Tag Archives: movie review

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 Conrad has withdrawn into himself and Belly is having more trouble fitting in as she’s going out more.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.

Movie Review: Missing (2023)

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*this review will contain spoilers***

I was on Netflix and saw this new movie and felt the need to watch it and let me say, best decision I could of made. I feel really enticed my projects that feature like a “crime/mystery”, it makes everything more exhilarating for the audience.

The movie is essentially a teenager, June who is home alone due to her mom and mother’s boyfriend leaving to go on vacation. When June goes to pick them up at the airport, there is no one there for her to pick-up and this is when she gets suspicious of things and starts investigating where her mom could be.

What made this movie so incredible is the organizational aspect and format it was presented in. The audience is taking this all from June’s perspective, more specifically, her MacBook. The movie is essentially a “screen recording” of what June is doing on her computer whether it be facetiming, texting, researching, etc. There isn’t anyone actually filming the actors but rather just the use of cameras from technological devices in how this movie is compiled.

I think what made this movie interesting for me is that there were plot twists every step of the way. I kept getting shocked from the amount of layers this movie had. I would recommend this movie to anyone but if you get scared of these “mystery” genre movies, I would stray away from watching.

-Madison C.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Review

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I just saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and wow. This one was a ride, but so is every Marvel movie. You would think I would be immune to this feeling by now, but I guess not. So let me give you a quick rundown on the story.

We start off with some already dark undertones; everyone is kind of struggling and the song Creep is playing in the background. As if they weren’t already having a rough time, the Guardians and the planet of Knowhere are attacked, leaving Rocket standing at death’s door. Now the Guardian’s have to find a way to save him before it is too late, uncovering secrets of one’s past and overcoming the hurt and trauma along with it.

This movie is dark. First it was Spider-Man, then Doctor Strange, then Wakanda, and then this. At first I was honestly a little bored. The humor they were trying was just not getting to me and it felt out of place. But then I realized maybe it was supposed to feel awkward. The entire tone of the movie was anything but comical. It was serious, dark; it even felt like a horror movie at some points. Of course there were happy moments and a couple of good one liners, but the movie made me feel very bittersweet. The movie was packed with action, amazingly directed scenes (that really helped set the tone of the movie), great song choices, and fantastic character development. 

I realized some major themes/thematic topics in the movie. Friendship, family, letting go and overcoming the past were huge aspects. Throughout the movie, you find the Guardians mention how friends are there for each other, that they care about each other because they are a family, and how they have to let go of the past. The main focus is on three groups: Rocket and his past, Gamora and Quill, and then Nebula with Drax and Mantis. These three groups go through each of these themes, in their own ways. It was fantastic to see each character grow by the end and it was even better to see how they got there. We learn about Rocket and what he went through in his past, we see how different things are now with Gamora and Quill, and we see Nebula learn more about her teammates and friends, Drax and Mantis. And of course, there is Groot, who doesn’t have too much drama, but is instead just there for his friends.

This movie was a fun one. Each scene was intense, bringing out different emotions each second. At times it would have me dancing in my seat as the characters fought, and other times it had me sitting as still as a rock as I watched traumatic events. This was an amazing movie that had me clapping at the end. I would definitely recommend watching it at some time. It was definitely worth it to see how characters grew and what they ended up doing in the end. If you’re looking for a good movie to watch, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is definitely one to take a look at.

-Nicole R.

Movie Review: Creed II (2018)

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This movie became the sequel of the movie Creed (2015) and came out on November 21, 2018. As I watched the movie that month, I really enjoyed the movie and learned more lessons in my life that I connected to after rewatches this year.

The movie started off with two different viewpoints: The Dragos, represented by the iconic villain Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) and his son Viktor (Florian Munteau), and the protagonists Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and his mentor Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Determined by revenge following a defeat at the hands of Rocky in the movie Rocky IV, Ivan focused his son on the heavyweight title and restoration of honor to his home country of Russia as he put Viktor through intense training and professional fights, which Viktor underwent in dominating fashion. Meanwhile, Adonis won the heavyweight title after a fight with the champion at the time, Danny Wheeler (Andre Ward), and found himself at a new position of power. However, this is all turned upside down when Ivan and Viktor confront Rocky and Adonis, and the history all unfolds in an intense sequence of events.

Both of their complicated histories became revealed throughout the movie. Viktor dealt with abandonment from his mother and tough love from Ivan as he dedicated his whole life to boxing under training from his father with a purpose of making his father proud. Meanwhile, Adonis found purpose in his family and Rocky as he began a family with his girlfriend-turned-wife Bianca Taylor (Tessa Thompson) and had a baby who later turned out to be deaf. Despite all this pressure, Viktor and Adonis both found motivation in their fight against each other through their love for the people that they care about as they train.

Although Adonis lacked balance due to Rocky’s absence in the first fight and only retained his title due to disqualification after an excessive beatdown at the hands of Rocky, he came out victorious against Viktor in their second fight as he underwent training with Rocky and Little Duke (Wood Harris), the son of Apollo’s trainer, Duke (Tony Burton). In a grueling 12-round fight, despite Viktor’s mother walking out and abandoning Viktor again, Ivan chooses to throw in the towel and save Viktor from potential death after an exhausted Viktor faces a flurry of blows in the final round.

Despite their differences, the Dragos put their problems with Adonis and Rocky to rest in a heartfelt deleted locker room scene. As the movie came to an end, Adonis introduced Bianca and his new daughter to his father as they came to his grave, Rocky finally reconciled with his son, Rocky Balboa Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia) after years of disconnection, and Viktor finally gained the love and respect that he always desired from his father as they bonded over a run.

Although this movie admittedly has so much to unpack, it was definitely a captivating film to watch. While the first film focused on legacy, this film focused primarily on the purpose that fueled each character in their respective arcs. Tragedy faced each of the characters, however the journey and story that each of them underwent made this film stand out greatly. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, as it is currently available on Amazon Prime for free with anyone who has a Prime subscription.

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

Treasure Planet Movie Review

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Disney’s Treasure Planet isn’t the newest movie but it definitely is still super enjoyable. Over holiday break, I decided I wanted to watch Treasure Planet again; besides, I had basically forgotten what it was about. It was a great decision; the characters, the animation, the dialogue, everything I just loved. It truly is an underrated masterpiece.

Treasure Planet, inspired by Treasure Island, came out in 2002. The story is set in space on the planet Montressor, and follows Jim Hawkins, a clever teenage delinquent, eager for an adventure and to be seen by the world. One night, an old pirate gives him a mysterious map that reveals the path to Treasure Planet; the very planet that Jim has read about since he was young. It is said to contain all of Captain Flint’s spoils. With the help of Dr. Doppler, a family friend, Jim sets sail with Captain Amelia and her crew, working in the galley with John Silver, the crew’s cook. Jim not only hopes to go on this adventure but he also hopes to bring money back to help his mom. 

There is a lot to say about this movie, all of which are good things. To start: the characters. Jim had an amazing character arc. He started as naïve, stubborn and a troublemaker, without ever meaning to. He was an adventurous person throughout the whole movie, but he changed himself to make that adventure into something good and not something that could hurt himself and others. Once Jim finally went on his first adventure, it finally broadened his horizons to see what he could look forward to in the future, changing from stubborn to open minded. Going on this adventure helped him face the realities he didn’t see before and disciplined him into a true leader with a new personality. Watching the movie and seeing him change like that was really amazing. Another character I found had a pretty cool character arc was John Silver. Despite him being the cook, he had some other plans which I won’t get super into for spoiler’s sake. But despite having ulterior motives, he grows a bond with Jim like he has never had, softening them both up. Seeing their relationship grow made me think of ‘Found Family’. Silver acted like he could be one of Jim’s parental figures, and he is even compared to Jim’s dad in the film. It was really wholesome to see that relationship and how it played an important part later in the film.  

Some other things I wanted to talk about were the dialogue, animation and plot in general. The plot was great, of course it was based off of one of the greatest adventure stories, Treasure Island. Despite never having read or seen it, this movie makes me want to take a look. The animation was very good. The action scenes were very well done and entrancing. It had tension and was pretty intense at times. The dialogue was very fun, with jokes, lots of emotion, and overall really good. 

One final mention is the music. The music and entire soundtrack for Treasure Planet was spectacular. Whether it was the backing music in particular scenes or Jim’s theme, “I’m Still Here” by John Rzeznik, the music was a pleasure to listen to. 

Treasure Planet was a fantastic movie and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something fun to watch or needing to pass the time, or really any scenario. It is super underrated and more people should at least check it out. One place you should be able to find it is Disney+, so if you get the chance, have the time, Treasure Planet is a great film to watch.

-Nicole R.

Treasure Planet  is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Movie Review – Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish

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Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish was directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and released on December 21, 2022 by DreamWorks Animation. Rated PG, the movie is a sequel to the original Puss in Boots movie that was released 11 years ago, in 2011.

The star of the show is Puss in Boots, a spry and adventurous cat, originally from the “Shrek” movie world. Played by Antonio Banderas, Puss in Boots realizes that a bounty hunter Big Bad Wolf, played by Wagner Moura, is out to get him and that he’s on the last of his 9 lives. Puss makes a new and unexpected friend in a chihuahua hiding in a cat rescue and again finds his former rival and now girl-cat love interest Kitty SoftPaws, played by Salma Hayek. The 3 set off together to find the Wishing Star, thought to have the ability to restore Puss’ 9 lives. What ensues is a tale of adventure and overcoming obstacles as the trio make their way through fairytale lands in sometimes hilarious and sometimes frightening scenarios.

In my opinion, this 1 hour and 40 minutes is time well spent, especially if you liked the original Puss in Boots. While it is rated PG, there does seem to be some uproar from parents of young children not expecting the Big Bad Wolf to be, well, quite so big and bad and frightening. But overall, it was everything you expect from a tale of Puss in Boots in a fairytale world full of adventure and excitement. The outstanding graphics animation from DreamWorks never disappoints. It was even nominated for an Oscar at the 2023 Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film, so go see it before March 12, 2023, so you can decide for yourself if it was money well spent on a Saturday afternoon.

My Favorite Christmas Movies

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Watching Christmas movies bundled up in fuzzy blankets is one of my favorite winter break traditions. There are always a few Christmas movies that my family and I watch every year, and I thought it would be fun to share them. Here are my favorite family friendly Christmas movies:

The Muppet Christmas Carol. While this movie sounds silly and even childish, I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. The Muppet Christmas Carol portrays the characters of Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ in a fun way that I’ve never seen before.

Elf. I feel like every Christmas lover has already seen this movie, but if you haven’t, I would definitely recommend it. It’s such a fun movie with so much energy, and it satisfies my aggressive kid urges every time I see it. When I saw Buddy the Elf eat his spaghetti with maple syrup, let me tell you, it changed my life.

8-Bit Christmas. This movie actually came out relatively recently, but my family and I have seen it at least five times. It gets a laugh out of me every time, too! This movie is very reminiscent of the 1980’s movie, ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’, although in my opinion, better.

I hope you’ll like these movies, if you haven’t already seen them, and if you have any Christmas movies you want to share, I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

The Muppet Christmas Carol and Elf are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Top Gun: Maverick Movie Review

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Top Gun: Maverick, the long awaited sequel to the legendary Top Gun movie, has finally debuted after 30 years. Top Gun: Maverick once again stars Tom Cruise as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, set 30 years after the first Top Gun movie. Top Gun: Maverick was extraordinary and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. I wasn’t exactly super attached to the first Top Gun movie, but  was encouraged by my family to see Top Gun: Maverick with them. I had watched it a day after the opening of the movie, not really knowing what to expect, but after watching the movie, it blew any expectations I had out of the water. The cast was full of great picks and the characters made an impact. The story had my attention immediately and never once lost me. I stayed attentive throughout the whole thing and couldn’t turn away easily. 

Top Gun: Maverick first introduces us to Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who has now been flying and serving in the Navy for more than 30 years now, and is called back to United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, or better known as Top Gun. Maverick is asked to become an instructor for a group of Top Gun graduates to get them ready to go on a near impossible mission, which makes everyone wonder if anyone would even make it out alive. As the pilots train for the mission, Maverick rebuilds his relationships, and learns to accept the past by overcoming his fears. He does whatever is in his power to make sure that this mission and everyone’s life doesn’t blow up into smoke.

Top Gun: Maverick included something that I had never felt in a movie before. The suspense had my heart pounding in my chest, my mind unable to tell what would be coming next. Even the minor plot twists would either give me stress or relief. I felt incredibly attached to the characters and I felt as if I really knew them. Every second of the film is essential to the plot or to Maverick’s character, and it doesn’t ever feel as if there is a filler scene. Even if there had been a filler scene, it was filled with entertainment, leaving me in no way bored. There was tension and suspense, but there were also heartwarming times, heartbreaking times, and witty, humorous moments scattered throughout the film which developed the plot and developed the characters. 

Each character had their own special quality, whether it being timid, arrogant, confident, or funny, these are all qualities that can be found within each of the characters, old and new. Despite there being only two of the past characters, Maverick and Iceman (Yes, it’s really Val Kilmer!), they still hold their previous character’s charm and personality within them. The new characters are definitely not a let down, and are actually pretty interesting characters. I do, however, wish that we had more time to spend with each character and to learn about each of them a bit more. I would’ve liked a bit more insight with each character such as, who they are, relationships with each other and each of their backstories; just to fill in some plot points that I feel were missed.

I hadn’t been a huge Top Gun fan before this movie came out, but now you can definitely count me in when it comes to Top Gun. If I ever get to, I’d watch the original and sequel back to back just to get the full experience and to appreciate it even more. There are a couple of call backs from the first Top Gun movie so if you were thinking of seeing Top Gun: Maverick, I’d definitely recommend watching the first Top Gun movie to get the full experience. Top Gun: Maverick easily won a spot in my heart, making it an unforgettable movie for me, also placing the entire franchise in general on a higher pedestal than I had it on before. If you ever have the chance to see Top Gun: Maverick, I’d highly recommend that you do. It is an amazing movie, with amazing people in it, and I couldn’t be happier to have watched it. 

-Nicole R.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Movie Review

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been out for a long time, but I wasn’t too interested in checking it out. Don’t get me wrong, it looked like a great movie, I just wasn’t interested in watching movies at the time. One day, my parents put it on and I decided to sit down and watch it. When I sat down to watch, I didn’t know what I was expecting. Marvel movies always have a way of surprising me. I usually have no idea what I’m in for when I start a Marvel movie. This time, Marvel introduced a completely new character to me. I had never seen or heard the name of Shang-Chi (despite him being in the Marvel comics), and I had no idea what the ten rings were. Despite these factors, I had a good time watching the movie.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follows the story of Shaun. Shaun is a seemingly normal individual; he works as a valet driver with his best friend, Katy. Stuck in their teenage delusions, they continue to live their life normally, until a group of shady individuals attack them both on their bus to work. Shaun figures out that these individuals are a part of his father’s group, the Ten Rings, and he makes it his mission to go find his sister. In hopes to find and help his sister, Shaun and Katy go to China, only to get himself and Katy into more trouble. Him, Katy, and his sister have to deal with larger problems than just Shaun’s father’s organization, and along the way, they uncover more secrets. 

In the end, Shang-Chi was a great movie. I had a lot of fun while watching it; the action scenes were wonderful and well done, and there were times where they gave me a good laugh. Like most marvel movies, the music completely enhanced the scenes and made the action so much better. I enjoyed how fast paced the movie felt, and even by the end, I wanted more. The movie felt short, despite it being over two hours long. The fight scenes had remarkable choreography and had a great sense of timing. It didn’t feel too fast that I couldn’t understand what was happening, but it wasn’t too slow that it felt boring. The slow downs within the fights were a nice touch and gave me a little more time to breathe. However, I did feel as if there was more action than dialogue. Most of the dialogue was needed for the story to continue, and somewhat impactful. The dialogue was mostly to show who the characters were and to move the story. Every now and then, there would be some quips, and some small jokes that I would chuckle at, but overall, I felt as if there was more action than dialogue. But considering it’s a superhero action movie, it would make sense.

Although not knowing anything going into the movie, I found Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to be a great movie and I am quite excited to see these characters in future Marvel movies. I can’t wait until they interact with more characters from the Marvel universe, and to see what other problems they encounter. This movie is definitely a fun one to watch and I would recommend it to people who enjoy action and to even just try it if you don’t.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.