Alvin's Adventures in Pop Culture

Movie #24: Conan the Barbarian

In light of all the “reboot” controversies over the last couple of years, it’s interesting that no one seems to care about Conan the Barbarian coming back to theatres. This time, the title character is played by Jason Momoa. It’s kind of odd casting, since he was quite memorable in a very similar role as…

Movie #23: The Expendables

I’m not quite sure why I watched this movie. Even though I was not really a fan of those old testosterone-fueled movies from the 80s and 90s, I guess there’s something intriguing about gathering together Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Steve Austin into a single movie. Add to that minor roles for…

Movie #22: Skyline

Skyline really brings home the idea of alien invasion, since it’s set entirely within a high-rise condo — Hey, that’s how I live! Unfortunately, I don’t live in a super-deluxe modern condo in L.A. with sleek modern styling and automated blinds — but then again, those blinds didn’t save these residents from being sucked away…

Movie #21: Friends With Benefits

Every time I watch a rom-com, I wonder why. It’s not that I don’t like them (I used to claim that), but more because they’re so formulaic that it’s almost like watching the same movie again. From the start, I knew that Friends With Benefits would follow the formula. Even though young, successful, big-city hotties…

Movie #20: Trollhunter

At first I was growing tired of the “found footage” sub-genre of movies, but recent TV series like the now-cancelled The River, movies like Chronicle and now this movie continue to expand possibilities. The title of this Norwegian film, Trollhunter (Trolljegeren), sounds like a cheesy Syfy channel B-movie, but actually it’s pulled off with a…

The Dark Knight Rises – Movie Review

As a finale to writer-director Christopher Nolan’s three-part reinvention of the Batman movie mythos, and the superhero movie genre as a whole, The Dark Knight Rises fits right in. It brings back not only the kinds of action sequences and fight scenes that we’ve come to expect, but also the cynical social commentary and themes…

Movie Confessions Blogathon

I haven’t really been much of a blogosphere kind of guy. I don’t really connect with other blogs or bloggers, but through another movie blog (Today I Watched A Movie), I discovered this Movie Confessions blogathon, so I thought that I might branch out a bit and participate. When you’re done with my responses, click…

Some Nights by fun. – Music Review

Last week I was trawling through iTunes, when I noticed Some Nights by the American band simply called “fun.” making its way to the top of the charts. I liked their previous mega-hit “We Are Young” so I decided to give it a preview, and I loved it! When I also tried the rest of…

Movie #19: Tucker and Dale vs Evil

Ever since Scream, there’s been almost a sub-class of horror movies that play with the expectations and stereotypes of the genre. Recently I really enjoyed the Joss-Whedon-produced Cabin in the Woods, and Tucker and Dale vs Evil actually has a lot in common with that movie (except in those parts where they are completely opposite)….