WeView

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Did you know that rather then paying for therapy one can simply rewatch Avatar the Last Airbender on Netflix for a measly $15 a month? I am now recommending this to my clients. This is the greatest animated show to ever exist and everyone knows it, and the rewatch just feels so much more wholesome and good for my health. I had some gripes with season one the first time I watched it, and I'd probably have similar complaints now if it was my first time. There are definitely a few more forgettable episodes here as this season has a less linear style that jumps around, though in retrospect it's pretty cool to see that a lot of these earlier, random episode still pay off in later seasons. Still, everything works here and it makes up for a few minor downfalls. The art, the music, the eastern fantasy universe, the animation. Yet far more impressive than all of those things is that they simply nailed a cast of awesome, awesome characters. There ...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This was our book for the Meeting House book club I did and I think it was really great for generating discussion. I have a ton of interest in the role of creativity not only in the life of a Christian, but just in society in general, especially now doing biographies which I think take a moderate amount of creativity. There was lots of talk about the viability of art within capatalistic society, creating just for the sake of creating, creating something good vs creating idols, and a lot more. It was an awesome thought exercise. The book itself, however, didn't always connect for me. Although I'd consider myself pretty creative, Fujimura is a true artist and tends to think and write pretty abstractly at times, and his points almost seemed a bit like a stream of consciousness rather than my preferred structured, organized way of talking about theology. I mean, that's kinda the point in a book like this, but it just made it hard to alway...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Another rom-com that Jess made me watch with her, this time featuring Mona Lisa from Parks and Rec. It really wasn't too bad. It starts off in a very rom-com way and I was rolling my eyes at how they could possibly justify making another one of the same movies. BUT! It definitely went in some unexpected directions! For a bit I thought maybe even this movie was genius in its ability to subvert expectations. But it doesn't stick the landing and there is a scene so lame near the end that I nearly had a stroke. A real shame because this movie had great elements, and a scene so hilariously uncomfortable it would force even Michael Scott to look away. Pretty good.

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) This show wasn’t quite that perfect season, although I know this will probably stick with me for the rest of my life. This show gets a lot of critique, and some, maybe most of it is valid. I just think they deal with the complexity of drugs, addiction and relationships really well. They somehow manage to get you to care for about 5 characters really deeply and you become totally invested. Although this season was a bit disjointed (apparently there was on set drama that made them change the script from time to time) every single episode had me feeling deep, deep emotions and I think that’s so important. Zendaya is literally unreal. I can’t explain how good she is so watch the first 15 minutes of episode 5. I was speechless. I really hope she gets some serious roles that aren’t Marvel or portraying a teenager. She somehow portrays an addict so well it’s scary. I recognize this show is not for everyone, but I just love it so much. It’s renewed for an...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Zach) This review has a brief section on self-harm and suicide. When I was a kid, we would go to my grandma and grandpa's house on every major holiday for a family dinner. Immediately following this meal, the adults cut loose with playing cards and the kids found toys to play with or movies to watch. My grandma had about 4 VHS tapes in the basement and there was one that we watched. The delightfully gender-bending Mrs. Doubtfire starring Robin Williams. Apart from Genie in Aladdin this would be my first and most prominent encounter with Robin Williams. I later saw him in Jumanji, Patch Adams, and some of his stand-up specials. But to be real, I probably watched Mrs. Doubtfire eigth times a year for like 3 years. There was something I revered about Williams, something charming and magnetic, warm and caring. When I found his biography in a thrift store a couple years ago, I payed the $3 and it sat on the shelf. At about 450 pages its nothing to sne...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) An average show for an average superhero. He’s always been my least favourite and this didn’t change that. The first episode is like, really bad. His kids are terrible actors and it’s very cringey. It’s gets better, but then gets bad again by the end. Loved Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh, but everyone else was meh. Two interesting points in the show I thought about were how they commercialized the attack of New York into a Broadway play? Like bro people died and now you’re singing and dancing about it?! But then I realize we do the EXACT same thing in real life. Secondly, why the hell is everyone trying to justify what Hawkeye did as Ronin?? He was a mass murderer he should be in jail! Stop defending him. Anyway, I think this might be a good one to watch with kids? Idk didn’t love it

⭐ 4.0/10 (Originally written by Zach) The Bone Collector is a less than thrilling 90's crime thriller. Lots of ominous strings and dark subterranean crime scenes are the classic tropes in this one. Unlike movies where we only see from the police's perspective, Bone Collector also gives the audience a look at what the killer is up to while the cops try to figure it out. But look, let's get right down to why this movie is worth seeing, a serial killer is on the loose in New York City and muthafuckin Denzel Washington is on the case! Except! He's a quadriplegic! For real, this guy lays in a bed and solves some mysterious mysteries, serial killer type Mensa puzzles, and gives a young cop a big dose of support to get through a personal tragedy. What can't this guy do? I'm telling you, he goes toe to toe, so to speak, with the actual killer and doesn't even do that bad. And he's a quadriplegic! Angelina Jolie is the real star of the movie, bringing big emo...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) I was really hesitant to get my hopes up about this movie, but it turns out there was no need! I absolutely loved it. I mean, really, it was MADE for me. Treasure hunting? Tom Holland? That's honestly all you need in a movie. I honestly don't have anything else to say about it, it was just a lot of fun and I love treasure hunting plots. It's still no National Treasure, but it's the closest I've ever seen. I also really liked that there wasn't a LICK of romance, even when they shared a bed. Finally! Anyway, put your shirt on Tom, nobody needs to see that.

⭐ 4.0/10 (Originally written by Zach) If you've seen Curb, you'll know Jeff Garlin as Jeff Green, Larry David's improvisational, escalation prone counterpart. He brings an even-keeled presence to Larry's idiosyncrasy and their chemistry is magical. I went into Our Man expecting to be as drawn in to a smart comedic take on whatever. I didn't make it 30-minutes. This seems like the product of Netflix giving out stand-up specials like high school nurses give out condoms. Garlin is a long time improviser and while that serves him in other contexts, his standup special could've used more polish, practice, and precision. Premise after premise was set-up only to be left standing. Garlin would bring something up, like locker room nudity, only to say "geez, that's funny!" and yeah sure, it's funny but Jeff, you gotta say more! Give me a new angle on the dangle bro! I found Garlin to be more entertained than the actual audience and he was prone to bur...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Zach) Antwone Fischer dropped in 2002 and I'll bet at that point in my life I would not have liked because it's "a talking movie." It certainly is. But this one goes deep. While I don't think Fischer's story is one that many could relate to, I think what Fischer does with his story is something all too common among young men. Fischer is a navy man who has a hard time with conflict. In the face of adversity, he wants to throw hands. His anger and volatility are revealed to be expressions stemming from past trauma that has been unaddressed and buried, just not deep enough. After a scrap in the locker rooms, Fischer is sent for psychological evaluation to Dr. Jerome Davenport played by none other than Denzel Washington. Dr. Davenport is patient and kind to Antwone but doesn't give him any leeway, waiting him out for what seems like weeks, slowly supporting a feeling of safety in a vulnerable space. Antwone's life story ...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) This is a Norwegian movie that follows a woman entering her 30s, and it could probably be summarized as someone trying to find the meaning of life, if not her own life. She is constantly dissatisfied, and pursues value and meaning in ways that hurt herself and those around her. I can't get away from comparing this to Fleabag, minus the intentional humour that show has. There are clearly contributing factors that lead to hurtful choices, but she is also fully aware of her decisions, at one point even verbally acknowledging that she understood the implications of her actions at the moment she made them. I can't say I sympathized for her, or even that I fully related (although there are relatable aspects of her life). But I was challenged to see the world through her eyes, and me even judging her choices as good or bad is probably besides the point. I was kind of surprised faith never came up, because in a movie where everyone is searching ...

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by hoodie_logi) I am not overstating, when I think this could be the greatest fantasy series I've read. With every book in the series receiving the Hugo award, my expectations were high, and they have been completely blown away. Jemisin's world building is unlike anything that has ever been written. This is a world and people that know loss, and Jemisin drags us through the mud with them, slowly bringing forth new atrocities and old wounds to help us grow with the characters at their own pace. The most intriguing bit about the series to me so far has been the narrative voice, and I really think it's the aspect that drives home the whole series for me. In essence, you are the main character in the story, and someone else is describing the things you go through, how they affect you and how you react to them. But it's all things that you know already, the narrative voice is simply helping you remember your journey. That's really the best...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This is a book where the author, a pretty well-known Christian ethicist, makes his case for gay and lesbian relationships being theologically viable and accepted within churches. Obviously this is like, the biggest Christian topic of our time and I won't get into everything here. But this is a pretty short book (listening to audio more feels like an extended podcast) and in a 20 chapter book, only two chapters really address the problem from a biblical/theological perspective. It's more storytelling/ anecdotal rather than a true academic examination. At this stage in my life, I prefer a more personal take anyways cuz I don't usually think about most things like a college professor does, plus this is a pretty personal and emotional topic to begin with. But for that reason, I think a skeptic won't really be convinced by this brief foray in a way that would overturn 2000 years of orthodoxy, but is rather more a book to pull someone d...

⭐ 6.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) A Pixar movie I had never seen, and it doesn't really bring anything new to the table, which is probably why I barely remember it even coming out. There are plenty of cute moments, but it has many story beats that are repeats of what we have seen before. A little Lion King, a little Lilo & Stitch, a little Finding Nemo. I tuned out for a bit in the middle, but liked the touching ending. One thing I will say about this movie is that it looks incredible, could have come out this year. Lots of sweeping shots of landscapes and the animation is incredible, kind of a weird balance with the cartoony looking animals but it works. The people at Pixar are wizards. Also, the premise of the movie is that the asteroid that kills dinosaurs doesn't hit earth, and now dinosaurs plow the land and take care of other animals? Not sure I understand that connection.

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) This is book number 2 in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. The books follows Flamel as he is hauling around the twins of prophecy that can take down the Dark Elders and bring this world to peace - or destroy it; in Paris! Some good, quick teen fiction with magic, powers, creatures and fighting. Nothing crazy but I’m enjoying the series and am excited to see where the twins will go from here and what powers they’ll acquire next.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg are trying to find gold and treasure! I really liked this and had a ton of fun watching it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and that was perfect cause it gets quite absurd at times. I love a good a treasure hunt with double crossing and betrayals and this movie had all those elements. I did think it was interesting that there wasn’t a single romantic relationship in the whole movie! Pretty cool choice. Why would I play the game if I can just watch the movie?

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) This was a rewatch obviously but still wanted to log it for the year. I was actually surprised to find out that this movie isn’t as good as I thought it was? The acting was incredibly cheesy a lot of the times and some of the CGI was truly terrible. However, it’s still incredibly nostalgic for me and I still enjoyed it. It’s just FEELS so magical. The music is iconic and recognizable anywhere. The costumes and accents are so great. The friendship between the trio, the terrifying woods, the invisibility cloak, the robes and the great hall; all such great moments that I have such fond feelings for. Ya the kid acting was mostly not great and Dumbledore saying F you to every house at the end seems biased but I will always love these movies.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I had an awesome time watching this. I played all the games last year and loved them, so admittedly my viewing experience was going to be a bit different. But as a fan of the games, this was everything I wanted. It was funny, it touched on lots of similar themes as the games, it followed similar story beats. But more than anything it was ridiculous and didn't take itself seriously with the over-the-top action. I have a few minor quibbles, such as this Drake not being exactly the smooth, confident Drake from the games (Tom Holland was awesome, but more awkward-funny like he always is). I was also sad they didn't utilize the INCREDIBLE musical theme more. It was also oddly not very "uncharted" lands they were exploring which is kinda the point. But I think the biggest disappointment for most moviegoers will just be that they try to cram a 10 hour video game story into a 2 hour movie, so it's harder to develop characters or hav...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Zach)            You may know Spike Lee from Air Jordan commercials; “Is it the shoes Mike?”. While he did a few commercials, he made a pile of iconic music videos in the late 80s/early 90s. In 1986 he shot a Miles Davis music video that shot by shot looks like real contemporary art. In 1989 he shot the video for Public Enemy’s Fight the Power in the streets of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn with a giant portrait of Malcolm X front and centre.            In 1992 he would return to this theme in Malcolm X , a biopic starring Denzel Washington in the lead role. The movie runs over 3-hours and follows the life of Malcolm Little, the man who grew to be one of America’s great civil-rights leaders, Malcolm X. The biopic is based off of The Autobiography of Malcolm X as narrated to Alex Haley. Like any biographical depictions, not everything will fit but Spike L...

⭐ 6.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) I finally watched this because a friend wanted to and I couldn't say no, and it just didn't really do it for me. I like Lin Manuel Miranda and I liked the story fine but none of the music stood out to me at all, and in a musical I feel like that's critical. (Except Breathe, a song I've loved for years.) I was always just kind of waiting for the songs to be over. There were some really good story moments, and I really enjoyed some of the themes, especially because some of them were pretty relatable, and visually it was pretty stunning, but I kind of just felt bored. Or maybe I just wasn't feeling it in the moment, who knows. Sam if you ever see this review, I'm sorry I lied to you that I loved it.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) I really loved this show, especially the animation, but man it made me sad. I almost don't want to watch another season because I know it's just going to make me sadder. I really loved the characters and the moral complexities and the world building and magic system, but like Maggie said, it was sometimes hard to watch. I just want everyone to be happy :( Shout-out to Viktor, my #1 guy. It's okay if you turn a little evil I'll still love you.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Accidentally took a break from WeView but here I am again with another random sci-fi pick from Netflix. It didn't have great ratings, but I enjoyed it! It follows a very small crew that returns to Earth to try to see if it's habitable again, because humans moved to another planet a long time ago and the radiation has made them all infertile. I thought it was an interesting look at a possible future, and I really liked that the humans on earth didn't magically speak the same language as the ones from the other planet. Nothing super special, but I really liked the main actress, and I had a good time.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I went into this show not knowing one single thing about League of Legends or what this show was about. Turns out it's a pretty brutal animated show about a dystopian world and centers around two sisters from the underground. It's definitely not for kids. But the animation is super cool, and so is the world, with competing types of magic/technology that I don't quite understand yet and lots of different sides all fighting for power. It was occasionally hard to watch because it can be really heavy, but I hope there's a second season.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I was very sad when I realized this season was the last one, plus it was the shortest one. But I thought it was as great as always, with throwbacks to lots of past favourite characters (Doug Judy!) and a truly epic heist. I also appreciated the show's acknowledgement of the increased awareness of problems within the police the past few years. I'll miss this show.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This might just be my favourite Inspector Gamache book yet. Gamache and Beauvoir get called to investigate the murder of a monk in a very remote monastery that nobody knew existed until they put out a CD of Gregorian chants that got super popular. Now the choir leader is dead and Gamache and Beauvoir are uncovering a rift among the Gilbertine monks. This is the only book in the series so far that doesn't take place in or include anyone from Three Pines, so that made it stand out quite a bit. Also the setting is fascinating, and it's something of a locked room mystery, since they know the murderer has to be one of the monks. And as always, it digs into human nature, this one focusing on the difference between what we reveal and what we hide inside. This book ends with the mystery solved, but an ending that makes me want to immediately read the next one.

⭐ 5.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Look who's back giving another chance to an anime game after every anime game ever has proven to be a weird, pervy, crappy game. But this one gets absolute critical acclaim. All I ever hear about this game is that it's the most underrated masterpiece that will change your life. So I guess take it with a grain of salt when I say that this game was just another weird, pervy garbage anime game. Why though?! Why is my character wearing a sexy french maid outfit with high heel boots? Why does she wear a skirt that reveals her naked butt every time she moves? Why does every voice actor sound like an eleven year old? I just can't understand how people can treat anime like a serious medium when they are like this. People are so weird man. But every review says ignore the weird anime stuff, cuz the game is very good. And yeah, without it, this game is probably solid enough. It has a cool premise; the world has been taken over by alien robots, ...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This was MY choice for Valentine's weekend. I really love this movie series and we have been putting off seeing each one to help make them last. The first one was one of my all time favorite love stories, and the second was perhaps a little messier but still almost as compelling. This last one is hardly a romance at all, but is more a drama that explores the philosophy of romantic love. I thought it had a lot of interesting things to say and I appreciate that it exists, though I'm not sure this is the one you should be going for on Valentine's. This is kinda the love story of Prince Charming and Cinderella long after they are married and the magic has worn off. The circumstances around these two being together are pretty special, but it doesn't really matter once you have kids and careers and family stuff pulling you in different directions. I love that these movies are able to take these big time concepts and contextualize them w...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This was Jess's choice for our Valentine's weekend, and definitely not one I would have chosen. I have no relationship with Austen outside of the other movies Jess has made me watch, so a movie that goes meta with all her books doesn't really make sense to watch. BUT I really liked it! It honestly makes me really want to read Austen books. I think they did a pretty great job balancing like, 6 different romantic stories, almost similar to Little Women, but then having them circle back to the Austen archetypes (that Jess had to explain to me). There's lots of ups and downs, and even though I didn't feel particularly compelled by any, I could at least understand the dilemma with each character. So yeah, lots of fun, both funny and heartwarming. Totally recommend to Austen fans or anyone else who wants a pretty good romcom. Y'all just let me know when we're doing Mansfield Park for bookclub.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Jess randomly watched the first one on her own, so I joined for #2. Don't think I'd watched it as an adult and yeah, what a riot. One of our favorite things to do when watching these comedies we watched as kids is to point out the totally not funny stuff that we died laughing at back then. Like when Donkey says his own name during the argument at the table?! When Shrek takes the potion only to rip a giant fart?? Killer. But that's the beauty of these. You can watch them 15 years later and find them hilarious for totally different reasons than the first time. As a kid I hated Prince Charming, but he and his relationship with his mom is the real standout now. The way he tries to get Fiona to fall in love with him would have gotten me! And like Mushu, taking a guy from Brooklyn unaltered and inserting him into a totally different setting will always be a winning formula. This is also just such a cool movie-making formula that you don...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Nothing to add. Still good, still have the same character rankings. This season had the marriage which was nice but let's be real, this is no Jim and Pam situation. But overall still enjoyable every single episode.

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Zach) Tegan and Sara are known for pop-y punk-y tracks behind their twin sister vocal chemistry but on Still Jealous, they strip everything back. This (mostly) acoustic re-release of 2004’s So Jealous has the same track list with none of the punchy instrumentation and modified vocals. I kind of think it’s a nod to our ongoing pandemic isolation where nothing is the same as it was. Luckily, the duo have not stayed apart and they’ve given us an intimate, chilled-out, and turned down version of an already great album. I do love the sounds of So Jealous but Still Jealous feels like it brings the pair closer and right back into your head. It’s definitely a different direction but a nice one. That being said, I do hope they go electric again. My recommendation; take this album for a moody walk downtown in a city after looking through a past lover’s Facebook pics from way back.

⭐ 5.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) This show was actually terrible, and this score accounts for two absolute 10/10 masterpieces in the middle of the season. That's how bad the other episodes were. Boba Fett is just straight up boring. Everything cool about him was his mystery, and The Mandalorian is basically the exact same character, only now we have spent way more time with Mando and love him. This show uses janky flashbacks to let you know what happens after the sarlac pit, but it is all so empty, with basically none of it being paid off. The action is trash, in particular a speeder bike chase with steam punk kids that feels like it was made for children but even they wouldn't like. The final episode is a battle episode that uses every trope in the book, and feels totally inert. Honestly, even the fact that they squashed two perfect episodes in the middle makes me mad. The reason for this is that they are just Mando episodes that are crucial to that story. Why not jus...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) This was the movie that substitute teachers would put on in music class, and I always loved it, probably because I have seen the first 45 minutes a million times and they are easily the best parts. Tom Hanks wrote and directed this story about a local Beatles'esque band that hits it big, and the trials they face along the way. Their hit song is catchy, and you believe it could be a hit, but you hear it probably 100x along the way and really get sick of it, which is probably the point. The highlight of this movie is easily their first performance of the song, and then hearing their song on the radio for the first time. There is a lot of pure joy in these kids becoming popular, and the movie really works early on. However, once they reach stardom and start to fall apart the movie kind of drags, with some incredibly cringey writing around romance and an overall sense of aimlessness. It's a tale as old as time, and their band is even called ...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by hoodie_logi) A haunting tale of loss, loyalty and regret, all told through the lens of a town obsessed with their local junior hockey team. This really was a remarkable book. I didn't read any reviews before hand, so I really wasn't expecting this to be such a heavy, emotionally invested read, but I'm so glad it was. The ability Backman holds to give such a diverse group of characters, not only any back story, but meaningful, heart-wrenching origins that inform and impact how they interact with the story is truly a marvel. I can't say I've ever read a story where this much emotional baggage is handled this well. I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but this really is a must read in my opinion. Don't write it off because it's about hockey, the sport is just the medium through which to explore the good and the bad parts of being human. There's some beauty, but so so much loss that these characters face, and the repercussi...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) I'll save the big review for the final season. Needless to say, this show is great and I will miss it when its gone. The kids being adults and having weird and gross relationships is not great, and we keep getting pairings for plots that I don't enjoy, but I still laugh out loud every episode.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) White guys just love the Coen Bros am I right? And yeah, I loved this movie like I love all their movies. We watched this and Step Brothers on back to back days and I think the contrast in comedy styles is pretty interesting. That being all slap-stick and stupidity, probably mostly ad libbed and shot and wrapped within a week. This movie on the other hand I think was super clever, carefully written and intentional. Not even saying one style is better, but I just found the way this movie is able to entertain for 2 hours to be way different. But anyways, I loved it. Jeff Bridges and John Goodman were hilarious. I love this tried and true Coen formula of super regular people finding themselves mixed up in crazy scenarios with the wrong people. There were a lot of threads that I definitely got lost in by the end, and there were some of these artistic elements I wasn't really following, but really I don't think it's that big of a deal. The...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This is a Will Ferrell movie that is exactly like every other Will Ferrell movie, but also a spiritual successor to movies like Dumb and Dumber. Just totally stupid, and you just really have to love stupid movies to enjoy this one. I do indeed love stupid movies, and liked most of this one, but I'm just not ready to put it into the stupid movie pantheon. Also has its fair share of filth so not easy to recommend. Highlights definitely include the fight scene at the end and Will Ferrell's opera performance.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Journalist Jenny Nordberg is interviewing a female politician in Afghanistan when she meets her son, who turns out to be a daughter dressed as a boy. This introduces her to the phenomenon of bacha posh, when families, usually ones with no sons, pass a daughter off as a boy for social clout, so that the women in the family can go out with a male chaperone, to have someone else who can make money, or other reasons. So Nordberg sets off to see if she can find other bacha posh and understand this phenomenon in a country with such rigid ideas of gender and strict gender segregation. This book was so fascinating, but also... quite depressing. Things in Afghanistan are NOT GOOD. The author explores the subject through lots of different angles, and whenever it was about politics and foreign aid it was so discouraging I sometimes had to fast-forward. I personally enjoyed most the chapters about gender expression, gender identity, and whether it's m...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Simon, Baz, Penny, Agatha, and Shepard are back from the States, but nothing is really fixed. Simon is ignoring Baz, and Penny has no idea how to fix Shepard's curse. But eventually they find out that there are new Chosen Ones popping up, and they want to investigate. The strength in this book is really the characters and relationships. I just love them. Simon and Baz still have a whole lot to figure out, and they have lots of conversations to work through things in their relationship. Simon is still dealing with a lot of trauma, and I love how they work on it and through it together, and it's not glossed over as if it's easy. The book has some pacing issues, and it's a bit self-indulgent, but I still didn't really mind. And there were still some loose threads and unanswered questions at the end, so it's not a perfect book, and I know Rowell wasn't originally planning a series when she wrote the first one and it sho...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This is a musical based on the semi-autobiographical one-man show by Jonathan Larson, the man who wrote Rent , and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, so there is a lot for a musical nerd to dig into here. I already knew the basics of Larson's life, and while I enjoy the songs from Rent , the musical itself kind of drives me crazy, so I was curious to see what I'd think of another Larson musical. To my surprise, I ended up enjoying this quite a bit! It has a lot of the same themes as Rent , and the poor artist struggling for his art while being a cis het white man with supportive parents still makes me roll my eyes HARD, but this movie actually seemed more self-aware than Rent . A lot of the songs are really fun, there are a ton of cameos and references that I'm sure were put there just for the musical nerds, and Andrew Garfield is so likeable (and surprisingly good at singing), even though Larson can be insufferable. Are we allowed to...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I was totally sick after getting my booster, and Jess put this on the tv and I was in no condition to contest her will. Luckily I didn't have to! This movie was great! A romcom that is truly funny, who would have thought? For whatever reason, Greek immigrants seem to have a lot in common with Mennonite immigrants and so these jokes always seemed relatable. The romance honestly felt a lot like my introduction into Jess's extended family, with lots of loud members and parties that last all night. Just good, wholesome fun that is nice to watch on a day where you feel crappy.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This was a movie I kept seeing on Netflix but haven't actually heard much about. It's about Olivia Coleman who's haunted by some past decisions and now is seeing another woman (Dakota Johnson) headed down the same path. I still don't know exactly how I feel about this one. It's really an uncomfortable watch because it deals a lot with parents being brought to their limit by their children. I don't know anything about parenting but this seemed super authentic in the darkest ways possible. These kids are so fricken annoying and the parents are just so exhausted. I'd say this movie is pretty anti-children, though by the end it's actually kinda ambiguous. I just thought this movie did an awesome job making me think in a new way and evoke feelings that had never really surfaced for me. Olivia Coleman, my queen (get it), was incredible here but that's just the standard for her now. Also this movie was written by Magg...