Author Archives: Andrew B

Top 5 Potential Villains for Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spidey BannerWith Spidey to make his MCU Debut in Civil War (out in Europe today, stateside in a week) and the knowledge that his first MCU solo film will be called Spider-Man: Homecoming, I felt it was time to sit down and pull together my top five list of Spidey villains along with story arcs that would potentially make sense given the info available. I won’t call myself a Spider-Man expert but I am definitely a Spidey fanboy. I mean, I’ve got the shoes and everything!

Custom made Spider-Man vans. Courtesy of a wonderful wife.

Custom made Spider-Man vans. Courtesy of a wonderful wife.

Seriously, Spider-Man, to me, is the best comic book character out there. And it all boils down to his identity: Peter Parker. I’ve always appreciated how he works so hard to try to not only be the hero as Spider-Man, but to be Peter Parker – student, friend, nephew, normal guy. Despite his awkwardness, financial deficiencies, and his feelings of anger and inadequacy, he always makes the tough/right decision. Also, being a younger hero, he brings an untainted perspective to the table that provides a stark contrast to those around him. Borderline naivete, it brings to the Avengers a more human/real-person view. He also has the corniest humor which is really the icing on the cake for me. Continue reading →

First Round NBA Playoff Predictions

playoffs-bannerMy favorite time of year is upon us. The NBA Playoffs start today and so many questions are out there to be answered: Will the Warriors continue their year of dominance? Can LeBron finally “win one for the ‘Land?” Is this KD and Russ’s last stand? In a year where the conferences are top heavy, will there be any reason to watch any first round games? Starting with the Western Conference, here are my predictions for the first round, the Playoffs overall, and some thoughts on this year’s postseason. Continue reading →

MJ, the 73-9 Warriors, and the Greatness of Kobe

Curry Kobe BannerApril 13, 2016 was the best night of basketball of my life. I’ll need to write that down. As a fan of the NBA and the game of basketball in general, this was probably the most compelling evening of the sport that I had ever seen. I’ve been watching since I was five years old – I’ve seen MJ live! – but the evening of April 13 was a beautiful representation of what the NBA has evolved into over the last few decades.

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The Quest for 73: Five Reasons the Record is not Worth It

Warriors BannerWith the end of the NBA regular season in sight and my Golden State Warriors the (arguable) favorite to repeating as champs, I felt it was time to grace the MBP page with a post on my two favorite topics: NBA Basketball and the Golden State Warriors.

After last night’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the likelihood (according to FiveThiryEight’s website) of the Warriors breaking the all-time record for regular season wins has dropped to 13.4%. With that in mind, it might be time for the team to move on from the idea that they should push for every game and start thinking about making sure the team is in the best condition for the playoffs. Here are five reasons 73 wins might not be worth going for.

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Netflix Nugget: Daredevil Season Two

DDBanner“What about what I believe, Stick? What about what I’m going to do about it?” – Matthew Murdock

I just wrapped up Season Two of Daredevil and this quote, taken in one of the last few episodes of the season, really sums up my feelings for this season. We pick up after Wilson Fisk (Kingpin) has been thrown in jail and Daredevil is continuing his lawyer-by-day/vigilante-by-night lifestyle. Continue reading →

A Taste of Bourbon: William Wolf Whiskey

2016-01-13 19.00.05I’m not a big fan of flavored liquors. But every once in a while something comes along that catches my eye. I follow some drinkers on Instagram and one day one of the accounts posted a glass of William Wolf with orange juice and shared some rave reviews of its quality. I find the concept of pecan and bourbon to be very intriguing (and other natural flavors) and made it a goal to find a bottle. Since then I’ve been hunting stalking liquor stores (like… a wolf?) in search of a bottle. It’s not particularly expensive – it’s just hard to find. But I kept searching for the elusive, pecan-infused booze.

Fast forward to today and I’m living in New York. I CAN SHIP MYSELF LIQUOR! So I looked online and found a distributor that sells William Wolf Whiskey. It did not take me long and a few days later, I had two bottles on my front door. A bottle will run you about $40 shipped (~$20-$23 in store – shipping is a bitch which is why I bought two). It comes in at 60 proof which is not a particularly strong drink. Now I had just come from the gym but couldn’t wait – I opened a bottle and served it up in my three standard forms: neat, rocks, and with a splash of water. Here are my thoughts on each: Continue reading →

10 Things I Like and Don’t Like: Deadpool

DP_BannerAhhh Valentine’s Day. The most blatant example of a Hallmark holiday. Valentine’s weekend, my wife and I had big plans – BIG plans. Go to a winter carnival. Go to Ottawa. Eat some dim sum. You know, pretend we’re in a real city and not Potsdam, NY. We kicked off the weekend with Deadpool. It was Friday, there was a blizzard, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to see this movie. Good thing I forced her out because on Saturday -25 degrees hit us like a sack of bricks. All those big plans? Turned into staying in and eating Taco Bell (well, that’s a good thing for me).quesa Which meant the only real “going out” we did was watch this year’s #1 romantic movie. Deadpool was all things it should have been: over the top, inappropriate, violent, hilarious, and… AWESOME! So in honor of everyone’s favorite merc with a mouth, here are ten things I like and dislike about the latest superhero movie (potential spoilers ahead)… Continue reading →

Into the Badlands: I Already Miss It

ITB-KeyArt-1200x707Six episodes. SIX. Goddammit AMC, why do you do this to me? Those clever sons of bitches. To ensure they do not invest too much into a show most of their shows (maybe all?) have short first seasons. I hate it. I hate it so much because I love their shows. So now, after six heart-racing episodes of Into the Badlands, I sit here re-watching them all because, goddammit, I love this show. So in honor of these six episodes, I’ve got six questions for the (hopefully) upcoming Season 2 of Into the Badlands. Spoilers Ahead. Continue reading →

Into the Badlands: The New Kid on the (AMC) Block

1B6B46E9-CA12-CF88-17852A957FAEFB4FAMC has released another original show and I couldn’t be more excited. Put together by the producers of Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained (and if you’re into it, the creator of Smallville) Into the Badlands is set in a dystopian world that is ruled by Barons. Think of them as southern plantation owners. They have banned the use of firearms and rule with armies of skilled fighters called Clippers. For safety and protection, non-Baron/non-Clipper members of the population (or Cogs) must submit themselves to a life of servitude. Nomads run around wreaking havoc through stealing, smuggling, etc.. And I warn you, this is not for the weak-stomached. There are some seriously brutal fight scenes to be enjoyed here and if you have problems with arms, legs, spines, and any other appendage (or even your whole body) bending the wrong way – stay away from this one.

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