Hello Boys and girls!  Here at HST we are always thinking of you, and as you may have noticed we have been slowly introducing co-reviews between some of the writers here.  That’s right, we are saving you time from your obligation to read three Haywire reviews this week by only providing two on the site (and this is more of a spoiler free discussion/review)!  What?  You don’t remember signing that contract a while back.  …Don’t worry about it.  Let’s begin!

Lauren:  Who the heck is Gina Carano?  For those of us not knowledgeable when it comes to people who love to punch faces for a living, apparently she is one crazy awesome fighter.  Or at least that is what IMDB’s trivia section has led me to believe.  Basically, she is one BA individual who is capable of more than just holding her own.  And I don’t care how confident you are, after seeing Haywire you better pray that you are never looking over your raised knuckles into her eyes. (more…)

I know I know…  Many of you are thinking.  Really?  This loser is going to review a self-help book about LOVE on this site???  I can just skip this (and you can, if you really want to)!  But bear with me!  My next review will be on Ready Player One, a book which will suit many of your tastes far better.  In the meantime, you might as well know upfront that I think this book is really worthwhile, otherwise I wouldn’t waste your time with it.

Once you get past the fact that Dr. Chapman sounds a lot like Dr. Phil, and mixes in a fair amount of religious talk at the beginning and end of this book, The Five Love Languages is actually a really interesting way of looking at our relationships with others (both romantic and non-romantic).  In the book, Dr. Chapman reveals that people express and receive love in different ways.  Because of this, even in some of the most loving relationships, one or both parties may not feel loved because the way the love is expressed isn’t necessarily in a “language” the other is receptive to.  In other words, we feel most loved when the other person is expressing their love in a way that is important to us. (more…)

Beauty and the Beast is back in theaters with the Disney 3D treatment and it is pretty much a success all around.

The film is a deserved classic in the Disney cannon though it has never been my favorite from the era.  Beauty and the Beast was part of the early 90’s resurgence for the company’s animation studio and while very good it falls behind Aladdin, Lion King, and The Little Mermaid for me.  That said it was great to revisit the film in the cinema and it is still a gorgeous piece of animation to behold.

The film is straight forward and a classic fairy tale, but the film is mighty affective when it needs to be.  Filled with a number of memorable characters, moments, and musical sequences there is a lot for anyone of any age to enjoy.  From The Beast to Lumiere the cast of characters are varied and full of life and even the film’s villain, Gaston, is likable in a buffoonish way.  Turning the help staff into household items allows for some fun humor, just don’t think about the logistics of what became what in the house to hard, and gives the story an interesting wrinkle to keep the kids engaged.

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Castle is easily one of my favorite shows on TV right now, thanks in large part to Nathan Fillion.  As the title character, he brings so much glee to crime fighting (comparable to Po in Kung Fu Panda at times) that it is not hard to love the man.  Not only that, but he brings humor and a lightness to this procedural, something which has been missing from the genre (and is largely to blame for why I don’t watch some of the big name entries in the genre).

As a tie in to the show, Heat Wave is set up as the first book that Castle wrote based on the time he has spent with Detective Kate Beckett, basing the main character largely on her.  It is a fun novel in which we follow Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook during a murder investigation.  As someone familiar with the episode structure of the show, this is appropriately set up as a novelization of an episode, though longer.  There are the usual red herrings, sexual tension, dead bodies, chases, etc., but the one thing that it is not is an episode of Castle. (more…)

Joyful Noise is the first movie of 2012 I have reviewed and it is already in the running for the year’s worst.

The film is an unbearable slog of a film that shows no craft whatsoever in both its filmmaking and musical performances.  At two hours, the film felt like a freaking eternity and the filmmakers show no sense of pace or momentum.  The film is an inconsistent and narrative mess that never tries to validate its plot, characters, or motivations across the board.  It is hard to believe how poor a piece of filmmaking this picture is and I was regretting my morbid curiosity in checking this film out before the first act was over.

It only gets worse from there though.  A movie steeped in gospel music and church going southerners is bound to get preachy, but for a while there I didn’t think they were going to go there.  Boy was I wrong.  (more…)

Zac:  So Lauren, you and I both saw Contraband this week, the new film staring Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi about a bunch of smugglers trying to iron out a family debt; what did you think?

Lauren: I think that I am rather impressed with how easily you were able to narrow down that plot.  Smuggling is the main focus, but it is hardly alone as Contraband throws in everything possible to make this an exciting experience.  After a while it was just like, “oh come on!”  How am I truly supposed to believe this story anymore?  And not in an exciting, Mission: Impossible sort of way.  Too much of a good thing can become a great thing, but here we were just being buried in more plot points to stand in the way of our main characters from having an easy time with things. (more…)

A little while ago, someone asked me who my favorite frontmen were in today’s music. Though the rest of the five I listed took some time to spit out, the first name to come out was Circa Survive’s Anthony Green. His overall lyricism, the signature voice inflection, and his overall stage antics (like climbing into Jimmy Fallon’s balcony section while performing on his talk show) is what makes him better than the rest (IMO). That pick was only confirmed after reading the incredible Alternative Press cover story this month; how he had to overcome some personal demons and problems family wise is truly inspiring (if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you grab an issue when you see it).

That all being said, Anthony Green’s first solo album Avalon didn’t really resonate with me like his band’s work did. Most of the album had a folky aspect to it, which although original for it’s time, just didn’t stick with me like any of Circa’s past albums. Before reviewing his newest album Beautiful Things, I assumed that he would put out a true sequel to Avalon. In a surprise twist, the albums sounds much more Circa than his first solo album did, and it makes a tremendous difference. (more…)

It is beyond me why people with annoying voices decide that it is their calling to narrate audio books.  Enter Amanda Ronconi, narrator of Molly Harper’s book.  She manages to make an already poorly written book even more horrible, especially every time she did her “man” voice.  Her rendition of all male characters sounded like a 100 year old crotchety emphysema-ridden lifetime smoker.  C’mon people!  Unless you are a professional impressionist – lay off doing the voices of the opposite sex.  Not only does it never work, but it detracts from the book itself (if the book has any element of worth to begin with, which this book most definitely did not!).

After Moonshine (not kidding – that was the main character’s name) is broken up with by her fiancé, this long time Southern girl retreats to Grundy, Alaska for a fresh start and some personal reflection.  Not long after moving, she finds a wounded, naked man curled up on her front porch.  She lets him inside (of course, this is what any woman living in isolation should logically do, right?).  Overnight, his wounds miraculously heal, and he morphs into a wolf before Mo’s very eyes.  As Mo starts to fall in love with this wolfy (more…)

Before listening to this album, I tried remembering why Snow Patrol didn’t explode over here like they did overseas. Their one mega U.S. hit, “Chasing Cars” took over mainstream radio stations for months (still gets played today). However, due to rapid repetition, that song quickly lost it’s luster. Their next single was their song “Signal Fire,” which was featured on the Spiderman 3 soundtrack. Now, I’m in no way saying that Peter Parker’s last movie killed the momentum that Snow Patrol had over here, but I’m sure that it didn’t help much.

That hasn’t stopped the Irish alt-rock quintet from putting out new music though. Since then, Snow Patrol has released two more albums, including this year’s Fallen Empires. Although I commend Snow Patrol for almost an hour of decent pop-rock, nothing here is really stretching their musical limits. (more…)

With our lists of favorites of the past year done, it is now time to look ahead to what is to come this year.  [Takes a gander] Holy F there is a lot!  Did you read year?  No, I said year through March.  Silly you.  Here is the list from your favorite writers at HST for what we are most excited for and hoping will end up on our “Favorite of 2012″ lists come year’s end. (more…)

Two years ago, a small band out of Kentucky named Cage the Elephant came out big with their radio-ready first single, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.” That song catapulted them into the spotlight, giving them a lot of radio play and song plugs (like the beginning of the excellent Borderlands). Now, two albums into their career – their 2010 self-titled debut and 2011’s Thank You, Happy Birthday – they decided to put out a live album, taking the best songs from both of the aforementioned albums and putting them into one epic show.

As a side note, I have always wanted to see this band live. Their sound, musicianship, and stage antics (like stage diving off of speakers, or walking on the hands of their fans) are what make Cage the Elephant…well…THEM. And although a normally risky thing to do with only two albums deep in their career, I cannot applaud CTE enough for doing such a kickass job. (more…)

Last but not least, here is HST’s list of favorite video games from the past year.  And what a year it was, with huge titles coming out and an epic fall season to cap off the year.  Plenty of sequels and a few new IPs to boot, so there are plenty of games to mention even without the honorable title and seat on high as the crowned favorite. (more…)

With so much of my (Lauren’s) personality constructed by Television, from PBS shows of my childhood to everything Joss Whedon that influenced my sense of humor and sarcasm, it’s no surprise that every year I get pretty excited for the pilots making their attempt to gain viewers.  Not only that, but sometimes I go crazy fanatic for those shows I have come to love for seasons and seasons.  Chuck is only a half season!?  Community is getting shelved!?  NNNOOO!!!!  Good thing there are some great new shows that helped these irritated wounds sting a little less. (more…)

Whether we like it or not, the year is coming to a close. And now, it is time to reflect on what came out in music. Below, the writers for HST have come up with their favorite albums and songs of the year. We hope that you enjoy our selections, and comment on what songs or albums made your 2011 memorable. Enjoy!!! (more…)

It was a great year for films, here are some highlights from the writers of HST.  [Sorry to blow you away with my expressive introduction, it's just my talent shining through] (more…)