The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 7 Round 10)

Well, that's a wrap on the releases for Last Resort Film's 7th season. This final film featured three very strong, highly anticipated films. Here's The Roundup...

3. Paradiso
Mo Buck wrote the perfect script to round out his three part adaptation of Dante's The Divine Comedy. The action hits a high point in this entry, and the return of Gary Oldman's Satan was more than welcome. In fact, I'd rank Paradiso as the best film of the series.

2. The Squared Circle
This film goes right up there with The Wrestler as the definitive films about wrestling. This film is less somber and covers a different aspect of the industry, but it's still right up there. Mel Gibson appears to be having a blast with the more aggressive moments of the film. The whole cast comes off well in this one, well, aside from Kate Winslet (who comes across a bit grating).

1. Stained
I loved Stained. There, I said it. I had a blast with this depiction of the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal. The casting is perfect (as you can see in Fact to Film). I enjoyed the balance of drama and comedy on display. It's a tricky tightrope, but Lon Charles' script nailed the tone.

3. End of the Divine Comedy Trilogy
I really enjoyed the film. I enjoyed all three of this round's releases, which forces me to nitpick a little bit with the Bottom Three. However, this first one is actually me heaping more praise upon Mo Buck's trilogy. It's a bummer that the series is ending. Buck wrote three films here that not only work on their own merits, but combine to make one great whole. Between the Divine Comedy and Halo, Mo Buck has become quite capable in the franchise department.

2. Round 10 Box Office
Paradiso was a bonafide hit, but the final two releases of the season both struggled to find an audience and failed at the box office. I definitely expected two films of the high quality of The Squared Circle and Stained to find a bigger audience.

1. Mackenzie Foy
Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with Mackenzie Foy as an actress or person. My beef is with her making the LRF Top 10 Stars list. I find that just asinine. Yes, she had a few strong performances, but "star" doesn't necessarily mean a few strong roles, it means selling the movie on you. None of the movies she has been critically lauded for were sold on her name. How she beat people like Tom Hardy, Oscar Isaac, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, Brad Pitt, etc. is simply beyond me.