Napoleon

Director: Ridley Scott

Distributed by: Apple TV+

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Rupert Everett,

Release Date: November 22nd, 2023

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★★★

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When Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Alien, Blade Runner) finished The Last Duel in 2021, he immediately started work on his next film, Napoleon. As a viewer, I have mixed feelings about Scott as a director. On some occasions, he delivers exceptional movies (e.g., Alien, Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down), while at other times, his talent seems to elude him (e.g., Kingdom of Heaven, Alien Covenant, Robin Hood).When Napoleon was announced, I was cautiously optimistic that this would lean toward the great epic historical dramas in the vein of my favorite Scott movie, Gladiator. Historical setting? Check. A story of a man rising from nothing? Check. Joaquin Phoenix in a starring role? Absolutely check. After seeing it, I admire Scott’s ability to tell the story of a historical figure as grand as Napoleon Bonaparte, but this doesn’t reach the heights of his best work.

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At 85 years old, Scott is no longer a spring chicken, yet his productivity has somehow ballooned in the last several years. He will have released four major studio films from 2021-2024 (The Last Duel, The House of Gucci, Napoleon, and 2024’s Gladiator 2). I have enjoyed all of these movies, but none of them have blown me away like he has been able to do in the past. I wonder if the sheer pace he’s operating at prevents these movies from being able to breathe, and therefore really capture the audience that he has been able to do so well with other films.

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Napoleon follows the life of the titular protagonist, Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix), as he goes from a young army officer in the late 18th century France, to Emperor of the French in early 19th century, to finally an outcast of Europe (this is not a spoiler if you have read a European history book). The movie covers roughly three decades of Napoleon's life (1793-1821) with a particular focus on the battles that shaped his regime and the volatile relationship he had with his wife, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). As this relationship serves as the crux of the film, I was disappointed that it didn’t work for me as well as I hoped. Both Phoenix and Kirby are great in these roles, but their scenes together didn’t elevate the storytelling or explain how important Josephine was to Napoleon. I think this comes down to the lack of substance given to the role of Josphine. Kirby plays the character with an alluring subtly to her. She’s never truly out of control, but never in control either. Josephine is just there throughout the film, but her presence doesn’t mean much. Kirby is an exceptionally talented actor, and I'm interested to see if Ridley’s director cut (Supposedly four hours long with the extra time dedicated to fleshing out Josephine’s character) gives her more to work with. Phoenix is tremendous here (as usual), imbuing Napoleon with the grandeur and intelligence that allowed him to grow so quickly within the French political game. He’s actually quite funny as well in the role, with subtle humor that took me by surprise. Obviously, it’s his movie, and he does a great job meeting the challenge of playing one of the world’s most famous leaders. The rest of the cast is solid, but not really doing anything special here (again - I wonder if the Director’s cut will show another side to this.)

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Phoenix’s performance aside, where the movie truly excels is in the cinematography and filming of the numerous battle scenes. Scott has always been gifted at directing fascinating action elements, and with the help of his long-time collaborator Dariusz Wolski helming the cinematography, Napoleon is beautiful to look at. The large scale infantry wars and strategic tactics are the reason you should see this movie. The violence is not shied away from, but it’s vital to the story and understanding who Napoleon is first and foremost - an army general. There is one particular battle set in a snowy climate that is an incredible piece of movie making, and I can’t wait to go back and watch that sequence over and over again.

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Outside of the battle sequences, the movie doesn't always work for me. The characters not named Napoleon are flat, and I found myself disinterested with most of the political scenes and those of people talking in rooms (or military tents). The writing is fine, if a tad boring, and frankly the movie is about 20-30 minutes too long. I would have loved to have spent more of the runtime with Josephine, delving into her character and the impact she had on Napoleon, but we don’t really get that in the theatrical release.

Overall, Napoleon works for what it is - a historical drama about one of the world’s greatest military strategists and generals. I just wished it worked a little better being a historical drama about the political savvy Emperor of France.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Director: Francis Lawrence

Distributed by: Lionsgate

Cast: Rachel Zelger, Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer

Release Date: November 17th, 2023

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★★

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And we’re back…..after a long hiatus (who knew getting married is surprisingly time consuming), I’m back with a fresh review on a new movie release! We are venturing into Oscar season, and I’m excited to increase the number of reviews I can do with more time on my hands. First up - the movie that has been #1 at the box office the last two weeks since its release on Nov 17th - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

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It’s been eleven years since the first Hunger Games (2012) movie came into our lives and skyrocketed its cast (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth) into movie stardom. Making close to $700 million worldwide at the box office, the Hunger Games was a smash hit, with the four-part movie series grossing almost $3 Billion across its four years of releases. Given the success of the series, it’s really no surprise that Lionsgate brought the franchise back in 2023 with Ballad. As a fan of the original movies (Catching Fire is the best I don’t make the rules), I went into this prequel suspicious if there was a story worth telling here, or if this was a classic case of a movie studio looking for a quick buck. After seeing the film, I unfortunately lean more toward the latter. 

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Based on a novel of the same name, Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before we meet Katniss Everdeen, protagonist of the original Hunger Games Series. This time around, the film follows Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), the original antagonist of the Katniss series. Yes, this prequel is all about how the big bad actually broke bad before we meet him years later. It’s the 10th annual Hunger Games, and Snow has been assigned as the mentor to Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the female tribute of District 12. The story follows Snow as he mentors Gray through the games, the aftermath of the games, and the decisions that are made to push him into the character the audience already knows. 

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So is this a successful villain origin story? Is the movie engrossing enough to warrant its almost three-hour runtime? In my opinion, the movie doesn't clear either of those bars. 

Let’s start with what works. Overall, it's nice to be back in the Hunger Games universe. The post-apocalyptic YA genre had its time in the early 2010s, but there are many more stories to tell in the world of Panem. The production design of the Capital, the districts, and the Games arena are all incredibly well done and show the vast difference that 64 years has made prior to the first film. I really enjoyed the creative team’s choices on how to show the early phases of Panem, while still being realistic on how it can grow to what the audience has seen before.  Another highlight is the supporting cast: Viola Davis (The Help, The Woman King, Suicide Squad), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City, The French Dispatch) are all here in smaller but important roles, and they all give strong performances with what they are given. Davis especially disappears into the role of Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the Head Gamemaker who becomes somewhat of a mentor to Snow over the course of the movie. She plays Gaul like a mad scientist who is just unhinged enough to be unpredictable but intelligent enough to be terrifying. 

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The main cast has a tough task with shouldering the weight of this story, and the outcome has mixed results. Zelger is great as Lucy Gray, and it's obvious that she is the draw of the movie. Ever since I saw Spielberg’s West Side Story, I knew that Zelger would be the breakout star. She has the charisma and talent to carry an interesting new character in Lucy, and make them feel like they always belonged in this universe. Story showed off her singing chops, which she brings back here as Ballad acts as a quasi-musical, with Zegler live singing half a dozen performances across the runtime. I don’t always think these musical numbers work for the story, but you can’t deny Zegler’s presence as an artist when she’s given the opportunity to take the stage. Tom Blyth is less successful as Snow, the character who fills almost every frame of the movie. A relative newcomer, the Englishman does his best with what is given but buckles under the weight of the role, especially toward the end when the character is making questionable decisions. I never really buy into the empathy the movie is trying to build for Snow, and I can’t help but think a more experienced actor could have gotten me to that point. 

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While the performances were a mixed bag for me, I thought where the movie really suffered was in the pacing. At almost three hours long, the movie is separated into three parts. I thought the first two parts were decent, if somewhat a little boring. The second act, which covers the actual Hunger Games, is easily the strongest of the bunch. The third act doesn’t work at all for me, laboring into post-Hunger Games storytelling that includes weird character decisions and plot holes at every turn. The ending falls flat, and I left the theater thinking “that story really did not need to be told.” 

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I’m giving Ballad two stars (out of five) because I do think there are some true positives in this movie: the Zegler and Davis performances, the production design, and the hunger games plot line itself really work for me. However, for a movie about the rise of THE antagonist of the series, it doesn’t reach the heights that I needed to see from a prequel.

Program Primer

QB Dillion Gabriel, 12 games, 12 starts – 230/367 passing for 3,168 yd, 25 TD/6 INT, 154.4 passing rate

QB Davis Beville, 5 games, 1 start – 15/30 passing for 102 yd, 0 TD/1 INT, 71.9 passing rate

When you see the numbers, it looks pretty good! Transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel entered the fray for the Sooners last season and was rightfully anointed on day one. Gabriel came to Norman with previous experience in offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s offense, and that history proved itself out with Gabriel’s immediate handle over the offense. Gabriel’s 25 passing touchdowns was second in the Big 12 to only Heisman finalist Max Duggan, as was his 3,168 passing yards. Compared to what Davis Beville provided in his game-plus of playing time, Dillon Gabriel was the obvious choice for the Sooners.

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And yet, even on the most prolific days, the offense never felt like it was rolling on all cylinders. The Sooners tied for the fifth-most third downs attempted in the entire country, while converting on only 40.5% of those attempts – good for 49^th in the nation. Converting like the 49^th best team while attempting like you’re the 5^th best … that’s going to be a bad time.

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Notably, and fully subjectively, many of Gabriel’s errant passes seemed to be byproducts of his physical limitations. If Lebby called a pass on third down, it often had to go to the primary receiver or it was falling incomplete. How much of that is play calling? How much of that is decision making? How much of that is simply not seeing the field? Listed generously at 6’0”, it is easy to wonder if Gabriel’s shorter stature led to his lack of effectiveness scanning the field. The shortest member of the offensive line stood 6'2", and it became a pattern to see Gabriel needing to manipulate the pocket to find open receivers.

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Coming into the season, it was Gabriel’s mastery of the deep ball that had OU fans excited – imagining Marvin Mims and Jalil Farooq racing under rainbow-arched football throws, looking to find the pot of gold in the endzone. In the end, that happened less than expected: only six of Gabriel’s 25 touchdown passes came on passes fifty yards or longer.

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Program Preview

Starter – QB Dillon Gabriel (Senior)

Backup – QB Jackson Arnold (Freshman)

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Just as the 2022 Sooners relied upon Dillon Gabriel’s time under Jeff Lebby at Central Florida (😉), the 2023 Sooners will rely upon his maturity and experience again. The 22-year-old begins the season with another twelve starts under his belt, another year with this group of teammates, and a full offseason’s worth of work with Jeff Lebby and the offense. In addition, where Gabriel joined a 2022 team with returning starters at nearly every skill position and both offensive tackle spots, the 2023 team introduces new players everywhere. Only Jalil Farooq remains from last season’s starters.

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If the Sooners are to make a real run this season, Gabriel will have found a way to overcome the height disparity between him and his offensive line. No one is confusing Gabriel for Drew Brees, but he is an accurate passer with better mobility than he exhibited in 2022. If he is able to release the ball faster – OR – take advantage of that mobility in creative new ways this season to effectively “playground up” the game, there is every reason to expect Dillon Gabriel to take another step forward this season.

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On the other hand, it is possible that 2022 was the ceiling. Coming from a G5 school like Central Florida, Gabriel’s limitations and inability to rise to the occasion at times were galling for an Oklahoma fanbase accustomed to unusual magic at the quarterback position. If Lebby doesn’t see that magic working in the pocket for him this season, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see five-star freshman Jackson Arnold receive the reins. While Gabriel’s 2022 was enough to solidify his starting position heading into 2023, Arnold is the prospect you build an entire class around. At a more-accurate and more-stocky 6’1’’, Arnold enrolled early in January and is already the primary backup. The hype around the young man has only built since his commitment, and should Gabriel give any reasons for concern in the early part of the season, expect some chants for a quarterback change coming from the student section.

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At the same time, Jackson Arnold is a freshman. Let’s say it again. Jackson Arnold is a freshman. The young man has every tool you look for – the ability to calmly read a defense, shifty feet to maneuver a pocket, mobility to leave that pocket when he needs, and an arm as live as anyone at Oklahoma since Kyler Murray – but the spring game demonstrated that he needs time. The game moves infinitely faster in college than it does in high school, and Arnold was a little less prepared for that speed in the spring than the most optimistic of us (me!) hoped. That certainly has no bearing on his future impact as an OU quarterback, but it may leave him watching Dillon Gabriel all season long.

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The Rest of the Guyz

The guy is doing so well off the field that it doesn’t even matter what happens on the field, but the Sooners are in a tough position if they turn to Davis Beville (R-Sr.) again this season. Similarly, if NIL revolutionary General Booty (R-So.) couldn’t beat out Beville for the backup position, one cannot feel too confident there either. Finally, the grandson of The King himself, Jacob Switzer (R-So.) transferred to OU from Southeastern Louisiana State in the offseason. He won’t play, but that is a jersey to buy as soon as possible.

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Program Prognosis

There’s an expectation of improvement across the board for the Sooners, and the quarterback position is no different. While Dillon Gabriel excelled relative to his Big 12 counterparts, the expectation at the University of Oklahoma is excellence relative to the best of the best. There is absolutely a world where Gabriel starts the season strong, never lets up, and is standing in New York watching Caleb receive his second-straight Heisman trophy (sorry). There’s also a world where we see 2022 Dillon Gabriel again – definitely a good player, but prone to mistakes and truly replaceable if your replacement is Jackson Arnold instead of Davis Beville. The odds are highest we land somewhere in the middle, leaving coaches Brent Venables and Jeff Lebby to make a difficult decision between the veteran and the phenom.

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Guyz. Program. People. There are entirely too many names here to go through everyone from last year. Let’s switch it up a little bit and talk the cornerback position, including the notable names from 2022 who stayed or moved on, then we’ll do the same with the safety position.

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Cornerback

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Any conversation of the corner position, in 2022 or 2023, begins with Woodi Washington (R-Sr.). Washington is back in the crimson and cream for his fifth season, and will start for his third. The veteran is the model of consistency for the young bloods on the roster, and will be relied upon the same way on the field. No matter who takes the job opposite Washington, it’ll be their first start at Oklahoma. The talent level is off the charts in the room, but no one can stake a claim based on experience. Corners coach Jay Valai doesn’t have to worry about hierarchy, because it doesn’t exist. Woodi Washington is the top of the totem pole, but it has a wide base.

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In 2022, opposite Washington was a revolving door for the majority of the season. Jaden Davis started the first game against UTEP but the carousel had everyone taking turns until Wyoming transfer CJ Coldon solidified his hold on the position, snagging a team-leading four picks in his single season in Norman.

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Now that that spot has a void, it’s up to the army of freshmen and sophomores filling out the rest of the room to go win the job.

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The leader in the clubhouse is sophomore Gentry Williams.The 6’0”, 182 lbs., Tulsa-native made appearances in every game before the Cheez-It Bowl last season and tallied seven tackles and a single interception. Among the candidates available, Williams has the most on-field experience for the Sooners, and appears to be angling for a day-one starting position.

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Behind Williams is where the competition will really heatup. NEO-transfer Kendel Dolby (Jr.) brings the most experience, but is best suited at nickelback at 5’11”, 184 lbs. Redshirt-sophomore Kani Walker, a 2022 transfer from Louisville, brings prototypical size to the position at 6’2”, 202lbs., but may have missed his opportunity to lock down a starting position last season. The room has more talent now, and is filled with the guyz Jay Valai recruited. It’s hard to see Walker breaking through at this point.

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That brings us to the freshmen. Coach Jay Valai saw what he had last season, knew it wasn’t enough to move into the SEC, and recruited accordingly. There are three key members of the Class of 2023 that you may see contributing earlier than expected:

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Makari “Seatbelt” Vickers – what a freaking name. Something that means nothing, but sometimes means something, is that Vickers is the only freshman that was given a single-digit jersey number. Guyz work for those, even when your attention-hungry coach doesn’t hold it over your headlike a bizarre carrot. Vickers is 6’1”, 200 lbs., and played his high school ball in Florida, and played all over the field: starring at receiver and safety in addition to cornerback. As he focuses on learning how to play cornerback under Valai’s tutelage, do not be surprised to see Vickers receive playing time early.

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Jasiah Wagoner, #23 on the roster, by the way, is a freshman to the Sooners by way of Spanaway Lake HS in Washington. At 5’11”, 177 lbs., there’s room to either grow or specialize at the nickelback position similar to how Kendel Dolby might this year. Wagoner has been affectionately called a pitbull by his fellow players and coaches for his dogged nature attacking the ball in the air and at the catch point. His size might deter the coaching staff from sending him out-wide too often, but Jasiah Wagoner should have as good an opportunity as anyone this season of stealing the nickelback position out from everyone else’s noses.

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Jacobe Johnson is a personal favorite. Johnson was a three-sport athlete in high school, receiving Power Five offers to play basketball with his hardwood skills in addition to running track. At 6’2”, 192lbs., Johnson played defensive back in high school, but he primarily played wide receiver. When Mustang High School has a consensus top-250 recruit in the country, they understandably get the ball in his hands as often as possible. At Oklahoma, though, Johnson is focusing on the cornerback position, and offers ideal measurables for the position. While the Jacobe Johnson breakthrough may not happen in 2023, he’s a perfect illustration of the new level of athlete the Venables coaching staff is attracting to defensive positions.

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Safety

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The intricacies of the safety position are difficult to nail down, because any given play could pull the safety any different direction, and we aren’t always privy to the responsibility of everyone on the defense. As the player furthest from the ball, it’s imperative a player in the rotation at safety has strong vision and instincts, the ability to cover offensive skill positions all over the field, and the closing speed to break on the football. With that in mind, there are four players to expect to play day-one rotation snaps at the two safety positions.

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Peyton Bowen (Fr.) is a line-cutter on the field and a line-cutter on the list. The freshman from Denton, TX enrolled in the spring and immediately showed his preternatural understanding of football, even at the advanced college level. It surprised no one to see him pull down the interception in the spring game as if the ball was intended for him – Peyton Bowen plays like every ball is intended for him. At 6’0”, 199 lbs., there are probably players with greater physical gifts elsewhere in the safety room, but no one plays defense like Bowen does. Expect a Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year-type season, between the opportunities Bowen will have at safety and Cheetah to make impact plays.

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Billy Bowman is the kind of player that only makes impact plays, and with a stronger rotation in the defensive backfield, he should be freed up to do so more often. Bowman is the rare heat-seeking missile at safety that you can also trust to make plays in coverage. Last season showed true ascendance from Bowman before injuries forced him to miss two games and two starts, but he finished strong once healthy, and looked back to his early-season form by the Cheez-It Bowl (again, Guyz, I do not like having to reference the freaking Cheez-It Bowl). Bowman is entering his junior year, his second in the Brent Venables defense, and will be looked to lead the safeties in snaps and in the locker room.

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If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Or – get them to join you. Fans will surely remember Texas Tech-transfer Reggie Pearson’s hit on Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the final game of the regular season in 2022, and they will expect the same hardhitting play from Pearson for OU this season. Pearson began his career at Wisconsin, redshirting once before starting 13games in 2019 and sitting out the 2020 season, then playing two seasons at Texas Tech. If you’ve spent much time in Lubbock, you understand why he looked for greener pastures. Venables welcomed Pearson to Norman with open arms, and he’ll be looked to as a leader and relied-upon veteran who knows how to play big-boy football. Venables rightly looked at a very young safeties room and knew a player like Reggie Pearson could join the team and set a high-standard. He’s a Guy who knows how to play in the box and use his lower center-of-gravity to drop tacklers close to the line of scrimmage, while remaining versatile to drop into deeper coverage should the play call for it.

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Finally, we know him; we love him sometimes; we probably expected more when he elected to transfer to Oklahoma; it’s the last of the 2021 Voluntrio – senior Key Lawrence! Lawrence has been something like Marcus Major on the defense, capable of creating just enough enticing plays to keep himself on the field, but plagued with inconsistency. He started four games in2022 for the Sooners defense, and figures to continue playing a role in the defensive backfield. However, if any of the four players so far is at risk of losing their spot to a younger player, it would seem to be Lawrence. If he cannot show consistency beyond the flashes, maturation past the chaos, there would seem to be one player in particular that could squeeze onto the field as a rotational piece or in situational football.

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That player is Robert Spears-Jennings. RSJ played in nine games last season and showed flashes, but truly wasn’t on the field enough to get a totally fair assessment. Going into his sophomore season, RSJ seems to have taken notice that the smaller safeties on the roster are the ones with spots locked up, because he worked with strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt on building his body for a box safety role. At 6’1”, 218 lbs., RSJ is the second-heaviest of all of the defensive backs on the team, and presents a different kind of look at the safety position than any of the guyz listed so far. In theory, that means he’s a go-to player for providing a different kindof look to the offense. In practice, we still need to see Robert Spears-Jennings earn the ability to produce consistently before we can expect to produce at all.

Rest of the Guyz

At 6’2”, 224 lbs., I don’t understand why Jayden Rowe (So.) isn’t competing at Cheetah, unless I’m missing something and he’ll be in the rotation at cornerback. The man has linebacker-size and ran a 10.64 in the100-meter dash as a high school junior. His highlights from high school are all great run-fits and tackles. The coaches know infinitely more than us, but Rowe feels like an athlete that should be competing for reps. Daeh McCullough (Fr.) is the younger brother of linebacker/Cheetah Dasan – there hasn’t been at on of Daeh buzz out of camp, but that should be the expectation with freshmen, even good ones. Erik McCarty (Fr.) is another good freshman settling in at defensive back, after playing all over the field at McAlester HS. McCarty feels like a real sign-n-stash candidate, someone who could rise to the top of the depth chart as a junior or senior. Or not, who knows. He’s the kind of athlete you take the chance on, though. Casen Calmus (Fr.) has a name that Sooners fans will recognize, but will likely only carve out a special teams role if any, alongside fellow freshmen Cale Fugate, Emmett Jones III (lol), and Jakeb Snyder. Every team needs guyz that show up everyday to practice and do their job, and I imagine Pierce Hudgens (R-Jr.), Gabriel McDaniel (R-Jr.), and Peter Schuh (R-Fr.) are filling their roles to the bestof their abilities in that regard.

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Program Prognosis

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Perhaps no position has as much turnover as the cornerback position. Opposite Woodi Washington remains an opening. Gentry Williams appears to be in pole position for the spot, but there are no shortage of talented players able to compete behind Williams, and one should definitely expect to see more freshmen receiving playing time at corner than Sooners fans saw last season. At safety, one freshman in particular is going to play – Peyton Bowen fit into the Oklahoma defense like a hand in a glove from day one. Whether he starts is another question, though. Billy Bowman should lead the safeties in defensive snaps this season, and Bowen, Pearson, and Lawrence (and maybe Spears-Jennings!) will have to prove themselves before September 2 to earn the right to start next to Bowman.

Program Primer

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Danny Stutsman – 118 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions

David Ugwoegbu – 101 tackles, 2 sacks

Jaren Kanak – 24 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

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With apologies to everyone else listed as a linebacker on the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners roster, no position relied on as little depth as the linebackers did. Senior David Ugwoegbu led the group admirably at 6’4”, 250lbs., tallying the second-most tackles on the team as the Mike backer and playcaller on the field. Ugwoegbu wasn’t just filling holes when he met them; he was bringing backs down along the way. At the same time, Ugwoegbu is working at defensive end now after transferring to the University of Houston. While his physicality was welcome at the position, there were too many times in pass coverage that the Sooners couldn’t trust Ugwoegbu to hold his own.

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Next to him, on essentially every single play, was Danny Stutsman, a player who hardly needs introduction to the Oklahoma faithful. Originally an Alex Grinch commit (unbelievable, right?), Stutsman wasn’t clean or smooth in his first year starting, but he was more productive than anyone could have expected. Stutsman led the Big 12 in tackles with 118 and flashed absolute brilliance at the position. There are times on tape that Danny Stutsman is the fastest man on the field, at 6’4”, 241 lbs. He is absurdly talented, large and fast enough to keep pace with any back or tight end he might match up against. He was also inconsistent his first season starting, taking poor angles or even lining up incorrectly. The depth was never there last season to push Stutsman off the field, because his highs were truly high, but the mistakes added up, and it didn’t help that the Sooners spent so much time on the field.

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Lastly, Jaren Kanak entered the fray as a freshman and flashed as well. At 6’2”, 232 lbs., Kanak arrived on campus built for the college game. After a short stint at Cheetah (that position needs its own writeup), Kanak split time with Ugwoegbu and Stutsman at the linebacker positions. Kanak played like great freshmen often do – with an energy level through the roof that he really couldn’t harness yet. The stadium loved seeing Kanak play, but Brent Venables clearly had reservations about unleashing the freshman on the world.

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Program Preview

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Danny Stutsman (Jr.)

Jaren Kanak (So.)

Konnor Near (R-Sr.)

Kobie McKenzie (Fr.)

Shane Whitter (R-Jr.)

Kip Lewis (R-Fr.)

Lewis Carter (Fr.)

It is Stutsman time in Norman. Coming into his own as a player and a leader over the offseason, Danny Stutsman is expected to take over playcalling duties and assume a truly meaningful leadership role on the team. Katana videos aside, Stutsman may benefit more than any other player from an offseason under Brent Venables’ tutelage. If he can clean up the mental errors that plagued his sophomore season, there is a version of the Danny Stutsman junior-year that lands him a Butkus award. That means not just being big and fast enough to keep up with backs and tight ends, but locking them down while he does it. With Venables at the helm, none of this is theory anymore. Danny Stutsman is nearly the exact same size as Isaiah Simmons at Clemson, and while the skillsets are different, the game-bending athleticism is the same. Stutsman led the Big 12 in tackles in 2022; he might be the best linebacker in the country in 2023.

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Beside Danny Stutsman remains the opening left by Ugwoegbu’s transfer, with three contenders vying for signficant snaps next to the junior. Kanak is the most natural selection to fill that void, coming into his second season as a Sooner next to an experienced leader (just like Stutsman did). Jaren Kanak brings unique athleticism to the Mike position, faster and quicker than David Ugwoegbu with plenty of strength and a sturdy base to drive on any tackle. At 6’2”, 232 lbs., Kanak is built like a tree trunk, but he has great lateral- and downhill-ability when his head is on correctly and he’s pointed the right way. Kanak should open the season as the starter at Mike, but if he doesn’t take the leap that Sooner fans are hoping for, there are two more options to provide the competitive depth that Coach Venables can’t stop talking about this offseason –

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Kobie McKinzie chose the Sooners in Brent Venables inaugural 2022 class, and redshirted his first season in the crimson and cream. The coaching staff won’t be able to keep the talented young man off the field enough for a redshirt his second season. McKinzie is all strength and all instincts, and might be the hardest-hitting player on the entire team. His 6’2”, 241 lbs. build is a freight train through traffic, shedding blocks before mauling over the ballcarrier in space. That said, he likely needs more time in the defense – more position meetings, more mistakes in practice, more osmosis around the coaches and veterans on the team – before McKinzie will be ready to be the chosen swing linebacker should anything happen to Stutsman or Kanak.

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That role should belong to Konnor Near. Listed at the exact same size as Jaren Kanak, Near is a two-time national champion transferring to Oklahoma from Ferris State University. Near led the defense on the field at Ferris State, and expects to play a significant leadership role for the Sooners this season. Near is going into his fifth year of school, and is by-far the most experienced player in the locker room. The man is like, 23. He was going to buy a house but he’s waiting on rates to drop. This is an adult. This is the player you rely on to step in and take charge of a defense in the event of a Stutsman injury, or the player you trust to understand his responsibilities and role if anything happens to Jaren Kanak or he doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

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Dasan McCullough is an incredible athlete, and someone we should all get used to playing on defense. He’ll play plenty of linebacker, but because he’s one of the few vaunted Cheetah players, that is where we’ll discuss what McCullough brings to the Sooners in 2023.

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Rest of the Guyz

Real notes on a handful of these players… Taylor Heim (Fr.) is a Jerry Schmidt-Crockpot recipe. He might be a linebacker. He might be an end. He might be a Cheetah. He might be a safety. He might be a wide receiver. Redshirt him, let him cook all season in the weightroom and on the practice field, and check in next season.  Sammy Omosigho (Fr.) feels like a name we’re not hearing enough of, and that feels like a product of the “competitive depth” conversation. Omosigho is really talented and would’ve turned some heads already for a lesser Sooners defense. Phil Picciotti (Fr.) is the heaviest in the linebacker-room, which is not something I would have expected. The guy is a Guy waiting to happen, but he needs to watch those portions – many great defensive linemen were just linebackers that went back for seconds. River Faulkner (Fr)., Owen Heinecke (So.), Reed DeQuasie (Fr.), and Kyle Carson (Fr.) are all somewhat local products from Oklahoma and Texas who have walked onto the team. It seems unlikely we’ll see any of them receive meaningful playing time; only Heinecke is listed above 200 pounds.

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Program Prognosis

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Linebacker was a position of flash and frustration in 2022.There weren’t viable options behind David Ugwoegbu and Danny Stutsman, so Oklahoma fans had to live with what they got. Both players were above-average contributors for a defense that absolutely needed them to be, but both players had their share of flaws. Heading into 2023, Danny Stutsman is the undisputed alpha on the defense, and must step up to that standard for the unit to reach its potential. Oklahoma hasn’t had a linebacker capable of what Danny is capable of in a decade, and his junior year is when we’re going to see his talent come to the fore.

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Next to Danny, and behind him, are a bevy of options unproven by Sooners’ standards. Kanak has all the ability in the world, but isa season into playing the position and will undoubtedly hit obstacles on his way to greatness. Kobie McKinzie is a sledgehammer and will force his way onto the field, on special teams and as a rotational linebacker. Konnor Near is something that Brent Venables knew this room was missing – a man. Everyone has their unique traits, and we should expect to see them all, early, as Coach Venables looks to determine what he has in the room before hitting conference play.

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Director: John Lee Hancock

Distributed by: Warner Bros

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, Lily Collins

Release Date: November 20th, 2009

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★★

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No, The Blind Side is not a recent release. However, I'm still going to review it. Welcome to Throwback Reviews, where I rewatch old films with a new perspective, especially those that seem relevant in today’s world. First up, 2009’s The Blind Side. We chose this as our inaugural Throwback Review for obvious reasons. If, for some reason, you don’t read the news, have no access to the internet, or simply aren't tuned into pop culture like a maniac (like me), you probably don't know that the story of The Blind Side has been in the news recently. Amidst a lot of unconfirmed information out there, instead of delving into the controversy, I wanted to revisit the standalone film to see if it still holds up as I remembered. Spoiler Alert: It does not.

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Adapted from Michael Lewis’s book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game," the movie follows Michael Oher, a black teenager living in a poverty-stricken area of Memphis, TN. The film establishes early on that Michael was born directly into overwhelming hardship—growing up with a mother addicted to drugs and a father who left his family early in his life. His life starts to change when he is accepted into a private Christian school due to the football coach taking a liking to Michael's physical stature. However, even at the new school, things are tough for “Big Mike” as he has never been in an environment of learning before and won't be allowed to play football until his academics improve (according to the real Michael Oher - this was an incorrect portrayal and he was actually quite smart in school).

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Enter Sean (Tim McGraw) and Leigh Ann Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), a wealthy white couple living in Memphis. Their two kids, Collins and SJ, both attend the same Christian academy that Michael has just joined. One night, the Tuohys pick up Michael on the side of the road and bring him home with them. From there, a story of adoption, tutors, and football unfolds. It all progresses to Michael Oher becoming an All-Star Offensive Tackle at the University of Mississippi and a first-round NFL draft pick.

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Let's cut to the chase here—I loved this movie when it hit theaters in 2009, but it just doesn't hold up in 2023. Back then, I saw it as a heartwarming tale of someone triumphing over adversity with the support of a generous Christian family. At 16 years old, I drew parallels between the Tuohys and my own family based in Oklahoma. I felt a connection to the story, or at least that's what I convinced myself of. Watching it again in 2023, a bit older (and maybe a tad wiser, though the jury's still out on that one), the movie's "kindness always wins" mantra seems to bulldoze over so many contentious issues. While the core of the film revolves around Michael's journey, it's really the Tuohys who steal the spotlight. There are more effective ways to tell a real story about racial inequality that uplift marginal communities; unfortunately, this movie falls short in that aspect. Nearly every black character is depicted from the poverty-stricken or the "other side" of Memphis—gangs, drugs, guns, alcohol. Though the movie may have aimed to convey that a little help can make a difference in such an environment, it inadvertently perpetuates the white-savior trope, where a privileged white family swoops in to rescue the day. It's a disservice that this story isn't truly about Michael.

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Leaving the story aside, let’s deconstruct the film as a standalone work of art, because some aspects do succeed! Sandra Bullock clinched the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal in this film, and I'll concede that she convincingly embodies Leigh Ann. Is this Bullock's finest performance? No (I'd go with Gravity). Does her acting hold the movie together? Absolutely. Anything that does work in this movie usually revolves around her character and how Leigh Ann is depicted. Remember, this is a movie about Michael Oher, yet in reality, it's a film about Leigh Ann Tuohy. The other performances are adequate, but none come close to Bullock's caliber. It disappointed me to witness Kathy Bates, cast as Ms. Sue, Michael’s tutor, being severely underutilized. Bates, an exceptional actress, certainly deserved more in this role.

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The script is disappointing, burdened by its reliance on misogynistic jokes and underdeveloped characters. The portrayal of the Tuohys comes across as one-dimensional—characters almost perfect in their kindness, grace, and unwavering devotion to their religion. There is no gray here, and frankly it makes the characters boring. The film introduces strong political rhetoric, with multiple scenes featuring jokes targeting Democrats. While I understand the context of the late 2000s Memphis setting, I can't help but wonder if a more subtle approach could have conveyed the same message. Overall - the writing feels lazy to me, and that’s a shame because I truly believe there is an interesting story to tell here.

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Overall, The Blind Side doesn't work. Bullock’s performance aside, the film is full of dull characters, poor writing, and questionable decisions regarding controversial issues. It's not a film I'll revisit frequently, and I earnestly hope that other productions grappling with similar themes learn from the missteps present here.