Reviews

When I first heard about the Barbie movie I thought it was just a silly, shameless money-grab and I had no interest in watching it. But it was given a lot of praise by critics and movie goers so I figured I'd go ahead and borrow it from the library when it became available.

What a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed it so much! These days I don't often enjoy what is considered "award worthy" (they tend to be boring or off-putting movies) or "comedic" (usually too raunchy for my liking) but Barbie truly lived up to the hype and then some. I had several laugh out loud moments while watching Barbie as well as several moments that brought me to tears.

Margot Robbie and America Ferrera were standouts; Kate McKinnon was quite funny; Ariana Greenblatt has impressed me here as well as her brief appearance in Ahsoka. Ryan Gosling's Ken was hilarious and Simu Liu's Ken was great. I found myself wanting to know more about Alan and Midge!

Most importantly I had a really fun time watching the movie. I recommend it to all women both young and old, particularly those who may have played with Barbies or had children who played with them.

I was one of those girls who played with Barbies. I didn't always have the latest Barbie doll or all the accessories and I remember being envious of my friends whose parents could afford to buy them all Barbie stuff. I remember the 80s/90s fashions as well as going through the phase of being curious about what was going on under the clothing and giving my Barbies haircuts. So I had fun seeing all the callbacks.

I think the men (Gosling, Liu, Cera, Ferrell) were all having great time poking fun at the male species.

I made the mistake of watching Ahsoka before watching the Star Wars animated series (Clone Wars and Rebels). While I had seen a little bit of Rebels back when it first came out I didn't remember enough about it to recognize the characters. Therefore I wasn't able to appreciate what were probably supposed to be very emotional beats in Ahsoka.

I enjoyed Ahsoka, especially Rosario Dawson's portrayal of the character who I first met in The Mandalorian and again in Book of Boba Fett. I liked her calm, cautious, serene demeanor. I also liked Sabine, though I could tell I wasn't getting her full story. Baylan and Shin were intriguing characters as well. I just wish the season had been longer because the last few episodes felt very rushed and the season felt unfinished.

Since finishing Ahsoka I have gone through and watched all the major arcs of The Clone Wars and all of Rebels. Now I understand how exciting it must have been for the original fans to see those characters return with new stories, this time in live action. Also I really loved the ending song even before realizing that it is essentially a medley containing Ahsoka and Sabine character songs! I look forward to rewatching Ahsoka and seeing what other call backs I can recognize.

I hope there will be more seasons because I really do want to know what happens next. Here's hoping to see more Hera in future seasons. Also ZEB?!

Unlike Game of Thrones, which I was addicted to throughout its entire run because it had so many amazing characters to root for, House of the Dragon has almost no likable characters. Characters like Rhaenyra and Daemon I find only slightly less despicable than Alicent and her family. Also such a weird decision to change the actresses for Rhaenyra and Alicent during the time jump but keep the same actor for Daemon?! The only character who I truly liked was Rhaenys and I also liked the Velaryons. I just really miss having noble characters like Jon Snow, Brienne, and Arya. Or the mystical stuff like the Three Eyed Raven. I miss House Stark!

On the plus side, the show looks amazing as expected from HBO. The costumes, elaborate sets, and use of The Volume make every episode look like a big budget movie.

While I enjoyed the soundtrack, nothing really stood out to me the way certain tracks stood out from the original show. I wish they had done something more original for the opening credits song like play it in a different style than the original series.

Anyway, I'll probably keep watching it but I'm much more interested in some of the other spinoff ideas that are floating out there like the confirmed Dunk and Egg series as well as the potential Jon Snow continuation series.

Why did I wait so long to watch Rebels?! It is one of the best Star Wars entries and deserves more attention.

I remember starting it when it premiered and not being impressed by the animation style or the main character so I gave up on it.

Then, all these years later Ahsoka came out. I checked it out and felt like I was missing important backstory for the characters and events so I decided to give Rebels another shot.

I am so glad I did. What I got was an amazing adventure story with characters who are among the best in all of Star Wars. I particularly liked Kanan. Ezra took a little getting used to but after a rocky start I really liked seeing him grow throughout the 4 seasons. Sabine, Hera, Zeb, Chopper. So many memorable characters. Special mention to AP-5, one of the best droid characters. For fans of The Clone Wars there are also some really fun cameos.

Another great thing about Star Wars Rebels is that it can be enjoyed by all ages. I think teens, young adults, and adults alike would have a good time watching it. I actually feel like adults might appreciate it moreso than kids despite being an animated show.

I quite enjoyed the 4 seasons of Rebels and would have gladly watched the story continue in animated format. The switch to live action for Ahsoka will hopefully bring new fans to the original series if they enjoyed those characters.

By the way, excellent music from Kevin Kiner, especially certain character themes that show up in a cool new way in the Ahsoka series.

Anyway, I hope more people decide to watch Star Wars Rebels. For the original fans of the show what a treat it must have been to see the story continue with Ahsoka.

I absolutely loved The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

That said, Andor is its own thing. I knew that Andor was well received and singled out as being more serious in tone from those TV shows. While it started out a bit slow this worked to the show's advantage because it allowed for proper character development for the characters surrounding Cassian Andor. By the end of the series I was fully invested in all of the characters.

Other reviews have gone into more detail about why this show is so great. For me, the highlights are the B-B droid and the prison arc.

My only disappointment is that unlike The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett there was no proper ending credits visuals or theme song. While I liked the brief intro to each episode I would have loved to hear a full version at the end of each episode along with concept art.

Full disclosure for context: While I've seen all of the movies in the Star Wars series I was never a huge Star Wars fan until the Disney series. I feel like TV is the best medium for Star Wars, especially live action, though I intend to check out the animated series in between releases. So far I've seen The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and part of Ahsoka have enjoyed them all.

I found the acting and visuals of the original movie trilogy to be heartfelt and original while suffering from being quite silly and poorly acted especially when watching it for the first time in my adulthood many years after it was released.

The prequel trilogy came out during my childhood but I didn't watch it until much later. Sadly I found it poorly written, poorly acted and had an the over reliance on CGI.

The sequel trilogy came out during my adulthood and was actually my first true introduction to Star Wars. I found it to be the easiest to relate to with it having the best acting and visuals. But when I realized how much they were repeating from the original trilogy and how lacking it was in originality my opinion has been downgraded.

I liked both Rogue One and Solo.

I absolutely loved The Mandalorian and was very excited to learn that Boba Fett would be getting his own miniseries. I really enjoyed it and would be happy to see more either as a continuation or through appearances in other Mando-verse TV shows.

The real world is really dark and depressing. What I wanted was a fun and entertaining show and that's exactly what I got. While it started off a little bit slow once I realized that there would two timelines---the present and also Boba's past with the Tuskens I found myself becoming more and more invested in the past.

Temuera Morrison gave an excellent performance. I found him charming and even quite funny. Some reviewers are complaining that he was too nice...but I found his desire to be a just ruler (mob boss?) to be refreshing. I also quite enjoyed the supporting cast such as the always awesome Ming-Na Wen as well as The Marshall.

I would have liked to learn more about the kids with the cybernetic enhancements and the ultimate villain reveal was kind of a let down. Also as much as I loved the 2 Mandalorian-centric episodes I feel like they should have been kept separate from The Book of Boba Fett because they overshadowed the miniseries. They should have been released as a 2-part special either before or after The Book of Boba Fett and before The Mandalorian season 2.

Like The Mandalorian, the music of Boba Fett was outstanding. I really love the ending credits song and never skipped it because I enjoyed listening to it while watching the original artwork.

What I liked best about the show is that it actually made me laugh out loud on several occasions. Without spoilers there was a scene in a kitchen with a multi-knife wielding chef droid and a rabbit-like droid that had me in a fit of giggles. There were several other true laugh out loud moments in the show that I still smile thinking about them.

Like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett can be enjoyed by people of all ages from kids to adults, which is a rarity these days. I enjoyed discussing it with my dad who is really into the original movie trilogy.

Full disclosure for context: While I've seen all of the movies in the Star Wars series I was never a huge Star Wars fan until the Disney series. I feel like TV is the best medium for Star Wars, especially live action, though I intend to check out the animated series in between releases. So far I've seen The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and part of Ahsoka have enjoyed them all.

I found the acting and visuals of the original movie trilogy to be heartfelt and original while suffering from being quite silly and poorly acted especially when watching it for the first time in my adulthood many years after it was released.

The prequel trilogy came out during my childhood but I didn't watch it until much later. Sadly I found it poorly written, poorly acted and had an the over reliance on CGI.

The sequel trilogy came out during my adulthood and was actually my first true introduction to Star Wars. I found it to be the easiest to relate to with it having the best acting and visuals. But when I realized how much they were repeating from the original trilogy and how lacking it was in originality my opinion has been downgraded.

I liked both Rogue One and Solo.

SEE has so many things to enjoy: 1. Gorgeous locations and scenery. I am not sure where this season was shot but I often found myself mesmerized by the different locations. Whether it is the Voss family trekking through the mountains and navigating rivers or Queen Kane's castle (remnants of a dam) I found the show to be visually appealing

2. Haunting and memorable opening credit sequence. I like when TV series take the time to put together a 1-2 minute opening sequence to set the tone for the TV series and SEE does not disappoint. I don't know the intention but in my mind I feel like what we see in the visuals is what the world of SEE looks like to those without sight: flickers and hints at the objects, environment, and people in front of them. I also like that there are little hints about the plot points hidden in the credits.

3. Characters. The good: a. Baba Voss - I've seen him play Khal Drogo, Aquaman, Ronon, and Duncan Idaho. Baba Voss is hands-down Jason Momoa's best work. He plays a strong, handsome, skilled fighter who is also incredibly empathetic and soft towards his wife and her babies and at the same time totally unforgiving towards his enemies. Not many men would agree to adopt and raise the babies of another man but Baba Voss does and grows to love them like they are his own.

B. Maghra - she's my next favorite. She is a great companion to Baba Voss and tries to be a good mother to her children, even though their very presence puts her life in jeopardy. The actress is excellent and portrays a patient, kind, loving and strong woman. Also I like what we learn about the character as the season progresses.

C. Bow Lion - I can't say too much without spoilers but I like the idea of the Shadows and the actress does a great job portraying such a unique character d. Paris - Another interesting character and well-portrayed by Aflre Woodard. She's almost like the grandmother/old sage e. The Witch Hunter - even though he is a villain he is an entertaining one. He doesn't feel one-dimensional.

The annoying:a. Haniwa - kids and teenagers are usually the worst part of a TV series and for me Haniwa is incredibly irritating. Not the actress' fault---I just don't like this type of character who thinks she knows everything yet ends up endangering everyone around her.

B. Kofun - while not as irritating as his sister, he still does some incredibly stupid things that I find grating. He at least seems to consider his actions and consequences more than his sister.

C. Queen Kane - I find this character to be very one-dimensional. Also the actress' choice to speak in this very high-pitched garbled style makes her scenes difficult to endure. However I do find some of her eccentricities...interesting to say the least (for example, how she "prays") and how this nutcase has complete command over a kingdom that could snap her neck at so many different opportunities.

4. The Premise - What an interesting premise. Because of some strange occurrence a majority of humanity was wiped out and those who survived are blind. To be born with sight makes one an outlier, considered cursed by some, considered witches by others. This makes my imagination run wild considering what it would be like to be born into such a world, either as unsighted or "cursed" as sighted

5. Worldbuilding. I love the world-building---you can tell the producers/showrunners/writers really considered what this world would be like and consulted with the blind community for input. I like the little touches---the way the characters communicate through knots, use staffs, ropes, and other objects to help them move through their environments. I like to imagine that just like many animals with low vision are able to navigate their environments because their other senses like hearing and smell are heightened that the same must have happened with the humans. That is why they can fight so well, ride horses, and traverse difficult terrain that the sighted would surely stumble through. --->While to some viewers it makes no sense to wear cool hairstyles, jewelry, facial paint/markings I think it makes the show stand out visually and I can actually imagine that these things would be appreciated by the people. I can see how using paint made from certain plants or clays would have a unique scent or feeling that members of a tribe would recognize. Same for jewelry and facial scarification. While one may not be able to see the scars, they could touch them and perhaps recognize the symbols and associate them with members of their own or another tribe.

6. Fights! The fighting style is totally unique and one of the selling points for the series. For some characters such as Baba Voss it is like watching someone dance or perform a very fluid form of martial arts. Episodes 3 and 10 have some incredible fight scenes.

This review is only based on season 1. I can't wait to continue the story.

I was one of those people who watched the first episode of season 1 when the show premiered and felt frustrated by the characters, who I found to be incredibly annoying. 2 years later and in anticipation of season 2 I decided to catch up on season 1. I'm very glad that I did.

Visually the show looks amazing. The action scenes are movie-quality and I'm really into the look of the aliens and alien-adjacent elements of the show. I'm also a fan of Foundation, which also looks absolutely incredible. Along with Severance, Apple is currently the best platform for stunning sci-fi TV series.

By the way, I've scanned some reviews and can't believe people are complaining about the lack of aliens. They must have given up after 1 or 2 episodes. The aliens are definitely in there and I like how the show slowly introduces them throughout the show. By the end of the season you can't miss them!

The hardest obstacle to overcome is definitely the characters. I won't deny that most of the characters are very off-putting especially in the early episodes.

-Mitsuki - she was my favorite character of the first season and I felt her storyline in Japan was the most consistently entertaining. I was really moved by her love story with Hinata.

-Trevante, the cocky US soldier who points his gun and cusses at everyone he meets. He was very irritating in the beginning but by the end of season 1 he grew on me especially after his story intersected with another main character. His dialogue was incredibly monotonous: "f word" over and over again but then again I can imagine this is probably how a lot of military hot shots speak

• Aneesha---She's a woman who is not only dealing with a cheating, good-for-nothing coward of a husband but also 2 children who act like typical children---the youngest, Sara, cries loudly when she's scared or needing attention and the older boy, Luke, thinks he knows everything and butts heads with his mom because he doesn't know what's going on in the real world or even with his dad. While I did find Aneesha a bit one note especially with the one expression (glazed over, blank, open-mouth expression) I can sympathize with her. She is out of her elements and in an impossible situation. By the end of season 1 she's like Sara Conner! Episode 6 was a highlight for Aneesha's story!

-Luke/Sara, Aneesha's kids. I'm not a fan of kids especially ones who are stubborn or whiny because you just know they're going to get everyone around them in danger. But I can't fault these kids for acting realistically if the showrunners are going for a realistic story!

-Casper, Jamilla, and the school bully. Like I said before I'm not a fan of kids and it was really grating to sit through those early scenes of Casper and his schoolmates getting bullied. I was never bullied in school so can't say how realistic it was to have a puny little kid ganging up on everyone and no one sticking up for themselves. Again by the end of the season Casper and Jamilla grew on me.

What I realized as the series progressed is that it's not that the characters were annoying it's that they were very realistically written as many people in real life have incredibly annoying tendencies. Most people would not act like selfless heroes in a crisis. Most would act selfishly and would probably not be very fun to be around.

Review of Season 1: I'm torn between a 7 or 8/10. The characters are the worst part of season 1. The visuals and action are amazing. The Mitsuki storyline was excellent. If you can get past the first 3 episodes you'll know if this show is or isn't for you.

Review of Season 2 premiere: 8/10 Season 2 looks to be more quickly paced and has addressed some of the problems with season 1 from what I can tell while taking the story in a new exciting direction.

Abominable was a really sweet movie.

I didn't know much about it going in so I was surprised to see that the setting was China and the characters and even their voice actors were Chinese. I really appreciated the animation, particularly as the characters traveled to beautifully animated real-world locations. Most impressive and emotional was the Leshan Buddha.

I liked the main characters, Yi --- a very hard-working girl who is secretly saving up money so she can go traveling--- and Everest, an adorable Yeti. As for the side characters I wasn't a fan of Peng but I did like Jin and his growth over the course of the movie.

Another unique element of this movie is the music. Yi plays the violin and she plays it beautifully. I am a big fan of the instrument and I like the eastern influence on the soundtrack. I was impressed when I read another review that said the violin sequences were animated realistically as well.

I am always on board with the idea that all animals, whether they are mythical creatures like the Yeti or real world animals, deserve to live in peace and free from humans. So the story resonated with me. I look forward to watching it again.

The Hidden World was an incredible, emotional conclusion to an excellent fantasy trilogy. I got everything I wanted: Toothless (I love him!) being his adorable, goofy self, Hiccup's and Toothless' relationship maturing in a satisfying way, and a satisfying yet completely expected culmination in Hiccup's and Astrid's relationship. I even enjoyed the sweet interactions between Toothless and Light Fury.

While there were similarities in the Hidden World story to the previous film I am always going to be on board with the message that the dragons, as with all animals, deserve to live in peace. More specifically: they deserve to be free. Not kept as pets, not ridden or used for transportation, but truly free.

As I was watching The Hidden World I kept thinking how amazing the animation looked, from the human characters with their incredibly expressive eyes, mouths, and realistic hair to Toothless and the Light Fury. Most impressive were the settings and different locales---soaring high above different islands and the sea and into the magical, beautiful and titular Hidden World. This is Dreamworks at its best.

I was really late to this series of movies, but this year (2022) I watched all 3 movies and loved each one. I look forward to rewatching them!

Worth watching for the performances and for the clear love and respect for silent films. Jean Dujardin was mesmerizing...conveying such a big personality with only his body language, facial expressions, and those twinkling eyes. Same for Berenice Bejo - she defied all my expectations for that type of character - she was playful, funny, compassionate, etc. I normally don't enjoy seeing animals being forced to perform in film and TV but I have to say the little dog was very cute and had very nice chemistry with George Valentin. It was fun to see James Cromwell and John Goodman in supporting roles completely different from what I've seen them play in the past. The story was slightly boring but I can forgive it because the performances were so good and the format was something different. Overall this was a fun, feel-good movie and I can completely understand why it won all those awards and accolades.

The Croods was so much more fun than I expected, especially once I realized that the concept of physics was completely thrown aside and characters could easily survive being dropped from incredible heights, having boulders land on them, being chased down by much larger beasts, etc. I was able to just sit back and enjoy the film and its central story.

As others have pointed out this movie is a nice change of pace when it comes to character design, especially that of Eep. Rather than going the typical route and designing her with an hourglass figure the designers thought about how these cave people move and emphasized their stocky, muscular build and their upper body strength is reflected in their large torsos and thick arms. I really love the design of Eep, particularly her facial expressions reflecting her curiosity, sense of wonder, and intelligence. Guy was also a wonderful character, very sweet, charming, and funny especially in his interactions with Eep and her father.

The voice acting was excellent - each actor very much matched their characters.

I also enjoyed the fantastical designs of the creatures, from the multi-colored macaw/sabre-tooth tiger to the little elephant mice.

There is a particular point in the movie when the scenery completely changes and it made me sit up and realize the beauty of this particular world. I can't say how realistic any of this world is but it sure is lovely to look at and imagine surviving/living there.

As an adult watching this film I felt that some of the jokes were aimed at an older audience, like the running gag about Grug wishing for his mother-in-law to die off. This gag was amusing at first but I feel like they took it a bit too far at one point in the film. Also I didn't like how Eep's brother taught his new "pet" to roll over and it rolls right off the cliff and the brother treats it as a joke. I didn't think this was amusing at all but am glad the film took the time to show that the pet survived.

All in all, I very much enjoyed The Croods and would gladly rewatch it and consider watching other films/projects within the franchise.

This was a really good period dramedy, no pun intended, a coming of age film about a young girl who learns what it means to become a woman in medieval England.

This film smartly takes a comedic approach as it reminds us women how depressing it was to be a woman in the olden days. There is this universal sadness that comes with experiencing a first period and realizing we can no longer behave like little girls, that every month we have to deal with this crappy 5-7 days of bleeding, and that people look at us in a different way just because of this biological change that we have no control over. I relate very much to Birdy, who just wants to play with her friends, enjoy her childhood, and fall in love on her own terms. I don't blame her for trying her very best to thwart all of her marriage proposals but my heart really sank when her father informed her of who she would be marrying. Excellent acting in that scene from Bella Ramsey as Birdy comes to a silent realization about her fate.

A few nitpicks: the accents were really difficult to understand so there were some scenes where I had no idea what characters were saying or singing and that was a let down. Also when I tried turning on subtitles the way they appeared was distracting from the scene so I had to turn off and just do my best to understand what was being said. Lastly while I have no issue with doing a medieval twist on modern songs at times the music overpowered the scenes rather than enhancing them.

It was lovely to see so many familiar faces from the world of Game of Thrones - Bella Ramsey, Dean-Charles Chapman, David Bradley, Paul Kaye and Ralph Ineson. Also fun to see Archie Renaux, whom I have only seen in the excellent Shadow and Bone, appear in this movie. Andrew Scott, as Birdy's father, was quite good as her infuriating yet very goofy father.

I was first introduced to Bella Ramsey when she appeared in Game of Thrones, and she was an absolute scene-stealer as the fierce little Lady Lyanna Mormont. I am pleased to see that her star is rising, as she will be starring in a very big title next year (The Last of Us).

I can't believe it took me so long to watch How to Train Your Dragon. Aside from Shrek I believe this is only my second DreamWorks Animation film. While I adore Studio Ghibli films I usually to stay away from American animation because it tends to be overly focused on entertaining little children with loud music, break-neck pacing, and formulaic writing with little thought given to story. I watch Disney and Pixar movies on occasion and end up enjoying them but I often find myself wishing for something a little deeper in the stories.

How to Train Your Dragon gave me similar vibes to Ghibli films. There's a young, sensitive boy who just doesn't have the heart to slay a dragon. The training sequences were amusing. The scenes of flying on dragon-back were breathtaking. There were several moments where I got teary-eyed and not even for reasons one would expect, such as the first time Hiccup touches Toothless. There was a surprising scene at the end of the movie that was much more mature than I expected so kudos to the studio for that.

Toothless is simply awesome. Actually all the dragons were nicely designed and animated but Toothless is amazing. I love the design of him, I love his puppy-like mannerisms. Hands-down one of the best animated creatures.

Let me first say I don't like horror movies. I also don't like scary movies. However I do like dark comedies and can usually tolerate horror comedies. After watching the trailer for this movie I figured I'd check it out because it had the 1980s setting, the actress from Eight Grade was in it, it didn't seem like it would be too scary for me, and it was free with my Prime Video subscription. I quite enjoyed it.

I like the friendship established between Abby and Gretchen and the premise of Abby doing everything to save her best friend. The scares weren't too "scary" which was just fine for me because I really don't enjoy scary movies. There were some pretty gross scenes but if you can handle the puking in Pitch Perfect you'll be fine here. The acting was decent. I like how they poke fun at Christianity with acts like the over-the-top Jesus praising Lemon Brothers.

Overall it was a fun movie. If you're into Stranger Things, Paper Girls, films from the 80s why not give it a try?

I gave up after 2 episodes.

All of the characters are irritating.

First off - Belly is such a stupid name for the main character. I get that it's short for Isabella but still don't like it. I also don't get what she sees in Conrad, who acts like a mopey baby the entire first 2 episodes. I understand that she liked him at one point but one would think she'd get over him after how terribly he treats her.

Conrad - ugh.

Jeremiah and Steven - they both try too hard to be cool.

The only semi-decent characters were Conrad's girlfriend and Cameron (his way of talking was kind of annoying though).

The acting is not good, the writing not good either.

Maybe I'm getting too old for modern teenage dramas. I've tried to watch a few on Netflix over the years but immediately but get turned off by the all of the snark and how quickly the teens are ready to drink, do drugs, and/or sleep around. The shows that are decent end up getting canceled (I Am Not OK with This). I give up.

Hey people review-bombing The Wheel of Time - Origins: this is not the main show; this is the animated shorts that you can find on Amazon X-ray. How about double checking before posting your reviews!

Amazon made it quite difficult to find these Origins episodes while watching on my Smart TV. When I was finally able to watch them they were OK but I wish each episode were longer. The animation style is unique and I would gladly watch 15 or 30 minute episodes in this style if there were enough content to fill each episode.

I enjoyed the first season of the TV show itself but think these animated shorts could do a nice job of filling the time between seasons of the main show if only they were long enough and substantive enough.

I have been loving Rings of Power since the first episode. I appreciate how much time is being spent on developing the characters --- not just the main characters but the supporting ones as well. My favorite characters so far are Nori, Arondir, Durin, The Stranger, Bronwyn, and Elrond.

Poppy's song "This Wandering Day" was really lovely and fits right in with other classic songs like Misty Mountains. In fact, this whole soundtrack is excellent. I have been a fan of Bear McCreary ever since his work on Battlestar Galactica and Black Sails and am so very impressed with what he has done with this soundtrack. I have been trying to not listen to the soundtrack beyond the point we're at in the season to avoid potential spoilers but I know after the season is out I will definitely be revisiting the soundtrack.

As I get older I realize that slice-of-life is truly the genre for me. I really enjoyed this anime, and found it very comforting to watch during the COVID pandemic. From the music to the developing friendships and of course the depiction of camping throughout Japan it was just a nice show to put on after a tough day.

As a woman living in the US I have to wonder if it is really safe for girls or even women to be solo camping given the dangers of the real world. However, I do wish the world were safe enough to have these kinds of adventures and can see the appeal of watching this type of story given the times we live in.

Unfortunately this anime just had to have those perverted scenes that make me roll my eyes (unrealistically busty girls, bath scenes with zoom-ins on the girls boobs and other body parts, etc.) If only they could have kept this a wholesome anime I would have given higher rating. I would have loved to show this to my family so they might understand that anime is more than kids animation or perverted animation.

This was such a sweet, funny, heart-felt series. It is definitely in my top series of all time.

The girls seem realistic in the depiction of their extremely quirky personalities and otaku status. I could relate on many levels to their social anxiety. The comedy in this show is so good. Unlike most "comedies" I actually did laugh out loud on many occasions.

I really loved the ending song, though the opening was pretty cute and had really fun animation.

Unfortunately the anime just ends without resolving important plot threads. Also I'm not sure how sensitive the depiction of the cross-dressing character was and it may not hold up so well now.

Still I wish there were more anime like Princess Jellyfish aimed at women rather than the typical fare: action/scifi/fantasy anime aimed at boys and men, perverted anime aimed at boys and strange men, supposed anime aimed at girls but most likely aimed at boys or strange men based on the questionable character designs of the girls and women. While it has its flaws, Princess Jellyfish is about as good as it gets and I would recommend it to any and all female anime fans.

This movie was on FX the other day and I started watching halfway through. I snickered when I realized Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger were in what I thought was just some random English-dubbed Chinese movie. I have to say it is the stuff with the dragon (surprisingly good effects) and cute little bat monkey that kept me entertained enough to watch it again the next day, from the beginning this time. It is a shame that the movie had such terrible English dubbing because I thought it was a pretty decent story otherwise. I'm kind of intrigued to watch the next one, which I understand takes place in India.

Season 1: (7/10) You have to go into this series without expectations. I was anticipating a dark horror series with impressive monsters and special effects so felt let down by the monster-of-the-episode format and poor monster design and special effects. Also it turned out to be more of a dark take on classic fairytales (I'm not a fan of retellings) but I did appreciate that the story had high fantasy elements (I love fantasy).

The story was both more complex than I was expecting because of the multiple timelines while at the same time being a fairly straight forward supernatural monster-killing fest without very clear world-building. I was often confused by character names and locations (a Game of Thrones-style opening credits featuring a map of the world would have been extremely helpful).

The performances are really what kept me engaged. Geralt is my favorite character by far and I am impressed by Henry Cavill's dedication to the role. I also enjoyed Yennefer's storyline. Unfortunately Ciri didn't have much to do in the season.

My biggest complaint is the disproportional amount of female nudity, usually there for no reason other than the showrunners shamelessly copying one of my least favorite elements of Game of Thrones.

Monster-of-the-episode format isn't as interesting to me as a season-long arc. However having seen and enjoyed season 2 I have decided to do a season 1 rewatch and am enjoying it much more than I did the first time around and am actually impressed with the story structure and easter eggs set up as early as episode 1.

Season 2: (8/10) Season 2 of The Witcher is a vast improvement over season 1 by having a more focused plot and exploring the humanity of Geralt through his relationship to Ciri. I loved everything involving Dad Geralt. Henry Cavill gives a great performance, showing off not only his weapons and fight training but also his acting chops, with some very emotional moments. Where I felt Ciri's storyline was lacking in season 1 she was much more of a central character this season and I really enjoyed her fight training and interactions with Geralt's "brothers". Jaskier is given a meatier role while still allowing him to bring much-needed comic relief and lightness to this very dark world. Yennefer didn't have as much to do this season as season 1 but I did get the most laughs from some of her one-liners and felt like hers was a more internal arc than some of the other characters by the very nature of her predicament. The special effects were much better this season, especially the creatures in the finale. I feel much more excited about Netflix's expanding Witcher universe, with Blood Origins coming out in 2022 and season 3 at some time in the future.