WeView

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I genuinely like this show, but holy crap am I okay with never seeing these damn children ever again. I just cannot relate to people who are filthy rich fighting over a *job.* You'd see me sell and move to Maui the second I could. You know who the real winner was? Connor! Because he spent money on things that made him happy and never worked a day in his life! Anyways, that aside, this season is much like the others, which is mostly a good thing. That said, I think this show was wearing on me and I'm glad to see it finished. It's got the dark humor, the snappy dialogue, the high stakes, the set pieces, the acting, and the glorious music, but it still has zero likeable characters. That's somehow been okay thus far, but this was the end of the line for me. Another season and it would have been too much. I can only watch these kids change sides so many times. And I guess on that note, I'll just quickly add that I felt the drama fe...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This is one of those non-Disney animation movies that I wonder if anyone watched besides my family. I remember kinda liking it as a kid, but also being creeped the hell out. Yup, everything tracks. This movie is good. The songs are absolute bangers. Once Upon a December was this truly moving, melancholy, mystical experience that I didn't appreciate as a kid, but was definitely the highlight for me now. Journey to the Past, Learn to Do It, Rumor in St Petersburg. All bangers. I was very impressed by both the variety and quality across the board. But let's not forget my man Rasputin. What an absolute horrifying character to put in a kids movie! This guy losing his limbs is icky even now. But he is also hilarious, his song In the Dark of the Night is incredible (some "Be Prepared" vibes), and he forms this amazing chemistry with Bartok who killed me. Great villain. Meg Ryan is a bit of an odd choice here, and I'm not sure I lov...

⭐ 6.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This is a super short show that took me months to watch because I never wanted to watch it. I just don't dig this kind of raunchy humor, and that's really all this show has. The other aspects of this show are good! I actually thought Olivia Coleman was funny (Jess hates her too much) and i thought that the anti-woman retreat was pretty good. There is still definitely something here that I like, but the main character is too unlikeable for me.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I have loved every Blake Crouch book I've read so far, and while I did still like this one, it wasn't quite as... mind-blowing as I usually find his books. This one is about a geneticist in a near-future world where gene editing is against the law after his mother started a famine with an experiment. Now Logan has been infected by a virus on the job, and it's changing him and teaching him that he didn't know everything about his family. Very thrilling, but Dark Matter is still number one in my heart.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I LOVED the first book, still enjoyed the second but not as much, but then I think this final book was really solid again. Nick and co. continue having to stop the bad guys of Nova City and balance superpowers with college applications and remembering your ADHD meds. The beginning is intentionally confusing and had me turning the pages to find out what was going on. I can still see why some people would find the characters and their humour insufferable, and some entire ridiculous scenes of Nick with his boyfriend or friends a waste of space. But TJ Klune was obviously just having a great time and wanted to write these scenes, and I had fun reading them!

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) As always with Samantha Irby, I found some of the essays absolutely hysterical and occasionally even insightful, some of them just a little too gross, and some of them boring, but just because she was talking about something I know nothing about, like Sex in the City. I actually just skipped that one completely. She's older now, and married, so her life is more stable, but she's still up to her usual shenanigans of eating crappy food, avoiding work, and having embarrassing bathroom-related incidents. If you've liked her other books, you'll like this one. If you haven't read her before, I'd say start with Meaty to learn more about her life growing up.

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) The first time I watched this movie I would have said it was 8.5/10, good but not my favourite. On rewatch this movie is a classic (not a hot take at all), and they truly don't make them like this anymore. I think it's easy to watch this movie for the first time and relate to Will, given that he is the main character. But the character motivations are hard to understand, and the revelation of the abuse he has suffered hits like a gut punch. I can't say it makes me understand his decisions, but it helps me understand the way trauma can inform poor decisions. His inability to let himself love someone is not super relatable to me, but the movie does an incredible job making him a relatable character nonetheless. Anyways, I went on this relatability thing because my main takeaway was the genius of Robin Williams and that character. Has there ever been a more lovely man in the history of movies? The character is so genuine and warm he just j...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) In some ways this book reminded me why I like Sanderson - the world building. He puts us on a different planet with some interesting geographical twists and lets it fly. In this one the oceans are made up of spores, with different oceans having different magical properties. The way different worlds and magics connect in his universe is always intriguing to me, and in this book I found the imaginative ideas and spins on things that exist elsewhere in his Cosmere was interesting to me. The story, on the other hand, was a bit lackluster. The basic idea is admittedly stolen from The Princess Bride, but inverted, where the young prince goes missing the and nobody girl who he loves goes after him. Not a bad idea, but such a1 worn out trope that I had a hard time caring. During the adventures she learns what love truly means and finds herself! Boring. Another thing I couldn't stand is the narration. Like Princess Bride, someone in universe is telling u...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) It's hard to review a comedy with a bunch of seasons, but I feel like I have to because this show keeps getting better. The laughs increase every season, and the characters have been polished until they all shine. I have never liked Tracy Morgan, but they have found ways to use his character that are actually funny. Same with Jane Krakowski, who also felt like a one-note performance until they leaned harder into the deranged energy. The jokes are still hit and miss a bit, mainly the ones delivered by Tina Fey, which is odd, but she really thinks the girl boss who is a slob and loves food is a compelling character. She has amazing moments, but for whatever reason she writes all her best lines for other characters. Shoutout to the celebrity pulls, which this show has always had, but having Matt Damon for the last few episodes blows everyone out of the water. Those last couple episodes had me dying, and I look forward to every chance I get to w...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) I watched this movie a million times as a kid, so revisiting it was a treat, and I found I basically still remembered every line. The thing the holds up most for me is the animation. Something about the care of the hand-drawn style is so amazing, and the minimalist backdrops help make the movie memorable. I'm no artist but watching a movie like this makes me wish I was. The story is classic, obviously, and I enjoyed it, but I can't give it a 10 just for nostalgia. The cast is stacked, and while I might not have any glaring negatives I can't say I was riveted the whole time. Also, this movie is scary! Bloody rivers filled with baby's and crocodiles, rods turning in to snakes. And the traumatic passover night, again the minimalist style has that scene ingrained in my head. The music is obviously great, but it didn't hold up as well as I remember, except for When You Believe, which is performed by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston in...

⭐ 7.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I haven't posted much to Weview cuz I've been so busy watching the NBA playoffs (review for NBA: season 77 coming soon), but I took a break to watch... A basketball movie. To be clear, I don't like sports movies, and I really don't love this new trend of making movies about corporations. Why should I care about the white middle-aged dudes who lucked into a billion dollars? This one is about the guy who got Michael Jordan to sign with Nike, essentially making Nike the basketball brand. I knew a bit about this story, but not everything, and it was definitely interesting to get a bit of a history lesson and a look at these inner workings. Having a better understanding of the context is always fun for a die-hard fan. Still, this movie was presumably made with me as the expected audience, and I still just didn't dig it all the time. There is so much silly exposition explaining how basketball works that I just felt was so lame. It...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This season started out slow, focusing on characters we don't really care about, but when our beloved Class A gets involved in this huge, epic battle, I couldn't stop watching. This show continues to have surprising depth and character development for a show aimed at teen boys. This season was missing a lot of the humour and lightness I enjoyed from past seasons, though, as both arcs were very dark and serious.

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) This is a gorgeous Scottish-inspired fantasy story that swept me away. Jack is a bard who gets called back to his home island to help call the spirits so that they can find out what's happened to their young girls who have been stolen away. His story is entwined with the laird's daughter, the captain guard, and a healer, as they all worry about their loved ones and their home. I thought the world was beautiful, the characters were lovable, and the themes of home, loss, and love were just wonderful.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Perry is an Anishinaabe living on Sugar Island, and as the rebellious, loud-mouthed twin, she just wants a chill summer. But then she's forced to get an internship where she starts to learn about NAGPRA and the bones and items that still haven't been returned to Indigenous peoples, and she starts to get involved. Perry is a really brash and impulsive teen whose heart is in the right place, but her actions often get her into a lot of trouble. This book is definitely reminiscent of the author's first book, which is amazing, but I liked that we get a different side of Indigenous identity, as Perry is fully entrenched in her identity, speaking the language and participating in rituals. I didn't like it quite as much as Firekeeper, but I still definitely recommend it.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) I finally felt ready to read this book, and then I read it all in one day! This book was THE book of 2022, probably because of the sensational story - child actress McCurdy from iCarly reveals how she got into acting by being forced into it by her manipulative and abusive mother. It's written in vignettes as she shows snapshots into her life, mostly focusing on her relationship with her mother, her body dysmorphia and eating disorders. It's intense and sad and compulsively readable. I just wish she had actually talked more about being glad her mom died and how statements like that are so taboo.

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) A very cute MG story inspired by the Mars rover Perseverance, this is about Resilience, or Res, a new rover who's just come to life and is learning about the world and humanity. At the same time, the daughter of Res's creator is writing letters to him, finding comfort in following his journey from the lab to Mars. Res has a few robot friends with distinct personalities, and I love how they learn about friendship and what it means to be human.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Obviously I was going to read this. It's Kuang's first non-SFF book, about an unsuccessful author, June, stealing her more successful friend's unpublished manuscript after her friend dies. Things are more complicated because June is white and her friend Athena was Chinese-American and the book is about Chinese labourers. Told through June's perspective, she tries to justify her actions to herself and has to double down once people start criticizing her and suspecting plagiarism. This book is sharp with biting commentary of America and the publishing industry, and it had my head spinning, trying to figure out who was right and who was racist and who was just a pretentious internet troll. Brilliant, with one point docked for making me feel dumb.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) I saw a TikTok by Zane Lowe, who is the host of Apple Music, about this album. Saying it’s the type of album that will stick with you for a lifetime. Man’s knows music so obviously I had to check it out. Im conflicted because I don’t know anything technical about music. My one criteria is if I like it objectively cause that’s the only thing that matters. This is a 9 track album and 5 of them are incredible and the other 4 are just fine. The first two tracks are great, and then the next 4 are ok, and he closes with 3 amazing songs. Out of those 5, my top 2 are Bruises Off the Peach and White Teeth. Just incredible music that makes you feel a certain type of way. One of them may end up as a favourite of the year. This album is labeled as pop, but I would say it’s probably closer to indie/singer-songwriter. This isn’t the type of album you play with friends at a party. It’s vibey, but more in the sense of a long walk or car ride by yourself.

⭐ 5.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) I said I was done with Marvel but had heard some really great things so back to the trough I went. I feel bad for giving this a low score but this was not good. That’s coming from me, someone who is VERY easy to please. Guardians has some decent humour in the MCU but this just didn’t do it for me. It was cringe and I didn’t enjoy it much. I am highly critical of Marvel at this point so maybe not fair but ya, not great. A main theme in this movie was that everyone is stupid. Drax is a dumbass, Mantis is a dumbass, Adam Warlock (eyebrows kid from Maze Runner) is a dumb ass. Just lazy. Some really interesting meta narrative I read about how a black villain is trying to create a utopia using a white supremacy model but it didn’t communicate that well.

⭐ 0.5/10 (Originally written by Mathew) I fell asleep about halfway through but holy shit what a dumpster fire of an adaptation. I can't stress enough how painful this was.

⭐ 4.0/10 (Originally written by Mathew) Intriguing story and interesting setting, but what an insufferable main character poorly supported by an author that doesn't seem to understand proper human interaction or "show, not tell" when it comes to references. Just felt like the entire book was a big, "look how nerdy I am" from the author to get cred from... somebody?

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I am pretty neutral when it comes to reading classics, and I have never read Hemingway before, but I think this was a pretty good starting point for me. This is a short novella about an old fisherman who has had a run of bad luck catching fish, but then hooks a giant and makes an extraordinary effort to bring it home. There is likely some stuff going on under the surface that I didn't catch, but even on its own, it is an interesting story about a likeable man trying to turn his luck around. I don't have too much to say otherwise. I thought it was good, but probably there is a lot I don't understand that might make it great. I spent a bit of time googling it afterwards, but didn't find anything that really changed my thoughts on it. It's good! And I wonder if I'll think of it a year from now. If you want to read a quick, approachable classic that makes your Weview look slightly more impressive, this is the one!

⭐ 5.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Yeah this movie is terrible. I was kinda hoping that I'd like it in a funny, ironic, or even nostalgic way, but that's not happening. I remember watching it when I was like 12 and thinking that I was probably too old for this movie at that point. As Kathy said in her review, it's simply too dumb. My favorite part was when the love interest was like, if you love me, you'll lose every round. And so the peasant just gets pummeled for the aristocrat. How romantic! The villain is silly, the romance is hollow, and the anachronistic music is actually kinda funny but just too much at times. Also, in terms of anachronisms go, my favorite was when the love interest has crimped hair. There is nobody more distinctly 90s than her, though I suspect that wasn't necessarily intended. I'm not going to say this movie has the bones of a good drama, but I will say that father/son reunion was touching despite being totally unearned. I wonder i...

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Mathew) An easy 10/10. A unique romantic comedy with a killer cast in beautiful Hawai'i. A classic that Jill and I have watched since the early days of our relationship. Special shoutout to Paul Rudd for the largest number of memorable one-liners, but this movie is full of them. "Oh, the weather outside is weather..."

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Somebody on this app forgot to include the author's name in his entry, but this is a collection of short stories by George RR Martin. It follows Dunk, a travelling knight, and his squire Egg who is an energetic, likable, little boy with a mysterious background. These are pretty great. The dynamic between the two main characters is always entertaining and endearing, and Dunk is a terrific leading man. He is the rare character in the Martin-verse who is pretty much flawless, and you can't help but cheer for him as he navigates these tricky dilemmas he finds himself in. Martin is an expert at getting the setting just right. You feel fully immersed in his world. These stories have essentially zero fantastic elements, so it is basically a story set in medieval England which is always fine by me. That said, I had a few issues. The biggest is just the absurd amount of characters in each story. I would say there are no less than 50 characters nam...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) This is a classic 90s kids movie about a poor orphan girl who moves into a mansion and discovers a secret garden. I thought this movie was children's fantasy, but aside from a few light mystical elements, it's not really that. It's just a sweet story about friendship and healing. It's definitely weird, as are a lot of 90s kids movies, but it's pretty wholesome and positive, and although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to most, I think it's perfect for the right audience.