Brave (2012) - Film Review

If you had the chance to change your fate...would you? Pixar certainly hopes so, especially after the disappointment that was Cars 2 last summer.

Back in all its animated glory, Pixar Animation Studios returns with a new adventure set in Scotland with a fiery red hair heroin, a first for the studio. Brave, featuring the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson and Kevin McKidd tells the story of a young princess, Merida (Kelly Macdonald) who possesses a skill in archery and desires to live a tradition-free life where she can go out and explore the world on her own. But preventing her from doing so is her rule-driven mother, Queen Elinor (voiced by Emma Thompson) who does everything she can to prepare her daughter to become a lady as she comes of age to get married. Balancing out the mother-daughter duo is King Fergus (Billy Connolly), whose carefree and playful spirit foils that of the strict and proper demeanor of his wife's. When Merida gets into an argument with her mother, she rides off into the woods where she encounters a witch, in which she is given the ability to change her own fate.

The narrative of Brave reminded me of such previous Disney movies as Brother Bear and Mulan, but while the first two acts seemed to share similar plot points as those two movies, thankfully Pixar was able to do something slightly different in the final act of the movie. Though I won't give away the ending, I must say that while it was satisfying, it was not groundbreaking but rather conventional. With Pixar's track record to deliver fresh and engaging movies with strong characters, I would say that Brave certainly boasts the "engaging" and "strong characters," but not the "fresh."

What can be appreciated is the impeccable animation, from the intricately drawn curls in Merida's hair to the sweeping Scotland landscape, this movie is truly beautiful. But what is absent is the complexity that the audience have come to know and love (and expect) from Pixar movies.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) - Film Review

Once upon a time in a land called Hollywood, two Snow White movies were released in the same year...but who came out the fairest of them all? The answer, is that it was not the one with the Huntsman.

Kristen Stewart stars as the princess with 'skin as white as snow' in Snow White and the Huntsman, but the real star of the film comes in the form of the deliciously evil queen played impeccably by Charlize Theron.

From the producers of last year's visually stunning Alice in Wonderland, the early promotional spots for Snow White looked fierce and intense. However, the epic battle sequences that were on full display in the trailers was unfortunately not what was packed in the 127 minutes seen on the big screen. Instead, what was seen was a darker take on a familiar tale with unbearably slow pacing. The first half hour of the movie was spent setting up the plot, and a drawn out segment halfway through the movie with the seven dwarves was unnecessary and slow.

Other than Charlize Theron, the cast of the film was rather muddled as well. Kristen Stewart is up to her same, dull Bella Swan acting tricks, showing little to no emotion as she struggled her way through playing the role of a strong heroine. Chris Hemsworth, who plays the Huntsman, delivers a performance that simply feels like a rehash of Thor only with darker hair and a dirtier face. His odd accent amidst a cast of British accents also did not help. British rising star Sam Claflin portrays Prince William, who while talented, was left with barely anything to do. The Seven Dwarves were also nothing special, and it felt like they were only thrown into the mix to stay true to the source material.

What would have been an action-packed and grittier take on the Snow White story failing to meet expectations. As a result, the final product was just a glossy piece of eye candy, with little to no substance to give the film a sustainable presence.

In a summer packed with big blockbuster action flicks, Snow White and the Huntsman was unfortunately not one of them, and as I predicted back in March after watching Mirror Mirror, the Lily Collins starring fairytale flick was much more enjoyable than this adaptation.

Glee - Season 3 Finale - Goodbye

Last night, FOX aired the much buzzed about emotional season finale of the pop culture phenomenon Glee. The finale episode, titled "Goodbye" saw the kids of New Directions bid farewell to the graduating seniors as one chapter of their lives came to an end, and a new one was about to begin. After the finale episode aired, the blogosphere was flooded with negative feedback in regards to the result of how some of the characters' storylines concluded at the end of the hour. While I felt that the episode was rather over-hyped, I actually found the creative decisions of Ryan Murphy to be plausible.

Glee first began as a little show about a group of distinctively unique high school students with a love and passion for music. When the series debuted in 2009, it was very much a show about underdogs. After a rather slow start, the series took off around episode 13 of the first season. Upon entering its second season in 2010, Glee was by then an integral part of the entertainment industry, a factor that the creators of the show took note of and exploited. It did what past shows on television like Cop Rock couldn't do, which was incorporate musical theatre in a television series. In season two, the show that once boasted unique characters and good storytelling was replaced with a giant pop culture glorifying stereo system that was nothing but loud and sometimes even annoying. With Justin Bieber and Britney Spears tribute episodes, and big name guest stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, it was no secret that the show lacked direction in its sophomore year. Season 3 was very much about returning to the basics, with Murphy even promising at the start of the season that there would be no tribute episodes or big guest stars this season. Gone were the Katy Perry and Lady Gaga song covers and in place of them were Broadway showtunes from Tony Award winning musicals such as "West Side Story" and "Anything Goes." In a way, the show tried to return to a more simpler time before it became a hit, but even that did not work. Halfway through the season, in an episode titled "Big Brother," Glee finally seemed to have gotten its groove back. With guest stars returning to enhance and not disrupt the story, and Top 40 songs returning to its repertoire, things were finally starting to improve. It seemed that the writers finally found a way to incorporate pop culture into the show without making it overshadow the characters and narrative of the series.

I must admit that I stopped watching the show after the Season 2 finale, but found myself being drawn back to it again when the Matt Bomer episode "Big Brother" aired. I've always found a strange connection to the series because of my background with music and theatre, and Rachel Berry has always been the one character that I connected with strongly. Rachel may be annoying and a little too full of herself at times, but her talent and ambition to fulfill her dream makes up for her flaws. As much as viewers want to deny it, Rachel is the shining star of Glee, and for me she has been the one part that kept me coming back each week for more. I found myself smiling when she placed that gold star next to her name on the audition sign-up sheet; cheering her on when she belted "Don't Rain On My Parade" at sectionals, and even felt my heart breaking a little for her when she choked at her NYADA audition. She is a girl with a big dream to make it in a competitive industry, and her drive and ambition is hopefully what will help her succeed.

In the finale episode last night, both Finn Hudson (Corey Monteith) and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) learned that they were not accepted to the colleges that they applied to in New York City. The only person who got into college was Rachel Berry. Rachel was willing to defer her acceptance for a year to help Finn and Kurt get in so that the three of them can go together, but alas Finn decided that the right thing to do was to let her go because he knew that the only thing holding Rachel back from her dreams was him. It was an emotionally invigorating conclusion to the season, and a perfect way to open up the next chapter in these character's lives. Life is not perfect and you can't have it all, and Ryan Murphy did a brilliant job at showing that in the episode.

While Glee may not be the most well-written show on television, there is one thing that I will always enjoy about it (besides the music of course), and that is the message it gives to all the dreamers out there to never give up. While some watch the show for the relational drama between the characters, others do for the musical numbers. But as for me, I watch the show for the inspiration that I receive every time I see Rachel Berry standing in the middle of New York City with her eyes glowing as she realizes that perseverance and hard work will indeed move you towards achieving your dreams.

2012-2013 TV Season - 10 Shows I Look Forward To

Well, the television upfronts have finally concluded with NBC, FOX, CBS, ABC and The CW showcasing their new lineups last week in New York City. With some shockers (Whitney renewed!) and many schedule changes (Revenge moves to Sundays! Supernatural moves to Wednesdays! Smash saved for midseason!) I have now compiled together a list of 10 new TV shows that I am looking forward to. I like that broadcast networks are playing more with the cable format of releasing shows year-round, though this means that I will be doing a lot more waiting for anticipated shows to premiere. 

1. Arrow (Wednesdays at 8pm on The CW)
Home to the long-running Smallville TV series, The CW is back with another action-packed superhero origin story with DC Comics character Green Arrow. Stephen Amell has proven himself to be a talented rising star after stints on The Vampire Diaries, Private Practice and Hung. And with the always lovable Katie Cassidy in the leading lady role in this series, you can count me in for this on Wednesday nights.

2. Beauty and the Beast (Thursdays at 9pm, The CW)
Kristin Kreuk of Smallville fame returns to television in the classic Disney fairytale with a procedural twist. When the series was in its early development stages, I thought that its premise was laughable. However, after reading the script which is very well written, I am not excited for this show to premiere. Lana Lang, crime solving and a modern day fairytale? Sign me up.

3. 666 Park Avenue (Sundays at 10pm, ABC)
My Sunday nights will be spent entirely with ABC Network starting this fall thanks to Revenge being moved to Sundays at 9pm and 666 Park Avenue airing after it. Starring Vanessa Williams, Terry O'Quinn, Robert Buckley and Dave Annable, this top-notch cast and American Horror Story-like premise has me intrigued.

4. The New Normal (Tuesdays at 9:30pm, NBC)
You know I love Broadway, and The Book of Mormon's leading man Andrew Rannells starring in a Ryan Murphy comedy is all I need to know to jump on this boat.

5. The Following (Mondays at 9pm, FOX)
Kevin Williamson created a television series starring Kevin Bacon hunting down a serial killer. Got all of that? Good. I've come to love all the twisted, dark and riveting storytelling Kevin Williamson is oh so good at, and with a show about a serial killer one can only expect more jaw-dropping twists and turns we normally see on The Vampire Diaries. This was one of the most buzzed about pilots this season, and having Kevin Bacon in the leading role certainly helps.

6. Do No Harm (Post-Football Sundays at 10pm, NBC)
Steven Pasquale stars as a Dr. Jenkyll/Mr. Hyde type doctor in this new NBC medical drama. I like the whole dark alter-ego premise and it is a refreshing new idea mixed with the overdone medical procedural format. Therefore, I am willing to give this series a try. Here's to hoping that it won't be a failure like NBC's Awake was this year.

7. Revolution (Mondays at 10pm, NBC)
Yes, I am rather bitter about NBC withholding the second season of musical drama SMASH until midseason, but at least I'll have this J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke international thriller to hold me over until 2013. Set in a dystopian world, the series is about our planet with all sources of energy stripped away from it. This show is either going to be really good or a Terra Nova-like disaster, and hopefully it will be the former and not the latter.

8. Nashville (Wednesdays at 10pm, ABC)
Connie Britton can no wrong and she proves it once again in this music-themed ABC drama series. Hayden Pannettiere also stars as a Taylor Swift-like character. I'm not country music's biggest fan but I am all for soapy drama and original music on TV. Add Eric Close and Jonathan Jackson to the supporting cast and you definitely have me on board ABC.

9. The Carrie Diaries (Midseason on Mondays at 9pm, The CW)
Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage team up again after creating hit teen dramas The O.C. and Gossip Girl, this time taking viewers back to the 80's with a familiar face, Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. A prequel of some sorts, the series is based on the novel by Candace Bushnell and will follow a young Carrie as she discovers her love of New York City for the first time. It looks like a fun and fresh new teen drama that can fill my post-Gossip Girl void after that series comes to an end in December.

10. Last Resort (Thursdays at 8pm, ABC)
The premise looks intense and intriguing, but like Revolution this show can go awfully wrong in the episodes following the pilot, so here's to hoping ABC will do it right by keeping it a 13-episode a season type show rather than dragging it out and making it 22.

The Avengers (2012) - Film Review

The wait is finally over—Summer is finally here as the big superhero blockbuster, The Avengers, assembles and smashes onto the big screen in America.

It has been building up for years now, with multiple Hulk adaptations, two Iron Man movies, and  Thor and Captain America debuting last year. But with the intense buzz building up to what is one of the biggest movies of the year, did The Avengers live up to all its hype? The answer, quite simply, is yes. Directed and written by Joss Whedon, the movie is loud, big, and for lack of better words...EPIC.

Each character is gets their own time to shine throughout the movie's 143 minute duration, and in no way does one outshine the other. The film is very much so an assembling of multiple superheroes teaming up to save the world. Also, where previous films with the characters failed before, Whedon managed to fix up nicely. After two lackluster attempts at bringing The Incredible Hulk to life, once with actor Eric Bana and the other with Edward Norton, it seems that this time Marvel has finally got it right, with Mark Ruffalo as the green giant himself. The Hulk is everything you'd expect him to be, part Jenkyll and Hyde, and part big destructive weapon which the team needed to destroy its enemies. Robert Downey Jr. remains witty, charming, funny and suave as the tech-savvy superhero Iron Man, and even Chris Evans and Hemsworth (as Captain America and Thor respectively) manage to bring something special during their characters' screen-time after lackluster debuts last summer. The expansion of the roles of Hawkeye, played impeccably by Jeremy Renner who is no doubt Hollywood's brightest new action star, and the Black Widow, portrayed by the sexy Scarlett Johansson also worked incredibly well. The two characters were more fleshed out, and also brought forth a more human-level of action to the superhero mix. Hell, even the villain was brilliant. British actor Tom Hiddleston glows as the menacing Loki, the half-brother of Thor, bringing ultimate destruction and chaos to New York City and proving himself to be a worthy competitor to The Avengers.

For those of you who thought that the trailers and TV spots leading up to the film's debut had given away most of the big moments in the film, you can take a deep breathe. There is so much more action-packed sequences that the promotional material did not reveal. The CGI was stunning, and the fight sequences explosive. Clearly The Avengers have set the bar high for the coming superhero films this summer, although both Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises look promising as well.

All you Marvel fanatics and comic book geeks have nothing to fear—The Avengers is everything you'd hoped it would be and much more. But most importantly, it was big, bold, fun, and something that's not to be missed.

Common Law (USA) - Television Review

From the network that brought you such quirky and funny pairings as Neal Caffrey and Peter Burke ("White Collar") and Mike Ross and Harvey Spector ("Suits") comes summer's newest pair—Travis Marks (Michael Ealy) and Wes Mitchell (Warren Kole).

Common Law follows Travis Marks and Wes Mitchell, two detectives who have a major problem...each other. Because they constantly butt heads, they have been sent to couples therapy. While the premise itself sounds both funny and intriguing, the premiere episode of the new series ends up falling into the department of a generic crime-solving procedural. There is no denying that Ealy and Kole have amazing chemistry with each other, and their onscreen characters also compliment each other very well with their different personalities. However, their bickering and disagreements ends up merely being filler dialogue to drag out the 90-minute episode's case which involves a murder victim.

While the show itself has a promising premise, the time the two main characters actually spend in couples therapy is minimal. In fact, the episode opens and closes with them in a session, but the rest of it is spent on solving the crime.


Common Law has the potential to be yet another runaway USA Network hit, but without the witty storytelling of last summer's hit Suits, and the impeccable mix of bantering and case solving of White Collar, the show ends up just being 'another new cop show on TV.'

Common Law premieres Friday May 11 @ 10/9c on USA Network.

The Client List (Lifetime) - Television Review

It's a whole lot of sexy...or at least that's what they want you to believe.

Jennifer Love Hewitt returns to The Client List playing a similar role with a different name. After the success of the 2010 television film, Lifetime revives the movie's concept and turns it into a television series with Jennifer Love Hewitt on board as executive producer as well.

The series follows Riley Parks, whose family is dealing with some financial difficulties leading her to take matters into her own hands by taking a job at a day spa. A mother with a strong moral conscience, Riley initially declines to taking on the spa's "special" clients, who pay a hell of a lot more in tips at each appointment. When Riley's husband disappears however, she is left with a financial debt and mortgage to pay, leading her to reconsider her initial decision.

From the revealing music video to the billboard ads of Jennifer Love Hewitt in lingerie, Lifetime was really trying to sell this show as 'sexy.' But the only thing sexy about the show's premiere episode is its lead actress. There's a whole lot of leg and back rubbing, a few implied handjobs and even a shirtless Colin Egglesfield in one scene, but all that adds up to merely be awkward or uncomfortable in the end. In fact, the "client of the week" who Riley tends to ends up only wanting to talk to her about his personal relationship issues rather than engaging in the risque experience the spa has to offer.

The episode spends a lot of time setting up the premise of the show, but viewers won't really get a sense of what to expect each week. Will there be a "client of the week" format? Or will Riley's moral dilemma be drawn out to span an entire season when it could in reality be accomplished in the span of a 2-hour TV movie?

I'm not quite sure The Client List entirely works as a series, and while the show does boast a talented cast, the actors are merely left with tacky dialogue and mediocre (and predictable) storylines to work with. And for those coming to expect something sexy and edgy, you might want to stick to your HBO or STARZ programming instead.

The Client List premieres Sunday, April 8 at 10/9c on Lifetime.