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Moxie (2021)
Moxie (2021)
2021 | Comedy, Drama, Music
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Representation. (1 more)
Likeable characters.
Some scenes are rather unrealistic. (0 more)
Young adult film done right.
When I was getting ready to watch this movie for the first time, I was sort of expecting it to be your ordinary, cringy YA film - I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the movie pulled off the topics it was covering.

I don't think I have ever seen a YA feminist movie before so this was very much a new experience for me. I love that the movie realistically included representation such as a character that is disabled. I know that when I was younger my disability made me feel ashamed and seeing this in a movie targeted at teens would have given me a slight confidence boost.

I have to give the movie props for not making the main character "perfect"; she very much has flaws that can be spotted at certain parts of the movie and at one point, she even gets called out by her best friend.

All in all, I have to say I enjoyed the movie and the only negative thing that I have to say about it is that at some points it was not very realistic, but I think that can be excused when looking at the bigger picture, I truly hope the movie inspires young people to take a look at the world and see the changes that need to be made so that we achieve equality and equity for all.
  
The Muppets  - Season 1
The Muppets - Season 1
2015 | Comedy, Family
Intelligently funny
The Muppets is a 2015 mockumentary style series that aired for only one season, and is currently available on Disney+ . It follows the personal and professional lives of the Muppets behind the scenes of Miss Piggy's late night talk show.

The Muppets are an institution. There won’t be many people that don’t know of the Muppets, and most will have grown up with them in some form whether it be the original tv show, the earlier films or the most recent film reincarnations with Jason Segel. For me, my fondest memories of the Muppets come from the films (The Muppet Christmas Carol is by far the best Christmas film) and from the Muppet Vision 3D show in Disney World, so I had no preconceptions over what this show would be. And it’s an absolute hoot.

This is a wonderfully funny and smart show, and the mockumentary style similar to The Office and Parks and Recereation works very well. It manages to bring clever adult humour without reducing itself to crudeness. It’s whip smart, witty and full of relevant pop culture references that are often laugh out loud funny. There are so many instances in these 16 episodes where I couldn’t stop laughing, although a particularly highlight involved Bobo the bear and The Revenant. And not only is this funny, it’s also full of heart. It features some fairly meaningful and important topics and for the most part it deals with these well with an appropriate amount of humour.

The great thing about this show is that it isn’t just the Kermit and Piggy show. All of the other Muppets are featured in equal measure and for me personally I loved this as some of my favourite moments were with the likes of Rizzo, Pepe and Chip the IT guy. I also now have a new found love for Uncle Deadly, I never realised how brilliant a character he was before! This show also brings in some fantastic guest stars, from the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Liam Hemsworth, Ru Paul and Josh Groban, all of whom have no problem in sending themselves up and being the butt of the jokes.

It’s a shame then that this show falters two thirds of the way through due to the storyline and relationship between Kermit and Piggy. I’ve never been a fan of Piggy as I find her very irksome, but she’s bearable in small doses. However the show seems to do a complete u-turn on their storyline midway through and suffers because of it, as it becomes dull and predictable and nothing we haven’t seen before for Kermit and Piggy. The rest of the show and characters are still hilarious, but Kermit and Piggy really bring down the tone.

If you’re an adult and a fan of the Muppets and are looking for some adult, intelligent laugh out loud humour, you can’t really go wrong with this. Just try not to concentrate on the storyline too much.
  
Invisible In A Bright Light
Invisible In A Bright Light
Sally Gardner | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This story is told from multiple perspectives and the protagonist of this book should be Celeste, a girl who wakes up in a basket as someone else, a girl called Maria. Celeste is very confused about who is this Maria, and why she is living her life. Even though this book tells Celeste’s journey, for me, the true protagonist of this book is Hildegard, a young girl, who was abused and bullied by her self centred mother. This whole story is kind of about her. That is the beauty of this book, the characters are so closely connected and entwined, that it makes this book a one beautiful and complex work of art.

I have to admit, this book was quite hard to read sometimes. Even though the plot is great and absorbing, the writing style felt quite jumpy and chaotic, and that made this book a little difficult to understand sometimes. I have to admit, if I would read it as a child, it would not make sense to me, but reading it as an adult, I truly learned how to enjoy it to the fullest. The author discussed very important topics in this book, such as emotional and physical abuse against children, lack of confidence in children, loss, friendship, self-obsession, and many more. The plot was quite layered, sometimes it is a ghost story, sometimes an adventure and it is filled with plenty of magic as well, all these changes in the atmosphere kept me entertained throughout the pages.
  
Racing the Light
Racing the Light
Robert Crais | 2022 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Elvis Cole is in a Race to Find a Missing Man
PI Elvis Cole’s latest client is a mother who insists that her son, Josh, is missing. She sounds like a conspiracy nut, and it doesn’t help that Josh hosts a podcast about aliens and other out there topics. But Elvis gives himself a day to figure out what he thinks of the case, and in that time he realizes that someone dangerous is very interested in where Josh is. Can Elvis find him in time?

As usual, this book was a mixed bag for me. The case was interesting, although some of the events were entirely predictable to anyone who has read this series on a regular basis. While I do like Elvis and his partner, Joe Pike, I still find Joe to be a rather thin character. The new characters are also definitely on the thin side, and many of them are annoying. In fact, at times the plot seemed to be based on the characters doing the absolutely stupidest things they could do and Elvis trying to save them. There’s also quite a bit of adult content in this book, more so than I really thought it needed. There are lots of point of view changes, but I never had a hard time with them since they were clearly labeled and happened at chapter breaks. Fans will be interested in the sub-plot here. There are things I enjoyed, but once again, this is an average entry in an average series.