Month: November 2022

“I could eat Girl Scouts for breakfast. Actually, I have an uncle who went to prison for that.”

“I know I’m stubborn, single-minded, and obsessive. But those are all traits of great writers… And serial killers.”

I’m sure most of you have already heard of the television series the following quotes are from. Or if not the television series, at least the infamous family adored and feared by many. If you haven’t quite gotten who they are yet, just snap your fingers twice.

“The Addams Family!” Now if you managed to not instantly think of the theme song or even hum it to yourself, congrats I was unable to resist the fun melody.

The Addams Family has had many adaptations throughout the years, whether cartoons, movies, or a musical (PSA I was in a production of The Addams Family in high school) the iconic family of the Addams have been a huge part of the media. With so many existing adaptations of The Addams Family, I was somewhat surprised when Netflix revealed its new production, a television series called Wednesday. But I’ll admit I watched the whole series in a day because I just couldn’t stop watching it.

Enough of the chit-chat and time for a review of Netflix’s new series, Wednesday!

Characters:

The Addams Family is an amazing collection of characters. Gomez and Morticia have one of the best relationships in fiction. They are known not only for their passionate love for each other, but for their kids. Throughout the series it is shown how much Wednesday’s parents care for her. Other family members, such as Uncle Fester, Pugsley, and honorary member Thing, embrace the original and lovable personalities from other adaptations. Whoever cast Wednesday truly did an amazing job. The actors all were perfect in bringing the iconic and famous characters to life.

Wednesday, played by Jenna Ortega, is honestly my favorite Wednesday I’ve ever seen (yes, even over Sophomore me in The Addams Family Musical). Jenna Ortega put in a ton of effort for her charter and it shows. Wednesday is spooky, emotionless, and has a dark humor. Having Wednesday as the main character of the series adds so much to the overall series and makes this adaptation stand out from others.

Not only is Wednesday highly entertaining, but at times she is also relatable. Despite being dark and different from others, Wednesday has a small personality journey throughout the series. Another aspect of Wednesday that I love is how independent she is. She never lets others stand in her way or tell her what to do. While at times her lack of codependency is a personal flaw, Wednesday finds the perfect balance of relying on others while remaining independent.

Before I move on to other characters, here’s a quick fun fact about Wednesday. Tim Burton, the director, liked it when Jenna Ortega didn’t blink as she was playing Wednesday. Jenna Ortega later revealed in an interview that while playing Wednesday she hardly blinks when on camera.

Anyway moving on to side characters outside of the Addams Family. When Wednesday first moves into Nevermore Academy, she gets assigned a roommate. Enid, played by Emma Meyers, seems to be the complete opposite of Wednesday. She loves color, loud pop songs, emotional, and is overall a very cheery person. This stark comparison between the two characters is perfect. Over the series Wednesday and Enid never become the same, but rather begin to realize their differences make them work. Enid is shown going through her own struggles, including her parents, her crush on a fellow classmate, and attempting to develop a friendship with Wednesday. Despite all of this Enid perseveres. She is a strong, extremely lovable character and an amazing friend to Wednesday.

Tyler and Xavier both attempt to pursue relationships with Wednesday. However, neither of them fall into the love interest character. They have their own dynamic and personalities. It is nice to see characters that aren’t made to fit a mold like most love interests.

Another example of a side character defying a classic stereotype is Bianca. At first she is shown and portrays the ‘queen bee.’ However, throughout the series she develops into a more important and dynamic character. The best part about Bianca’s character was that this change wasn’t cheesy like most attempts are. 

Wednesday may have an amazing family, but she also has additional authority figures in her life. Principal Weems, Dr. Kinbott, and Marilyn Thornhill all play an influential part in Wednesday’s life. At times I didn’t like them, but I realized that was what the writers wanted. The series portrays them as how Wednesday views them. Therefore, it makes sense that there were times I did not like them because neither did Wednesday herself.

For characters, I give Wednesday a 10/10 because I can’t find a reason to take a point off.

Plot:

I love a good mystery. There’s nothing better than fantasy and mystery woven together, which is exactly what Wednesday does. People, both normies and students at Nevermore, began to be killed. What Wednesday discovers is that these attacks are committed by a monster. The search for the truth is full of twists and turns. The plot is a constant movement that is not too fast or too slow. While I did predict what would happen, I had to change my guess so often it doesn’t count. There were so many plot twists that kept me intrigued in the story. Some flaws good mysteries have is that the search before the end is more entertaining, meaning the ending and reveal is disappointing. However, this was not Wednesday because I found the ending perfect.

While the hunt for the person behind the murder attacks are the main plot Wednesday offers much more than that. There are subplots of love, friendship, finding yourself, and fitting in. Each one is interwoven perfectly into the story. They each have a good conclusion, build-up, and never overpower the main plot.

For plot, I give Wednesday a 9.5/10, simple because at times it was predictable but never fully.

Enjoyment:

If you couldn’t tell from how much I’ve complimented this series, I loved it. It truly is a good rendition of The Addams Family. It is iconic, captivating, entertained, and hilarious. Honestly I feel like I’ve already ranted too much about how much I liked this series, so I’ll spare your eyes from reading too much more.

For enjoyment, I rate Wednesday a 10/10!

Overall:

The overall score for Wednesday is 29.5/30! This is definitely the highest score I’ve given and may be the highest score I’ll ever give. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who thinks they might enjoy a dark comedy about an iconic character (also if you love Jenna Ortega cause duh).

If you want to learn more about Wednesday visit its IMDB page!

“Most witches don’t have princess hair.”

“Ah, not caring how you look forces you to use your intelligence. Ugliness is freedom!”

“They say cats are good judges of character.”

If anyone recognizes the following quotes, you might have watched one of Netflix’s new movies. The School for Good and Evil is a book-to-movie adaptation that came out on Netflix on October 19, 2022. Now please don’t be upset at me for this, but I have never read the book. Sorry for those expecting a review based on its accuracy according to the book. This review is solely based on my thoughts on the movie, without attachment to the book series, it was based on.

Now that everything’s cleared up, let’s get into another media review!

Characters:

The main characters are a pair of best friends, Sophie (played by Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie). These two are very different from each other in many ways. Both have a very solid friendship that remains throughout the entire plot and acts as the centerpiece of the movie. However, there are times when this friendship doesn’t seem solid like the writers intended to be.

Sophie annoyed me for most of the movie. Sophia Anne Caruso did a great job acting the character, but in my opinion Sophie is just hard to like. She is very self-centered. Her actions aren’t driven by loyalty or love for others, but rather how they benefit her. Despite Agatha protesting leaving, Sophie insists on going to the School for Good and Evil. As well as being self-centered, Sophie is shallow. It’s one thing to care about looks and it’s another thing to prize yourself and others solely based on looks. To put it simply, Sophie reminds me of a ‘pick-me girl’ and I did not enjoy it, at all.

Agatha on the other hand is a great character. She has flaws, yes, but overall is someone that the audience wants to have a good ending. She truly cares about Sophie and it is very obvious throughout the movie. While some of her actions are sketchy, the motivation is because of her love and loyalty, not selfish reasons. Agatha is also a good person. She recognizes how flawed the school is in multiple ways and tries to make it better. Agatha honestly made watching this movie worth it.

Agatha and Sophie were the two main characters and their friendship carried a lot of the relationships in The School for Good and Evil. However, there were side characters that stood out in The School for Good and Evil that added to the story.

My two favorite side characters were the headmasters of each school, Professor Clarissa Dovey (played by Kerry Washington) and Lady Lesso (played by Charlize Theron). Lady Lesso is the dean for the School of Evil and Professor Clarissa Dovey is the dean of the School of Good. Their dynamic is hilarious. They don’t like each other and it’s very obvious. However, they have to work with each other every day. They provide comic relief while also standing as the heads of authority, which only know what they’re doing and what’s happening half of the time.

The villain, Rafal (played by Kit Young), is insanely good at embodying the personification of evil. He is a genius that works in the background, but plays an important role in The School for Good and Evil. His part is unique, but not as big as one would hope.

For characters I give The School for Good and Evil a 7/10.

Plot:

The School for Good and Evil’s plot is very much playing into the typical YA Fantasy tropes. Now, I’m not going to lie. I am a complete sucker for most tropes in YA Fantasy, so while it was basic, it was enjoyable. The School for Good and Evil took the existing tropes and added their own spin on them, which added a lot to the plot.

In terms of predictably, The School for Good and Evil has a lot of ranges. I hate to say it, but because of the stereotypes of YA Fantasy, it was easy to guess a lot of what was going to happen. However, there were a few plot twists that I never saw coming, so it wasn’t completely boring.

The plot of The School for Good and Evil also exhibited a lot of character growth. Multiple characters, including Sophie because she was the one who needed it the most, were dynamic and changed throughout the plot. Sophie actually got less annoying and started acting like a good friend to Agatha(yay!). It also had themes of what good and evil really stand for. The plot carried multiple messages that can be applied to everyday life and made the movie more impactful.

For plot I give The School for Good and Evil a 8/10.

Enjoyment:

If you can’t already tell from how much I dislike Sophie (the main character), The School for Good and Evil wasn’t my favorite movie ever. That being said, I did still enjoy it. I really liked the setting and a lot of other elements in the movie. The acting was amazing and I personally love a lot of the actors in The School for Good and Evil. That being said if they made more movies in this universe, or a sequel to this movie I would watch it.

Personally, I would only recommend this movie if you enjoy typical YA Fantasy with a bunch of overused tropes. The School for Good and Evil  was good, but there are better movies out there.

For enjoyment I rate The School for Good and Evil a 7.5/10.

Overall:

The overall rating for The School for Good and Evil is 22.5/30.

Thank you so much for reading and hopefully you enjoyed my review ofThe School for Good and Evil! If you would like to learn more about The School for Good and Evil, click here.

If you’ve read my previous blog posts, then you already know I love the Percy Jackson series. Or really any of Rick Riordan’s books. The Percy Jackson books were a huge part of my childhood and inspired the love I have for reading and writing. But all good things must finally come to an end, including the stories of mythology by Uncle Rick.

After a multitude of books and stories, Rick Riordan announced that the last book he would write in the Percy Jackson universe was the final installment of the Trials of Apollo series, The Tower of Nero. The Tower of Nero being the last book to be written in the Percy Jackson Universe was a bittersweet thing for me; which is why I preordered the book as soon as I could, but never actually read it until a week ago. Why did I finally read the book a week ago if I was scared before? Well because Uncle Rick has announced not one, but two more Percy Jackson books, meaning my childhood isn’t quite over yet. Also meaning I could read The Tower of Nero without fully sobbing.

This book and all the books in the Percy Jackson universe mean a lot to me. I’m saying this all because this review is biased. Because of the attachment, I have to Rick Riordan’s characters, writing style, and books I know that I enjoyed this book more than you might. Does this make this review untrustworthy? Of course not, but it might mean that my enjoyment is higher than your level of enjoyment simply because of my personal emotional attachment.

Without more to say, it’s time to review The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan.

Characters:

If there’s one thing that Rick Riordan excels at, it’s writing amazing characters. While no character will ever beat the Percy Jackson in my eyes, Apollo is pretty close. In terms of character development, Apollo is the best example of it. He starts off the series, for lack of a better term, as a complete arrogant prick. However, you get to see through his point of view, how being a human and going through trials changes him. It morphs him into a better person and makes the book much more impactful.

Not only does Apollo have amazing character development, he is a hilarious character who adds a lot of entertainment value to the book. His many character quirks, including sarcasm, make The Tower of Nero stand out.

Meg is Apollo’s sidekick, but in reality it’s the other way around. Meg, like Apollo, undergoes a lot of character development. She starts the series recovering from a manipulating tyrant who tried to play a father figure in her life. However by the end of the series and through The Tower of Nero she is a strong, independent character. Meg is not powerful and strong,  but she is caring. She and Apollo have a strong friendship that is highly enjoyable to read about.

Along with the dynamic duo of Meg and Apollo, The Tower of Nero features many other side characters. Some of the main side characters are Will, Nico, and Rachel. I love all of these characters. They each have their own, amazing personality that not only helps the story but makes it worth reading. Will and Nico are the definition of grumpy and sunshine trope that is perfectly executed. All of the side characters make the story way better.

The main villain in The Tower of Nero is Nero, who is easy to hate. He not only adopted Meg and manipulated her through her childhood, but is trying to rule the world. He is a great example of a power-hungry, crazy, and manipulative villain. His dynamic of being a master manipulator adds a lot to the impact of the book.

For characters I rate The Tower of Nero a 9.5/10.

Plot:

Rick Riordan is not only great at making characters but knows how to create great plots. Meg and Apollo journey to stop Nero with the help of Camp Half Blood. The Tower of Nero is full of action, heartfelt moments, and funny moments. The plot is, in my opinion, the perfect pace, not too slow yet not too fast. It is never too predictable, yet is perfectly reasonable. Nothing seems unlikely to happen or too unrealistic, well for a fiction story about Greek Mythology. 

This plot incorporated a lot of inside jokes from the original series as well as bringing a lot of new elements to the table. It was nostalgic but not redundant, the perfect combination.

For the plot of The Tower of Nero I rate it a 9.5/10.

Enjoyment:

Like I mentioned in the plot section, The Tower of Nero perfectly combines elements from the past books and brings in new references and jokes. Sometimes I would catch myself smiling just because of the joy I got from reading The Tower of Nero. The dialogue between characters was funny, but also added a lot of emotional value to the story. Apollo’s inner dialogue created meaning and themes, but also is hilarious to read. I was constantly entertained while reading and I found it extremely hard to put the book down. Granted it was not my favorite book, but it was amazing and truly enjoyable.

The characters and the plot truly make an excellent book. If it was the last book in the Percy Jackson universe, it would be a great ending installment.

For enjoyment I rate The Tower of Nero a 9.5/10.

Overall:

Overall I rate The Tower of Nero a 28.5/30! 

I definitely recommend reading any of Rick Riordan’s books, including The Tower of Nero. If you would like to learn more feel free to click here!