WeView

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Another great season of a great show. I actually sometimes wonder if there's some weird writing schedule because this show has many 10/10 masterpiece works of comedy, and then a couple episodes that are just meh, and don't have the same energy. But this show is still probably 15/22 elite episodes that are just amazing, with the beginning and ending few being the standouts where they seem to have a little more leash with budget. Hal continues to be awesome with what seems like an ever increasing role, and I love that fact that we still have no idea where he works. It all comes to a head in this season with all the corporate mumbo jumbo, especially when it comes to the conspiracy against him. His wild ideas to overcome the existential dread continue to be a highlight. So yeah, still some of the shows best, funniest and most creative episodes this season. It just has a few okay episodes mixed in which keep it from reaching the high of previo...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) As Tim says, this movie is a classic love letter to all NBA fans out there. It is an incredibly standard sports movie with all the regular beats, complete with a montage and some corny off-the-court family stuff. In terms of sports movies, this one is pretty lame and full of cliche. However! This movie is a ton of fun for a lot of other reasons. Basketball fans know that Adam Sandler is a huge NBA fan and you could totally tell this was him living his dream and somehow that made me happy. This movie is full of not just cameos, but actual acted roles by NBA players. And they're not bad! Most are small and hard to screw up, but Anthony Edwards, the NBAs most loveable 6'6" adolescent, kills it in his villain role. And then Juancho is pretty good as the lead, and what he lacks in charisma he makes up for in otherworldly handsomeness. What a hottie! I guess I never knew what he looked like cuz he's not exactly focused on during actual...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Genuinely furious that this movie got me so good. I watched the first one a couple weeks ago for movie night with Marcel (it was bad don't watch it) and then we watched this one together in theatre in Vancouver, and it was SO GOOD? I honestly had an incredible time. It called back to all the best bits of the first movie, it was surprisingly tense AND emotional, and after it ended I really needed a minute to collect myself. I don't know what it was but I already kind of want to watch it again.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) Hobb wrote the Farseer trilogy, which I loved, and when I realized she had 4 other trilogies in the same universe I was intimidated, thinking I had already read the best books in the whole series. Well, I am delighted to say this trilogy is off to a very strong start and could even dethrone the Farseer books for me. The plot of these books is wacky, and the connections to the other books so minor in a way I really love. This book is based around a trader family that owns a Liveship, a ship that basically gets a soul and can talk once 3 members of the family from 3 straight generations die on the boat. Once the ship is alive it has supernatural sailing abilities, so the family can get rich. As I said, weird premise, but this book is not hokey in any way. In fact, this feels as close to ASOIAF as I have gotten. The family members and dynamics are distinct and compelling. We meet them all individually to start, get to understand their relationsh...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) Pretty sure I've rated all 3 books as an 8 so far, and this one is pretty consistent with the others. This book is enormous, and I am halfway through the 4th already, so I kind of forget a bunch of the main plot points. The universe is expanding, it still has twists to pull, and it isn't afraid to kill characters. I kind of wish there was more of a focus on some of the villains, since we get so many POVs but rarely from the bad guys. But I feel very connected to a couple of these distinct characters and am fully invested in the story. I think this book suffered from its length, and I found the Teia arc to be pretty tiring. It tries to do the palace intrigue crossed with a super secret spy organization stuff, but I found tracking the motivations of the characters to be difficult. Happy to see this is the longest of the series and I won't have to grind through the others. Lots of creativity in this story, although perhaps leaning a b...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) The power of WeView led me to this movie! I watched the first half of this in high school at one point and wasn't super in to it, but thought it was really solid this time around. It tells the true story of a down-on-her-luck mom who is hustling to get a job, and ends up uncovering a huge corporate scandal. It is powerful, and makes you feel good, and is just as unsettling now as it probably was when it came out. The star here is Julia Roberts, and she is in every frame of this movie, completely carrying it and winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her efforts. Her character is not what meets the eye, and the revealing way she dresses means everyone is discounting her at every turn. That was something I found interesting, same with her neighbour (played by Aaron Eckhart), who looks like a biker gang dude but is actually the sweetest man in any movie ever. Anyways, Roberts plays the emotion, the exasperation, and the grit perfectly, but is a...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) This movie is a real treat. A classic sports movie with no real surprises, it nails all the story beats and leaves you feeling like you could run through a wall. Adam Sandler plays a scout who dreams of being an NBA coach, and bets it all on some random street baller he finds. There are trials and tribulations, the longest workout montage ever, villains and misunderstandings, all ending in redemption and tears. You can probably see it in your head right now. What makes this on good is the earnest love it has for basketball. The basketball scenes look pretty real, and it is full to the brim with NBA players. They do a good job of not making them act too much, with the notable exception of the star of the movie, who is fine, and Kenny Smith. If you know me you know I can't stand Kenny, but he actually does a solid job in the fairly beefy role. The real standout here is Anthony Edwards as the villain. He is completely hate-able but so so go...

⭐ 5.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) Good heavens this show is bad, and coming off the rough Boba season made it even more disappointing. I get it, I'm a spoiled Star Wars fan who likes something that is basically for children. But you know what, no. I'm watching a Star Wars cartoon right now that make me feel more emotional than this show, which is essentially the followup to one of the greatest movie theater experiences of my life. So I will not accept that this is a kids show so it can suck, because Mandalorian is amazing and the cartoons are better than this. The show basically brings nothing new to the story, and if anything just introduces weird continuity things. Luke and Leia sure lives exciting childhoods and have forgotten a lot but the time the movies come along. The motivations of the characters are completely opaque and uninteresting, and they try to introduce stakes that are just completely flat. Characters we have no connection to die and they milk it for the ter...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) This one caught my attention because it looked like a combination of Twin Peaks and Lost and Dark, all on ranches in Wyoming. And it kind of is that, but in a less interesting way. A hole opens up on Josh Brolin's ranch and a murder follows shortly after, so we get a small town investigation combined with some supernatural elements. I found that the show was way too focused on the investigation side of the show, and wanted more of the full on supernatural. The cast was solid, but I was getting kind of sick of the family dynamics. And the show tries so hard to be quirky and construct these interesting frames with meaning and subtlety but it is so not subtle. It's hard for me to verbalize what makes Twin Peaks so good and this a cheap knockoff, other than that it is trying too hard. The mom's arc especially was just full of these bizarre encounters that are chock full of religious symbolism in the most eye-rolling way possible. Still,...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) Maybe the best show on TV (behind Succession), it was a long pandemic wait for the third season, and it was worth it. The whole " is this a comedy or a drama thing" is out the window. This is one dark show, and the moments of humour hit harder because of it. Things go completely off the rails, and I can't wait to see how the come back for season 3. The show leans pretty heavily into the ridiculousness of actors and Hollywood and this season takes it up another level, commenting on the impermanence of streaming and the way algorithms run our lives. At the same time Barry is attempting to make amends for things in his past but clearly showing that this is not some redemptive arc. The people in this show are messed up, and it is painful to watch but oh so good. I think season 2 was slightly better, and contained some better set pieces, but there are several memorable moments in this season as well. I think Bill Hader is a genius, but...

⭐ 4.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Yeah yeah, got wrangled up and led back to the slop bucket. I knew I wouldn't like this movie and what do ya know; I didn't like it. Sam Rami has a lot of equity with me, and I'm glad he tried some things. But mostly I'm glad I didn't spend theatre money to watch this painfully average movie that really didn't need to have been made.

⭐ 6.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) Look who went back for another helping of slop! Ya, this was just whatever. I was thinking to myself that Cumberbatch just isn’t a good actor but that simply isn’t true! He slays in Sherlock but I guess even he is just a pawn in the Disney empire. I know the CGI always gets shit on and for good reason but I honestly liked some of the universe jumping. Elizabeth Olsen can do no wrong and I wanted her to drag Strange. Ive noticed that they’re trying to make Strange connect with these teen superheroes but every single encounter is just forced and he isn’t a good person or good role model. Please just stop that plot line!

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) A few years ago we went to Detroit specifically to watch this show on American Netflix, and it was totally worth it. I recently rewatched it, and it was amazing AGAIN! I had also totally forgotten what it was about so it was a nice surprise 😌 It's a pretty classic Victorian romance, with some added strike and industrialism business for fun. (Which I honestly got pretty invested in!) Being real, the romance was slow going and I didn't always totally know what was going on or where the plot was going, but hoo boy did it get me in the end! Those tender hand touches!!! 😍

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) First of all, don't tell my mom I played this. In this game, you play in a world where mad scientists opened a portal into H-E-double-hockey-sticks and suprise! everything went wrong and demons poured into their labs and threaten to break out. Your role is to close these portals, killing all the demons along the way. Hell ya brother! You know how every game has the good part (where you shoot and kill stuff) and the boring parts (where you talk, craft, loot, etc)? Well this game asks the question: what if we made a game of just the good part? This game is a tight 8 hours of shooting, blasting and exploding demons into meat particles while metal plays in the background (yes really). This game is so badass it would make the Hell's Angels blush. This game is wildly fun and does not take itself too seriously at all. The animations are so hilariously over the top as you tear open a demons by pulling apart their skulls, or rip off their limbs an...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) I’ve been listening to Post Malone for years now and I’m always excited for new music with him. He’s 26 now, about to have a baby and kind of lived/is living his most wild superstar life - in both the best and worst ways. The title alludes to that: he has enough money to get 12 carats put into his teeth. However, his partying and drugs and drunkenness get him into situations that damage his teeth. This album is pretty contemplative, and doesn’t have too many radio hits. I wonder if it is a result of him growing up and maturing. The album has great features and is just super solid to listen to. I don’t think it will have as lasting an impact as his previous work, but I still really like it. Looking at the track list, it’s hard to say which is my fave song. Lemon Tree, Wrapped Around Your Finer, and I Like You are all up there, but One Right Now probably takes the crown.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) This is an Office style show about a group of teachers in Philly. All unique characters with great dynamics and a lot of laughs. This show was pretty light hearted but had some really nice moments sprinkled in. The main character is also the producer and she’s awesome. She has a few really funny YouTube clips I’ve seen years ago and I’m glad she has this show! She is incredible and I relate to her a lot. However, it is actually uncanny how much I relate to a different teacher, Jacob. I swear I’ve said most of his dialogue in real life. It was actually insane. I knew someone who taught in Philly and she was telling me about the school to prison pipeline: how the schools are so bad and underfunded that so many of the students end up in prison. This show doesn’t tackle that but they do talk about how they are kind of always struggling financially and I thought that was interesting. Will definitely be watching more seasons!

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Jessamyn has just moved back to Malaysia with her parents, jobless after graduating and firmly in the closet while her girlfriend waits for her in Singapore. As she's adjusting to life in Penang, her dead grandmother whom she never met starts talking to her and forcing her to get involved with Malaysian gods, mediums, a temple, and a rich man's son who doesn't want to believe his dad is the bad guy. This book immediately immerses you in Malaysian culture, and it was refreshing to have a ghost/possession story based on a set of beliefs that aren't Western. Most of the characters speak in Malaysian English, which was also really interesting for me, a language nerd, to hear in the audiobook. I do wish there had been more descriptions of places and food for a stronger sense of place, but otherwise I found this to be an exciting, compelling story of spirits and revenge, but also family and finding your place.

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I really enjoyed the last book despite it not focusing primarily on Geralt. I had come to terms with these books being about other characters, and I grew to love these other people and the events surrounding them. I was hoping that I would grow to love them enough to finally feel good about giving a 10 to a book in this series. Turns out I didn't need to be concerned cuz this book is almost all Geralt. Man, what an awesome character, and what an awesome piece of atmospheric world building around him. I read about 2/3 of this book in one plane ride sitting and was completely engrossed which is doubly impressive because this book is not action packed. I just wanted to spend time hiking alongside my best friend Geralt and my other close friends Zoltan, Milva, Dandelion, Percival, and of course Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy. A wildly entertaining company of zany characters, all almost directionless and without much of a motivation. This book ...

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Katrina) A true masterpiece in my opinion and Julia Roberts is incredible. That’s it, that’s the review.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I enjoy the occasional celebrity memoir, especially when read by the author in an audiobook. I watched only the first season of Rachel Bloom's show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but I was still interested in learning more about her. Plus she's super funny, and I knew this book would be too. It's a pretty typical mix of essays about growing up and being in the TV industry, plus funny lists or stories, and one excellent Harry Potter fanfic that she wrote. I enjoyed almost all of the chapters, but inevitably the ones that stood out to me were the ones about having OCD. I always love hearing about other people's experiences with it, especially when it's not the more typical forms of OCD (even if hearing about other people's OCD always triggers my own, ugh). Overall it was a quick, entertaining listen from a very funny woman and former theatre kid.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This book was an absolute delight, and it hit all the right notes for me. It was essentially a rom-com set in a castle, with hijinks and implausible set-ups galore. It's also a story about a Chosen One, but AFTER he fulfills his prophecy, and I like that we're seeing more books dealing with the aftermath of doing the thing you were Chosen to do. We are tossed into this book as Arek is killing the Vile One, and gradually we find out about how they got there, but not even that much. There is pretty much no world-building that happens, because it honestly doesn't matter to the story. It's just Arek figuring out what to do about being king, but mostly about needing to find a soulmate before his time runs out, and wanting it to be his best friend Matt but he's pretty sure Matt's not into him like that and not wanting him to marry him out of pity. It's fun and swoony, and these boys are so oblivious. It's mostly silly...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) It's been several years since I last read a book in the Enderverse, and it was nice to go back to it. This takes place 3000 years after the Bugger War, but Ender is only in his 30s because of space travel, and nobody knows he is the infamous Ender. Another sentient alien species they call the piggies has been found on another planet, and when they start killing humans, Ender volunteers to become the dead men's speaker for the dead. As everyone else has said, this book is very different from Ender's Game and from the Ender's Shadow series. There is pretty much no military or war strategy, and instead it's about interacting with others, dealing with guilt, and respecting other cultures. It's fascinating to see what Ender is like as an adult, and how humanity has changed since the Bugger War as they learn from their mistakes. It maybe wasn't as fun as some of the other books I've read in the Enderverse, and knowing...

⭐ 6.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) This movie was terrible and I already forget most of what happened. The bizarre choice to turn the first movie (beautiful, incredible, the Newt Scamander show) into a series about Dumbledore and Grindelwald was so weird and bad. I'm glad they did at least manage to clear up some plot twists/holes though. I honestly didn't even expect that much.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Man, I'm so sad this show is over. Every episode is so solid, and I can't think of a single character I don't like. And it always surprises me when it hits some very real emotional notes. I think season 2 was probably the best one, but I really enjoyed this one as well. The only thing I wished for was more Uncle Colm. I'll miss those Derry Girls.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) This is a trilogy of middle grade books by a Canadian favourite, which I loved as a kid and spontaneously reread in 3 days. It follows a gorup of 4 teens on a diving internship who accidentally discover a shipwreck, uncover a treasure hunting scheme, and face some very real danger underwater. I learned everything I know about diving from these books, and honestly, they hold up pretty well! They're very short, quick reads, and definitely intended for a pretty young audience, but I really enjoyed experiencing them again as an adult. Not sure how they would hold up if I hadn't loved them during my formative years, though. Anyway, they taught me a very important lesson: NEVER dive. Ever.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) What a fun book. I read another by this author earlier this year and found it just okay, but this one was very different in tone, and I liked it more. It's a silly, fun fantasy book about a group of teenagers who just fulfilled a prophecy and killed The Vile One and now have to figure out what to do next and also, oh no, main character and prophecy-fulfiller Arek is now permanently the king. This book doesn't take itself seriously AT ALL, is full of silly modern language and jokes, not a single character is straight (I mean, if you're going to make up a fantasy world, why add homophobia?), and all around is just a grand old romp. The characters are VERY dumb, in a very endearing way, and it hit all the right buttons. Finally, some decent pining!

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) Okay I do sometimes read books that aren't about boats. This was a read-aloud pick with Maggie, and centered around a previous murder and a current disappearance at a hotel. It follows several different characters (a couple teens, their teacher chaperone, a young woman who witnessed the first murder, and more), but I think this book's greatest flaw was that I didn't like most of them. I think Kate Racculia does a great job writing real, flawed characters, but doesn't try to make me like them very much, which I know some people enjoy in a story, but I like to be able to root for characters. It was also quite character-driven, a lot of secrets and haunted pasts, and I often wished we could get back to the plot. But still, I really enjoyed the story, was able to pick up on some foreshadowing and was very surprised by some plot twists, and overall had a really fun time.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) A new boat enters the fray! This was the (true) story of the Belgica, a Belgian expedition to discover, they hoped, the magnetic south pole, among other things. The Belgica set sail in the late 1890s, so only a couple decades before the Endurance, and like her, she got VERY stuck in the ice. It was really fascinating to read about two VERY similar stories, and how wildly different they turned out. The story of the Belgica really hinged on the psychological effects of being helplessly stranded in the Antarctic for two years, and how much isolation can effect people, especially in the cold and dark--several of the men experienced psychotic breaks. It was often a bummer to read (although almost everyone survived), and really just read like a real-life series of unfortunate events right from the beginning, but it was incredibly interesting. But seriously though, what a ride from start to finish.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) This was the third of a series of middle grade "horror" books that I've been really enjoying, and I think my favourite of them so far. Nothing too scary, but just spooky enough that it gets me sometimes. In this one, the kids face a water monster, a creepy island, and whoever else might be on it. A surprisingly gripping read, and I'm really excited to read the last of the series.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Rebecca) I'm way behind on my weviews, but let's start with all the boat books I've read! After reading Endurance, this is all I care about now. South! is the story of the journey published by its leader, Shackleton, and I'm a big fan of firsthand accounts, so I was IN. Granted, this guy is not a poet. Also, he was trying to appeal to people interested in polar exploration. So it's a LOT of minute-by-minute recollections of the ice conditions, their longitude and latitude, what direction the wind was coming from, etc. Honestly, it was kind of fun to hear about. There wasn't a whole lot in this book that wasn't in the first one I read, but it was very cool to hear it straight from the guy who pulled it off. What a legend.

⭐ 1.0/10 (Originally written by kaelwilton) This was a legitimately bad movie. Interesting themes brought down by bad writing, bad acting, bad cinematography, etc. I would consider myself a bit of a Cronenberg fan as well, having liked many of his films in the past, but this one is just bad! Viggo Mortensen gives what is most likely his worst performance, Kristen Stewart’s line delivery is nothing short of atrocious, there isn’t an acting performance I would call good. Also, the production design/costume design looks incredibly cheap. This movie literally looks like a Netflix original. This movie is incredibly disappointing and it made me pretty sad

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) Is this movie militarily propaganda? Absolutely. Is this movie military propaganda that works? Let’s just say me and my buddy George already sent in our applications to join the navy. Ya this movie was just so fun. You know what’s gonna happen and yet it was still great to see. The motorcycles, the moustaches, the beach scene, the bars, all of it was just great. A little SJW moment here but I love how they’re convinced that the bad guys have this huge nefarious plan that they obviously have to stop it and destroy them and then end up killing a bunch of people and in the end it closes with everyone high-fiving and cheering and having a grand ole time. God bless America. Anyway, the military sucks, those fighter jets costs $66 million a piece, and damn do they know how to make a good movie about those aspects.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This is a story about a Filipino-American teen named Jay who is forced to learn more about his birth country when his estranged cousin dies under Duterte's war on drugs regime. Jay's family won't tell him the details about what happened to his cousin, so he travels to the Philippines to visit his family and find out what really happened. I was a little hesitant to read this book because I don't love reading books with such heavy subject matter, but I ended up really happy that I did. It is still heavy, but it's also about family, and has a great sense of place. I think it was the first book I've read set in the Philippines. Jay is biracial and has lived most of his life in the US, so it's interesting to see him experience Filipino culture and culture shock, and learn to stop judging people and places for being different from what he's used to in the US.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) King is a young Black boy living in Louisiana, mourning his older brother's sudden death, although he believes his brother became a dragonfly when he died. Then his former friend disappears, but King discovers him hiding in their back yard and decides to help him hide. This is a really lovely book about grieving a person and every aspect of who they were. King is also struggling with figuring out his sexuality, especially in a town and culture when being gay can mean bullying and rejection. This book won a lot of awards, and I think they were all deserved. It's a little bittersweet, but also hopeful.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) A slight step down this season, but I still feel like this show is maybe the most important show on TV. It explores race in a way nothing else does, and this season they aren't even in America! This season has this very weird format where we basically never see the main characters? There are 4 standalone bottle episodes that don't contain any of the characters and are basically short films on race in America. They are hilarious, and bizarre, and upsetting, and I thought very powerful. It just really disconnects the season, and I have had a hard time reconciling the parallel stories this season is telling. For the more conventional episodes, I love that tons of time has passed. Paper Boi is doing great, and Earn is a solid manager, so the angle of poverty is basically gone, and so are the streets of Atlanta. We are touring Europe, and it is a delight to see these unique characters in such strange waters. I think that adjustment is actuall...

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) A game I never played because I haven't had a Playstation since high school, and it has been on my list forever. The game is definitely a masterpiece of storytelling, in a post-apocalyptic zombie America where a grizzled older man has to protect a young girl who is the only hope for a cure. It feels like these story beats have been copied a million times, and I am not sure this is the original, but it nails every moment without being overly sappy or on-the-nose. For an older game I was genuinely scared many times, and delighted by the variety of environments you explore along the way. You meet memorable allies and even more memorable villains, the game constantly putting you in new situations to navigate. I loved the way resources work in this game, constantly feeling like I barely have enough, probably what it feel like if this actually happened. In most games I end the game the richest man alive, but even by the final stages I felt like I need...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) The real joy of this season has been that Jess claims it is maybe her favourite Star Wars content, so that's exciting. I still find the formula of this show a bit childish, and long for more connected arcs. When it has them they are good, but for the most part I only get excited when it directly ties in to something from The Mandalorian. It's a great show we watch while working out, but I would never sit down for an uninterrupted episode. There are some real highlights this season for sure, but again they are for the appearances and connections to live action Star Wars. It is hard to wrap your head around canon including animated and live action versions of characters you love. The stakes also got a bit higher this season, and I am excited to see how its final season concludes.

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) I've seen this one a couple times now, and honestly I don't mind it. I think the conflict of a big chain of bookstores buying up the mom-and-pop store is pretty interesting, and the personality of the people associated with corporations is instantly how we feel about the corporation itself. Netflix could totally remake this with Amazon now shutting down a big book chain like Chapters, and when they do I am sending them a link to this review for my cut. I also love the blossoming internet of this movie. Tom Hanks loves New York in the fall, and I love the purity of AOL internet. The audacity of finding love online, and the excitement of the anonymity is so innocent, and I love that it is captured in a movie where the books are still physical. I do have some gripes. Meg Ryan is cheating on her boyfriend by pouring her heart out to a dude online. There, I said it. And the resolutions in this movie kind of suck. You know how the cheating thing i...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) I was resistant to watch this, given that it looks like boomer navy propaganda, but you know what, even that can be fun. There is not a single shocking moment in this movie, but that doesn't mean I wasn't smirking at the cheesy dialogue and pumping my fist at the amazing jet maneuvers. The romance is surprisingly wholesome, they avoid politics by never mentioning who the bad guys are, and they even tried for some diversity (pat on the back for the only girl in the crew ALSO being not white). I take back what I said about there not being any shocks. There is a moment where this movie turns into mission impossible and it felt really cool to be stranded away from any planes. Speaking of planes, the way they film them is insane and looks so good. They lay out their mission perfectly, and the training makes it clear how impossible the mission actually is. It is essentially the trench run from Star Wars, but who cares, it was exciting and a guy ...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) Ella Henderson was on UK X-Factor many many years ago as a teen and I think I’ve seen her performance of Cher’s Believe about a million times. Her voice is otherworldly and in my opinion she’s in the same category as Adele, Ariana, Christina, etc. Her smash hit Ghost off of her debut album is pretty much the only song that did well and I think it’s because she simply lacks star power, unfortunately. And this album kind of confirms that. I liked this album, it’s just nothing special. Talks about friendship, relationships, body image, politics, and more. Set In Stone is the best song and makes me feel like a main character, and the rest of the album is just fine.

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This is book 2 of the Witcher Saga and and the fourth book I've read in the universe. We're back on track baby! My main complaints from the last one was mostly that there was a lack of Geralt. This one doesn't actually fix that as he continues to suspiciously be pretty much a side character, and yet Sapkowski has pulled me in and made me fall in love with other characters. I've just come to the understanding that this is less a story about Geralt now and mostly a book about Ciri. And that's okay because Ciri has become really great! The last chapters that focus on her were simply outstanding. This book specially does a really good job in building the world in an organic and natural way. There is a ton of politicking going on, but we only see it through the eyes of our characters and the ways in which the decisions of the higher ups effect them. Sapkowski has done an awesome job creating this thick, unique atmosphere that has c...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) Watched this with the boys on a Saturday night after a few drinks and Mexican food. I include context cause it really was just the perfect movie for that setting. Within the first 5 minutes something raunchy and absurd happens and it’s so freakin funny. What an unlikely, hilarious duo. I’ve always loved Ryan Gosling but have a new appreciation for Russell Crowe. The plot is ridiculous and there were so many laugh out loud moments. The line delivery was just so perfect. Check this one out for a great time!

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I think I have now read everything ESJM has ever written, but I put off reading this one a bit, knowing it mostly revolved around a Ponzi scheme. Financial crimes are definitely not one of my interests. But of course St. John Mandel is an amazing writer, and I still got sucked in. She did her thing and wrote a web of characters that are all connected in one way or another, and all with very different lives and problems. There are also characters from Sea of Tranquility, a later book, so if anyone plans to read that one, I'd recommend reading this one first. Not her strongest maybe, with one of the main characters being quite uninteresting, and I missed the speculative elements she usually puts in her books, but her talent is undeniable.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This is a book for anyone with the niche cross-section interest in race theory, representation, fantasy, and media criticism. Good thing that applies to me! The author explores the Dark Fantastic and how people of colour (mostly Black) are represented in popular media. She looks at the topic through Hunger Games, Merlin, The Vampire Diaries, and Harry Potter. I of course enjoyed the chapters about franchises I have read/watched much more, but the others still held interest as well. The deep literary criticism parts were sometimes over my head and made me feel like I was in school, but it gave me lots to think about, and it was a good reminder to be more critical and look at what I'm consuming in a different way.