By Lex Marston

The 2014 Royal Rumble could have been special. It wasn't. We could have seen the rise of a new mega-star in WWE. What we saw was a man past his prime (if he ever had one) get booed out of the building to end one of the biggest events of the wrestling year. That would have been fine and dandy if he were heel, but he wasn't. The story of the 2014 Royal Rumble could have been a joyful one. Instead, wrestling fans were left scratching their heads or underwhelmed. In the case of myself, both.

I woke up at 6:50am today, as I normally do on a weekday. My first thought? "How could Vince McMahon be THAT disconnected?" Yes, as much as I didn't want to think about WWE first thing in the morning, I did. Now, for those of you who don't know me personally, I stopped watching WWE a few years ago. I had come to the conclusion that the product WWE wanted to put on just wasn't for me and my personal interests. I got tired of asking "Why?" and rolling my eyes every time I watched. Understand that when I say that I stopped watching WWE, I don't mean wrestling in general. Some people are of the opinion that WWE is the be-all-end-all of professional wrestling. I am not one of those people. I love wrestling, and I don't think I could ever stop watching some form of wrestling straight up. Anyway, in an attempt to get back on the air and have fun with my podcasting mates again, I decided to begin watching Raw about two weeks ago. Now, although I haven't been watching WWE, I still know what goes on for the most part, thanks in part to the few WWE fans on my social media feeds.

What I saw last night during the Royal Rumble reminded me all too well of why I stopped giving energy to the WWE.

Let's take a trip back in time, almost a decade ago, to the 2005 Royal Rumble. Before last night's event, I spoke on the RantEM Rumble Pre-Show about how one of my favorite Rumble moments came at the 2005 Royal Rumble, when Vince McMahon blew out both quads trying to slide into the ring. But that's not what we're talking about today. I bring up the 2005 Royal Rumble for the winner of that event. After eliminating each other simultaneously, Batista threw John Cena to the outside to win a spot in the WrestleMania 21 main event. Imagine, if you will, that that didn't happen. Imagine if someone like Kurt Angle or Shawn Michaels won that Rumble. Would Batista or John Cena be as big of stars as they are now? I would think John Cena would, but I have my doubts about Batista. While the Rumble win wasn't what made Batista's rise to the top memorable (I attribute that to the Evolution storyline), imagine if Batista were just thrown in a match with Triple H at a random Raw, did the job to Triple H, and went down to the midcard at WM 21. "Ok, what's your point, Lex?"

My point is that WWE decided to make a star that night.

Now, my own personal feelings aside (Batista's a turd), WWE made money with Batista. Not anywhere near as much money they made with John Cena, but WWE did make money with Batista. WWE had a chance to make a lot of future earnings last night by putting Daniel Bryan over in a grandiose manner, but they didn't. They decided to go with the guy who won the event nearly a decade earlier.

The question is, "Why?"

Batista has a big role in an upcoming movie that looks to capitalize on the current comic book movie craze. Does Vince McMahon hope in his heart of hearts that Disney/Marvel Studios will promote Batista as a "WWE Superstar?" It's not as if Batista is the lead role, and I don't see an ensemble cast role leading to anything major. I can't say that I'm familiar with the Guardians of the Galaxy books, but I can't see Dave getting his own spinoff film. Even if all that were to happen, did Batista really need a Royal Rumble win? I don't think so.

Maybe it was in Batista's contract that, to return, he needed a Rumble win. If this is true, it would be in line with my personal feelings of the guy. And in case you have pleasant thoughts of how nice it would be to meet the former Leviathan in-person, there are several fans out there (including myself) that can tell you: you will probably be met with the ol' one-fingered salute.

Let's get to the last night's Royal Rumble now.

The night was off to a good start with two decent-to-good matches. The Tag Title switch surprised me that they would make a title change on a pre-show, but I'm told that's somewhat commonplace these days. Fair enough. Not a big deal. Then Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan opened the show with a match that exceeded everyone's expectations. "Bryan's working the first match so he can rest for the Rumble" I thought to myself. "Bryan lost the match so he can win something big at the end of the night, like Bret Hart at WM 10. Makes Bray look strong going into WM 30, too. This is pretty damn good booking right here." Hell, I even gave a nod to Lesnar/Big Show for making Lesnar look strong and (hopefully) taking Big Show out of the picture for a while. The crowd booed and jeered for Cena vs Orton, which was expected when you serve the same pile of grool for dinner as frequently as they do with Cena vs Orton. The match was nothing special, but what little air it had in it was deflated by the frustration of the crowd.

Things were zooming by at that point, and it was time for the big match. The 2014 Royal Rumble.

Now, I didn't think Bryan would make an appearance until #30. Wouldn't make sense to bring him out any earlier. "Hey, Lex! Bryan wasn't even advertised for the Royal Rumble match!" Neither was Kevin Nash, but that didn't stop his big, sandbaggin' ass from coming down to the ring. Oh, by the way, what a big surprise, eh? *Eye roll* <----See, there's the eye roll! Save that for future reference...

As we get closer to 30, it's obvious that Roman Reigns is getting a push in a strong direction. I personally don't see a whole lot in Reigns, but pushing new talent is definitely a good thing, so long as they aren't totally devoid of any upside.

Wait, here it is! #30! 10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!.......

"What the hell is this?"

My face had a look like I just guzzled down a carton of sour milk.

I like Rey Mysterio. I don't have the disdain for him that many of my cohorts here at RantEM probably do. I enjoy his work. But boy, if I've ever seen anyone being fed to the wolves, this was it. Bryan didn't show up. Batista won the Rumble. Bray Wyatt moved on to John Cena. The hottest wrestler WWE has right now just did the job in the opening match on one of the biggest shows of the year.

Time for another analogy! Imagine you owned an Ice Cream Truck, and you parked at your usuall spot you do every day around noon. People like your ice cream. It's not always the best, but there's something about it that keeps them coming back. Maybe nostalgia. Yeah, probably nostalgia. And habit. Probably habit, too. Anyway, there's a long line at your truck as you're getting your ice cream prepared, and the line is chanting "MINT CHIP! MINT CHIP! MINT CHIP" All of 'em. Now let's say you look around in your truck, and you have a tub of Mint Chip sitting there, looking pristine and fresh. BUT, you also have a tub of Rocky Road sitting over there that's 10 years past it's expiration, and you REALLY like Rocky Road. Plus, you overpaid for this expired tub of... Rocky Road, so you have to get your money's worth. Then, when you open up shop, and the people are screaming for Mint Chip, you force the expired Rocky Road down their gullets. And as they're coughing up the soured goods, they're booing you all the while.

Now, there are a few things wrong with this analogy as it pertains to WWE, and these errors are what upset me most about wrestling fans in general.

1) If your favorite ice cream joint starts serving rotten desserts, you're going to go somewhere else. This is not the case with most WWE fans, including those boisterous fans in Pittsburgh and those demanding refunds for the PPV they purchased at home. These fans might even take a week off from Raw, but they'll surely be back the week after, posting their thoughts on the product all over their Twitter and Facebook pages, even though there's plenty of other wrestling out there to be taken in.

2) You don't usually pre-pay for ice cream without at least making sure you're getting what you expected. This is just the way it is. You spend $65 on a PPV, and as long as it goes from 8pm to 10:45pm uninteruppted, you have no grounds for demanding a refunded. This is even the case with advertising a certain wrestler to be at an event that doesn't show up, because the card is always subject to change. You got burned. Eat the $65 and don't spend another dime on WWE merchandise. But that seems to be something too difficult to do for most fans to follow through on. Even myself, who doesn't watch the product, spends time and energy reading stories and posts about the WWE. Paying attention is still paying something.

The outrage over the 2014 Royal Rumble, however, goes beyond fans. Check out this string of Tweets from Mick Foley; a guy who NEVER speaks ill of the WWE and is always putting a positive spin on the most questionable of situations:

Hell, even his kids got open on Twitter last night, and I know from following them that they're pretty big WWE fans. Foley went on to post a blog on his Facebook page. Go read it. It's great.

Last night, I watched my first WWE PPV in what seems like forever, but it induced the same reaction I used to have before I stopped watching. Me rolling my eyes and asking, "Why?"

So to bring this article to a close, I want you to think about this: The backlash last night was about business. We all want to see good wrestling succeed and make money. We all want to see good wrestlers and good people succeed and make money. Last night, we lost at both of those. WWE will do just fine come WrestleMania, financials-wise. And sure, they could do a "Microsoft" and flip the ship completely. But I'll always be wondering, "What if Daniel Bryan won the 2014 Royal Rumble..."

As for Batista... well, to a nicer guy, it should have happened.

When it comes to TV shows and movies, we have to walk around on eggshells. We've all been at the mercy of not being caught up with a certain show or film, trying desperately to avoid spoilers, yet trying to stay connected at the same time. And we've all been at the other end of that conundrum, having just watched an amazing episode or movie and wanting to talk about it with anyone and everyone that's seen it, too. This new article focuses on the latter. BELOW CONTAINS SPOILERS AND NOTHING BUT SPOILERS! So, if you haven't seen Curse of Chucky, and want to remain spoiler-free until then, run. RUN NOW! Otherwise, get ready for some awesome spoiler discussion!

It's been rumored since early on in Curse of Chucky's production that the film takes place AFTER Child's Play 3 but BEFORE Bride of Chucky. We can finally put these rumors to rest due to a scene involving Nica conducting an internet search for "Chucky Doll Evidence." Several articles all come up, but if you look closely, the articles reference the location of the previous films (Los Angeles for "Seed," Niagra Falls & Hackensack for "Bride," Kent Military for "3," etc.) This lets us know that "Bride" and "Seed" did indeed take place. Further confirmation that we're in the here and now with "Curse" is the Chucky monologue scene. Chucky mentions that he's been going after Nica's family for 25 years, which would place the film in 2013.

While some may be disappointed in this news, I enjoy that they didn't try to erase any history. That's far too often what happens these days, especially with horror franchises. It's hard to tell where to place most other films. "Curse" does a fantastic job of wrapping everything together, and the spoilers we'll touch upon in the next few sections show just that.

Tough to really call this one a spoiler, but if you've been keeping up with interviews about the film, it was said that Writer/Director Don Mancini would toy with the audience a bit more. This meant less "alive time" for Chucky. This is true, but only in a sense. It's not long before we see Chucky actually move, as he reaches out for Alice in a jump scare scene early in the film. However, we don't hear Brad Dourif's first line of dialogue until 45 minutes into the film, almost exactly halfway through the film's run time. From there, there's plenty of Brad Dourif, but don't get discouraged if you came to hear Chucky talk. He does plenty of that, just not early on.

So, what makes Nica's family special enough for Chucky to show up on their doorstep? We're kept in the dark about the reasoning for 80% of the film, but there are small references in the sunflower paintings Sarah makes, as well as the home movies Nica shows to Jill and Ian. Meeting their family at what looks like a picnic, Charles Lee Ray quickly grows fond of Sarah and her family. Charles offs the dad soon after and kidnaps Sarah, keeping her in a basement. Sarah somehow notifies authorities, and before fleeing, Charles stabs Sarah in the belly, paralyzing Nica inside.

It's great to see Brad back in an on-screen appearance; his first in the series since the original film. That in itself is a HUGE deal for most fans. The backstory works and seems well connected throughout the film. It also sheds a bit more light on Ray's instability and gives a jump-off point for the first film. Ray flees the basement, only to be chased down and shot in the toy store by Detective Mike Norris. They even include footage straight from the original film! These scenes give us more background for the series than any of the other films combined!

How does Chucky get from home to home in that giant package? He certainly can't mail himself, now can he? The truth is: He has a little help from his friends. After the court scene where Nica is found guilty for all the murders that occur in the house throughout the film, a police officer grabs Chucky from the evidence and hops in his car. He then places a phone call, telling the person on the other end not to forget his money. Then, in a scene that calls back to Bride of Chucky, Tiffany rises from the backseat of the car and slices the officer's throat open. We next see Tiffany open the bag and ask Chucky "So, who's next?" We then see Tiffany shipping a rather large package, where it ends up where Alice is now living.

If you were going to bring Jennifer Tilly back, this was the perfect way to do it. I, for one, had grown a bit tired of seeing so much Tilly. It's not that I don't like Tilly, but she had become the focus of the series it seemed. This brings her back in a way that calls back to that incredible opening we saw in "Bride." It also explains some logistical loose ends.

Throughout the series, Chucky's main goal is always to transfer his soul from the doll to another human being. In one of the more eyebrow-raising moments of "Curse," it appears that Chucky finally gets his opportunity. Chucky is shipped to Alice's grandmothers house, where she's staying after the murder of her mother and father. Alice arrives home from school to see an opened package on the table and no grandmother in sight. Chucky pops up behind Alice, scaring for a second. However, Alice is glad to see Chucky again, as Alice still believes it was Nica who killed everyone. With Grandma "in the cellar," Chucky appears to have an open shot at transferring his soul with a willing and naive participant. However, the next spoiler we'll talk about seems to indicate that Chucky was unsuccessful, as it happens "six months later,"and Chucky is still a doll.

Now, there are many theories as to what could have happened. The "six months later" scene happens after the credits and could just be an easter egg and not canon. However, I think that if this were true, they wouldn't have given us a time frame for it. Another theory is that by Alice's grandmother popping up at the end of the film, that could've disrupted the ritual, causing Alice to run and setting up the events of what could be the next film in the series. If that's the case, then we're ultimately given spoilers by the scene after the credits for the next film. I'm sure there are many other ways this could work out, but it is something that has left me scratching my head a bit, but maybe that's exactly what they want.

If ever there were a reason to stay after the credits, this is it. With no reference to how Andy Barclay's been since 1991, fans had always wondered what Andy had been up to. Was he dead? Was he living a normal life? Was he piling up assault weapons and mapping out an intricate plan to slay Chucky once and for all? While the scene after the credits doesn't give us too many details, it does let a few slip. First off, Andy is alive and well, living in an apartment building. He receives a package he knows all too well, brings it in, and has a phone call with his mom. The phone call actually fills us in on a few things. One, Karen Barclay is alive and it sounds like she's living on her own and not in a mental hospital. Secondly, Andy says "Say hi to Mike for me," which indicates that she's married to (or at least involved with) Detective Mike Norris from the first film. It could be a different Mike, I suppose, but I'd like to think it's Norris. We can also tell by the pictures and the certificate from Kent Military Academy displayed that Andy had accepted his life as a military man, maybe even spending much of the 2000's out of the country. Andy pulls a rifle on Chucky and says "Play with this" as he blasts him in the face to end the film.

This might have been the most satisfying thing in the whole movie. Even my wife, who's not a fan of the series but knows the lore, was excited to see this scene. I've watched it several times since, and it gets me every single time. Props to Don Mancini and Alex Vincent for making this happen. You both made a lot of fans VERY happy with this small cameo. 

All these great developments bring new blood to the series. I'm more excited than I've ever been for the Child's Play franchise, and I look forward to more Don Mancini films. Mancini's been in the business for over 25 years now, and it feels like he's hitting his stride. I can't wait for the Blu Ray and all the extras that come along with it. I yearn to hear that commentary track! Here's to everyone involved with the film. You all deserve a standing ovation for this one...

Written by: Lexicon

It's a rare occurrence that when I review a film for this site, it's a series I'm truly a fan of. I mean, all the films I even bother with are ones that interest me in the first place, so there's always a good chance that I'll like what I'm watching. However, it's usually a film I'm "taking a chance on" via my local Redbox kiosk, and I'm always upfront and honest with each film I review. I must confess, in full disclosure, that I am a fan of the Child's Play series. Or Chucky Series. Call it whatever you want. "Child's Play" sounds classier, so I'll use that. However, that fact does not protect it from any harsh criticisms. Instead, the film does a fine job of protecting itself. Here's my review...

There have been rumors, as far back as 2008, that the original Child's Play film was getting a reboot. It was even mentioned in the commentary of the 20th anniversary DVD release. Years went by, however, and no news had been released. No news until just about a year ago, that is, when Universal announced Curse of Chucky, the 6th film in the long running series. It was set to be penned and directed by Don Mancini, the writer of the original Child's Play script. So, was it a good move to go for a direct-to-market sequel instead of a theatrical remake? The short answer for me is: Yes.

Curse of Chucky is mysterious and methodical to start. The film thrusts you into a large, gothic house where Sarah and her daughter Nica (a paraplegic) reside. They receive a package and yep, you guessed it, there's Chucky. Sarah is mysteriously murdered that very evening, and the rest of Nica's immediate family (sister Barb, brother-in-law Ian, niece Alice, and nanny Jill) come to the house for the funeral. Chucky begins picking people off one-by-one, and everything comes to a head. Sounds like the usual, and for the most part, it is. But there's a lot more to this plot than I can explain without spoiling too much. What I can tell you, however, is that Curse of Chucky is good. How good? Allow me to explain further.

Right off the bat, I need to commend Don Mancini on his direction of the film. Mancini was slaughtered by critics, and even fans, with Seed of Chucky (the last entry in the series before Curse). He took the response and used it as fuel to make "Curse." Not only is the plot sharply written, the camera work is stylish and elegant. Don't let the gore and special fx deceive you, this is a classy film. It's a classy film because Mancini respects film in genreal and isn't out to just cash in another check. Not only does he respect film, but he respects what he's built and the fanbase as well. This could have been a really boring, mundane 90 minutes in the hands of another director, but Mancini scratches the visual itch just as much as he does the itch for the series lore. 

There's a scene involving a game of Russian Roulette with a bowl of poisoned chili that is made up of beautiful shots and great suspense. Being a direct-to-market film, the budget on this movie was low. In fact, it was the lowest budget in the series. Yet Mancini was able to hold a professional look. Unfortunately, the thing that looks the most cheap at times is the doll. This is my biggest gripe of the film. Depending on the shot, Chucky goes from looking like the plain ol' Good Guy Doll, to having a feminine chunk-face. It's weird, and some will get caught on that for sure, but it was a small gripe in the grand scheme of things. 

The majority of the film takes place in the aforementioned gothic house. I didn't mind this, but it was good when we got a shot from outside. That's what a small budget will do to you, though. And like I stated above, Don Mancini masks this with good writing and interesting characters. Fiona Dourif (the daughter of Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky) does a masterful job of playing Nica. Obviously, playing a paraplegic isn't the easiest of tasks, so I give Fiona a lot of credit. Each of the other actors give their characters a genuine feel, and Brad Dourif kills (no pun intended, I swear) as Chucky once again.  

By the end of the movie, I was like a giddy little girl. All the references in this film to past films is genius. It's like a treasure hunt for Chucky fans. It all wraps up together. From musical queues to old camera shots; from one liners to flat-out old footage... this film drips of a love letter to the fans. Curse of Chucky is rewarding, fulfilling, jaw dropping, and just a damn good film. A lot of people have complained about it being a direct-to-market film, and I know the stigma that has with it, but I love that it's direct-to-market. I no longer go to the theater, as I don't believe sitting in a room with 50 or more other people is the way to watch a movie in this day and age. I loved watching this on my living room TV by myself with only my thoughts of past films and their connection to Curse to distract me. Kudos to Universal for this call and kudos to Mancini for taking on (and kicking the shit out of) that challenge. When Curse of Chucky was over, I felt satisfied. Satisfied as a longtime Child's Play fan. Satisfied as a horror-enthusiast.

I find myself struggling to write this review, because I want to spill the beans about all the great stuff jammed into this film, especially the stuff jammed in for the fans of the previous 5 films. But I want to keep this as spoiler-free as possible. So, if you're interested in hearing my thoughts on the MASSIVE SPOILERS, I will be writing another article soon containing all the juicy details.

To wrap this up, not only can I recommend Curse of Chucky to fans of the series, but I can recommend it to horror movie fans in general with complete confidence. It's a perfect flick for Halloween, but I suggest you watch it before then as well. Curse of Chucky is currently available through digital download, with the DVD and Blu Ray coming out on 10/8.

Reason to Stay After the Credits: YES!! DON'T MISS THIS SCENE!!!