I Am Number Four - Flashy Lights Fail to Enlighten

With CGI becoming better and better with each passing year, flocks of people run to the theaters to see the newest action film with the largest explosions possible. However, no amount of editing and post-production work could have ever saved the so-called film I Am Number Four. Produced by Bay Films, it clearly has the stylistic special effects of the Hollywood powerhouse production company but unfortunately the films writing fails to deliver on every level imaginable and turns into a painstaking marathon to get to the end.

Based on the popular teen novel of the same title, I Am Number Four follows the story of a teen alien superhero teen named John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) who comes to Earth escaping death on his home planet from a rival species called the Mogadorians. John and his protector Henri seek shelter in a small town named Paradise, OH where John tries to blend in with the locals by going to high school. The writers, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, in an attempt to cater to a younger audience which the book is aimed at, work too hard to make the movie into a campy teen drama. Throughout the film, it feels as though the writers were trying to write a script for the show High School Musical with the plot twist being that one of the kids has the ability to shoot lasers from his hands and destroy things with his mind.

The result is a series of awkward moments that anyone over the age of fifteen years old would regret having to watch play out again in your head. John has an impossible time approaching Sarah (Dianna Agron), a girl he immediately falls in love with from class. To suspend beliefs even more, you learn John's species only falls in love once in a lifetime and apparently, true love could effortlessly be found over the course of three days. Also, with John being the new kid in town, he has to deal with the football squad picking on him and other various situations that any piece of fresh meat in the social ladder would have to deal with. Out of the 109 minutes of the film, these discomforting scenes overtake the film, making you want to bury your head in your hands and avoid the uncomfortable situation that is being portrayed on the screen.

There are many other issues with narrative and storyline that could have been improved. Overall, I Am Number Four encouraged me to continuously check my watch to see when I could get out of this disaster. Glowing hands and gigantic mythical beasts are really neat, but not even these could give this movie enough merit to be released alongside all the other summer blockbuster hits.

Taylor Swift - Speaking in a New Way

When pressed on the issue about Taylor Swift’s last two albums, there have been comments alluding to the fact that she is the face of producer manufactured music rising up in the country world, that she could can sit in a recording booth and have her music altered to the point of digital enhancement perfection. Swift’s latest album, Speak Now, is titled perfectly for the occasion. Speak Now is reflects on Swift’s life with a voice truer now than her prior works, tapping into a raw rocking country sound that strays away from her normal pop melodies.

The opening two songs “Mine” and “Sparks Fly” falls in line with her popular hits. After the first eight minutes of the album though, Speak Now takes a turn that could be argued for better or for worse. The song becomes truly country, the lyrics becoming deeply involved about love lost, gained, and forever cherished. The songs flow into one each other smoothly, with ups and downs seamlessly strung together into a perfect relaxing collection of songs.

When closing in the middle of the album, Swift showcases a very wholesome side, eliminating the complexities and intricacies of overburdened songs and coming back to simple state of mind. “Mean” is a song that is straightforward at face value, removing all instruments except a banjo and the clap of her hands to generate the beats, but is rooted deeply in Americana. “Mean” is the song you would listen to while cruising down the open highway, breathing in the fresh air from miles of open spaces.

The next few songs revert back to some of Taylor Swift’s older works with a new kick in them. These songs are rooted in Taylor Swift‘s style but the execution provides some surprise with a different twist implemented with each passing tune. “Better than Revenge” transforms the flow of the album by injecting a rock song right in the heart of the mix. “Revenge” appears to be Taylor Swift’s attempt to sound grungier and closer to rock, being almost comparable to a group like Paramore. “Haunted” uses a full orchestral group that plays the song ironically very hauntingly.

The album closes out anti-climactically. Taylor Swift sticks to her trusted arsenal of hit making tools and ends the album on a good but very safe note. However, Speak Now does provide the palette with enough of a different taste of music that is refreshing and fun to listen to. Swift embraces what she knows, plays that part well, but then extends her boundaries creating a whole new sound that is satisfying to listen to by any music lover. If you’re thinking that this is just another repeat of the same stuff you’ve heard from this upcoming country icon, take a look again, you may be pleasantly surprised how true her sound has become.

David Guetta Falters with new Album One Love

If what you are looking for is the next great French underground House album, then sadly you will be greatly disappointed in the new David Guetta album One Love. Instead, what you will find is a string of pop hits put together with cameos by the new "in" singers. The DJ that once brought clubs like Le Rex in Paris to the forefront of the dance nation has changed courses to cater to what you would be able to find on a Top 40 radio station.

The album suffers by trying to be like an old LP you would hear in the discotheque, constantly playing with no breaks in the music much like a dance album. Normally this would work if the songs seemed to flow in to one another, having their own distinct rises and falls, playing off each other in harmony to make a never-ending dance track. However, the songs sound as if there was a cookie cutter formula for success repeated twelve times over. The production company must have thought if one conventional unimaginative hit must be great, repeating the recipe indefinitely must be like finding the lost city of Shangri-La of music.

One Love prevails over other albums in creating catchy, fresh new songs, but falls short in being musically inspiring. If you were to listen to each featured artist on their own, it would be more reminiscent of their own works. All David Guetta provides is an intricate house-inspired backbeat that drives singers like Fergie to put out her next big hit. However, Fergie could have done that on her own; we don't need Guetta producing more music for the sake of making his own mortgage.

The album suffers by trying to be like an old LP you would hear in the discotheque, constantly playing with no breaks in the music much like a dance album. Normally this would work if the songs seemed to flow in to one another, having their own distinct rises and falls, playing off each other in harmony to make a never-ending dance track. However, the songs sound as if there was a cookie cutter formula for success repeated twelve times over. The production company must have thought if one conventional unimaginative hit must be great, repeating the recipe indefinitely must be like finding the lost city of Shangri-La of music. 

One Love prevails over other albums in creating catchy, fresh new songs, but falls short in being musically inspiring. If you were to listen to each featured artist on their own, it would be more reminiscent of their own works. All David Guetta provides is an intricate house-inspired backbeat that drives singers like Fergie to put out her next big hit. However, Fergie could have done that on her own; we don't need Guetta producing more music for the sake of making his own mortgage. 

album, then sadly you will be greatly disappointed in the new David 

Guetta album One Love. Instead, what you will find is a string of pop 

hits put together with cameos by the new "in" singers. The DJ that 

once brought clubs like Le Rex in Paris to the forefront of the dance 

nation has changed courses to cater to what you would be able to find 

on a Top 40 radio station. 

The album suffers by trying to be like an old LP you would hear in the 

discotheque, constantly playing with no breaks in the music much like a dance album. Normally 

this would work if the songs seemed to flow in to one another, having 

their own distinct rises and falls, playing off each other in harmony 

to make a never-ending dance track. However, the songs sound as if 

there was a cookie cutter formula for success repeated twelve times 

over. The production company must have thought if one conventional 

unimaginative hit must be great, repeating the recipe indefinitely must be 

like finding the lost city of Shangri-La of music. 

One Love prevails over other albums in creating catchy, fresh new 

songs, but falls short in being musically inspiring. If you were to 

listen to each featured artist on their own, it would be more 

reminiscent of their own works. All David Guetta provides is an 

intricate house-inspired backbeat that drives singers like Fergie to 

put out her next big hit. However, Fergie could have done that on her own; we don't need Guetta producing more music for the sake of making his own mortgage. 

The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down - A Necessary Tool for Anyone Living the Nightlife

The notion that education and fun could be properly used in the same sentence has alluded many young people in the past until now. Portrayed entirely in the style of a 60s health ed film, the Guide explains how a night in the lascivious streets of L.A. progresses and explains the ways to easily hooking up with your favorite hottie by the crack of dawn. To achieve comedic relief, the Guide exaggerates all the quirky stereotypes hipsters can fall in to and keeps getting weirder and weirder as the  night goes on.

The only downside is, being full length, the Guide cannot really hold its own for the time allotted. Once the audience gets over the fact that there is a man looking like run DMC, trashy hookers, and line-blowing, self absorbed, billionaires, the movie has nothing left to offer. A few side bits of information are quick fun facts but overall the film lacks an overall climax. The Guide to Getting Down though, at the end of the day, is what the title of the movie claims it to be and excels in every aspect it hopes to accomplish. And if you're needing something to do on an afternoon that leads into hopefully a great night like the one in the film, this would be perfect since it would teach you all the things to avoid before going out. Don't let the same mistakes that plague the individuals in this film ruin your fun tonight.