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⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I couldn't get enough of this book. I ran through it in a week and loved every moment. After reading Anne of Green Gables all year, it was time for a book written for the boys! No girls allowed! It's the true story about a British naval ship that... You know what, it's all in the subtitle. But it's amazing, and I think Grann is the premier writer of creative nonfiction right now. I think he does an incredible job of capturing the magic of sea life. The conditions were abominable, with nonstop disease, cramped living, rotten food, dangerous, strenuous labour, little pay, and of course you have to be away from friends and family for months or years at a time. And yet? Get me on one of those boats!! I know I'd be one of those guys to die of typhus the week after setting out, but this book captures the romance and adventure of being out in open water, or navigating foreign shores. There was one passage in particular about being a...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) This is an album by a Toronto local, and I would say that he’s a happy medium between Drake and The Weeknd - two other Toronto stars! I am mostly aware that this isn’t a really good album, but for some reason it hooked me and I listened to it quite a bit this year. It’s too long, he’s very over dramatic, but it’s catchy and pop-y and it does it for me. I think the best song is The Look featuring Kehlani. A really soulful groove that makes you wanna bust a move.

⭐ 5.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Whew, this movie is looooong, and that's because it is actually two movies. I liked the Kate Winslet scenes and didn't like the Cameron Diaz scenes, so it's actually very simple. Cut half this movie out! Anyways, this movie has a ten from a respected weviewer here, so I will cut back on the hateful language and just go the "it wasn't for me" route. And it's true anyways. It wasn't for me because I prefer good movies.

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) I have a very complicated relationship with this movie. Watching it now as an adult, I can admit that it is not great, and has not aged well. However, there is an incredible amount of nostalgia attached to this movie and novel that I can’t really look past. In hindsight Ansel Elgort almost ruins this movie, but I tried to appreciate him as Augustus Waters and he had his moments! Way too cheesy and over the top, with all his metaphors and longing glances. I loved Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace though. I thought she was very endearing. But mvp goes to the friend Isaac. However, this movie essentially plays out as a Hallmark movie. And yet, it had me crying and sniffing the entire way through. I read this book shortly after my own brother passed away from cancer and it was all too much. I remember this book and movie completely taking over my life for a period of time and I think that will reflect my score the most. Shoutout to Laura Dern as an awes...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) This was my first time ever watching this and I loved it! It was funny, smart, and zany! Loved the premise and the wide array of characters. But most of all loved the social commentary! Yes to unions! Yes to organizing! And hell yes to the working class standing together against the oppressive elite!! I will not become a chicken pie!

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Oh man I instantly fell in love with this show. As noted in other reviews, it follows a group of indigenous kids in an Oklahoma reservation. There are some throughlines, like grieving their friend, and trying to make enough money to get out, but essentially it's a dramedy that follows their lives for a few days. It's both hilarious yet often touching, and because this show was produced by a fully indigenous crew, they have the license to really explore what makes this group funny and unique. It's similar to shows I love like Derry Girls or especially Malcolm in the Middle. I think this is the perfect first season. It introduces literally like 20 amazing characters, each one great in their own way. It develops a lot of why they are the way they are, yet leaves lots of room for growth. But because others have discussed this show, let's rank my top ten characters instead: 1) Guardian Spirit 2) Uncle Brownie (he's from around here...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) Jess wanted to watch another doc, and I had seen this long ago. I kind of had an obsession with Columbine after reading a book about it in high school, mainly just around something like this could happen. The doc does an excellent tongue-in-cheek job of laying out the factors that lead to the gun violence in America. I do think he makes some good points, but also draws lots of equivalencies that were a bit of a leap. I love the bit where he is in Windsor seeing if Canadians lock their doors, talking to Canadians who seem unafraid compared to their American counter-parts, but I think the comparison he makes is a bit shallow. Still, he makes Canada sound like a dream land, which was kind of cool. This movie focuses less on Columbine and more on America's obsession with guns, and it is crazy relevant more than 20 years after it was released. The stuff with the NRA is sickening to watch, but literally nothing has changed. He does do a little ...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) I think the weakest season so far, although it had some really funny moments. They basically play all the exact same beats as previous seasons to end this one, and it really feels like they are running out of ideas. I like the way it plays with new tech, like AI and Teslas and stuff like that, but it always ends with double crossing with the same tech CEO who has been the bad guy this whole time. Just gets a bit tiring for a show that still has good jokes.

⭐ 5.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Every Christmas Jess puts our marriage to the test by making me watch a hundred Christmas movies. My first challenge was getting through Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. I didn't succeed. But I got pretty close! I'm usually pretty easy on Christmas movies, and I feel like this score is generous. It's a musical, and this one had a pretty sweet gospel flavour, so that's a positive. But this is a kid's movie and there is not much here to redeem it for adults. Some charming moments, but not really recommended.

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) I saw this in theatres when it came out and remember it being the first time I openly wept at the movies. Jess said she wanted to watch a doc, and I knew this guy would melt her heart. I was 100% correct, she fell in love with him and I was totally justified crying the first time because I cried even harder this second time. This is a documentary about Mr. Rogers and the kids show he made, and it is truly the most heart warming thing in the world. He is so wholesome, so kind, so loving, it is actually baffling to see in a world that is so cynical. The doc touches on some protests and controversies that he sparked, basically insane people not liking him because he accepted gay people, or people saying he raised a generation of snowflakes, but honestly those people are evil. His show was so groundbreaking, so influential, and so unique. I don't think there has been anything like it since, and there is no way there ever will be again. There ar...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Oh we are so back baby!! I spent all of Fall bouncing off all sorts of books and could never really settle into anything. Then I picked this book up and within 10 minutes knew I should have never left. Some minor spoilers ahead for the Anneverse. So this one picks up with Anne and Gilbert getting married, and I thought the opening was very odd because these books are so often about love and marriage, and yet the wedding of our main character takes up about half a page of text and we are off to what's next. I always find it odd what Montgomery decides to spend time on and what she glosses over. But she's the Queen so I won't question it! But Anne and Gilbert are moving across the island, and there's new zany and ridiculous people to meet. This time the main source of comedy is the man-hater Cornelia who is just so delightful to read. But there's a big group of people, all who know Joseph quite well (hey that's me!), and Ann...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Joseph) We watched this kinda in anticipation of the new movie, but also kinda just because it's a good movie and it had been a while. I'm not on Beans's level of love for this series, but I do think they are really exciting and unique. The stakes are impossibly high and it's hard to look away. This is not a review of the book, but I definitely remember that being the ultimate page turner where I just couldn't stop reading until I was done. Anyways, this movie is very similar to the book, so they are similar reviews, but I do think this movie adds some nice things. I think the atmosphere and aesthetic they build at the beginning is very effective and disturbing, everyone dressed in like, colonial outfits that reminds me of The Village or like some messed up Amish cult. And then contrasting that with the excessive look of the capital works really well. There are also some terrific performances here. Jennifer Lawrence is the highlight o...

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) This is the prequel to the original hunger games series and takes place 64 years before them. It showcases the 10th annual hunger games and introduces a lot of the ideas we saw in the later years. I really loved this movie. This franchise is very dear to my heart and this movie was no different. Although I didn’t like the book as much as the OG, this movie stands up there with the best. The set pieces were awesome, the costumes, all of it was perfect. The casting couldn’t have been better and Rachel Zegler really stole the show. She filmed all of her singing scenes live on set! Slight spoilers ahead, but something the movie didn’t do well in my opinion was showing how evil snow was turning. In the book he is presented with many options to do good or bad, and he always chooses bad. Here his actions are often justified. I know that’s hard to do in a movie, and it wasn’t a big deal to me, just something I noticed. There were a few call backs to the ...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I watched this with my seniors, which is a funny context to watch it in cuz I am definitely Nurse Ratched presiding over my room of crazy people (I'm mostly kidding, they are my favorite). With that said, after watching, I was kinda shocked at the mainstream response to this movie. Essentially Jack Nicholson is an asshole who gets committed to a mental institution because he can't help but cause trouble outside. While committed, he helps fight off the oppressive regime of Nurse Ratched and others by liberating his fellow patients. Or at least that's what people say! But I thought Nicholson was a completely hateable character and I couldn't cheer for him at all. Rule 1 for writing a likeable character now that I guess didn't apply in the 70s: don't make your character a convicted rapist! But even aside from that, I just thought he was so petulant, and while the institution was maybe a little restrictive, they were just doin...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) I'm really liking this new trend in animation, similar to Spiderverse, that just looks cool and kinda reflects the era we are in. Spiderverse was cool because it was new and unique, and while that is not the case here (cuz, you know, it copies Spiderverse) it still looks amazing, and this style hasn't been worn out yet. The other highlight that people have pointed out is that the teenage characters actually sound like teenagers. After spending a weekend with Jess's younger brother and cousin, I can confirm this is exactly true. It was very authentic and often funny. However, teenagers are also very annoying, and I'm afraid this movie will feel dated very soon (it already felt slightly dated just months after release). I thought another big plus was the amazing performance by Ice Cube as Super Fly. Great actor/character combo right there. All his lackeys were terrific, especially Paul Rudd who killed me. This cast was so incredibly...

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Beans) This is a movie based on true events about two Syrian sisters that are professional swimmers who make the trek to Europe as refugees and end up going to the Rio 2016 Olympics! Really incredible stuff here. Kind of wild to think that we lived through the Syrian war and are still kind of living in it and it doesn’t affect our lives at all. This movie keeps the horrors to a minimum but it is consistently there in the background. They end up taking a raft across the sea to Greece and it’s pretty unbelievable to watch, even knowing it isn’t real in the moment. The movie follows refugee life in a foreign country a bit which I really appreciated. It is such a long and tedious process, and I know people are stuck in that limbo for years sometimes. This movie is really great and has a great ending. If you are looking for something a bit raw, maybe a counter part to this but infinitely more sad, watch For Sama. I watched it about 5 years ago and think about...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Watching a spooky movie in November is basically like watching a Christmas movie in January, but this was Jess's choice and I'm nothing if not an accommodating husband. So imagine my shock when, after an hour, Jess said she couldn't watch anymore because she was too scared, and I wanted to keep going! I thought this movie was pretty great. Pretty standard murder mystery stuff, but it was legit scary at times. The tone of these movies are usually a little more campy, similar to Knives Out (complete with a detective with an outrageous accent), but this movie got really dark really quick. It is similar to the standard Scooby Doo formula where there seems to be supernatural occurrences, but our rational detective must get to the bottom of all this. But some of these scenes will give you nightmares. Anyways, I thought it was good. The solve seemed a little quick and out of nowhere, but otherwise it hit mostly all the beats you'd want. ...

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Will) This is a Netflix adaptation of the Roald Dahl book starring Benedict Cumberbatch, coming in at a total of 40 minutes long. It's a very unique format - basically a reading/narration of the entire book word for word, with the characters themselves doing the reading. I read the book as a kid and found it really memorable, so this was a lot of fun to revisit.

⭐ 10.0/10 (Originally written by Beans) It’s true, I was wanting to keep this one in my back pocket if there ever came a time that I really needed to hurt Joe or gain some leverage over him. Fortunately for him, this book is too good to be used like that. I will find something else he loves to tear apart. This book is a classic for a reason, I’m just sad I didn’t read it sooner. I think it’s safe to say this book changed my life. It helped me see the world in a better light, it helped me regain some whimsy for life, and it made me want to be a better person. Anne is just so charming and full of life, it’s hard to not want the absolute best for her. Every person who stood against her was an enemy of mine. However, enemies are not long standing when it comes to Anne as she wins all over to her side whom she encounters - including me, for life. I read this on the train to the city on a brisk fall day so it really was perfect. I wept pretty hard at a few places even though I was facing som...

⭐ 4.0/10 (Originally written by Joseph) Watched this on Bean's recommendation, and this is why you don't listen to that guy!! This was nearly 2 hours of complete silence from the audience. It saddens me to say that very few laughs were had across the board. This will never be my kind of movie (raunchy comedy) but also I kinda just felt I'd heard all of these jokes before. Also one lil nitpick I had was that we were supposed to feel bad for Jennifer Lawrence because her neighborhood was being gentrified... Except she was a homeowner?! Girl, sell that beach house and by a mansion in Nebraska, get outta here.

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) The final season of this show that I have come to love. If Season 1 is grief, and Season 2 is moving on, season 3 is what comes after. It can feel a bit less directed that Season 2 did, but I felt like the arcs for each of our core characters was perfect. They start this show so eager to get out of their hometown, and this season is a full acknowledgement of who they are, where they come from, and the pride the can take in their community. The community aspect in particular is really strong, as this season has a ton of focus on the older generation. It can feel weird, changing the focus so late in the show's run, but I think they weaved it together perfectly. My favourite episode was Episode 9, a fairly static episode that is basically just Before Sunrise in TV form with a daughter and her estranged father. The acting in this episode is phenomenal, and I felt like I was on the brink of tears the entire time. The way that they can just tell any s...

⭐ 9.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) This movie is kind of a classic that I have had on my list for a while, and its really good! Kind of a classic cat-and-mouse, with Pacino as the cop and De Niro as the thief. There are some amazing action set-pieces, and I love the idea that these guys are kind of the same person. There is a scene where they face off in a coffee shop and it is so good, Pacino is dialed up to 100 here and it works. I will say I watched this movie over the course of about 3 weeks in 10 minute blocks, because that's what life with a kid is I guess, and I still loved it! Not sure if that means it would work as a TV show or anything, but each scene felt important and it's like I read a really good book a chapter at a time. There is a sub-plot with Pacino's daughter that seemed out of place for me, but other than that I loved this movie. I am going to have to start saying "for me, the action is the juice" in everyday conversation.

⭐ 8.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) A slight step up from last season, I thought this one was slightly less repetitive, although it kind of ends the same as all seasons. I like that they acknowledge that nothing good every seems to happen for these guys, and hopefully its less repetitive next season. There are a couple episodes here I really liked, but I find it interesting that they aren't trying to make Richard likable at all anymore.

⭐ 9.5/10 (Originally written by Magdalene) Murderbot #7! Taking place right after Network Effect, Murderbot is very off its game for mysterious reasons, but it's just trying to continue doing its job and make sure its humans stay safe. Before they can leave the planet they need to find out if another colony is hiding somewhere to keep them from being colonized and turned into indentured servants. This has everything a good Murderbot book needs. Lots of action, lots of hilarious and heartwarming interactions with humans, and lots of screentime for ART. It only lost half a point for throwing us into this story with very few reminders of what happened in the last book. Thankfully Becky the Murderbot expert was here to remind me.

⭐ 7.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) This is kind of the classic heist movie, and maybe I have seen the tropes played out so many times now but I can't say I loved it. Brad Pitt and George Clooney are great, and its a fun movie to watch on a whim. But the plot is kind of silly, and there are some things that make the heist very convenient. You can easily break into a lab and steal a device that wipes out the power in all of Las Vegas? How convenient. Also, they say they are robbing 3 casinos at once, which sounds cool and would be cool if they did that, but you can't say they did when all 3 store all their money in the same vault... I thought the Julia Roberts of it all was so lame. So she was married to a con-man, now she is with a sleazy casino owner, and when she finds out he likes money more than her she goes back to the con-man? Just a stupid role that tries to give the heist more depth but she comes off as a trophy to be won. Anyways as much as I am whining I didn...

⭐ 8.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) The show does feel like its getting a bit repetitive, constantly having to create new hurdles for these guys to overcome. But that can be forgiven when the jokes are funny, and its still all here. I do worry that the best is behind us though. Every new character they introduce is kind of annoying and feels out of place. Richard is always making the wrong choices, and it can feel hard to root for him at times, but they love making him and his company the underdog at every turn so you keep cheering him on anyways. Still makes me laugh every episode though, and that can be rare, so we are still going!

⭐ 6.0/10 (Originally written by Tim) This movie is not very good. I didn't think it was very funny, and it felt kind of cheap. I don't know what I mean by that, but the plot, the setting, the acting, it all felt a bit thin. Not sure if this is supposed to be empowering for beauty pageants in some way, but if so that's kind of lame. Also a room full of FBI agents spying on women in dressing rooms played for laughs doesn't hold up great.