Movie Review: Oblivion

The plot of Oblivion actually sounded fantastic on paper and the trailer suggested that this film would at least have hints of excitement. Sadly, the story lacked a certain degree of nuance and complexity as the film seemed to be like one bloated mess instead. I don't know. The movie felt like it went on too long when they could have been better if they were cut in half. I also found the movie to be lacking on some serious amount of suspense and danger. Of course, technically, the movie was on point. It was stylishly made and some of the visual effects were incredible, but that's about it. Oblivion was not quite as fun or good as it could have been. I can't say I didn't enjoy it as it made for a fairly enjoyable throwaway, but I also didn't think it was a strong film overall. 5

Movie Review: The Host

The premise of The Host was actually worth exploring, but not with this kind of screenplay. I thought the story was awfully thin and underdeveloped, the writing was cheesy and it strangely lacked any real conflict. I felt like the set up seemed a little force and too convenient that I didn't feel any sense of danger throughout the film. There's something oddly compelling about it though and I found Saoirse Ronan's performance as the lead pretty spectacular. Plus, visually, this film was quite stunning. Look, The Host clearly had some real potential, but that wasn't exploited enough to give the material justice. It's not bad by any means, but I thought it could've been better. 6

American Idol 12: Top 7 Results Show

Burnell Taylor. Sigh. This is one prediction I didn’t make. I was hopeful that Burnell’s performance and his hilarious personality during the pre-performance videos would be enough to keep him safe, but alas, it didn't happen. What's wrong with you America? Really? Lazaro Arbos over Burnell Taylor? He's not as exciting as the other girls, but he's WAY better than Lazaro who's becoming painful to watch. After he botched his lyrics during the duet and gave a mediocre solo performance, seeing Lazaro in the Top 3 is disturbing and scary. Burnell came into this competition with a unique sound and then threw it away to become another balladeer. Burnell! You could have been great! Terrible strategic decision and it cost you. Sigh. Lazaro, you're next!

NEXT WEEK'S THEME: The Burt Bacharach-Hal David Song Book and Song You Wish You Wrote

American Idol 12: Top 7 Studio Versions

.. and then there were 7. This week, the remaining finalists tackled possibly the most challenging theme across the board and, as a result, turning in one of the most lackluster episodes in the last two seasons. How about the recordings?

[REVIEW] American Idol 12: Top 7 Performances

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Not sure if I enjoyed any of the studio recordings this week. Angie Miller had a very flat and tepid version of this Evanescence hit. Amber Holcomb records well, but there's something missing that I can't exactly put my finger on. Candice Glover, oddly, had more dynamics here than her actual live performance and I actually prefer Burnell Taylor's recording than watching him uncomfortably strolling the stage. Maybe it's the voice? Janelle Arthur had some serious spunk going on and Kree Harrison's vocals were top notch albeit nothing exciting. Lazaro Arbos? Well, he's Lazaro. Haha.

American Idol 12: Top 7

It’s "Rock - No Ballads" week on American Idol and sadly, this was one of the most underwhelming episodes in recent memory. I’m still absolutely flabbergasted at how weak this season has become! We went from one of the best seasons (in my humble opinion) in American Idol history to possibly  one of the worst. Yes, some delivered some great moments on that stage tonight, but as a whole this was pretty lackluster.

But, as usual, I digress. 

Onto the rankings!

The Voice 4: Blind Auditions Part 4

Is it just me or has this thing been going on forever? Haha. Also, is it wrong that I just tune in mostly for the edited banter of these four judges? It's been my main gripe about this show - judges being the priority instead of the actual talent - but if that what's keeping them popular, then so be it.

Anyway, let's start!

The Voice 4: Blind Auditions Part 3

Why do I feel like Nashville decided to audition this year? TOO. MUCH. COUNTRY. But what do I know? No disrespect to the genre because I like some country music, but I need variety!

As for the contestants, they were mostly fine, but just like every other The Voice episode, it was all about the judges and I thought they somehow carried the show pretty well. To be fair, I saw a couple of interesting singers in this episode.

Anyway, here's how the contestants did in this episode.