some reviews for you to peruse

A gloomy cold day calls for some music, movies, and a video game review! Let’s get started!

Katharine McPhee’s self titled album came out this week, and based off of two songs I had heard already, I was definitely curious to hear this one. I know a lot of people are fans of American Idol, and I know just as many are against the whole show “creating” music, but if there is one thing it can do, is find a great singer. Now, what happens to that singer varies… they can get good material and go with it, or they can fizzle and go nowhere. And it’s clear that it can be hit or miss, as the winner Taylor’s CD isn’t doing to well, as it is steadily falling (almost) off the charts, but fellow contestant Daughtry’s CD is in the top 10. So where does that leave us with the runner up from last year? Well, over all, her CD isn’t what I was expecting from her. Sure, there’s a fair number of ballads and whatnot, stuff that you would expect from am American Idol, but she really branched out with her interpretation of pop. There are several danceable tracks, and even some more edgy/hip-hop sounding stuff; much of it using the current Nelly Furtado/Fergie formula, but making it better, well, at least better than anything Fergie did. While I don’t think the CD is flawless, as there are a few songs I could just do without, it is definitely well produced, and quite enjoyable. If you liked her on the show, and you like pop, I recommend the CD, because she has a great voice, and they even picked a few surprises for her to sing; as well as a few good surprises. Stand outs for me include: Over It, Love Story, Open Toes, Each Other, and Ordinary World (which sounds a lot like it should have been/could have been a Delta Goodrem song). I would say that this is probably akin to a JoJo or Christina Aguilera type of pop, with some Delta Goodrem gems thrown in, so if that is your bag, pick this up! i’m glad I did! I would give it somewhere between four and five stars, but since I don’t do half marks, I will just give it the benefit of the doubt and round it up to a 5 ; because the good ones are really good, which in this case, makes up for the not so good ones.

Now, the next CD I want to talk about is pure sugary syrup poured into the shape of a CD, and hardened. I am talking about the debut disc from the Lebanese Brit known simply as MIKA. Basically, I heard a lot of buzz about MIKA’s upcoming album (released sometime in Feb) from the uber-pop blogs, and that much attention certainly made me sit up and take notice. And boy I am glad I did. Let me put it this way, MIKA is equivalent to taking the Scissor Sisters, The Jackson Five, and Elton John, mixing them together, while having Freddie Mercury sing the vocals. The result is super catchy sort of kitschy songs that are definitely feel good, and hearken a sound used by groups in the feel good pop business, like the Monkees. This is dance-rock-pop that is just as happy-go-lucky sappy as it gets. He definitely has a sound that isn’t too mainstream here in the states, but my guess, is that he will do quite well everywhere else. There are a few tracks that are more down to earth, and slightly more “serious” but the feeling of the CD stays pretty consistent throughout; this is a great pop album. If you are in a bad mood, I would put this one in and you would definitely be smiling in no time. Stand outs for me include: Grace Kelly (probably one of the catchiest songs EVER), Lollipop, Love Today (which sounds like a Scissor Sisters track, which, many of them do), Relax Take It Easy, Billy Brown (gay content! which makes me wonder about MIKA), Big Girls (You Are Beautiful) (which is definitely the “follow-up” to Fat Bottom Girls by Queen, if there ever was one), and Any Other World. Overall, this is just a fun CD to listen to, and I definitely recommend it. Too bad it’s an import… Oh well. I enjoyed this so much, and do every time I listen to it, that this one definitely deserves the full six out of six stars !!! This is one that I will definitely keep listening to, over and over.

Today’s movie review is for the new Jennifer Garner movie, Catch and Release. She hasn’t been in anything lately, and when I heard she was in this, I had to run out and see it. You see, she is my favorite actress, after all. Now, I didn’t read much about the movie, and I am honestly glad I didn’t. It has gotten rotten reviews, and most of the focus has been on the strange vehicle for this romantic comedy. It starts with a funeral, and it is pretty dark for the first part of the film, and then quickly, it shifts gears to become the romantic comedy it was destined to be. While there are a ton of surprises in this film, the story is pretty sincere, and goes places that not many “feel good, chick flicks” tend to go. They really explore what would happen if you lost a lover, and found out some not-so-sweet things about them after their death. It also looks at who you can count on, and who you should watch out for. Overall, I really liked the film, and I think I will have to see it again to truly appreciate it; mainly due to the surprises I vaguely mentioned. There was a lot of laugh out loud humor in the movie, and I thought that Jennifer Garner really carried the movie (not to say the others in the movie weren’t great). The only problem comes from how quickly people seemed to move on, or change, but considering that it was a 2 hour glimpse into the fictitious lives of characters, it is forgivable. Suspend a little bit of your belief about how relationships “should” work, and you should be okay. Only because of the quirks I asked you to suspend when watching it yourself, I give this 4 out of 6 stars ; it was still a pretty good movie.

Today’s last review focuses on our most recent video game purchase for the Wii. After our friend John brought over his copy of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, I was convinced that we needed it for our own collection of games. Not because of the main game, of course, which is actually quite stupid; but for the mini games. This one boasts 50 different mini games, ranging from bowling, to darts, to ring toss, and so on. You can fly a bird, you can drive hover carts, and you can even slingshot monkey balls at balloons. Some of the games are pretty stupid and simplistic, but many of the ones I mentioned have been played over and over at my house. This is definitely a title to have when people are coming over… just make sure you have enough Wii-motes AND nun-chucks… some of the games require both; and some of those games are quite fun! Overall, I would give this game a 5 out of 6 stars . The only reason it doesn’t get all six, is because the main game is pretty much shit.

Whew! That was a lot to get out! Hope everyone stays warm today… even though, it really isn’t that cold. I hope to start reviewing more stuff for my blog, because I really enjoy doing it. I am also going to work on the CD and DVD review pages… stay tuned for that too!