In 1980 an amazing adult animated movie called American Pop came out for the public to experience. Directed by, Ralph Bakshi whose film Fritz The Cat was given an “X” rating in the 70’s.  Bakshi used actors to play the character to then animate over them giving the look and emotion of the cartoons coming to life.

American Pop brings the viewer into a world of pop culture–following a family of musicians through 4 generations. Starting with Zalmie who immigrated to New York and began in Vaudeville. Bennie his son whom was a genius pianist. Bennie’s son, Tony who …

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Based on a true story and with some excellent performances, Defiance is well worth a look. The movie is based on a little-known true story about the Bielski Brothers, who were simple farmers turned freedom fighters. The movie tackles stereotypes head-on and is gripping and often compelling. Production values and performances are all first-rate, but the film doesn’t have quite the emotional impact one might expect from such a powerful tale.

Tuvia (an excellent Daniel Craig) and Zus (another good performance by Liev Schreiber) are brothers in Nazi-occupied Poland who create a forest refuge (and eventually a community) for Jews to …

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Despite mixed reviews and poor box office returns, Inkheart is a rousing and entertaining fantasy film with a nifty premise, and lots of cool special effects. Inkheart (much like the excellent Never-ending Story) celebrates the power of books and encourages younger viewers to read and explore new worlds. This is a noble cause and one that is worth celebrating. The movie itself may not be up to the level of Stardust (the best fantasy flick in many years) but its well worth seeking out.

Inkheart is about a book-binder named Moe (an engaging Brendan Fraser), who is searching for a book …

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The CW Network recently announced it wasn’t bringing back its cult series Reaper back for another season much to the dismay of many loyal viewers. It can hardly come as a surprise though, as season two of the terrific series almost never saw the light of day. The CW started airing season two at midseason and then aired all 13 episodes in a row. It ended just a few weeks ago and now season two is already on DVD in this attractive package.

Fans know what to expect from Reaper. A sharp slacker comedy mixed with supernatural elements. Sam (affable Bret …

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Another weekend, another convention.  This time it was for BotCon 09, the official Transformers convention held in Pasadena, CA.  This was my first BotCon experience and I really enjoyed it.

John Spartan assembling Optimus in the car.

Saturday:

We arrived at the Pasadena Convention Center around 1:30 and grabbed a quick bite at Rubio’s Mexican Grill across the street (the taco burger was great). As we were heading back to the convention, we noticed several Transformer’s standees in the shopping center. We took a picture with the standees and a Hasbro employee gave us a Decepticon promo piece that we can …

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At first blush, Liam Neeson may seem an odd choice to play a Jason Bourne-esque father seeking some Albanian thugs who kidnapped his daughter to sell her into a sexual slavery ring. Neeson is older now and almost Zen in so many roles, but he’s perfectly cast in Taken. He makes a thoroughly convincing action hero searching for his kidnapped teenage daughter. Taken is directed with style and brutal efficiency. It moves quickly and is paced well. At only 93 minutes long, it’s a perfect flick for fans of action thrillers.

Neeson plays Bryan, the estranged father of a 17 year …

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Donnie Darko was truly an original and memorable movie. Darko was written and directed by a young and gifted filmmaker named Richard Kelly. The movie struck a massive chord with its intended audience after the studio botched its theatrical run. The DVD sold like hotcakes and was one of my favorite films of 2001. Flash forward to the here and now and we have S. Darko, a pseudo-intellectual wet noodle of a debacle. S. Darko is nearly unwatchable and easily the worst film of the year so far. Poorly acted (most of the miscast young actors stumble around vacantly and able …

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Chandni Chowk to China is a hugely disappointing and overlong mess. Despite a few clever musical numbers and an amusing moment here or there, the film is a drag. It goes on for an oppressive and endless 2 1/2 hours and picks up almost no momentum along the way. The plot (what little there is) takes forever to get going. The star of the film (Akshay Kumar) is a huge Bollywood star but he shows little here except for an uncanny knack to be annoying and a few cool martial arts moves. He’s like a more irritating Indian Ace Ventura.

Kumar …

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Not Easily Broken, based on the novel by T.D. Jakes, is cliched but well worth checking out. Tyler Perry fans will also enjoy the film (Perry is even quoted on the DVD cover). The plot is standard and the timeworn gimmick never stop coming, but the film itself has a simple and stirring message of overcoming hardship. The acting from Morris Chestnut and especially the wonderful Taraji P. Henson elevate the material into an above-average film. The supporting cast is also strong and the film is inspirational and occasionally funny as long as you can overlook a few major flaws and …

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Serinda Swan is an actress and model. She recently guest starred as the DC Comics’ magician Zatanna on the excellent episode of Smallville called Hex. Smallville has been on The CW Network for 8 seasons now and is one of my favorite television series of all time. NERDSociety recently interviewed Ms. Swan and asked her about her career and her awesome role on Smallville.

NERDSociety.com (NS): Serinda, tell our readers a little about yourself. How long have you been involved in acting ? How did you get your career start?

Serinda Swan (SS): I have been involved in acting since I …

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