Summer's Here! Let's Welcome Summer Movies! Part 1

Summer is fast approaching and with it, the long awaited summer blockbusters.

So, this is the first of three posts, which includes April and May openings.

April and May:

The Avengers:

Opening: April 27, 2012

Many geeks are expecting this movie with a mixture of excitement and fear. Directed by Joss Whedon –who is known to be a very big fan of the comics and all around awesome guy-, “The Avengers” promises to be the ultimate super-hero movie reuniting most of the original actors from their own franchises.

Now it is time to wait and see what the fans from the comic book think of this adaptation. The cat includes Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlet Johansson.

Dark Shadows:

Opening: May 11, 2012

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team up again for this new movie based on a 60’s gothic soap opera transmitted by ABC. The story centers around Barnabass, a vampire that is freed after years of being buried alive and returns to live with various of his weird and quirky descendants.

After “Alice in Wonderland”, lets hope that Burton has created a good enough story to support the expected quirky look that defines his movies. Apart from Depp, the movie also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter -aren’t we shocked? - and Eva Green.

The Dictator:

Opening: May 16, 2012

Sacha Baron Cohen returns, but this time he departs slightly from his mockumentary formula with a scripted movie. The story revolves around General Admiral Aladeen, a dictator in a Middle East country, which visits America and is stripped of his identity and forced to live as an immigrant in New York City.

As we know, Baron Cohen is always causing controversy with his stunts to promote the movie. The first one occurred at the red carpet of the Academy Awards when the “General Admiral” dropped on Ryan Seacrest the “ashes of Kim Jong-il”. The movie was directed by Larry Charles and also stars John C. Reilley, Ana Farris and Bobby Lee.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting:

Opening: May 18, 2012

This is a loose adaptation of a best selling book written by Heidi Murkoff & Sharon Mazel. The story follows five couples that are about to become parents and all the complications and drama that a pregnancy entails.

The movie has a ensemble approach with a cast filled with known names that include Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rodrigo Santoro, Rob Huebel, Chace Crawford, Dennis Quaid, and Chris Rock. Let’s just be surprised if this ensemble makes something of a little more substance than what we are used to see. The film was directed by Kirk Jones who also directed “Nanny McPhee”.

Battleship:

Opening: May 18, 2012

This is what happens when you have a toy based franchise as big as “Transformers” was. This movie is inspired by the board game with the same name. The story is about an international naval fleet in Pearl Harbor that is attacked by alien forces and has to fight back to try and survive. The audience will get to see both fighting sides, so they know where the ships are positioned in each “board”.

The cast of the movie includes Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgård and Rhianna and it was directed by Peter Berg who is an actor turned director.

Men In Black 3

Opening: May 25, 2012

The franchise is back after ten years, this time around, Agent J has tor travel to the past to stop some sort of alien from destroying Earth and killing Agent K. For this, he will need the help of a young Agent K to try and eliminate the threat.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are both back for the movie, but this time they will also have the company of Josh Brolin and Emma Thompson. The film was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who also was in charge of the previous movies.

Now you know what we are expecting in these couple of months. Stay tuned for me to tell you what is coming for the rest of the summer.


For part II of this post click here: http://whateverumad.blogspot.mx/2012/04/summers-here-lets-welcome-summer-movies_20.html

The Ultimate Top 5 TV Shows

The world of television has evolved and grown in the last 20 years. Throughout these two decades, we have had the privilege to see many shows that have defied and changed the expectations of the rest. So as an avid TV watched I thus present you with my top 5 all time favorite TV shows:

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Say what they might, Buffy is the pioneer of modern television. If you are willing to give it a chance and wait until the second season, you will get hooked. Buffy taps to every human emotion possible and it does it with a unique and entertaining vision.

The series that stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan and Anthony Stewart Head ran for 7 seasons and created a massive cult fan base that still adore it until this day -including yours truly-. It was created by Joss Whedon who also directed The Avengers, set to premiere later this month.   

 Alias:

Before there was “Lost” and “Star Trek” there was “Alias”. J.J Abrams created a show that sounded generic and managed to make it different, human and really smart. It also has that amazing touch of Sci-Fi that characterizes the creator. I dare to say that this is his masterpiece in television (hoping that “Lost” fans won’t egg my house tonight).

The series starring Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan and Victor Garber ran for 5 seasons.

 Grey’s Anatomy:

“Grey’s Anatomy” started as a mid-season replacement show for ABC, no one expected for it to that big. Obviously they were wrong. Grey’s has managed to take the typical hospital drama and turned it into a relationship show with medicine as a parallel. With brilliantly crafted characters, it hooks people into its storyline and the diverse range of personalities in the cast. It also helps that the writing is fresh and well rounded with a really unique balance between humor and drama.

The series starring Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh has 8 seasons and it’s still in the air. It was created by writer Shonda Rhimes who also created the spin-off “Private Practice”. She also has a new show coming later this month called “Scandal”.

 Veronica Mars:

A teenage detective show that was praised by the critics and the small -but loyal- fan base it had. It was a very fun show that still dealt with the emotions that people have to go as teenagers. The heroine grows up through the seasons, feeding herself with human experiences and a lot of change in her environment.

The first two seasons manage to maintain the interest with a main mystery that weaves into the minor ones. The third season tried to change the formula and survive the merger between UPN and WB and it failed. Still, fans are very vocal about the possibility of a movie.

The series starring Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring and Enrico Colantoni ran for 3 seasons. It was created by Rob Thomas.

How I Met Your Mother:

This sitcom reveled against the typical formulas that their genre expects of it. How I Met defies the typical love storyline and it succeeds in being exceptionally funny without compromising the integrity and evolution of the main characters.

The show is in its seventh season, and although it is starting to show sings of its age, it has never ceased to be clever and fun. “How I Met Your Mother” stars Josh Radnor, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segal and Neil Patrick Harris and it has ran for 7 seasons and still counting. The show was created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.

As my list finishes I have a couple of new shows to add, because the have the potential to replace some of the shows in the list.

1)    Homeland:

Amongst a wave o amazing cable TV shows comes “Homeland”. Beautifully written and powerfully acted, “Homeland” is a perfect example how to combine the elements you have and create a very complex show.

It only has one season and that’s why it hasn’t gone into my top ten lost yet, but if they continue down the lines it has constructed, I’m sure it will be soon. The show stars Claire Danes, Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin and it was created by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, based on an Israeli series called “Abducted”.  

2)    Game of Thrones:

This adaptation of a series of novels is praised by everyone that watches it. With an epic proportion and a plot filled with intrigue, “Game of Thrones” is a pioneer in modern television because the scale of it is cinematic. With grade A acting and likeable, but morally ambiguous, characters, “Game of Thrones” has become one of my favorites pretty quickly.

The show just started its second season this Sunday and it stars Emilia Clarke and Peter Dinklage. Thrones was adapted from a series of novels written by George R. R. Martin.

The Guilty pleasures:

Let's not pretend, we all have them:

- Pretty Little Liars.

-  Once Upon a Time.

-  Revenge.

So there it goes, now you know what I like to see and what I would recommend you to watch. So enjoy, endless hours of television await you my fellow readers. 

The Hunger Games: Fan Gone Wild!

So after a long absence due to a very busy school period, I am back with this post that will put my fan girlyness in evidence. I will do that for your entertainment.

As a proud citizen of District Ten I have to say: Happy 74^th Hunger Games! Because yes, The Hunger Games opens this Friday and with tickets in hand I shall dedicate this post to the series.

How I will do that? By giving you the fan version of what happened almost a month ago when I had the opportunity to attend the Mexican press conference for the movie in a fancy Mexico City hotel.

I was sent to said conference in behalf of a professional blog called Güik for which I had to write an equally professional note. (Shameless self- promotion: You can find that amazingly written note here: http://guik.mx/anexos/blog/?p=5539#.T2d7UJg3na5).

This, my dear readers, is the unabridged version of what really happened on that day.

But before I go into the narration of the epic events that occurred on that day, you need to understand two things about me: 1, I’m very vocal about my fandoms; 2, I geek out to the point of appearing insane.

With that clarified, I shall start my Shakespearian tale. It all started on a grim Monday night when my boyfriend, whom we shall call Beast from now on, began to type my name incessantly in our MSN convo (yes, we still use MSN). Just as Beast was beginning to get impatient, I answered, concerned, and inquired what was happening. He asked me if I was sitting down and I said yes. He then broke the news and told me his friend had asked if I was a fan of The Hunger Games, when Beast said that I was, she asked him whether I’d be willing to go to the press conference in her blog’s behalf.

Of course I thought he was pulling my leg because we had just been talking about The Hunger Games and my girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence that very day. So after he swore to me he was being honest, I flipped. My mom was worried for my sanity, but I didn’t care. I was meeting Katniss freaking Everdeen I was entitled to lose my mind!

So Tuesday comes, and I go into my class where I tell my friends the news, like a teenager. My friend, that from now on we shall call TinTin, being a fancy film critic, tells me he was set to go too and that he may get interviews with the actors. I expressed my jealous hate towards him until he said: “Don’t hate me you can come to the interviews too!”

Then the rollercoaster began, cause TinTin was told that he wouldn’t get an interview. I was sad, but still excited cause I still got the opportunity to go to this event. And then in the afternoon he called me again and told me (like it was bad news, I might add) that he may get the interviews, but that he had to go and watch 12 minutes of the movie and that if I wanted to go with him. “No TinTin, I have no interest whatsoever.”  Silly boys.

So the next day we go and watch the 12 minutes of the movie, which were awesome. The postproduction wasn’t even finished and it was still awesome. After that, TinTin got the news that he would be able to interview Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth. I wasn’t freaking out cause I had to maintain my “yes, I’m an uninterested press member” poker face. But as soon as I got to the car I believe I squealed making TinTin laugh until he couldn’t breathe.

So Thursday comes and I prepare my camera and my poker face. After two hours of class in which I looked like I was having a sugar rush, we got into the car and drove over to the fancy hotel where the whole thing was going to take place.

 As press, we had to go and get registered in order to get our passes, which were pretty cool. We also got a chocolate coin that had the mockingjay logo on the wrapping—I forbade TinTin to eat it.

After the registration we were sent to a room where the photo call was going to take place. It was unfair because some guys brought some little chairs and they stood on them, blocking our view, but we finally got a decent position and waited for quite a while. Then, TinTin kindly offered to go and save seats for the press conference.

So finally Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth made an appearance and it was horrible, because I was trying to take pictures but the other press members resembled hungry wolves. I would’ve been scared if it was me they were taking pictures of. TinTin finally came back and took the camera from me and was able to take some pictures himself.

After that, we ran towards the room in which the press conference was going to be held. TinTin got us pretty good seats. They introduced Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth and I must say: it was awesome. She answered in a very smart way and he was very nice. The most exciting thing was to see that they were fans of the story too and wanted to capture the essence of Katniss and Gale.

But after the press conference, the best part happened. We went into the waiting room for the members of the press that were going to interview the actors. I was very excited, but again had to put my poker face on. Pretending to be a professional.

Psh, right.

So after waiting for a few minutes and thinking of questions to ask, we were escorted to the room were Jennifer Lawrence was being interviewed. Up until then I was keeping my cool. And then I got into the room, before TinTin.

Someone opened the door and there she was, sitting there in her awesome red dress. I assume she thought I was the interviewer cause when I stepped into the room she just stared at me. And this is what happened:

Cris: Hey.

Jennifer Lawrence: * stares * Hey how are you?

Cris: O_O

I froze and I couldn’t get another word out. Then, TinTin came in and began the interview. I took some steps towards them and he publicist, very rudely I might add, kicked me out of the room. Yes, it was sad.

Ten minutes later, TinTin came out of the room and we walked where he would be interviewing Liam Hemsworth. He appealed for me and told the organizer that I was kicked from the other interview. She assured me I wouldn’t be kicked out from this one.

So as we were waiting, Jennifer Lawrence comes out of the room and goes to the bathroom. I stifled the urge to yell “I love you, Katniss” and instead, I just stared like a creepy hobo. Then, as she is coming back, she began to walk closer and closer to me and TinTin, so I just grab his arm and internally panic. Apparently, she got lost and couldn’t find her way back. The funny thing is everyone was too busy staring at her to point the right way for her. Finally, she found her room and that was the last I saw of “the girl on fire”.

After that, they got us in with Mr. Hemsworth and I must say the treatment I received was very different. They brought in a chair for me and apologized for taking me out of the other interview. As soon as I reached Liam Hemsworth he said “hola” and shook my hand. We proceeded to sit down and TinTin, cool as he is, interviewed him. I’m afraid I have no idea of what was said, cause the whole time I was thinking how pretty Liam was. After TinTin was finished, Mr. Hot Guy shook our hand again and we were on our way.

Now, up until  now I had maintained a certain level of decency. Granted I stared like a crazy stalker, but I had contained my emotions pretty well. That all ended when I called Beast and the emotional fangirl exploded. Needless to say, TinTin almost hyperventilated laughing and I couldn’t stop squealing.

So dear readers, this is the end of the epic quest of a fangirl. Now as I wait for the movie to open, I reflect upon this couple of days and smile hoping the movie will rock my socks. Until next time. 

The Natalie Portman Rap

Hey guys, as a "I'm sorry" for my absence these past weeks I'm gonna leave you with this masterpiece that never fails to amuse me and make me laugh. As soon as I have time I'll post about my "The Hunger Games" press conference experience. Have a nice laugh and an even nicer week.

My Love Letter to Adele

So after Adele won her six Grammys this Sunday, I deemed it proper to write my love letter to her. Just because I can.

I first heard of Adele a year and a half ago thanks to a Scottish friend who was obsessed with her. I just skimmed through the CD and was instantly captivated by “Someone Like You”. After that, I just kind of forgot about her until one day I was very bored and decided to listen to some of the music I was keeping in my “to listen” list.

I was hooked.

 

Adele has a quality in her music that most musicians lack these days: honesty. It is very true that we all love a spectacle—lights, awesome videos, stunts at concerts we attend—but I believe that the quality in the performers is reduced to the kind of show they put on. Artists seek to please more than to express their feelings. That is why Adele shocked the world, she has stripped herself of all this and only uses her voice and ability to perform.

Adele was born in 1988. Since an early age, she demonstrated that she was a talented singer and pursued it. She went to BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon in 2006 and was classmates with Leona Lewis and Jeesie J. Shortly after she graduated, she was signed into her record label and produced her first CD “19”, for which she won two Grammys in 2009.

After the success of her first CD, Adele was looked upon the new face of music. Different, endearing and classy, but accessible. She won people’s hearts. And with “21”, she consolidated her place in the music industry, selling more that six million copies and winning six Grammy awards.

So eventually when it was announced that Adele needed surgery concerning a vocal hemorrhage, all her fans –including myself- flipped out. It was very scary to think that the career of such a promising artist could end as quickly as it had begun. So after four months of anxiety and speculation, she was able to perform again and to all of her fans tranquility, she hadn’t lost her touch.

So, why is Adele so popular? For one, she has a very original voice that is captivating from the first time you listen to it. It is very powerful and that makes it feel very deep and soulful. Her lyrics and music fit perfectly with the message she is trying to convey. It is easy to feel what she is singing about.

Besides her voice, she has made a very positive image for herself. Not only has she demonstrated that she has a lot of talent, but she is very approachable and she even stopped drinking to protect her voice.. She talks and acts like a normal person and lets say that is very refreshing in a world filled of performers that seek to put a “conceptual” show before everything else. She even stopped drinking to protect her voice.

She knew how to sell her music and she did it differently than everyone else. Lady Gaga uses a lot of bright colors and weird costumes? She uses mostly black and very simple dresses. Nicki Minaj puts on big elaborate shows? She just uses her band and chorus. Adele goes for simple, because her greatness comes from they way she feels her songs. And as ironic as it sounds, that is very refreshing. Less is more with her.

So the answer to her popularity is brought to us by the notion that she is different and unique. She is the opposite of everything we see today, she is a positive role model and has heaps of talent to back her up. So to people who have asked me if she deserves six Grammys and so much fame I say, without hesitation: yes, she does. 

Just a song for you to listen. 

New "The Hunger Games" Trailer

For your enjoyment. Now excuse me.

*Goes die in a swamp*

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/the-hunger-games/

Evanescence Comes to México

Band Name: Evanescence.

Band Members:

Amy Lee – lead vocals, keyboards, harp.

Terry Balsamo – lead guitar.

Troy McLawhorn – rhythm guitar.

Tim McCord – bass.

Will Hunt – drums.

Tour: Evanescence Tour.

CD: Evanescence.

Evanescence is a band I have liked for many, many years. As a preteen, it introduced me to a new kind of music I didn’t know then, and I fell in love with it. So after almost five years of absence, I was excited to hear their new stuff.

“Evanescence” is a step up from “The Open Door”, but it doesn’t quite reach “Fallen”, “Origin” or their bootleg stuff that is very hard to find. After so much time, it was very refreshing to see how the band innovated and evolved with songs like “Swimming Home”. Also, many of the new songs have a techno feel to them, which is very interesting.

So, when I heard they were coming to Mexico I didn’t hesitate to buy tickets to the show. I had seen them when they came here on their “The Open Door” tour and it was a very good show, so I thought I would repeat the experience.

Apart from some evil and mean person stealing my phone, the show was incredible. Maybe a little short, but the energy of the crowd and of the performers made it very fun and enjoyable. People were very supportive of the band and it was very exciting to hear those epic songs live and Amy’s very distinctive and strong voice.

The stage was very simple, yet filled with lights that helped the music and performance grow. The only bad thing was the lack of screens as a visual aid. Even though, the show was very powerful and that power didn’t come from the lights, or the stage; it came from Amy Lee’s vocal performance and stage presence. She seemed happy to be there and that energy went directly into the way she performed the songs. Even when she was sitting at the piano, she managed to convey a lot of emotion with her voice.

The set list was mostly composed of songs from the new CD, but it also left space for some of the old favorites. They opened with the first single of their new CD “What You Want”, which instantly made the crowd go crazy.

One of the highlights, for me, happened when they played “Imaginary” which happens to be my favorite Evanescence song. They also played some of the fan favorites like “Lithium”, “Going Under” and “Bring Me To Life”. They played 18 songs, including the encore.

The encore and show finished with a performance of “My Immortal”, which Amy introduced in Spanish. The song managed to move the whole venue and there wasn’t a person who didn’t sing along. It was very moving and exciting.

It is very good to see Evanescence back with new music. I can only hope they keep doing it for many years to come. That way I can go and enjoy their concerts whenever they come to Mexico.

I'll leave you a clip of one of the songs played at this concert so you can see what I'm talking about.