Bridget Jones Trilogy Review

Photo Credit: Miramax Films / Universal Pictures

Bridget Jones is one of my all-time favorite film characters. The trilogy itself might exaggerate love as all romantic comedies do, but its heroine doesn't adhere to the improbable Hollywood standards. You know the kinds: the hot forbidden but normal-enough-looking girl next door who manages to be the cool girl most guys want in every situation. Or the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. ETC.

No, Bridget is something else. She's self-destructive but determined; idealistic; flighty and charming; pressured by society about dating, marriage, and body, but tries to be single-minded. And, it's been quite the treat and torment to watch her journey through Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and Bridget Jones's Baby.

Season Review: American Horror Story Roanoke

Having been unspired by Ryan Murphy's previous series like Nip/Tuckand Glee before, American Horror Story never managed to hold my attention. The sixth season American Horror Story: Roanoke was my first full rodeo with the FX success, and what he churned out was not exactly what I expected.

Matt and Shelby Miller purchase a farmhouse nestled on the mysterious land of the famous Roanoke colony. By moving to a new place, they hope to start over and mend their broken relationship. Instead their issues are nothing compared to what haunts them when their house acts as a magnet for paranormal activity. The duo share their tale in a fictional documentary My Roanoke Nightmare which re-enacts their experiences.

Combining two genres at once, American Horror Story: Roanoke is impressively a show within a show within a show - practically like the Inception of Ryan Murphy's creations.

My Roanoke Nightmare morphs from dramatic recreations into documentary when the Millers and all of the re-enactment actors return for a reality series Return to Roanoke: Three Days in Hell. Locked together in the old abandoned house, who and what the couple previously survived comes back with a savage vengeance.

Both Roanoke installments especially engaging is what feels like two sets of casts. Andre Holland and Lily Rabe capture the hesitant confessional vibe found on most ghostly docudramas, while their re-enactment portrayals are increasingly dramatized by Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. When the reality tv aspect steps in, there's a satirical contrast between their performances and as celebrities/actors - (especially Paulson - give her all the awards please!) but also AHS elite like Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, and Lady Gaga.

Even though Murphy typically utilizes great casts, his content of sex and violence can often be a veil over thin storytelling. Here the violence is gruesome but isn't an onslaught without a purpose. The documentary duplicates the melodramatic and slow-burning tone of ghostly encounters series. And, then the reality tv part is sprinkled with creative commentary about pop culture, over-the-top personalities and motives of Hollywood stars, and so much more. It helps that a lot of the gore here is hodge-podged from other familiar movies/shows like Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, Big Brother, and Ghost Adventures. Though Roanoke uses bloodshed to keep up the action and tension, its well-balanced by the writing.

I can't adequately compare if this season fell in line with its predecessors, but on its own, Roanoke was up my alley. Much to my surprise, Murphy's supernatural probe fares to be shocking, gruesome and entertaining. There's a lot to revisit this season for clues, horror and humor, and I may even give earlier seasons another chance too.

Rating: ★★★

What did you think American Horror Story: Roanoke?

Which season should I try next?

The Walking Dead - S7x5 Go Getters

Photo Credit: The Walking Dead / Gene Page

After stopping by the Saviors' compound and Alexandria, The Walking Dead catches up with leaders-in-waiting Maggie and Sasha. How is the duo coping after their dramatic losses? Go-Getters heads to The Hilltop Colony. This post contains spoilers - you've been warned!

Was Go-Getters the episode we've been waiting for since The Day Will Come When You Won't Be? Instilling two grieving widows with the resilience to go on, sneaking in an angsty love story, and re-enforcing Negan's knock-offs, I would give that a resounding HELL YEAH.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016) casts a mediocre spell

Photo Credit: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them / Warner Bros. Pictures

Five years ago the Harry Potter film franchise ended. I would've never believed then J.K. Rowling would be at it again. But her endless imagination apparates again to the big screen with an adaptation of the Hogwart's fictional textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

Based in the 1920s, magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) briefly travels to New York City while en route to Arizona. Unaware of the U.S. wizarding government's ban on magical beasts, Scamander's creatures are in danger when they're accidentally set loose. No-Maj - American equivalent to Muggle - Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folger), a former Auror Tina Goldstein (Katharine Waterston) and her sister Queenie (Allison Sudol) team up with the British native to catch his critters before the wizarding world is exposed.

Veteran Harry Potter director David Yates returns to helm this next franchise with Rowling tackling the role of screenwriter. By reputation, this duo have some fair expectations to live up to but also the freedom to start from scratch. Introducing a new collection of characters into a familiar setting is no easy feat, and together they conjure an enjoyable flick.

Mainly we ride the Hufflepuff coattails of bashful and awkward Scamander. He's naturally more comfortable with animals than people, but instead of fully succumbing to a fear of not fitting in, he protects his unique "beasts" from being abused or mistreated by other wizards. His creatures are absolutely adorable (GIVE ME A NIFFLER AND BOW TRUCKLE NOW PLEASE), and the story lovingly explores his struggling relationship with humanity.

Along with him for the ride are two witches and a No-Maj. Career gal Tina Goldstein might do anything to get back into the President's good graces but her doubts against Scamander are transformed by his sweet but oblivious nature. Her vivacious sister Queenie uses her telepathic gifts to help, and they all develop a close friendship with Jacob (beautifully played by Folger). Each character is connected by the world ostracizing them. Their humility, warmth, and kindness unites them to face mayhem and create a little mischief together.

But a few other minor characters bewitched my interest a little bit more. No-Maj Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton) runs a horrific crusade against witches and wizards. She takes advantage of impoverished children by invoking fear of evil and witchcraft to earn their trust and implement her beliefs. One of her children, a traumatized teenager Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), is secretly taken advantage of by a mysterious wizard (Colin Farrell). Morton's intimidating presence, alongside Farrell's dark intentions, creates quite a startling difference from Scamander's humorous escapades. As a trio, they effectively stand-out, especially Miller. Their scenes could've been a fascinating movie of it's own.

Like the Harry Potter films, the locations are almost characters themselves. The production splendidly swoops us into another dimension. Costume designer Colleen Atwood never fails to create beautiful wardrobes befitting everyone's personality. Veteran Harry Potter production designer Stuart Craig creates wonderful to disturbing landscapes with the dark Barebone house to the opulent Magical Congress of the United States, and Tina and Queenie's homely apartment. While there might be a bit of CGI explosion to cover Scamander's creatures, every tiny production element lends a great deal to how this era of magic looks and feels.

Unfortunately, the gamble to make this movie a prequel and give Scamander is his own adventure doesn't come without a few problems. Some of it exists merely in our Muggle world such as controversies over white-washing, Rowling's distortion of Native American legends, and news of Johnny Depp's casting. For the movie itself, Rowling creates intriguing characters but she doesn't fully flesh out the story. The bulk of the plot even reminded me of the super-disorganizedSuicide Squad. 'A band of misfits tracks down unjustifiable threats in the city, only to be thwarted by an unstoppable superpower who is manipulated by an unsuspecting antagonist.' The plot between the two is inherently the same, just a bit more fantastical for the latter.

Fantastic Beasts welcomes us back to the wizarding world, but its intricate details often contradict each other. This mostly stems from Rowling toying with allegory and segregation, but not firmly establishing them - either as obstacles that should come into play against Scamander or for the xenophobia she touches upon. One-half of the story centers on her rules of both societies, and the other half is a pure delightful escape. They often give the impression of being different movies instead of complimenting each other.

Out of everything, David Yates might've delivered one of his better directorial work for the Potter series, even if it has pacing issues. There's nothing not to love about Rowling's new band of misfits and villains. The only issue is that the movie tries to do its own thing, but allow her to drop hints for the future. Which even being fully aware that more movies are on the way, it's a slight shame this doesn't feel complete. As much as I'll probably revisit this spectacular world again in the future - inevitably, it is still Harry Potter - this tale struggled to be the spellbinding cinematic return I anticipated.

Rating: ★★☆

Have you seen Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them? What did you think?

The Walking Dead S7x4 Service

Photo Credit: The Walking Dead / Gene Page

Negan arrives at Alexandria to collect his 'earnings' but Rick and the community aren't ready. People are divided on whether to try to overthrow their new leader or surrender to his command. This post contains spoilers. You've been warned!

Beauty and the Beast (2017) Trailer Reaction

Remakes have started to run their repetitive course, but one studio might have found the secret. Disney's reinventing their classic animated princesses into live-action heroines, and the results have been fairly good so far. Maleficent cast a spell on the box office and Cinderella dazzled audiences. Next on their plate is Beauty and the Beast, and I for one cannot wait for 2017.

I'm probably fairly biased. Belle is my favorite princess from Disney - both the classic 1991 animated movie and ABC's network show Once Upon A Time. She's a bookworm, intelligent, kind-hearted, curious, and friendly. With the new release of the trailer, I'm even more excited to see another version of her tale.

October Geeky Faves

How was everyone's October? Hopefully not as rough as November has been so far. I hope you had a boo-tiful and fun month celebrating Halloween and getting in the holiday spirit. Here are some of the things I did, and some I hope to do throughout November too.

Dressed up as Matt the Radar Technician - probably one of the best times of my life! It was really a night I'll never forget. In conjunction with going trick or treating at Disneyworld, I led a small guess my contest series on instagram. Thanks to everyone who played along! Ya'll are clever smarty pants.

Prepared for The Walking Dead premiere - Even though the hype and speculation had been known since the summer, I just wanted to grab my funkos close and drown myself in orange crush and pudding when the first episode aired. Which is pretty much what I did.

Owl It To Me I'm Worth It - *shameless plug* One of my (all-time?) favorite designs I recently added to my redbubble.

Read The Martian - It was a challenge not to compare the novel to the movie, but they both are super good and worth giving a shot.

Harley Quinn funko pop - Just cause she's pretty. And that card set up was so much fun to do. I need to do one with actual Jokers sometime.

End of Year Goals: Not quite sure yet. Watch holiday movies. Finish 2016 reading challenge. Keep being a "nasty woman". Go into burrito mode.