Well, one spoiler: It's awesome
Spoiler-free review of Avengers: Endgame...5 quick thoughts
Apr 23, 2019, 8:21 pm
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Marvel is wrapping up its current universe with one of the most anticipated movies of all time: Avengers Endgame. The following is a spoiler-free review. That obviously limits us, but this is a film that deserves to be enjoyed in person as it goes. The movie opens on Thursday and if you can still get tickets, you should. Five quick thoughts:
1) Prepared to be wowed
This is a movie that will tug on all your emotions. The interactions between the characters are terrific. We have followed many of them for over a decade, and we see acting at its best. From storyline to dialogue, it's everything we were hoping for and more. And of course the visuals are over the top. It is a great movie experience. While it is three hours long, it felt much shorter.
2) Perfect Pacing
Despite feeling much shorter than three hours, the storylines aren't rushed and it does not really drag, either. It covers all the bases, deals with all the characters, and brings us closure. You won't feel cheated at all.
3) A Leftovers feel
The part of the movie that deals with the aftermath of "The Snap" will remind you of HBO's Leftovers. And it's powerful. As usual, the characters deal with loss through serious emotions, and still work in the one-liners. It is classic Marvel.
4) A perfect ending
The story wraps up perfectly. The last 40 minutes or so of the movie are simply incredible. It brings us closure, and is perfectly done. You will cheer. You will tear up. But you will leave with an amazing experience.
5) The bottom line
If you have not already bought tickets, you need to. You will not be disappointed. The ending is one of the best you will see, and there is nothing I would change about this movie. The Avengers have taken us on a wild ride, and this is the wildest of all. If you liked Infinity War, you will love Endgame. It is even better than we could have hoped for. These characters have become part of our entertainment lives, and this movie showed them at their best. Put simply, they could not have done any better ending this iteration. In many ways this is an homage to the original Avengers movies, with the humor of Ant Man added in. But it is much more than that. There are so many touching moments, shows of bravery and at times despair, that you will leave feeling wholly satisfied. So turn off your phone for three hours, sit back and enjoy a perfect movie for fans of the Avengers.
The Endgame is here. And it was well worth the wait.
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Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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