The Skolney Blog

1992: Probably not a whole lot of many figures in American history with a more compelling life story than Malcolm X. Small time hoodlum turned prisoner turned civil rights icon.  Spike Lee brought that story to the big screen. I did not see this movie in theaters, but I certainly remember the pre-release hype. This was Spike's 1st really big movie. He famously needed a collection of rich black celebrities to finish the funding for the movie.  And this is very much an epic biopic in the way they used to make them. This thing runs over 3 hours, and spans several decades. I think that for the most part this is the consensus pick for the best performance of Denzel Washington's career. Pick a superlative and it applies here. It's easily one of the most convincing performances ever by someone playing a real person. And it's an incredible showcase of range. The Malcolm we see at the 3 stages of his life are all very different yet Washington is note perfect in each....

In theaters: TILL The Emmett Till story gets, to my knowledge, its first proper film. The murder is horrifying, the lack of justice is infuriating. This film itself will endure most due to the extraordinary and moving lead performance by relative newcomer Danielle Deadwyler as Till's mother.  ARMAGEDDON TIME  A coming of age type story about a Jewish kid in the early 80s. I guess it is fairly autobiographical for the director James Gray, but as a movie it felt pretty aimless and inconsequential. Solid performances though, both from the established stars (Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins) and the main kids.  TICKET TO PARADISE This is nothing special, but they don't make them like this anymore. Just stick George Clooney and Julia Roberts in a movie and rely on their natural movie star charisma to carry the day. That...kind of works, but if anyone had bothered to actually write a real script for them it could have been a whole lot better.  SHE SAID The story of the repor...

Thursday: [Bills 28, Lions 25] I was able to watch much of this game in between food prep. Looked like the Bills were going to squander this game, but they got a gutty Josh Allen drive and some awful clock management from Dan Campbell to help them escape. The Bills have slipped from being AFC favorites but are still a threat. The Lions remain a contender for the last wild card, since that's probably going to a team with 9-ish wins.  [Cowboys 28, Giants 20] I saw almost none of this one. Dallas trailed early but took control. The Giants still have an edge for making the playoffs but need to right the ship quickly. Dallas could be one of the most dangerous wild cards ever if they don't catch Philly.  Sunday: [Jets 31, Bears 10] The elite battle of Mike White vs Trevor Siemian went the way of the home team. I'm sure White will put up big numbers on us next week.  [Bengals 20, Titans 16] The Bengals got the Titans in Tennessee again, even without their top WR and ...

Rian Johnson's Knives Out was one of the best films of 2019, and certainly one of the freshest. It had been ages since we had seen such a supremely entertaining murder mystery. Netflix gave Johnson hundreds of millions of dollars to do some sequels. The first of them is Glass Onion, which luckily enough was given a 1 week theatrical release (although with sold out shows all Thanksgiving weekend you can bet that will be extended). And, I dare say that Glass Onion is just as good. It's certainly funnier. I laughed more at this movie than almost any actual comedy in a long time. It's a whole new cast and setting, aside from Daniel Craig once again as Benoit Blanc, the master detective. The movie actually is set early in the pandemic, so Blanc has been cooped up with no mystery to solve.  But then he gets an invitation to a weekend murder mystery party at the island home of an absurdly rich tech billionaire (Edward Norton). Also on hand are a colorful collection of his friends ...

VIKINGS 33 PATRIOTS 26 Wait...so the Dallas loss didn't end the season? It wasn't the only game that matters?  In their first ever Thanksgiving home game, the Vikings bounced back in a major way. On a short week, they took down the soon to be winningest coach in NFL history. And in typical 2022 fashion, they did it with a 4th quarter comeback.  Going into this game everybody was all doom and gloom about the offense, since the Patriots have a top 5 defense in many of the major categories, and we were starting Blake Brandel instead of Christian Darrisaw. No matter. We still went right down the field to start the game. We tested that pass defense immediately, and Kirk hit 1st down throws to Mundt and Thielen, plus a Jefferson catch where he got his facemask grabbed. Then Jefferson actually THREW a pass himself to Thielen, setting us up in the redzone, where Jefferson then caught a Kirk dart in the front of the endzone and took a pop but held on for a 7-0 lead. But, oh, that Vikin...

Thursday: [Titans 27, Packers 17] Well, that one week rebound by the Packers turned out to be a fluke. Tennessee handled them pretty easily. Packer fans booed Rodgers. This puts the Packers really on the brink of missing the playoffs, cause they almost have to run the table now. You wonder if it will  be Jordan Love time soon.  Sunday: [Lions 31, Giants 18] I actually picked this upset (I rarely get these right so I gotta brag). The Lions have pulled into 2nd place, and maybe even into wild card contention. The Giants still have the edge for a wild card but are slipping.  [Falcons 27, Bears 24] Once again Justin Fields makes some big plays but the Bears lose. Cordarrelle Patterson broke the NFL record for all time kick return touchdowns.  [Eagles 17, Colts 16] Watched this whole game. The Colts had this in their grip but gave it away by blowing a couple big scoring chances. Then Philly came back, which prompted the announcers to cream all over Jalen Hurts...

COWBOYS 40 VIKINGS 3 I still can't believe that score. I'm not sure I have been so completely stunned by the final score of a Vikings game since 41-donut. Nobody saw this coming. We have played really close games the last 3 years against Dallas. This wasn't even remotely close. It was one of the most top to bottom terrible performances the Vikings have ever given. Was it a hangover from the emotional Buffalo win? Who knows. But right off the bat things went sideways.  On our third play of the game, Kirk Cousins got strip sacked. Dallas pounced, and only got a field goal. We responded with a nice drive deep into the redzone, but TJ Hockenson dropped a perfect pass in the endzone and we had to settle for 3 as well. No one would have imagined that would be our last score of the day. From this point on it was just complete domination by Dallas on both sides of the ball. They went right down the field to go up 10-3. And they scored on their next 5 drives too. It was just non-com...

Thursday: [Panthers 25, Falcons 15] Well, the NFC South is making it very clear that they are just going to give their division to Tampa without even trying.  Sunday: [Buccaneers 21, Seahawks 16] Right on cue the Seahawks revert to garbage in the service of Brady. It's telling that as putrid as Seattle was Tampa only eeked out a win. No matter. Tampa is a mortal lock to win the NFC South and win at minimum one playoff game. The misery isn't over yet.  [Lions 31, Bears 30] Another big game from Justin Fields, and another Bears loss. The Lions have actually pulled into 3rd.  [Chiefs 27, Jaguars 17] Nothing special, just a workmanlike performance by the Chiefs.  [Giants 24, Texans 16] Nothing special, just a workmanlike performance by the Giants.  [Dolphins 39, Browns 17] Miami is now a 1st place team and sits in the 2 seed. Gotta say they are a super bowl contender with a healthy Tua.  [Titans 17, Broncos 10] Ryan Tannehill returned and the Titans...

VIKINGS 33 BILLS 30 OT Oh please, as if an instant classic like this can possibly be summarized in a blog post. This was one of the greatest regular season wins in the history of the Vikings. And one of the most improbable. The Bills had a 14 point halftime lead, a lead they had not blown in a home game since 1968. They led by 17 points late in the 3rd quarter. They had possession of the ball with under a minute left. I have been saying since August that Buffalo is the super bowl favorite, that nobody will go in there and win. And to do it, you absolutely have to bring your A game.  The Vikings did not have their A game today. Our defense was often hapless against Josh Allen. Kirk Cousins threw 2 of the absolute worst interceptions of his whole career. We had some very poor playcalling at times. We were down to a backup LT and a corner just off the practice squad. Oh, and our idiot kicker beefed another PAT. The refs even screwed us on multiple occasions.  None of it mattered,...

Chadwick Boseman's presence hangs over every aspect of this film. When he died, this movie had already been mapped out, and it had to be completely re-done.  Some said his role of T'Challa should be re-cast. But that wasn't the path taken. Instead the decision was made to work Boseman's death into the story.  So Wakanda Forever is a totally unique movie experience, mourning not just a lead character but the actor who played them. And they drop you right into this. T'Challa dies offscreen in the opening scene, as Letitia Wright's Shuri works feverishly to save him. The opening ten minutes are an emotional gut punch, with the death, the funeral, and a silent Marvel Studios logo featuring just Chadwick. But then the film gets down to its proper plot, one year later, when other world governments have begun scouring the earth for other untapped supplies of vibranium. This brings into the story a race of beings who live deep under the sea, the Talokan, led by Namor (T...

Thursday: [Eagles 29, Texans 17] Eagles move to 8-0, but the Texans gave them a game for a while. Honestly, let them have the #1 seed. They might face a tougher team in the divisional round.  Sunday: [Lions 15, Packers 9] The Packers stunning free fall hits a new low. Only 9 points against one of the league's worst defenses. Rodgers throws 3 picks, including two in the endzone. Green Bay gets Dallas, Tennessee and Philadelphia next. They truly may miss the playoffs entirely.  [Dolphins 35, Bears 32] Okay, Justin Fields figuring things out may give me some anxiety for future years. For now though it's another L for Chicago. Miami is back to being just a game back in the AFC East   [Jets 20, Bills 17] I still think Buffalo will win the super bowl, so any time they look mortal is stunning. A couple perplexing picks from Josh Allen swung this one. The Jets aren't going away though, and may end the NFL's longest playoff drought.  [Chargers 20, Falcons 17]...

VIKINGS 20 COMMANDERS 17 In the latest chapter of what is becoming a magical season, the Vikings put their 5 game win streak to the test on the road against a decent team with a more than decent defense, who got absolutely gifted a touchdown, and led by two scores in the 4th quarter. But that win streak now sits at six, because this remarkably gutty team yet again hit the 4th quarter and became a different team, and made the comeback. This team has magic in it. This was Kirk Cousins's big return to Washington after 5 years away. And he came out swinging, taking the team right down the field on the opening drive. Included were a couple downfield shots, including one to the newly added TJ Hockenson, who immediately fit right in. Kirk hit JJ for his 1st TD since week 1 and we were off. But just as we so often start strong on offense, we again so often do not keep it up, and it would be almost 3 full quarters before we scored again.  Washington has a good defense, and their pass rush w...

Thursday: [Ravens 27, Buccaneers 22] I figured this set up too perfectly for a Tampa win, but the demise of Brady in fact continues. I still think they'll win the division even with just 7 or 8 wins, but I'll enjoy the struggles. Nice win for the Ravens on a short week on the road. Coupled with the Bengals losing Chase for a while they are likely back to being AFC North favorites.  Sunday: [Broncos 21, Jaguars 17] Russell Wilson returned but Denver's offense was still weak. Still were able to beat the plummeting Jaguars.  [Cowboys 49, Bears 29] Did not expect this game to be a shootout. Dallas was always in control though. They're a scary team with that defense and a healthy Prescott.  [Dolphins 31, Lions 27] Miami spotted the Lions a 14 point lead, but then the Lions did Lions things. Dolphins will be a tough out if they make the playoffs.  [Eagles 35, Steelers 13] Yeah this was destined to be a blowout. Steelers have been sporadically competitive but no...