Category Archives: Movies/TV/Theaters

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Suits’ TV show review

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By: Amir Salaad

Warning: This review contains minor spoilers

‘Suits’ is a television drama about lawyers created by Aaron Korsh (executive producer) in 2011. This television drama revolves around two attorneys who work together with their colleagues at a law firm in New York City. The rating of this television drama is TV-14, and it is characterized by the use of smart intellect, heavy office drama, and the occasional strong language in each of the episodes.

Mike Ross is a college graduate with a photographic memory and a genius level IQ, and was able to avoid going to jail after being caught with drugs during a raid of a drug house. He accidentally walks into the law offices of the top law firm in New York City where he meets Harvey Specter, one of the top attorneys in the city. Although Mike has no formal education or license to practice law, Harvey believes Mike’s knowledge and confidence are exceptional enough to hire him on the spot. However, Mike and Harvey know that Mike will have to remain under the radar at the law firm, particularly since Mike has no official documentation to prove his qualifications to be hired as an attorney at the law firm. The firm’s managing partner Jessica Pearson, and Harvey’s rival at the law firm, Louis Litt are people they particularly have to be cautious of.

As each episode of the television drama progresses, Harvey and Mike continue to represent clients in high stakes cases, all while attempting to maintain the secret surrounding Mike’s background. The closer the television drama gets to the end, the more serious the cases become, the more powerful the clients become, and the more severe the consequences become for both the client and the attorneys representing them.

The relationship aspect of the television drama is what sets ‘Suits’ apart from other legal dramas. At first glance, it would appear that Harvey is arrogant. However, as the television drama progresses, it is shown that Harvey is very dedicated to the concepts of loyalty and trust. Mike, on the other hand, has feelings of guilt knowing he does not deserve to be an attorney and works hard to keep up with his peers. Also, Rachel Zane (played by Meghan Markle) develops her character by becoming more confident and determined, and Donna Paulsen (played by Sarah Rafferty) develops her character by continuing to demonstrate she is a sharp, loyal, and intelligent individual who consistently thinks ahead of the game.

I think ‘Suits’ is a very interesting show and its complexity keeps you interested. At first you don’t really know what you’re getting into, but as you keep watching you get to know more and more about the characters and their emotions. Sean Cahill (played by Neil McDonough) is my favorite character as he starts off as sort of a bad guy, but later he and Harvey become friends.

I would give ‘Suits’ a 9.5/10. You can watch it on Netflix and other streaming services.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Maze Runner’ movie review

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By: Janessa Castro Cruz

‘The Maze Runner’ a film made in 2014, is dystopian and young adult fiction. There are 2 other movies, ‘The Scorch Trials’ and ‘The Death Cure’ and they are all based on the novel series of the Maze Runner. The first film was produced by Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T. S Nowlan. The main cast of the movie contains Thomas (played by Dylan O’Brien), Teresa (played by Kaya Scodelario), Newt (played by Thomas Brodie), and Gally (played by Will Poulter).

The film starts off with Thomas arriving barely awake in an elevator, he is confused and once the doors at the top open he finds himself in a forest glade that is surrounded by a shifting maze full of monsters. He is also getting stared at by a bunch of teenage boys who also arrived in the same elevator. They are all confused on why they are there, and they don’t even know how to get out.

Teresa arrives a few days later, and they are all confused on why a girl is there. She’s scared but finds comfort in Thomas and comes to find out they both have been having dreams about each other.

Thomas and Newt come to an agreement that he should go in the maze and find a way out, Thomas does that and some go with him and some stay behind in the glade. They find the exit and find out that scientists put them there but later they all get kidnapped.

This film is a very interesting one, and the lack of context at the beginning gives it suspense. The cast is amazing and strong and they play their characters really well. The monsters inside of the glade are called the “Grievers” and they look half robot and half animal which is very interesting to me. The cast’s performance in this film really impressed me and this film is very good.

In my opinion, this film is one of my favorites and I’m giving this a 4.7/5. I would recommend this movie to whoever finds it interesting. It might be a little confusing but I like how the characters find a solution to their problems without knowing the risk that lays ahead. You can watch ‘The Maze Runner’ on Prime Video, Peacock, and Fandango.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Memoir of a Snail’ movie review

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By: Marina Yang

‘Memoir of a Snail’ is a film created in 2024, written and directed by Adam Elliot. This movie centers around the two siblings Grace Pudel (voiced by Sarah Snook) and Gilbert Pudel (at first voiced by Mason Litsos, and later on Kodi Smit-McPhee), with other side characters that each meets throughout their stories. This is an adult-film (rated R), it will show and talk about more graphic things such as cussing.

The movie starts off with the birth of the two siblings, and their lives staying together until separated by the cruel death of their only guardian, their father. They unfortunately cannot stay together as they are taken in by two different families. Each have separate issues from each other as Gilbert is somewhere in a desert and Grace is somewhere more urban. The movie mainly revolves around Grace’s perspective with her major champion, Pinky (voiced by Jacki Weaver). There are occasional switches to Gilbert’s perspective through his letters/narrating. Grace’s life journey is about her biggest problems, which are overcoming her fears, love and loneliness; all represented by a snail. Snails retrieve back into their shells as a defense/fear mechanism as she backs into her comfort zone, restricting herself from her goals at times.

The movie has a realistic take on people going through mental issues, and overall just struggles throughout life (as this is inspired off the writer’s own life experience). This make the movie more likable and relatable than some other films may be. Plus, its unique claymation style gives the film character, and definitely shows how long and detailed they worked on this movie. This movie can resonate with people in different ways through the characters traits, common interests, etc., attracting certain crowds.

This movie was nice, I’d say with a realistic reality to the movie without some kind of nice cover-up. Also, claymation/stop-motion movies are one of my favorite styles to see in movies. I’d give this movie a 4/5 as I wouldn’t say I completely relate entirely, but I could to a certain point in the movie. I could say I could name some people who may have similarities to this film in a way though. I’d definitely recommend checking out this movie once you’re free, though.

This movie is available to watch via subscriptions or buying on streaming services.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘Mean Girls’ review

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By: Kendra Shanklin

*Warning: This review contains spoilers

‘Mean Girls’ is about a girl named Cady who had been homeschooled while she was living in Africa but then her mom got a job which made her transfer to public school. Along with having to transfer schools, she also struggles with being friends with a few girls named Regina, Gretchen and Karen. This movie is rated PG-13 for its teen drinking and strong language.

*Recap

In the beginning of the movie, a girl named Cady, who was a transfer student from Africa, struggles to make many friends, but she keeps on trying. The next day, she meets two people named Jamison and Janis. She asks them if they can help her find her next class and they say “Sure”. After class they go to the class and Janis is telling Cady about everyone and who to talk to or who not to talk too.

While in lunch, Cady is trying to find somewhere to sit. While she’s doing that, a boy stops her and starts trying to make jokes, but Cady didn’t understand what was going on. Regina then steps in and tells the boy to stop messing with Cady, Regina then tells Cady that she could start sitting with them and how tomorrow she should come to her Halloween party.

Even though it seems like Cady had made friends with Regina and her friends, Regina was just trying to set her up to back stab her.

*My review

I love how this movie focuses on bullying and trying to fit in. This is my favorite 2000s era drama movie to watch, so if you love drama and comedy I recommend watching this. I rate this 10/10.

Thank you for reading my review and I hope you’re willing to watch this movie.

You can watch ‘Mean Girls’ on Paramount+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Review of Part 2 of the Hit Netflix TV Show ‘Lupin’

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By: Karl Salkowski

(Image credit: Unsplash)

‘Lupin’ is a crime drama directed by Louis Leterrier set in modern-day Paris, France. After the first part reached widespread critical acclaim and popularity, a second part soon followed. Released on June 11, 2021, part two continued the story of brilliant criminal Assane Diop while significantly expanding the scope.

Part 2 uses a similar formula but shifts its focus away from the past and instead towards the present day. This season focused on developing Assane Diop’s familial relationships, contrasting with the revenge driven focus of the first season. This season highlights Assane’s sacrifice and the life he gives up for his family and friends.

The lead actor who plays Assane Diop, Omar Cy, gives an incredible performance throughout this follow up season. Overall, he acts very convincingly, adding lots of additional depth to the character of Assane Diop. However, most of the writing for the side characters in this season felt rushed and unnatural.

Personally, the character writing in the second half of the season frustrated me, and the cliffhanger at the end left a lot to be desired. This season is an excellent follow up to the first season, but it struggles to find its footing. The story sometimes feels choppy, but overall it does tell a consistent narrative filled with many twists and turns.

The second part often struggles with its quick pacing and overcomplexity, but it is still able to deliver a very interesting and enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend this show to anyone interested in crime dramas or the heist genre in general. Although my rating has been fairly harsh, I did thoroughly enjoy this show and would definitely recommend it. If I had to rate this season, I would give it an 8 out of 10. It is a great follow up to season 1, excellently expanding the narrative and the life of Assane Diop.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Hunger Games’ movie review

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By: Marina Yang

The first ‘Hunger Games’ movie was created in 2012, and directed by Gary Ross who helped co-write the screenplay with author Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray. It was produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik. The main cast of the movie being Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), and other lesser characters like Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), and more.

The movie first plays out with the main character Katniss Everdeen, who is in one of the many districts who are made to play these games for rewards/resources from the Capitol. How the Hunger Games work is that a messenger from the Capitol comes to each district to draw two opposite gender entrants for the games, being luck-based. You then have to fight against other people who are all there for the same thing, to win for their districts. It’ll often end with one winner (besides in this movie where it had two) who brings back victory for their district. However, Katniss name was not drawn in the start, but it was her sister instead who has only just turned the age eligible to be in the drawing. Fear overtakes Katniss and makes her volunteer in place of her sister as she fears the death of her sister who is yet so young and inexperienced. Then the second name drawn is Peeta Mellark’s, to be the second person to enter in the hunger games accompanying Katniss.

The Hunger Games is just a big game of survival and deaths and kills to survive up to victory. Though, occasionally the game will add in challenges to make the game more difficult for the players alongside the secret alliances and battles amongst the tributes. This game really shows the true natures of some people, showing their greed to win, what they view as honor to keep the title of a “winner”, kindness in a dangerous environment, weak to and strong, etc.

At moments of the movie I found myself conflicted especially with Peeta switching up every once in a while with his act and who he was to who he wanted to be. Plus, the touch of romance didn’t really fit right with me either, I mean outside of this I’d find it normal, but I felt kind of unsure especially since Katniss and Peeta’s interactions before the Hunger Games weren’t really mentioned nor seemed very important in the movie. I just felt like Peeta’s love interest was just added for a touch of humanity but it still but felt sort of unnecessary to the story.

Overall, not a bad movie but not my regular watch nor favorite so I’d say a 3.8/5. Not sure if it’s too low or high, but I think it’s not really my thing but it definitely wasn’t bad.

You can watch the movie through streaming sites that require subscriptions or purchasing the film.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Northman’ (2022) review

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By: Treshawn Ross

General info

‘The Northman’ was directed by Robert Eggers and it was co-written by Robert Eggers and Sjón. The budget for the movie was around 70 million. The movie came out in April of 2022. The movie slightly underperformed in the box office but it had a resurgence in VOD and home media which covered the losses. Many people consider the movie to be divisive for different reasons.

Plot summary (no major spoilers)

The movie focuses on Prince Amleth and his father, King Aurvandill. After the king comes back to his island of Hrafsney after a long military campaign he finds out that he is mortally wounded.

He prepares his son Amleth for kingship with a ceremony with a sorcerer. After this the king and his son are betrayed. Amleth vows revenge on the man who betrayed him.

What the movie did well

Cinematography- The great camerawork captures the mood of every scene; the lighting is usually darker to set a more somber mood.

Storyline- The story is very consistent throughout the movie, I never thought “How did we get here?” during the film. The film takes heavy inspiration from ‘Hamlet’ by Shakespeare and the Norse version of the story that came before ‘Hamlet’. But the film doesn’t simply retread these story beats, it’s made unique by the acting.

Acting- The actors in this film did a wonderful job portraying the Viking age. I thought Anya Taylor-Joy did a great job as the female lead “Olga” and Claes Bang portrayed Fjölnir perfectly.

Critiques

Dialogue- Some of the dialogue in the movie could’ve been more natural, sometimes it seemed forced or unrealistic. The characters only speak in large proclamations or riddle-like sentences which are similar to Shakespeare. This could throw many viewers off in my opinion.

Who I would recommend this movie to

I’d recommend this movie to people who are interested in Viking/Norse mythology and history, also people who enjoy movies centered around the theme of revenge. People who enjoy large scale period pieces would likely enjoy this movie as well. I would give this movie a 8.5/10.

You can watch ‘The Nortman’ on Netflix.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Hangover Part III’ review

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By: Kendra Shanklin

*Warning: this review contains spoilers

‘The Hangover Part 3’ was released May 20th, 2013 and is about 4 guys named Stu, Alan, Phil, and Doug who wanted to go on a road trip to get their friend Alan in a rehab facility after his father passed away. While on the road trip they get in a situation where they get chased and kidnapped not knowing why. This movie is rated R for its drug/alcohol use, pervasive language and some violence.

*Recap

After they get kidnapped a man comes out of a car named Marshall, and Stu asks why they are there. Marshall says because one of his guys sold Alan some drugs by accident. After that, he then says that there’s a friend of theirs named Mr. Chow that stole over 20 million dollars worth of gold from him.

Marshall then tells them that he’s giving them a mission to retrieve the 20 million dollars back for him and told them he will be taking their friend Doug until they complete it. Marshall then leaves in a car taking Doug with him.

While they’re at the gas station filling up their car with gas, Alan comes out of the store saying he got a text a few days ago. Thinking it was a random person but re-reading the text now, he realized there’s a possibility that it could be Mr. Chow. They send him a text pretending to be Alan saying how he wants to see him. Chow gives them an address to meet up at and tells Alan to not bring anybody and to be alone.

My review:

I love this movie and I like how there’s drama and comedy to it. I love watching these movies in my free time when I have nothing else to do. This movie is probably one of my favorites to watch of all time. I love how they have to work out how to get Doug back, and the mystery around it all. I recommend watching it if you like comedy and drama. I rate this movie a 10/10

Thank you for reading my review. I hope you’re willing to watch the show after reading this.

You can watch ‘The Hangover Part 3’ on Netflix, Apple tv, and Prime Video.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘White Chicks’ movie review

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By: Marina Yang

Version 1.0.0

‘White Chicks’ is a classic 2000’s (specifically 2004) comedy, best known for its iconic jokes and the well-known actors the Wayan brothers; Shawn, Marlon and Keenan Ivory. The movie was directed and produced by Keenan Ivory with Shawn and Marlon both being writers and star actors for the movie.

The main plot of ‘White Chicks’ is two FBI agents (Marcus Copeland and Kevin Copeland) are on the brink of losing their jobs because of their previous assignment where they messed up a drug bust and confused harmless ice cream sellers with drug dealers. They manage to get one last chance and get assigned to protect two sisters, Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, from kidnappers and safely escort them to a fashion event in the Hamptons.

Along the way though, they experience a minor car-crash causing the sisters to freak out, causing them to not want to attend the event. With their jobs on the line the FBI agents plan to go undercover as the two sisters, as two ‘white chicks’, squeezing between the two lives of a white girl and a black man. Ultimately, they discover the real kidnappers of the whole ordeal in the end and save their jobs and relationships.

This movie is very humorous for its iconic references and jokes, though it does contain some more mature content. The movie briefly covers the issues of miscommunication and lying as the two brothers often found themselves in a dilemma between balancing their life and their jobs. For example, Marcus is constantly putting his wife at distrust due to him being overworked and taking out his sleepiness on her, giving her a lack of attention and building up to her thinking he’s unfaithful. While Kevin tries to approach a news reporter, Denise Porter, though not as the real him but as someone else, Latrell Spencer, a famous basketball player. The real Spencer though, has a thing for ‘white chicks’, and has an attraction to Marcus undercover as the sister, before it was announced he was a black man. This fact gives a nice touch into reality rather than just this FBI agent mission because it shows that outside of jobs or cool things like this, they are people who hold their own values amongst other/different people/social life. Being more individual than their job titles in this case.

I really liked this movie because of its jokes and just overall likable characters throughout the movie, so I give it a 5/5. People really hyped up about this movie and they weren’t lying when they said it was good. Although at first, it didn’t look as promising, but once I got a few minutes into it I instantly started feeling engaged. Now, whenever I see the Wayan brothers it’s going to be funny in a way.

You can watch this movie via subscription on Netflix or rent or purchase it on other streaming platforms.