Movie Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Marvel had set the bar high for themselves - consistently delivering solid to fantastic films everytime - and Avengers: Age of Ultron was no exception; this was just flat out spectacular! I genuinely couldn't ask for much more. The darker tone was perfectly handled as it didn't go too far adding touches of humor here and there, which arguably made the Avengers movies work. The visual effects were, as usual, pretty outstanding, the tag team fights were well-played, and Joss Whedon's direction was incredibly masterful. Considering how many larger than life characters there were in this film, it was quite impressive how the movie balanced the characters flawlessly. True, the story was simple and at times a bit convoluted, but how it was executed worked wonderfully. Does the film have flaws? Sure, but so does every other movie and some with far more dumb plot holes. I didn't mind. With an immense casting, decent story, and visuals that put Transformers blur to shame, Avengers: Age of Ultron was a terrific blockbuster film. 9

American Idol 14: Top 5 Studio Versions

This week, they tackled some "Arena Anthems" - I put quotation marks just because most of them weren't exactly anthems moreso for arenas, but I digress - and the results were varied. Also, Jax - or the production? - made another misstep by releasing Are You Gonna Be My Girl instead of White Flag. It happened with Rayvon and Nick last week. If she had released that instead, she could've given Clark Beckham a run for his money on the charts.

Here's how they ranked and peaked against other songs available on iTunes:

#269 Boyfriend - Clark Beckham
#340 I'm Not The Only One - Rayvon Owen
#738 Maggie May - Nick Fradiani
#1450 Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jax

Again, Tyanna is nowhere to be found. It's quite baffling that she only charted once throughout the whole season with Stay - not surprising as that was her moment - and yet she managed to keep out of the Bottom 2 each week. I guess her fanbase are not just buying her music? That said, the numbers are abysmal compared to how The Voice studio recordings are "dominating" the charts every week. Then again, they are used as votes, so whatever.

As for my personal recommendation, I honestly enjoyed Rayvon and Jax's recordings. Clark's take on Justin Biber's Boyfriend started off quite brilliantly and I was really enjoying it until he started screaming towards the end, which threw me off. I don't know.

DAM NATION

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American Idol 14: Top 5

It’s American Idol 14’s Top 5/6 night and the theme is "Arena Anthems" though, let’s face it, it should really have been called "Sing Anything You Want And We'll Just Call It Whatever".

The remaining contestants returned this week and somehow phoned it at least one song each and a couple of people stepped it up, but did so in a big way. Shockingly though, there were some huge missteps I wasn't expecting and some contestants still making beginner's mistakes.

Anyway, let's get on with the rankings!

The Voice 8: Top 10 Results Show

Not sure how to feel about this week's elimination. I felt like the Bottom 3 had weak performances, but on earth Team Blake survived this week unscathed? I seriously don't know what to say. I guess, Blake really has people behind him no?

Anyway, let's go with results shall we?

Results after the jump!

The Voice 8: Top 10

This was, yet again, another strong week for The Voice! Some perceived frontrunners remained unhinged, while one dark horse emerged this week. At this rate, it's almost impossible to predict with such a strong group of finalists - and that's even after Mia Z got eliminated last week. That's how solid this season is.

There were no legit duds this season and things will get more predictable as we whittle down the batch into a small group. Can't wait for the Hunger Games! Ha.

On with the rankings!

Movie Review: The DUFF

Never mind that the plot was thin. Never mind that it has all been done before. Never mind that it was shallow. The DUFF was a subtle, but well-crafted fluff that may warm even the hardest cynics. Indeed, the film was fairly predictable and a decidedly stereotypical movie about high school and teenagers, but then again, what else is new among this genre of teen comedies? What kept the film going was it's energetic and spirited cast of young actors lead by Mae Whitman, who brought a lot of spunky personality to her role, and Robbie Amell. Together, they had a strangely believable romantic chemistry. The strong narrative threads were surprisingly not that convoluted and there's a good deal of flashy visuals and successful attempts at humor.  The DUFF was light, fluffy and fun, and can only be enjoyed if you take it for what it is. 7.5

American Idol 14: Top 6 Studio Versions

For this week, here are the studio versions as the remaining finalists tackle American Classics. Sadly, they just recorded one song - despite performing two - and some of them were, arguably, their weaker performances. Case in point, Rayvon Owen's Long Train Runnin' instead of Always On My Mind. But I digress. Enjoy!

Here's how they ranked and peaked against other songs available on iTunes:

#339 Superstition - Clark Beckham
#766 Piece Of My Heart - Jax
#799 American Girl - Nick Fradiani
#934 The Sound of Silence - Quentin Alexander
#1235 Somebody To Love - Joey Cook

These numbers are depressing, no? Also, I'm seeing a trend here. Unless both Tyanna and Rayvon provide a showstopper, their songs don't chart at all. Now, as for the recordings, I genuinely enjoyed Joey Cook's Somebody To Love and Nick Fradiani's American Girl - although I hope he recorded Only The Good Die Young instead.

DAM NATION

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