2 Razors

Nashville – Pilot

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Nashville – Pilot
  • tv.com: link

nashville-pilot

Providing us a set-up not all that dissimilar to Country Strong (minus the trip to rehab and with a hearty extra helping of soap opera suds), the “Pilot” episode of Nashville stars Connie Britton as fading country music legend Rayna Jaymes who is offered an ultimatum by her record label. If she wants their continued support of her flagging album they want Rayna to agree to share the spotlight with popular but bitchy teen sensation Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) by opening for Barnes on a combined tour.

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Cute, but not exactly Pitch Perfect

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Pitch Perfect
  • IMDB: link

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“But you have fruit punch and Rocky!”

pitch-perfect-posterCashing in on the success of Glee, Pitch Perfect takes viewers on the wacky ride of competitive a capella competition. Based on the book by Mickey Rapkin which examined the real-life underground subculture of competitive collegiate a cappella groups at three separate universities, Pitch Perfect desperately wants a to be a celebratory parody for college choirs in the same way Bring It On was for cheerleading. Sadly, nowhere near as clever, Pitch Perfect plays much more like one of Bring It On‘s straight-to-video sequels.

Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, a disgruntled college freshman whose father (John Benjamin Hickey), a professor at the university, is forcing her to get an education (what a dick, right?) when all she wants to do is head to New York and begin a career as a DJ. Making a deal to give college life a try, Beca begins working at the college radio station and is pressured into signing up for The Barden Bellas, an all female singing group, by an upperclassman (Brittany Snow) who hears Beca singing in the shower (and jumps in to sing along with her in one of the film’s more awkward scenes).

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Glee – Britney 2.0

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Glee – Britney 2.0
  • tv.com: link

glee-britney-20

While Brittany (Heather Morris) struggles from being removed from the Cheerios and reliving her senior year without Santana (Naya Rivera), Rachel (Lea Michele) struggles to make strides in New York, which means it’s time for Glee to turn to the music of Britney Spears for the second time in the show’s four seasons. As Brittany spirals further out of control the New Directions attempt to perform and intervention that only leads to an unfortunate performance of “Gimme More” at McKinley’s first pep rally of the new school year.

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Romanticized Plagiarism

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Words
  • IMDB: link

the-words-posterIt’s like Inception but with all the fun, action, and humor taken out. The Words provides stories within stories within stories. After all, why settle on a single plot with one narrator, when three will do? The film by directing and screenwriting duo Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal certainly does its best to fill all the major roles with capable actors but somehow still comes off as a bland romance novel which never justifies its existence.

Dennis Quaid stars as Clay Hammond, a celebrated author who, as the film opens, is giving a dramatic reading of his latest novel. Clay’s narration introduces and concludes each of the passages as we find ourselves in a world of his imagination invoking yet another author and a story about yet another book.

Bradley Cooper stars as Rory Jansen, the main character in Clay’s novel, a struggling young author, with a wife (Zoe Saldana) who is obviously too good for him, who has finally hit the big time with his first best seller. The trouble is, Rory didn’t actually write the book that made him famous.

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Green Lantern Annual #1

/ / Comics

green-lantern-annual-1-coverWriter Geoff Johns uses Green Lantern Annual #1 to kick off the next big Green Lantern event – “The Rise of the Third Army” which has been teased over the past few months. Apparently the Guardians of the Universe have decided the Green Lantern Corps, much like the Manhunters before them, have failed in their mission to bring order to the universe. Their solution? To make zombie soliders out of their own flesh, side with Black Hand over Hal Jordan and Sinestro, and destroy the Corps.

You had to wonder who the first casuality of the New 52 was going to be. Sadly, it appears to be Hal Jordan. Both Jordan and Sinestro are killed by a Guardian super-powered Black Hand, although we’ve already been teased that a Black Lantern Hal is on his way. You know what? That doesn’t make me feel any better about this arc.

The Third Army itself, a zombie-like Borg race that assimilates and converts others into its ranks, doesn’t really interest me. And removing my favorite GL (and Sinestro, whose arc back in the Corps has been pretty good) before the real battle even starts sure doesn’t instill me with much confidence. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $4.99]

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