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Reviews
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
A Thought Piece
Though this movie was a bit too long, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I remember reading the original trilogy in my early teen years and watching the movies as they came out with palpable excitement. This time was different however, because I went in theaters this time without much knowledge of the prequel this was based on and no expectations. Long story short, this movie touched me a lot differently than the originals and I connected with the message of the films more as an adult.
At the core of these movies and books is a look at humanity: the good, bad, and ugly. A fictional world that teenage me gawked at as impossibly cruel. And yet, we've had gladiator arenas and concentration camps - among countless other horrible things.
I enjoy media that makes me think and this movie did its job. Originally I gawked at the long screen time, but it went along quickly save for a brief portion of the third act.
There are a lot of mixed ratings for this movie, but I left the theater with a buzzing brain and a heavy heart. For the moment, I was touched and entertained which is all I ask for.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Awesome
I need to watch "Across the Spider-Verse" again to experience it all. I really attempted hyper-focusing on every frame I could and felt like I only captured about 30% of the actual movie.
The cinematography and animation left me awestruck and yearning for the third movie (and the second season of Arcane, please). I'm no expert in these things, but it was really creative and a pleasure to watch.
Gwen's storyline was a great addition, especially the opening scene. Miles's coming of age and learning the cost of being Spiderman storyline, etc, was done well. The new characters were great and their designs were equally amazing.
10/10 movie experience. Somehow improved on the first one, aging well with its audience.
Shadow and Bone (2021)
S2 was disappointing
S1 of Shadow and Bone was a solid 7 for me. I knew what to expect from its plot because I had read the books and knew that the series holding the show's title was weak compared to Six of Crows. Both are YA series but Shadow and Bone feels quintessentially early 2010s YA and if you know the vibe, you know the vibe. This said, I was able to watch the entire first season without skipping and have a decent time while looking forward to the Crows coming on screen.
S2 was such a disappointment on account of both storylines. There was so much going on due to way too many characters and not anything substantial going on plot wise. Too many love storylines and the main one with Mal and Alina is so forced. They have no romantic chemistry and, if this were not an adaption, I think she would be with literally any other character. She had more chemistry with Zoya in their five second interaction than an entire season of Mal. I found myself skipping past their storyline. The plot was so basic that I didn't need to watch it to know what was next.
The Crows' storylines were better but seriously lacking a sense of direction. Major plot points were rushed as if the writers feared they would not get another season. Considering how this season turned out, they may not. I must commend the actors who played Kaz and Nina though; they helped me finish this season.
Before S2, I was really looking forward to the Six of Crows spin-off but I don't even know any more. The writers just need to slow down and write quality storylines over quantity storylines.
Isanghan byeonhosa Woo Young-woo (2022)
A Charming, Thought-Provoking Show
I did not know what to expect when I began watching this show, but I found that a singular episode could touch me more than an entire season of some shows. Nearly each episode follows a different case that focuses on certain issues in Korean society, though many are similar to Western issues as well. They are handled in a way which feels natural, profound, and human - showing the good, bad, and ugly of our nature.
The drama feels like real life stories - save for the dramatic camera shots for the romantic scenes, of course. The acting feels honest and realistic, especially that of Park Eun-Bin who plays someone on the autism spectrum. The writing is superb and frequently funny. The cinematography is beautiful.
Any show that makes just one person think about the world through someone else's eyes and want to be kinder to others is lovely and worthwhile.
Warrior Nun (2020)
An Entertaining Watch
I was pleasantly surprised by Warrior Nun after coming into the show with no real expectations. It's hard to choose a favorite season due to each one having its own strengths and weaknesses.
I think that season 1 started off a bit slow as Ava and the audience are slowly introduced to this world, but it definitely picks up by the middle of the season.
Something I was very impressed by were the fight scenes. Creative fight scenes without excessive cuts are sprinkled throughout the show, especially in season 2, and each one is more entertaining than some big 'A-list' movies.
The characters are also nuanced and interesting in their own rights. My personal favorites were Camilla and Mary.
If I would nitpick, I think that the villain in season 2 was a bit generic in his 'villainy'. Not sure if it was just how the actor played them or not, but the plot was good enough to compensate either way.
Strong 8/10. I wouldn't mind rewatching it in a year or so.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
This was a movie.
I find it hard to rate Love and Thunder. As a movie, it was mostly entertaining. Thor felt like a kids' movie that used the the s-word more times than acceptable to make it PG and the goats...the goats really made it feel like a kids movie. I'd rate it a 7/10 as a family movie.
As another entry into the MCU, I'm giving it a 5/10. Mighty Thor/Dr. Jane Foster's storyline was fine if not too rushed to make me feel anything. The intent was there without any of the follow through which is a statement that could be used to describe most MCU movies being made now. This movie is just another cog in Disney's movie manufacturing company. The market is over saturated with too similar superhero movies and it's been showing for some years now.
Do Revenge (2022)
Pleasantly Surprised
This was recommended to me by Netflix and I assumed it was another one of their cringy high school movies that I avoid like the plague. However, I was feeling particularly masochistic and wanted to hate watch something that day, so imagine my surprise when the movie was not that bad. I was already familiar with Mendes from Riverdale and she played into the role that she plays the best: entitled girlboss or something. I wasn't expecting much from her and I didn't get much, so the world is as it should be. That said, the acting in general wasn't great but it wasn't distracting and that's all I can hope for with these type of movies.
The storyline was a bit long but not bad. Not sure if I'm their target audience, but more than one of the jokes hit for me so I guess I'm still young enough to enjoy this stuff. My youth has been restored by Do Revenge. Thanks Do Revenge!
8/10 for restoring my youth.
Killing Eve (2018)
Don't you hate it when they only start off strong?
Well, this is unfortunate. I couldn't stop watching season 1 of Killing Eve. Fast forward to me barely finishing season 4 and I now wish I hadn't. The ending left so much to be desired and the chemistry between Villanelle and Eve morphed into something vastly different than season 1. Not sure if it was the age gap between actresses or the mushed together plot of season 4, but everything we were kind of working toward since the beginning just ended up feeling rushed and hollow. The one bright spot of season 4 for me was the addition of Helene as a fairly prominent character. She gave me season 1 Villanelle vibes while the actual Villanelle was doing who knows what in the first half of season 4.
I still give Killing Eve a 7/10 in loving memory of seasons 1 & 2.
Rebelde (2022)
It's not very good...
...but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The show (particularly the plot) is a bit cringey and wholly unoriginal, but not so much that I had trouble watching it. The acting is mediocre, but there's enough chemistry between the cast members that you can look past it and just have a pretty decent time. I'm pretty sure it's not a comedy, but some bits are amusing. I'm sort of biased, because music-based entertainment lowers my standards drastically, but if you're looking for a quick weekend binge, I say go for it.