Poppin' Off- Warcraft

So I know what you're thinking, this is about a WoW related thing, shouldn't this be a WoW Wednesday post? Yes, it probably should, but I don't want to wait until Wednesday to talk about this awesome movie, and movies do technically fall under the Poppin' Off umbrella, so here we go!!

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This movie has been ten or so years in the making, and let me just say, it was well worth the wait. I loved it. I'm pretty sure I can do this spoiler free, but just in case, if you haven't seen the movie and don't want any inkling of anything that happens, please come back to read this after you've seen the movie. 

My husband and I saw it Thursday night in IMAX 3D, and the visuals were stunning. There were lots of familiar cities and landmarks in it (Dalaran, Stormwind, Ironforge, Goldshire, Karazahn, The Dark Portal....there are some I'm forgetting I know), and it was so cool to see them on a big screen. It was like being able to take what you see in the game and just become one step closer to fully being in it, if that makes sense. 

The movie is based off of Blizzard's game Warcraft, not World of Warcraft, so this has caused some problems for people that do play WoW. They're basically saying that the movie doesn't stay true to the lore, but I guess that it does stay true to a lot of the original game's lore, not the current lore we all know now. Also, when any book or game gets turned into a movie, usually studios will streamline some content to either make the film flow more fluently, or to explain or simplify things for people that might not have read the book/played the game, and are just coming to see the movie. Does that mean that everyone likes it? No, but as long as you understand it, you can accept it, move on, and appreciate what the movie has to offer. And this movie offers a lot, an engaging story line, top notch graphics (although there was a few times I wondered if they just threw a toy gryphon across the screen lol), and pretty good acting. The characters were well cast, although I wanted to punch the Queen of Stormwind in the face. Shes played by the girl that plays Tulip in Preacher, and just after seeing her in that panel at WonderCon just made not like her as a person, so it ruined the character for me a little bit. However, King Llane is played by the guy that plays Preacher, and he just does a great job. Hopefully with them working together on so many things, his charming personality will rub off on her. Overall though, all of the characters were really well acted- it was nice to see. 

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My favorite character was Lothar- he was everything you'd expect an Alliance solider to be. He had some dry humor and wasn't hard on the eyes, so that was a plus. I have to give it up to Khadgar too, he definitely showed that mages are more than just vending machines! Also, there are some very strong female characters for those of you that complain that WoW never includes them- Draka, wife of Durotan and mother of Thrall, is a fighter until the very end, and of course there is Garona, the half breed who basically has an Alliance heart but a Hordie face who is fierce in every way she can be. There are two little CGI's that are just adorable too- a Murloc has a cameo and baby Thrall. 

Critics have panned this movie- they all hate it. I think they hate it because they've never played a Warcraft game and don't understand what the movie is supposed to be. I think fans of the game will love it. And the movie ends open ended enough that there can easily be a sequel (or five.....). It does end on a very cheesy note (ever wonder what a baby Thrall growling at you would sound like? you'll find out), but I don't really know how else they would have ended it. There was so much story that you see during it (and really, that you play through game-wise), that there isn't a good place to just stop. But like I said, I loved the movie, and we're actually going to see it again on Saturday, and take our kids this time. If you love Azeroth and everything surrounding it, and you want to see more of these movies made- let the movie studios know! Go out and see Warcraft this weekend!

Poppin' Off- Star Wars:The Force Awakens *spoilers*

I've waited a week, its time to talk Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So here's the deal: there will be spoilers. If you have yet to see the movie and don't want to know what happens, please leave and come back after you have seen the movie. Otherwise, you will be ruined, and I won't be blamed for ruining your Star Wars experience because I warned you.

One more time, before I start, there will be spoilers!!! Okay, ready? Good. Let's talk some Star Wars.

This movie had been so anticipated, it was a touch ridiculous. The merch has been in stores since summer. It was almost to the point where it was like, there was so much Star Wars that you didn't even care if the movie was out or not, you could just see it depicted pretty much everywhere you looked. So was all the hype worth it? I say yes, although there were a few big things that bothered me.

The opening happens, and you find out that the First Order are the new bad guys, and the Resistance are the new good guys. They are both on a mission to get this missing map piece that will show them where Luke Skywalker is. Then we pan out to the new Han Solo in Poe Dameron, who is sent to Jakku to get that map piece. Very quickly, we meet pretty important characters in BB-8, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma and the Stormtrooper with a heart, FN 2187 (or Finn, as he will later be known). Things get hairy pretty quickly, Poe gets captured, but gives BB-8 the map piece beforehand, and tells him to run. While Poe is getting interrogated, BB-8 makes his way through Jakku and eventually meets Rey, the scavenger who is savvy and sassy and missing her family desperately. Fates intertwine when Poe and Finn escape the First Order and land in Jakku. While Poe disappears, presumed dead, Finn ends up finding Rey and BB-8, and that's when all the fun begins.

After Rey, Finn and BB-8 escape Jakku on a piece of garbage (aka The Millennium Falcon), some of the best parts of the movie happen, at least in  my opinion. When Finn gives BB-8 the thumbs up while talking about his past, and BB-8 responds with fire, my heart swelled. I didn't think I could love another Droid like I love R2D2, but BB-8 stole my heart right there. And also, there was this:

"We're home."

But that only leads to heartache later on. And I still can't believe they killed Han Solo. *remember, I warned you there were spoilers* Anyway, other highlights of the movie for me were the Stormtroopers themselves, who were often the source of the comic relief. (shout out to Daniel Craig for the Stormtrooper cameo!) And I liked that Rey wasn't a defenseless little girl, she was way stronger than Finn. But I worry that the role reversal will cause problems later on, maybe once Finn realizes that he is stronger than he thinks (he might be a touch Force sensitive, seeing as how he did pretty well with the lightsaber for never using one before, and Kylo Ren kept getting weird vibes from him in the village).

Of course, there were things I didn't like. The main one, which I already mentioned, was that they killed Han Solo!! That was so upsetting to me. And the worst part was, they didn't even do it in a way that he deserved. Once he walked out on that bridge, I think we all knew he was a goner (past Star Wars movies have taught us that you never go out on the bridge while dealing with the Dark Side!). But the fact that he didn't even fight back, and that Kylo Ren just did it, and then flung him off was just terrible. Han Solo was too good of a character to go out like that. Kylo Ren himself I had a real problem with. He was such a brat with total anger management issues. And as soon as he took off his helmet, I was like, what's up Professor Snape, where's Harry Potter? They couldn't have cast someone that looks even remotely like Leia or Han? (Because, Kylo Ren is Leia and Han's son, Ben) I mean, Rey looks like she is a Skywalker undoubtedly once she's next to Leia, and for the time being, its not known if she's related to them or not. So why didn't their son look like a relative? The under utilization of Captain Phasma was something else that I didn't like. She was built up to be this huge super villainous Stormtrooper, and she barely got any screen time, I mean, I guess they're setting her up for the next movie, but they could've used her more this time.

Overall, despite it being a roller coaster of emotions, I really enjoyed the movie. My family and I saw it late-ish Thursday night, and we had purchased our tickets through a gaming store here in town. They had bought out the theater, so we didn't see any previews (and yes, I was looking forward to seeing the new Star Trek trailer) and they gave away prizes (my son was the only one of the family that didn't win anything). The theater was filled with your mostly stereotypical nerds, and it was fun. Everyone laughed and cheered and gasped at the right times and it was nice. Although, by the end of the movie, most of the people had decided that it was Disney drivel and that Jar Jar Abrams had ruined the saga (it kind of reminded me of that part in Clerks 2 when the customer comes in and argues with Randall over the better trilogy, Star Wars or Lord of the Rings). I didn't agree, and I look forward to seeing it again at least one more time in theaters, and of course owning it when the time comes.

Have you seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens yet? (hopefully, since you've made it to the end of this spoiler filled post) Let me know what you thought about the movie in the comments below!

Poppin' Off- Summer Movies

Happy Friday everyone! I haven't made it to the movies too much this summer, but within the past few weeks I've managed to make it out a few times and I thought I'd share my reviews with you. *As always, if you haven't seen any of these movies but plan to, and you want to do so spoiler free, you should probably not read this until you see the movie. Spoilers have a tendency to pop out sometimes.*

Ant-Man

I really liked Ant-Man. Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is your average dude who gets out of prison and through the help of his friends (Michael Pena and T.I.), manages to stumble into Hank Pym's (Michael Douglas) house and ends up stealing a suit that can turn him into a tiny human that can, among other things, help him control ants. Ant-Man fights an Avenger (Falcon), a bad guy (Yellow Jacket) and gets the girl (Wasp). The movie is filled with comedy, more than the average Marvel movie, but there is a good amount of action as well. And for everyone that said that Paul Rudd couldn't do it, you were mistaken. Ant-Man didn't require the casting of a Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth because that's not the type of superhero that Ant-Man is. He's much more of a Mark Ruffalo type, and Paul Rudd pulled it off flawlessly. I look forward to seeing him with the reset of the Avengers. 

Pixels

So...about Pixels. It's probably one of the worst rated movies of the summer (seriously, read all of the reviews, the hate is real and also very entertaining), but I didn't think it was all that terrible. Adam Sandler makes a particular type of movie, and I think you have to know and accept that before going into anything that he does. With all that in mind, Pixels was cute. It had all of the video games I grew up with, and Ashley Benson (Hanna Marin on PLL) even has a small part as Lady Lisa. Yes, its very unlikely that Kevin James or anyone remotely like him would ever be President of the United States, and of course its super unlikely that aliens are going to see a time capsule of footage from a video game contest in 1982 and come to Earth attacking as said video games, but the movie is still fun. And its kinda fun to think of Olaf (Josh Gad) and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) running around being big ole nerds and fighting these alien video games too. There have been so many articles about the movie about how it missed its chance to take on serious subjects like how our lives and technology are changing, but when does Adam Sandler ever make serious movies? I think I've seen him in one....maybe. Anyway, its a fun movie if you don't go into expecting too much and like retro games and songs from the 80's.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Tom Cruise is once again Ethan Hunt, running away from bad guys, being seduced by a hot chick who can't decide if she's on the good side or the bad side, and receiving comic relief from Simon Pegg and the rest of his team. I like a good spy/action film, and this one did everything it was supposed to do. In the previews alone, you learn that his team is being hunted by a group just like theirs called the Syndicate, and in the film you learn that his team gets disbanded and Hunt disappears, becoming a wanted man by the CIA. The Syndicate is a group that causes major catastrophes around the world; like power plants blowing up, corporations going bankrupt, starting civil unrest in third world countries.....everything conspiracy theorists think governments do in real life. Of course, with everything that happens, Hunt's team has to reunite to save him, and there's plenty left open at the end to suggest that this is not the last we'll see of Ethan Hunt and the IMF. 

Which movies have you gone to see this summer? I still really want to see Trainwreck, Magic Mike XXL, and Paper Towns. Have you seen them, or have any suggestions? Let me know in the comments!

Poppin' Off- Pitch Perfect 2

I haven't done one of these in a while, so what better way to jump back in then to review a movie that I had seriously hoped to love?

Did you catch that? I said hoped, but that doesn't mean that I completely hated the movie. I still had all the feels for it, but there were a lot of things that I felt fell flat with this sequel. So, at this point in the post let me just say.....this will contain spoilers. If you have yet to watch Pitch Perfect 2 and plan to, and you don't want to know what happens before you see it, then I suggest you stop reading now and come back once you've experienced the movie. There, now that that's out of the way, let's get reviewing.

We find our Bellas on a victory tour, having won three Collegiate championships. They look like singing colorguard girls, all sparkles and props, while they're serenading the President and the First Lady at the Kennedy Center. Then all of the sudden, Fat Amy comes in like a wrecking ball, flashes her vajayjay to the President, et all, and the Bellas are off their tour, lost the privilege of auditioning new members and are possibly off the a capella scene for good until the Worlds come into play. If they can win the Worlds, they can win back the right to compete at the collegiate level again, and hold auditions again.

The Worlds bring in an interesting dynamic because there is the potential for all these great groups from around the world to be seen. Of course, the team to beat is the German team, Das Sound Machine, who happen to be the team that the Bellas victory tour is handed off to. They are everything you'd expect a stereotypical German anything to be: sleek, stylish, strong....almost like a Volkswagen. So its only fitting that the Bellas first meet their rivals at an auto show. While the rivalry was a good one (And that German team was amazing), the focus on the Bellas and Das Sound Machine left no room for anyone else talent-wise. The Treblemakers were terribly underused in this movie. Skylar Astin has an amazing voice, and you only got to hear it like twice.

The movie had a lot of things going on, but at the same time it felt like there were a lot of things that should have been going on that weren't. Beca gets an internship at a recording studio, signaling that shes's thinking about her life after college. That was interesting, and the song she did with Snoop Dogg will probably be on a lot of Christmas playlists this year (I know it will be on mine). But at the same time, it seemed like it detracted from the movie as a whole, if that makes sense. And then you have Chloe, who purposely failed a class three times so she could stay a senior to keep being a Bella because she was scared of life after the Bellas. I think their strife was supposed to show how the Bellas as a whole had all lost their way (remember how I said they looked like singing colorguard members, all props and shimmery outfits), and that's what the movie was really about. Them coming back together. But there was just so many fragments of stories that it was just kinda messy.

Like I mentioned above, The Treblemakers should have been used a lot more. And Jesse and Beca should have been used a lot more as well. Their relationship was what everyone was rooting for in the last movie, and in this one, they're barely together. And when they are, its like watching a brother and sister, not boyfriend and girlfriend. One might argue that its just a time thing, in case you missed all the references to the fact that three years has spanned since we last saw our Bellas, so maybe they're in that auto pilot relationship mode. But I'm more inclined to think that their romance was toned down because of the real life romance between Anna Camp (who plays Aubrey) and Skylar Astin. And if that's the case, shame on the writers! Beca and Jesse were the cutest in the first movie.

And for the whole legacy story line involving new girl Emily, that sucked. I get that they needed a new singer, but legacies are nothing original. And having all the old Bellas sing at the Worlds was disappointing, I would have much rather have seen the Treblemakers back them up. Also, why did Pentatonix (they played the Canadian team) and the Filharmonics (the "ladyboys" from the Philippines, as the announcer called them) only get like, two seconds of screen time? I was looking forward to seeing them in the movie, and they barely got any play.

The Filharmonics- Flashlight (Jessie J/Barden Bellas)

For all my bitching though, I did still like the movie. The riff off was fun, there's still all the humor from the first one that is silly (and sometimes inappropriate) and I had to go buy the soundtrack immediately so I can listen to it over and over like the first one :)

Have you seen Pitch Perfect 2 yet? What are your thoughts on it?

Poppin' Off Early Edition- The Walking Dead Season Five Finale

*As always, this post will contain spoilers from Sunday night's episode. If you haven't watched it or haven't heard what happened yet, you probably don't want to read this.*

Oh Alexandria. What a fickle place you are. So naive and yet a little bit vicious. I kinda like it. There was a lot of speculation on what Sunday night's episode was going to be. With it being bumped up to 90 minutes, everyone was thinking something big was coming. I was pretty sure that Glenn was going to eat it, and I'm not the only one. With all the teasers of Glenn and bats, his demise at the hands of Lucille seemed inevitable this season. So when I made the mistake on getting on Twitter while the East Coast was watching the finale, and I started seeing the OMG GLENN NOOOOOO tweets, I thought for sure he was a goner. Well, he wasn't. So you guys on the East Coast are a little dramatic lol. But he did come close, twice, at the hands of Nicholas, and when Glenn didn't kill that fool, I got a little angry. He needs to go.

You know who else needs to go? Father Gabriel. When he went on his little nature walk, and told that zombie that he was ready, I got so excited! He betrayed Rick's group by going to Deanna and saying what horrible people they are. They're so horrible that they let him tag along, even though he's been nothing but a whiny baby and a hindrance to the group. And excuse me, but who was the one that locked all his churchy friends out and let them die in the interest of self preservation? Yeah, that was you Father Gabriel, not Rick. So on the scale of one to you're a mega douche, I'd say he's a lot worse than Rick and Company. At least Rick kills for the protection of his makeshift family. Father Gabriel just hides in the corner like a puss. Then when Sasha went to him for help, and he told her that it was her and Tyreese's fault that Bob died. What the hell dude? That's not very priest-like, that's messed up. And the Padre still isn't very apocalypse savvy, as he left the gate open for zombies to just come on in and make themselves at home. Its a good thing Rick noticed that one had gotten through, and the delivery of its head to his hearing was a nice touch. It's probably the reason that Deanna let him stay in Alexandria. That, and when Porchdick Pete was trying to kill Rick, he sliced open Reg first and Deanna asked Rick to kill him for her. So long Porchdick! It was nice knowing you. Now maybe Rick can start a family again with Jessie.

Michael Cudlitz (Abraham) did an interview where he said that fans would be pissed off at this finale. His comments added to the Glenn dying theory, but after watching the finale, I don't think that's what he meant. I left the finale feeling pissed off that they killed the wrong people! I mean, Porchdick Pete needed to go, that's for sure. But poor Reg? He didn't do anything. I know that they are following a comic book story line there (and that's amazing, since I haven't read one Walking Dead comic, but comment sections on TWD articles are so informative), but did they really have to do it? Nicholas and Father Gabriel really needed to die in that episode. And really, Sasha did too. Shes so self destructive right now, its annoying and she either needs to get over it, or she needs to get back in that pit with the zombies.

This episode also brought us Morgan. After seeing little glimpses of him throughout the season, he is finally brought to the group. He helped save Aaron and Daryl from a trap that the Wolves had set. And that's the other big takeaway from this finale- The Wolves. We've been seeing these zombies with W's on their heads for this last half of the season, and now we know that they are marked for Wolves. Morgan had a talk with a Wolves member at the start of episode, where the Wolves member tells him that hes going to take everything from Morgan, including his life. As we know, that didn't happen, but the monologue was a nice way to explain what this group is and what the people of Alexandria are going to be up against. At the end of the episode, after we see more Wolves members resetting their food truck trap that almost killed Aaron and Daryl, we see them killing the member that failed to capture them, and we also see them looking at pictures of Rick's group in Alexandria. Season six will have to center around conflict with the Wolves, and if what all the comment commandos are saying is true....Glenn with finally meet his demise at the hands of Negan and Lucille :(

And lastly, it's also been hinted that someone in the group is going to turn into a bad guy (or gal). After watching these past few episodes, does anything think that's Carol (or Scarol? I can't think of her as anything else thanks to Chris Hardwick)? She came into Alexandria playing the timid old lady who can't do much, but shes basically Martha Stewart on steroids. Being a gangsta towards that kid, threatening Pete in the finale, turning on Rick when they were asking him about the gun, even though it had been her idea to get them....It just seems like shes planning her own thing now.

Source.

What did you think of the finale?  Were you thinking that Glenn was going to die too? Let me know in the comments below!

Poppin' Off- Netflix Picks #1

Netflix has been my best friend for quite some time now, so I thought I would periodically share with you guys what I've been watching.

Jericho
The premise is an interesting one- some major cities get nuked, then the rest of the United States falls apart. Everyone is receiving different information about who attacked the US, but none of it turns out to be true. After the attacks, people have to learn how to survive on limited resources, almost reverting back to the olden days, except they can still manage to find ways to make their electronics and cars work periodically. The United States splits off into new mini countries, and they basically are at war with one another. The show was cancelled abruptly in the beginning of it's second season, so it kinda leaves off in a place where you can feel alright about the ending, but you know there's more to the story. And there is. The writers were kind enough to continue the series in graphic novel form. You can pick up  "season" three and  "season" four and jump right back into the story :)

This how the US gets split in Jericho

Revolution

I'm actually still watching this (almost done with season one), but I really like it. In this one, the post apocalyptic world is created because someone turned off all the electricity. Yep, all of it. So the world gets taken way back in the day; they're using candles, swords, horses and buggies-everything old school. Or, as I once said while looking at Monroe's office (he's the main bad guy), it all looks like it from the Revolution. So maybe that was done on purpose. Anyway, the show has a lot of action, but the characters do make a lot of dumb decisions that can sometimes get irritating to watch. Irritations aside, I'm looking forward to watching season two, and its too bad that season three won't get to happen. Revolution also got cancelled. Here's the opening spiel, to give you an idea on what the show's about:

 We lived in an electric world. We relied on it for everything. And then the power went out. Everything stopped working. We weren't prepared. Fear and confusion led to panic. The lucky ones made it out of the cities. The government collapsed. Militias took over, controlling the food supply and stockpiling weapons. We still don't know why the power went out. But we're hopeful someone will come and light the way.

The US map from Revolution

What I like most about these shows is that these post apocalyptic scenarios are a little more realistic than say, zombies. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Walking Dead, I watch it every Sunday (and I am loving Carol right now! Shes like a bad ass Mr Rogers, going hard on that kid while baking cookies and wearing her sweater sets!). But the likelihood of a zombie outbreak happening is still very slim at this point. While viruses are getting more resistant to antibiotics, its not say that something resembling a zombie can't happen someday; but someone attacking us or us losing our power at the hand of another (probably Mother Nature, not a person though), is much more likely to occur. And I like these shows because of that. They didn't get super crazy with their scenarios, and well, I'm a fan of dystopian themed shows/books :) 

Are you a fan of shows like this? Have any recommendations? Leave them in the comments below. Have a great weekend!

**This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you make a purchase after clicking the link, I will receive a small return at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting KMT!**

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Best Teevee Shows of 2014

I feel like I haven't watched as much teevee as I did last year, which is why making this list seems more difficult to me. It also explains why a few of these shows aren't even technically teevee shows, they are Netflix shows. This list isn't necessarily shows that were new this year, they are just the shows I loved the most this year.

1. House of Cards. (Netflix) My husband and I binged watched this so fast! Kevin Spacey is a fabulous bad guy, and why do we have to wait until February 2015 for the next season? It has all the political snark and sass that Scandal has, but to me, this show seems a little more realistic. I completely believe that politicians have reporters in their pockets, and I can see how votes get swayed the way Frank does it. Now the way he got to the Presidency.....that's a little much. But its still a great show!!

2. Bojack Horseman. (Netflix) I didn't think I was going to like this show at first. A cartoon about a washed up 90's sitcom star that also happens to be a horse? What? But its actually pretty hilarious. And it has the voices of Will Arnett, Aaron Paul and Alison Brie, just to name a few. Here is Buzzfeed's breakdown of the background jokes in Season One. Season two starts some time next year.

3. Sons of Anarchy. Love this show, so sad its over. How many people died this season?! Like practically everybody. This was a show that took me forever to start watching, but once I did, I was so glad. And now I'm sad that its over, but really, it would be worse if they tried to drag it out. If you didn't get a chance to watch it on teevee, its on Netflix!

4. Cold Justice. I really like that this is a "reality" show, but its not completely outlandish like most reality teevee is. They don't always solve their cases, which is a bummer of course, but that goes to show you how real the show actually is. In a world where people think they know everything because they watch CSI or Law and Order, where the crimes get solved with witty one liners in an hour, its nice to have a show that actually shows people that it doesn't get solved that quickly. And fun fact, Marg Helgenberger's character on CSI was based on Yolanda McClary.

5. Rizzoli and Isles. I like cop shows. And really enjoy the dynamics that Jane and Maura's friendship share. I was a little nervous watching the rest of the season this year. Lee Thompson Young committed suicide in the summer, and he was one of my favorite characters on the show. I wasn't sure I wanted to see where the show would go without him. It did pretty well, though. They didn't rush to fill his shoes, gave the cast time to mourn, and as a fan, I appreciated that. I wasn't ready to see anyone sitting in his desk just yet.

Honorable Mentions-
Here are a couple of shows that I like, but I don't go out of my way to watch.

Project Runway Threads. I stumbled upon this when I had nothing to watch while folding laundry one day. I'm honestly falling out of love with the Project Runway franchise, there isn't anything new about it anymore. But with Threads, its different designers every week and they're teenagers! Its amazing how talented they are, and I really enjoy seeing their creative process. And the fact that they get to bring an assistant (usually a parent), is pretty great. The only thing that bothers me about the show is Ingrid Nilsen. She looks so young yet so old at the same time. It just bothers me.

Ladies of London. I want to live in London, and I love a good Housewives franchise. But this one was kind of eh. They made the Americans look rude, ignorant and loud, and they made the British ladies look too cool for school and mega bitchy. I had my favorite (Caroline) and my least favorite (Caprice), but it just fell a little short of what I was hoping it'd be. I still watched it though, because England.

Homeland. Without Brody, its nothing. Lol, okay, its not nothing- I just didn't really feel into it this season. Of course I still watched it....

And I still have my regular shows like Pretty Little Liars, 2 Broke Girls and the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Beverly Hills and Orange County that I watch too, but I think I put them on the list last year :)

How about you? What were your favorite shows this year? Did you keep to your old favorites or did you watch anything new?

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Best Music of 2014

Last year I did best albums and singles, but I have to admit, I only bought one CD in its entirety this year. It was Taylor Swift's 1989. And while that album is amazeballs, I think I'm sticking to just my favorite singles this year. Just like last year though, these are based purely on my musical preferences alone, and have no bearing whatsoever to any Billboard charts.

1. Bloodstream- Ed Sheeran This song is off his album x and it is just amazing. Its so sad, but beautiful. Its good if you're going through a rough time, especially in a relationship.

2. Shake It Off- Taylor Swift Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that people are going to be who they are no matter what, and you just need to shake it off and get on with your own fabulous life.

3. Black Widow- Iggy Azalea ft Rita Ora This song is just catchy to me, and for all the play its been getting on the radio, I'm still not sick of it yet. Plus, I'm a huge fan of Rita Ora. Find on Iggy's album The New Classic.

4. Centuries- Fall Out Boy I will always have a special place in my musical heart for Fall Out Boy. A band that references the Simpsons just can't fail in my book.

5.Till It's Gone- Yelawolf I love this song so much. It was debuted during the first episode of the last season of Sons of Anarchy, and it fits the show perfectly.

6. L.A.Love (La La)- Fergie I like Fergie's music for exercising or car rides, because its catchy and fun, and this song is no exception.

7. I Can't Stop Drinking About You - Bebe Rexha She sounds a bit like Miley Cyrus to me, but that's not a bad thing!  And I just really like this song.

I might be making a part two to this, I'm not sure. Because there are a lot of songs I liked this year! What about you? What are your favorite songs from 2014?

Poppin' Off- The Walking Dead Mid-Season Finale

I don't usually write about specific teevee episodes. I'm more of a series-as-a-whole type of person. But last Sunday's season five mid season finale of The Walking Dead was so talked about that I thought I would throw my two cents in. And yes, there are spoilers if you *still* haven't watched it or read any of the articles or tweets or Facebook statuses about it yet :)

I am the type of person that actively seeks out spoilers. I didn't use to be like that. But lately, they almost seem unavoidable, so I figured I would just embrace the spoiling culture. But with this episode, I didn't want to know. I knew someone was going to die, and I just didn't want to deal with it yet. However, I had been reading articles that speculated who was going to die, and most of the comments had Tyreese, Judith and Sasha as the main picks. Carol was also a top contender after Norman Reedus said that he spent hours crying before shooting a particular scene. Only once did I see someone say that they thought it was Beth, because they had read somewhere that she had a new gig lined up already. Spoiler alert, that commenter was right. So that night, I tried so hard to stay away from the Internet dumping grounds. No Facebook. No Twitter. No Yahoo with its spoiler filled front page. But I went on Instagram. And damnit, I saw a spoiler. So I knew it was coming. But it still shocked me.

I don't know why her death got to me like it did. She wasn't a favorite of mine. I didn't hate her character, but I didn't love her either. I felt like I was finally getting to know her this past season, when she was off with Daryl. But then they took her away. And when they finally did bring her back, and with her own story arc no less, they killed her off. Weak. The whole episode was pretty tame too, until the end. Then it was like "Here's all the emotions! Feel them! NOW!!!" Seeing Rick and Daryl cry was tough. And then Maggie. Oh Maggie. That made me tear up. Twitter almost crashed with reaction. So many people were upset, I almost wonder if Robert Kirkman and the rest of TWD creative team regrets choosing Beth as the one to die. And then that awkward Talking Dead where he had to sit next to her while she cried about having to leave the show....

The fan reactions weren't all mourning her loss though. Some were mourning the wasted episodes. Why build up the hospital arc, only to kill off Beth and then leave the hospital without taking anything or anyone from it? Others tried to liken it to current events because of Dawn, which is so unnecessary I can't even fathom why they thought that was a good idea. Just because they were cops means....what? I believe that Dawn knew that story about how the other officer died was fake. She was already well aware of the fact that her cronies in the hospital were losing faith in her leadership abilities, as exhibited by her friend that met his demise in the elevator shaft. Her adding Noah to the negotiations was her way of grandstanding to the hospital folks, trying to show that she still wears the pants. I think Beth's pitiful attempt to stab Dawn in her bulletproof vest protected shoulder was an attempt to get her group to help the hospital people get away from Dawn. I don't think she expected Dawn to shoot her since they'd had the bonding moment in the elevator area. In any event, she shouldn't have gone out like that. It was pitiful, and she had developed into a much stronger girl then she was when they found her at the farm. She deserved a better send off, if not more time on the show.

all photos from tvline.com

What did you think of the finale? Was it what you were expecting, or were you disappointed by Beth's death? There's so much to cover on this one! Let me know what you thought of it in the comments :)

Poppin' Off- Big Hero 6

There might be tiny spoiler's in this one. Sorry! I tried really hard not to!

Big Hero 6 is everything you could ask for in a superhero movie. Except, when you purchase your ticket, you probably aren't expecting to watch a superhero movie. I know I wasn't.

Hiro and his brother live with their aunt in San Frantokyo because their parents passed away when they were young, and Hiro is kind of a boy genius. He gets into trouble, and his brother ends up convincing him to go to "nerd school" with him. Then something terrible happens, and Hiro gets into a funk. This is when he finds out that an invention his brother had been working on, Baymax (the big marshmallow guy) is there, and everything starts to change.

If you think back to every great hero's origin story, it pretty much goes like this: death and/or extreme wealth, superpowers (accidental or self-given), sidekick, villain to ruin, life to live normally. Right? Well, that's pretty much Big Hero 6. Except Hiro gets five sidekicks (he basically gets a set of Avengers), and more than one of them has an origin story thats worthy of superheroness (or villainy), which makes me wonder (hope!) if they have a sequel in the works. As far as characters go, I think that Baymax is the new Groot. Hes so lovable, especially doing a fist bump! And Go Go is going to a new cosplayer favorite.

The movie was really compelling though. It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure. So many moments to be happy, but just as many moments to be sad. I felt like I was watching a Marvel movie, it was just animated. And speaking of Marvel, a very special person *cough*Stan Lee*cough* makes a cameo in Big Hero 6. Its quick, and I know that a lot of people in the theater that I watched it at didn't catch it. Also, just like a Marvel movie, stay until the very end of the credits, there's a bonus scene there thats pretty awesome. I would have left during the credits if I hadn't seen a tweet earlier that day saying that there was that bonus scene. Some of the theater workers didn't even know it was there, and tried to kick the few of us that stayed out of the theater so they could clean it. [Side note: I've been reading this paragraph for a few minutes now, seeing how many times I wrote how it was like Marvel. So after spending some time with my best friend Google, I learned that the Big Hero 6 were in fact Marvel comic books.So theres that. The more you know. ]

The movie was really good, my kids are already asking when we can buy it, and if you go to see it in theaters, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Immortals by Fall Out Boy 

From the Big Hero 6 soundtrack

Poppin' Off- The Book of Life

Halloween was a weird one. All day it had been so hot and muggy. Even while my kids were trick or treating it was pretty warm. Then, right after we had wrapped up our evening, it starting raining  so hard. We had horrible wind, thunder, lightning. It was a true storm and it was fantastic. The next day my son had an early morning soccer game and I thought for sure it would be cancelled. If not for that weather, then surely the fields were wrecked. Nope. We woke up, the sun was shining, and the fields were fine. He played his game just fine and then, right when it was over, it started raining. The kids had wanted to play on the toys at the soccer park after his game, but since it was raining, we couldn't. So instead we went to a movie theater thats close to the park and saw The Book of Life.

I got excited to see this movie during the summer when I first saw the trailer for it for a couple of different reasons. I have loved Dia de los Muertos for quite some time. I think its a beautiful holiday. I love all the vibrant colors, the flowers and the sugar skulls. And I love that the deceased get a day to be celebrated. Without getting ultra into it or anything- its been my experience that people show up for a funeral, then have some kind of meal afterwards, then for the first year or two after the death they call and say how they miss so and so, and then you never hear about them again. I, personally, hate this. I think this is why I love Dia de los Muertos so much. They even have shrines for their deceased. I think its sweet. I was also excited for my children to see this because they are half-Hispanic. My husband is Hispanic, but I often joke with my husband that I'm more Mexican than he is because I'm always asking for Mexican food and want to buy all the brightly colored sugar skull things lol. His family doesn't really celebrate any of the Mexican holidays, so I was hoping my kids might learn a little something from this movie. Or at least get interested enough in the holiday to find out what its about.

The movie follows Manolo and Joaquin, two boys who are best friends that are fighting for the heart of Maria. Each boy is special because spirits have bet on them. La Muerte, the ruler of the Land of the Remembered, has chosen Manolo and Xibalba, the ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, has chosen Joaquin.There isn't much to say about the bet without giving the rest of the movie away, but if you're curious, you can click here :) The movie is very good if you need to explain death to a child, because there is a lot of it in the film. Its not in a gory or painful way, its very practical. The Land of the Remembered is very vibrant and there is a party every day. Its where the relatives live that are remember by people that are living. The Land of the Forgotten is gray. There are no parties. Its where the people who nobody remembers go, and eventually they turn to dust. Its a very pragmatic way to look at it, because its true. If nobody remembers you, how can you live on? It also deals with children trying so hard to live up to the expectations placed on them by their parents, only to realize that they need to live life for themselves. For an animated movie, there were a lot of deep themes. But it wasn't so deep that kids won't understand, and there's still a good amount of humor mixed in too.

The movie is every bit as visually stunning as the previews makes it seem. Even more so once they get into the Land of the Remembered. The colors are so vibrant, and the details are ridiculously amazing. The soundtrack is very good as well. It takes a lot of "adult" songs and gives them a Hispanic twist and changes them a little to make it kid friendly. I especially enjoyed the remake of Mumford and Sons' I Will Wait. Very Good.

Have you seen the movie? What did you think about it?

Poppin' Off Early Edition- Halloween Teevee Shows

Since I posted about the movies I like to watch around Halloween, I thought I'd also write about the teevee shows that themes that fit the Halloween vibe and are perfect for binge watching. Bonus, almost all of these are available for streaming on Netflix right now.

1. Dexter. Making Deb's casual costume the other day has really made me want to rewatch the series. A serial killer that kills bad guys only? And works at a police department? It really doesn't get much better than that. Even though hes a serial killer, you really have to love Dexter (well, until the last season, then you kinda wish he died).

2. Criminal Minds. I've been watching this show lately and I enjoy it. There are some things that bother me, like the team constantly compromises evidence by never wearing gloves, and the way they wear their guns drives me insane. But then I remind myself that its teevee and the rest of the show is actually pretty good. Its also about serial killers, but its focus is a behavioral analysis team from the FBI that catches them. And if you're ever in need of a good quote, this is the show for you. They open and close each episode with a quote from a famous thinker, writer, poet, etc. (There's even a few websites dedicated to documenting each quote, like this one.)

3. Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Not quite like its movie predecessor, but this show had plenty of sass and dry humor that made it great. Not to mention a soundtrack that is oh so appropriate to its time (late 90s, early 2000's). Buffy is a very nostalgic show for me. I had the soundtrack on CD and would listen to it while getting ready for school. And I think Buffy was one of the only shows my sisters and I could agree to watch together back in high school, everything else was such a battle lol. 

4. Sabrina The Teenage Witch. So I think the beginning episodes are the best, but the show in general is a favorite of mine. Salem was always my favorite character, and I loved the house Sabrina and her aunts lived in. While the show did do specific Halloween episodes, all of the episodes are good for a little magic. 

5. The Simpsons Treehouse of Terror. If you planned ahead during FXX's marathon like my sister in law did, your DVR could be storing every Treehouse of Terror. But if you're like me and didn't, find copies of these episodes immediately! The Simpsons usually do good Halloween episodes.

6. The X-Files. Um....this show screams Halloween. Aliens? Mystery? Conspiracy theories? These are things that this holiday thrives on. And not to mention that Mulder and Scully are the best set of partners to ever grace your teevee screen. Watch it. Watch it now. And then watch the movie.

7. Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. A must watch, every single year. 

(I say this a lot, not too many people get it)

What are you watching this Halloween season? Are there any shows you think I should have added to my list?

Poppin' Off- Halloween Movie Picks

I'm not big on scary movies. When I was little (like around five), my mom and one of her friends took me and my brother to a drive in to see a double feature- The Fly  and The Fly II. I guess they figured that since it was late we would fall asleep and never see the movies, or just get bored and play on our own. But we didn't fall asleep. I saw them. And it terrified me. I haven't been able to watch scary movies since. So these movie picks might be a little (very) tame for some of you, but here are my recommendations for movies to watch this Halloween season.

1. Hocus Pocus. You knew this was coming, didn't you?  Its forever number one on my list.I just love everything about this movie. There's lore, witches and black cats, the whole picturesque East Coast backdrop. And its especially good if you have children, you can watch it and not worry about anything too scary or inappropriate popping up onscreen.

2. Scream and Scream 5. Now you might be thinking, "Didn't she just say she doesn't like scary movies?" And the answer to that is still yes. But its not scary to me in the same way The Fly is. I think these are the best two of the series, but its always fun trying to figure out who is wearing the mask, don't you think?

"Do you like scary movies?"

3. The Craft. Modern day witches, doing what they do. Fairuza Balk is crazy in this movie, her performance made the movie to me. Think of it as a Gothic Mean Girls. What would The Plastics be like with dark powers? Like these ladies. 

"We are the weirdos, Mister."

4. Casper. I loved this movie when I was younger. Christina Ricci was one of  my favorite actresses at the time. The movie is kinda sad, but its a ghost story you can watch and not need to sleep with the lights on for days after.

5. Twilight Saga. For some reason, when I think of fall, Twilight pops into my head. I think it has to do with the way the movie was marketed (always came out around Thanksgiving), plus the way the films were shot (always dark, with the characters wearing darker neutrals). These movies are good for people who want to do Vampires and Werewolves without the gore. 

6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So much sass and humor, this movie is great. Hands down a classic. Buffy is a typical Valley Girl cheerleader who finds out that hey, shes also a vampire slayer. My favorite part is when Pike is dying and it takes forever.

7. Practical Magic. I liked this movie for a lot of reasons, but the witchcraft wasn't a main draw for me like it is in The Craft. I love the East Coast setting, and I really enjoyed the bond that each set of sisters had. I thought it was cool that there was always one dark haired one, one red headed one. One serious one, one crazy one. And Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman were perfect for their roles. 

8. Teen Witch. Another oldie but a goodie, this movie used to come on a lot on Saturday afternoons and I would always watch it. Something about a girl with witchy powers, I've always been drawn to those types of stories. And maybe it was all those musical numbers....Anyway, Louise is a basic nobody until she hits sixteen and finds out shes a witch. Then she makes herself uber popular, then realizes its not so great....typical teen movie stuff. The best part of the movie though, is when Louise's friend Polly rap battles her crush Rhett in the street. Classic 80's randomness!

What are your must watch movies around Halloween time?


PS There's still time to enter my Extra Life giveaway! Check it out here!