It's that time again for the Box Office Battle! What movies are coming out this weekend? And better yet, what are you going to go see? VOTE on the movie you're planning on watching! 

Chernobyl Diaries (no rating on Rotten Tomatoes): Honestly, I'd seen the trailer multiple times in theaters, and I still could not make out the title of the movie. Some of the letters were backwards during the reveal. I swear! I've attached the trailer below for proof. I promise I'm not dyslexic. The strange name aside, this looks like a grade A horror flick. And Jesse McCartney is in it! I haven't seen him since his Summerland days on The WB. Ahh, nostalgia. 

Men In Black III (65% on Rotten Tomatoes): Can you remember Men In Black II? I sure can't. Of course, some scenes have come back to me. A lot to do with alien goo. But I think those days are in the past for me. I actually do think a lot of people will rally to the box office for this one. Maybe just for a week though. Because we've got Snow White and the Huntsman coming out very, very soon.  

My pick:
Even though I haven't seen Battleship yet (and I love Alexander Skarsgard in "True Blood"), I'm going to have to choose Chernobyl Diaries. I'm a sucker for a good looking horror movie. Even if I have to sleep with my lights on afterwards. 

Now it's your turn!

Welcome to my "Snack Time" where I digest a popular topic in pop culture. Why the "Superhero"? I wanted to post a picture of my X-Men mug so everyone can take in the beauty of these lovely mutants...and I'm obsessed with superheros of all kinds. Can't you tell?   

So I was pleasantly surprised by the trailer for The Great Gatsby. I think you will be, too. I thought it'd be rather boring like the other adaptations of the timeless novel, but Baz Luhrmann makes the twenties look dazzling and new (if that's even possible). Luhrmann directed Romeo + Juliet, and if you've seen that film, then you'll notice a similar style in the trailer. It's nothing like I thought it would be, but I'm definitely curious to see more. Are you? 

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that bloggers/readers/YA lovers are eagerly anticipating. 

Here's my Wednesday pick:    

League of Strays
by L.B. Schulman

Publication Date:  October 1st 2012 
Hardcover:  288 pages 
Publisher:  Amulet  

Goodreads Description:  When Charlotte Brody, a lonely 17-year-old student at a new school, receives an invitation to join The League of Strays, she's intrigued by the group's promise of "instant friendship." The League does provide companionship--and even a love interest--but Charlotte grows increasingly uncomfortable with its sinister mission to seek revenge against the bullies of Kennedy High. When escalating acts of vengeance threaten to hurl her down a path of remorse, Charlotte must choose between her new friends and the direction of a future she's never fully considered.

My Thoughts: Love, love, love cool societies. The League's "promise of companionship" also sounds original. So much so, that I'll most likely be picking up League of Strays in October.Plus that cover is pretty eye-catching. What do you think?

3. Avengers Academy (2010)

Description:  (from Goodreads)  Determined to keep the tradition alive, founding Avenger Hank Pym leads a core team of veteran heroes in creating a place where the next generation of Earth's Mightiest can be trained by the greatest of those who preceded them. The future is in their hands...andin the hands of the six young superhumans chosen to make up the inaugural class. But who are they? And what dark secret will turn their world upside down?

Why You Should Read: Avengers Academy has a twist starting from issue 1 that you won't see coming. And the teenage angst is still present. I recommend it for anyone who likes The Avengers movie. It doesn't have any of the same superheroes (Captain America does make an appearance), but you don't need to know anyone's history. The creators introduce us to a whole new young generation of superheroes. 

Standout Superheros: Finesse -- a girl who has photographic reflexes but horrible social skills (pictured bottom right). Striker -- a boy who can manipulate electricity and has a penchant for fame and the spotlight. 

Why You Should Read: The New Mutants have already been introduced by 2009, but this third volume is so easily to slip right back in without knowing them beforehand. The dynamic between the group of young mutants is ultimately the best part. They work more like a team than any other, and Cyclops trusts them with many missions. 

Standout Mutant: Cypher -- he knows every language (even body language), and his best friend is a techno-organic alien. Their relationship is by far a reason to read. Warlock calls most of his friends "selfriend" but for Cypher, he has the unique identifier of "selfsoulfriend." 

1. New X-Men: Academy X (2005)
(and continued as just New X-Men)

Description: (from Goodreads) The children at the X-Mansion thought they had it tough when Professor X was running things - but now that Cyclops and Emma Frost have taken over the reins of the school, they're wishing for the simpler times of yesterday As a new semester begins at the Xavier Institute, the X-Men-in-training are just getting comfortable with one another as the devastating news hits: The teachers plan to separate them into different squads What happens when best friends are torn from one another in the name of school policy? And what do the New X-Men do about it .

Why You Should Read: By far my favorite and the most compelling YA comic book. New X-Men takes you from the start of these young mutant lives where they split off into squads and train to become X-Men. Their lives are mostly filled with romances and rivalries. But then everything changes, and like most YA characters, they have to grow up too quickly. The series is so addicting, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the young adult genre. 

Standout Mutants: Elixir (pictured far left), Wallflower (pictured middle left), and Wither. A love triangle between a guy who can heal others, a girl who is afraid of her pheromones, and a guy who's touch is lethal. It's a tragic story, but it will grip you from the beginning. Also, X-23 and Hellion (pictured right) are another reason to read. Hellion is the jerk you love to hate, and X-23 has a tortured past and is sadly misunderstood. 

Before watching The Avengers, I had my doubts. There was a little red man on my shoulder poking me with his fiery trident, telling me that there's no way Joss Whedon (the director & writer) would be able to pull off that many characters in one movie. I love superhero movies, but most go wrong in the storytelling. Wolverine, I'm looking at you. A director could easily get swept away with the cool powers and want to show the most action-packed sequences where Iron Man flies around and Thor spins his hammer. And they could totally forget the heart of the story -- the characters and their histories. Thankfully, Whedon did not forget the reason why superheros are so mesmerizing. It's not that they can do amazing things like teleport and lift thousand pound cars, it's that they're still human in some ways. And that humanity is what makes them so dang compelling to watch. 

The Avengers is a fantastic ensemble piece. We understand each and every character's backstory, and yes, if you've seen the other movies (Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America), then it certainly helped. But characters like Hawkeye, Black Widow, and even the Hulk became so dynamic on screen that it feels like they had their own movies as well. However, there were clear standouts among the characters that drew me in with each line. I have never rooted so hard for a villain in my life. I may be biased because in the comics Loki is by far my favorite Marvel villain, but I found him even more polarizing on screen than on paper. 

Another surprise came from the Hulk. I have seen quite a few movies about the Hulk and they are pretty terrible. Somehow, the Hulk was ten times more fleshed out in this version where he shares the screen with other superheroes than he ever was in his own two hour flick. I never in a million years thought I would want to see the Hulk on screen again. But I did. And I do. 

This is how ensamble movies are done -- fleshed out characters who we connect to amid some great action sequences. And I cannot wait for more. Can you think of any other ensemble movies done right? I would have to say X-Men: First Class did an excellent job.  

Nawanda Files beat me to the news. She not only has posted some great on-set pictures of the pilot The Selection (that may or may not be picked up by the CW) but she's also included The Carrie Diaries and Arrow. 

Personally, I'm rooting for The Selection and Arrow to get picked up. If the CW chooses a third new series, I think it could go to a multitude of shows. 

While The Carrie Diaries looks interesting, I didn't grow up with Sex in the City (I was more of a One Tree Hill / The O.C. type of girl), so a prequel doesn't really hold my interest. And the wardrobe (80s clothes), looks kinda tacky. But maybe that's just the photos. On the television, they might translate better. 

So go check them out if you haven't already. It's definitely worth a look! 

Welcome to my "Snack Time" where I digest a popular topic in pop culture. Why the "Superhero"? I wanted to post a picture of my X-Men mug so everyone can take in the beauty of these lovely mutants...and I'm obsessed with superheros of all kinds. Can't you tell?     

What is a viral ad? I wasn't sure until I watched the clip below. It harks back to science fiction films like 2001: A Space Odyssey. Not in the way it's filmed (there's no fetus floating in the sky, I promise) but just the subject matter. This seems rather inventive to me, and I absolutely love it. Especially since there's already an mysterious quality about the movie. What exactly is Prometheus? Everyone seems to ask. Watch below and see if you can find out.

I love the question the voice asks David: "David, what do you think about?" His response: "Children playing, Angels, Universes...Robots." Ha ha. Yes, I think about those things too.   

The Lucky One (21% on Rotten Tomatoes): Yes, I haven't done Box Office Battle in some time. But I totally plan to get back into it. This weekend isn't very exciting unless you have a penchant for Nicholas Spark adaptations. Don't get me wrong, I love The Notebook, but besides that, I can't say I like any of the others. 

Chimpanzee (70% on Rotten Tomatoes): As for Chimpanzee, it looks adorable, and I think I will end up seeing it when it comes out on DVD. But I really want to know how the camera crews caught what happened to this chimp before and after. Was it staged?? I know that sounds bad, but I honestly can't figure it out. If you have an answer, let me know! 

Think Like a Man (51% on Rotten Tomatoes): And the last movie, Think Like a Man was a book written by Steve Harvey. I remembered when it got really popular, and I couldn't help scratching my head. Here's a male author telling women how to behave. I've never read it so I can't judge. I'm not feeling a romantic comedy this weekend, so I'll probably take a pass. 

My pick:
I'm going to have to go with "Other" and pick a movie that was released last weekend. Cabin in the Woods. If you've seen it, let me know if it rocked your world (i.e. if you got pee-pants scared). 


Now it's your turn!

Pottermore, the interactive Harry Potter website, is finally open to everyone after many, many delays (6 months to be exact). I was really exited about it, but I would by lying to say that my intrigue didn't wane after all the delays. Even now, there's still an invitation process that you have to go through. 

Many E-Books are available on the Pottermore site, and in spirit of the novels, I'm going to start a poll to see which Harry Potter book is a fan favorite. Vote on yours below!