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⭐7/10 This one was Jess's choice, and one of her favorites as a kid. It's a kid's movie about sweet Pollyanna who is adopted by her strict, rich aunt after her parents die. She is in this town surrounded by lots of grumps, but she helps change the attitudes of the people through her bubbly personality and optimism. This is definitely a common theme among things from this era, similar to Shirley Temple, and to a lesser degree Anne of Green Gables.  I have no strong opinion. It was cute, charming, sometimes a little funny. I suspect the book would be fun to read, but those kinds of jokes never quite come through the same in film. It was still a nice watch. It was actually kinda a cool period piece. To me, it was similar to Anne, just not quite as good in a variety of ways, so I'd say just watch/ read that one.  One thing I loved was that there is this minister that Pollyanna deals with, and he preaches two sermons throughout this movie, and you essentially get...

⭐ 10/10 I have long said this is my favourite Disney movie, and I think its still true.  The voice acting is really good, music is great, and its still pretty funny!  The Kronk is not as funny as it was when I was a kid, but Yzma is a great villain and Kuzco being such a jerk while Pacha is patient and kind is really nice. I've always loved the scene in the restaurant for some reason. I couldn't help but love the simple animation as well, everything is so simply drawn, backgrounds are vast and painterly. Brings me back to my childhood, so much expressed in so few lines drawn.  I also couldn't stop remembering this amazing PC tie-in game I played over and over - I am convinced this was actually a really good game and added a lot of depth to this world, as silly as that is to say.  I would see something in the movie and I would remember the corresponding platform challenge in the game, or how the chase in the forest played out in the game.  Memories are fun. Noth...

⭐4/10 Wow, what a disappointing end to the marathon. Not only is this a terrible movie, but it is a terrible way to end a trilogy. I don't even fully blame JJ, because he was given an impossible task, but what on earth was he thinking. "Somehow Palpatine returned" is an iconic line and will be studied by screenwriters for generations.  So there's actually some things I liked. The return of Palpatine is completely stupid, but I actually loved his portrayal as this grotesque undead god. His voice made our livingroom shake, and he's so creepy. I never gave Ian McDiarmid credit for his amazing performance across the series, but I loved every second of him. This is a way different performance, but I liked it. Similarly, I liked the depth Rey had here, or at least what was hinted at, starting in the first movie. There's no great reason for her turning to the dark side, and really, it's never in doubt, but her shooting lightning out of her fingers and...

⭐9/10 After being completely underwhelmed by 7, I was thinking I probably wouldn't like this one either. I was wrong. I know this movie has some deep flaws, but the general craft overcome them in my opinion.  As for the bad, yeah, there is plenty to hate. The Holdo/ Poe stuff is so stupid, Fin and Rose's side quest is pointless (and, as someone pointed out, results in the annihilation of almost all the good guys, a fact they are never held accountable for), and even the fact that the First Order is suddenly super powerful out of nowhere makes no sense. I guess the biggest issue is that there is no synergy with 7, which is a huge problem. How did they screw this up so badly?  But I think the changes this entry makes were SO needed. I know it pissed off the fanbase, the biggest group of ravenous incels the world has ever seen, but this shakeup was badly needed after the fancast recreation of A New Hope that was Episode 7. On rewatch, I actually thought this was one o...

⭐ 8.5/10 I thought this movie was amazing. It's about Kristen Wiig's friend getting married, and being chosen to be the maid of honor, except the bride has a new, more put-together friend (Rose Byrne) that she has to compete with for best friend status. It's a very simple premise but it works so well. Wiig and Byrne are absolutely perfect in their roles and make this work as a comedy.  I laughed a ton. There are some super absurd moments that killed me, like the dress fitting scene and the airplane scene. I also loved Melissa McCarthy in this, one of her best roles (I feel like I might be in the minority, loving her stuff?).  I don't have much else to say. It's very funny, and even some of the non-comedy moments worked for me, though many of them took away from the score. The romance didn't really work for me, and I didn't love all the cheesinees at the end. But otherwise this is just a very solid comedy that will make you laugh a lot. 

⭐ 9/10 I was in the history aisle looking for a David Grann fix and I saw this cover and was intrigued.  This is a 150 book following the lives of 6 people as they survive the bombing of Hiroshima, and it is harrowing.  It was written the year after the bombing, but was updated many years later and the final 50 pages is a snapshot of the rest of the lives of all 6 people. Coming off of Oppenheimer a major complaint of many was not actually getting to see the bomb get dropped, but I think that was a wise choice, if not for the insufferable controversy that would have happened around what is insensitive to show in major blockbusters. I think this book, much like the Trinity test in that movie, leaves a bunch to the imagination.  The first chapter is called The Noiseless Flash, which is haunting and clearly depicted in that Oppenheimer test.  Reading through 6 peoples' retellings of that moment is very haunting, it feels almost supernatural.  Its clear before the ...

⭐ 8/10 This is the story of Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation around the globe. He was the first explorer to ever do it, except sike! He didn't complete the journey (spoiler!). He set out to try and complete Columbus's goal of finding a way to those sweet, sweet spices, thinking that the Spice Islands were just on the other side of the Americas.  This story is absolutely wild. It seems like every explorer's story is crazy, but this one has everything. Several mutinies, discoveries, betrayals, and then the perils of normal sea travel in the 1500s like starvation, scurvy and disease. Like, what were these people thinking?! I guess they were thinking that the Pacific Ocean didn't exist...  The problem with this book is that Magellan isn't exactly a good guy. In fact, he's super evil and was basically a naval dictator, torturing and killing his crew if they opposed him (though to be fair, they kept trying to mutiny mostly because he was Portugues...

⭐ 8.5/10 I have heard it said that this is the best entry in the recent series, and I thought the opening was amazing.  It has what I think is a very clear audio reference to the opening of 2001 A Space Odyssey, so huge points in its favour, gave me chills.  But after that I was a bit bored, the first half of the movie was sweet but predictable, you know instantly what the conflict in the movie is going to be. Even with me coming in skeptical, I thought the second half of the movie when things start to explode was very exciting.  I will again compare these to Marvel movies in that those look like garbage and this movie which came out 10 years ago looks incredible.  The VFX work is actually amazing, I was blown away by the battle scene.  It was directed by the guy who did the most recent Batman and I think his style works really well here, all the things at night look incredible compared to Marvel's washed out dark colours. The main battle happens at night and I...

⭐5/10 This is a tiny indie game made by 1 guy that rose to popularity because Dunkey (a YouTuber that I like) helped publish it. It's a metroidvania that mostly focuses on puzzles and finding little secrets.  I... Had a tough time with it. I got this game as a gift, and Davie, if you're reading this, that is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me and I love you. I actually was the one hyping this game up. A moody, mysterious metroidvania that came out to critical acclaim?? But this game had everything I hate about metroidvanias and few  of the things I like.  The biggest issue I had was that this game has a lot of puzzles in which you need certain tools and power ups, but it doesn't make clear what you need where. So I would spend lots of time fooling around trying to figure out a puzzle, only to realize I didn't have what I needed to proceed. There is one section that is not easy at all, and I had to clear it FOUR times because I had to keep coming ba...

⭐ 6/10 I have been absolutely living and breathing Star Wars for the last month. We've watched 7 movies, but I'm also playing Jedi: Survivor, my YouTube feed is nothing but fan edits, and I fall asleep to Coruscant ambience every night. For all of these reasons, I think it is alarming that I felt absolutely nothing upon rewatching this movie.  I don't necessarily think this is a bad movie, but it felt like a completely unnecessary one. This felt very much like a fan-made movie with nothing interesting to say. I think the biggest thing that effects my ability to enjoy this movie is kinda just knowing that it is a reskin of A New Hope. Not only that, but on its own, one can invest in this movie as the first in a series, but knowing the direction this series takes completely takes you out of it. Knowing that all of this amounts to a garbage finale takes all of the intrigue out of what this moving is setting up.  This felt like a Marvel movie in all of the worst way...

This is a wrap-up of all my favourite books of May instead of doing each book individually, because I read 34 books last month and I simply do not have the wherewithal to write that many reviews! And now that we're doing WeView as a blog it's possible and nobody can stop me! All of these were 9 or 10 stars for me! They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us- Hanif Abdurraqib This essay collection is FANTASTIC. Abdurraqib is a poet, and you can tell. He uses elements of culture, primarily music, to launch each essay to explore race, grief, and other parts of being human. I'm not American, Black, or into music, which are the main elements of his identity he explores, but almost every essay still hit for me. I listened to the audio, which is read by the author, and it was a great listening experience. Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear - Robin Wasley A weird mix of YA horror zombie superhero fantasy with a Korean-American adoptee MC with themes of empathy and love in all it...

⭐ 8/10 I love this world, but this series has been consistently good, not great.  This book felt like all setup for the finale, but it took some time to remind us of other characters across the world which I appreciate.  There were some dramatic moments in the book, and things were changing despite our main cast staying mostly in the same spot the whole time. I am 12 books deep into this world so I can't really talk about the plot without spoiler what has come before, but the changes the characters go through is pretty amazing to see, something you can only imagine in the first trilogy. This is a book about discovery, and preserving history while the world changes around you.  Ownership and greed is a huge theme in this series, whether its for land or animals or people, and this entry ratchets up the tension around this. I am so curious how the next book will wrap up this series, feels like anything could happen.  I love the pace of these books, which is pretty slo...

⭐ 9/10 Still a great show, with some great moments, although impossible not to feel like we are past the prime.  The Michael Scott Paper Company arc feels like them grasping at straws to make something interesting happen.  Pam is just so stupid for agreeing to sign on to that, so its annoying hearing her complain all episode long.  Meanwhile Jim is being an absolute doofus in front of Idris Elba.  Way to make the characters we care about suck! I do think this show crushes finales, and this season is no exception, with that almost silent scene in the hospital.  Not only that, but Slumdunder Mifflenaire and the quite crowd reactions is the cringe I want out of the show.  Speaking of cringe, Pam's volleyball serve!  The funniest thing this show ever did was have her say she was a volleyball star in college and then cut to that abomination. The hardest I have laughed in a long time. Lots to love still, and Michael is the bedrock. Dwight has the funniest ...

⭐ 10/10 Ah yes, the worst perfect movie of all time. I absolutely adore this movie. Definitely very clumsy here and there, but boy is it effective. At times it can be completely haunting or even moving, and then that final sequence just knocks your socks off. This is basically a meme movie now, but it is also simply a very good movie.  Right from the start, it's clear Lucas spent the years between 2 and 3 in his alchemy lab working on special effects because this movie looks as good as any movie today, and often better. This movie happened in the mid-2000s which seems like the apex of effects for reasons I'll never fully understand. The space scenes, the droids, and even most of the aliens look great. I have also never mentioned costumes in any review of these, but that's a tragedy because the costumes in every movie are great, and this is the best of all. Anakin, Obi Wan and Padme all rock iconic fits, especially Anakin with his all-black robe.  Okay, one more ...

⭐7/10 Yaaaa this is a tough one. I don't think it's lows are as low as episode 1, but it sure comes close.  For whatever reason, I don't have the same nostalgia for this one and I'm not even totally sure I watched it until a few years after it came out? Hayden Christensen caught a lot of criticism for his performance, and some of that is fair, but I actually think he's pretty good as this petulant, arrogant, horny teenager. There is some pretty brutal writing, but the main crime of this movie is making the romance so, so unbelievable. Padme is literally everything you could ever want. I was so in love with her, and Natalie Portman is my most enduring celebrity crush. In this movie, her character is smart, level headed, and, you know, very anti-genocide and anti-dictator... So it's maybe a little weird that the only qualities Anakin ever displays are that of an insane psychopath?? And she's into it?? So, so strange.  I remember thinking this was t...

⭐7/10 This was a movie I watched with my 12 year-old niece. Obviously I'm not the intended audience, but I thought it was pretty good nonetheless. I feel like it's the perfect summer movie for preteens; mysterious, a little spooky, funny. Jess had a huge crush on the love interest when she watched it as a kid, but I think this other guy, Corky, was the real catch. 

⭐ 9/10 I played a video game! It's a video game with no combat and only puzzles you have to solve, mostly by learning the languages of the people you meet. Puzzles and languages, two things I love!  I had a very good time playing this. There are four distinct levels, each with its own people, vibes, language, and culture, and you have to learn the story of each level before you can move on.  I don't really know how to talk about video games because I don't play enough, but it looked very cool and I liked it. It loses a point because there were a few small glitches that made solving a couple puzzles up to chance.

⭐10/10 This season was the first one I've followed in literally twenty years. I liked the show enough as a kid, but even then I felt it was kinda silly, over-dramatic, and a little campy. Fast forward to now, and that's exactly what I'm looking for in a show! I have honestly not had this much fun watching something on TV that's not a basketball game. Getting together with friends every Friday to watch was the highlight of my week.  As for this season itself, I really have no idea. I've heard it was a pretty good season, but I have nothing with which to compare. There was some insane drama, with lots of backstabbing, blindsides, and all of the people going home with an immunity in their pocket. Every episode had me on the edge of my seat. Besides the first few weeks, it seemed like there wasn't an episode that went by without shifting the entire landscape of the game. After 46 seasons, the game makers know how to manufacture conflict, and the producer...

⭐ 7.5/10 I have never seen these movies, so with a new one in theatres I thought now would be a good time to check it out. We had a great time watching this one!  Baby Caesar is so cute, and the opening of this movie makes what he goes through more tragic. Seeing him get sprayed with the hose by Draco is so upsetting. A clear standout in this movie is the CGI, which holds up very well.  Andy Serkis should get a shoutout here, similar to Gollum this animated characters feel very real because of the performances and the technology behind them - there is a reason there are a couple years between these movies and that's because they take their time to put out a good product. Some great moments in this one, including Caesar's first word and the Golden Gate Bridge set piece.  James Franco is not great, and it was pretty weird how they give him this pretty vet girlfriend who does basically nothing. All the stuff happening in the labs is frustrating, have the classic scientists...

⭐ 7/10 I have been watching this show for probably 10 years, but I never watch it live.  The actual live show is so long, and there are enough bad sketches that it is brutal to watch live.  However, they have been putting up every episode on YouTube for quite a while now, so its very easy to watch the first minute of a sketch, the quickly pan through it if its not good.  That's probably why I have never reviewed this show, because I watch it as a series of short clips.  But that's what media is these days! Anyways, while each episode has a bunch of stinkers I think this was one of the better seasons in recent memory.  I don't love Weekend Update, Che in particular always laughing at his own jokes and talking to the crowd, but the segment where they write jokes for each other is always hilarious.  Allows them to tell awful racist jokes but its funny because they are making the other do it. Aside from them the cast is pretty strong, and it seems like they g...