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Book Review #152: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

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  Every Summer, best friends and total opposites Poppy and Alex go on holiday together - until two years ago when everything fell apart. Now Poppy has one chance to make things right. One last vacation to fix what broke between them. But can she fix them before her feelings get in the way? I’ve had this book for ages now. I’ve opened it a few times but never went past the first page. So when I heard that a movie had been made and was coming out in January, I suddenly really wanted to read it. I liked this book, but it definitely felt on the more average side of romance novels. I really liked the introduction to the main characters. We fall in love with them and their relationship almost instantly. One thing that took me out of the story was that the timeline felt really odd. The characters were using extremely modern slang during a meeting that took place 11 years ago. And while that isn’t an extremely long time ago, things evolve and it definitely felt like that conversation would...
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The Innocents | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  This was one I hadn't heard of, but looking at the description and some of the reviews, it seemed like 'classic ghost story' horror, so I was excited to see it. I really liked this movie. The characters are great. They start off so endearing and likeable that you're immediately interested in them and willing to become invested in their story. It takes the time to really let the audience become connected to these people. It doesn't start with horrors or scares, but instead slowly draws you into their world, to get to know them, before the scares really start.  And even then, the horror aspects of the film begin in a really subtle way, which is great because we're really experiencing everything at the same time as our main character. We have no idea where it's going, or what the secrets are, and neither does she. It's easy to see how films like this influence modern horror. There are so many things here, not only in the horror elements but also in the ac...
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Frankenstein (2025) | Film Review

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  Scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) brings a mysterious creature (Jacob Elordi) to life and is forced to deal with the dangerous consequences. It took me way too long to finally see this film - but I'm glad I got to watch it and form an opinion before it got Oscar nominations! I liked this film, though I knew I probably would. I don't have a huge amount of experience with Frankenstein beyond reading the book and seeing an adaptation or two, but I've always loved the story, so I'm here for all the future adaptations! The cast is definitely one of the most interesting things about this version. They're all fantastic in their roles. The visuals were amazing - it's such a beautiful film to watch and was clearly crafted with care and intention. I liked that it took the time to flesh everything out. We really get to know this world before we even start to get into the main crux of the plot. Seeing the creation of the creature was interesting, but this is whe...
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The Rip | Film Review

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  After finding millions of dollars during a home raid, a group of Miami police detectives begin to question their loyalties to each other, as they discover that they can't all be trusted. As the biggest fan of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, both individually and as a collective, I'm always really excited to see what their upcoming projects are, so when this one finally came out I was seated! I liked this film - it was essentially what I thought it was going to be, which was great. I loved that it got right into the action. It didn't spend time explaining the characters and their relationships, and instead allowed us to learn this through their interactions. Even at the beginning when you don't really understand what's happening, it's still entertaining and engaging. So when you do start to get what's happening, you're already locked in. The whole cast are great. Of course I have to specifically mention Damon and Affleck who have always worked so well toget...
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The Brood | 100 Movies Bucket List

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  I hadn't heard of this one, so it was fun to go in completely blind. I have mixed feelings about the film. It starts from a confusing place, particularly going in blind. It's fun to try and work out what's going on before things really get going. It took me longer to get into than I would have liked. The story starts slowly, and even when things start happening, they happen slowly. Which isn't to say that I lost interest in the film, but I wasn't as invested in the characters as I would have liked to be. At 30 minutes in it's been drip-feeding the audience ideas without exploring anything too deeply or drawing any conclusions. While this does a good job of sparking intrigue in the rest of the film, it doesn't engage the viewer as much as it needs to. There are a lot of characters that only have a few minutes of screen time each and it can be hard to keep them all straight. The cast is great, particularly Art Hindle, who easily evokes sympathy from the audi...
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Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere | Film Review

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  In the 1980's, Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) creates his album 'Nebraska' on the cusp of global stardom. This wasn't one I was particularly excited for. I heard a lot about it before it came out, but once it was actually released all the talk died down and no one seemed to have anything to say about it. And as someone who isn't particularly a Springsteen fan, I only really watched it for Jeremy Allen White. I didn't love this film. The first thing I noted was that none of the performances felt particularly authentic. It took me a while to believe that these actors were who they were pretending to be, which started the film on a sour note. The story felt more like a collection of scenes than anything with a coherent plot. There were some aspects of the story that were fun to watch, the beginning of the romance (if you can call it that) for example. But those small moments didn't help with the overall story. None of the characters, including Springs...
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A Big Bold Beautiful Journey | Film Review

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  After hiring a car from a mysterious company, strangers David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie) relive some of the most important moments of their pasts together. It took me way too long to watch this movie. The premise looked interesting, but it came out quietly and then no one really spoke about it. I think it got lost coming out in a year of so many big amazing movies, but I'm glad I've finally seen it! I liked this film. I like the characters together. Farrell and Robbie work well together and had chemistry, though I don't know if the chemistry they have is particularly romantic. With not much to go on, the audience are also just along for the ride, and I think this works well. I don't think it would have been as interesting if we knew more than they did. That being said, when they started going back in time I was struggling to understand the point of the story, and having seen it and sat with it, I still don't know if it's exactly what the filmmak...
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