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Reviews

The Age of Disney Remakes

“The Lion King” (2019) Film Review I’m sure I speak for all of us millennial-era humans, or anyone else who grew up watching the Golden Age of Disney movies, when I say that The Lion King (1994) is a classic. You can ask anyone what their favourite Disney movie is, and The Lion King will almost always be an instant reply as being on their list. The soundtrack, all-star cast, Shakespeare-inspired concept, one of the most heartbreaking deaths of film history, and an epic redemption arc makes it one of the most lauded animation movies of all time. Simply put,…

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Books

Canongate Myth Series: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood is one author whose name every Canadian child will hear about growing up; I am no exception. She is frequently touted in schools, dinner parties and every bookshop you walk into will be sure to have her books in prominent view. Probably best known for her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood’s writing has always taken on topics of complexity and import, and The Penelopiad is no different. From the previous Canongate Myth Series novellas, I have read, I had begun to recognise a pattern. They were not, as is their most usual identifiers, simple retellings of Greek…

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Reviews

Stranger Things: Season 3 Review

Warning: Major Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 3 Below Stranger Things has easily become one of the most revered Netflix shows of all time, in all its synth-80s-nostalgic-horror glory. Every actor – particularly the kids on the show – is incredible, and Stranger Things embodies the current era of prestige television to a T. Over two seasons and beyond we’ve seen Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, and Caleb McLaughlin grow from teeny kids to teenagers, and it truly makes viewers feel like we are going on the journey alongside these characters in the small town of…

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Reviews

Aladdin (2019): Film Review

Before I watched the Disney live-action remake of Aladdin, I’ll admit I was a little nervous. As a South-Asian woman, I have been yearning for more South-Asian representation in media. Growing up, Disney movies Aladdin (1992) and Mulan (1998) (which Disney just released its live-action trailer for) were particularly notable in their depictions of different countries and cultures. Even though many of these characters were voiced by non-PoC actors, that never mattered to me because I was still visually seeing a diverse set of characters. I remember watching the original Aladdin and feeling such a deep sense of relatability while doing…

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Poems

‘Heartaches’ by Donovan Lord: Poetry Review

We’re at the end of Pride Month and our very last post of the month is an incredibly special one. We were so lucky to be given an advance reader copy of Heartaches by Donovan Lord. This collection of poetry is an extremely personal narrative of the author’s life. Lord, a bi-racial, gay man, takes on the task of documenting great portions of his life, often painful and challenging. The content of Heartaches reflects exactly what its title denotes: a montage of painful moments. Of mental health, and mental illness. Of love and loss. Of unrequited love. Of racism. Of…

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Movies

Rocketman: Movie Review

I am a lover of musicals. Pretty much any musical, of any genre, finds its way onto my ‘to-watch’ list and is included in my ‘Musicals’ playlist on Spotify. So, of course, when I found out there was to be a whole movie dedicated to the life and songs of Elton John, there was no doubt I would be buying a ticket to see it. Last week, I finally got around to watching it, and let me tell you: emotions were felt. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Rocketman stars Taron Egerton portraying Reginald Dwight…

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