Alvin's Adventures in Pop Culture

Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Movie Review

Ever since I went to the gorilla habitat at the zoo and found my eyes watering from (what I thought were) allergies, I haven’t been a big fan of apes. Nevertheless, the movie trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes looked pretty good. As a prequel to the classic sci-fi series where walking,…

Crazy, Stupid, Love – Movie Review

Why is this movie called Crazy, Stupid, Love? It wasn’t really so crazy for Steve Carrell’s character to want to reinvent himself after his wife (played by Julianne Moore) ended their marriage. It wasn’t stupid for Ryan Gosling’s stylish womanizer to fall in love with the ever-charming Emma Stone. And frankly, it wasn’t love when…

Captain America: The First Avenger – Movie Review

How many superhero movies is too many? After watching three others, I was not exactly eager for Captain America to make his way to the big screen. I was not a big Cap fan, anyway. I like the guys with more spectacular powers than mere strength and longevity. I also wasn’t interested in a character…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 – Movie Review

As a total fan who has lost all objectivity when it comes to anything Potter-related, the biggest surprise about the seeing the final movie was how it wasn’t a sad experience. I don’t want to use cliches like “the end of an era”, but reading seven un-short books and watching eight un-short movies is quite…

Summer TV 2011 – Part 2

The summer is so packed with new TV that I had to split my post into two long pieces! The summer is so packed that there are actually two shows about teenagers who find out that they are part of a secret world of animal beings. Teen Wolf is a relatively serious take on the…

Summer TV 2011 – Part 1

I’m pretty excited that these days there is actually something that can be called “the summer tv season”. It’s mainly courtesy of US cable networks such as USA, ABC Family, etc. who seem to be taking the opportunity of the summer gap to introduce lighter fare, quirkier stuff, and shows that might not find as…

Midnight In Paris – Movie Review

Paris being famous as a city of romance, it’s no surprise that Woody Allen would set his latest romantic film there. However, Midnight In Paris holds a number of surprises, including the casting of lead actor, Owen Wilson. The blondest of the Wilson brothers, Owen’s typical role is that of the goofy-yet-good-looking man-child (or cocky…

Green Lantern – Movie Review

What made the character of Green Lantern so interesting to fans like myself when we were growing up? Was it his ring which could materialize anything he could imagine (albeit made of emerald green)? Was it the heroic destiny bequeathed to him by his dying alien predecessor? Was it his membership in an intergalactic police…

Super 8 – Movie Review

I have really missed those “family” sci-fi films of the 80s–the kind that put Steven Spielberg on the map–and it’s like a warm cup of Nestle’s Quik to be enjoying the nostalgic comfort and thrill again in JJ Abrams’s new movie, inspired by those films. It’s virtually impossible to watch Super 8 without thinking of…