Review: Stranger Things 2

After almost a year of waiting, Stranger Things 2 finally hit the digital shelves on Netflix, and it most certainly did not disappoint.

After everything Will went through with the Upside Down in season 1, he still has a lot of stress on his shoulders, as he keeps having flashes where he is brought back into the forsaken place, and it continues to get worse.

Meanwhile, Mike continuously tries to make contact with Eleven, but has no luck. He’s almost certain she’s gone, but he continues to hold on to the small bit of hope that he just can’t seem to give up. Dustin makes a new friend who gets him into some trouble, and Lucas puts the group at risk after all that occurred.

Also, they emergence of a few new characters add a whole new life to the show, and make it a lot more interesting, the main one being Max, the new girl on the block from California who instantly draws the attention of all the guys. She’s tough and independent, and watched over by her brother Billy, a badass bully who shows no mercy. A new character also brought to the screen this season is Bob, the new boyfriend of Joyce. He’s different, but in a good way. He’s funny, energetic, and a genius with technology.

As all their lives continue after what seemed to be the end of the Upside Down, the appearance of a so-called “shadow monster” brings everyone back to right where they were, but now in an even deeper hole.

This season has to be one of the most thrilling things I have ever watched. I can truly say I have never been so zoned in on a show in my life. Every episode will leave you on the edge of your seat, and before you know it, you’ll be through all 9 episodes, begging for them to drop season 3.

Impulse Watch: John Adams

Me, being a U.S. History nut and all, decided to sit down and start watching this HBO mini-series from 2008. Only one word to describe the first few episodes I watched. UNBELIEVABLE! The setting of Boston in the 1700’s looked matched up to a T as compared to how it actually looked in the past. Sitting there and watching it really felt like you were personally brought back in time to hear the story of our great nation’s 2nd president. The show starts off with the Boston Massacre, when multiple British soldiers opened fire on a group of men, and were taken to court. John Adams (played by Paul Giamatti) serves as the soldiers’ lawyer, and attempts to prove their innocence. Though I’m only a few episodes in, I am amazed at how well Paul Giamatti portrays John Adams, and it is now no surprise to me that he won a Golden Globe for this role back in 2009 (the show also won 3 more Golden Globes that year). The entire 7-episode mini-series takes us through John Adams’ political run, and the sacrifices he made in order to bring prosperity to the nation. If you share even the slightest interest in history, I would highly recommend this show.

IMDB Rating (as of 9/19/2017):  8.6/10

My rating: 9/10

5 TV Shows for the Sports Guy

This has got to be one of the more exciting things to talk about when it comes to TV shows. Many sports-based TV shows have taken over, and are becoming more popular than ever. I’ve seen many, and I mean many, of these types of shows. Here are some of the best.

Ballers (On HBO)

This show currently stands as one of HBO’s most popular shows right now, and the third season is set to close on Sunday, September 24th (And season 4 is currently already in the progress of being made). This show goes through the life of Spencer Strasmore (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), a former NFL player who now plays a role in the financial process of many professional football players. This shows is loaded with sports stars. You get to see famous players almost every episode (Antonio Brown, Terrell Suggs, Victor Cruz, the list goes on and on). Spencer controls the finances for athletes with his partner, Joe (Rob Corddry), through ASM, a financial management agency. This shows is fueled with excitement, drive, and lots of money in the form of cash, checks and contracts! From the beautiful setting of the show in Miami, to the amazing cars that roll up on the screen, this show will suck you in, and make you a person who has visions of living the life of Spencer Strasmore and company.

2. Survivor’s Remorse (On STARZ)

After signing a huge contract with Atlanta, NBA star Cam Calloway(Jessie T. Usher) packs up his Boston home and heads down to Georgia with his family to start the next chapter of his life. His cousin/manager, Reggie (RonReaco Lee), keeps an eye out for Cam as he has now become something out of nothing. After living through a rough childhood in Dorchester, Reggie knows there will be many former acquaintances of Cam looking to cash in on his new deal. This show does an incredible job of creating such an “out of sorts” family that people love to watch. The show is capable of showing humor in many ways, and also has many deep and meaningful parts that really make you connect to all the characters (especially towards the end of season 3). This show will take you behind the life of an all-star athlete, and gives one a perspective of what it’s like to be in their shoes. It’s a unique, up close and personal, and extremely humorous.

3. Blue Mountain State (On Netflix)

The show covering the college life of Blue Mountain State University back-up quarterback, Alex Moran (Darin Brooks). Moran, a QB from Cheyenne, Wyoming with great potential, doesn’t take the game too seriously, but thrives as a college partier. With Blue Mountain State coming off last season with a National Championship, coach Marty Daniels (Ed Marinaro) and captain linebacker Thad Castle (Alan Ritchson) try to seek out the amazing player that they know Moran is, while still living the life of crazy college kids. This shows is a must watch for any college student, as you will be instantly hooked on the aspect of the team’s play, hustle, and ability throw a party. These aren’t just any kind of normal parties either, these are the kind of parties that every college student dreams about.

4. The League

To start off, I know for a fact that this is a show that many of us can relate to. The League is a comedy about a group of friends in a fantasy football league. They’re all buddies and care about one another, but when it comes to the fantasy football league, they’re at each other throats every single week that football is on TV. If you take part in any kind of fantasy league, if you start watching this show, you’ll often find yourself in similar situations as the main characters, which makes the show so great, because it’s just so relatable.

5. Last Chance U (On Netflix)

Last Chance U takes us through the gridiron of future NFL players, who started off their lives with continuous struggles, and still fight them today. The show focuses around football athletes at East Mississippi Community College, who could potentially be high ranked college players, but have complications getting there due to their pasts. EMCC gives these athletes another shot at redemption, another shot to learn from their mistakes, and create a better future for themselves in means of football. If they are able to stay on the right path, playing at this school can often lead to future offers at bigger and better universities, which is exactly what they’re there to do.

All in all, coming from the big sports fan I am, these 5 shows receive my approval. Each one has their own unique way to draw in any type of sports fan. But for me personally, if you were to take one thing from this post, I would want it to be that you watch Ballers (It’s personally one of my favorite shows ever).

 

 

5 Movies for the Businessman

HERE WE GO PEOPLE!!!! The very first movie combo. Today we will talk about the top 5 movies that any BUSINESSMAN in the world needs to see. For anyone who shares interest in things like stocks, finances, or even entrepreneurship, these movies are without a doubt right up your alley! We’ll go a little in depth about each one, but obviously not enough to spoil it, and we’ll also talk about where you can find them. If you have already seen any of the movies talked about, then you already know the greatness that lies in the films. And if you haven’t seen them, and you love anything BUSINESS related, you need to pop a squat and the couch, grab your remote, kick back, and watch your business motivation RISE!

5 MOVIES FOR THE BUSINESSMAN (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

1. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013)

This brilliant movie goes in depth of the life of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a stock-broker who quickly went from rags to riches, and built an empire through his stock company, Stratton Oakmont. Along with the help of a few of his old time buddies and his new friend, Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), Belfort and company thrive on Wall Street through the selling of penny stocks. Belfort enjoys the life of success, and often celebrates it through the use of multiple substances, including cocaine, Adderall, morphine, and most importantly, Quaaludes. This may be a 3-hour movie, but it’s jam-packed all the way through with action, motivation, and excitement. See the way Belfort and crew snaked investors while supplying themselves with billions of dollars.

RATING: R / LENGTH: 3 Hours

Available on: ITunes, Amazon Video, DVD, Redbox

2. The Founder (2016)

The Founder is based on Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a salesman who took a small burger and fry place, and turned it into without a doubt the most well-known restaurant in the history of the world, McDonald’s. Kroc, who, at first, couldn’t catch a break in the selling of his self-made ridiculous products, comes across a small little gold mine in Illinois, as he is blown away at McDonald’s efficiency of making fast-food. Kroc, through the work of him and the 2 owners of the restaurant, Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carrol Lynch) McDonald, put the name on the map, and quickly learns through the process, that he isn’t in the game to make friends, but to create success. This movie really shows the tenacity that one must have when becoming a successful businessman. Many will learn through this movie that when it comes to running a business, many difficult decisions have to be made, and moving forward is the only acceptable option. Get ready to feel inspired as you watch Kroc build a foundation for the fast-food industry.

RATING: PG-13 / LENGTH: 1 Hour and 55 Minutes

Available on: DVD, Amazon, ITunes, Netflix

3. The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network takes us to Harvard University, where Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) creates one of the most popular, if not THE most popular social networking site (hence the name of the movie), Facebook. Through an idea he received from 2 other Harvard students, Zuckerberg begins to create a website where people can share their ideas, communicate with friends and family, display their interests on any subject, or simply just talk a out what they are doing. The movies shows the entire come-up of Facebook, starting with a completely different idea that Zuckerberg had in mind. He created a simple algorithm in his dorm room with his friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), to create a site where people can see pictures of Harvard students and say if they’re hot or not (Basically an IVY league Tinder). But Zuckerberg quickly throws this idea aside as he moves on to Facebook, and quickly forms it into a multi-billion dollar company. And along the way, much like in The Founder, Zuckerberg realizes he’s not in the game to make friends.

RATING: PG-13 / LENGTH: 2 Hours

Available on: ITunes, Amazon, Redbox

4. Steve Jobs (2015)

The man who needs to introduction. We all know Steve Jobs, the genius behind Apple. Starting with the huge failure of his very first product, the movies takes us through the life of Steve (Michael Fassbender), through the struggle of creating new apple products, and through the struggles he shares with his family. We get to see the sides of Jobs that no one really ever knew. It gets real up and close about the stresses of building the Macintosh computer, and also the stresses of him trying to build a relationship with his daughter, who he hardly ever sees. Through this movie, we really get to see, through Steve himself, the difficulty of creating a successful business, and it really gives a perspective on how much one is going to have to sacrifice in order to create a innovative product for his/her customers. The best thing though that an entrepreneur or any type of businessman can take from this movie is that IT TAKES TIME AND PATIENCE to get to where you want to be.

RATING: R / LENGTH: 2 Hours 2 Minutes

Available on ITunes, Amazon

5. Moneyball (2011)

While this movie is partly about the 2000 Oakland A’s incredible 20 game win streak, (Which was recently just beat out by the 2017 Cleveland Indians, who just reached 22 games), the main thing for a businessman to take from this movie is how Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the A’s general manager, used computer generated analysis as a way to pick up new players on a tight budget. A businessman can take this into perspective, as there may be times when a business try to do too much on a lean budget, and simply doing the wrongs things can cause that business to drown under. This movie shows the smart moves one has to make when running a team (but the same principles apply for a business as well), and how when money is tight, you have to play it smart, or you’ll suffer the consequences

RATING: PG-13 / LENGTH: 2 Hours 13 Minutes

Available on: DVD, Amazon, ITunes, Redbox

If you’re an aspiring businessman, and are looking for the ins and outs of what it takes to make it in the business world, I really hope you’ll take these movies into consideration.

Other honorable mentions to consider:

Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)

Boiler Room (2000)

Citizen Kane (1941)

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Network (1996)

The Insider (1999)