Maya DeGuzman

Chemical Hearts is a very raw and realistic movie on everything that it touches. The performances from the two leads, Lilli Reinhart and Austin Abrams, were amazing. Both of them brought so much emotion to their characters that I found myself forgetting that this was just a movie. Their characters just felt so real. Lili Reinhart's acting in this movie was incredible and something I haven't seen in some of her previous work. She really brought depth to her character and let it all out on the screen. Her portrayal of a teenager dealing with survivor's guilt, depression, PTSD, and having to deal with a disability was incredible. Austin Abrams was just as interesting for a somewhat basic character. The love that Henry had for Grace was clearly visible in everything. His words, body language, emotions, and everything. The way that he was still always there for Grace, even when she didn't reciprocate the same feelings. His acting really brought out the emotions of a teenage boy that most don't show and I instantly fell in love with the character of Henry Page. Overall, I consider this movie to be a great watch, This movie made me go on a rollercoaster of feelings and emotions, but I will definitely be rewatching this movie.

I'm not one to watch all the Netflix series because of the hype, but Ginny and Georgia was something different. I expected it to be some cliché and typical teenage Netflix series, and although it has some aspects of that, there is so much more to the show. As soon as I finished the first episode, I was immediately hooked to the show. It really was not hard to get through all of the episodes, because there is always some new surprise or something major to happen in each episode that makes you want to watch the next one right away. The show is deals with the basic love, friendships, trust, and family. But it does have some self-harm from one of the main characters that might be triggering for some of the viewers. There is also one character who deals with body image. The writing for the show is interesting, Some things make the show really good, but others are kind of cringe. I know some people are talking about how out of touch the show was with actual teenagers these days. For example, that one scene that everyone knows of Hunter Chen using the Snapchat dog filter greeting Ginny with the "welcome to Friday" thing. Also, Hunter and Ginny's fight was supposed to be dramatic, but with the things they were saying to each other, it came off as really funny. But I thought the idea of having the young teenage Georgia flashbacks were a good way for viewers to see her past and how it is still with her now. But either way, I enjoyed the show. The ending of season one is thrilling, and was left on a cliffhanger. So I hope that Netflix will renew it for a Season 2, and with all the popularity it is getting, I am pretty sure it is a possibility.

As a fan of the books, I always watch the 'To All The Boys' movies the second they release. To my surprise, I actually was satisfied with the movie and I feel like if definitely made up for the second movie, which really was not my favorite. 'To All The Boys: Always and Forever' is probably the best movie out of the series, if not the first one. I like how they opened the movie up with the Song girls and their father in Korea. That was something I really wanted in the books, and I like how the included it into the third film. They did change some parts from the book in the movie, which is understandable of course, because if they made the movie exactly like the book there would be no point in watching it. But in the book, her two colleges that she was deciding on were UNC and UVA. But I did like the twist of when she didn't get into Stanford and she got into Berkley. But then she fell in love with NYU when she goes on the New York senior trip. I feel like that would be something that would happen to an actual person after seeing something like that and feeling like you belong at a certain place. Although the movies are mainly about Lara Jean's relationship with Peter Kavinsky, I feel like the series just holds a little bit of everything. Family, love, and finding yourself and what you want. Especially in the movies, you can see the family aspect of the sister's bond, and during their father's wedding. There were a couple things that just made me wickedly laugh because it was kind of cringy, but it didn't give me a reason to hate the movie. For example, in one scene, Peter is pulling off a sheet mask off his face and then he makes an expression on his face and makes a sound as if it had hurt to take it off. It just made me laugh because sheet masks really arent supposed to hurt. Also, some of the facial expressions just make me cackle. The movie was sweet and heartfelt and really is just a feel good movie. Even though I am kind of sad to see the story come to an end. But anyways, the movie was great and ended off the series perfectly.

The movie was good. It was a comedy but with a coming of age aspect at the same time. The innocence of the children in the movie was what made the movie funny, and it was very relatable. It's nothing too bad, but it still gives me a great laugh. Everything seems pretty natural and the main group of characters (the three boys and the two teenage girls) seem almost real, and they actually act like how kids and teenagers do act now. The sense to grow up but still having those childlike things in you. If I had to sum the movie up. it would just be a sixth grade version of Superbad, because that literally is what it is. The movie was much of an adventure, and it made me laugh. So five stars.

To begin, I was not so sure if I would even go on to enjoy this show. Netflix was coming up with their yearly typical Christmas lineup and I stumbled across Dash and Lily. When it first hit Netflix, I had no intention in watching it whatsoever, but then I saw the trailers and ads everywhere and so I decided to give it a try. I watched the first episode and I was extremely hooked. I went on to finish the show in two whole days because it was so good and every time I ended an episode, I had to watch the next one. The characters and cast are very diverse. Lily and her family are Japanese and that seems to play some big parts throughout the show. The show was very heartfelt and nothing looked so forced or pushed. The plot was interesting and since this took place in New York around Christmas time, it just made it even better. Dash and Lily might seem like your typical nerdy girl meets basic boy and they fall in love type show, but it really isn't. All the characters actually have a personality and are not cliché like in other holiday series. This is for sure a show I would recommended you watch, especially because you can get done with it pretty quickly because you will be so hooked. I hope Netflix decided to pick up this show with a Season 2, because I would be super happy.

This series was great. I found myself going back to rewatch it during this quarantine and it is still as good. 'Me, Myself, and I' was just a different show from any other sitcom or comedy series I have seen. It follows the same guy but in three different time periods. I like how the episodes generally have a certain topic or theme and in the episode it shows how that all connects at the three different points in his life. The show is actually funny and realistic. When I watched this show, I felt as if I actually knew this person and I was watching their life story and coming of age. The cast is exceptional, especially the young actors. Jack Dylan Grazer (Alex Riley age 13) portrayed Young Alex so well, and really set foundation for the older versions. His character was so sweet and I felt as if he was real in a way. I first watched the show because I heard he was in it, and I absolutely loved it. I really liked Chris Paul Richards, who played Justin. He was by far my favorite character and was one of the funniest. He did a great job at portraying Justin. Also, Norrie Sterling played by Reylynn Caster shined. She did amazing in this series and I'm still seeing her act, which is exciting to see. The older actors did their characters well too, but the younger cast was by far the most interesting to me. Even though they never got renewed, I am glad that I can still watch this show over and over again because it really is a great and unique series.

I have not watched the movie yet but Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk of the Lackluster Video Podcast brought me here.

Ladybird was a amazing film. To start with, I just loved the way Greta Gerwig directed this movie. The movie was simple, yet it made so much sense and was not boring. Saoirse Ronan gave such a good performance, she has always done well in any other movie she has been in, but this one was probably by far my favorite. The movie was just not about Ladybird's coming of age and growing up, it showed her strained relationship with her mother, which not a lot of movies seem to show. Because every teen movie is all about love, romance, and getting popular but Ladybird shows so much more than that. It also captures the kind of character Ladybird is. She is a witty, opinionated, and scared character. The cast was amazing and the scenery and overall vibe of the movie made me feel a certain way. Some people might say this movie is "overrated" but I think it is for a reason. It deserved all the awards it got. Also, do not get confused by the title of this movie. This is not a movie about Lady Bird Johnson. But anyways, I loved this movie and I would for sure watch it again.

This movie was great. I love how to movie centered around teen pregnancy but it does not condone or encourage it at all, which I liked. The main character, Juno handles the situation very responsibly and decides to give the baby up for adoption to this couple, instead of having an abortion. She is also brave enough to tell her family and the father of her child, Bleeker. The movie was very sweet, heartfelt, and funny all at the same time. It was cool on how they made the movie move through seasons, which was a super amazing concept. The only thing that was slightly disappointing for was the ending, because after Juno gives birth to the child, she goes back to her boyfriend, Bleeker, and the father of the child. Yet, Bleeker did not really help out with her pregnancy in any way at all. But other than that, Juno is a great film that I feel like everyone should see.

Unpregnant was a great movie! The road trip aspect of it was so cool and fun to watch. It was also very funny and I love how they made Bailey an LGBTQ+ character. Although, I am not a pro-life supporter, the movie did make it seem like abortion was no big deal. It just made it seem like getting an abortion was a totally normal thing to do in your daily life. But other then that, I really enjoyed the movie.