The CW Reign | “Tasting Revenge” was an episode filled with relationship turmoil, as some couples came together and others broke apart. First off, there was the dissolution of Frary. Despite a beyond-noble gesture from Francis, Mary remained obstinate in her choice to be with Conde
Bates Motel | The season premiere of A&E’s “Psycho” prequel got off to another marvelous start. Sowing the seeds for the coming drama came in subtle strokes that pushed the overall story forward, while giving due to its smaller facets. Norma learned of her mother’s death, Norma
General Hospital | The custody battle for adorable baby Avery, took center stage last week and the power struggle hit critical mass when Michael was awarded custody over Sonny. It’s a poetic twist; the show has been smartly lying the groundwork for, for over a year. As delicious as long time view
It’s been a couple of weeks since Hollywood’s biggest night and as crazy as it seems, all of those months of anticipation and focus have already shifted to next year’s potential frontrunners. With that in mind, Eclectic Pop dissects the 3 major takeaways from this year’s Oscars and the impact it
Open Road Films Underneath the dim lights of a nocturnal Los Angeles, a hollow-eyed creature claws out of the ether. He is a predator equipped with cunning, ambition, and a chillingly calm demeanor. He is Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man whose most dangerous weapon is his mind, and it might
Brush up on Eclectic Pop’s movie reviews of the Oscar nominated films battling it out for glory by clicking the title you wish to read. Be sure to check back, as the list will be populated further as more reviews are published. The movies are listed in alphabetical order.
Predicted Winner: Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything" This is the only suspenseful category in the acting portion of the Oscars. The competition between Michael Keaton and Redmayne has been intensely close. Ever since the release of “Birdman” at the Venice Film Festival, K
Predicted Winner: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice" This category is an absolute lock. Withstanding one of the biggest upsets in Oscar history, the four-time nominee should claim the prize on her fifth nod. Given Moore is a veteran and long-deserving recipient, none of her other co
Predicted Winner: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash" This is another category that’s winner is a no brainer. Ever since “Whiplash” burst onto the scene at last year’s Sundance Film Festival it has been the buzz of awards observers with Simmons’ performance as a relentless and brutal music
Predicted Winner: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood" Arquette’s role as a single mom raising a boy who grows into young adulthood, has earned her every award she’s been in contention for. Her win is as inevitable as her Leading Actress counterpart, Julianne Moore. Why She Will Win | T
Reign | Narcisse was a busy man in “The End of Mourning” as he made huge inroads into reclaiming his status by finagling a save for Antoine and an unwitting Conde, as the brothers stood accused of poisoning the king. It deserves reiterating that Craig Parker (Narcisse) is an absolute deli
Pretty Little Liars | To sum up “Out Damned Spot”; Mike continued his bizarre behavior, Emily learned that her new girlfriend was keeping a pretty big secret, Spencer’s neighbor took her out to paint graffiti, Hanna asked her father for monetary support for college and Fitz espoused a life les
Love, madness and a mystery consume a newlywed couple who’ve embarked on their honeymoon at a lakeside cabin in the woods. What begins as a picturesque excursion for Bea (Rose Leslie) and Paul (Harry Treadaway) soon descends into a nightmare when the new bride disappears in the middle of the nigh
Michael Keaton vs. Eddie Redmayne | It’s the only Oscar race still up for grabs and with Redmayne nabbing the Best Actor BAFTA the margin between the two has only got closer. Redmayne will come into the Oscars having won both the Best Actor Golden Globe in the drama category, the SAG and the BAF
“The Boy Next Door” is Jennifer Lopez’s latest starring vehicle, which features a gender reversal that sparks a refreshing take on the erotic thriller. Lopez stars as Claire, a mom weighing whether to reconcile with her cheating husband (John Corbett) from whom she is separated.
In the midst of her arduous journey, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) makes her entrance onto the screen in an opening scene that sums up the nearly 2 hours to come. Startlingly painful and cringe inducing, she must endure an agonizing side effect of her walkabout. Her screams of frustration zip
Arrow | Making his most gallant move yet, the charming and demure Ray Palmer leaped into action to protect Felicity when assailants stormed a meeting of Starling City’s finest. It was a major Raylicity moment, though his heroism didn’t seem to get a proper notice from a preoccupied Felicity who i
Director Clint Eastwood’s provocative adaptation of Chris Kyle’s memoir is an absorbing look into the life of a serviceman and the toll his work and departure takes on his family. Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the most lethal marksman in U.S. military history. A highly publicized angle to this
It’s hard to pinpoint where it all began. Some could argue it’s been building since Johnny Depp, a prominent art house darling transitioned from the heart of indie film to the star of Disney tent poles. After a showbiz career spanning more than 30 years, Depp has recently found himself amid a high
FOX Mid-Season: Backstrom | Rainn Wilson stars in his first television role since “The Office” wrapped in 2013. FOX’s crime procedural sounds like a cross between “Monk” and “House”. It could potentially get lost in the shuffle of similar procedurals that also star an eccentric detective so
Crazy, kooky and ferociously goofy, Johnny Depp’s latest is a send-up to the 70’s caper movies and the genre that parodied them. Striking a similar if distant cord to “The Pink Panther”, “Mortdecai” features a bungling lead character whose charm lies in being larger than life. The situations are o
ABC Mid-Season : Fresh Off the Boat | Based on Eddie Huang’s memoir of the same name, this sitcom is set in the 90’s and tells the story of an adolescent Eddie (Hudson Yang) as he and his family adjust to life in Orlando, Florida after moving from Washington, DC. Similar to ABC’s comedy “The Gol
In the 80's on an ordinary day in the life of a mouthy teenager (Shailene Woodley), Kat's mother (Eva Green) mysteriously vanishes off the face of the earth.
More mystery than actioner, Liam Neeson is back in this “Taken” three-quel. An appropriate subtitle to this surprisingly engaging bookend to the trilogy could’ve easily been “The Escape Artist” as Bryan Mills (Neeson) shows off a new skill; escaping the inescapable. Getting off to a slow star
Walt Disney Pictures Journeying to a dark place of magic, characters find something tragic. A Baker and his wife try to end their childless strife. Cinderella avoids her pompous fellow, as disastrous glitches plague a witch’s sinister wishes. Now that we have the rhyming portion of this review o
With a lot of series returning from their mid-season hiatuses (“Pretty Little Liars” is already back); Eclectic Pop has made some resolutions for several series’ respective seasons. The final installment continues with the CW's "Reign". If you missed Part 1 ( click here ) Rei
With a lot of series returning from their midseason hiatuses (“Pretty Little Liars” and “Revenge” have already come back); Eclectic Pop makes some resolutions for several series’ respective seasons. The Vampire Diaries: It’s time for Bonnie to finally return home and find some much deserved h
James Marsh’s biopic tells the “loved” story of Stephen Hawking and his first wife Jane. Meeting at Cambridge in the early 1960’s, the two academics meet at a party and are quickly smitten with each other. Stephen (Eddie Redmayne), a scientific minded atheist, falls for the humanities oriented and
Best Pop Artist/Best Album: Taylor Swift, '1989' Swift struck gold again, producing an album flawless in its neo-bubblegum abandon. There's not a bad or middling song on this record, the work of a true artisan. Swift had already cemented herself as a pop culture fixture with her 4 pr
When ABC’s tale of revenge and blood feuds began it was as an ode to Alexander Dumas’ classic novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” with the twist being the beleaguered victim’s daughter would take up the mantle to avenge her dead father and clear his name. One of the series’ greatest challenges ha
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Actress Gina Rodriguez broke the mold as she became the first actor from a CW series to win a Golden Globe for her work on the network’s freshman series, “Jane the Virgin.” Rodriguez’s win paves the way for other unheralded actors from the network to achieve future ac
Grecian born and UK-based singer/songwriter Hellena’s single ‘Dream Big’ does just that by featuring exotic instrumentation that combines touches of R&B, pop and soul. A song about the ambition to live up to one’s potential, her lyrics embody the message as she sings “The fire’s still bur
The latest single from Bristol-based singer/songwriter Tom Mitchell stays the course of his previously lovely works. Featured in last year’s Sonic Assembly for his terrific EP ‘Things That I Need to Undo’ ( read about it here ); Mitchell has once again regaled with his special brand of melod
In 2013 Thomas McConnell received major recognition from Paul McCartney when he shared McConnell’s cover of the music legend’s song 'New' on Twitter. A year later the Liverpool-based McConnell has released the rollicking single 'Crocodile', an infectious and stylistically retro
Best Show: Bates Motel | "Expectations were high and Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin delivered...In the course of 10 episodes, they took viewers on a roller coaster ride, bringing them conflict, romance, treachery, action and family drama. Immaculately written, performed and directed, watchi
Worst Movie: Need for Speed | Over the top ridiculousness that never let up, Aaron Paul’s big starring vehicle proved a lemon. You couldn’t even enjoy the exhibition of high performance cars. Instead viewers were treated to the ludicrous sight of a monster truck outrunning a souped-up sports car,
Best Drama: Like Father, Like Son | This gripping family drama deservedly swept last year’s Cannes. Phenomenal performances anchor this story about an urban couple who learn the son they’ve been raising was switched at birth. The patriarch must then decide whether to keep the boy he loves or cla
.png)
