Alvin's Adventures in Pop Culture

Alvin’s 10 Favourite Movies of 2012

In years past, I would post year-end faves from the big and small screens, but 2012 marked the sad continuation of a dry spell on tv. Of the new shows that debuted in 2012, not a single one would I consider “must-see”, and even the ones that I enjoyed in the past have all begun…

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Movie Review

I have to say, it’s nice to be back in Middle Earth. While The Lord of the Rings trilogy definitely left me craving more of Peter Jackson’s vision of Tolkien’s magical realm, I was worried that The Hobbit would be an epic letdown. Then there was all the talk about how they were going to…

2012 TV Characters: Love and Hate

Characters I Love Topping the list of beloved characters this year is one that I am so enamoured with that I was eager to compose this list just so I could put her on top of it. Anna (Downton Abbey) is the epitome of a woman who loves quietly, deeply and genuinely. Ever since she…

The Life of Pi – Movie Review

The Life of Pi has often been considered an “unfilmable” book, and I’m not sure if that’s because the bulk of the story is given by the protagonist’s monologue and has almost no interaction with other human characters, or because it’s an ocean-bound tale with animals playing major roles. In either case, director Ang Lee…

Rise of the Guardians – Movie Review

Just when you think that animated holiday films had run out of ideas, turning childhood imaginary icons like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost into magical super-heroes is kind of a surprisingly imaginative twist. That’s not to say that Rise of the Guardians doesn’t have its share of…

Fall TV 2012: Week Four

After the week-of-few-premieres, we wrap things up mostly with The CW and its “big” premieres. After having given up on Smallville halfway through its run, I think I would probably have overlooked The CW (I’m not exactly its target demo) if not for The Vampire Diaries, a show which I also gave up on until…

Fall TV 2012: Week Two/Three – Returning Drama

Most dramas these days like to end a season with some kind of climax or cliffhanger. While I can’t say that I spent the summer waiting with bated breath for any epic conclusions, it was nice to see some of those story threads tied up; and to see what kinds of lasting changes might have…

Fall TV 2012: Week Two – Returning Comedy

The Big Bang Theory The gang kicked off the season with Howard (Simon Helburg) still in space (Yay, he’s my least favourite of the bunch) and the others on dates – yes, even Sheldon (Jim Parsons). I’m not sure that I am really enjoying how much of an unfeeling automaton they are making Sheldon into…

Fall TV 2012: Week Two – New Shows

As I said, this past week has been so jam packed with shows premiering that it’s taken me a while to put down all my thoughts about them, and I’ve had to split up my posts into three sections. This post is going to focus on the new series that debuted this past week. Unfortunately,…