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TV Shows

The Stranger: When Plot is Sacrificed for Views

There’s a feeling particularly delightful of watching the first episode of a show and getting that feeling in your chest where you just know this is going to be a show you cannot stop watching. Unfortunately for me, that feeling more often than not ends up twisting into a bitter disappointment by the end, feeling as if you were robbed of the deserved ending. That was how I felt about the Netflix original series, The Stranger, adapted from Harlan Coben’s 2005 book of the same name.  Going into the series I felt incredibly excited, namely because I have an unsubtle…

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TV Shows

American Gods: Season 1 vs. Season 2

During quarantine, I found myself buying an Amazon Prime subscription so that I could finally watch a bunch of shows I’ve been dying to catch up on, and American Gods was at the top of my list (along with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Boys, and Good Omens, all of which I will inevitably review in the future!). Naturally, two weeks into my Prime binge, I had already watched the full two seasons of the show. And while I absolutely loved Season 1, I can’t necessarily say the same thing about Season 2. Here’s why. (Warning: major spoilers for both…

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Books

Circe: Quarantine Book Club

There’s no doubt that this period of quarantine and social distancing has disrupted plenty of routines around the world. Moreso, it has disrupted many people’s sense of hope and positivity. It is unquestionably a difficult time, which is why it is more important than ever to reach out to those you love and who can support you and you them. For just this reason, my university friends and I set up a Quarantine Book Club! Getting together (virtually) every other week or so to talk about a new book we have all read has been a great way to check…

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Reviews

Birds of Prey: Worth The Watch

Let’s not mince words: the film formerly known as Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and now known as Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey was highly anticipated, but not necessarily in a good way. It was a nervous, skeptical, I-hope-this-won’t-be-as-bad-as-Suicide-Squad kind of way. Though the trailer for DC’s Birds of Prey looked great, many (including myself) were wary, since this was precisely the mistake we made when trusting the epic-ness that was Suicide Squad‘s trailer. What resulted of the 2016 flop was a messy, disjointed, and frankly weak narrative, which was a huge disappointment considering…

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Movies

Casual Racism, Sexism and Homophobia in Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Gentlemen’

The thin line between humour and offensive Guy Ritchie’s style of filming is so distinctive that it can in itself be considered an adjective.  That’s so Guy Ritchie!It’s the Guy Ritchie touch!I want to film it like Guy Ritchie! Okay, well maybe those are slight exaggerations, as frankly, I have never heard anyone say those, but it does not make the point any less true. Throughout his years in cinema, Ritchie has formed a stylistic narrative technique that is all his own. Notable for classics such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, followed by more recent, but…

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Books

4 Biographies to Read in 2020

This January I went on a bit of a biography kick. To be honest, I have never been the biggest fan of biographies. If I were to head to a bookstore, it would be likely that I would not venture anywhere near the aisles that hold names such as the Obamas, Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela. Though undoubtedly interesting, I generally crave losing myself to another world, not the one we are in. But by a peculiar turn of events, I found myself with a box of 13 biographies and autobiographies to read over the winter holidays.  I felt daunted…

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