Samwise Gamgee

Kel stole the show!! Man's looks like he hasn't aged a day since the original, and he can still land the slapstick and dumb humor without making it cringey or outdated. Overall this was a fun sequel and contrary to some of the opinions on here, I like the direction they took and the fact that they kept it family-friendly. It's a Nickelodeon movie, not an SNL movie, and it keeps the Nickelodeon silliness of the 90s while bringing in some modern freshness. My family and I laughed out loud throughout the movie and had a great time. It was fun catching all the cameos and hearing the different food-themed songs. If you're looking for a clone of the original movie, this isn't it, and honestly that's for the best. If you're looking for lighthearted humor with a huge hit of nostalgia, you'll enjoy this revisit to our favorite 90s burger joint.

Admittedly I did not keep up with this film's development and didn't even know it was coming out until a month before it hit theaters. The one short trailer I saw didn't sell the idea for me right away, and it gave me the impression that this was some rom-com story with ATLA-type elements mixed in. I'm pleased to say I was wrong about my impression and thoroughly had a great time watching this movie. Yes, it is a rom-com film with nature's elements mixed in, but it's not done generically and it's a deeper symbolism for discussions around race/ethnicity, class, discrimination, and immigration and the effects it has on subsequent generations. Despite the heavy subjects, they're not presented in a heavy way, and people can enjoy the plot at a surface level as well if they want. In fact, this would actually be a lovely date night movie! Peter Sohn did an excellent job with this film story and themes, and there are so many human moments that I think people across the globe can connect with, even if you don't relate to all of the themes in the movie. The world in the film is vibrant and even more brought to life by the beautiful colors and animations. I wanted to spend more time looking around, and was a little sad when the movie was over because it meant my eyes couldn't do any more exploring. 🥲 Highly recommend this one, and that's coming from someone who held off from watching it for six months! 😁

(4.5 stars) An absolutely beautiful film, so much so that I watched it twice (in both the English and Japanese dub). You can tell this one is very personal to Miyazaki, and the gorgeous attention to detail is seen in every frame. The dubbing for both Japanese and English is great, but I highly recommend the English dub just so you can appreciate the amazing voicework Robert Pattinson came through with. I had no clue he was in the film until I saw the credits, he took on a completely different character from his usual dark/emo work and absolutely nailed it! This film has surreal moments, moreso than Princess Mononoke, but less than Spirited Away. There is a lot of abstractism and symbolism, so don't expect things to be spelled out for you and served on a silver plate. Miyazaki's goal with this film was to teach people and empower the youth, so you take from the film what works and relates best for you. The only reason I subtracted a bit of a star is because the ending is quite abrupt, and there are parts of the film where I wish the pacing had been a bit different. The art and colors are meticulous as all Ghibli films are known to be, the sound design is excellent, and the story has something for everyone to learn from. Lots to contemplate after finishing this one, enjoy!

A fun, atmospheric mystery! This film is a HUGE step up from Death on the Nile (or maybe it was for me because I didn't like Death on the Nile much). Kenneth Branagh does an amazing job at setting the scene and time period for each of these films, and this one's no exception. It's easy to get drawn in to the moody and gloomy world of Venice on a dark, unsettling rainy night. The tension and eeriness of the mystery and setting are kept up fairly well throughout the film, and while yes there are some jumpscares, I felt they were well-placed and added to the suspense. As with Branagh's previous Poirot films, I figured out who the killer was very early, but the story and characters were interesting enough to keep me around to hear the motive. This installment has some pretty great plot twists that made it fun to keep guessing, so bonus points for that. Most of the cast did a great job, and Jude Hill was an absolute scene stealer despite his young age! Disappointing for me was Tina Fey--she seemed out of place and unconvincing as her character, as if she should have existed in the 1960s rather than the 1947 setting in the film. The dialogue/script was pretty good, save for some parts where the characters got philosophical for a bit and some of the details on how the murderer carried out their crimes. Overall this was an enjoyable movie, and restored some of my faith in the franchise!

When I first heard Disney was working on a live-action Rescue Rangers, I wasn't very optimistic about it and thought it'd be as annoying as the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise. I'm SO glad I was wrong, because this movie is an absolute fun fest! It's a take on the buddy-cop genre in the veins of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". But don't go into it expecting it to be a knock-off of the former nor an exact replica of the original Disney Afternoon show. The film is very self-aware about how old the series is and how much time has passed since a lot of people even thought about these characters. But these topics come up in charming and clever ways. But best of all is all the cameos/Easter eggs!!! I'm so excited to see a lot of my favorite nostalgic shows from other studios crossover into this movie. Of course you'll come across Disney characters, but also be sure to brace yourself for Nickelodeon references, Sony Animation, Hasbro, DreamWorks, and others! This is a fun and creative film, and one I'd recommend to anyone who's a fan of cartoons and can enjoy a trip down memory lane!

I have no idea why this trash TV is rated so highly. It's for people who like dramatic teen stories and relationships. The acting is overtly dramatic, the directing is poor, characters make dumb, nonsensical decisions that get them into compromising situations just to progress the "plot", and the plot itself is just a whole mess. To label this series as "horror" as Google has, is an embarrassment to the whole genre.

What an incredible game! This installment is a HUGE step up from "Man of Medan", and I actually enjoyed it more than "Until Dawn"! The characters are not vapid douchebags like in the previous games, and instead your choices impact how much they grow and come together. The plot twist might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this isn't a game to analyze on a surface level, and in the grand scheme of things one will realize the plot twist was executed quite well. The cast did a great job selling their characters, and I especially loved Anthony/Will Poulter's work here. Despite what some critics and reviewers say, there is actually a lot of replayability in this game. Though replays won't affect the plot twist in any way, the endings you get are pretty different, and the cutscenes along the way will unfold different perspectives from the characters and how they view one another. Honestly my only gripe for the game is that the combat and trait systems weren't very interesting, but on the other hand it makes the game much more approachable for story-driven players. I highly recommend this to anyone attracted to games that require greater analyses in order to appreciate the story and characters.