Andriani Rosalina

I know Thunderbolts isn’t a perfect movie. Some of the action scenes were done pretty well, but others could’ve used better pacing in the choreography—especially coming from someone who craves the kind of fight scenes we see from Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, and Joe Taslim in The Raid. That being said, after several not-so-great MCU movies—and one really bad one (Ant-Man: Quantumania)—this felt like a breath of fresh air. It hit differently, especially for people who are dealing with depression or other mental health struggles. I’ve seen it twice already, and both times I cried three times. Planning to go for a third watch in the next few weeks. The cast had great chemistry, the humor mostly landed, and the acting was solid all around. Some internet critics these days seem to bash MCU movies just for the sake of bashing them—or maybe for clout. Personally, I just like to appreciate something when it’s done well. If you’re still hanging on to the MCU, this one’s definitely worth watching.

Newest entry from Pixar - Soul is a wonderful Christmas gift in this otherwise devastating year. The visual is stunning, especially when it captures the hustle and bustle of NYC. This movie resonates so much with me. It's about your life journey, finding your purpose, finding your "spark", feeling insecure, confused, and lost. This movie feels like it relies more on intrapersonal/internal conflict to propel its story rather than interpersonal/external conflict. The message speaks so loud to me that I'm sure it will be one of my go to movies when I need a pick-me-up during my cycle of stress or depression (the other movie is The Devil Wears Prada). I wish I could see this movie in the theater to experience the beauty of the animation and the music. Side Note: Is it a coincidence that Amy Poehler (Inside Out) and Tina Fey (Soul), famously known comedian buddies, did voice works on Pixar movies created by the same team which discuss similar themes about the human mind and emotion?