Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Watch on Netflix: Bird Box (2018)


2018 has given us quite a few reasons to believe that women can do more in Hollywood than what they’ve been regulated to. Similar to films released earlier this year such as science-fiction flick Annihilation or romantic-comedy Crazy Rich Asians, the latest apocalyptic adaptation Bird Box is another example of an unexpected film telling a different story than the ones we’re always used to: female roles can be complex, actresses don’t have to stick a certain genre, and men can be more than  the only strong character.

Based on the book by Josh Mallerman, a mysterious virus triggers people into killing themselves sparking an international apocalypse. Mallory, an artistic hermit who's not prepared to give birth to her child let alone the end of the world, must fight to step outside of her shell in order to survive. Forced to live alongside fellow survivors – an Army vet Tom (Trevant Rhodes), a MAGA conspiratorial Douglas (John Malkovich), a young and naive pregnant woman Olympia (Danielle Macdonald) - she has to remain guarded enough to stay alive but also not lose hope in humanity.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Mary Poppins Returns (2019) Is Full of New and Familiar Tricks

Mary Poppins, the British superhero equipped with a talking umbrella and bewitched carpetbag, first debuted onto the big-screen nearly fifty-four years ago. Having become a childhood classic starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in the hotly contested adaptation between author P.L. Traver and Walt Disney, the beloved nanny makes a comeback in a familiar and fresh "remake-quel" of the original.

Set twenty-five years after the 1964's story, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) returns to the Banks’s home where Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) are all grown-up and have fallen on hard times at the height of the Great Depression. Michael, in particular, is struggling to overcome his wife's passing when he learns that the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank is about to repossess his family's home. While Michael and Jane race against an impossible deadline, Mary and an exuberant lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) take Michael's children with a series of bombastic and inspiring adventures.

Friday, December 21, 2018

5 Favorite Movie Theater Moments in 2018

It's hard to believe another year of going to the movies have come and gone. There's plenty of movies that I missed out on seeing in the theaters as I hoped, but there's quite a few that will always by in my mind as some of the best experiences I've had. Here are five of my favorite moments to happen at the cinema this year. What was your favorite movie theater experience in 2018? Feel free to let me know in the comments.


This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Stars I Love: Taylor Swift

If you had told me a year ago, let alone five years ago, that I'd be doing a whole post on Taylor Swift I wouldn't believe you. It's not that I was a certified hater. Her music was the inadvertent soundtrack of my adolescence, but bopping along in the car to her latest hits wasn't nearly enough to make me a bonafide Swiftie.

Other than being aware of her music growing up, one of the first memories I have was attending a sold-out showing to Valentine's Day. The theater was filled with lots of couples on dates, but it was also filled with teenagers my age. While I was convinced at the time it was the star-studded cast that might've attracted young adults to the movie, or the fact that it was a holiday, I look back and think now that it was all about Taylor. For a few reasons: that theater has never been that packed since (excluding superhero movies), and every time Taylor showed up on-screen, those different groups of girls were in full-fangirl mode - not just when her characters' boyfriend (Taylor Lautner) was on-screen but also when she had a few small individual moments of her own.  I was in the middle of Taylor's influence and didn't even quite realize it.

And, that's how the next several years of my life went: Taylor could be heard in every retail store, on the drives to and from school, seen on award shows and in movies or tv shows, but I didn't become hardcore about it.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Stars I Love: Sarah Paulson

Usually when I begin my Stars I Love posts, I have all kinds of things to gab about and how much I love them. I have the same butterfly feelings for Sarah Paulson as I do for a lot of my past favorite stars, but I don't have any way to put my feels into words. It's strange because I could've summed up my love for Ryan Gosling as a human unicorn or Chris Evans as an adorable meatball, but instead, those posts went on for about 5,000 words total. And I just want to sum it up with: I love Sarah. So here we are.

Being speechless about Sarah is probably the reason why I'm in love with her. Having spent most of her life acting as much as possible, she's visibly one of the most talented actresses right now, but she didn't come into her fame or success until her forties. From television shows to indies, to now major Hollywood films, the Tampa native (the only good thing to come out of Florida, TBH) worked her way up the ladder just wanting to be a good actress. For years, she was existing on theater roles and pilots until someone came along to give her bigger opportunities (Thank you Ryan Murphy). All the while she kept questioning if she could really become a good actress. Her talent is one you have to see in action to get it.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Some Reasons Why 2018 Wasn't A Complete Waste


In and out of Hollywood, 2018 had a lot going on, sometimes a little too many unbelievable and deplorable headlines to fully comprehend. But that's what some saving graces are for: to keep your head above water when you think you could lose your sanity. There's a few moments that stand out at the top of my list for making this hectic year worth it and made me feel #BLESSED.

This post contains spoilers for The Walking Dead. 


Saturday, December 8, 2018

Avengers: Endgame (2019) Trailer Reaction

The Avengers taught us love. The Avengers: Age of Ultron taught us patience. Avengers: Infinity War taught us pain. What are we going to learn from Avengers: Endgame? Probably, how to file a class-action lawsuit against Kevin Feige for our collective therapy bills.

Marvel dropped us the gift that everybody and nobody wanted: the new trailer for the next Avengers film. So let's check it out! This post definitely contains spoilers.