Suits (USA) - Television Review

USA Network's latest summer series, a legal drama Suits follows a college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) with an eidetic memory who begins to work for a high-profile lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabrial Macht) at a top Manhattan law firm. The pilot episode aired last Thursday, June 23 and debuted strongly in the ratings department. But did the show live up to its expectations? Truth is, yes it did.

Gabriel Macht shines as the heartless know-it-all rich lawyer, and Patrick J. Adams is impeccable as the college dropout drug dealing smartass. Their chemistry nearly goes head-to-head with their quick and witty banter giving Neal Caffrey and Agent Burke from White Collar a run for their money. I also like how the pilot episode's court case was a "pro bono" case, in which Mike Ross(Adams) is assigned to help a female victim who was fired after her boss sexually harassed her. It goes to show that the show will not only take on big cases, but also smaller ones. I also found that the show had a lot of heart to it. Sure, Adams' character may have done a lot of wrong things and Macht's character is a bit of a douche, but at the end of the day their characters made me connect with them on a more personal level as the pilot progressed.

Suits is everything you'd want in a summer, flashy, procedural. If you haven't seen the first episode already, it is currently free for download on iTunes so definitely give it a look! And hey, if you download it from iTunes it'd mean that you are watching a legal show....legally. Trust me, you wouldn't want to miss this one.

Super 8 (2011) - Film Review

I'd like to begin by dubbing Super 8 as "J.J. Abram's Cloverfield done right." Ironically, this film was also written and directed by J.J. Abrams who created Cloverfield back in 2008. However, with an artistic mastermind like Steven Spielberg on deck as producer, one can only imagine how well-done the final product of this science fiction flick was.

Where Cloverfield falls short, Super 8 delivers. With a cast that features no big name actors, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney and Kyle Chandler headline the Summer Blockbuster flick about a group of avid filmmaking teenagers who while filming a segment of their zombie flick out by the train station one night, witnesses an explosive collision and the unleashing of an extra-terrestrial alien. Set in 1979, the cinematography, costumes and setting of the film was very period appropriate and also added an artistic flare which Cloverfield lacked. Further, the opening train collision was one of the most epic explosions I have witnessed on the big screen to date.

Taking the generic, been-there-done-that concept of an alien terrorizing a small town of innocent people, J.J. Abrams manages to make the story engaging, and the characters within it people with whom the audience can root for. However, despite the authentic flare and impeccable cinematography, it still at the end of the day is just another alien invasion movie. What the movie had going for it prior to its opening weekend was that the alien's identity is concealed in all of the promotional material released for the film. But maybe keeping the creature's appearance a secret made for an overhype in which when it finally is revealed in the movie, falls short of one's expectations. In the final confrontation between the group of children and the extra-terrestrial creature, what ends up coming out is an E.T.-like creature whose looks and shape were underwhelming on many levels.

Despite the let-down of the big reveal in the movie, it is not the extra-terrestrial that helps this movie take flight, but rather the artistic beauty Spielberg and Abrams have crafted in the setting, story, and cinematography of this film.

Cars 2 (2011) - Film Review

Of all the Pixar movies that didn't leave me loving it or wanting more, Cars would be one of them with The Incredibles being the other. So when I first heard that a Cars 2 would be coming out in 2011, I was indifferent about Pixar's move to make a sequel out of a movie that was good but could have been left alone to begin with. Thankfully, the Pixar short attached to the opening was a Toy Story short, which was both sentimental, hilarious, and heartwarming. The actual movie, Cars 2 however, only delivers in the hilarity department and not the other two.

Lightning McQueen(Owen Wilson) and Tow Mater(Larry the Cable Guy) return in the sequel, taking their car racing worldwide and out of the much loved Radiator Springs. Many of the characters from the first film (Doc Hudson and Sally Carrera as the notable ones) have reduced roles to make way for new characters and an espionage storyline. Two new characters, Finn McMissle(Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell(Emily Mortimer) were introduced as top secret spies who are investigating a mystery regarding gasoline for the cars to use.

The high-energy action and race sequences mixed with the gorgeous scenery of places such as London, Paris, Italy and Japan provides plenty of eye-candy for audiences both young and old to devour. And while the espionage story was engaging and fun, it also did not take away too much from the original story about cars on the racetrack. However, where the film fails is to find depth and heart like other Pixar films have been able to do. I didn't find myself walking out of there with a morally profound lesson learned nor did I find the movie Academy Award worthy.

So while Cars 2 was a entertaining animated movie, it doesn't rank as one of the studio's best movies, and certainly is nowhere as good as last year's Toy Story 3 or even other Pixar movies such as UP and Finding Nemo.

This movie opens June 24th 2011.

Green Lantern (2011) - Film Review

Yet another superhero movie debuts in the Summer Season, this time in the form of the color green. Warner Brothers' Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern and Blake Lively as Carol Ferris. While the movie itself is full of eye-popping visual effects and praiseworthy action sequences, the plot however was lacking.

Hal Jordan is an irresponsible test pilot who is afraid to overcome and challenge his own weakness, fear. In an alternate planet, an entire civilization of aliens and other green lanterns are being attacked by Parallex, a smokey demon-like creature that sucks the fear and life out of anything it comes across. And when Parallex kills one of the strongest green lantern aliens, Hal Jordan is bestowed with the responsibility of becoming the superhero that he was meant to be, a challenge that he is able to fulfill with the help of love interest and childhood friend, Carol Ferris.

The film's history was troubled since its first trailer debuted at Comic-Con last year. With lackluster incomplete special effects and barely any scene of significance shown in the footage, fanboys around the world bashed the movie and the likelihood of its success. After the studio made a statement earlier this year regarding how the movie's CGI was not finished when the trailer debuted last year, they released a new theatrical trailer, this time featuring more hefty special effects and action sequences that both WOW-ed and impressed. But was the final product as impressive as its second movie trailer? The answer, is yes and no.

While the special effects were perfectly produced and intricately designed, the heavy use of it often made the movie cheesy, and its many other cliche superhero references (Lively's character mocks Reynold's mask saying that she could still recognize him) makes the movie not able to stand on its own. The performances were great — Peter Sarsgaard as the misunderstood scientist-turned-villain Hector Hammond was both eery and fitting, and Ryan Reynolds is at his witty banter best in the role of Hal. But what will have fanboys drooling is the drop dead gorgeous Blake Lively, who not only stuns with her skin-tight outfits, but also her headstrong confident personality which her character Carol Ferris delivers.

Green Lantern is certainly no X-Men: First Class but it was better than Thor. And while it was a fun and entertaining movie, it isn't something that I would run to buy on iTunes upon its release, but also not something that I would turn down when asked to see it a second time.

Summer Television - What to Watch

Your favorite television series may be on Summer hiatus until the Fall, but it doesn't mean that you have to lay off the TV-watching for a day at the beach or a trip to the Bahamas. In fact, there are plenty of shows on television that you can still watch during your Summer vacation and here is a rundown of shows that I highly recommend.



1. Royal Pains (USA)
A fun Summer series about a concierge doctor, Hank (Mark Feuerstein) who was wrongly blamed for one of his patient's death forcing him to relocate to the Hamptons to serve the filthy rich residents who live there. If you are a fan of medical shows and miss your weekly dose of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice or House this is the show for you.




2. White Collar (USA)
Matt Bomer stars as a reformed con-man who now works for the FBI alongside special agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). The series was always a fun procedural to watch but stepped up its game immensely in its second season finale when Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) was forced to make a choice regarding his actions. In what producers call a season that is all about "making choices," White Collar has easily become one of my favorite shows on television.




3. Covert Affairs (USA)
Last Summer's breakout hit series starring Golden Globe nominee Piper Perabo is back as Annie Walker engages in more action-packed CIA operations. I'm all for girls kicking ass on the big and small screen and this show delivers in that department. Fans of the Maggie Q starring Nikita will find this show an enjoyable replacement for the Summer months.




4. True Blood (HBO)
HBO's sexy vampire drama series is back in its fourth season with more bloody fang-tastic storylines involving Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), Eric Northam (Alexander Skarsgard) and Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Based on the novels by Charlaine Harris, this is a more adult take on vampires for those who are too old for Twilight but totally into mysteriously thrilling shows like The Vampire Diaries.




5. Suits (USA)
USA Network's new legal drama Suits follows a college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) with an eidetic memory who begins to work for a high-profile lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabrial Macht) at a top Manhattan law firm. The series is your typical USA Network show, with fun characters, intriguing cases and a serial storyline sitting in the backdrop of each episode to keep viewers coming back for more. It looks like a mix of The Good Wife and the new David E. Kelley series Harry's Law, and most definitely a great Summer substitute for the said series.




6. Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
Though not for everyone, the highly addictive ABC Family murder mystery series Pretty Little Liars is indeed a show that leaves you wanting more each week. Following four pretty girls who are trying to uncover the truth behind the murder of their best friend, they unfortunately also find their deep dark secrets being threatened to be unveiled via text messages, emails and mysterious phone calls. Petty high school drama, catfights, scandalous hookups and murder mysteries will have all the Gossip Girl and 90210 fans ecstatic with this Summer replacement for Fall's hot teen shows.

X-Men: First Class (2011) - Film Review

"X-Men: First Class gives The Dark Knight a run for the best superhero movie of all time."

There was no better way for me to sum up how epically fascinating this prequel's prequel of the X-Men series was other than to quote a critic's review that I have been hearing all over the radio this past week. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, this highly anticipated reboot to a staling franchise gives a fresh new take to the origins story of Marvel's most beloved mutants. After the subpar X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie in 2009, this installment delivers a first class (no pun intended) story and an equally amazing cast.

James McAvoy stars as Professor Charles Xavier, a genetics brainiac who graduated at the top of his class and always sees the good in people. Starring opposite of him is Michael Fassbender, giving a commanding performance as Erik Lehnsherr who audience know later becomes the supervillain Magneto. Rounding out the cast is Jennifer Lawrence of Winter's Bone fame as Raven/Mystique, Rose Byrne as Dr. Moira MacTaggert, Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, Nicholas Hoult as Hank/Beast, and Mad Men's January Jones as the seductive Emma Frost.

Set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the movie tells to story of how a revenge seeking Erik Lehnsherr and Professor Charles Xavier came to be the good friends, and later enemies, that audience have known them to be in previous X-Men installments. However, unlike the previous films in the series this one does not distinguish Magneto as the bad guy and Xavier as the good. Rather, the backstory of these two characters brings out their emotional vulnerability and motives behind their actions and proves to show that not everything in life is black and white. With explosive action sequences, scenic eye candy (the film literally takes viewers around the world, from Poland to Moscow to Las Vegas and London) and a plot so well-rounded and perfect it, it leaves you wanting more when the end credits begin rolling.

McAvoy and Fassbender's chemistry as the onscreen duo is impeccable, and the talented supporting cast only makes for an even more enjoyable movie experience. First Class is an origins story told in a remarkably refreshing and distinct way with sleek and swift special effects and battle sequences that will only have fan boys begging for more. Putting the lackluster new Pirates of the Caribbean installment and Thor movies behind us, Summer 2011 has finally arrived in the form of a kick-ass superhero team known as the X-Men.