popcorn flick as the next Marvel tentpole franchise, but all of the best Marvel movies had excellent actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans anchoring them in reality. X-Men in particular needs great actors because the source material is so much more than just people with super powers; it’s outcasts kicked to the fringe of society because of their biological differences. Stan Lee was not afraid to paint the obvious parallels between the X-Men and the battles of similarly ostracized groups fighting for justice like the Civil Rights movement, LGBTQ etc. And this wasn’t just Stan Lee being a woke social justice warrior on Twitter, he was a vocal supporter of these issues dating back to the 60s.

“Let’s lay it right on the line. Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today,” he wrote in December 1968. “[I]t’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race—to despise an entire nation—to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if a man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.”

So Disney cannot just make another action flick here, they need legit actors who can tackle the breadth of the source material.

As you probably know Iceman has appeared in several X-Men movies already because he is a sick character with a truly awesome power, but he was such a puss in the original movies. He was portrayed like a mopey Abercrombie model pining over his girlfriend rather than the Ice God that he is. He was finally a bit more badass in Days of Future Past in 2014, which the beard probably helped to be honest.

He finally used his iconic ice surfing powers in that movie too.

Buttttttt only got about 90 seconds of screen time before (spoiler alert) biting the big one.

It’s probably going to be a few years before we get any new X-Men movies anyways, maybe even longer before someone attempts to fill the massive shoes of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. But rumors like this are encouraging because it shows you Disney and Marvel are taking this reboot seriously. The X-Men movies always had a ton of potential, but were undone by poor direction or shitty storytelling or continuity issues, most of which should be righted by the MCU.