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This episode began with the Simpson family at Bart’s Little League game. With the bottom of the ninth and two outs, Bart made an amazing catch to send the Isotots to the championship game against Shelbyville. He was the toast of the town.
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In celebration, Marge brought Homer to Costingtons to buy a special outfit. In boredom, Homer fell asleep on a store mattress. His slumber was disturbed by several customers and the owner of the store. In a desperate attempt to avoid being thrown out of the store, Homer excitedly described how comfortable the mattress was.
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His description was so powerful that not only did he convince a customer to buy the mattress, but he earned himself a job as a mattress salesman. The tide turned for Bart during the championship game. Just as the Isotots were about to beat Shelbyville, Bart dropped an easy pop fly. The town of Springfield revolted against Bart, and he became a social pariah.
Homer’s job as a mattress salesman went well. He sold a mattress to Reverend and Mrs. Lovejoy, in an attempt to improve their sex life. Unfortunately, it was not the remedy they needed, and they stormed the Simpson residence to demand a refund. While waiting for Homer to write the refund check, the Lovejoys stumble upon Homer and Marge’s bed, and their romantic mood returned. They offered to swap mattresses with the Simpsons’ in lieu of a refund. Homer agreed.
Bart was devastated by his fall from grace, and Lisa tried to show him that everything would be okay. She introduced him to Joe LaBoot, who dropped a pop fly during the 1943 World Series. Joe admitted that despite the dropped ball, he now had a very nice life, but he soon ridiculed Bart for his mistake. Bart, distressed, decided that Springfield must be right about him, and he spray painted, “I hate Bart” all over town. While painting the water tower, Bart fell, and he ended up in the hospital. While in the hospital, Marge realized that if there was a do-over of the game, Bart might regain his self esteem. She rushed off to make the arrangements.
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Meanwhile, Homer and Marge were unable to “snuggle” on their new mattress, and they snuck into the Lovejoy’s home to steal it back. As their hands met over their old mattress, their spark returned, and the Lovejoys came home to naked Simpsons in their bed. Both couples fought over the mattress. In compromise, they cut the mattress in half, so both couples could enjoy the aphrodisiacal bed.
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Bart’s do-over game did not go well. He dropped the same catch over and over. Finally, after 78 tries and an entire night of attempts, he made the catch. The celebration was limited as most of the town had gone home, but Bart’s self-esteem was restored. Years later, as he and Milhouse sat in the retirement home, he remembered back to that catch. Thinking Bart was mature enough to handle it, Milhouse tried to tell him that the catch had been rigged. Bart was devastated. As a good friend, Milhouse quickly took back what he had said, and both men rocked contentedly on the porch.
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Written by Amanda - Visit Website
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For our first showdown we have chosen to compare two thriller movies. The chosen movies are First Born and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.
Plot
First Born: Laura is an obsessive compulsive pregnant woman with a husband who ignores her due to excessively long hours at work. After moving to the country while preparing to have her child, she heads down a path of self-realization where she isn’t sure if she is going crazy or if her house is haunted. The movie progresses from Laura before the baby is born to after the child is born. While there is potential for this movie, the thrill is lacking, despite the fact that things get weirder and weirder with every passing minute.
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TCM: TB: Two guys are preparing to head to Vietnam. On their final days before shipping out, they take their girlfriends on a road trip. While in the middle of nowhere they get in an accident and the sheriff comes out to find out what happened. Anyone that has seen a Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie is aware of what happens next. It becomes, Leatherface time.
Star Power/Acting Ability
First Born: If you go on recognizable names, Elizabeth Shue is the only one I recognized in the film. She was actually the reason this movie was rented. The acting was not so disgusting it was unbelievable on anyone’s part. It was more an issue of excitement. The majority of performances were boring, which made it hard to get into it and even harder to be intrigued, thrilled, or frightened.
TCM: TB: Again, if we are going by recognizable names the only one I knew for sure was Jordana Brewster from her roles in Annapolis and Fast and the Furious. If you are a fan of Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies and saw the remake, you will recognize a few of the family as being back for another round. However, everyone else is either new to acting or new to me. Despite that the main characters put in believable and interesting performances.
Time Management
First Born: At 95 minutes it’s safe to say the movie wasn’t too long. I didn’t have a problem with the length of the film. It was the fact that I felt like I was watching a school film that I was forced to stay awake through. I checked my watch more than once and asked myself why Elizabeth Shue even bothered to be in this movie.
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TCM: TB: At 91 minutes, I found this movie to be the perfect length. It was not too long or too short.
Money Management (Movie Theater, video store, or cable worthy)
First Born: This is hands down a cable movie. The reason I am choosing cable is because you aren’t really losing any money by watching it since you will pay your bill either way. Now, you may feel you lose an hour and a half of your life, but I leave that decision up to you.
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TCM: TB: I don’t believe this movie was ever released in the theater and my standards are pretty high when it comes to paying about ten bucks to see a movie. For this reason I am going to say video store.
Quality of Effects
First Born: There weren’t any real effects in this movie. The quality was fine. It was the plot development that needed work.
TCM: TB: The effects in this movie were decent. They were standard horror movie effects. While they were not the most inventive I have seen, they also weren’t the worst.
Overall Appeal
First Born: If you are interested in alternative reality style/fantasy thrillers you will think you want to see this movie. The supposed presence of ghosts or otherworldly beings will entice you. Don’t let it. So much could have been done to this movie that just was not done. It ends up coming out flat and leaving you feeling cheated.
TCM: TB: When I first began watching this I really felt like I was watching a second copy of the remake I had just recently watched. However, as a horror fan I was pleasantly pleased by this version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It may not have been the scariest movie on the market, but it had a few moments that were horror worthy and the acting was decent enough to appease my cinematic needs.
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Winner & Bottom Line: If you had to watch either film I would highly recommend you choose Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning over First Born. TCM is different enough to be worth watching and it offers some additional information on Leatherface. First Born just feels disjointed. It was obvious First Born could have gone somewhere, but really sat still and went nowhere. While I sat through both, I really wish that I had chose something different when it comes to looking back on First Born.
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Written by Dom and Ash - Visit Website
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Traveling through Brazil on a fun and exciting backpacking trip can actually be dangerous. Well…only if you are Alex (Josh Duhamel), his sister Bea (Olivia Wilde) and her friend Amy (Beau Garrett) then your trip can turn downright frightening. Alex has come along on this trip for the ride, as the protective older brother who promised mom and dad his little sister would remain safe during her trip to a foreign and exotic country. Of course, when you mix two semi-wild girls (one who could even classify as a slut) with a neurotic guy you have the recipe for trouble.
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Despite, Alex wanting to fly, the girls both convince him to take a bus around Brazil. After the bus breaks down and they think they are going to be stranded they meet Pru (Melissa George) and head down to the beach where they are able to truly enjoy the beauty of Brazil. The group decides to stay on the beach and they meet up with a couple that has been on the beach for a few days and two guys who were on the bus with them.
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A wild party with tourists and locals leads to some unexpected events. The group ends up being drugged and robbed. However, this small event turns out to be the least of their problems. In fact, before the group knows it they are no longer fighting to find a bus ride, or the things that they have lost, they are fighting to find their way out of Brazil alive.
Turistas is more of a thriller or calm action flick as opposed to being down right scary. There is one scene that is not for the faint of heart. If you’ve been known to vomit from blood or cannot handle the sight of a good special effects scene you may want to avoid this movie or you might throw up on your date. Consequently, the aforementioned scene was our favorite part of the movie.
The plot was excellent, though the dialogue and progression tended to be a little bit slow. There was a chase scene towards the end and it just keeps going and going. It gives you that feeling that the director was trying to pull some extra minutes out of the film that just didn’t need to be there. There could have been spots that were made longer without the problem of making the movie feel rushed, but instead the chase scene lasted a lifetime while other areas of the plot suffered.
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The special effects were excellent and the acting was good enough to annoy you and make you laugh in all of the right spots. Turistas was one of those movies I wanted to see from the get go and I am glad that I saw it. I had no idea what to expect as I didn’t really know what it was about, but I wasn’t overly disappointed once I saw the completed version.
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Bottom Line: Turistas is one of the movies that will likely end up in my DVD collection though it doesn’t mean it should end up in yours. There were enough iffy spots for me to recommend that you see this one before you buy it. It won’t appeal to everyone, but there are a few small scenes that make the whole movie worth watching.
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Written by Dom and Ash - Visit Website
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The episode opened with a special statement from Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber. In light of the recent Virginia Tech tragedy, Medium decided not to air this episode last week. I felt this was very appropriate and considerate. Unfortunately, this was the best moment of this episode. Although the special effects in this episode were beautiful, the story was hard to follow and filled with plot conveniences. In fact, I’m concerned about the accuracy of this recap, as I had little idea what was going on, most of the time. I was very disappointed.
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Allison awoke from her slumber, freezing. She pulled her blankets tighter around her and fell back to sleep. She dreamt her bedroom turned into a winter wonderland. Snowflakes danced to the ground around her, and she was in awe. Quickly the snow became more menacing, and the peaceful storm became a blizzard. With a start, Allison awoke and prepared for the rest of her day.
At the breakfast table, Ariel asked to go to summer camp with her friends. Joe and Allison agreed to consider her request.
Joe was unnerved about returning to work after the hostage situation, but he was received warmly by his boss and his fellow co-workers. Unable to face his demons, he locked himself in his office and played Solitaire.
Allison and Detective Scanlon’s assistance was requested to find a missing girl, Jennie Hefferman. Jennie was a responsible, college student who grew up in the foster system.
On her way home, Allison called Joe. She informed him that they could not afford Ariel’s summer camp. After her phone call, it started to snow again. It started softly at first, and then it became increasingly violent. She stopped her vehicle in a residential neighborhood, and the snow mysteriously ceased. All the neighborhood yards returned to Arizona desert, except one. Allison got out of the car and trudged through the snow to the front door. Her interest shifted to the open garage, where she happened upon a large freezer chest covered in snow. She lifted the lid and found the body of Jennie Hefferman, frozen in a block of ice. When the medical examiner arrived, she informed Allison and the DA that her investigation could not begin until the ice melted. If the body was warmed artificially, valuable evidence could be compromised.
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That night Joe told Ariel that they could not afford to send her to camp. She became upset. She told him he had a stable job and everything would be fine. Joe became angry, as the hostage situation showed him that stability could disappear instantly. He later told Allison that he was tired of everyone knowing the future but him.
That night, Allison dreamt of Jennie’s murder. She saw the man’s face, and she believed Jennie had been killed in a storage shed. She awoke excited. She anxiously called Detective Scanlon, who admitted the killer had already been caught. The killer committed suicide and left a detailed suicide note explaining the murder.
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Allison soon learned that the man accused of killing Jennie was not the man she had seen in her dreams.
That night Allison dreamt of Jennie rummaging through a storage shed, chanting “bulls eye.” Jennie walked to an archery kit labeled, “bulls eye,” and she found a stash of diamonds hidden within.
The next morning Allison visited Jennie’s apartment. She found a key to a storage shed. As she started to leave, she saw Jennie’s ghost. The “ghost” attacked her and ran off.
While Allison waited for her head to clear from the attack, Joe’s boss called. He was concerned that Joe had returned to work too soon. Joe had not attended any meetings or even logged into the company server. Joe’s boss recommended professional help, and Allison agreed.
With storage key in hand Allison, DA Devalos and Detective Scanlon investigated the storage shed. They learned the shed was owned by Peter Barbera, the father of Jennie’s alleged murderer. Peter was a known diamond thief, and at one time had been in a relationship with Jennie’s older sister, Hailey. Jennie lived briefly with Hailey after their mother abandoned them, but Hailey, suddenly, disappeared. We learned that after a successful diamond heist, Peter killed Hailey and hid her body in the freezer.
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Years later, Jennie planned revenge. She befriended Peter’s son, poisoned him, took the storage shed key, stole the diamonds and moved the freezer with Hailey’s body. Jennie hoped everyone would mistake Hailey’s body for her own. She attempted to frame Peter’s son for her own murder, so she could escape to Mexico with the diamonds.
Unfortunately, Jennie didn’t know her sister had ingested the real diamonds, and the diamonds she carried were imposters. When she tried to sell the fakes in Mexico, she quickly learned of her mistake.
At home that night, Allison tried to encourage Joe to seek counseling. They soon drifted to off to sleep, and Allison dreamt that Joe was on the road to improvement.
Next week is to be a continuation of this week’s episode. Jason Priestly will guest star as a murderer. Hopefully, the plot will be easier to follow, and less “convenient.”
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Written by Amanda - Visit Website
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This episode had all the hallmarks of quality, family entertainment: soccer riots, computer game violence and Homer in a position of power.
Marge’s lack of technological savvy was uncovered at the PTA meeting. While every other member of the community proudly registered his/her email address, Marge reluctantly admitted she did not have one.
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Lisa introduced Marge to the Internet, which Marge pursued zealously. While surfing, she happened upon the “Earthland Realms” online game, and she quickly became addicted. Within the game she encountered several members of Springfield’s community. Everyone happily interacted with each other, until terror struck in the form of the Shadow Knight. The Shadow Knight tortured Principal Skinner’s character mercilessly. After Skinner’s demise, Marge walked passed Bart’s bedroom and learned that her son was the Shadow Knight.
Meanwhile, Lisa developed a passion for soccer. She dragged Homer to her first game, and when the team needed a referee, he volunteered. His ignorance of the rules of the sport soon became apparent, and Lisa was mortified. To please his daughter, Homer frantically learned the rules for soccer. The next time Homer refereed, his calls were correct. However, in a moment of uncharacteristically bad sportsmanship, Lisa “flopped” on the ground to make Homer rule against the opposing team. She then used this method to manipulate Homer several more times. Her ruse was discovered by professional soccer player, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, and Homer was forced to eject Lisa from the game. Lisa left the field furious with Homer.
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After discovering her son was the Shadow Knight, Marge began mothering Bart in both worlds. She embarrassed him painfully within the game. In frustration, Bart lashed out, and he accidentally killed Marge’s character. She was devastated.
The two plots converged as the guys struggled to rectify their relationships with Marge and Lisa. It was determined that Homer could regain Lisa’s affection through reason, and Bart could impress Marge with an act of kindness.
Homer gave Lisa a soccer DVD, he begrudgingly purchased from PBS. The DVD showed soccer riots that started because of “flopping.” After Lisa viewed the video, Homer asked if she could forgive him for ejecting her from the game. She replied that she could not, as he had done nothing wrong.
Bart attempted to make amends by reviving Marge’s character with 2/3 of his life force. Marge was touched by this gesture. Unfortunately, the other online players soon learned of the Shadow Knight’s weakened state, and they tortured him to death. Marge vowed computerized revenge, and she methodically attacked each character that had killed the Shadow Knight. Bart, weary of the game, ran outside to play soccer with Lisa and Homer.
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This episode was very sweet, but I was surprised that The Simpsons took so long to spoof World of Warcraft. The writing is usually more relevant.
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Written by Amanda - Visit Website
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James Vasquez wrote and starred in 29th and Gay where he plays the lead character. James plays James, a sweet gay guy who just wants a couple of reasonable things in his life. He wants his acting career to take off and he wants to find love. Not unreasonable requests, but for a gay man these two things sometimes seem impossible. James gets through life with the help of family and friends. He has a mother so supportive she buys him things for presents that no mother should buy even a straight son and he has a lovable super-gay best friend, Brandon (David McBean), and the standard accessory fag-hag, Roxy (Nicole Marcks).
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As we progress through the movie we look at the joys of Internet dating and the clumsy sweetness that comes from being around a guy you view as perfect even when you know you’re normal, at best. The acting comes out funny, sweet, and irreverent. However, there are problems at times. No movie is perfect and 29th and Gay does have some faults, as well.
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The faults that I have found were more with the Directing. Carrie Preston was the director and it was her first and last time directing role since this movie was made. Personally, I think it would be good for her to stick with acting. I couldn’t help but feel throughout the entire movie that it could have been so much better than what it ended up being. Many of the reasons for that had to do with direction and editing.
Many spots gave the feel of being a step off or a minute too late. Jokes that would have been funny got lost in the lackluster editing and ended up falling flat on the ground without hope of being picked up. It wasn’t the writing I had a problem with. I loved the year in the life, comedic look into the world of a gay man. Like the writing, the acting was wonderful. The characters were lovable or bitchy, depending on the role, and a good time should have been felt throughout. I guess two out of three isn’t bad.
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Bottom Line: 29th and Gay offers a wonderful story that has the ability to make you laugh and maybe even cry, in that sweet romantic sort of way. While the timing is off and the editing and direction could have used an overhaul prior to putting this film on the market the finished film is worth watching if you can overlook the small problems that have surfaced upon this otherwise excellent independent movie.
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Written by Dom and Ash - Visit Website
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This is the first DVD Showdown we have featured on Literary Illusions so before we get straight to it I am going to explain a little bit about the process. Being that we are in love with Blockbuster at our house and use our account frequently, thanks to the online program they offer, we watch a lot of movies. Blockbuster sends us three at a time. We could write reviews for all of them and probably will, but we also felt that a little comparison would be in order to show our views on specific movies.
Our showdowns will let you know what we think of two different movies based on certain criteria. We will test on plot, star power/acting ability, time management, money management (Movie Theater, video store, or cable worthy), quality of effects, and the overall appeal of the movies.
We will attempt to do movies in the same genre when we do this because that makes it easier on everyone. While you could compare Children of the Corn to Private Benjamin they are in different fields and should be judged differently. While we have others planned, our first is going to be in the horror/thriller genre. Our first showdown is going to be First Born vs. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. You will be able to find that review in the Movies Section of Literary Illusions.
If you find there are two movies that you would like us to do a showdown on let us know. We would be more than happy to check out the movies and offer our thoughts.
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises.
Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess.
She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! |
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April 18, 2007 @
10:59 pm |
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Tonight something amazing happened. The whole of America banded together and made a choice. The worst contestant to ever make it on American Idol was finally kicked off of the show.
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Last night Simon Cowell mentioned that this was funny in the beginning, but was getting old. He was referring to how people were voting for Sanjaya to tip the scales rather than for talent. For once, America listened, and through tears (of joy for us, and sadness for him) we heard Sanjaya’s last song on television.
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I have to admit, it was the sweetest sound I’d heard on American Idol, in quite some time. Sure, he sucked on his last performance, but knowing that it was his last, made me dance while he sang!
In a way, though I am happier than I have been when it comes to American Idol, I feel bad for Sanjaya. All of these prepubescent children and middle-aged women who want to think they are the “cool” moms made this poor, non-talented hack think he was something special, when in fact, not even his hair was that great. Perhaps it was versatile, but it was not overly impressive with the way he chose to style it each week.
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They would proudly mention he was in his gospel choir at church, but you don’t audition for those generally. They would mention his “presence” on stage, but really it came off as creepy. He looked like he wanted to give the camera herpes, and I mean really - would you leave your child alone with someone who gave you those looks? I didn’t think so.
They would even make excuses for his sad lyrical attempts, saying things like, “Better luck next week!” and “It was just the wrong song choice, He will learn to stay on tune next week!”. While nice in thought, a song choice does not stop you from staying on tune and in the right rhythm. Sanjaya might have had something, but it certainly wasn’t the thing he needed to win this competition or to sell platinum records.
The Fanjayas, as they preferred to be called, really made him think that he could win this thing. Well that and Ms. Hooter, but she is his sister. I suppose it wouldn’t have been nice of her to profess her love for Blake, (like most other women) while her little brother is up there drowning in a lyrical pool of unrhythmic, pitchy, slop. So, it was sad when he began to cry and you could see that he really thought it wouldn’t be him. I cried, too.
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I cried tears of joy that Blake and KiKi, (two people that can actually sing) weren’t kicked off the show. Next week I will cry out in jubilation as Phil Stacey leaves and then the real competition can begin. I have my theory on who will leave and in what order, but we’ll see. Next week is inspirational songs. Who knows what lies ahead after Phil goes home. However, rest assured, with Sanjaya gone and Phil on his way out, it is set to be a good competition from here on in.
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises.
Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess.
She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! |
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April 17, 2007 @
10:18 pm |
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Note: This Recap was written Real Time as American Idol was being shown, the end paragraph was added to the initial article on April 18, 2007.
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American Idol began with a somber note as Ryan Seacrest apologized for the problems people might be facing for the Virginia Tech massacre. This week offered Martina McBride and Country week. I was expecting a good or at least amusing show, so here’s hoping that I was not let down. I really like Martina McBride as far as country goes. So, we will see if what she says is important to being an American Idol”.
First up is Phil Stacey. He decided to sing “Where the Blacktop Ends” by Keith Urban. Martina felt he was a little stiff in the beginning but gave some soul at the end. She wanted more of the end and less of the beginning. Well he wore all black, which is fine. However, he went hatless this week and he always manages to get his head under the light to blind people.
The song was plain, at best. He was smiled and moved through the crowd, but it was just too disjointed for me to be fun or worth listening to. I just kept waiting for it to end. He hit most of the notes, but that doesn’t mean much for me when the performance was boring. I will say this one was better than most of his performances though. Randy felt that Phil could have a career in Country and even went on to say that he sounded good. Paula said that he found the genre that suited him and that he sounded good from beginning to end. Simon even agreed. It may have taken ten weeks and it might not be enough to save him, but the song suited him for once.
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Jordin is up next. Jordin chose to sing “Broken Wing” by Martina, a daunting task at best. Luckily, Martina loved Jordin’s version. She recommended that Jordin just sing the song and not worry a lot about movement. She came out a simple metallic dress and stood calmly while singing. Her voice was strong, as usual. It was also very controlled. Broken Wing is one of those songs that need to go from soft to powerful in a moment’s notice and she managed to go through the changes excellently.
Jordin is definitely looking like one of the front runners of this competition and it’s rather surprising because in the beginning she was good, but not this good. She just keeps getting better. Randy said the song was difficult, but Jordin was the bomb. Paula said she looked great, that everyone loves her, that she loves her, and she did good. Simon gave the most positive response, saying “This is the first time since we have met that I believe that you could win American Idol”.
Sanjaya was next and I just have to say that when they showed his outfit for the week I could only say two words…Aunt Jamima. Sanjaya wore a red bandana over his head, a black shirt that didn’t match his bandana, and some jeans. A viewer wanted to know what judge he would make sing a song. He said Simon and “Shiny, Happy, People”.
He chose Lets Give em Something to Talk About. Martina felt that he needed to sing stronger. If he does that he will sing better. According to Martina, anyway. What can I say? Sanjaya loves his music far more than anyone else ever could. He danced and moved around the stage. The problem is he was off key, off beat, and out of his mind. Poor Bonnie. He went near the judges and Simon looked like he was gonna puke. I can’t say I blame him.
I know I almost did. If you want to give us something to talk, how about talking about the end of the song? I’d seriously like to talk about that right now. Randy said he felt it was karaoke. It was bland and horrid. Paula thinks Sanjaya loves adversity.The vocals were eh, but he’s sure lovable. Simon said it was utterly horrendous. Even better, he said “Honestly it was as bad as anything we see at the beginning of American Idol. This may have been funny for awhile, but we’re supposed to be finding an American Idol and it was hideous.”
Amen, Simon. Just…Amen.
Next up after the commercial is Lakisha and then Chris. Lakisha decided to sing “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood. Martina felt she chose a song that she could relate. Martina even had an emotional reaction to the song, and felt that Lakisha has a gift. Lakisha wore a simple brown dress, and looked excellent as she stood at a mic stand to sing.
I’d never heard the song, but for country, it wasn’t so bad. The first part of the song is very controlled and then as it moved on, Lakisha got to use her big, amazing voice. Last week I didn’t feel her as much as I did this week. She was surprisingly better at Country than Latin. While both performances were decent, I did not feel the true Lakisha vibe in either of them. However, if I had to choose, this week definitely won out. Randy felt there were pitch problems and it wasn’t his favorite. She should have done more to make it her own. Paula agreed and felt it sounded more like shouting.
Simon said she didn’t go well with the song. She tried to make it a song suitable for her, but it wasn’t possible. She used to be the one to beat so now she needs to step up and start choosing the right songs.
Chris chose “Mayberry” by Rascal Flatts. Martina wasn’t sure about the song, but once she heard him sing she was blown away. He’s versatile and she liked his choice. Chris wore his specific JT-inspired clothes. The song, while Country really had a pop feel to it when he sang. I heard a lot of rhythm problems straight off the bat.
I am a huge Chris fan but I really wasn’t feeling this one at all, sadly. It sounded like Justin Timberlake was trying (unsuccessfully) to sing…well a country song. It didn’t fit for me. Randy was wondering how country would go and felt there was no emotional connection. Paula felt the joy and love was missing. Simon realized the audience loved it, but he heard nasally vocals that lacked impact.
Next up is Melinda, who looks cute in a strapless shirt and some jeans. Melinda chose to sing Trouble is a Woman by Julie Reeves. Martina had never heard the song before but she loved it. She couldn’t stop watching Melinda and really loved it. It was perfect. Melinda came out singing and there is little you can ever say to complain. She’s always on tune, has great control. She’s just awesome.
This was a fun song for her because it was sassy. She showed off a little, worked the crowd, and had a perfect vocal, as always. Randy couldn’t say much, other than it was another solid performance. Paula agreed, adding that Melinda is famous for choosing the right song and singing it perfectly. Simon said it was fantastic and compared her to Tina Turner.
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Last up this week was Blake who chose to sing Tim McGraw. He sang, “When the Stars go Blue”. Martina mentioned that Tim was hoping someone would sing this song. She felt Blake was a little nervous and stiff, so she hoped he would loosen up because he did a good job. Blake has a style that is completely his own. No matter what genre he is singing its all him.
I am not sure I loved this as much as some of the others. I think the main problem for me was the falsetto notes he was hitting. While they were part of the song, I just wasn’t loving them. The rest was very Blake though. I didn’t love it, but I definitely didn’t hate the arrangement either. Randy loved the vest and felt he picked the right song. It was nice. Paula said he has the whole package. Simon wasn’t jumping out of his chair, but it was okay.
If I had to pick the bottom three tonight I would have to say Phil, Sanjaya, and Chris. This was kind of sad for me, because I really do like Chris. However, as the bottom options get much tighter I am running out of options. I don’t want Chris to go home though. I definitely feel Sanjaya or Phil should leave first. Sanjaya more than anyone, as usual, and then Phil deserve to get the boot.
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I don’t think any of the girls are really in danger just yet. The less than talented ones have already went home or the good ones were booted off to keep Sanjaya in the game. If any of the females were at risk it might be Lakisha this week, but I seriously doubt that is anything to worry about.
Coincidentally (or not), Jenny Slater and Ashtyn had similar views of the show. After posting this and knowing how dead on Jenny’s commentaries are, we went back, edited this blog, and added her Critique of the Show. How similar Ashtyn and Jenny’s views are is eerie.
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises.
Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess.
She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! |
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So many gay films flaunt sex, naked men, and the pride of lack of commitment the men in the movie seem to feel when they have so many men who love them, rather than one. Boy Culture takes the path of many gay movies, but doesn’t end up where you expect it to go. The film centers on X, who is played by Derek Magyar. X is a male prostitute. He has two roommates named Andrew (Daryl Stephens) and Joey (Jonathon Trent). X is in love with Andrew but Joey has feelings for X. It’s one big gay love triangle.
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Boy Culture explores the life of a trick and the constant need to avoid commitment for so many gay men. On its own, this wouldn’t equal too much, but when you add in Gregory (Patrick Bauchau) you have a whole new story. Gregory enlists the services of X, but rather than using him for what he’s worth he opts to wait until X wants to give it as much as Gregory wants to take it.
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Throughout the film we begin to see a softer side of gay cinema and it leads to a profound sensuality that is unmatched by the average gay film. While unexpected, the love that is shown is one that is perfectly portrayed in every way. Boy Culture may start out like every film but it leaves us surprised and satisfied all at the same time.
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I was expecting less when I watched this movie. However, what I ended up with were excellent performances and an interesting story that I wanted to see unfold. The characters were enlightening in that interesting way and the movie just had this appeal to it that others in similar genres seem to lack. While you will see some of the same old stuff there is enough newness in this film to keep you wanting to watch and to make you happy you did when it’s over.
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[eminimall products="glbt, gay, lesbian, movie" height="250" width="250"]
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Bottom Line: If you are a fan of gay and lesbian movies this is one you will want to check out. Of course, if you are not interested in intimacy, sex, and naked men you might want to fast forward to the more emotional touching and less physically touching scenes. All in all, this one is worth watching. If you are unsure of the premise you might want to rent this one first, but if you’re looking for something that steps out of the box, this is the movie for you.
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises.
Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess.
She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! |
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