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Wonka Review

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The minute school let out and finals were over, I was immediately ready to start break. The first thing to finally start the break was watching a movie with my friends. One of my friends was the one who actually suggested seeing the movie. My memory of the Johnny Depp Willy Wonka movie was blurry at best so I hoped that I wouldn’t need too much of it other than bits and pieces like the chocolate and Oompa Loompas. Despite not remembering too much of the Willy Wonka movie, I still enjoyed Timothee Chalamet’s Wonka.  

The movie is a prequel to the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, featuring a young Willy Wonka who has a dream to share his chocolate with the world. However, due to his naivety, he gets himself into a lot of trouble; the world not being as nice as he hoped it would be. Throughout the movie, he gains friends and helps them get out of their own predicaments, while also helping him achieve his dreams. 

One thing I didn’t expect from the movie was for it to be a musical. I was pretty shocked when Timothee Chalamet started to sing and dance but I was pleasantly surprised. The music stuck with me even outside of the theater and into my home. Many of the songs had me tapping my foot and swaying in my seat. Some of the songs were pretty heartwarming and most of them are pretty catchy. The songs are easy to listen to and easy to follow; easy enough to follow that when I heard the ending credits, I was able to sing along despite only hearing it once previously throughout the movie. 

Another thing I really enjoyed was the found family dynamics that were introduced. I’m a huge fan of found family tropes and just good platonic relationships in general (which was a big reason why I enjoyed The Outsiders by S.E Hinton haha). In the movie, Willy Wonka gets into a bit of trouble and finds others who have the same problem as him. They all join together to help Willy and his dream of sharing his chocolate with the world, becoming a close group as they do. While the movie is mainly focused on two characters (Willy and one other character called Noodle), it’s nice to see the relationships between all the protagonist characters grow close and even cool to see the relationships they all have with the antagonists. Willy and the new character, Noodle, have the closest dynamic that really reminded me of siblings. While the typical siblings that you hear of are usually annoying each other and fighting while still being close, these two don’t fight nor annoy each other. But, they do support and help each other, and are always there for each other, only wanting the best for one another.  They had a really cute dynamic that really helped me enjoy the movie more.

Overall, the Wonka movie was really nice and I enjoyed it a lot. The music was so good that even as I write this, I can’t help but hear some of the songs in my head still. I would definitely recommend this to others to see. The plot of the movie is actually really fun and interesting and the characters are well crafted too. Wonka was a very good movie and is one to take a look at!

-Nicole R.

Movie Review: Interstellar

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On Wednesday, I watched the movie Interstellar, directed by Christian Nolan. This movie is in the genre of science fiction + dystopian and is set in future America. In this film, America is suffering from dust storms, famine, and blight. A mission to find a new planet for humankind is desperately needed. 

After a series of mysterious events, Cooper, a retired astronaut is guided to NASA, where he is recruited by Professor Brand for a mission to explore potential planets. Cooper goes on the mission with other astronauts. They explore a wormhole that brings them to other planets, in the hopes that they won’t run out of time. 

The movie goes on to show the daunting mission that Cooper and his team embark on. They explore 2 planets, both of which are not inhabitable. On the second planet that Cooper investigates, he finds an older astronaut (who went on a similar mission) who tricks and sabotages him in order to leave the planet. Copper miraculously leaves the planet with his team which dwindles to one astronaut. After all the crazy events that Copper goes through, there is a limited amount of fuel left in the spaceship. So, Copper sacrifices his life by being sent into a black hole so that the astronaut can explore the last planet. In the black hole, Copper is redirected to a 5-dimensional space where he can see every memory from his daughter’s bedroom. He uses clues to give his ingenious daughter information that will save Earth. Interstellar ends with Cooper being rescued by people from the future, who were saved from Earth’s blight. 

In my opinion, Interstellar was an excellent movie. Though it was boring for the first hour, and confusing at times, this movie had a great message of self-sacrifice, the bonds of family, and time + space. My summary of the movie is probably confusing and does not embody the entire story of Interstellar. But, I hope that you take the time to watch this movie, as it is superb.

Interstellar is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

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!

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.

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.

Transformers: Rise of Beasts Movie Review

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Transformers: Rise of Beasts is the newest Transformers movie. Set in Brooklyn, New York in 1994 (7 years after Transformers: Bumblebee but 13 years before the first Transformers movie), we follow older brother, Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) who tries to help out his single mom and sick younger brother. They don’t have enough money to pay for his brother’s medical bills, so he turns to car stealing for some quick cash. At that moment, Noah meets the Transformers. In order to get home, they need the help of museum employee Elena (Dominique Fishback) and Noah. Noah and Elena have to team up with the Transformers to defeat another evil power, Unicron. The Transformers and their human allies team up with a new species (the Maximals) to save each other’s worlds. 

This movie was overall pretty great. I sat in the theater rooting on the protagonists, my mouth was left gaping open and I laughed at a good amount of the jokes there. I managed to jump right into this movie despite not having watched the last four movies of the franchise. In fact, my friend has never seen a single Transformers movie until now, but we both still enjoyed this movie immensely. It was super fun and had good tension, good jokes, and was really immersing.

Transformers: Rise of Beasts stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback; the human allies. They were wonderful and really enjoyed watching them throughout the movie but I really wish they had more interaction so they could create a deeper bond. I also wish that the movie was longer as I didn’t feel like there was enough time for all the characters. There were some that I wish had more screen time and interactions. If you were to watch the movies in chronological order, there would be a good amount of characters you would wonder about after. I barely have any information on newly introduced characters. The movie only gives you a good surface view of who the characters are but doesn’t go deep into depth or show you who they really are. However, that would be the only thing that I would improve despite the movie already being two hours long. If the movie was longer, I don’t think I would have minded. 

The plot of the movie, character developments, and new characters were really good. The only thing I could have wished for was more character bonding. I would definitely recommend this movie to others, whether they’ve seen previous Transformers movies or not. I did enjoy the movie and I can’t wait to see what comes next in the franchise.

-Nicole R.

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

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*this review will contain spoilers*

I would like to start by saying this movie felt like the OG Marvel, this is coming from a huge Marvel fan. I had high expectations going in walking in due to the hype surrounding this movie and when I left the theaters, those expectations were fulfilled. I would say I like the Guardians of the Galaxy but they wouldn’t be my favorite characters in the MCU but after this movie they definitely got higher up on that list.

This movie was oriented mainly on the character Rocket who in the past 2 movies was in denial about who he was. However, we see the backstory of this character and the environment he grew up in, which was harsh and demanding. We see that he was always cunning and smart in how he handled certain situations. It was nice seeing baby Rocket and how he grew up over the years.

The plot of the movie tied perfectly into his character and allowed for more details to pass through such as his previous friends before the guardians being Teefs, Floor, and Lylla. Also, I would like the mention the fighting sequences were AMAZING. This action kept me in my seat HOOKED to the screen whether it was them Starlord and Groot fighting on the High Evolutionary’s ship or the hallway of them all fighting, nonetheless all were amazing.

Usually, I’m a big crier when it comes to movies so I was expecting to cry and well, I did. So many moments when James Gunn really tied the scene together to make it more impactful. When Lylla told Rocket it wasn’t his time to join them yet that really got me and resonated that Lylla was a bigger impact in Rocket’s life then I had anticipated. Another moment was when Rocket went back to save the animals but specifically when he saved the baby raccoons. In that moment, when he read they were raccoons he finally was able to stop his denial and fully accept that he is Rocket the Raccoon.

I had to create a separate section just for this specific moment because it truly encompasses the ties between the Guardians and how they truly are each other’s family. When the audience hears Groot say “I love you guys” and not just “I am Groot,” that truly damaged me. It is said that James Gunn had Vin say it in that manner so that the audience is now a part of this collective “family.” Throughout the movies, the Guardians were able to fully understand what Groot was saying while us, the audience only heard “I am Groot.” I think this process of understanding what Groot is saying essentially means you are a part of the family. To back this up, this new Gamora had no idea what Groot was saying at the beginning of the movie but towards the end she easily catches on and understands what he is saying.

This film was so impactful on the way I understand the Guardians and it deserves the utmost attention. Phase 4 has produced some amazing films and this would rank high on there for me. I would recommend this movie to anyone, but you should first watch the other movies to get general knowledge on the dynamics of the guardians.

-Madison C.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season One

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The Summer I Turned Pretty: Season One, which was released on Amazon Prime was an instant hit. The trilogy shattered many reader’s hearts but the show ultimately uplifted the audience’s hope for a different ending.

There are two main love interests which are brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly is the main character of the show and she has this transformation that she went through in which she becomes prettier.

In the first scene of the show, we see past photos of her and then it transitions to Belly as of right now, where she looks like a completely different person. Her hair is flowy and long, her braces are gone as well as her glasses.

She goes to Cousin’s Beach every summer and spends time with her other “family,” brothers Conrad and Jeremiah, along with their mother, Susannah, who is best friends with Belly’s mom. They spend every summer in the dream beach house that Susannah owns.

The drive down to Cousin’s Beach is idyllic and beautiful. Every year leads up to the feeling of summer where Belly is able to let go and be herself. This summer feels different, however. Tense feelings replace feelings of excitement and problems arise. Conrad has withdrawn into himself and Belly is having more trouble fitting in as she’s going out more. A love triangle springs up between Conrad, Jeremiah, and Belly.

As summer comes to an end, we watch shocking and deeply saddening events unfold. The Summer I Turned Pretty is an uplifting and heartfelt show that will tug at your heartstrings while drawing you in. It is a must watch as the awaited season two has come out. Both seasons are available on Amazon Prime. 

Movie Review: Creed III (2023)

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As this movie came out in March, I became interested in the movie after an amazing trailer and rewatches of the previous two movies of the Creed series. I watched the movie twice — once with my family the week after it released, and another with my friend — and I was not disappointed with the film. Despite the unfortunate and controversial absence of Rocky (Sylvester Stallone), the film really did well as it cemented the legacy of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and gave Jordan a great showing in his directorial debut.

In the movie, Adonis Creed lived a great life, as he became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and retired happily after a significant win in a rematch with his opponent in the first film, Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). Creed lived happily with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and his daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). He ran a gym alongside his trainer Little Duke (Wood Harris) as they trained various boxers, in particular the new heavyweight champion after Creed’s retirement, Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez Jr). However, Creed’s world turns upside down after his former friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors) showed up out of the blue after Creed negotiated a fight that pitted Chavez against his former rival, Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu).

The past between Creed and Anderson came out to be tragic. The two were friends as kids, however they faced abuse at the hands of their adoptive father, Leon. As they grew older, Anderson actually came out as a boxer focused on going professional, while Adonis was the ring assistant to Anderson. After a Golden Gloves championship win by Anderson, the two encounter Leon, which eventually led to a physical altercation that led to Anderson getting arrested after pulling out a gun and Adonis escaping after he abandoned the scene.

After Anderson came back, he focused on revenge and restoration of his path towards professional boxing. He manipulated Creed’s guilt and help as he hatched a plan that consisted of injuring Drago’s hand and taking his spot against Chavez, where he fought in a dirty fashion and won the heavyweight championship from Chavez. After he won, he publicly insulted Creed, his family, and his legacy, claiming that Creed only got his status due to the fact that Anderson was left in prison, which led to Creed coming out of retirement and challenging Anderson.

As Creed got ready for his fight, he realized that he had to let go of the past and focus on his situation. Despite him feeling guilty and shutting himself out from Bianca and his loved ones, he corrected his mistake and opened up to Bianca as she and Amara supported him. He became forced to dig deep and became ready for the fight — physically and mentally — thanks to Little Duke and an unexpected ally in Viktor Drago, who returned to help Creed train with his hand recovered.

In the fight between Anderson and Creed, the two face off in a cinematic masterpiece that left me in awe in the theater. The personal battle that these two fought became apparent in various ways as they left it all out in the ring in a grueling yet captivating war. After a brutal fight that consisted of 12 rounds, Creed defeated Anderson to reclaim the title. However, the two truly put their differences behind them and restored their friendship as Creed apologized to Anderson and Anderson accepted while also showing respect to Creed and his abilities. Creed then went on to share a heartwarming moment with his family to end the movie.

Overall, this movie proved to be an amazing movie from start to finish. However, what really connected with me and stood out to me was the lesson of being there for the loved ones in your life. In particular, Adonis showed it in his character arc as he realized his mistake of leaving Anderson without any form of contact for years, as well as pushing away Bianca when she tried to know what was going on between the two. However, he learned from his mistakes as he opened up to Bianca and finally apologized to Damian as they moved forward and put their past to rest. I would heavily recommend seeing this movie, as it competes highly with its predecessors for the best movie of the current Creed trilogy.

Creed III  is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.