I’ve never been one to rush out and see Oscar nominated films in the theater even though in the end I tend to prefer smaller, artsier films to Hollywood’s typical factory-produced sequel. I guess it’s just when the time comes to spend the money for a night at the movies, I’d rather see something that demands the larger screen and sound system. Of course this just encourages Hollywood to make Transformers 4 and we all lose.

This year AMC Theaters are offering a unique opportunity to catch up on those films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture that we might have missed. Over the next two weekends select AMC theaters will be offering two “Best Picture Showcases”; each featuring five of the movies up for the Academy’s top prize for just $35. In addition, attendees will receive a ten dollar AMC gift card to use on food.

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Nicole Atkins is a singer songwriter who grew up in Neptune, NJ.  I lived in the area when I first heard her music back in 2007 – a little song called Neptune City.  Something about the song just grabbed me immediately – something about the way she connected with her hometown and was able to put into words the changes that have taken place over the years.  There was intense nostalgia in her music.  Soon, I was hooked – got several chances to see her live, photograph her shows and meet her in person.  The performances were always amazing, her voice is ridiculous and her band had great stage presence.  I love to support local talented artists, so I quickly became one of her biggest fans, even attended one show while battling the flu, and emailed Perez Hilton until her music was featured on his site.

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Comics and More is officially open for business in King of Prussia once again and today was their first Wednesday with new comics. The new store is huge and while it’s going to take time to fill it, there are some great plans afoot (it’s clear they have space to fill when there’s a leather Texas Chainsaw Massacre baseball cap on display along with a hardcover collection of Atlantis Attacks). It was nice to be shopping there again.

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For the past two months, I’ve been rediscovering my love of the Xbox’s Halo franchise and it would be wrong not to talk about it here. I’ve been on board since Halo: Combat Evolved shipped as a launch title for the original Xbox console and stayed with it through the two sequels that followed (including upgrading to an Xbox360 when Halo 3 shipped in 2007). After that, my interest fell off until the release of Halo: Reach last September. It took a while to set in, but I’ve become consumed.

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I’ve been very quiet about the upcoming X-Men: First Class film, but the last few weeks have brought such a flurry of activity I think it’s time to weigh in. The official trailer for the movie hit yesterday on the “X-Men Movies” Facebook page, and multiple sets of photos (some legitimate, some not, and some selected by director Matthew Vaughn himself) were released in the weeks prior. If you visit this site at all regularly, you’ve seen that I’m a huge fan of all things X-Men. I focus primarily on the source material in the monthly comics, but over the years I’ve enjoyed the cartoons and films that have been part of the franchise over the years. I’m very forgiving of the changes to characters and continuity, so long as they serve to make a better story. Unfortunately, the films have declined with each iteration, and like many I’m hoping for First Class to change that trend.

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