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⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) This is the latest Disney movie set in South America about a magical house and a family with special abilities. It was such a feel good movie, I just felt giddy the whole time. It helped that there was a really vocal middle aged man behind me ooh-ing and ah-ing every few minutes - I hope he’s doing well. First off, this movie is STUNNING. It’s so bright and colourful. Had all sorts of great characters, with great range in age, colour, and body types. The voice actors were spot on. Rosa from B99 is the main voice! The songs were rich and had that Latin flair, it just made you want to move around. The message was also powerful, about family expectations and not living up to that. Being who you are, and not being accepted by the people closest to you. It was just really great. This was a good one to watch on the big screen.

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) Finally finished this one! Me and Mat started this in September and it’s been a long journey. Watching it over a longer time period definitely brings the score down for me, and I know that’s my fault but it is what it is. This season felt way more stationary. Our characters didn’t move around as much, and at times it felt like there wasn’t a lot that happened. The production seems amazing and the actors are pretty good. I think I was less invested in this season because I hadn’t read the book. However, I still plan to watch the third and final season that just finished shooting!

⭐ 6.5/10 (Originally written by Benjamin) It's like 'The Worlds Greatest Showman', but much sadder.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Watched this one on my own last weekend on a whim, and ended up really enjoying it! I don't think it's anything spectacularly new or fresh, but I liked it a lot more than most Marvel films. I absolutely loved the diverse and unique cast, and especially the focus on platonic love. I thought the main characters were unfortunately the least interesting of all of them, but some of the other Eternals were really compelling, and Ma Dongseok and Angelina Jolie were surprisingly standout performances. I have a number of issues with the plot itself, but whatever, I wasn't expecting a miracle. My only other opinions are that Kit Harington is so sexy and why does Richard Madden look exactly like Sebastian Stan minus the allure.... I couldn't stop thinking he looked just like Bucky Barnes. ALSO HOW IS THE ACTRESS FOR MAKKARI 43???

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) My father-in-law and I sat down to watch a movie together, and I took a gamble on this one. Well, he was in stitches for the first hour, and I felt like a movie genius. It starts off with an over-eager cop who gets promoted and moved to a different town because he is making everyone else look bad. He begrudgingly moves to this sleepy country town where nothing ever happens... but then a string of murders happen! It is a buddy cop movie at heart, where he teaches his dope of a partner how to be a real cop, shamelessly paying homage to the movies that the characters in the movie love. The jokes are great, and every big name Brit makes an appearance. The murders are shockingly violent, which I didn't love, but they kind of fit. Like most comedies, they kind of lose their charm by the end. This one completely doubles down, shifting gears and becoming an all out action movie. You can tell everyone involved had a great time making this one, and ...

⭐ 6.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) Boring stuff. I understand splitting this movie into two parts, but everything good is going to happen in the next one. The attempted emotional ending really didn't do it for me, and I can't help but ask a million questions during these movies. I appreciate the story, but it really feels like it is hard to love the movies without a love of the books. Shoutout goes to Lucius with stubble. Love that guy. I also love how scary Voldemort is, and I understand that his powerful influence without actually being on screen is what makes him so scary, but I want more of him. The way even his minions tremble before him, always the best moments. If you like watching teenagers being grumpy in a tent, this is the movie for you.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) These reviews are all the exact same, but here we are again. Happy that this show has remained consistent for so long, and I love every episode with Andy in it. The way him and Phil get along warms my heart, and I really hope they figure things out and get him married in to the family! It does feel like they have tried to run back a couple of the successful episodes, like the ones where everyone is apart and experiencing weird things and as the episode continues you realize that all their stories overlap. Its never as good as the first time, but they get points for trying new things as well, like the episode that happens all over facetime. I forgot to mention the neighbours! They are also great, adding some spice and inappropriateness to the show. It feels like a decline in quality is coming, and I am glad we haven't gotten there yet.

⭐ 6.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Baker is a journalist who was asked to write an article about the loneliness epidemic amongst middle-aged American men, which forced him to realize that he fit the profile himself exactly. He explores the reasons why he hasn't seen his friends, some of the research about men and friendships, and what he does to try to fix the situation. I will read pretty much any book about friendship, and I liked that this one focused on male friendships. I think he had a lot of really interesting insights, and I liked seeing what worked and what didn't when he tried to make changes. My main complaint is that this book is very narrow in scope. It seems to be only about white cis hetero men - he doesn't address how race, sexuality, class, gender identity, etc. affect friendship. I just wanted more out of it. I do still think it would be helpful, though, for white straight men who might also be wondering what happened to their friendships.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Mary lives on Martha's Vineyard, an island where about a quarter of the population is deaf and everyone can speak in sign language. She's always felt proud of who she is, but then a man comes to study the deafness on her island, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to figure it out. This is a historical book when the genetic link to deafness wasn't figured out yet. I've never heard of this island before, but apparently it's a real place! It was really interesting to think about living in a place where deafness is so prevalent, and they make up their own version of sign language. Another big issue in the book is colonialism and racism, since they co-exist on the island with the Indigenous people, plus freed slaves, and not everybody agrees on what's fair. It's a Middle Grade book, and so could spark some really great conversations about ableism, colonialism, and Indigenous rights. Plus Mary is just a great chara...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) I wanted some alone time but not alone with my thoughts so I went and watched this movie! I have zero nostalgia for ghostbusters cause I’ve never seen any of the previous ones; not even the female remake. It was pretty good! Mostly light hearted and fun but still a little spooky! The kid actors were really great. They also did a great job with sibling relationships and portrayed the single mom really well. I think the best thing they did was not draw this movie out. It is still 2 hours long but all of it feels important and necessary. The final fight scene isn’t drawn out and I appreciated that. Paul Rudd is just so gosh darn handsome and charming. Watch it for him alone.

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I watched this show because it was really popular in Twitter, but then kinda realized it wasn't my thing. It's a dark horror where a innocent enough priest comes to town, and things start to get weird when there are some supernatural occurences. I got about half way, but I find these horror types to always be a bit cheesy. It was a bunch of b-list actors, and the writing was just a bit lame. Y'all are trying too hard! Always trying to go for maximum emotional impact without laying the ground work. Kinda feels like a hallmark horror show if that makes sense. I got about half way, but then my best friend Bruxy told me that the end makes it worth it. He was right! It still felt like they were all trying too hard, but man those last two episodes are craaaazy, mostly in a good way. Definitely made the watch worthwhile. Otherwise, this show definitely touches on some interesting things. Lots of cool religious and theological ideas about the...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) I've had this one on my list for a while, ever since a friend read all 5 of them in like a month because he loved them so much. While I didn't read it as quickly as he did, I was engaged in this fantasy world more than I have been in any other for a while. This one has a general mashup of fantasy tropes - royal ultra powerful magic wielder has a bastard son that is hidden, eventually the son learns who he is and learns to use his powers. The magic system is also kind of close to the one in Sanderson's Warbreaker, where light is harnessed for power, but it is used differently. Each person can wield a specific colour, unless they are super powerful and can wield more than one (kind of like Mistborn). Each colour represents different temperaments and can accomplish different things (almost like the Ajahs in Wheel of Time). Son goes to school to learn how to harness his power (insert one of a dozen fantasy books here). While it sounds like i...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Keiji is a soldier in a war against aliens who are trying to terraform the Earth (although yes I suppose it wouldn't be called terraform in this case). During his first battle, he gets killed - but then he wakes up the day before the battle again. He relives the same two days over and over, always getting better at fighting, but always dying in the battle. But maybe the famous female soldier will be able to get him out of this time loop. Apparently this book was adapted into the movie Edge of Tomorrow? I haven't seen it, but I did think that was interesting, and that of course they cast Tom Cruise instead of a Japanese person. Anyway, it was a very cool concept, and I liked that there was an actual reason for why he's stuck in a time loop, instead of just ~magic~. The writing wasn't great, but that might be mostly due to a mediocre translation. Either way, it was short and I thought it was cool, but the writing and characters c...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Pink is a pelesit (Malaysian ghost), and after his master dies, he finds her granddaughter to be his new master. Suraya is an outcast, and so she's happy to have Pink for a best friend, but when Suraya makes a new friend at school, Pink's malevolent side becomes more apparent. I love that this book by a Malaysian author and set in Malaysia got picked up by a North American publisher. It's very steeped in Malaysian culture, but is still very accessible for North American kids. I loved that cultural tidbits I was able to pick up, and the inclusion of the Malay-English dialect. Anyway, other than that, this is a book about friendship and family much more than it is a ghost story. Pink does have a mean streak, and some of the things he does to others is kind of creepy, but I definitely wouldn't call it a horror book. The fact that all of the creatures were Malay instead of American meant I really didn't know how things would ge...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Of course I had to follow up a biography reading with a biopic. I had pretty similar feelings here as with the book. It's solid, and Lincoln is a compelling figure, but I just can't be made to care about political maneuvering. It was also hard to follow at times because not only is there a lot of politics, but the movie uses old fashioned language throughout. This is also coming from a guy who just spent months reading about these events, so I really don't know what it would be like for someone coming in fresh. If it wasn't for happy and sad music that's especially common in Spielberg movies, I'd have been lost. BUT I still generally enjoyed watching this and getting some context around everyone and everything I'd been reading about. This was an absolute classic performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, and this movie has one of the most impressive collections of white male actors you've ever seen. Tommy Lee Jones played an...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Will) I do love a good heist movie, so I thought I'd try out this new one on Netflix. It was indeed a heist movie, almost exactly like every heist movie that's come before it. There's nothing original here, and in fact it seems like they're just trying to start a new Ocean's 11 franchise. Ryan Reynolds plays the standard Ryan Reynolds character, The Rock plays the standard The Rock character, and Gal Gadot is also pretty much what you'd expect. That all being said, it was reasonably funny at times! And there was main characters stealing priceless art, because we the people could never feel bad about stealing useless stuff from rich people! And it was all just totally fine and entertaining enough, and if you like this sort of thing I recommend it. I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes and it was like 93% audience score, and 39% from critics, which sounds about right to me.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Will) I discovered that Anita had never heard of Fyre Fest, so I had to introduce her to maybe the funniest fiasco of the decade. The documentary is pretty standard stuff, but it shines because the source material (all true!) is so ridiculous and amazing. Also, the ability of people to be swindled by charismatic-yet-clueless people never ceases to amaze me.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This book is a biiiig boy and took me a long time to finish. This covers Lincoln's life in great detail, and so your enjoyment of it totally just depends on how much you like him because you're spending a lot of time with him. As far as biography writing goes, obviously this is top notch with a million details taken from a ton of sources (letters, newspapers, quotes, books, etc.). It wasn't always thrilling, but that's not really the point. And do I like Abe? I think I do. It's really hard to know how to evaluate a person from 150 years back within his context. He definitely said and did some very questionable things and I can't really defend them. But I mean, he was also passionate enough about slavery being wrong that he fought a war over it (and I know the war wasn't over slavery, but if he didn't care I think he could have avoided it). With slavery and everything else, I really, really love how he thought about...

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by hoodie_logi) Every once in awhile a book comes along that is so well written and so powerful that it changes you a little after reading it. This was one of those books. In essence, this book is the story of Ireland, told through the people who love the land. The plot follows Ronan, who begins as a 9 year old boy and we get to follow his journey into manhood. As a 9 year old, Ronan's life is completely changed when the last story teller of Ireland comes to visit his family's farm. The storyteller stays three days, and tells the town stories in exchange for bed and food. These three days change Ronan's life forever, sending him on a lifelong journey to reconnect with the storyteller and learn the history of Ireland. The book is told through stories within stories. The narrative of Ronan will push on until he meets someone with a story to tell. As we learn these stories alongside Ronan, we see how it changes his worldview and how he interacts w...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This season covers three main arcs, and I really loved the first two. They were more light-hearted and fun - a school competition and another work study, with a focus on everyone's favourite characters. The third was more serious with some villain backstory, and while it was interesting, there were too many episodes in a row where the good guys don't even appear! Overall it was a solid season, and it set up for some really exciting stuff to happen next season!

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by kaelwilton) I’m going to be honest, I had no expectations for this show. I’m not a huge fan of Lil Dickys music, but some of the guys wanted to watch this so I watched with them. But I must say this show was fantastic. What surprised me most was how much heart this show has. You genuinely care about the characters, and there are genuinely heartfelt moments throughout every episode. There is some fantastic character writing found here. It’s also absolutely hilarious. There are a few weaker episodes in the middle of the season, but apart from that this show was fantastic. Be warned, there is quite a lot of really crude sexual humour, and the third episode is some of the nastiest stuff Ive ever seen, but apart from that I loved this show.

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) I have never been a big fan of Wes Anderson movies, but I went into this one with an open heart. It is true to form, a whimsical oddball movie in the exact style of his other movies. And like his other movies, it just didn't really work for me. Its about a small newspaper, and the story is told over 3 vignettes, kind of like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (which is 100x better), where each one is laying out an article that one of the writers is working on. This movie gets a lot of style points, as it employs tons of different styles including black and white, animation, etc. It is also maybe the most star studded movie of all time, with tons of pleasant cameo-esque appearances. There was a lot to like, but I feel like the humour never quite landed for me, and the tiered story telling got a bit confusing at times, with the vignettes branching off into other vignettes. It is several different looks at the journalistic and creative endeavours, but...

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This year I've really been going back to a lot of my favorites, and so why not continue that with my favorite TV show? I know it sounds corny, but during these last few months where everything was in flux, this show came in huge for us. As everything was changing, it was nice to settle down in the evening with my familiar friends Dwight, Jim and Pam. I really do think this show gets better every time you watch it. For whatever reason, this show is just one where every joke is funnier when you see it coming. It's still hard to watch Michael do Michael things, but a little easier when you see Michael Clump coming. I was thinking when watching that it might not get a perfect score because there are definitely some imperfect seasons. The first is still definitely a little rough with a totally unlikeable Michael, but seasons 2-3 are both 11s, and more than make up for the other seasons. They are my two favorite seasons of any show ever. They ...

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by niklasj08) One of my favourite albums of all time. I don't think this is a hot take (?) but this is easily Neck Deep 's best output in my opinion. An absolute triumph that blends the best aspects of the modern pop punk scene with inspirations from the golden age. Considered a concept album by the band, the tracks are loosely linked thematically, yet avoid letting themselves get bogged down by a detailed narrative. While the typical stereotypes of pop punk are very much present, the lyrics remain fun and hopeful, ensuring that the project does not get bogged down in self-pity or moodiness. Musically, ADAI has a great range between fast paced tracks with breakdowns that would be at home in a Tony Hawk game and more laid back and earnest numbers that really balance out the pacing. Ben Barlow, while a decent vocalist on previous albums, really hits his stride here, and this is definitely his strongest performance. The album sequencing is also almost...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by hoodie_logi) Today I learned that Nate Reuss had a mid-2000's indie rock band that he was in before forming Fun. and it is among the best news I've received today. Super fun, super mid-2000's indie rock and a super easy listen. Nate's voice lends itself perfectly to the genre and this is an album that will be in rotation for awhile now.

⭐ 4.0/10 (Originally written by hoodie_logi) The best thing I can say about this movie is that it happened. It wasn't like bad, but not good either. It just kind of exists I guess. Basically its a deep dive into a couple experiencing marital problems, portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell. The setting is a family vacation in the Swiss Alps with their two sons. A brush with death reveals deep rooted issues the couple has, and they spend the rest of the movie both trying to work through them and also trying to ignore them. Basically this movie was fine. The performances are good not great, the depth we get to see into their relationship is deep enough but not super revealing. And it also just ends. Like there's no real final act, no resolution, no build up to anything climactic. The title definitely fits their relationship, but ya.... Best I can say is it exists as a movie that you can watch if you so desire.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This is the fictionalized autobiography of a young boy named Daniel, who was born in Iran and moved to the US as a child. It's framed as a report he's giving to his class, and so although it's a grown man writing his autobiography, it's through the eyes of his child self. It's an interesting choice, and I thought it worked. Its target audience is apparently Middle Grade kids, but it worked as a book for adults just as well. Daniel uses a Persian story-telling style, where there are stories within stories, like the 1001 Nights, which he refers to often. He tells stories he's heard about his grandparents and parents, his memories of Iran, escaping from Iran, and his first years in America as a refugee in the 80s. It's funny and sad and eye-opening, and really clever. It says a lot about racism and the refugee experience, and teaches a lot about Persian culture. I listened to it on audio, and thought it was great that ...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie. Guy is an NPC in a video game who decides he wants to be a hero instead of letting life happen to him. It's not a wholly unique concept, but new enough that I legit didn't know what was going to happen or how things would be resolved. Ryan Reynolds was like Buddy the Elf 2.0, it was a treat seeing Joe Keery in a different role, and Taika Waititi can do no wrong and I was happy every second he was on screen.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) You bet your bottom dollar I oinked on over to the theatres for new marvel slop! What can I say? It’s entertaining and fun and there isn’t much going on these days anyway. I love the big team here! Thought they did it pretty well. They had a really heavy focus on relationships throughout this whole movie which I found really endearing. Kumail stole the show every time he was on screen. The speedster they had was actually so sick. Jon snow was dreamy as ever so was Robb Stark. Gemma Chan was also great in this and there was a PG-13 sex scene that made me very uncomfortable! Angelina Jolie, while I don’t particularly love her, was great in this. A very intriguing character. They had a good mix of people that could fight well and other powers that weren’t necessarily violent but still really cool! At this point it is very annoying that they can basically just explain away why they didn’t help with these other works catastrophes so if you can suspend ...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This movie was oddly an intersection of two interesting things going on for me, being married to a Mexican-lite and now living in New York-lite. Obviously I can't relate to the struggle of growing up in that kind of neighborhood with that kind of background, but I do feel like recent events have given me a new appreciation for what this movie was all about. Really loved all the musical themes and dancing here, and Spanish is just such a beautiful language. The story was pretty cheesy, and tried a little too hard to speak to a modern crowd, but isn't that what musicals are all about? It didn't really speak to me on an emotional level, but that's fine. It was more just fun watching anyways. With that said, I totally didn't get why the guy liked the girl other than because she was hot? She was pretty unlikeable. So yeah, nothing life altering, and time will tell if the songs stick around in my head, but this was a fun 2+ hours (t...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by kaelwilton) Had a really great time with this one! It’s very different from Edgar Wrights other works, which is a very big positive in my opinion! It is genuinely frightening at parts, which I definitely was not expecting! The visuals here were insane (see this one in theatres if possible)! The acting was great, the story was interesting, and I think the character writing was solid for the most part. My only two issues were some rough dialogue at the beginning, and I had some issues with the big “twist” at the end, but neither took away from my enjoyment for the most part. Very fun and entertaining!

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by kaelwilton) I feel like I have nothing new to say here, except see it in IMAX if possible!

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) NOTHING goes as hard as shounen anime, especially when it comes to the movie spin-offs. I've never seen such a bonkers insane final fight scene in my life. It's honestly so absurd that it's hysterical, but I love it. Just shameless over-the-top action. You'll never believe how many times a character can come back from the brink of death through the power of friendship and/or the desire to be The Best Hero Ever! Had an absolute blast with this one, I would give my life for any of these characters in a heartbeat.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Took a brief break from rereading every Murderbot book for the 5th time to read a middle grade spooky book for spooky season! I read the whole thing on the train ride home from Toronto, when it was dark and wet, which was honestly the perfect vibe. It's definitely Horror Lite, since it's for young teens, but I'll admit I got a little spooked. The author did a fantastic job with the setting and tension. My biggest qualm was that there wasn't enough utilization of small spaces! It's right in the title, and they barely even used them! But still. A banger.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Yeah, yeah, we all watched this one. I really liked it! Joe is right that I don't like the main characters enough to really be rooting for them, apart from Oscar Isaac whom I would die for. What a man. I loved the visuals and the worldbuilding, and although it was extremely hard to hear anything people were saying, I thought they did a pretty good job of making sure you knew what was going on even if you hadn't read the book. I'm looking forward to part 2! And also rewatching it with subtitles.

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Yeah, me and Marcel watched like a million movies. I'm not even reviewing them all! This one was a random creature feature choice, about a father and daughter trapped in their flooding basement during a hurricane with a couple of extremely malevolent gators. I truly don't think these gators would be THAT murderous, and the movie's pretty bloody, but don't worry! The dog doesn't die. It's essentially Jaws but with alligators, and VERY stressful.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Another 2012 action scifi movie Marcel really likes, this one about Karl Urban, a "Judge" in dystopian America who serves as an intense form of law enforcement, and his new apprentice. The majority of the story takes place inside a single huge building, and I always love limited-setting stories. And I liked the take on black and white morality and mercy. It was a lot of gunfights and action sequences, but I really enjoyed it!

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) This is Marcel's favourite movie of all time, for some reason, so of course we had to watch it while he was visiting. It's a remake of the 1990 movie feat. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and is apparently much better. It's a pretty standard scifi movie about a secret agent whose memories were erased and who has to save the rebel cause, but I did really enjoy it and I thought the concept was really cool. And I always love class war themes. In the end, I loved it because I was watching it with someone who loved it.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) From the director of Searching, if anyone watched that. Another thriller, this one more psychological, about a girl who's starting to have suspicions about her illness and the medication her mother is giving her. Super tense, edge of your seat stuff, but I found it surprisingly predictable, unlike Searching, which had me guessing to the end. Also, a couple things really didn't make sense at the end. Still, great stuff, and fantastic performances by Sarah Paulson and the lead.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) I'm way behind on my movie Weviews, but I refuse to give up this close to the end of the year! Watched this one in theatres, for Tom Hardy Night IX, and let's be honest. It wasn't a GOOD movie. But it was a very FUN movie and I had a great time. It's just ridiculous, and stupid, and a good time to watch with friends. I have no constructive criticism. I love my friend Tom Hardy.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This was our Halloween night pick this year, and I've heard so much about it from Becky I decided to finally see it for myself. This kind of horror isn't generally my thing, but it was the group of kids and the friendship themes that drew me. Well, this movie certainly is scary. The clown is terrifying and some pretty horrific things happen to kids, but there weren't a lot of moments when I had to look away. I thought all of the child actors were phenomenal and it made me want to watch everything these kids have been in. But like, the story didn't make that much sense? Becky told me that it's horror and I shouldn't ask so many questions about how things work, but since horror is pretty much fantasy, I still like my world-building to be thorough and for there to be in-world logic.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) There's not really anything new that I can say about this movie that hasn't been said already. It's epic and visually stunning, and the performances are great. I've read the book before and felt neutral about it, and although I enjoyed watching the movie more than I did reading the book, I still feel kind of neutral about the story.