The Problem with THE X FACTOR

The long-awaited and much-hyped premiere of Simon Cowell's new reality extravaganza The X Factor has come and gone, with decidedly mixed reactions. I've read a whole bunch of reviews and recaps, finding that I agree and disagree with aspects of all of them. So, here you go, my review.

I've seen a few episodes of the original UK version of the show, and absolutely loved it. I could best describe it as American Idol on steroids, creating a much more fun show. The Simon Cowell seen in that incarnation was absolutely nothing like the Simon Cowell from Idol, which did nothing but enhance the show. The American version, thus far however? It's American Idol live. That's all. The same auditions you have to deal with for the first month of the show, just now held in an arena full of people. The judge's banter, the at times forced arguments about who should go on, the catering to famewhores and wannabes... it's exactly the same.

And, frankly, I blame American Idol.

GLEE returns... with a bang.

With a couple of episodes to go last season, I thought to myself that I wished I wrote weekly Glee blog posts, so I could have a place to nitpick about the aspects of Glee that annoyed me. So, naturally, when I finally decide to start up a weekly Glee post series... I have few nitpicks. Of course. Regardless, I wrote out my thoughts on the series, after the jump.

Catching up on some "recent" movies...

I kept this blog very active during Oscars season with all my movie reviews and such, something I've obviously been slacking on. I don't think I'm going to write up full reviews, but I do want to at least "rate" the movies I've seen since then. A scale of 1-5 stars with a little explanation sounds decent, don't you think?

It should also be noted that I planned on making this post all pretty with movie posters and such.... but then Blogger decided to be a bitch about lining up images and such. Worked for an hour on it, still inexplicably wouldn't work, so they were deleted. Blogger fail.

I Am Number Four

Good popcorn movie. I really have no idea what else to say about this movie. The storyline was decent enough, more or less what you'd expect from a young adult sci-fi novel. The cast more or less did exactly how one would expect them to do, looking beyond beautiful doing so. Enjoyable enough flick, definitely worth a rental. 

3.5 stars.

Thor

I knew next to nothing about Thor going in, except that he was a god, he joins The Avengers, and he carries a somewhat lame hammer around. I was skeptical that they'd be able to make a coherent movie that takes place in Thor's world and our world at the same time, and make the whole god thing acceptable in a realistic-styled movie..... but boy, did they. I came away from this movie completely and utterly blown away, at the time making it my favorite Marvel movie (at least of the ones leading up to The Avengers, so discounting the X-Men and Spider-Man movies). I was just thinking last night how disappointed I was that I haven't seen it a second time.

5 stars.

X-Men: First Class

This is the one of the two movies this summer that I saw twice.... and, frankly, I could see it a few more times. To me, this is exactly how comic book movies should be made (and yes, I'm aware it wasn't based on a comic book). Comic books have a distinctive way of showing different things, from unexpected angles, unique transitions, and quick cuts.... all of which can be found in this movie. Absolutely loved it. The performances are also very strong, particularly James McAvoy. Should this movie turn into a trilogy as is the plan floated by Fox, I think he could well make everyone forget about Patrick Stewart.

5 stars.

Super 8

If you liked the Speilberg movies of the 80s and early 90s where the supernatural come to life, where imagination is celebrated, where you just feel good at the end... Super 8 is for you. Not the perfect film it could have been, sure, but still very, very good. The leading performance from Joel Courtney is easily one of the better kid performances I've seen, which is no easy task given the other factors in this movie. 

4.5 stars.

Green Lantern

Ho boy. I had such hopes for this movie. I knew very, very little about the Green Lantern universe going in, and left with a better knowledge about it, sure. I went in not too impressed with Ryan Reynolds, but enjoyed his performance. Same with Blake Lively in all things not entitled The Town. But the film itself? Messy messy messy. It almost felt like I was watching multiple films at once: a forced love story, a superhero origins story, a superhero training movie and a very, very brief superhero battle movie. The various movies didn't really coexist, they just.... happened at the same time. Very disappointing. The whole Green Lantern universe, though, is very interesting to me, and I actually felt the movie did a decent job of introducing it to movie audiences, I just hope they focus the inevitable Green Lantern 2 to have the whole thing make sense.

3 stars.

Cars 2

I liked the first Cars movie. I can't say that I loved it or was blown away by anything about it, like I can say about all the other Pixar movies, but I enjoyed it both times I'd seen it. But.... Cars 2? Really? What's the point? I liked the premise of the movie, and actually didn't really mind the movie itself, but there's no real justification for the sequel. At all. The whole thing really reminded me of the lazy, greedy crash grab Disney sequels that spelled the (temporary) end of Disney's hand-drawn animation. I expect better than that from Pixar. Though all that said, Cars 2 isn't nearly as bad as those sequels. There are some decent ideas in the film, even if they aren't needed. Plus, the animation is, as expected, fantastic.

3 stars.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

I had a few problems with the second half of this book when I read it, so it's not surprising that I have the same problems with the plot of the film. Speaking of just the film, though, I loved it. Not the best of the series, but certainly a fitting conclusion to the series. Also, tangentially related, but I hate this movie poster.
4 stars.

Captain America: The First Avenger
(mild spoilers in this mini-review)
Remember when I said that Thor was my favorite Avengers/Marvel movie "at the time"? That is until Captain America came out. I don't think there's a single thing about this movie that I didn't like. The cast is absolutely everything you could want from a movie like this, every last one of the principles perfectly cast. If I had to pick something I didn't like about the film, it'd be the ending. Not so much what happened, which I enjoyed, but more about what it means; any future installments of the Captain America franchise will have to take place in the current, unless Stark Industries is hiding a time machine somewhere....
5 stars.

Cowboys and Aliens
Pretty much a pointless film.... unless the point was to illustrate that Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are badasses, Olivia Wilde is gorgeous yet creepy and random, and aliens are bad guys for no apparent reason. If that is the point of the film, however, well then, mission accomplished. But since those points are all proven time and time again in every movie they are in, this film is a disappointment. I kind of figured that would be the case going into it, but I was hoping, at least, for something so bad that it was awesome, but it even disappointed there. Not a good movie, not a bad movie. Just.... a movie.
3 stars.

Also, saw this on DVD for the first time, so I'll include it as well....

The Incredible Hulk
I figured I loved both Iron Man films and the Thor film, and (at the time) was looking forward to the Captain America film, so I should probably see the other movie that takes place in the same universe. I wasn't expecting much from this, really, seeing as its been 3 years since it's release and I haven't heard a single word about a sequel.... but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I really enjoyed how the movie was structured, not using the typical superhero movie pattern: origin, training, battle. The origin story was actually told as the movie went along, in various flashbacks as the story needed. Edward Norton, Jr, was certainly strong as Bruce Banner, though I don't think I'll miss him from The Avengers. In reading a bit afterwards, I liked that the Hulk story was tweaked a bit, making it match the general idea of the other Marvel universe films, which I'm sure will likely be a plot point in The Avengers. Definitely glad I saw this.
4 stars.

Gym?

Every so often, the thought of joining a gym pops into my mind randomly. Since I'm lazy and unmotivated, I typically push the idea aside, and it goes away. Lately, though, the idea has come to me more and more frequently, lingering longer and longer. So, I do believe that I'll try it.

Oh no, don't expect me to become a gym rat, pumping iron, getting jacked and all that shit. As I said, I'm lazy and unmotivated. I'll likely just stick to the treadmills and maybe the stationary bikes. Something to just make me more active than I am now.

Which obviously isn't hard, seeing as I'm currently sitting in bed, about to play Playstation, blogging, and listening to Sara Bareilles. Like a champ, obviously, but lazier.

Back from New York City!

Following up on my post about my NYC trip, I'm back! I ended up seeing 6 shows in total, which, if I'm not mistaken, is a new record for me. In addition to the six, which I've written up reviews about, I went to Harry Potter: The Exhibition, a collection of costumes and props and such from the movies... which was GREAT. SO much fun seeing items from movies that I will never forget. Each item had a little sign next to it, identifying what the item was... is it bad that I didn't need the little sign for probably a vast majority of the items? 

Anyhoo, if you're interested, my reviews are after the cut!