AvidBards
TV Shows

‘Comeback’ Television

Cobra Kai Season 1 When I first saw the trailer for Cobra Kai, distributed by YouTube Premium, my first reaction was shock. It’s been 34 years since the first Karate Kid film, an 80s classic both in style and content. It’s one of those classics that you can offhandedly reference, and almost everyone will understand what you’re referencing (particularly the name Mr. Miyagi, and the phrase “wax on wax off”). I was interested to see how this would go – and interested to see that television series are actively picking up on narratives from the past and canonizing it, even…

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Reviews

The New Age of Superheroes

The Umbrella Academy TV Review Many of you have probably watched, or are planning to watch, the new addition to Netflix: The Umbrella Academy. The sci-fi superhero show is based on a graphic novel created by Gerard Way, who is best known as the former front man of My Chemical Romance, and artist Gabriel Bá. Right off the bat, I could tell that this show was quirky, goth-y, and slightly surrealist, which aptly fits with the Gerard Way circa MCR brand. The Umbrella Academy revolves around a group of children who were all born on the same day to women…

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Reflections

Representation in the Mainstream

I have always openly been critical about the lack of representation and visibility of minorities in mainstream media. Be it superhero films, rom-coms, dramas, or period pieces, the Hollywood-dominated world of international media has been one that has sorely lacked in any diversity whatsoever. We still have a long way to go to equally represent people of all races, sexual orientation, gender, religion, creed, and everything in between. However, today’s post focuses on the smashing headway that’s been made for minorities in the mainstream. The positive recognition that has been given to these films and shows reflect the kind of…

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TV Shows

5 Best Period Dramas for Valentine’s Day

It’s that time of the year again when we see flowers everywhere and the price of chocolate is blasphemously high again. Last year, I did a list of my favourite unconventional Valentine’s Day movies to watch. This year, I’m feeling a little more old-fashioned, feeling the nostalgia for the kind of romance that my grandparents or great grandparents would have experienced. It’s easy to feel romanced by the quiet desires and subtle interactions that have you feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside just because of a slight hand graze. Sure, it’s not realistic, and it’s definitely not the world…

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Reflections

One Year Anniversary

Happy Sunday, readers! Today marks a very special occasion here at AvidBards – our one year anniversary! So much has happened in a year’s time, but one thing has not changed: our gratitude to you, our readers. You have helped us thrive, inspired us, and made our jobs as writers so incredibly fulfilling. In celebration of this special day, we’ve put together some of our highlights from the past year. From our most popular posts to the review requests we’ve received, we’ve had a more productive year than we could have ever imagined. Here’s to many more! In a year’s…

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Reviews

Dirk Gently: It’s All Connected

It took some persuading, but I have finally jumped aboard the Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (2016-2018) train. I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t give it a chance before. However, I have a feeling that the mouthful of a title had something to do with my deterrence. Essentially, the title makes zero sense until you’ve actually watched the show. While it may sound silly, I think a lot of us actually place preconceived notions about a show, book, or film based solely on its title. Dirk Gently didn’t give me any indicators, though, so I had to jump into the waters completely…

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