Monday, January 16, 2017

Shadowhunters 2x03

Image result for shadowhunters season 2 episode 3Shadowhunters 2x03
"Parabatai Lost"
Thoughts and Feels

This episode was so so so so much better than the others. The actors really fit with their characters, there were no majorly awkward lines, and the pacing was a thousand times better. Plus, we got to meet Maia!!! I love this character in the books and I really love how Aisha acted out the character in the show. This episode was so nice- it was like a blend of true TMI but also slightly different and headed in an apparently beautiful direction. Ok- spoilers ahead and this was stream of thought, so it might be a little jumpy!


When everyone thought Alec was dead..... I cried. I was not emotionally ready for that- I was not prepared- I could not understand- it was too much for me to even possibly consider!!! It was just so drastic, for them to kill such a main character that I loved, that I had no idea how to react. Part of me was like, "They can't do this, there'd be no recovery and they'd probably lose most of their viewers." Another part of me though was like, "Oh my god they have done crazy random crap before that I could totally also see them doing this." I'm not quite sure what that says about my faith in the show... but then, of course Alec isn't dead. He was only very close to death but ended up being ok. Phew- false alarm.



Image result for shadowhunters season 2 episode 3So Simon in this episode wasn't really a focus, which I think worked really well. I have to say though, that I actually really like the growing tension between Raphael and Simon. There was almost a mini verbal showdown between them while their in the coffee shop with Simon's mom, and I really liked that part. I'm interested though to see how their going to keep Camille in the plot line this early on in the overall arching plot, because she isn't actually corporeally present until book 4. Comprehensively, there are still quite a few whole and plot details that are wrong or off about the vampires in the series. For example, in the show Camille sired Simon, but in the book Raphael did.

Image result for shadowhunters season 2 episode 3Looking at the bigger picture though, it seems like we are mostly back on track with the books. Or at least, we are on our way of getting back to some of the original genius of the books. Of course there are a few differences, like I don't think they'd bring in Imogan Herondale, which would be sad but not totally necessary. Instead of her, they have Aldertree in charge already, and just like in the book, he is a complete and total ***. What I am really excited to see next week is Jace's imprisonment in the city of bones, because at that point, they really have potential to swing it back around to the books. In the preview they showed part of the break in, and I think it's happening! We're getting the TMI world that we love! The one concern on my mind that I think I saw (but hope I didn't)is demon possession? Umm.... I really don't see how that would be able to work..... but for now I'm going to look at the positive. This episode was really interesting because it almost seems like the show is backtracking and correcting its issues- as though it is redoing the beginning or first half of City of Ashes. It makes me so happy to see this and so SO hopeful for the rest of the season and show!!

There is only one other thing slightly bothering me: Jocelyn is awake. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, in the books she is not awake at this point. As of now, I think the show has done an OK job of her character, but I'm worried about how it will change the show equivalent of the beginning of City of Glass. The main reason why Clary wants to go to Idris is because she needs to get the potion from Ragnor Fell.... but that's happened already. I guess it won't really be a problem if she goes just for the political reasons? I don't know. It's probably only a minor problem, but it snagged my attention.


Image result for shadowhunters season 2 episode 3Wow oh wow did I like this episode! I think I can confidently say that this one was my favorite out of all of them, seasons one and two. Next week is season four with new showrunners! I hope that this episode was like  transition of the two and that it keeps moving in this very nice looking direction.

Thanks for reading!

La La Land Movie Review

Image result for la la landLa La Land Movie Review
4.9 out of 5 Stars

Holy smokes- I cannot express accurately how much I enjoyed this movie. Everything about it was simultaneously beautiful and nostalgic and yet also heart-breaking and bittersweet. The acting was great, the cinematography was fantastic, and oh my word, the music was the highlight of the show for me. If this post won't convince you of going out to see this movie, I should probably also mention that La La Land has won more than several awards already, including seven Golden Globes (Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Musical or Comedy, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Screenplay), so if a personal opinion doesn't sway you, maybe that will help. :)


Related imageOne of the striking things about this movie, to me at least, was that it isn't dependent on the actors. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were phenomenal in the film, but there were so many other incredible aspects that make this movie so great, that they all balance out and contribute equally to the success of the film. Emma, Ryan, the camera motion, the words, the music, the sets, the costumes, everything was just so seamless that it was incredibly and beautifully cohesive and amazing to watch.


Image result for la la landI have to give a special appreciation to the music in this movie. I grew up listening to jazz around my house, and I have always enjoyed it, and it was so nice to have it shared the way it is in this movie. In one of my favorite scenes, Ryan is describing how jazz is always new and chaotic and you can never tell where it's going, and I just related to the passion in that scene so much, because I am that person. When I think of jazz, I don't think of the elevator music, I think of the artfully individualistic and collaborative effort that makes jazz jazz, and it was thrilling for me to have it represented in that way. And the scoring of the movie itself represents this too, because there were several times when I thought a chord was going to resolve one way, or a piece was going to close with the usual patterns, and they didn't. It was so refreshing and exciting to sit through and listen.


Image result for la la land
La La Land exceeded all of my expectations. It was at the same time a contemporary story, yet had such an old fashioned Hollywood feel to it, making it (probably and hopefully) an all-time classic. I am definitely going to be buying this when it comes out on DVD; I'm actually going to be seeing it in theatres again later this week; and I really hope everyone gets a chance to see it at some point.

Thanks for reading!


Friday, January 13, 2017

Movie Releases in 2017

Image result for wonder woman movieMovies Coming Out in 2017 

Image result for cars 3This year is going to be the year that just blows my mind, both with books and movies. Here are the movies that I am really looking forward to and can't wait until they come out!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7)
Image result for guardians of the galaxy vol 2 
Image result for fifty shades darkerThor: Ragnarok (November 3)

Logan (March 3)

Wonder Woman (June 23)


Justice League (November 17)

Beauty and the Beast (March 17)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26)


Image result for beauty and the beast movie 2017Cars 3 (June 16)

Fifty Shades Darker (February 10)

Before I Fall (March 3)


Fallen IS COMING OUT THIS YEAR FINALLY

Let It Snow (November)

Image result for pirates of the caribbean dead men tell no talesOh my! So many movies!! Six super hero movies and three Disney movies!!!!There are a few other YA books being turned into movies at some point (Red Queen, Shadow and Bone, Looking for Alaska), but as far as I can tell, they are not going to come out this year. There are already so many though, that this is probably a good thing!

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Shadowhunters 2x02

Shadowhunters Season 2
Thoughts and Feels
Image result for shadowhunters season 2 episode 2Episode 2: "A Door into the Dark"

SPOILERS

So last Monday the second episode of Shadowhunters aired!! Overall, I think it was slightly better than the first episode. There were some really great moments and fight scenes, but there were also some super super weird and awkward parts that I did not understand and thought they were a bit unnecessary.  

Image result for shadowhunters season 2 episode 2This episode was great for character development though, and I think it was good that they started to progress into some of these developments, especially because they become critical for what's coming next. The main one that comes to mind is Jace. In the books, Jace believes that he is actually a monster and we really start to see some of that in this episode. I think Dom did a really great job showing this as well, especially with the scene when Jace and Clary jump off the boat. Jace just looks so tortured and confused and it was perfect. 
 
Strange things: Dot coming back; the adamas-parabatai-tracking-stone; "Encanto"; Jocelyn. 
 
Awesome things: Simon Lewis; Clary's character development; Jace's character development; Izzy and Alec sibling bond

Concerns for the future: Sebastian; Valentine's boat; Simon

SPOILERS FOR BOOKS

Image result for jonathan morgensternOk, so thinking about it, it seems like they're going to put book three into this season of the show. But with book three comes Sebastian... and with Sebastian comes a lot of other major important plot and character details. I am SUPER worried about how the show is going to progress with this. For example, THEY NEED TO KEEP THE SEBASTIAN SECRET SECRET!!!! Part of what makes City of Glass so great is that this character comes from nowhere and subtlety starts to reveal that he is actually a piece of shit. And then the actual truth is revealed in such an epic way, and I really want the show to embody that and not give away obvious teasers that will ruin it. They seem to have a tendency to ruin the set ups for these moments. The set up is great, but then there's something else that comes up and it's like an obvious wink to the audience that that isn't what's real.

The next two things I think will be fine... that boat needs to blow and Simon needs to become a Daylighter. I think they'll be able to do it, I just really want to see it.  

The next episode airs this upcoming Monday, January 16 so catch up online and watch!! :)

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Review: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

 Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare
28954137My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
(overall and with no spoilers)
 

I remember back when these were being published individually as ebooks, and I remember thinking that there was no way that they could be anywhere near as good as The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices. Of course, I had to read them though, especially after reading Lady Midnight, and I really REALLY enjoyed them. Simon Lewis has grown to be one of my favorite characters from the series-es- I had always loved his character's humor and personality, but know he has climbed even higher on my list.

Image result for climon tarot cardTales from the Shadowhunter Academy have all of the humor and character greatness as the rest of Cassandra Clare's books. There may not have been as much of a plot line, but I think it was totally ok. It really was more of an anthology, and I appreciated that it was done this way instead of trying to make it another great overarching plot. I'm not sure if many people would be looking at this if they haven't been already introduced to the Shadowhunter world, but if they are- Cassandra Clare's books are some of my all time favorites and I highly recommend reading them, starting with City of Bones. If you have read the others, I recommend trying to read this one before reading Lady Midnight. I read it after reading Lady Midnight, I still loved both of them tremendously.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Monday, January 2, 2017

Shadowhunters Season 2

Shadowhunters Season 2
Thoughts and Feels
Image result for shadowhunters season 2Episode 1: "This Guilty Blood"

SPOILERS

Shadowhunters is finally back and I am SUPER PUMPED for this season! The first episode for this season came out January 2, 2017 and it went right into it, which I greatly appreciated. This episode was pretty good in my opinion and had some really great lines (lol, of course, by none other than Simon Lewis). Overall, I think that this season is going to run much better than season one did. Not only do I think this based on the first episode, but also because the cast was saying that this season is going to be much more dark and gritty, which I think is part of what was missing in season one.


Image result for shadowhunters excited gifThe acting was so much better in this first episode than it was in the first season. Of course, there was probably a gigantic learning curve where the actors and actresses needed to learn how to become their characters and how those characters were going to develop. They did a very nice job in this episode though, which makes me very optimistic for the rest of the show. Some of the lines in the script are still super awkward (maybe not as much as before), but I think overall the plot for the episode was smoother and I think they have the capability to really create an impressive adaptation of the show.

Two big things I missed from this episode (only as a die-hard Shadowhunter fangirl, not really a viewer): the greenhouse scene, and the pasta-bathtub-story. I know there was no real chance for the greenhouse scene to happen, but having a greenhouse in the show made me really miss it!! Perhaps they'll find a way to sneak the scene into a later episode???? And there was a PERFECT OPPORTUNITY to put in the little anecdote of how Jace took a bath in spaghetti when he was a child. PERFECT! But instead, there was this kinda awkward line about making pasta.....???

Image result for sebastian verlac fan artSIDE NOTE: One of the reasons I am super excited for this season is because, supposedly, we might be getting a chance to see Sebastien toward the end? (Source) I won't say anything about him in case there are readers who have not read the books, but for those of us who have.... OH. MA. GAWD. That actor needs to be spot-on. I'm scared to say more because I don't want to accidentally spoil people.



Only a week until the next episode!!!! Seven days? Gonna feel more like seven years.....

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Sherlock Season 4 Episode 1

Image result for sherlock waiting gifThoughts and Feels from
Sherlock
Season 4 Episode 1
"The Six Thatchers"
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY FOR TWO YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!
3.8 out of 5 Stars
 I am so excited to have a new season of Sherlock airing this year; last year's Christmas special was lovely, but I need a full three-episode season to at least temporarily sate my craving for this show. And then after these three episodes..... well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.  

Image result for sherlock season 4SPOILERS AHEAD

Writing this after just seeing the show, my thoughts are running all over the place, so the organization of this post is as the things rotate to the front of my mind.

Sherrinford: "Please put me through to Sherrinford" (Mycroft). Um. Ummmmm. UMMMMMM??!!!?!?!? ARE WE FINALLY GOING TO SEE THE THIRD HOLMES BROTHER? Who's playing him? Is there a chance that it's Tom Hiddleston???

Mary..... I did not see that coming. Obviously, with a background as dangerous as hers, there was always a big chance of it happening, so it wasn't too too alarming, but still. With the baby, and John, and she was just getting settled... that was rough to watch. And now John is angry with Sherlock! I'm not sure if I fully agree with him on that point, because on the one hand, Sherlock is not responsible for Mary's actions. On the other hand, it was Sherlock that asked Mary to be involved in the case which led her to be there in the first place. And he provoked her, but John didn't know that did he?

Image result for sherlock season 4As reluctant as I am to say it, I was not as thrilled with this episode as I was the others. It seemed very scattered in a way and there was so much in the episode that it was slightly crowded. There was still great humor though, and the mystery of the episode itself was great. It just didn't seem like the focus to me; rather, there were so many tangents (The baby, Moriarty, the woman John meets) that it seemed slightly forced.


We have two more episodes to look forward to!!! I am thrilled to see what is coming next and what the makers of the show are going to put into it. Sherlock is phenomenal and I adore this show. Instead of waiting two years, I only have to wait another week to see another episode! :):):)

Thanks for reading!