a collection of my film + show reviews

here, you can explore my sum movies and shows i've watched from recently! these might be older films or series that i recently discovered or chose to watch again.

end of the fucking world

HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS SHOW! i binged season 1 and 2 recently and it was so freaking good. what i love most is how it starts by making you root against james and not really like alyssa, but episode by episode you slowly start to understand them. their struggles and trauma shape who they are, and you realize they’re not bad kids — they’re misunderstood and carrying scars that will never fully go away.

the way this show depicts trauma, depression, and emotional suppression is just so raw and real. it hit me in ways i didn’t expect. and seeing how much alyssa and james grew together — and ended up together despite everything — was beautiful. it feels like there’s an invisible string tying them together. their relationship is unorthodox, but they get each other in a way no one else could, because they’ve both suffered.

i relate to them a lot, especially around trauma and figuring out healthier ways to deal with emotions.

i highly, highly recommend.

score: 9/10

28 years later

28 years later was pretty fucking entertaining. i'm gonna try not to spoil too much, but basically there's a zombie apocalypse, and a boy, his sick mom, and dad live in an area where there's a wall blocking off the island. the boy takes his mom into the zombie land area and tries to look for the doctor while fighting off zombies.

this movie was really good and shows many human elements and how people are complex—like not everyone is purely smart, dumb, bad, or good. also has themes about how death is inevitable, and yeah, i really enjoyed it. sometimes the characters make extremely dumb decisions that get annoying, but other than that, it was an enjoyable thriller. i certainly recommend.

score: 7.8/10

squid game szn 3

spoilers: i'll keep this one short because it was more of the same shit with the games. the emotions and intensity doesn't hit the same anymore. i kind of just expect people to die from the games now. i wanted the season to branch outside of the games, where they are able to take it down. also, the plot line with the front man's brother had so much potential, but was completely wasted. UGHHH. still entertaining but just not as good as the first 2 seasons.

score: 6.5/10

sinners

came into this movie after seeing a bunch of great reviews, but honestly had no idea what it was gonna be about. i was hoping it would blow me away—usually when i go into a movie blind and it has high ratings, it ends up being a gem. but the beginning was kinda slow, and i genuinely didn’t know what was going on. a lot of talking about stuff i didn’t really understand (until i watched a recap after).

warning: spoilers

then it suddenly switches up—this random guy knocks on a stranger’s door begging for shelter, and from that point, it goes from 0 to 100 real quick. the movie turns into a full-on thriller. people start turning into vampires and hunting everyone at the party. the suspense really hits when the vampires are trying to get in. at first, no one knows what they are, and i thought they were gonna let them in… but they didn’t. thank god.
until they get hailee steinfeld’s character. after that, everything just goes wild. from that point on, the action and suspense were top tier.

i also really appreciated the deeper messaging and symbolism throughout the movie. to me, letting the vampires bite them felt like black americans assimilating into white american culture—leaving behind their own traditions, like the dancing and singing they shared in the club, to fit in. it’s the easier thing to do, and sometimes it feels inevitable—especially when your friends and family start to change, you might too, without even realizing it.

another interpretation of it was the idea of black characters constantly sacrificing themselves so sammie could succeed—kind of like how past generations, especially those in the civil rights movement, had to suffer for the progress and future success of others. that really stuck with me.

also gotta say—i loved smoke and stack. their bond was one of the best parts of the movie. you could really feel how much they cared for each other, and when stack became a vampire, you could see the pain in smoke’s eyes. he was clearly torn, but he held it together and tried to stay strong. it was honestly beautiful how he didn’t kill stack, but instead made him promise not to hurt sammie. it showed how he found another way, choosing love over violence, even in the worst situation—with his twin brother and his nephew’s lives on the line.

and that end credit scene where stack and his girlfriend popped up at the bar and talked to sammie? that was fire. but also, it symbolized something deeper—how sammie eventually feels regret and guilt later in his life. he got to live a free life, but that scene hints that he never fully let go of the trauma he went through.

there’s so much more i could say about this movie, but i’ll stop here. definitely give it a watch and hit me up if you do—i’d love to hear your take.

score: 8.1/10

mickey 17

i had really high expectations heading into this movie cuz the director is the same dude who directed parasite bruh. i love that movie. anyways, i think it’s bad to come into movies with expectations because this one disappointed me lol. don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad film, it just wasn’t what i expected. it wasn’t a straight action/thriller movie. it was more like a comedy/action movie with an interesting premise, but it just wasn’t executed that well. it didn’t really entertain me that much.

i didn’t really like the main character, mickey, and found him a little annoying with his voice and personality. same with literally all the other characters. they’re overdramatized on purpose, but it just makes them so annoying. the villains also weren’t scary, and the middle of the movie had me falling asleep. the end picks up, but still didn’t really get me out of my seat. anyways, i wouldn’t watch this again. feel free to give it a shot though, maybe you’ll like it! this is just my opinion.

score: 5.1/10

the perks of being a wallflower

warning... don't read if you don't want spoilers.

this was a really great coming-of-age movie!! it was different from most. right from the start, you can see how dead he is inside and that he’s going through it, just by his facial expressions and body movements. i love how they display his hurt and trauma through visuals, setting the tone for the movie. it really hooks you in and keeps you wanting more.

soon, we find out that charlie's friend committed suicide in middle school, and later, we learn that his aunt died in a car accident on the way to pick him up.

later, he meets these high school seniors—one who is gay and the other is his sister. they bond, and he gets into partying and drinking as a freshman.

so much happens in between, but i wanted to highlight the parts i loved the most. nobody in this film is perfect. every character has flaws, from the main character to the love interest to his aunt who died. their imperfections add depth to the film and make you think deeply about who they are as people. it’s such a good representation of real life, where nothing is black and white. for example, sam hooked up with much older men and was using substances at an extremely young age. also, while she was dating a guy, she made out with charlie?! then she goes to the school dance and dances with her bf in front of charlie, acting like nothing happened LOL. another example is when charlie dates one of the girls in the friend group and says sam is the prettiest girl in the group in front of her! they are all so flawed, but again, they’re just kids trying to figure things out.

that’s what makes this such a beautiful coming-of-age story—kids make mistakes and do questionable things, but they are not bad people. they are just trying to figure things out!

i also loved how they subtly revealed that charlie’s aunt sexually abused him. i didn’t get it at first, but after reading reviews, i started understanding the scenes at the end that referenced it. like when charlie is about to have an intimate moment with his girlfriend, and they flash between her and his aunt in an intimate moment. his mind is all over the place—feeling guilty about her death but also confused because she abused him as a child.

i love the way this movie is edited and the overall feel of it. the last scene is one of my favorite scenes ever. i loved it and the message behind it so much. i could replay it over and over, and it would still hit just as hard.

overall, this movie hit home for me even more because i can (to a much lesser extent) relate to charlie, especially with what’s been going on in my life recently. having your mind all over the place, overthinking, feeling confused because you don’t understand what’s right or wrong, if anyone is at fault, if you’re at fault, etc...

i recommend this movie if you enjoy coming-of-age films or movies that make you

think a little more.

score: 8.3/10

little women

this film is based on the coming-of-age novel by louisa may alcott, from the 1860s. inspired by her own life, the story is about an 1860s family, following a household of four sisters growing up together.

first off, the movie is directed in such a unique and captivating way, cutting back from past to present throughout the movie, using the color of the screen as a representation of the past and present. the past has a brighter and warmer tone, showing how they were happier back then, and the present is cooler, showing how the happiness is not the same as it used to be. however, at the end, the present becomes warmer as the ending gets happier. the original book was in chronological order, and i feel like if this movie followed that, it would be more boring and harder to retain my attention span.

i love how it's a representation of healthy family relationships. the sisters fight, but they talk everything out and have such great older figures in their lives to help guide them in making the right decisions and not holding grudges. moreover, the sisters all have different goals and ambitions in life, which is so inspiring to see. they don’t let this get in the way of their relationships with one another because, despite their differences, they are family.

i also see this movie as incredibly relatable, with incredible characters and experiences that we can all relate to in some shape or form. laurie reminds me a bit of myself, and jo reminds me of someone i once knew. i love jo’s character, especially how she is so passionate about writing and independence. despite her love for laurie and their incredible banter and dynamic with one another—both being incredibly quirky and goofy—she chooses to not marry him to pursue her passion for independence and going against the status quo, along with not letting it get in the way of her dreams of becoming a writer. i love how she tries to bring up all the reasons she and laurie wouldn’t work out without even trying it out. she is so stubborn. jo is trying to find reasons to not marry him so she can remain independent, avoiding her true feelings for him and not letting it get in the way of her dreams and passions.

seven years later, she realizes she wants laurie back and regrets not being with him. she writes him a letter, assumably talking about how she still loves him. later on, she speaks with another character and questions if she just wanted to be loved or if she truly loved laurie. i believe that she still loved him. i can see it. however, she finds out laurie is with amy. she moves on and allows laurie to get with her sister. she does not let a guy get between her and her sister. even though she is sad, she knows there are more important things in life and moves on. she is STRONG. that is how you write a strong female character.

i also love how the director makes us second guess if she ends up getting married or not. since the book is about jo’s life, and he tells her that her character needs to end up with a man if she wants it to get published. she publishes it, and then the movie shows the real scenes of her getting a man in a romantic scene. at the very end, she is standing in her school she created, not with her man though. who knows what happened?

very good movie. i recommend.

score: 8/10

companion

this movie is absolutely incredible. i don't want to spoil too much, so i'll keep it vague—it's the kind of film you really should experience without any expectations. it's hard to label it into one genre because it effortlessly blends elements of thriller, comedy, and horror. the film is remarkably creative, interweaving various tropes while also subverting some, which results in an entertaining and unpredictable journey.

it explores the theme of power and control, showing how, after just a small taste, power becomes addictive like a drug and the human mind falls into a dangerous power trip, convinced it can dominate everything around it.

this obsession often leads to extreme behavior that erodes one's humanity, leaving a person overly fixated on lust, money, and material possessions instead of genuine human connection. ultimately, the film illustrates that those who try to control everything will eventually get their karma. it's as if the universe comes full circle, and those who hurt and manipulate others ultimately face the consequences of their actions.

i truly love this movie and the profound messages woven throughout. do yourself a favor and give it a watch—it's a small-budget film that deserves high praise.

score: 8.8/10

captain america: a brave new world

this movie FUCKING SUCKS. there were no stakes. action scenes were pointless. the plot was fucking horrible and boring. the villain was terrible. the entire theme of the movie was fucking stupid. i came into this movie not expecting much, but damn, it was still so fucking ass. it felt like a shitty disney+ show put into one movie. nothing happened in this movie. literally nothing. please don't watch this and save your time and money.

score: 2.1/10

black doves

this movie had a lot going on, but here’s a quick tldr: keira knightley plays a spy who marries the defense secretary to get access to all the secrets. she ends up falling in love with another guy, but he dies, and she spends the rest of the story trying to find out who killed him.

the show is super entertaining, but parts of it get very fucking confusing. honestly, i was lost for half of it — especially in the middle and toward the end. still, i had a good time because the main characters were really interesting and captivating.

ben whishaw’s character stood out the most. he was super complex and conflicted, but it was cool to see his journey of realizing who he truly is and what life he’s meant to live by the end.

also, i enjoyed the plotline of how keira knightley’s character was fake married to the defense secretary for years and had kids with him without anyone knowing. that was very unique, but i feel bad for the prime minister because he was a very likable character.

the action scenes were fun, and some of the aspects of the show felt unique and different from your average spy flick. but what holds it back is how complicated it gets with so many random characters and groups as potential killers. it lost me completely at points.

overall, i'd recommend it if you're free and have nothing else to do. it's enjoyable, but definitely not a must-watch.

score: 6.9/10

mufasa

lol, this movie was so unnecessary. honestly, i would’ve preferred it to be animated — like hand-drawn, like the original. i just love how you can really see the characters' emotions in their faces, and the colors in animation bring more life to the story. the whole “realistic” talking animals thing felt weird, especially at the beginning. but i got used to it as the movie went on.

anyways, more on this specific movie. i liked it — it was enjoyable. but man, there were parts that dragged way too long. those parts got boring, and honestly, if they cut like 30 minutes, it would’ve been a much better movie.

the songs? not memorable at all.

also, scar (aka taka’s) betrayal felt so forced. like, he was a good guy, and then after a few minor things, boom — full-on villain. it just felt out of character and way too rushed.

but on the positive side, the action scenes were solid. i just wish there were more of them.

overall, it’s a solid movie with some flaws. i had a decent time at the theater, but it’s not a must-watch. i’d recommend it if you’re bored and there’s nothing else to see.

score: 5.9/10

squid game... szn 2

bro, i lowkey forgot how stressful this show is. just like season 1, season 2 had me on my toes the entire time. maybe i’m weak, but i couldn’t binge the whole thing because the stress was too much.

anyways, i had similar feelings to how i did about the first season. you get super attached to these interesting characters, which makes it even more stressful because the more you like them, the more you’re worried they’ll die.

i thought the front man competing in the games was a cool concept.

potential spoiler alerts — i loved the relationship he had with seung gi-hun and his group. it really felt genuine, which made it even more sad when he betrays them at the end. also, the whole boat thing felt like a waste, though. it’s annoying when they keep going back to these characters and nothing happens — they just keep getting nowhere. also, the boat dude betraying everyone? that part didn’t really feel necessary.

overall, i had a fun time with this show. it wasn’t perfect, but it was still super enjoyable.

score: 7.5/10

arcane

hear me out, i did not know anything about league of legends before watching this and do not play video games, but i fell in love with this show. the characters are complex, the story is intriguing, the action is entertaining, and the animation is beautiful. the ending of season 2 does get confusing. i recommend watching a couple of "ending explained" videos on youtube to help clear things up.

score: 9/10