Category Archives: Movies & Multimedia

The Eras Tour – Taylor Swift (Movie/Concert Review)

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This year I went to see Taylor Swift on tour and in the movie theater and it was such an amazing experience and a core memory. Here is the comparison and overall pros and cons of both!

Concert: I was looking forward to her concert for almost a year and when it reached the day, I was so excited. I got all dressed up and listened to her music in the car on the way there. The concert was a little over 3 hours long, I had floor seats which were amazing and the stage effects and dancers, backup singers, and band were great and on point! Opening acts were Gracie Abrams, who I love, and HAIM. Taylor sang a couple songs from each album in order of, Lover (6 songs), Fearless (3 songs), Evermore (5 songs), Reputation (4 songs), Speak Now (1 song), Red (4 songs), Folklore (7 songs), 1989 (5 songs), 2 Surprise Songs, and Midnights (7 songs). My favorite album is Lover but the most fun and cool one to watch at the concert, I think, was Reputation. Overall it was great and worth it and I am so grateful I got to see her live and sing along to all the songs!

Movie: The movie shows a different perspective on her concert. More close up and vivid, with showing the details of the outfits, stage effects, the crowd, and the band. It was filmed from a few of her show nights in LA. It was so fun to sing along again and relive the memories with my friends and family who couldn’t make it to the actual concert. If you bought a drink or popcorn it comes with a plastic bucket and cup of the eras tour print on it, which I got. Most people that I knew got confused about the movie, it is not as much as a biography documentary but highlighting the tour, no behind the scenes, or her life just simply the music. She had to remove 2-3 songs from the movie, to avoid it being too long. It was a little pricey and a long movie, almost 3 hours, but overall if you like Taylor Swift and know her songs I would definitely recommend, especially now that it is out on TV networks with all the additional songs included.

I would say I very much prefer the concert over the movie, it was an experience like no other, being able to see her in person and sing along with her in a place where everyone loves her, was the best! I am a big fan of Taylor Swift and very impressed with her and her music!

Trolls Band Together Movie Review

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Trolls Band Together is one of the many Trolls films produced by DreamWorks Animation. It was released on November 17, 2023, and it is currently being shown in movie theaters. The cast of this movie features Anna Kendrick as Poppy, Justin Timberlake as Branch, and many others such as Kid Cudi, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, etc.

The movie starts off in the past when this boy band called Brozone splits and leaves Baby Branch after their failed performance. The previous Trolls films took place after they split and they have been away from Branch’s life ever since they walked out on him. Now, Branch is not a baby anymore and they attend King Gristle and Bridget’s wedding just for it to get interrupted by none other than John Dory, Branch’s brother. John Dory tells Branch that their other brother, Floyd, requires rescue after being held captive by the superstars Velvet and Veneer and the only way to rescue him is by the Perfect Family Harmony, which needs all of the brothers. Since John Dory had walked out on Branch, Branch seems to have hatred against him and declines his offer at first but soon gives in because the brother he hated less, Floyd, is in danger. 

Throughout the movie, they go everywhere and gather each and every single one of their brothers, resulting in Poppy finding her long-lost sister throughout the way, but nearing the end of the movie, the brothers start arguing and Branch can not handle it so he walks out on them. Unfortunately, the other brothers ended up getting trapped and only Branch could rescue them so he tried to free his brothers while Velvet and Veneer performed. Fortunately, he had some help from his companions and he soon rescued them by singing Better Place and achieving the Perfect Family Harmony, which freed Floyd. In the end, they all perform together again and they not only reunite as a band but as brothers as well.

I literally can not explain how I absolutely loved this movie. It’s so good! Trolls Band Together was the talk of all my friends and it was everywhere on the internet so I decided to watch it because it seemed entertaining and I do not regret it at all. This sounds a bit exaggerated but the movie is so entertaining and I literally love everything about the movie: the plot, the cast, and the soundtrack especially. I legitimately can not stop singing the soundtrack. Overall, I loved this movie and you should definitely go watch it in theaters!

Movie Review: Elemental

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* This review may contain spoilers

It was a Saturday night and I was roaming Disney+ and came across a fairly “new” Disney movie, Elemental. I had seen SO many ads about this movie but didn’t understand the concept and thought it would be boring. I was wrong.

Elemental follows two characters, Ember and Wade. As you may know fire and water don’t mix will and with Ember growing up in a dominant fire household and Wade being a water…you can see where things are going. Ember is presented as this hot-headed and ignorant person with a huge temper she has a hard time controlling. Her father wants her to take over the shop but Ember’s temper gets in the way when she gets annoyed by customers’ demands for certain items. While Ember struggles with maintaining this temper and trying to please her dad. Wade comes in while inspecting Ember’s shop and sees a lot of faults and reports it. This feud between Ember and Wade emerges as Ember tries not to get her dad’s shop closed but Wade is consistent with making sure it happens.

The movie goes into an unexpected rom-com where the two have found a comfort in spending time with one another and learning about each other’s lives (being a fire and a water). They grow their love and open their perspectives of the elements and not to judge so harshly based on traditional beliefs.

This movie was unexpectedly better than I had anticipated and I found it so cute that it tied to showing the importance of family but also understanding. I think a lot can be learned from this movie for younger kids to pick up on, which was great on Disney’s part.

-Madison C.

Spirited Away Movie Review

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A little girl named Chihiro travels too far into an alluring village where spirits and creatures come to rest. She encounters a boy named Haku, who is human. He says he forgot his name and warns that if she does, she will never be able to return home. To escape this strange realm, Haku tells her to get a job at a spa house for spirits where humans work. She meets creatures of all kinds, finds love, and helps restore peace with her extraordinary courage. With all these fantastical experiences, does she still want to go home?

Spirited Away is an elegant, wondrous journey into the fantasy world of Studio Ghibli. Directed by the renowned Hayao Miyazaki, it’s no wonder that it’s considered one of the greatest animated films ever made. It has won many prestigious awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and the Golden Bear.

This film teaches about the dangers of greed. While everyone around Chihiro seems to want money and fame, she just wants to protect the people she loves. In the end, her motivation outlasts the others, and she saves her family and friends. It also warns people against forgetting who they are. In the movie, the spirits call Chihiro different names to try and make her forget her real one. Despite their attempts, she remains confident in who she is and never loses sight of why she is there. I highly recommend this film to anyone who loves movies with intricate meanings and different interpretations. When every scene looks like a painting, it’s hard not to fall in love with Spirited Away.

Spirited Away is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Business Proposal Show Review

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Business Proposal is a South Korean romantic comedy show that was released in 2022 after it was adapted from the Webtoon version of Business Proposal. It can be seen on Netflix and other streaming sites. It features the main lead actors Kim Se Jeong Ahn Hyeo Sop, Kim Min Gue, and Seol In Ah.

The story starts off with Kim Se Jeong who plays the role of Shin Ha Ri who goes as her friend, Jin Young Seo on a blind date for money. On the previous blind dates, Shin Ha Ri effortlessly made sure that the blind dates would not want to get together with her friend, Jin Young Seo. However, this time, Shin Ha Ri ends up on a blind date with Kang Tae Moo, who ends up being the peculiar boss of her work. Shin Ha Ri tries her very best to get him to reject her so that her deed is done but despite what she does, Kang Tae Moo does not seem to be declining her. Instead, since Kang Tae Moo is pressured by his grandfather to get married, Kang Tae Moo decides that he wants to get with Shin Ha Ri. 

This causes a problem for Shin Ha Ri because Jin Young Seo starts to complain to her and interrogate her. Shin Ha Ri denies her accusations and says that Kang Tae Moo is the odd one. After this, Jin Young Seo ends up setting her up for one more fake date, and she confesses that she did this for money. As a result, Kang Tae Moo threatens Shin Ha Ri and orders her to act as his fiance. After a while into this “fake” relationship, they start to develop feelings for each other but soon Kang Tae Moo finds the real identity of Shin Ha Ri and finds out that she is an employee of his company, GoFood. Due to his frustrations and his trust being broken, Kang Tae Moo decides to get “revenge” by overworking Shin Ha Ri. In the end, they both confess their feelings and get together. 

Personally, I liked watching this show in 2022. I have never read the Webtoon version of it, but thanks to the show adaptation, I might consider reading it. This show really brought me joy. Usually, watching long videos tends to bore me but watching these episodes, time went by so fast and it felt like 10 minutes instead of an hour. This show was really entertaining and I liked the plot a lot. I definitely recommend watching or reading Business Proposal.

Ordem Paranormal: Quarentena

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Contains minor spoilers for the series

A virus has spread throughout the world. Unknowingly, you have just volunteered your life to stop it. Five teenagers are taken by an industry called Pancea, and it’s your job to stop this outbreak. With nothing much but a mistrustful guide, an unremovable glove, and a… hamster? You have to find the cause for this disaster and fix it.

Ordem Paranormal is a tabletop roleplay game series that features content creators from all over the world. We have Cellbit as the gamemaster, Baghera as Lucie, Quackity as Benito, Pactw as Diego, FoolishGamers as Jeffrey, and Roier as Luis. It is split into two parts: par tone, which took place online, and part two, which took place in Brazil in real life. The series is available on Youtube in English and Portuguese.

The scene starts out at an office in Mexico where Benito, Jeffery, and Luis sign up for the program. They’re not told much except for that it will help advance the future. A few of them are in it for the money, too. A similar scene is happening at the same time in Brazil with Lucie, Diego, a girl named Emi, and her dad. They are taken into a room and asked a few questions. Not even a few minutes later, both surveyor plant a drowsiness bomb and flee the room. All participants black out.

All of them arrive in a sweltering hot boiler room with a mechanical glove attached their left hand, and their right tied up. A stranger by the name of Micael hands them a key before running out of the room with no further explanation. After a few moments of Jeffrey consulting his pocket hamster, Wallace, they’re able to free themselves and flee the room. They’re met with a strange facility, where blood is stained everywhere and dead bodies litter the ground. The only thing going through their minds are “Where am I?” Micael is able to answer that. He tells them that a virus has spread all over the country, and that they’ve been blacked out for quite a while. The glove they have is the only thing protecting them from being infected too. Then, from around the corner, a disfigured creature stalks towards them. It has glowing, neon wires connecting human-like bodies together into an abomination. It moves jerkily, as if fighting for control. Little do they know, this isn’t the only one out there.

That is just the beginning of an entire series of incredible storytelling and jaw-dropping plot twists. If you’ve never watched a roleplay game, this is your chance. Personally, this was my favorite series out of everything watched, even out of professionally made movies. Cellbit’s ability to bring the player’s words to life plus characters you can’t help but root for make for one remarkable story. I fell in love with Ordem Paranormal, and if you watch it I guarantee you will too.

Kimi ni Todoke Review

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Kimi ni Todoke, also known as From Me To You, is a Japanese romance manga written by  Karuho Shiina and adapted in different ways such as the Netflix adaptation. The anime has two seasons as of now, but a third season is confirmed to be aired on Netflix.

In the story, the main protagonist, Sawako Kuronuma, is misunderstood and is called a ghost because of her appearance and because she resembles the ghost from “The Ring”. The high school student is often called “Sadako” which is the name of the ghost she resembles instead of her actual name, Sawako. The protagonist lives this life until Kazehaya Shouta, the popular guy at school talks to her and actually calls her the right name. 

Because of Kazehaya, her life started to change and she started to make friends and be happy despite the obstacles she faced such as rumors and many misunderstandings. Sawako and Kazehaya then start to like each other and they get together by the end of season two. 

I really like this show and I definitely recommend watching it. I love how their interest in each other develops and I like how friendship is portrayed in this anime. The main leads are super adorable and I like their interactions. I suggest watching the anime first instead of the Netflix adaptation because the Netflix adaptation is more complicated to me but it’s my personal preference. Like I said, I definitely recommend watching it, especially if you want to feel giddy and happy.

MOVIE REVIEW – The Little Mermaid Animated Saga

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(This review consists of the three animated The Little Mermaid movies produced by Disney, as the prequel/sequel tend to be forgotten about.)

The Little Mermaid Live Action was an enchanting remake. With the music and voices of live action Ariel (Halle Bailey) and Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), I was truly enraptured by the display. 

While both the original and live-action movies are classics personally, people forget about the sequel and prequels of The Little Mermaid animated movie. I remember watching the entire franchise and thinking, “Wow, we really downgraded and upgraded in a short amount of time!” Honestly, I just remember hating on Melody. 

The Little Mermaid is the “predecessor” of The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, a story that combines King Triton’s hatred for music after his wife, Athena, died, Flounder finding out that Sebastian has been singing at an illegal speakeasy, and Ariel’s toxic and manipulative nanny. I remember loving this movie. 

Through the movie, we learn more about Ariel’s sisters, and we can actually assign name to faces. Although the animation felt tackier (and somewhat creepier, in my opinion), it was a lovely prequel to a classic. In contrast, the plot felt underdeveloped, and has little to no correlation to the original, as if the writers were like, “Okay, so there’s this teenage girl, right? Right, so she likes to sing, right? Right, and she’s also rebellious — let’s add a controlling nanny and ban music!” This could’ve been a spinoff. 

Personally, I feel like the movie would’ve been better off dealing with King Triton’s story. For one, it starts off with King Triton’s wife, Queen Athena, literally getting kidnapped and possibly eaten by humans. He’s grief-stricken and thus banned music, something that Athena adored. I would’ve loved to see him go through every stage of grief while simultaneously making bad decisions and dealing with the evil nanny. 

And did I mention what they did to my poor Flounder? He’s as if a rebellious angsty teen went back in time. Overall, 6/10 movie. Could’ve been worse, but definitely didn’t tarnish the original too much. 

Now, onto The Little Mermaid II, a sequel to the original. Ariel and Eric’s daughter, Melody, is obsessed with the sea. She is just as rebellious as Ariel was in her teenage years, which causes some wonderful generational trauma. However, Melody finds refuge and comfort in Morgana, Ursula’s sister. 

Suddenly, I have a craving for seafood.  

I mean, it could’ve been worse! Totally. PLEASE. 

Characters were underdeveloped. Their personalities felt as though they were scribbled on a deadline. But what upset me the most was Ariel’s songs. In the original, she had a powerful, emotional, catchy voice!! I MISS JODI BENSON SO MUCH. In the sequel, it felt way too cheesy to be good. 2/10. 

But hey, we got Melissa McCarthy, so I don’t care. I LOVE MELISSA MCCARTHY. 

The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid II, and the live action version are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Netflix Series Review: Cobra Kai

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I can assure you, Cobra Kai, is going to be the best Netflix Series you’ve ever watched, especially if you’ve already watched the Karate Kid movies. First of all, what is Cobra Kai? Cobra Kai is a martial arts drama series that brought back the nostalgia of the 1984 movie, The Karate Kid. This thrilling saga combines both the charm of the ’80s classic with fresh storytelling and a new generation of characters, leaving teens and adults eager to watch the show. Thus, with its blend of action-packed sequences, well-developed characters, and thought-provoking themes, Cobra Kai continues to remain an absolute knockout.

But first, before you dive into the series, I suggest that you watch the first 3 Karate Kid movies, to get a good understanding of the background of the series

The show’s genius lies in its ability to subvert the audience’s expectations. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), once bitter rivals, have become complex characters. Their evolving dynamic is the heart and soul of the series. Macchio and Zabka deliver performances that transcend nostalgia, reminding us why their characters are so iconic in the first place.

One of the standout aspects of Cobra Kai is its character development. The young cast members, particularly Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), Sam (Mary Mouser), Hawk (Jacob Bertrand), and Tory (Peyton List), have grown immensely over the seasons. These characters grapple with real-world issues such as bullying, identity, and the consequences of their actions, making them relatable to both young and older viewers. Furthermore, the comedic dialogues and thrilling fights occurring in and out of the dojos, add to the astoundingness of the series.

The action sequences in Cobra Kai are nothing short of spectacular. The choreography is top-notch, blending traditional martial arts with a modern flair that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. The series doesn’t shy away from the brutality of karate, making the fight scenes intense and visceral, especially through the contrasting styles of Karate which both Cobra Kai and the Miyagi-Do Dojo use.

Beyond the fists and kicks, Cobra Kai explores the gray areas of morality and redemption. It challenges the idea of heroes and villains by delving into the past traumas and motivations of its characters, from Johnny Lawrence’s struggles with his stepdad to Miguel Diaz’s struggle to choose a side in school. This nuanced storytelling makes it a cut above typical martial arts dramas.

In conclusion, Cobra Kai is a martial arts masterpiece that transcends its ’80s roots. It’s a compelling blend of nostalgia and contemporary storytelling, with well-rounded characters, exceptional action, and thought-provoking themes. Whether you’re a fan of The Karate Kid or new to the franchise, Cobra Kai is a must-watch series that packs a punch. With its ongoing success, it’s clear that the spirit of the dojo is stronger than ever.

Netflix Series Review: The Flash

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The Flash is by far one of my favorite TV series. It’s like a mix-up of sci-fi, action, and adventure centered around the DC Comics legend, the Flash. Warning-Pilot spoiler. Skip through if you want to avoid knowing the details and want to watch it yourself.

The series’ first episode, “Pilot,” follows the story of a brilliant forensic scientist Barry Allen; his life gets turned upside down as he tries to deal with his mother’s murder and his father’s wrongful conviction. Talk about a rough start.  

When struck by lightning and awakened from a comma, Barry is gifted with the ability to move at superhuman speed and power beyond comprehension. This blasts him into a world where seconds are stretched into eternities. With the help of his mentor, Dr. Harrison Wells, Barry embarks on a riveting odyssey of self-discovery, learns how to control his godly abilities, and uses his newfound powers to protect Central City from an onslaught of malevolent forces. Beneath the mask and behind the lightning speed, Barry faces the ultimate struggle called life- balancing his pursuit for justice with the intricacies of his private life.

Through all the twists and turns of his new identity, he forges deep bonds of friendship and even finds love. He works with his new friends and allies to help Central City crime free.

In the end, he realized that by embracing the hero within, he could unlock a future of limitless possibilities. The Flash is not just a TV series; it’s an exciting account of a teen turned hero and savior through triumph, camaraderie, and indomitable spirit. 

It’s now summer vacation for most of us, so if you have time to binge-watch any TV series, I recommend trying The Flash. Trust me, you won’t regret it. So grab your snacks, cozy up on the couch, and enjoy the show. Hey, it’s summer, after all. 

Enjoy the show!

Bella H.