An ominous title gives the false impression that writer-director Andrew Renzi’s feature film debut is in some way a thriller. Spoiler alert: it is not. “The Benefactor” tells the tale of Franny (Richard Gere), a morphine addicted philanthropist whose guilty conscious over his role in a car accide
An offbeat romp of bizarre proportions, the latest effort from director Todd Strauss-Schulson is a strange one. It follows Max (Taissa Farmiga), the daughter of a B-movie actress (Malin Ackerman) who starred in a cult classic slasher flick in the 80’s. A couple of years after her mother's dea
History Vikings: Season 4. Episode 6 - What Might Have Been You can boil this entire episode down to a single scene towards the end as Ragnar (Travis Fimmel), high on drugs, looks out into the distance to see his old life literally staring back at him. It was a vision where departed loved ones a
Eclectic Pop has been around for 3 years now and in a sort of retrospective of the site’s history, it only seemed right to unveil what the Top 10 most-read posts have been over the course of its run so far.
Daredevil – Season 2.Episode 1 (“Bang”) The new season of Netflix's original series premiered on the streaming giant last week with a shockingly strong debut episode. The first season of “Daredevil” had its moments and definitely showed potential; however, nothing could have hinted at su
The Lost Cause Podcast Co-hosted by Drew Koenig ( @thedrewkoenig ) and Amanda Williams ( @Amandimation ), the recently formed Lost Cause Podcast focuses on “television and pop culture discussion” per their Twitter bio. In January, I had the pleasure of guesting on their third episode, which re
This week (March 21 to be exact) marks the third anniversary of when Eclectic Pop kicked off the beginning of its journey, pressing publish on an inaugural post that was really more of a blurb. It would be the starting point for a wild 3 years that have brought with it a fair share of learning exp
Friday (April 1), a brand new playlist will premiere on the online radio station #RKC (Radio Kaos Caribou). 25 songs will comprise the latest Eclectic Selection lineup. If some of the songs sound familiar that’s because you might have heard them in a TV show or movie. Natasha Blume’s “Black Se
Few sequels in recent memory have been as big a letdown as “Insurgent”, the second installment in the “Divergent” franchise. After an unexpectedly fantastic debut film, expectations for a strong follow-up were high, only to be met with crushing disappoint. Never understatement the impact changing
Lyrical mantras and heady instrumentation take center stage on London-based alternative rock band The Action’s latest EP 'Indefensible'. Jump starting the EP is the inaugural entry: “The Echo”, which puts a jazzy spin on the band’s trip hop influences. “Counting All Days” follows with a t
Bates Motel – Season 4.Episode 1 (“A Danger to Himself and Others”) The best show on television returned with another stellar season opener. Picking up shortly after the events of last year’s finale, Norma and Dylan had mounted a low key search for Norman before he was discovered roaming the fi
Are you looking for something exciting to do this week? Well, if you are in the Austin area; the sixth Texas Indie Fest is a good bet for strong entertainment. Below you will find the official PR statement with all of the info you need to know about the big event:
[Image by A+E] Overview: The Bates family faced further trials and tribulations in the series' outstanding third season. Convinced that Norman (Freddie Highmore) had killed a motel guest, the season’s core mystery revolved around whether he was actually guilty and if so what Norma (Vera
Director Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s adaptation of “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn’s novel “Dark Places” takes its titular theme to the hilt, in a film that is as its title suggests unrelentingly dreary. Not that it has much of a choice given the subject matter.
Pretty Little Liars might as well have taken place in an alternate universe for this episode. For the first time in the history of the show, Hanna was the least likable Liar, Toby was more likable than Caleb and Ezria was tolerable to the point of this die-hard detractor supporting a reunion b
When it comes to describing director John Crowley’s adaptation of “Brooklyn” one word rapidly comes to mind: poignant. There are scores of movies that have told stories about coming-of-age in fish-out-of-water circumstances with a love triangle thrown in for good measure.
Vikings didn't let up on the pulsating action in its second outing of the season. What made this chapter especially interesting was how the subplots of the series' less central characters (Judith, Queen Kwenthrith) managed to take center stage and prove so worthy of the attention. Were
The second month of 2016 is officially over, which means it’s time to take a look back at the Top 10 posts that stirred the most interest on Eclectic Pop in February. Topping the heap are 2 movie reviews, 3 TV Rundowns, 1 song review, all 3 of the Best of 2015 lists (movies, music and TV) and the
Cheating is not romantic. If you agree with that premise, “The Choice” will more than likely leave you colder than a snowman in Antarctica. Since it is at the crux of Nicholas Sparks’ latest drama about people falling in love with each other and overcoming incredible odds to be together, there is
Predicted Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant If there is one lock this year it is Leonardo DiCaprio. “The Revenant” marks his sixth acting Oscar nomination and after losing every time and being looked over for countless other worthy performances, it appears 2016 will finally be his ye
