Category: TV & Movies

I Sense a New Favorite TV Show: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 1 Discussion

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As some of you may know, I am a Pawnee Goddess, frequent customer of the Low Cal Calzone and Tom’s Bistro, patient of Dr. Richard Nygard, avid Johnny Karate watcher, and supporter of Treat Yo Self. In other words, I am a Parks and Recreation fan.

A few weeks ago, I watched the first two seasons of an increasingly popular and deservingly so show called The Good Place, and now like everyone else, I must wait until the third season. Like books, I definitely enjoy watching TV shows when they’ve already ended because Netflix and Amazon Prime have spoiled me into becoming a binge-watching machine. In addition, February 25 marked the third anniversary of the end of Parks & Rec, my all-time favorite TV show. Since then, I’ve been craving a show that makes me feel almost as happy as Parks and Rec. Because of how much I love Parks and Rec and The Good Place, I decided to remain in Michael Schur territory and watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This is also a good time for me to admit to you guys that yes, I have tried watching The Office, and no, I can’t get into it, and yes, is literally the best show out of the two. Anyways,…

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Like The Good Place, I’ve seen nothing but rave reviews of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Twitter and Youtube, so I figured it was time that I tried it myself. The only problem? Brooklyn Nine-Nine is only available for streaming on Hulu, one of the few subscriptions I don’t have *hides because this also means that I still haven’t watched The Handmaid’s Tale*. Luckily, spring break came around and my local library has all four seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine that have come out so far on DVD (and they’re also ordering The Handmaid’s Tale!). Over spring break, I completed the first two seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine , and I’ve come to the conclusion that I absolutely love this show and it gives me so many Parks & Rec feels! For those who are unfamiliar with the show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a police sitcom set in the fictional 99th Precinct of the NYPD in Brooklyn, following a team of detectives under a newly appointed captain.

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While different in subject, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has reminded me so much of Parks & Rec because of its set and characters. For most of the season, I thought that Brooklyn Nine-Nine might’ve been filmed on the Parks set, but the show started while Parks & Rec was still on air. However, the precinct is a pretty similar style of the Parks and Recreation office—same floor tile, wallpaper, and desks, but I haven’t noticed any Parks Easter eggs (hopefully yet, anyway). A lot of people believe that The Good Place and Parks & Rec take place in the same universe, and I can definitely see Brooklyn Nine-Nine fitting in there as well. And here’s my character breakdown of who would be friends with who between Parks and Brooklyn (honestly guys, this was my inspiration to do write this post):

  • I am convinced that Rosa and April are cousins
  • Amy and Leslie would be best friends for their go-getter attitudes and love for pants suits (but of course no one could replace the  cunning, pliable, chestnut-haired sunfish that is Ann Perkins)
  • Andy, or should I say, Bert Maclkin, would replace Santiago as Jake’s partner
  • Boyle definitely plays Cones of Dunshire and would partner up with Tom to open a Tom’s Bistro in Brooklyn
  • Ron would appreciate Holt’s no need for conversation (and would probably find him hilarious like everyone else except for the squad).
  • Chris and Terry= workout buddies
  • Gina would be the newest member of the Treat Yo Self team
  • Jerry/Gerry/Larry is the combination of Scully and Hitchcock

I love the entire cast of characters on B99, but I think my favorites so far are Jake, Rosa, and Gina. I honestly laugh at all the right moments when it comes to Jake, and I am most definitely rooting for him and Amy to get together– my favorite scenes include when Jake talks to her through the teddy bear and having to hideout in Holt’s bathroom with Terry at his birthday party. I think my favorite episode of the first season is “The Party” because EVERYONE has at least one moment where I laughed out loud (my favorite episodes of Parks & Rec are also like this). I feel like there’s a lot to explore about Rosa, and like I said above, she reminds me so much of April Ludgate, but I will say that she’s better about expressing how much she cares for the squad. And yes, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a comedy, but Gina provides the best comic relief. “Tactical Village” is not only one of my favorite episodes for getting to see more of Amy and Jake’s relationship, but also for Gina and Holt’s obsession over Kwazy Cupcakes (which I may or may have not downloaded on my phone).

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Overall, I’ve really enjoyed Brooklyn Nine-Nine for its cast of characters, humor, and over arching storylines. While each episode has a new investigation, the reset button doesn’t affect our character’s problems and relationships. I’m invested in how Jake and Amy’s relationship will play out, and it’s been fun to see Holt’s guard come down a bit (him being a robot is still questionable though). I’m hoping to somehow watch seasons 3 and 4 before my spring semester ends, but if not, I’ll definitely be watching them right at the start of my summer break and will be catching on season 5 ASAP.

Do you watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Share in the comments!

Love, Fangirl Fury: Love, Simon Movie Review

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March 16th marked the day that almost ALL of us YA bookworms have been looking for: the premiere of Love, Simon, the film adaptation to Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. For me, March 17th was even bigger for me because I went to see Love, Simon in theaters! It’s definitely an understatement to say that I am jealous of anyone who was able to attend an advance screening beforehand, so I’m glad that I was then able to complete my mission of seeing the film opening weekend. For those unfamiliar with Love, Simon or Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the story follows a teenage guy named Simon who has a normal life filled with family, friends, and plenty of iced coffee- MV5BZTVkOWJkOTYtM2FlZS00YTBlLWE2YTYtODEyZWJjMTZkM2IzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NzkzOTA@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_except for that fact that no one knows he’s gay.

Before jumping into anything else, I have to say that I adored Love, Simon. I often get nervous about book-to-movie adaptations not doing the book justice and while there were a few changes (like many book-to-movie adaptations), I think Love, Simon perfectly captured the message behind Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. And yes, I know Nick Robinson doesn’t perfectly match the physical characteristics of book Simon, but to me, he was the perfect Simon. He captured the Simon we all know and love, humor and awkwardness included. One of my favorite light-hearted scenes with Simon was when him and Leah dress up as John Lennon and Yoko Ono for Halloween, and Nick mistakes him as fancy Jesus. Speaking of Leah, whose wardrobe and character I loved, since we now have Love, Simon, does that mean we’ll get an on-screen version of Leah on the Offbeat??

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I Like Words on Screen: What I Watched Winter 2018

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While reading is my #1 way to relax, I love being able to escape to movies and TV shows. When I have free time during the school year, I love relaxing with some Netflix and Amazon Prime because it takes less concentration—being an English and Communications double major means a lot of time with words (which I obviously love) so it’s nice to time a break here and there. And while I do admit that I feel guilty sometimes about choosing film over reading, I’ve watched SO many great things between from December and February that it’s been completely worth it. The following movies and tv shows do not include rewatches (we’d be here for a while if I counted all of my Parks and Recreation time) or Christmas specials that I watched in December.

Movies

Pitch Perfect 3– While I love Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, I admit my sister and I went into with low expectations. Since the Bellas are finished with college, I didn’t know how the storyline would continue. While the plot wasn’t the most realistic, I soon fell in love with the music and even though I missed not having Skylar Austin and Ben Platt being in this installment, I really appreciated the focus on our female characters and characters. The soundtrack for this movie is actually my favorite out of all the Pitch Perfect movies because it really higlights Anna Kendrick’s talent. My favorite songs include “Freedom! ‘90” , “Toxic”, and “I Don’t Like It” and I was soon inspired to make a Spotify playlist with all my favorite songs from the movie.

Ocean’s Eleven– Ocean’s Eight is one of my most anticipated movies of 2018 for its female cast. In order to prepare myself for Ocean’s Eight, I know I needed to watch the movie that started it all, Ocean’s Eleven. If you’re a Six of Crows fan and need some more heists in your life, I highly recommend checking this one out.

The Big Sick– The Big Sick kept popping up on Amazon Prime whenever I logged in, so I figured it was a sign to watch it. Even though there’s plenty of comedic moments, The Big Sick is not a light & fluffy comedy, as the movie is based on Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s real-life experience with Emily’s illness. I grew up watching Everybody Loves Raymond with my parents, so it was really fun to see Ray Romano play Emily’s dad.

The Greatest Showman – The Greatest Showman is my surprise and absolute favorite out of the movies on this list. Beforehand, I kept referring to The Greatest Showman as “that circus movie” but so many of my friends and fellow reviewers kept giving it such rave reviews that my sister and I had to see it. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have listened to the soundtrack everyday since—it’s my favorite thing to listen to when I workout! The cast was absolutely phenomenal and the movie just felt so magical and surreal. I highly recommend at least checking out the soundtrack if you haven’t already and I cannot wait until it’s released on streaming services or DVD.

Fun Mom Dinner– In my opinion, Fun Mom Dinner is the funnier and a tad more realistic version of Bad Moms. By no means am I bad-mouthing Bad Moms because I loved Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Kathryn Hahn as its leading ladies and I will probably watch Bad Moms 2, but the comedy in Fun Mom Dinner felt so much less forced. I absolutely loved the cast – Toni Collette is becoming one of my favorite actresses, I’ll watch anything with Adam Scott, AND LET’S HAVE MORE MOVIES WITH ADAM LEVINE, PLEASE- and like the name, it’s the perfect movie if you’re looking for something fun.

Miss You Already– I cannot tell you the last book or movie that made me ugly cry as much as I did during Miss You Already. Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette star as two best friends, and I figured I was in for some tears from the get-go, as Toni Collette’s character, Milly, is diagnosed with breast cancer. I loved this movie so much, especially for its the emphasis on Milly and Jess’s friendship and the focus on their family and romantic relationships. I cried SOBBED for the last thirty minutes and continued to cry afterwards (reminder that I need more Kleenex for my dorm room).

TV Shows 

The Good Place– I talked about The Good Place in my February Wrap-Up, but I basically started TGP because so many people on Twitter were talking about ALL OF THE PARKS & REC Easter Eggs. While a comedy, TGP is so thought-provoking, as the show follows a group of characters who mistakenly end up in ‘The Good Place’ after their deaths, for its discussion on the meaning of good and bad. The cast is phenomenal, and I love all of the guest appearances, especially from the Parks & Rec cast — I loved Maribeth Monroe as Mindy St. Claire & Maya Rudolph as Gen and please let there be more Adam Scott in season 3.

Ghosted– February 25th was the third anniversary of the ending of Parks and Recreation, and besides some season 6 rewatching, I knew I wanted to watch something with the P&R cast. As I’m sure you can tell from above, Adam Scott is one of my favorite actors, so I decided to continue watching Ghosted. The show features Craig Robinson and Adam Scott as detectives for a government agency that montiors paranormal activites. I watched the pilot back in September, and the Parks & Recreation anniversary inspired me to pick it up again. I’m excited to see more episodes come out in March because of Craig Robinson and Adam Scott’s chemistry and the flow of the show grows more with each episode.

What shows or movies captured your heart this winter? Any from above? Share in the comments!

Top Five Wednesday: Most Anticipated 2018 Movies

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I’ve recently realized that 2018 is THE year of movie releases.There’s so many book-to-movie adaptations (especially YA), my childhood is returning to the screen, and there’s at least one movie coming out this year for plenty of fandoms. I created a thread on Twitter of my most anticipated releases and will definitely be going back to add more on– feel free to comment what films you’re looking forward to this year there as well!

Since today’s Top Five Wednesday prompt is a freebie, instead of going back and choosing an old topic, I’m going to be discussing my current top 5 anticipated movies of 2018.

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Fierce Fangirl Friday: Hart of Dixie

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Fierce Fangirl Friday was created by Jackie of Too Much of a Booknerd as an opportunity for us fangirls to do some healthy fangirling on our blogs. Today I will be discussing my latest binge watch on Netflix, Hart of Dixie.

Binge-watch may be too strong of a term, as I watched all four seasons of Hart of Dixie over two months—I have friends who would have done so in less than two weeks. Anyway, in the beginning of November, I needed a new show to watch, after my billionth (okay, tenth or eleventh) Glee rewatch and I  didn’t have a weekly show during the fall (side confession that I have not been too keen on season 2 of Riverdale). Hart of Dixie kept popping up on my recommended list on Netflix, so I decided to give it a try. The CW show follows cardiac surgeon, Zoe Hart, who after being told that she needs more experience in bedside manner, moves to Bluebell, Alabama, where she’s been given the opportunity to work as a general practitioner. As this New York City girl adjusts to southern life, she forms new friendships and relationships while finding herself in some crazy schemes.hod.jpg

Like I mentioned above, there are four seasons of Hart of Dixie. Season 1 focuses on Zoe’s attempts to have a least 30% of the patients in the practice that she shares with fellow GP, Brick Breeland, and her forming relationships with people in Bluebell. Most notably, this includes the young mayor of Bluebell, Lavon Haynes, and Rose, a teenage girl who looks to Zoe for guidance on relationships and growing up. There’s also every fangirl’s favorite trope: a love triangle! This triangle includes Wade, Zoe’s neighbor and town playboy, and George Tucker, a local lawyer who’s engaged to Lemon Breeland, Brick’s daughter and Zoe’s quickly-formed rival.

Each episode is around 40 minutes long and there are 70 episodes of the show altogether. Season 1 was my favorite season of the show, as I loved getting acquainted with the southern, small-town vibes and learning about our main characters’ backgrounds. Season 2 and 3 were also fun, as Zoe has fully adopted life in Bluebell and a lot of relationships between our main cast and some new characters take place. However, I will say that Season 3 was my “least favorite” season of the show, only because I feel like despite all of the drama, we knew what duo was always going to be together by the end of the season. I really enjoyed Season 4, the final season of the show, for the way it wrapped up each character’s story arc, especially in the final episode. It did become a bit cheesy at times (I wasn’t completely in love with the musical-style ending of the last episode), but Hart of Dixie is such a feel-good show that it’s what you expect!

My favorite characters were Lavon and Lemon. I loved Lemon’s antics and I was rooting for her relationship with one particular character from the start (no spoilers here!). Lavon was also a great friend to Zoe and it was really sweet to see how much he cared about Bluebell. When it comes to the Zoe love triangle, I wasn’t really Team George or Team Wade (does anybody know if this was a thing when the show first aired??) because I thought either would work for Zoe just fine! I will admit that I tended to enjoy the other characters storylines more than Zoe’s relationship problems.

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Overall, Hart of Dixie is the perfect show for anyone looking for a light and fluffy series with a touch of comedy. My overall rating for the show is a B+.

Now that I’m finished with Hart of Dixie, it’s time to find a new show that I can easily watch while I’m at school. I’m craving a new season of  Big Little Lies, and I watched the last few episodes of Fuller House season 3 within a day!I’ve started a watch/rewatch of Sex and the City (I haven’t seen every single episode), I’ve heard amazing things about Call the Midwife and The Man in the High Castle, and I keep going back and forth on season 2 of Strangers Things.

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Have you watched Hart of Dixie? Do you have any TV recommendations for me? Share in the comments!

TV Review: Fuller House Season 3 Part 1

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Last Friday, the first half of Fuller House Season 3 was released on Netflix. After being quite disappointed with season two of the show last December, I debated if I would watch the third season of the Full House spinoff.  I found the first two seasons of Full House to be a bit cheesy and quite frankly, cringey. I’m not sure if this because I’m watching Fuller House as a young adult, where I started watching Full House when I was four or five years old.

I think what really made me watch Fuller House was that this season was released on the 30th anniversary of Full House. I had to celebrate in some way! So on the morning of September 23rd, I woke up a half hour earlier than I usually do on Fridays and watched the first two episodes of the show before class. Throughout the rest of the day and night, I continued to watch the rest of the season and right after I finished, I was Googling when the next half of the season is going to come out! While it was still cheesy at times, I enjoyed Fuller House Season 3 Part One much more than I had anticipated! I think these nine episodes did a better job of focusing on the adults a tad more (lets be honest, the kids are cute, but I really only care about the characters I grew up with on Full House).

Before I jump into spoilers and for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to watch the season yet, I will say that I recommend watching this season of Fuller House if you are looking for a lighthearted binge-watch or you’re as a big of a Full House fan as I am.

 *Woah baby: There are spoilers for Fuller House below*

 Like I said above, I enjoyed this season much more than I had anticipated. I actually skipped through most of Season Two because I was only concerned about DJ and Steve, who do remain as my top concern. However, I do have a few disappointments regarding these first nine episodes. I was a bit nervous from the get-go, as the first episodes begins with a musical routine. I will never understand why Fuller House has included singing and dancing in most of the episodes. While Full House had its musical elements in the form of Jesse, it wasn’t like the Tanners were breaking into musical numbers every episode. I will say though that I enjoyed the “Summer Nights” duet by DJ and Steve.

My next disappointment was the emphasis on Stephanie becoming mom. We learn in the first season of the show that Stephanie is unable to have a baby, however, she learns in this season that she has viable eggs and could possibly have a baby through a sperm donor and surrogate. Of course, we then get Becky and Stephanie jumping up and down in the doctor’s office, screaming that Stephanie could actually be a mom. NEWSFLASH, STEPHANIE WOULD STILL BE CONSIDERED A MOM IF SHE ADOPTED A BABY/CHILD. I found this a bit disappointing, especially since Becky and Jesse just adopted a baby themselves. And why does Becky have to be so baby crazy?? In Full House, Becky and Jesse decided not to have any more kids because Becky really wanted to focus on her career.

Negativity over, positivity’s here!

My favorite episode was “Say Yes to the Dress” mainly (okay, entirely) for its emphasis on DJ and Steve. I have been with Kimmy on Team Steve since the very beginning of Fuller House, and my biggest prediction at the end of season 2 was that Van Atta High’s golden couple would pull through, despite Steve’s engagement. AND NOW OUR HOPE IS SO REAL GUYS!!! Honestly, this is the only reason why I need the rest of season 3 RIGHT NOW.

We also finally got to see the Gibbler house this season!! It was even weirder than I could have imagined, and there were a few Easter eggs from Full House inside!

I also really enjoyed seeing Grandpa Nick come in the last episode, as I was waiting for someone outside the main cast from Full House to pop in! And as much as I want the show to focus more on the Full House main cast, I did enjoy the kids’ storylines more this season (Tommy got even cuter), and Fernando was actually a nice comedic relief most of the time.My main hope for the rest of the season is to obviously to see DJ and Steve finally get together! But even more than that, being that Danny is now divorced, I think it’s time for a certain Ms. Vicky Larson to join the show!!!

My Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

Do you watch Fuller House? Share in the comments!

My Most Anticipated Fall 2017 TV Shows

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Not only is this fall bringing us so many exciting book releases, there’s such great television during the season as well! I’ve found that I’ve watched a bit more television this year than usual—Master of None and Big Little Lies have stolen my heart for the year- and I cannot wait to watch the series listed below.

Fuller House Season 3 (Netflix)– September 22nd– I discussed in a Top Five Wednesday post a while back about how conflicted I felt about Fuller House, the Netflix reboot of Full House, aka one of my all-time favorite TV shows. In short, I find the humor of Fuller House to be VERY cheesey (maybe this is because I started watching Full House as a child and now I’m watching Fuller House as a young adult), the show overall tries to be too current, and I don’t like the direction of the plot that the show is going in. However, being the Full House fan that I am, I will be watching season 3 of Fuller House (even though we’ll only be getting the first half of the season) with high hopes that this show can turn my opinion around (not to mention DJ and Steve).

The Big Bang Theory Season 11 (CBS) – September 25th– The Big Bang Theory has been in my nerdy heart since I was a freshman in high school and I cannot wait for this season primarily because of season 10’s cliffhanger!! The night before I moved back to school, my sister and I had a BBT marathon and even though it’s almost always on TBS, we wish that the show was on Netflix!

Ghosted (Fox)– October 11th– Ghosted stars Adam Scott (anything that Ben Wyatt is in, I’m there) and Craig Robinson in Fox’s new paranormal sitcom. Adam Scott plays Max, a believer in the supernatural and a bookstore employee (!!), and Craig Robinson plays Leroy, a skeptic, and the show follows their adventures after being recruited by The Bureau Underground to investigate “unexplained” activities in LA. I think that this will be a light comedy with some creeper/ Stranger Things vibes.

Riverdale Season 2 (CW)– October 11th– While the first season had its ups and downs, I am more than ready for season 2 of Riverdale, especially after the season 1 finale! Riverdale definitely does not share the Archie comic vibes, and I only compare the two together when it comes to character development. There’s going to be a few unanswered questions leading us into season two, and the show’s reported to having darker vibes and an even bigger cast this season. I plan on doing a rewatch of season 1 on Netflix leading up to October 11th.

Dynasty (CW)– October 11th– I haven’t seen Elizabeth Gillies in anything but Nickelodeon’s Victorious, so I’m looking forward to see her star in this 1980s reboot. Like Riverdale, the show is reported to have some darker vibes, but there’ll be a bit more comedy. Dynasty follows one girl’s fight with her new step-mom over her family’s fortune.

What fall TV show are you most anticipating? Share in the comments!

TV Review: Big Little Lies

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Almost immediately after finishing Liane Moriarity’s Big Little Lies,  I started watching its HBO mini series. Unfortunately, I do not have HBO, but I bought the first episode on iTunes and fortunately soon after, a family friend let me use their TV subscription so I could watch the show for free (my iTunes account is VERY thankful). In short, I loved the Big Little Lies miniseries and like many, I wouldn’t mind a second season, as the finale leaves a few unanswered questions. I’ll be getting into more specifics about the show below.

 There are A LOT of differences between the book and the show. For starters, while the book takes place in coastal Australia, the show takes place in Monterey, California. The change in the setting didn’t have that much of an affect on the plot, other than that no one was speaking in Australian accents. We also experience more scenes focused on Bonnie and Renata, where in the books we only get point-of-views from Madeline, Jane, and Celeste. I liked how Ed had a bigger presence in the show, but I didn’t like a lot of the changes the show made about Madeline. Two of her more smaller and non-spoilery changes included that her and Ed’s son didn’t have a role in the show and instead of working in the town’s theater office, Madeline is currently running Monterey’s production of Avenue Q. It was also abundantly clear through each character’s car and house, with the exception of Jane, that nearly everyone was wealthy.

The cast was phenomenal. Each person fit his or her character perfectly, and my favorite had to be Reese Witherspoon as Madeline. She was just as I had imagined Madeline, and it was interesting to see her relationship with Chloe play out. She had the perfect reaction for when Bonnie and Nathan tell her about Chloe’s secret project. While I admit that I was nervous about Shailene Woodley playing Jane, I thought that she fit the role of the quiet, young mother quite well.

One of the hands-down best parts of the show is the music. I currently have the show’s soundtrack on repeat on Spotify, my favorite song by “The Wonder of You” by Villagers (I was 99% sure that it wasn’t Adam Scott actually singing this in the finale, but that 1% of me hoped he was). The songs in each episode perfectly corresponded to the plot, and I liked how the songs in Jane’s running scenes were almost always the songs she was actually listening to.

**spoilers ahead**

As mentioned, there’s room for a second season. The finale of the show leaves some unanswered aspects, especially since the murder investigation remains open. If you pay a bit close attention in the final scene (I didn’t catch it the first time), a detective views the women and kids on the beach through binoculars. We also leave the show with tension between Ed and Madeline, as Ed clearly suspects that Madeline had an affair. We’re also left to question Celeste and Jane’s relationship, as Perry has played a role in both of their lives. As much as I would love a second season, I’m a bit nervous about how much the plot would expand. How much would the characters change?

I realize that I’m a bit late to the Big Little Lies train, but hey, I loved it and I can’t be the only one! Have you watched Big Little Lies? Share in the comments!

Everything, Everything Movie Review

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The film adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything was released in the United States on May 19th, and I was lucky enough to see the movie during its opening weekend! The film and book follows eighteen-year old Madeline, who has an illness that prevents her from ever going outside. Madeline is somewhat content on spending life indoors, until Olly moves in next door. She’s forced to question how she can spend a life inside when there’s a person and a whole world waiting for her. Madeline is played by Amandla Stenberg, with Nick Robinson playing Olly.

**Warning: This review will contain spoilers for the film and book, Everything, Everything.

My Thoughts:

Amandla Stenberg was the perfect Madeline. She was exactly how I pictured Madeline when I read Everything, Everything. I loved seeing all of her books scattered around her bedroom and office, and it was so fun to see her work on her book blog. I also enjoyed seeing her growing addiction to Modcloth, it just made her feel so much more real.

I absolutely loved Nick Robinson as Olly! I think he fit the role perfectly, and I’m so excited to see Nick in future roles. His looks definitely don’t hurt him either! I saw Everything, Everything with my sister, who I read the book alongside with back in 2015, and she swears that Nick is a mix of Ansel Elgort and Shawn Mendes!. One of my favorite parts of the movie was toward the beginning, when Olly takes his mom’s Bundt cakes and keeps placing it on the windowsill for Madeline. My favorite edition of the cake was when Olly made a fake IV for it. It was so funny to get a sense of Olly humor and his desire to get to know Madeline.

My main critique of the film is that I feel that we needed a bit more interaction with Olly and Madeline. I definitely felt their love for each other, but I just wanted more. I would have loved to see more of the artwork from the book incorporated into the actual film. However, I loved how the film set up Madeline and Olly’s text messaging. Instead of having scenes filled with phone screenshots or messages, their messages were played out as them talking in one of Madeline’s architecture models. Additionally, I noticed few differences between the book and the film, which I’m so happy about. I feel that the film captured the true heart and spirit of Everything, Everything so well! I read the book back in November 2015, so while I may have forgotten a few things, the only difference I found between the book and the film was that Olly and Madeline didn’t go to Carla’s house before going to the airport.

While I do prefer the book to the movie, I appreciated how the movie took more time with the ending. One of my critiques of the book was that the ending felt very rushed. Yet, in the film, there was still about twenty-five minutes left of the movie after Madeline returns from Hawaii, allowing her to learn more about her condition and to confront her problems with her mom and Olly.

My Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

I really enjoyed the film, and I definitely recommend seeing it if you have or haven’t read Everything, Everything. I’m really excited to see Nick Robinson star as Simon Spier in the film adaptation of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and Amandla Stenberg is currently working on The Darkest Minds film adaptation and she’s set to play Starr in the film adaptation of The Hate U Give.

Have you seen or read Everything, Everything? Share your thoughts & feels in the comments below!

“Riverdale” Talk, Episode 10: The Lost Weekend

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Episode Synopsis:It’s Jughead’s birthday and Betty is intent on throwing him the perfect party. With Archie’s dad out of town, Betty and Archie plan the perfect inner circle gathering, until Cheryl and company show up. Meanwhile, Veronica needs to decide if she’ll testify as a character witness for her father.

My Thoughts:

Jughead doesn’t need a party. Isn’t it obvious that he doesn’t want one either?

He just needs me and cake

Okay, let’s just pull Chuck back in. 

Oh CW, you definitely bought Chuck back for even more tension and drama.

Don’t you love getting a letter from Papa Lodge saying that he’ll ruin your and your mother’s lives. 

I hate how we haven’t even met Hiram and he’s controlling everyone, not to mention his growing involvement with the Blossoms and the Serpents.

Poor Jughead.I would take you to Pops in a heartbeat. 

At least you have cake now.

Sure, let’s throw a keg in the yard and one in the kitchen. Comic book Archie is here.

While brining Cheryl and Chuck wasn’t the best idea, I sort’ve like seeing this indecisive Archie. It reminds me a lot of the comic book character (even though his hardest decision was choosing which blazer Veronica would like best).

OH MY GOSH MRS.COOPER WAS A SERPENT AND FROM THE SOUTH SIDE???

As much as Mrs.Cooper gets on my last nerve, I think she’s had the best storyline and background in the show. I just can’t wait for everything to really connect.

I think I’m boarding the Betty-Jughead train?

They obviously both have dark sides, and I see how they work together now. Just no more parties, Betty. Just more Pops and cakes shaped like burgers.

My Star Rating: 4/5 stars. “The Lost Weekend” was a solid episode. Even though I hated the idea behind Cheryl and Chuck’s game, I think it brought back some character development for Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. Their past storylines aren’t just going to get left behind. I’m really interested to see how Hiram’s potential role in Jason’s murder plays out and what else Mrs.Cooper is hiding.