Movie Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction

If anyone tells you that Transformers: Age of Extinction is a good film, you should punch that person in the face and run away. Haha. Seriously. This was an incomprehensible three hour hodgepodge of overly congested action scenes - despite looking flashy - a disorganized plot, blank slated characters, and canned drama. The humor was groan-inducing and forced, the editing was horrible, and while the visual effects were extravagant, they were nothing but garbled metal. But what's most egregious about this film was it's running time. It was mercilessly long that I was begging for the movie to end. Transformers: Age of Extinction wasn't totally garbage as it had moments, but there was nothing here to balance out the drawbacks. It's an obnoxious mess with little to no charm at all. 3

Movie Review: How To Train Your Dragon 2

When I heard about a sequel, I was more cautious than excited. I mean, how could they possibly top the awesomeness that was the original How To Train Your Dragon? But while the storytelling this time sort of drifted towards the conventional - save for some interesting plot developments - How To Train Your Dragon 2 was still a flat out terrific animated film only vastly expanded and explored. The imagery was stunning, most of the set pieces were greatly orchestrated, the characters were all well sketched, and there's a mix of maturity and playfulness in the film that was very refreshing to watch. The film also had enough authenticity and darkness, which avoided the overly kiddy tone most modern animated films set for themselves. The humor was a little lacking and the middle part slightly dragged, but I digress. How To Train Your Dragon 2 was a glorious animated adventure film that's every bit as entertaining and endearing as the original. 8.5

Movie Review: 22 Jump Street

Look, there's every reason in the world for 22 Jump Street to suck. It was basically the exact same premise in the exact same way as the first film but just in a different setting. I figured that this would've been just one of those cash-grab, unnecessary sequels - see, The Hangover series - but for some reason, the film successfully achieved a rare balance of character and vulgarity that made the original an instant hit. In fact, this was A LOT better! The script was neatly written, the direction was good, the pacing felt right, and it also staged some good action sequences. The real treat in this movie though was the palpable and unmatched chemistry between Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill - they bounce off each other perfectly. Frankly, all 22 Jump Street needed was the same level of sustenance the previous one had throughout its running time with it's incredible humor and charm and the film's actually good to go, but the movie somehow took it up a notch delivering possibly one of the funniest and most exceptional comedy sequel this year. 9

DAM NATION: June 2014 Playlist

Sorry for the late post of the playlist. It's been a pretty rough busy week, but here it is! Another list of 15 songs that I (personally) fancy, that are already doing good on it's own and maybe some new singles from different artists that will probably - or maybe not - be hits in the next coming weeks in whatever format. Oh, and a couple of them are carry overs from last year, but I digress.

So, there! Enjoy!

1 Scarecrow Alex & Sierra

2 Boom Clap Charli XCX

3 Ghost Ella Henderson

4 Rude MAGIC!

5 Tennis Court Lorde

6 Love Never Felt So Good Jackson and Timberlake

7 Crazy Stupid Love Cheryl Cole (ft. Tinnie Tempah)

8 Not About Angels Birdy

9 Pills N Potions Nicki Minaj

10 A Sky Full of Stars Coldplay

11 Ugly Heart G.R.L.

12 First Love Jennifer Lopez

13 Wiggle Jason Derulo (ft. Snoop Dogg)

14 All of the Stars Ed Sheeran

15 Maps Maroon 5

DAM NATION

Password: The song that ranked 3rd on the American Idol 13 Wrap-Up: 25 Best Performances

Movie Review: Maybe This Time

I was told before that if I couldn't think of, at the very least, three nice things to say, I wasn’t allowed to say the bad stuff. So bear with me as I try hard. I thought Maybe This Time had a couple of nice funny moments, Ruffa Gutierrez was unknowingly hysterical, and yes, my review of this film is over. Haha. 3

Movie Review: The Fault In Our Stars

What a fine film! Having never really read the book and with little to no idea of the exact premise, I had no clear expectations going in and it was shocking to know that The Fault In Our Stars had this rare ability to send a grown man out of the theater pretending that he NEVER shed a tear. Haha. True, the film could've been a lot tighter as it slightly dragged towards the end, but for the most part, it was a well written story and despite its sensitive topic, the movie actually held a lot of ground. The script was extremely witty, the direction was fantastic, awesome soundtrack, and the cast did terrific. Shailene Woodly was sublime, but I thought Ansel Elgort was a sweetheart - his natural warmth added greatly to his character's gentle appeal. Charming. Poignant. Funny. Tragic. Thoughtful. Heartwarming. Sweetly devastating. That's The Fault In Our Stars right there. 8.5

Movie Review: Edge of Tomorrow

I have to admit, the initial premise of Edge of Tomorrow from its trailer didn't seem promising - add to the fact that Tom Cruise's films have been pretty much a hit or miss - but this was a surprisingly crafty, focused, and infuriatingly enjoyable jaunt. Yes, it clearly drew inspiration from many other movies - The Butterfly Effect, Starship Troopers, and The Terminator came to mind - and yet the film never felt like a rip-off. I thought the storyline was cleverly crafted, the direction was fantastic, the visual effects were incredible, and the editing and camera work were brilliant. The pacing was another strength and how it managed to combine compounding urgency with engaging character development was pretty impressive. Oh, and Tom Cruise played his role with the right mix of physicality and humor and he carried the plot forward extremely well. I would've liked a less predictable ending, but I digress. Edge of Tomorrow was possibly one of the best summer blockbusters this year, and straight up, one of Tom Cruise's best. 9

American Idol 13 Wrap-Up: 25 Best Performances

To the obligatory count: 6 months. 39 episodes. 165 live performances. 14 elimination rounds. 197 Jennifer Lopez closeups. 0 Mariah Carey. Haha. That's right, another season in the history books and like old tradition I compiled a list of the most memorable live performances up to the Finale.

Season 13 was quiet a ride. It's not the best season EVER, but the kids this season managed to deliver outstanding performances, which made this a little hard to rank. But yes, I did my very best!

Anyway, just like many other lists or countdowns, this one is extremely biased. It's based on personal preferences. There will probably be some performances that are nowhere to be found on your list that may be as high as 10 or something on here - actually I guarantee it. But please respond maturely, flames don't make me particularly happy.

SEASON 9 Best Performances 
SEASON 10 Best Performances
SEASON 11 Best Performances
SEASON 12 Best Performances

Now, we pay tribute to the LIVE performances that made this season worth watching - and reviewing!:

Honorable Mentions!

The Long and Winding Road

Malaya Watson

Top 9

Can't You See

CJ Harris

Top 11

Sting Me

Caleb Johnson

Top 6

Lucky Man

Dexter Roberts

Top 12

Jolene

Jessica Meuse

Top 6

Here are the TOP 25 Best Live Performances of Season 13: