Nicki Minaj - Pills N Potions (Audio) [+ Review]

Female rapper Nicki Minaj has recently released the official audio (listen below) for her new track, 'Pills N Potions', which is taken from her upcoming third studio album, entitled The Pink Print. The new single marks a new understated sound from Minaj, and the song features a drum beat and piano accompaniment which add to the simplistic style which allows Minaj's rapping (and singing) to truly shine through. By the sounds of the new track, it looks as if it may have a more universal appeal to musical audiences, considering its less wacky or zany lyrical basis, when compared to previous Minaj songs (in which her alter egos take over). 

The simple use of percussion instruments and beats make for a track which is easy to listen to, and the more personal lyrics about someone who has wronged the singer make the piece more identifiable, and will no doubt appeal to a multitude of listeners. The juxtaposition of rapping to piano actually makes for a rather intriguing listen, and one that sounds like the track has more depth than just the superficial sugar coating that sometimes Minaj's songs fall into the trap of. Overall Minaj seems to have struck gold with her latest addition, and it seems like The Pink Print will be a success (and worth listening to) if her other songs follow the same suit. Now all that's left is to anticipate the arrival of what hopefully will be a great and poignant video from the singer. You can listen to the official audio for the track below: 

What To Watch: Happy Valley

If you haven't heard about BBC One's drama series Happy Valley, then you're missing out.
Episode 4 of the six part series aired on Tuesday 20th May and it was a real shocker. However, don't worry, we won't spoil the episode for you if you decide to pick up watching the series.

Happy Valley follows Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), an officer at a West Yorkshire police station. Throughout the episodes you are shown various Happy Valley residents, some with shady pasts and hidden secrets. The real triumph of the show is not just regarding its plot or presentation, but the performance Sarah Lancashire gives as Catherine Cawood. She brings gritty realism to the character and breathes life into Catherine's complex and troubled story line. Other notable performances include Steve Pemberton as Kevin Weatherill and James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce.

Already being tipped for BAFTA nominations next year, Happy Valley is a show that you'll definitely want to catch up on if you enjoy suspenseful, well written drama with intricately layered characters.

Happy Valley episode 5 airs 27th May.

X-Men (2000) Review

                                     'Because there is no land of tolerance.
                                   There is no peace. Not here, or anywhere else.'

With the arrival of X-Men:  Days of Future Past, it seems only fitting that we should look back at where it all started; the original X-Menfilm. Back in 2000, after the film rights were acquired by 20th Century Fox, X-Men (based on the legendary Marvel comics’ superheroes of the same name) catapulted onto the big screen, becoming a financial success. This success has often been credited with the revival of the superhero movie, not to mention bringing to life many of everyone’s favourite mutant superheroes (and villains) via the silver screen.

You can also check out this review via entertainment website I'm With Geek - feel free to check it out, it's a great website, full of news and reviews of the latest films, games, television, books, comics and more. Now back to the review! 

Marvel is one of those universes which seem to do no wrong; the characters are fantastic, their abilities are imaginative and the world is of epic proportions. So it was little surprise when the X-Men got their big screen debut – now all that was left was to see if the film could showcase all that had to offer from the mutated heroes. It was a big task, and rather unsurprisingly, one film wasn’t nearly enough to be able to do the mutants justice, so the original film quickly became part of an ever-expanding series, totalling 7 films to date (with the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past).

And this is where it all kicked off. The original X-Men followed 17-year old Marie D’Ancanto, as she struggled with her mutant ability of being able to absorb the life force (and any mutant abilities) from anyone she touched. After an unfortunate incident with her boyfriend, Marie ran away and became ‘Rogue’ and meets Logan or the ‘Wolverine’, who is a mutant with super healing powers, and metal claws. The film sees the two mutants be brought into a world of conflict between Professor Xavier’s X-Men and Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants, who have opposing views about mutants and humankind. 

You’d be forgiven for thinking a film based off a comic book series would be slightly elusive or perhaps confusing to understand for the non-avid fan, but X-Men presented itself rather coherently and didn’t need to go into too much detail about its characters (other than making it obvious what their superpower was and how this fitted in with the story) so it didn’t feel overly drawn out or tedious by avoiding meticulous details. The special effects for the action sequences were remarkable and fitting for a science fiction film of this calibre, and the transformations of the various mutants was incredible. The costumes and set pieces were pretty extravagant (which particular reference to Mystique, who has blue skin and is able to change her appearance – requiring some serious costume changes and special effects) and the overall tone of the film was suitable for its target audience.

Casting wise, there can be no better Magneto and Professor X than Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. The two go together like peanut butter and jelly. They electrified the screen, and the only disappointment of the first film was that it was just introducing itself and laying the foundations of its construction, which meant that we didn’t get to see as much of the good Professor or the metal controlling Magneto as we would have liked to. Still, in one of the main roles as Rogue, Anna Paquin (who won an Oscar for her role in The Piano) shone as the character; as a child, I was actually really fond of her. Hugh Jackman, of course, put in a valiant performance as one of the characters he is probably most known for today – the Wolverine. His character was so popular that it spawned many films solely focused on his individual mutant over any other (good or bad, you decide).

The first X-Men film brought us something different in science fiction, a multitude of mutants that possessed remarkable abilities, unique in the fact that there was something for everyone. For fans of metamorphosis, there is the agile Mystique or for those with a penchant for weather, the enviable Storm. In short, having a great base material never hurts when making a blockbuster film. With so many X-Men films to look forward to, it seems only sensible that you reacquaint yourself with the one that started it all – the illustrious X-Men. 

4 stars

The Big Bang Theory - Season 7 Finale 'The Status Quo Combustion' [Review]

As implied in its title, the Season 7 Finale of The Big Bang Theory brought with it chaos, as the announcement of Penny and Leonard’s engagement prompted a downwards spiral for Sheldon. Clearly fuelled by the successes of the last episode, the writers continued to be on form, bringing together all of the characters to react to Leonard and Penny’s news whilst tying off loose ends most satisfyingly.

After the surprised proposal in the last episode, this week’s finale promised big things and made sure it delivered, with plenty more surprises and twists to excite and delight viewers. Unfortunately for Sheldon, this news alerted him to the fact that things were changing, and if you are an avid viewer, you know how well Sheldon copes with change. This prompted his self-combustion as he struggled to come to terms with the reality that Leonard may move out and in with Penny. These surprising events only increased as the episode progressed, with it being announced that something happened to Sheldon’s favourite comic book store, and that the University won’t let him change his research area from String Theory. Some previous episodes of The Big Bang Theory have failed to fully cash in on the reactions of other individuals, but they made no mistake in focusing on Sheldon’s reaction to the situation, whilst incorporating the ever witty Amy into the situation, just to tip Sheldon over the edge.

Because The Big Bang Theory is set out as if it is real-time, we were all waiting for one of the characters to announce a sudden trip, and considering past performances, the likelihood was it being Leonard. However, the big shocker of the episode came with the announcement from Sheldon that he was leaving via train to try to process all the changes in his life and figure out who he is and what he wants from life. It’s rare that Sheldon ever departs from the comfort of his apartment, so this was a big step for the character, sparking speculation as to what he will be like when he comes back from his self-discovery trip. Will we see a changed Sheldon? Or will he still be the same as he has always been? The episode certainly ended on a cliff-hanger in that respect, ensuring viewers would tune in to the first episode of the 8^th Season in the fall.

Sufficed to say, amidst all of the emotional departures, there were several genuine moments of hilarity, from Amy’s break-down pillow fight with Leonard to Raj’s constant rejoicing of the fact he has a sexual relationship; there were plenty of moments to sit back and laugh at. If all this wasn’t enough, Christine Baranski, Carol Ann Susi and Kevin Sussman appeared in the episode as Beverly Hofstadter, Mrs. Wolowitz and Stuart Bloom, respectively. Hilarity is always ensured when you stick Leonard’s straight-talking mum into the mix, and the announcement of Mrs. Wolowitz first name certainly marked some changes in the series (it’s Debbie!).

It’s fair to say that the Season 7 finale of The Big Bang Theory was a complete success, as the winds of change blew in to disrupt the happy status quo that certain characters are so used to. This thankfully marked that some things would indeed be changing, and meant a possible shift in character dynamic and progression for the eighth season. The finale ensures that there are plenty of events to look forward to when it returns (likely) in September.  

Sia - Chandelier (Official Video) [+ Review]

The new music video for Sia's 'Chandelier' is out, (watch below) and we have to say, it just fits perfectly with the track. The video stars 11 year old Maddie Ziegler (who you may know from Dance Moms) who performs a killer routine in a Sia-like wig in a down-trodden apartment. 'Chandelier' is taken from Sia's sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear. The video possesses a rather demented or eerie quality, and there's just something about the way that Maddie dances that just makes the track sound even better. The two go together so well, and the visuals have definitely amplified our love for the song. 

The way the camera follows Maddie in the piece is rather ingenious as it puts us right in the centre of the action, without the need for gimmicks or elaborate set pieces - it is just all about the dancing - and let's just say, the dancing is pretty incredible. Maddie performs the choreography superbly and (as we said) there's just an eerie quality about it, that's almost haunting, and we're certain you'll want to watch it again afterwards. It has that ever so elusive memorability factor. Relatively sure words cannot do the incredible video justice, we encourage you to spare 4 minutes to watch the video in its full. It's rather poignant. 

We especially love the part of the chorus when Sia sings 'I'm gonna swing/ from the chandelier/ from the chandelier' and raises her pitch as this is particularly haunting. This particular segment almost always spurs Maddie into doing several pivots and turns, which is just so in tune with the track; reminding you how cleverly thought out the choreography is by Ryan Heffington. Maddie oozes charisma in the piece and Australian singer-songwriter Sia soars vocally. You can check out our review of Sia's newest album, 1000 Forms of Fear, here.