My Top 10 Best Films of 2014

It was really hard compiling a list of Top 10 movies. Not that the movies this year weren’t good, some were really good, great in fact. But there were very few extraordinary ones. Ones that got me excited. Ones I can’t stop talking about. Or thinking about. I was able to put a list together, but let’s be honest there’s a big difference in my excitement level between my top 5, and 6-10. So here it is people, the list you’ve all been waiting for…

Movies thisclose to making the cut:
Big Hero 6, American Sniper and This is Where I Leave You. TIWILY was hilarious with a great cast and a sentimental story line. I loved it. American Sniper was more on the serious side. While Bradley Cooper carried this entire movie, it’s easy to say the movie wouldn’t have been as great or as memorable without his incredible performance. Big Hero 6 was funny, emotional, and touching. It was a really great movie and would have made it into the Top 10 if I hadn’t seen…

10. Selma

9. The Grand Budapest Hotel

8. Unbroken

7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

6. Still Alice

5. Gone Girl

4. Snowpiercer

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

2. Birdman

And my #1 movie of the year is…..

 

 

1. Whiplash
I don’t understand it when people say this movie was just “good”. This movie was greater than great. It was nearly perfection! This movie pumps me up with just how good it was. The performances are on point, the story line is intense and the drumming is effin’ fantastic. It gives me chills just thinking about it. J.K. Simmons is on top of his game and that cockiness Miles Teller exudes in his roles really worked for this character. And as amazing at the movie was, words cannot express just how much I loved the ending. I could watch it over and over again for the rest of my life. It was THAT good.

 

These are my Top 10 Movies. Do you agree with some of my choices? All my choices? Did I get anything wrong or forget about anything?

2014 Oscar Nominations: My Reaction

There’s a lot to talk about regarding this years Oscar Nominations, but lets just get the “elephant” in the room out of the way. There’s been a lot of talk about how this year’s Oscar nominations are very white washed and how Selma deserved an Oscar nomination. As an Asian woman and someone who’s never seen Selma, I have my own thoughts on this as well as the other nominations.

The problem isn’t that the voting is “white washed” or racist. The problem is that save for one movie there weren’t many roles for actors of color to choose from in the voting process. It’s not like everyone in Selma was nominated for an Oscar but David Oyelowo. I’m not saying his performance wasn’t Oscar worthy, I’m not saying the movie was a dud, I’m not saying he SHOULDNT have been nominated. What I am saying is this year’s Best Male Actor Category was TOUGH and David Oyelowo wasn’t the only snub.

The Best Male Actor Nominees: I thought Bradley Cooper was so great in American Sniper, and while I haven’t see Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne won a Golden Globe so he was a shue-in for a nomination. In the words of Zoolander, Benedict Cumberbatch is so hot right now and Michael Keaton was fantastically Oscar-worthy in Birdman, and my vote to take Oscar home.

However, one of these things is not like the other and that thing…or person is Steve Carrell. We all know the Academy is a sucker for appearance changes. They like their nominees slimmed down or prosthetic heavy so of course he would get a nomination for Foxcatcher, but in my opinion Channing Tatum’s performance affected me more than Carrell’s. That being said, that last slot belonged to Jake Gyllenhaal. Arguably, Nightcrawler as a whole isn’t very Oscar noteworthy, but Gyllenhaal’s performance. It still gives me the creeps even though I saw the movie months ago. In my opinion, Gyllenhaal was robbed.

The rest of the nominations were pretty expected after the Globes. I know many people felt The Lego Movie was snubbed, but honestly, except for the ending the movie was pretty annoying. It definitely was not awesome. So I’m okay with the “Snub” though the technological/stop motion animation aspect of the movie is something to be recognized. Compare that to the deeply rich and emotional Big Hero 6 or the claymation Box Trolls however…Plot will always win the day in my book.

This year’s Oscars will be a mish-mash of winners. Though Boyhood may win Best Picture, Michael Keaton should (better) win for Birdman and Julianne Moore deserves to win for Still Alice. Link later could win for best director even though I really want Inarritu to win. Lubezki will most likely win for Birdman, but you never know. The days are over with one picture sweeps the Oscars in the 5 main categories.

For a complete list of the nominations, click here.

 

 

3 Things About the 2015 Golden Globes

 

3 Best Quotes By Tina and Amy (plus two more)

1. Tina: “George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria and was selected for a three-person UN commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza strip. So tonight, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award.”

2. Amy: “In Into the Woods, Cinderella runs from her prince, Rapunzel is thrown from her tower for her prince and Sleeping Beauty just thought she was getting coffee with Bill Cosby.”

3. Amy: “Big Eyes is nominated tonight. In fact, one of those famous “Big Eyes” paintings is on display tonight. Let’s check it out.”  Cut to: Emma Stone
Amy: “So lifelike!”
Tina: “It’s cute but it’s creepy.”

 

4. Tina: “It took Steve Carell two hours to prepare for his role in Foxcatcher, including hair and makeup. For comparison, it took me three hours to prepare for my role tonight as human woman.”

5. Tina: “Who would you rather: Colin Farrell or Colin Firth?”
Amy: “Farrell, all day!”
Tina: “Firth, for a polite amount of time.”

 

3 Shocking Wins

1. Matt Bomer for Best Supporting Actor in a series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for TV. Don’t get me wrong, I love Matt Bomer. LOVE HIM. How can you not? He’s gorgeous, smart, humble and so kind. But with Fargo getting all these wins I was sure Colin Hanks or even veteran Bill Murray was going to take it. Bomer was a welcome, welcome surprise.
2. Gina Rodriguez for Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical. I wanted Gina to win. I really wanted her to but I was almost positive Julia Louis-Dreyfus was going to take it. When they announced she had won I was probably just as shocked as everyone else was. And I admit, I got a tad bit emotional over her speech. So good! (Bonus, her dress was STUNNING!)
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel for Best Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy. I thought for sure Birdman was going to take it.

 

3 Most Awkward Moments

1. Anything involving Margaret Cho. I mean really? Really dressing her up as a Korean Diplomat awkward. Then bringing her out not only once, but twice? Super awkward. Especially when she spoke in a fake not even Korean accent. Super duper awkward.
2. Bill Cosby. Look, I don’t know what’s going on with the dude and the Into the Woods, Sleeping Beauty Joke was offensively hilarious, but then to go on mimicking his voice and kind of beating the dead horse with a stick…super uncomfortable.
3. Jeremy Renner telling Jennifer Lopez she has nice “globes.” I mean ok, she does, really, if I had a body like hers I’d probably flaunt it too, but still to say it after the winner is announced and in an awkward way…CRINGE!

 

Tina and Amy killed the opening monologue and I’m sad that it’s their last year hosting. That being said, I wished they were on stage more. This ceremony ran super long. But I love that the winners were expected, and different people won for different categories. Overall the ceremony was a success. What were your favorite parts?

 

 

 

2014 ROCP Award Nominations

It’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything on my site. Time just seemed to get away from me, but to make up for it, it’s time for….

 

Yes, the 4^th Annual ROCP Award Nominations!!

When reading these nominations, keep in mind there are some movies I have yet to see: Theory of Everything, Still Alice, Unbroken, and Big Eyes are still on my list. Also keep in mind, this was a very weird year for movies. There are only a few movies that are deemed worthy of STAND OUTS for me. I don’t even know if I can fully make a Top 10 list. There were good movies, perhaps even great movies, but only a 2 or 3 made me feel all those tingly, excited, have-to-tell-everyone-you-know-to-watch-it feels, you know, those feelings you have when you know you’ve seen greatness. But I digress…

This year I’ve decided to switch things up to keep things fresh, totally not because I’m lazy or because I can’t get my act together (*cough* yes it is *cough*), but because it makes sense to present my nominations for the best of the best or worst of the worst of 2014…at the end of 2014 (instead of my usual revealing the winner on New Years). I will reveal the winners sometime in the first two weeks of January to also give me a few more weeks to see the movies I’ve missed in case I wan’t to make any changes. Feel free to tell me what I’ve missed or what I got wrong.

 

The 4^th ANNUAL ROCP Award Nominations are…

 

Best Movie of The Year
Snowpiercer
Birdman
Whiplash
Gone Girl
Guardians of the Galaxy

 

Biggest Surprise Of The Year
(Meaning I didn’t know how much I’d LOVE it)
The Guardians of the Galaxy
This is Where I Leave You
Edge of Tomorrow
Birdman
Whiplash

 

Worst Movie of The Year
The Best of Me
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Transcendence
Men, Women and Children

 

Biggest Let Down of The Year
(the movie I had been looking forward too only for it to flop)
Maleficent
Divergent
The Maze Runner
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Life After Beth

 

Best Actor
Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar
Jake Gyllenhaal, Interstellar
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Channing Tatum, Foxcatcher
Steve Carrell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper

 

Best Actress
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Meryl Streep, Into The Woods
Emily Blunt, Into The Woods
Emma Stone, Birdman
Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

 

Worst Actor/Actress
Surprisingly, no nominations. There’s no performance that sticks out as being so terrible.

 

Best Visual Effects
Interstellar
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Maze Runner
Guardians of the Galaxy
Mockingjay

 

Best Cinematography
Birdman
Interstellar
Into The Woods
Mockingjay
Gone Girl

Best Romantic Movie or Rom-Com Of The Year
The Other Woman
That Awkward Moment
This is Where I Leave You
The Fault In Our Stars
Walk of Shame
Best Action/Thriller Movie Of The Year
Edge of Tomorrow
Snowpiercer
Mockingjay
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Godzilla

 

Best Cheesy, Campy, Goodness Film
This is Where I Leave You
The Other Woman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Big Hero 6
Guardians of the Galaxy

 

Most Depressing Movie
Foxcatcher
The Judge
American Sniper
Life After Beth
Snowpiercer

 

Best Tearjearker
There’s really only one winner…to be revealed. No other movies I saw can I consider “tear jerkers” worthy to be in this category.

 

Best Indie Movie
No Nominations. There were some good ones, but none worthy of the “BEST” title.

The Movie That Had All The Makings To Be Great, But Wasn’t
Divergent
The Maze Runner
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Best of Me

 

Miscast Actors
James Cordon as the Baker in Into The Woods
Neil Patrick Harris as Desi Collins, in Gone Girl
Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia, If I Stay
Jamie Blacklet as Adam, If I Stay
Ed Harris as Wilford in  Snowpiercer

 

Performance That Made Me a Fan (when I was otherwise neutral)
Miles Teller, Whiplash
Bill Hader, Skeleton Twins
Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

 

Breakout Performance
Ansel Egort, The Fault In Our Stars
Dave Bautista, Guardians of the Galaxy
Brenton Thwaites, The Giver
Lilla Crawford, Into The Woods

 

Most Memorable Performance (*new category)
Alison Pill’s crazy, demented, pregnant school teacher, in Snowpiercer
Jake Gyllenhaal’s psycho, twisted, creepy paparazzi, in Nightcrawler
Anna Kendrick neurotic, beautifully voiced Cinderella, in Into The Woods
BAYMAX! The lovable adorable inflatable medical robot, in Big Hero 6
Groot, because did Vin Diesel really do anything?, in Guardian’s of the Galaxy

 

Performance that Saved an Otherwise Luke Warm Movie (*new category)
Jake Gyllenhaal, Night Crawler
Angelina Jolie, Maleficient
Bill Hader, Skeleton Twins
Dylan O’Brien, The Maze Runner

 

Most Overrated (Why are people raving about this movie) Movie (*new category*)
The LEGO Movie
St. Vincent
The Judge
Boyhood

 

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SPOILER ALERT AWARDS

 

**warning do not read if you don’t want to know what happens in a certain movie!!**

SPOILER ALERT AWARDS!!

 

 

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Most Disturbing Image, I’ll Never Get Out Of My Head

• Pretty much the entire Nightcrawler movie.
• Amy (Rosamund Pike) killing Desi Collings, oh, the blood! Gone Girl
• Biggles (the handsome Jake McDorman) getting shot in the face, American Sniper
• Those alien, human looking, monstrous, ugly turtles, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• The passengers at the back of the train eating each other/babies in order to survive, Snowpiercer
• Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) whispering “Hail Hyrdra” into Agent Sitwell’s ear, Captain America: The Winter Soldier

 

The Moment That Ruined An Otherwise Good Movie

• The weird, toned down, out-of-place ending scene to, Snowpiercer
• Mark King (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) crashing through the glass window after escaping his meeting with his wife (Leslie Mann), girlfriend (Cameron Diaz), and mistress (Kate Upton), in The Other Woman
• (Though there were other things wrong with it, I could get past everything but) Daniel Huttlestone’s accent as Jack. Giants in the Sky is probably my favorite song from any musical and his accent didn’t do the song justice!, in Into The Woods.
• The trippy existential, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) made it happen not the aliens or some other worldly being, plot line from Interstellar, can’t it just be Aliens?

 

The Moment That Saved An Otherwise Bad Movie

No Nominations

 

The Best Laugh-Out-Loud moment

• Jenko (Channing Tatum) realizing Schmidt (Jonah Hill) has been dating the bosses (Ice Cube’s) daughter, complete with the timer going off and him running around the squad room in pure glee, 22 Jump Street
• Chris Pine and Bill Magnussen ripping their shirts open, Into The Woods
• Hiro showing Baymax how to fist bump, Big Hero 6.
• Groot’s smile after knocking out all those bad guys, Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

Most Tearful Moment

• When Augustus (Ansel Egort) dies, but also pretty much the entire movie of The Fault In Our Stars.
• Chris Kyle calling his wife amidst all the chaos telling her he’s ready to come home, American Sniper.
• The “Monuments Men” listening to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” especially Bill Murray bursting into tears, The Monuments Men.
• Baymax sacrificing himself to save Hiro, Big Hero 6.
• Adian (Zach Braff) saying goodbye to his estranged father (Mandy Patinkin), Wish I Was Here

 

Best Movie Moment

• The last 10 minutes when Andrew (Miles Teller) finally stands up to his domineering drum instructor (J.K. Simmons), Whiplash
• Meryl Streep singing “Last Midnight”, I mean come on! Into the Woods
• Anna Kendrick singing, “On The Steps of the Palace”, Into The Woods
• All the “Guardian’s” coming together in a big emotional moment, standing next to each other in a circle and Rocket saying, “Well now I’m standing. Happy? We’re all standing now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle,” Guardians of the Galaxy.
• The entire Nick Fury car chase ending with the reveal of The Winter Soldier, badass! Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

 

What are you thoughts on my nominations? Did I miss anything? Check back in a couple of weeks for the winners!

 

 

 

Is It Weird?…[Gilmore Girls Edition]

Gilmore Girls will always be one of my favorite shows, quite even possibly my favorite ever. It’s the show I turn on when there’s nothing else on TV. It’s the show I was on ABC Family when it plays every day in syndication. It’s the show I remember, quote, and think of when other shows remind me of it. Gilmore Girls is like a dear friend, always there for you.

Well, in case you haven’t heard, Gilmore Girls is on Netflix. Starting today, October 1^st. And, I’m pretty sure this is the best thing EVER. This means on those days I’m not working, I no longer have to pop in DVD after DVD, I can just turn on Netflix and bounce around to my favorite episodes. While, of course, still watching re-runs on ABC Family. I can go linear and NON-Linear.

 

So I ask you?...Is It Weird…how obessed I am with Gilmore Girls?

 

 

Side Note:  What does this post say about me? That…

A) I’m Awesome

B) I’m very single and possibly an animal hoarder.

C) I’m super cool (but you’re only saying that because you are afraid I’ll cyber stalk you, hunt you down, and possibly kill you.)

D) I just really love Gilmore Girls.

 

 

 

Movie Review: The Maze Runner

 

The Maze Runner movie, while vastly different from the book it’s based on, is almost a “really great movie”. Unfortunately due to the lack of character development, a fantastic maze that is severely underused and a messy anticlimactic ending, I can only call this movie “pretty good”.

 

The Maze Runner
Directed By: Wes Ball
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster , Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Ki Hong Lee, Aml Ameen, Blake Cooper, Patricia Clarkson

 

>>THE BREAKDOWN<<
*WARNING, this review contains some spoilers*

 

The Visuals:  The Look of the Movie, the Production Design, the Maze, the Grievers
The Good:  The Glade looked handmade, it was simple, rustic, and messy. The walls of the Maze keeping them in were huge and looming and definitely gave you the trapped feeling. The Maze in general was amazing: massive, looming, and intimidating and the way it moved in new and different ways from the book was intriguing.
The Bad:  Unfortunately the Maze, as amazing as it was, was SEVERLY underused. There were so many ways the movie could have explored the intricacies of the Maze, but instead it settled on the cliché, or finding ways to keep the kids in The Glade. For a movie called The Maze Runner, they weren’t really in the Maze at all.
The Ugly:  A big change the movie made from the book was the “Griever’s Hole” *spoiler alert, book and movie* Instead of jumping off a cliff into seemingly nothing, a bunch of doors opened up revealing…well a hole that leads to…a door. BORING. And instead of a huge, bloody, Griever fight upon making their way into the Griever hole. We get a lot of exposition…in the form of a video. SNOOZE ALERT!

The Cast:  The Actors, The Characters, the Performances
The Good:  Dylan O’Brien is a GREAT, leading man. He had great presence and he commanded the screen. As for the rest of the actors, I can never have enough of Thomas Brodie-Sangster (who will always be the kid from Love Actually to me). And Will Poulter is a joy to watch, even if he is playing a bad-ish guy. The cast gelled together. Especially the male Gladers. They’re performances were strong and the main characters were memorable.
The Bad:  Kaya Scoderlario as Teresa. She’s a good actress, I’ll give you that. But in this movie her character was almost unnecessary. The filmmakers took away Teresa and Thomas’ bond, making her just a girl who happened to land in the Maze. Bad form, making a character that’s really important completely unnecessary.
The Ugly:  Beyond Thomas (O’Brien) we were never really given any time to know any of the characters. We knew that Newt, Minho, Chuck, Alby, and Gally were important, but we weren’t really given any backstory. We weren’t given a real chance to get to know them. I know that’s always a danger given movie vs. book (The first Hunger Games Movie had that problem too). But while some of the characters will be given a sequel for us to get to know them, at least let us get to know the secondary characters better so when you inevitably kill them off, we still care about them.

 

 

The Story: The Story, The Plot, The What The Heck Is This Movie About?
The Good:  The story is a good one. It’s intriguing. It’s different from other dystopian, YA books with its kids killing kids, aliens invading, earth crumbling. It’s about getting out of this place they’ve been dropped into. It’s about finding freedom. The first book of The Maze Runner series is stellar because you don’t know what’s going to happen.
The Bad:  Unfortunately this movie a lot of the more difficult plot lines, that made this story so special and so intriguing. Why do some of the characters hate Thomas so much, even when he first arrives? Why did they try to save Alby but immediately banish Ben? Why wasn’t Teresa in a coma and why weren’t the other Gladers more suspicious of her? A lot of the little things the book do come into play in a big way in the later installments in the series. Did the filmmakers even READ the other books?
The Ugly:  On the bright side, as drastically different from the book (in almost a disastrous way) this movie was, it actually brings me hope for the rest of the sequels. Because The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure as books were a mess. Maybe Hollywood can make it better? This movie needs to take note from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The changes in the movie should be in order to make the story better, not because a storyline was too complicated. And even if that wasn’t the case, you don’t want the audience to come out of a movie thinking that.

 

Overall, while this movie was good. It wasn’t great. And it could have been really great.

 

Rating: 3 Stars

 

 

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 Trailer: My 8 Favorite Things

The newest full trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 movie premiered on Monday and I have to tell you, while it wasn’t as spectacular as some of the other trailers for the previous installments of the movie, it still made me very very excited. Here are…

 

 

8 Things I LOVED About The Trailer.

 

1. This shot of Effie. Even without the elaborate costume and fanciful make-up and hair, Effie still looks fabulous. Kudos to those eyebrows.

 

 

2. Katniss’ Mockingjay Suit. It’s stellar! While it has been compared to Batman’s suit (which I find a good thing), I absolutely love the hardcore style. Can you imagine a Ready to Wear version of this sold in stores, Like a jacket maybe? (I watch a lot of Project Runway, someone make this happen).

 

3. This defiant look on Katniss’ face when she says…”Or find another Mockingjay.” This just proves we will be getting another fantastic and heartbreaking performance from Jennifer Lawrence. I also LOVE the fact that her hair is down and not in her signature braid.

 

4. This look from Finnick. No Explanation necessary.

 

 

5. This amazing shot. The camera work in this trailer is truly fantastic. There are some great “money shots” in the trailer, and this still is powerful even on it’s own. So. Much. Emotion.

 

6. The shot of Messalla or Pollux’s camera “insect shell.” Spot on intepretation from the books.

 

7. Haymitch’s hug. The way he and Katniss grasp each other makes me think I will probably be crying when I see this scene in the movie. You can really see how much Haymitch cares for her.

 

 

8. The amazing final shot in the trailer. When Katniss and Gale shoot down one of the hovercrafts. So intense (and great camerawork to boot!)

 

 

Why is November so far away? What did you think of the trailer?

 

Fall TV 2014: What I’ll Be Watching

Fall Season is here. Time for new shows, and time for returning favorites. Here’s what I’ll be watching this fall season. What will you be watching?

(*) = NEW SERIES

 

MONDAY

Big Bang Theory
Premieres Sept 22 on CBS
What It’s about: Three nerds, their significant others, and how they deal with their neurotic friend named Sheldon.
Why I’m Watching It: It’s hilarious. And the more Sheldon grows the funnier it seems to get. Plus I love the friendship between the characters. (Tangent: I don’t know how I feel about Kaley Cuoco’s new haircut. I think it may have a Keri Russell ala Felicity impact on the show.)

 

Gotham *
Premieres Sept 22 on Fox
What It’s About: Gotham before Batman. James Gordon Before Batman.
Why I’m Watching: I think it’s interesting creating an origin story about a man that may not be a superhero, but is a hero in his own right. Plus it’ll be interesting to see Comic Book characters we all grew up with before they became the villains we’ve all come to know.

 

 

The Voice
Premieres Sept 22 on NBC
What It’s About: Singing competition. Famous musicians making fun of each other. Red Chairs.
Why I’m Watching: Really, it’s for the auditions. I usually stop watching after that unless there’s some I really love. Also, I love the addition of Gwen Stefani and Pharrell. It’ll be good for some fresh blood.

 

Scorpion *
Premieres Sept 22 on CBS
What It’s About: Really smart people who try and solve crimes and save the world in really smart ways and with shiny expensive toys.
Why I’m Watching: They say it’s like the Big Bang Theory, but with crime. However it’s directed by Justin Lin which is exciting. It also has a great cast and hopefully over time it’ll shatter stereotypes. Also, Katherine McPhee.

 

Jane The Virgin *
Premieres Oct 13 on CW
What It’s About: A virgin girl is accidentally inseminated with a baby.
Why I’m Watching: Yes, I know the premise sounds TERRIBLE. But I’ll check out every CW show at least once. It’s a sickness.

 

 

 

The Blacklist
Premieres Sept 22 on NBC
What’s It About: Catching Serial Killers/Terrorists, I think…
Why I’m Watching: It’s just good. Though the middle of the season was rocky, the show has its moments. The highs out weight the lows, for now.

 

 

State of Affairs *
Premieres Nov 17 on NBC
What It’s About: Katherine Heigl tries to be a less interesting, more neurotic Claire Danes in Homeland. CIA, spies, terrorists, advise the president…you know, that stuff.
Why I’m Watching: As much as I hate KH as a person, I kind of like her as an actor. Seems political, seems exciting, I’ll at least watch the pilot.

 

 

Are You The One?
Premieres Oct 6 on MTV
What It’s About: MTV matches up 24 people into “perfect couples” sticks them in a house, and makes them try and find each other. Cue the drama.
Why I’m Watching: It was actually hilarious and interesting the first time around. The gimmick is a good one. Though I’m sure it will be less satisfying as the first as once the show has been going for a while MTV can only seem to find trashier and trashier people who would be willing to subject themselves to the torture.

 

 

TUESDAY

Selfie *
Premieres Sept 30 on ABC
What It’s About: A girl becomes the subject of an embarrassing video so in order to fix her image she recruits a marketing expert to help her.
Why I’m Watching: While not the most exciting premise. I LOVE John Cho. And I gotta support my fellow Asians, that being said, if I’m not hooked after the pilot or two, it’s the first to go bye bye.

 

 

The Flash *
Premieres Oct 7 on CW
What It’s About: It’s about The Flash. Google it. See Arrow for future reference.
Why I’m Watching: I love Arrow. I like Danielle Panabaker, and while I’m still not completely SOLD on Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, CW has so far done it’s superheroes well. Hopefully this one will be a little lighter and funnier than Arrow. We all love a good nerd story.

 

Manhattan Love Story *
Premieres Sept 30 on ABC
What It’s About: This show follows the beginnings of a couple just starting to date all while being privy to their inner thoughts.
Why I’m Watching: This wasn’t originally on my list. Until I saw the adorable trailer…oh plus Analeigh Tipton is in it. It’ll be nice to see her playing an age appropriate character

 

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Premieres Sept 23 on ABC
What It’s About: As the so called head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury assembled the Avengers, but as his protégé, Phil Coulson assembled a small team of rag tag “heroes” to help protect the community and the world against Supernatural and alien events. Now that Hydra has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson and his team must find a new way to pick up the pieces.
Why I’m Watching: This show consistently upped its game until it became so good I couldn’t wait for the next week. It’s smart, funny, dark, clever, and overall a great addition to the Marvel family. It’s a keeper.

 

Chicago Fire
Premieres Sept 23 on NBC
What It’s About: Chicago Firefighters. Duh.
Why I’m Watching: It’s good. It’s exciting. It reminds me of ER actually, it doesn’t get too caught up in the drama of…well the drama of it all (*ahem* Grey’s Anatomy), and it has exciting scenarios week to week. This is one of those shows that keeps getting better.

 

 

Forever *
Premieres Sept 23 on ABC
What It’s About: An immortal man works in a morgue and tries to find out why he can’t die.
Why I’m Watching: I’m just going to check out the pilot. Just to see. I have a feeling this will probably be one of the first shows to go…Plus the CW show iZombie that seems eerily similar will probably be a better fit for my tastes.

 

 

Awkward
Premieres Sept 23 on MTV
What It’s About: The awkward trials and tribulations of a high school girl.
Why I’m Watching: Okay, so I didn’t really like where the show was going last season, but it’s just good brainless fun. Plus Beau Mirchoff isn’t bad to look at on a weekly basis.

 

 

Faking It
Premieres Sept 23 on MTV
What It’s About: Two best friends pretend to be lesbians in order to gain popularity, one of the friends falls for the other.
Why I’m Watching: It’s just good TV. It’s heartfelt, it’s smart, it’s funny. Okay, sure there are TONS of cliché’s everywhere, but it knows it, and it makes fun of its own cliché.

 

 

WEDNESDAY

Arrow
Premieres October 8 on the CW
What It’s About: The livestyle of the Rich, Famous, Heroic…Green Arrow.
Why I’m Watching It: Last season really upped it’s game. Especially with the Black Canary, and now that the torch has been passed, I’m looking forward to more women on the show kicking ass.

 

 

Mysteries of Laura *
Premieres Sept 17 on NBC
What It’s About: An NYPD Homicide Officer balances work and kids. Another Procedural.
Why I’m Watching It:  It looks funny. Like really funny. Hopefully it stays that way.

 

 

Law & Order SVU
Premieres Sept 24 on NBC
What It’s About: I deals with crimes and matters of law and order in the Special Victims Unit.
Why I’m Watching: Can’t stop. And apparently, won’t stop. L&O:SVU is always a background staple when I writing, cooking, or frankly just bored on a Saturday afternoon (my life is very thrilling if you can’t tell) despite my lack of liking the newest cast members…I can’t seem to let this one go just yet.

 

 

Red Band Society *
Premieres Sept 17 on FOX
What It’s About: A group of teenagers living in a hospital.
Why I’m Watching: Octavia Spencer. Hospital Teen Drama. Let’s do this people. Hopefully it’ll funny and bittersweet. Comedy needs tragedy.

 

 

Chicago PD
Premieres Sept 24 on NBC
What It’s About: The happenings of the Chicago Police Department.
Why I’m Watching: Though it’s a lot darker than Chicago Fire I love how the stories between the two shows link together. Overall it’s a just a great show, and I’m really digging Sophia Bush.

 

 

Stalker *
Premieres Oct 1 on CBS
What It’s About: Stalkers and the people that hunt them down.
Why I’m Watching: Maggie Q. Interesting Premise. Could be really creepy. Fingers crossed people.

 

 

American Horror Story: Freak Show
Premieres Oct 8 on FX
What It’s About: A disturbing, really disturbing, probably grotesquely disturbing, circus.
Why I’m Watching: I couldn’t make it past the 3 episodes of Season 1. Never watched Season Two. Hated Coven, even though I couldn’t stop watching it. So…why not watch Freak Show? Plus, I hear Matt Bomer will be in a few episodes…Love him.

 

 

Top Chef Boston
Premieres Oct 8 on BRAVO
What It’s About: Food Reality TV. But the good kind. In Boston.
Why I’m Watching: I’m a foodie.

 

 

 

THURSDAY

Grey’s Anatomy
Premieres Sept 25 on ABC
What It’s About: Doctors in a hospital. And their lives. And drama in the hospital as doctors.
Why I’m Watching: When Grey’s is good. It’s really good. But last year it focused more on personal drama rather than POW (that’s nerd for “patients of the week”).

 

 

Bones
Premieres Sept 25 on FOX
What It’s About: A woman (forensic anthropologist) who looks at bones, a FBI man who helps solve crimes. Gross bone scenarios. Intense sniper action sequences. Married with a baby.
Why I’m Watching: Bones ended on a BIG game changing, fantastically directed finale cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens.

 

 

Scandal
Premieres Sept 25 on ABC
What It’s About: Scandal in the White House. A fixer to the rich, and politically famous finds that she has become the scandal.
Why I Watch: It’s intense. Good soapy drama. It’s a lot darker than the first FANTASTIC season. Hopefully it can bring back some of the humor and of course huge glasses of wine. Less twists for the sake of twists, more juicy dialogue.

 

Gracepoint *
Premieres Oct 2 on FOX
What It’s About: A young boy is found dead in a small sleepy beach town sparking a media frenzy as homicide detectives try and figure out whodunit.
Why I’m Watching: It has a “The Killing” tone about it, and I liked the first season of the killing, until it left us on a stupid, unsatisfactory, frustrating cliffhanger that made me stop watching. I didn’t watch the BBCA series, so I’m looking forward to this one. A serial procedural with some great performances.

 

Reign
Premieres Oct 2 on CW
What It’s About: Mary Queen of Scotland and Francis King of France.
Why I Watch: I didn’t want to watch this first season, but I did, and was immediately hooked. It draws you in with attractive actors, beautiful clothes, and soapy drama. It’s good. I hope it can keep up its soapy twists without getting too outrageous.

 

A to Z *
Premieres Oct 2 on NBC
What It’s About: Boy Sees Girl, Boy Meets Girl, Boy Persues Girl, Boy Dates Girl…and so on…
Why I’m Watching: Cristin Milioti and Ben Feldman have great chemistry already in the trailers and I love these actors. It looks bitter sweet ala How I Met Your Mother.

 

 

How to Get Away With Murder *
Premieres Sept 25 on ABC
What It’s About: Shonda Rhimes and Viola Davis teach kids How To Get Away With Murder. Rather a group of criminal law students and their mysteriously brilliant professor get caught up in a murder mystery. Dun Dun Dun.
What I’m Watching: Viola Davis, Viola Davis, Viola Davis.

 

 

FRIDAY

Z Nation *
Premieres Sept 12 on SYFY
What It’s About: Zombies? Pretty sure it’s SYFY’s version of The Walking Dead, only maybe with Sci-Fi-y elements.
Why I’m Watching: See above.

 

 

SUNDAY

Once Upon A Time
Premieres Sept 28 on ABC
What It’s About: Fairy tales come to life and all twisted like.
Why I’m Watching: Every time I think it’s going wrong, it does something to drag me back in. The Frozen stuff has gotten out of hand, but hopefully it’ll surprise me.

 

 

 

Madam Secretary *
Premieres Sept 21 on CBS
What It’s About: Tea Leoni as the Secretary of State.
Why I’m Watching: I’ll probably only watch the pilot, but I’m mainly watching for Tea Leoni. Plus political dramas…they’re so hot right now. This reminds me, I really should be watching House of Cards.

 

 

Resurrection
Premieres Sept 28 on ABC
What It’s About: People who were once dead have returned alive.
Why I’m Watching: Though the first season as sketchy, it ended on a fabulous cliffhanger that leaves me wanting to at least know what happens.

 

Homeland
Premieres Oct 5 on SHO
What It’s About: A manic bipolar CIA Agent with a great ugly cry face. She loves a possible terrorist. He is and isn’t a terrorist. She gets fired and then unfired, blown up and not blown up.
Why I’m Watching: The last season ended with a game changer and I’m interested in seeing the show get back to its roots.

 

 

Revenge
Premieres Sept 28 on ABC
What It’s About: A girl avenges her Father’s Death by inserting herself into the lives of the people responsible and slowly but surely, brick by brick, taking them apart one by one.
Why I’m Watching: This is another show with another game changer. Plus Emily Van Camp and Madeline Stowe are just a pleasure to watch. Their chemistry is amazing.

 

 

The Newsroom
Premieres Nov 9 on HBO
What It’s About: People in…a newsroom. Their lives, the news, fast-paced hilarious dialogue.
Why I’m Watching: John Gallagher, Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Alison Pill plus many many more. This show is funny, so smart, and it’s the final 6 episodes!!

 

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: Life After Beth

While Life After Beth had a cool premise, a spectacular cast and some great moments in it, the movie was ultimately a letdown. I really wanted to like this movie, but when you’re left pointing out all the ways the movie could have been better you know there’s a problem.

 

 

Life After Beth
Directed By: Jeff Baena

What I liked:
1) The Premise – A guys girlfriend comes back from the dead only she doesn’t know what happened to her. And slowly but surely she turns into a zombie. This premise is unique. It’s a nice juxtaposition from all the other vampire movies out there. First she metaphorically breaks his heart, and then she literally tries to eat his brains. And how her family deals with it is particularly interesting. They are all just so happy to have her back, they are unwilling to accept what he’s turning into. The plot twists, the reveals, how big things happen were all really clever. Plus the other great thing was…
2) The Cast – Dane DeHaan, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser, the cast is a phenomenal list of actors/comedians. I just wish…

 

 

What I Didn’t Like

1) I wish the characters were funnier – And more likeable. Dane Dehaan as the boyfriend, Zach, was frankly…annoying! No wonder why Beth was going to break up with him. He was clingy, needy, whiny and well just a lot of work. And he was stupid, like classic horror movie, “damsel-in-distress” kind of stupid. In fact, the smartest character was Beth (Aubrey Plaza) and she was turning into a zombie! The rest of the characters especially the “grown-ups” seemed to be equally as frustratingly idiotic. A movie can be funny without making all of the characters stupid. Which brings me to…
2) The Tone – I felt like Life After Beth didn’t know what kind of movie it wanted to be. Did it want to be a drama? A comedy? A dark comedy? A dramedy? A horror movie? A simple focus or shift in tone would have done wonders for this movie.

 

This movie had a lot of issues and there are a lot of things I wish could have been different about it. That being said, support indie movies! And the zombies were killer…get it? Killer?

 

Rating:  2 out of 5 Stars

 

 

 

So you Think You Can Dance Season 11: And The Winner Is…

The time has come. It’s the moment the world has been waiting for. Okay…maybe not the world. Maybe just a few million people, but it’s the moment I’ve been waiting for and, come on, it’s all about me. Tonight the winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 11 will be revealed.

So lets sit back, relax, and watch some dancing shall we?

 

 

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
Season 11
And The Winner Is…

 

Cat comes out wearing an adorable purple dress…no…no…I take it back. It’s terrible. It looks like it doesn’t fit her. And that it’s made of a sick snake or something. It’s just terrible. You know what’s not terrible? The judges panel: Tara Lipinski, Adam Shankman, Channing Tatum’s Wife, Debbie Allen, and of course Nigel and Mary. Can I just tell you how excited I am right now about Adam “where the hell have you been all season because I miss the contagious passion you exude when there is a routine you love” Shankman and Ms. Debbie “you could be reading the phone book and I’d feel like you were soothing me after a long and terrible day” Allen? I’m excited. Let’s do this, people.

 

First up?

 

Top 20 Perform, ya’ll
Choreographer: Warren Carlyle
Song: “Doctor Jazz”/Jelly’s Last Jam (1992 Original Broadway Cast)
The routine is so full of energy. A ton of people are on stage so there is a lot to see, unfortunately, I feel like the camerawork is sloppy. They try and go in for close-ups and end up missing a lot of the action. I love Valerie’s little tap solo in the middle of the piece there, but did I miss Zack and Jessica getting their moment? (Ricky had his time to shine in the beginning even though he didn’t really dance.) That being said, I think if I had really been able to see the whole performance, I would have loved it.

 

Mary’s Pick to See Again
Jessica and Casey’s Contemporary Piece by Travis Wall
Song: “Like Real People Do”/Hozier
My Thoughts: It was a bit sloppy this time around. Maybe it suffers from the fact that I wore my DVR out watching that piece over and over and OVER again, but I felt like it was a bit messy and even rushed in certain places. That being said, it was still gorgeous and I love seeing Casey back. Hopefully he’ll make another appearance.

 

Debbie Allen’s Pick to See Again
Ricky and Valerie’s Hip Hop Routine by Pharside and Phoenix
Song: “Turn Down For What”/DJ Snake & Lil’ Jon
My Thoughts: I forgot about this Scarecrow vs. Raggity-Ann performance and I think I enjoyed it a lot more the 2^nd time around then I did the first time. It’s a lot of fun and Valerie seemed to be less tense than she was previously. Also, that leg wave is still a winner.

 

Zack’s Favorite Performance of the Season
Zack and All-Star Amy’s Contemoprary Routine by Sonya Tayeh
Song: “Europe, After the Rain”/Max Richter
My Thoughts: I love it when the dancers’ dancing is louder than the music. And I mean that in a good way. I don’t mean that I can hear them move or their feet hit the ground, I just mean you can feel the piece and it vibrates in your bones. That’s what this routine does. I also think it’s a smart choice by Sonya to start and end the piece without music. It’s much more affecting that way.

 

Nigel’s Pick to See Again
Rudy and All-Star Allison’s Jazz Routine by Ray Leeper
Song: “Dirty Diana”/Michael Jackson
My Thoughts: I don’t mean to sound creepy, but I am obsessed with Allison Holker. I just am…okay, that was very creepy. Hopefully guys in suits won’t come a knocking at my door with a big butterfly net, but Allison just kills it every single time. I’ve never seen one episode of Dancing With The Stars, but now that I know Alison is on it, I just might watch.  That being said, I think Rudy brought it harder this time. He was more noticeable this time. His jumps were higher, snaps louder, and he was holding his own against Allison. She didn’t eat him alive like she did last time. She may have just bitten off an arm, or a leg.

 

Next, Paula Abdul comes out…randomly…and starts giving this awkward speech. So awkward, I can’t even watch it and start to fast-forward, but then I see this shirtless kid take the stage, someone I don’t recognize and have to rewind to see just what the crazy lady is talking about. She’s introducing the winner of SYTYCD Australia.

So the kid, Michael Domeski, comes out with his black leather pants, and he just burns down the house. The music “Unstoppable” by E.S. Posthumus is as dramatic has Domeski’s dancing was intense. He flips, turns, rolls, jumps, around that stage until he burns a hole in it leaving the rest of us in the dust. It was definitely a stand ovation performance. No wonder he won. Damn kid. Just Damn.

 

 

Valerie’s Favorite Routine of the Season
Valerie and Zack’s Tap Routine by Anthony Morigerato
Song: “Sing”/Ed Sheeran
My Thoughts: God, I can’t tell you how happy this routine makes me. And damn, it’s such a work out. The routine is just so frickin’ amazing because it combines the three things I can’t do, dance, tap, and walk down (or up) a flight of stairs. So glad to see this one again. It just makes me happy.

 

Les Twins perform and it’s somehow adorable and not adorable at the same time. I don’t really know what else to say about it. I’ll just leave it ambiguous.

 

Ricky’s Favorite Performance of the Season
Ricky and Jessica’s Contemporary Routine by Sonya Tayeh
Song: “Vow”/Meredith Monk
My Thoughts: It rarely happens, but I think this performance was better than the first time they performed it. It just felt stronger this time. You can see how much they’ve grown. And I still held my breath throughout, even though I knew what was going to happen. It’s so haunting, so beautiful, and so breathtaking.

 

America’s Pick Between Three Hip Hop Routines
Carly and Serge’s Hip Hop Routine by Luther Brown
Song: “Senile”/Young Money feat. Tyga, Nicki Minaj, & Lil Wayne
My Thoughts: If I had to see a hip hop routine again, it would be the Zack and Ricky routine from last week. However, between the three choices we were given this skeleton one would have definitely been my pick. It was a little less boney this time around….and that’s all I’ll say about that…

 

Jenna’s Pick to See Again
Tanisha and Rudy’s Jazz Routine by Sonya Tayeh
Song: “You Need”/Bengsons
My Thoughts: Wow, Rudy gets to do a lot of routines today. Is it weird that I don’t remember this performance? Because I’m pretty sure I would have remember the song. It’s KILLER. It has an Imogen Heap kinda thing going on. Tanisha does this cool move on Rudy’s leg and I think the performance is coming back to me a little. It’s a cool routine. But definitely not a memorable one.

 

Adam Shankman’s Pick to See Again
Zack and Ricky’s Hip Hop Performance by Pharside and Phoenix
Song: “The Antidote”/District 78
My Thoughts: First, let me just say, I see Adam all the time at the Starbucks I go to, and there are many times I want to approach him like we’re best friends, but then I remember, he’s a celebrity and would probably serve me a restraining order right there. That being said, I love his pick! And I’m glad we get to see this routine again. I just love the look on Zack’s face when he’s doing that “I’m going to go and get myself some ice cream only in slow motion” move while Ricky is doing Channing Tatum’s worm move on the floor. It’s ADORABLE.

 

Cat Announces the First Person Who did Not Win aka 4^th Place
And, it’s Zack. He gets a loving standing-o. I think if I had to pick a 4^th Place contestant, it would have been Valerie…but I also would not have chosen Zack to win.

 

Tara’s Pick to See Again
Emilio and Jasmine’s Performance by Nappy Tabs
Song: “Get Low”/Dillon Francis & DJ Snake
My Thoughts: Not that the routine isn’t great, but is it weird that the best part of this routine is when Emilio jumps into the snake barrel? I just love it. It’s a fun routine. Nice to see again. Jasmine is so shiny. That’s all I got.

 

Jesse Tyler Ferguson comes out and is adorable. He pitches himself as a contestant for Season 12, but not before using the word “jidges” (Why doesn’t Cat say it like that anymore?) and calling Travis Wall his spirit animal. (Isn’t Travis Wall all of ours Spirit Animal?) So yeah, it’s cheesy and whatever, but I still think is adorbs. The fact that he said “jidges” he could have just stared in awkward silence at the camera for 2 minutes and I would have still loved it.

 

Top 10 and All-Stars Perform
Choreographers: Sonya Tayeh and Christopher Scott
Song: “Sweet Disposition”/The Temper Trap
My Thoughts: Man Oh Man, I gotta say I LOVED this routine. It was so perfect. It played out like a movie. The position of the dancers, the movement of the camera, the timing was SO SO perfect! There was so much to love. DOMINIC! (Everytime I see that kid, I think of this.) I loved when Robert picked up Ricky. I loved the flash mob sequence. I loved Will and Marko just killing it. I loved seeing the expression on Zack’s face when he was doing the tutting there. I loved the kissing shadow in the clock. I loved Dominic’s B-Boy move. There was just so much joy in all the dancers’ face. It looked like so much fun. As for this All-Stars, here’s who I spotted: Fik-Shun, Robert, Kathryn, Will , Jasmine, Marko, Dominic, Jenna, and Amy…Did I miss anyone? I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the little clap Robert does at the very very end then how he envelopes Kathryn. We he also the one kissing her in the background? This routine makes me wish I were a dancer. And I think it’s on par with some of the best group routines of the series like “Ramalama Bang Bang” and “Puttin’ On The Ritz.”

 

 

Jessica’s Favorite Routine
Jessica and Robert’s Contemporary Routine by Travis Wall
Song: “When I Go”/Over the Rhine
My Thoughts: I don’t think I realized how abusive this routine was the first time around. If possible I think the routine had even MORE passion and physicality to it than it did the first time around. I mean Robert nearly ripped the hair off of Jessica’s head. Just frickin’ gorgeous. (Those two statements don’t really go together…haha) I love the look on Travis’ face too. He was like whoa. Damn.  Exactly.

 

Cat Announces Third Place
And it’s JESSICA!? What the damn hell? I thought for sure it would come down to Ricky and Jessica. For sure. That’s a shocker to me. Is it bad that now my thought is Ricky is definitely…and should rightly so, take this competition? Love Valerie, but Ricky is the better all-around dancer. That being said, Jessica…I hope you come back as an All-Star.

 

Cat’s Favorite Routine
Valerie and Ricky’s Contemporary Routine by Travis Wall
Song: “Oh Darling”/Gossling
My Thoughts: First of all, I LOVE the fact that Cat was like, do you think you two could dance this routine for me because we’ve never had 2 finalists dance before I announce the winner before. And in the background Nigel yells, SAY NO. Adorable and hilarious at the same time.  Secondly…OH MY GOD this routine was miles and miles and MILES better than it was the first time around. I even teared-up at the climax when Valerie leaned back all the way to the floor. I’m pretty sure she was sobbing too. It was just so moving. I could really feel the desperation, the abandon, the passion the need the want. I felt it all. Just so gorgeous! Tears people. Tears. What are the judges yelling?

 

Cat Announces The Winner
Cat shows us the video of Valerie and Ricky’s time on the show and the last thing that’s said on the video is from Valerie, “I don’t know what I’m going to do without my partner.” Cut to, the two of them hugging and crying. I mean. You can’t write this stuff people. Tears!

 

America’s…Favorite…Dancer…Is…RICKY!

 

I LOVE all the other dancers bum-rushing the stage as Ricky screams. This is when So You Think You Can Dance is at its best. Feeling the comradery from the other contestants, the heartfelt moments, the bond. No other show has this. It’s not about the fame, it’s not about the money, it’s just about the dancing. And that is why I will always love So You Think You Can Dance.

 

Congratulations Ricky. You deserve it.