Category Archives: Movies & Multimedia

Film Review: Pride and Prejudice

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Pride and Prejudice is an intriguing romance movie that creates an interesting
narrative using past societal expectations. As for the movie itself, while it is not
something that I would personally watch, I did enjoy watching it with my friends and
found that the movie was good overall. I would personally recommend the movie if you are really looking for older romance movies as what you get out of the movie is still satisfying regardless of whether you like the category or not.

In terms of what I liked about the movie, the characters feel as if they each had a role and portrayed well what they were designed. Given that I have not read the book or do not watch many romance movies, I cannot speak for the plot itself although it felt as if there were some holes towards the end in terms of the story and resolution which could be fixed with more time in the movie. While the story between characters feels somewhat unexplored for most of the movie, the characters themselves do a good job at foiling each other and create an interesting dynamic.

As for the way the movie portrays a story overall, it felt as if separate pieces of a story were put together, rather than it being one cohesive story as many parts of the movie often left me wondering how characters got there in the first place. While many characters are well written, it also feels as if some characters were entirely unnecessary and played almost no role. Some characters even felt so pointless that they were taking away from the main
characters, although, given the short time of the movie, it is possible that there was no effective way to portray all the characters in the way the directors wanted to. In addition,
while the movie was mostly enjoyable, there were some scenes that, by more recent
standards, felt more awkward than funny which is their presumed intention.

Overall, while I have many complaints about the movie, I would still recommend
seeing it as it was still an enjoyable experience to watch with friends. The ending is still
satisfying which is the goal of the movie and it still portrays the themes of the title well,
presenting both sides and helping define the meaning of the title overall.

-Benjamin L.

Pride and Prejudice is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Film Review: Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe

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Phineas and Ferb were one of the biggest childhood shows of this generation, and the attention that this movie received is no doubt due to the many nostalgic memories many people had. The show sheds light on Candace, one of the main characters and older sister of the two brothers who create all the inventions. I would recommend and rate this movie fairly well as it provides a new view on a childhood favorite.

The movie overall was good and had many standout aspects. What story and character
development lacked, the soundtrack and environment did more than made up for it. The soundtrack especially was outstanding given what the show is meant to portray, and the songs fit the situation and character interactions perfectly. The movie also has the same witty humor that the show had when it aired, with minor interactions between characters livening up the movie and creating a fun atmosphere. The story was not necessarily deep, but it allowed the characters themselves to shine rather than detracting too much of the viewer’s attention while still being relevant to the development of the main characters. One minor issue I had with the movie is that many side characters were just there to be in the show, rather than having some sort of impact. They felt more like afterthoughts rather than side characters that were important in one of our favorite childhood shows.

Overall, I would still say this movie is one of the most entertaining animated movies to have
come out recently and is worth watching for not only the nostalgia but a great time overall as there are many comedic and wholesome moments throughout the movie that remind us why this franchise is one of our childhood favorites.

-Benjamin L.

Movie Review: To All the Boys: Always and Forever

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To All the Boys: Always and Forever is the third movie in the To All the Boys… series. It’s a movie also based on the books written by Jenny Han. Throughout the series, Lara Jean struggles between wanting Peter and then having mixed emotions about him. This theme seen in the other two movies carries on into this movie as well. The entire series focuses on Lara Jean growing up and taking responsibility as she matures.

The movie starts off with Lara Jean visiting Korea and continues to spiral into the topic of college. She has to make the decision whether to go to college with Peter or wIthout peter. This movie captures the chaos of making college plans. She slowly discovers who she is and after dealing with rejection from the school she wanted to go to, she takes what she learned about herself and Peter into account when making this decision. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this movie, especially those in high school. It’s such a realistic representation of the struggles of choosing your college. Although that can be intense, this movie does have a lot of light-hearted scenes that create a perfect balance. Rewatching this series is definitely something I plan on doing soon.

-Kaitlyn Y.

Film Review: Black Panther (spoiler free)

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Many superhero movies often fail to live up to standards set by fans and are looked
down upon. Black Panther is not one of those movies. In light of recent events, many are
rewatching movies such as Black Panther to celebrate the work, and it certainly is a movie worth celebrating. Black Panther focuses on social issues while providing both an entertaining watch and a top tier soundtrack. Overall, It is a must-watch given the quality of the film.

Of the recent movies, Black Panther stands out among them due to many aspects. One
of the major selling points of the movie was the action scenes. The scenes are not only action packed, but also flow well and very natural. None of the scenes feel like they are forced and have very smooth transitions. The action and music are very compelling and the music bolsters the excitement of the scenes. The soundtrack is another major boon of the movie. All the songs played (or lack of it) fit each scene extremely well, enhancing the mood and making the scenes more lively. Each track is composed wonderfully and brings out the most in the movie.

Another major aspect of the movie is the social ideas brought up. The movie addresses
many social issues and approaches to fixing them in tandem with the growth of the characters themselves. Many characters are well represented, although there is little African American representation, and are brought out in a primarily positive manner. The only complaints that I had after watching the movie were the primary motivation of certain characters overall and how irrelevant a few characters were, although it is a minor complaint compared to how good the movie was overall.

In general, I would rate this movie as one of the best movies to come out over the past
few years and it certainly lives up to the hype it received upon the release. I would highly
recommend this movie for those who have not watched it or those who want to rewatch it, as it is highly exciting and absolutely worth the time.

-Benjamin L.

Black Panther is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

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Opinion: 'Avatar: the Last Airbender' is the best children's ...

Where to begin with the show, Avatar: The Last Airbender? When I was little my family and I would watch this show to no end. Then, after many years apart, this show appeared back on Netflix and I must say, it is amazing. I would say this show from 2005 was way before its time in many aspects. The writing, character development, villains, and overall plot of the show was very interesting and exhilarating.

One part that I absolutely love is female empowerment. Remember this show came out over 15 years ago when most TV shows and movies did not include the most feminist characters. Different than shows and movies today, the female involvement was not pushed or forced rather than just written to be strong leads. Characters like Toph also inspired young me, as she was blind but in my opinion, on the most powerful characters in the entire series. Each of the different women brought different things to the table but really showed me that, hey I can be just as or more powerful than anyone else.

Another aspect that needs to be talked about is the plot. This story about a young boy who was frozen in ice for 100 years to wake up and find out a war has been going on for 100 years and was partially his fault. Being the avatar, master of all 4 four elements, he meets some friends who help him on his journey while facing many challenges. Seeing the change in the duration of year was pretty spectacular. These young kids turned out stopping a war against a crazy fire lord. Episode after episode we see a group of 4 kids overthrowing corrupt governments left and right. For a kids show it was very deep. The writers introduced some real world problems to young and old viewers. The ideas of governments that aren’t what they seem took up almost half a season of the show. Along with passing by starving people and large groups of refugees as a result of the war. For a kids show, they were not afraid to include real issues and problems many face.

Lastly, I’m going to talk about my personal favorite part of the show, the villains. In my personal opinion, many of the villains were simply misunderstood. For the siblings Zuko and Azula we get to see why their actions came to be. Being in a royal family with an abusive father and mother who was forced away. Azula was a prodigy firebender, that in my opinion the most powerful fire bender in the entire show. Along with Zuko who is also powerful but not up there with Azula. During this show, we get to see the character arc of Zuko as he finally puts his wants behind him and joins the avatar and his friends in joining the fight against the fire lord. Sadly for Azula this is not the case, she goes insane while trying to be perfect to please her father.

This show is a must watch for anyone in any age group. There is something in this show for everyone. The writers hit gold when producing this show. Also, some appearances from some of my favorite actors such as Mark Hamill make an appearance throughout the show. If I had to score this show it would definitely be a 11/10 for me.

-Lilly G.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian

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Whether you are casually entertained by the Star Wars franchise or a rabid fan, Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian is a truly fun escape from the humdrum of life since Covid 19.    This Disney Plus series, which now has completed two seasons, takes place after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens in the Star Wars universe.  For those, like me, who thrives on Star Wars lore, the exact year is 9 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin).  During this time the empire has been mostly destroyed and the New Republic has taken over the galaxy and is attempting to bring stability and peace, though corruption lurks behind every turn.  The series follows a bounty hunter who seems to have no affiliation with either the Empire or The Republic.  His aim is to make money for his clan who live in the shadows to avoid conflict with the outside world.  As season one unfolds, a disturbing and sinister connection between the Mandalorian race and the Jedi is revealed that intertwines and blurs the lines of good versus evil.  This blurring of lines persists through both seasons and is inherent to the exciting plot twists within each episode and at the conclusion of each season.  The central story is based around the bounty hunter who sacrifices his position as a bounty hunter to save a child he was meant to deliver to the hands of the Empire.  Instead, he listens to his inner voice and makes it his mission to protect and return “the child” to his people.  This proves a dangerous and challenging odyssey that carries the pair across the Star Wars Universe.  They face sinister and sometimes familiar characters along the way and are often forced to fight their way out of what seems like near-impossible situations.  Along the way, more and more is revealed about “the child” and the unexpected and surprising man who is called Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb

The mastermind behind The Mandalorian is none other than, Jon Favreau.  Favreau is a director, actor, producer, and screenwriter.  He directed the wildly popular Christmas comedy, Elf.  Additionally, he is the creative genius behind the Iron Man franchise among many other popular films.  Favreau has been quoted as saying that The Mandalorian is meant to “hearkened back to the Westerns and samurai films that had originally influenced Lucas.”  Favreau is referencing George Lucas the original creator of Star Wars. The world Lucas imagined in the original Star Wars movie has been capturing the imagination of audiences since its release in 1977.  Jon Favreau includes himself as one who was fascinated by Star Wars lore and he has built on that in The Mandalorian, staying true to Star Wars roots but adding his own take.  With the expanded format of a TV show,  Favreau has been able to take a deep dive into the Star Wars expanded universe and draw from Star Wars spin-offs including The Clone Wars and the video game, Star Wars Battlefront.  However, there is enough character development, revelations, cliff-hanger, and adventure that even audience members new to Star Wars can enjoy the fun.  Favreau has said that, with this show, he wanted to create a “good party” for the Star Wars audience.  He has done just that.  Grab your family, your best friend, and your lightsaber and join in.  “This is the way.”

-Johnson D.

Avatar the Last Airbender: TV show review

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When I heard Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) was added to Netflix I was ecstatic. Like so many other teens, I had watched the show as a little kid and loved it. So obviously, I had to watch it again.

Watching it again as a teenager, I realized that the show was even better than I remembered. It was so original and progressive. As it well it was quite refreshing with its childish comics instead of dark humor or drama. There are so many references to issues that one would not think would be in a children’s TV show. It is these references that really make the show stand out. For example, there is the idea that the fire nation ( the big enemy in the show) is constantly making new technological advance weapons, using them for mass destruction and with them destroying nature. This sound familiar? This very idea was happening when the show created and is still a problem now. These are ideas that as a teenager, I can more fully understand and is a reason why I strongly suggest other teens to rewatch the show.

This show is centered around the idea that the fire nation is trying to take over all the other nation: Earth, Water, and Air. They had already wiped out the air nation and are trying to take over everything else. There are four characters that are trying to stop this, the Avatar Aang, the Water Bender Katara, Sokka a warrior, and the Earth Bender Toph. The avatar is supposed to be a special person who has control over all four elements, fire earth water and air. They are the one supposed to save the world. Throughout the entire show you follow these characters, watching them grow.

I loved this show and would recommend it to everyone. It is perfect for binging, watching slowly, watching with a family, or taking a break from the stress of the pandemic. As well, the nostalgia it brings might bring you makes the show better

-Ava G.

My Favorite Episodes from The Office

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The Office is one of those shows that will never die off. After being aired over 15 years ago in 2005, it is still one of the most talked-about shows. Making people wonder, what makes this show based on a boring topic so addicting. Some of these episodes are worth watching over and over for the rest of my life. Each one consists of different hilarious jokes and drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat laughing. Here is a quick rundown of my favorite episodes in the series.

To start off is probably my all-time favorite episode, “The Injury”(s. 2 e.12). It begins with a screaming Micheal on the phone. He tries to explain how he needs someone to get him to bring him into to work because he is too hurt. At first, everyone is actually worried that something had happened to him. But later on, they find out he had burned his foot. The funny part is how he had burned it. He tells the story of his love to wake up in the morning and listen to crackling bacon. Of course, he has no butler, so he explains that he leaves bacon on the grill next to his bed at night, then wakes up to plug it in and goes back to sleep. But this time he steps on this George Foreman Grill as he wakes up. Dwight is Micheal’s biggest fan, so he is very worried and rushes off to get him and crashes into a pole, but he still keeps on driving. As Micheal acts as Micheal he gets very angry that no one is treating him special, so he calls in a favor. The building owner happened to be in a wheelchair, so Micheal called him to talk to the workers about being disabled but remember Micheal had only burned his foot. After being harassed by Micheal an unexpected twist happens. Dwight ended up having concussion after crashing so he is urgently taken to the hospital. The episode ending scene is a funny moment when Micheal, who is his emergency contact goes with him and tries to stick his foot in the CT scan while Dwight is in there.

Another one of my favorites is ” The Merger”(s.3 e.8). This episode is kinda a clash of two worlds. We see the Scranton branch absorbing the Stamford branch which includes an old friend, Jim who had moved away because Pam had turned him down in the previous season. Micheal tries to impress all the new employees but fails except for one due to his different type of management. The one is Andy Bernard, who tries to be the biggest Suck up to Micheal. This in return gets Dwight real mad because he sees it as Micheal replacing him. During this episode, we see the reunion of Pam and Jim. There is so much excitement that they will finally be together. But there is a new problem, Karen Filippelli, a new love interest for Jim. Micheal uses the whole episode trying the unify the two branches but they don’t seem to click. He begins receiving major lash back for his management style and one new employee ends up quitting. In the end, this episode has ups and downs full of drama that kept everyone wondering what would happen next.

Next up is an amazing, but heartbreaking episode, “Goodbye Micheal” (s.7 e.22). Like TV shows, when they say the main character is leaving, they will most likely end up staying in the end. The first time I watched it I did not think Micheal, the star of the show, would actually leave. But he did, and I ended the episode in tears. It begins the introduction to Micheal’s replacement being shown around, but everyone knows, Micheal Scott can never truly be replaced. He spends the day trying to get a special moment with all of his workers and how are now his best friends. As time runs out we see a new side of Micheal, a soft loving friend. My favorite part of this episode, and my favorite scene in the show, is the goodbye between Micheal and Jim. Jim discovers Micheal is really leaving a day before he said he was and goes to talk to him. They have a heartfelt conversation where Micheal was in tears the whole time. He says they must save the goodbyes for tomorrow and be happy today. Another just well put together scene is the goodbye between Micheal and Dwight. The best friends sit together as Micheal hands Dwight a letter of recommendation that is the sweetest words ever spoken. On the edge of our seats, we see Micheal leave for the airport without a goodbye from Pam. But the very last scene we see with Micheal Scott is Pam running to him in her bare shoes in the airport giving him the biggest hug.

While we see how truly hilarious scenes in the show are, it is much more than that. We see real friendships developed and goodbyes that make your heart sink. I loved the contrast between funny and sad. Showing that one show can have many sides, not just one. The writers did an absolutely amazing on in taking an ordinary job and showing the beauty in it.

-Lilly G.

My Love for Spirited Away

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Spirited Away.

My favorite Studio Ghibli movie.

The first Studio Ghibli movie I’ve ever seen.

Your beautiful music, extraordinary characters, breathtaking visuals, transported me to a world that I wish I could stay in for the rest of my life. You make me cry, laugh, smile, blush, and drag my cursor across my laptop to restart the entire movie all over again. It’s a story of compassion, romance, humor, and so much more to me that just animations on a screen.

Chihiro, one of the main characters, is someone that I love dearly in this movie. To be honest, she actually sort of annoyed me when I first met her; she had an annoying voice and was a bit clumsy. But as the movie progressed, she underwent this amazing character development that warms my heart every time I see it happen. She goes through homesickness, young love with a boy named Haku (which is the CUTEST thing by the way), fear, and so many more events that shape her into the person that she becomes at the end of the movie.

Though there are quite a lot of fantastical elements to follow along (which can be confusing in many cases), it blended beautifully into an intricate storyline that was still able to appeal to my young self. There are creatures that make you wonder what it would be like to live in a world with them, from talking frogs to even a giant baby! Many have unique abilities that range from magic to being able to consume large amounts of food.

All in all, Spirited Away is a movie that I think everyone needs to see at least once in their lifetime. I, for one, have seen it at least 5 times and never get tired of it at all. It is more than just a movie, it is a lesson, an emotional rollercoaster, an immersive experience that provides you with such detailed insight into the world of Spirited Away. I envy Chihiro as much as I envy every other character who has the privilege of being able to forever live in this universe, and not a day goes by when I don’t wish I lived in such a mysterious world.

But for now, I guess watching the movie on repeat will have to do 🙂

-Juliannae T.

Spirited Away is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Film Review: The Shining

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The Shining is a horror movie about a man named Jack Torrance and his wife and son. Jack and his family stay at an isolated, massive hotel called the Overlook Hotel. Jack plans to spend his time at the hotel writing, attempting to cure his writer’s block. The Shining is based on a book written by Stephen King. The story slowly evolves as Stephen King’s character becomes an abusive and manipulative man towards his family. The audience realizes that Jack is mentally ill and his family is not safe with him staying at the hotel. Originally, it is perceived by the audience that Jack had been at the hotel before and he was not mentally ill. Jack’s son played an extremely important role in this movie because he was connected to the hotel through a concept called “shining.” He becomes apart of an alternate universe and communicates with a voice inside of his head. Originally, it was inferred that the son was the one that was mentally ill; however, the voice inside of his head was really trying to protect him and his mom from his father. The hotel was portrayed as a haunted building with no way out. Small clues such as the massive pantry and freezers with locks foreshadowed the scene when the mother locks Jack inside the pantry.

Throughout the movie, Jack plays mind games with his clearly oblivious wife and manipulates her into leaving him alone while he writes. One scene was particularly disturbing in which the wife finds Jack’s book that he had been writing while they were at the hotel. It is revealed that Jack was not actually writing a book and the papers were filled with the same sentence over and over again, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The movie the Shining transformed from a story about a family staying at a hotel by themselves to an alarming and captivating film about Jack Torrance’s disturbing mind and past at the hotel. His wife and son no longer felt safe at the hotel anymore and ran from him and hid from him until they got away. This movie displayed the disturbing effect of mental illness and how you never know who a person really is. The way Jack chased his family around the hotel and kept drifting in and out of the alternate universe kept the audience attentive.

-Sasha B.

The Shining is available for checkout at the Mission Viejo Library.