Author Archives: Bizarre Brunette

Naboo – Our Trip to Lake Como

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This is the final post in my three-part Italy series. When we planned our itinerary, I told my husband that we had to go to Lake Como. Lake Como, specifically Villa del Balbianello, is where portions of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones were filmed. Lake Como is located in the northern part of the country, close to the Swiss border. We took a train from Florence to Milan, stayed in Milan for a day, then took a train from Milan to Lake Como. Lake Como was gorgeous and one of the trip’s highlights.

Image is a photo of Lake Como. In the center is the lake. To the left, middle, and right of the photo are these grassy mountains. The clouds look like they are touching the mountains. There's a big ferry coming into dock.
Photo taken by me.

When we got to Lake Como, the train station was near downtown. Lake Como is a small town with shops and several clothing stores. Approaching the lake, Lake Como is surrounded by grassy mountains. Lake Como is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It makes sense that portions of the prequels were filmed here. I was in awe of how pretty the lake was. I don’t want this paragraph to be repetitive, but I can’t help it. Lake Como was stunning.

Image is a photo of Lake Como from the view of a balcony. The balcony has an arch and through the arch is the lake and buildings on the grassy mountain.
Photo taken by me.

After checking into our Airbnb, my husband suggested we take the Cable Car. There’s a cable car nearby downtown that will shuttle people to Brumate, a town on the mountain. I don’t do well with heights, but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t do it. The line for the cable car can be long; however, two cable cars run simultaneously, so I felt that it kept things moving. It was cloudy by the time we made our way to the station, so the line wasn’t very long. The ride up to Brumate was smoother than I anticipated, especially because it was at a steep incline. At the top, there are several hiking trails, one leading to a lighthouse. We walked around, but only ended up staying for about thirty minutes before taking the cable car back down. We lucked out because about an hour after that, it started to rain. It was good timing that we were able to buy tickets, hop on the cable car, walk around, hop back on the cable car to make our way back to Como, all before the rain started.

View from the top of the cable car. It shows an orange roofed building and a great view of all the mounains.
Photo taken by me.

The real question is, did we visit Villa del Balbianello? We didn’t. Most of the villas that we could tour weren’t within walking distance of where we were staying. For Villa del Balbianello specifically, there was a bus you could take to get there, but it doesn’t drop you off in front of the villa, so you’d have to walk to get there. We could have taken the ferry, but the lines for the ferry were extremely long, much longer than the cable cars. It was odd because you think that for something so well-known, it would have been easier to get there. It would have taken us a full day to navigate there, and I didn’t want to take up that much time. While I didn’t visit the exact villa where Star Wars was filmed, I was close enough to Naboo, and that was good enough for me.

If I could describe our time in Lake Como with one word, I would say it was relaxing. Our first day was packed with the train, walking around, checking into our Airbnb, and riding the cable car. The other days we were there, we had no plans, and it was needed. I enjoyed the time when my husband and I would get an espresso to go, and I’d bring my book to read while we sat on the bench near the lake. After spending a good amount of time on the lake, we took the train back to Rome, toured the Vatican, and flew home.

It’s been fun to reminisce about our trip to Italy! With that said, I’m looking forward to being home for the rest of the year. I don’t have any other travel plans for this year, and I’m perfectly okay with that.

Cooking Pasta in Florence

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This is the second post in my three-part Italy series. We spent a few days in Rome before taking the train up to Florence. Florence is about an hour from Rome and is known for its wineries. We didn’t do a wine tour; instead, my husband booked us a cooking class where we learned how to make three different types of pasta. The cooking class was one of the most memorable parts of our trip, and while we were only in Florence for a few days, we made the most of it.

Once our train arrived, we were able to check into our Airbnb early and drop off our luggage. One of the most notable places to visit in Florence is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. This cathedral is massive! It’s exquisite to see up close. If you look at any photos from Florence, I can almost guarantee that the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore makes an appearance. Earlier in the day, there was a torrential downpour of rain, but fortunately, it didn’t last long, and the sun came out. All these photos have not been edited in the slightest; it was that nice while we were in Florence.

Image is a photo of me and my husband in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. We are smiling at the camera and it's a blue sky with little to no clouds in the photo.
Photo taken by my husband with permission to share.

Another famous landmark in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone arch bridge over the Arno River in Florence. While walking on the bridge, there are a variety of different shops selling jewelry, watches, and other local goods. We walked on this bridge several times throughout our time in Florence.

Image is a photo of a medieval stone arch bridge. There are several buildings that jet out of the bridge in yellow and orange. Those are the shops on the bridge.
Photo taken by me.

Our cooking class was on our second day in Florence. The cooking class was in the back of a restaurant. As we proceeded down the hallway, we were led to one of two rooms. Two cooking classes were going on simultaneously, with a barrier between the rooms. Each room had three tables, two wider tables with a narrow table up near the chef’s area. Each setting has flour, two eggs, and a variety of cooking utensils for everyone to use.

Image shows a wooden table with flour and two eggs on top. There are several tools and dishes with cheese in them. Lots of rolling pins are nearby.
Photo taken by me.
Image shows a cooking table with people seated in front of it. The chef is shown stirring something in the pot. There are these older, white buildings with windows with green shutters. The ceiling is completely open and you can see the blue sky in this photo.
Photo taken by me.

I was slightly nervous as the cooking class approached. I like to cook, but I’m not an expert, and I’d hate to mess anything up since we have to eat what we make. However, our chef had great energy and was walking around helping out if needed. The three types of pasta that we made were: Tortellini, Ravioli, and Pappardelle. Tortellini was by far the hardest to make. Our chef showed us the process, and I was lost. He showed us again, and it wasn’t until I watched my husband do it first that I started to understand how to fold the pasta appropriately. Ravioli is easy; the pasta is laid out, the ricotta is put inside, and the Ravioli is folded and cut into squares. Pappardelle was also easy, as you simply had to cut the pasta into long strips.

Once we had made the pasta, we collected it, and our chef made the sauces for each type of pasta. We had unlimited wine in our cooking class, so we sipped on wine while we waited for the pasta to cook. Everything was delicious! Looking back, I had no reason to be nervous, as these types of classes for tourists assume that everyone is new to making pasta. This cooking class was out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad I did it.

Photo is of Ravioli that we made with cherry tomatoes in it.
Photo taken by me.
Image is a photo of me and my husband smiling in our aprons before the cooking class began.
Photo taken by my husband with permission to share.

It was a jam-packed two days, but I felt we were fully able to explore Florence. The only thing we didn’t do was go to a winery or two. The wineries are up on the hillside in Florence, so they aren’t walkable. There are bus tours that can take you up into the wineries, but we didn’t want to book that on top of our cooking class. I felt the cooking class was well worth it, so I’m glad we chose to do that instead. If we are in Florence again, that’s something I’d want to do.

The final post in this Italy series will be our trip to Lake Como and Milan, which is even farther north than Florence.

Longest and Shortest Books – June TBR

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For my June TBR, I knew one book I immediately wanted to read. It has 624 pages. To compensate for reading a longer book, I picked two other books with page counts of less than 300 pages each. Each book in this month’s TBR is vastly different, so I think it will keep things interesting throughout the month. If I really commit, I can read all three books, but I have to focus. I will share what I read in May and which books I have picked out to read in June.

In May, I read seven books. They are as follows:

  • When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Asha Bandele, and a Foreword written by Angela Y. Davis. 5/5 stars
  • Snotgirl Volume #3 Is This Real Life? by Bryan Lee O’Malley and Leslie Hung. 3/5 stars
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Unrated.
  • Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose. 5/5 stars
  • Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski Unrated.
  • The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent. 4.5/5 stars
  • Funny Story by Emily Henry. 4/5 stars

Okay, so I sort of cheated. I started Come as You Are and The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King in April, but didn’t complete them in May. Both When They Call You a Terrorist and Just Mercy were the two hardest books I read this month. They both tackle similar topics, but in different ways. When They Call You a Terrorist focuses on the Black Lives Matter movement, while Just Mercy focuses on Bryan Stevenson’s role as a lawyer in Alabama. If you haven’t read either book, you need to. There wasn’t a book I read this month that I didn’t enjoy. I’m working on writing more detailed reviews for both Home is Where the Bodies Are and Funny Story, so I hope to have those up later this month.

Now onto the books I want to read this month:

Image is a stack of three books: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Roll for Love by M. K. England, and A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson.
Photo taken by me.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

I read A Court of Thorns and Roses, the first book in the series, back in 2023. I’ll be honest, I didn’t get the hype. I’ve heard many things about this series, one of which is that the first book is the weakest. I was gifted a box set of this series, which led me to read A Court of Mist and Fury this month. If I’m honest, I probably wouldn’t have read the rest of the series had I not received the set of books.

For those who are unfamiliar with this series, it centers on our protagonist, Feyre, as she deals with the aftermath of the first book. She’s brought back to life by the high fae from the various courts, which has consequences. Feyre feels trapped in her relationship with Tamlin as her wedding is expedited. Before the wedding happens, Feyre is sent to Rhysand in the Night Court per the deal she made with Rhysand in the last book.

I’m 150 pages into A Court of Mist and Fury, and I’m shocked. I’m enjoying this way more than A Court of Thorns and Roses, which is not at all what I was expecting. I’m curious to see what my final thoughts will be on this book.

Roll for Love by M.K. England

Roll for Love is a book about Harper, who moves back to the small town where her grandparents live. She’s reunited with Ollie, a childhood friend she hasn’t seen in years. Ollie invites Harper to their Dungeons & Dragons game, where sparks between them fly. This is not the first TTRPG-themed romance I have read, and I can’t say it will be the last.

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

The final book I want to read this month is A Dowry of Blood. A Dowry of Blood focuses on the story of Constanta, one of the brides of Dracula. I know nothing else about this book, but I’m looking forward to reading it. Dracula is one of my favorite books in classic literature, so I’m curious to see how the story develops.

This is a bit ambitious for a TBR, but I have a set plan about how I will finish all three of these books by the end of the month. I love how each of these books is from a different genre. I think it will keep me invested throughout the month.

When in Rome

Posted in Life Lately by

The first post in my three-part Italy series will focus on Rome, which is where we spent the most time on our trip. When planning our trip, we attempted to find a direct flight from Minneapolis to Italy. This proved unsuccessful, so we decided to fly out of O’Hare in Chicago instead. This was the best decision because this way we could fly directly to Italy rather than having a layover somewhere else. From there, we took trains all over Italy. Looking back, this made our trip so much more relaxing. Rome was a highlight of our trip and one of my favorite places I have ever visited.

Our first day in Rome was all about navigating the city. We took the Leonardo Da Vinci Express from the airport to Rome Termini, which is the main train station in Rome. My husband and I were committed to walking everywhere, which we did. Rome’s streets are older and all cobblestone, so we dragged our suitcases from the train station to our Airbnb. Maneuvering through Rome with our suitcases was a challenge. The streets and sidewalks are often very narrow, and with everything being mostly cobblestone, I’m surprised our suitcases didn’t pop a wheel. While exhausting, I feel accomplished that I was physically able to do all that walking with my backpack and a suitcase to lug around. Our first day was mostly getting acquainted with the time zone and the city.

Image is a close up view of the Colosseum. The sky is blue with white clouds on the left of the photo. It shows three layers to the colosseum with the third layer collapsing. In the second row, there are figures that can be seen through the slots of the colosseum. There are people outside the colosseum looking at it.
Photo taken by me.
Image is a phot of me sitting on a bar with the colosseum in the background. I'm smiling at the camera wearing sunglasses.
Photo taken by my husband.

Our second day was spent seeing the Colosseum. The Colosseum was one of my favorite moments from the trip. When we walked to the Colosseum, we passed by all these beautiful marble buildings. On either side of us, there were historic pillars from buildings that were built so long ago. Rome is a historic city, and there’s so much to see while walking. Our Colosseum tickets were for a self-guided tour, and we had seventy-five minutes to explore. We walked around the Colosseum and to the outer ring of the arena. If you look down into the arena, there are these flaps that would lift up. This represents where animals would enter the arena; they would come out of these flaps to attack the gladiators. My husband looked this up, and it’s estimated that 1 million animals were killed during this time. While we toured the Colosseum, the weather was gorgeous! It was so sunny. We spent almost the full time walking around the Colosseum and taking a ton of pictures.

Photo is of the Spanish Steps. There are steps farther away in this photo with a fountain off to the left. There's a white cathedral type building with two pillars / domes at the top. To the left and right of the spanish steps are two Italian buildings with beige, white, and brown stone to them.
Photo taken by me.

On the same day we did the Colosseum, we went to the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps are a monument in Rome, and it’s actually illegal to sit on them. Walking to the Spanish Steps, there are a ton of designer clothing stores on either side of the street. Gucci, Prada, and Dolce & Gabbana had storefronts in this area. I am not into designer clothing, but it’s impressive to see all the fashion designers in Italy. As we approached the steps, there was a big fountain in the middle of the cobblestone courtyard. Climbing the steps, we were treated to a lovely view of Rome. It was worth all the uphill climbing to get there.

Image is a photo of the Vatican. There are three big buildings with the Vatican at the center. The Vatican has 10 big pillars at the front with a beautiful dome and point at the top. In front of the Vatican is a huge square. Off to the right is a big column statue.
Photo taken by me.

The day before we flew home, we toured the Vatican. As a fun fact, the Vatican is located in its own city-state called Vatican City. My husband wanted to tour the Vatican as he wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, which has the paintings Michaelanglo did, specifically the painting in which God is touching his finger to Adam, giving him life. When touring the Vatican, there is a strict policy on what you wear. Shoulders cannot be showing, and any pants, skirts, or dresses have to be below the knee. Anything low-cut is strictly forbidden. Outside the Vatican, there are vendors selling shawls to those who need additional coverage. We originally signed up for an Italian tour because the English tours were all sold out. As we arrived for our tour time, the woman who checked us in gave us a look and asked if we spoke Italian. We responded honestly that we don’t, but we were really looking forward to the tour, and we knew what we had signed up for. She was able to pull some strings and move us into the English-speaking tour. It was lucky, but to reiterate, we knew what we signed up for, and we weren’t expecting anyone to bend for us.

While touring the Vatican, there were so many different marble statues and artifacts to see. There was a statue of the goddess Athena. Our tour guide explained that Athena’s eyes were black (as opposed to having regular marble eyes) to make Athena seem more intimidating. There are also several marble statues of lions, including Hercules holding the lion’s head. Our tour was two hours, and once the tour ended, we proceeded to make our way to the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel was much smaller than I anticipated it would be. It’s forbidden to take photos of the Sistine Chapel. There are several security guards stationed throughout who were yelling at people who had their phones out. The reasoning behind this is that flash photography can ruin or damage the paintings. I think this is neat because it forces people to live in the moment and take it all in, versus taking a photo to remember for later. My husband felt this was one of his favorite parts of our trip.

Photo is an image of a black kitty lounging on a rock. There's a gate that protects the kitty from visitors.
Photo taken by me.
Photo is the grounds of the Cat Sanctuary. It shows brown brick barriers that look slightly damaged. There are pillars that were standing from a building that is no longer there. There are plants growing within the remains as well.
Photo taken by me.

Oh, and I can’t forget about the cat sanctuary! The Torres Argentina Cat Sanctuary was the site of Julius Caesar’s assassination. In 1929, this area was excavated, and cats would hang out in the area. In 1993, two women started working on getting the cats spayed and neutered. The cat sanctuary was born! When we walked up to the sanctuary, there were kitties everywhere! They were napping in the plants, walking around the site, and if you go down this set of stairs, there’s a door that leads to the front desk. As a cat lover, I was thrilled. The Torres Argentina Cat Sanctuary is fun to see, and it’s free, so why not go see the cats?

There’s so much more that I can write about, but those were the major highlights from Rome. I’m glad that we spent the majority of our time in Rome, as there’s a lot to take in. For my next post, I will be talking about Florence, including the cooking class we took.

World of Darkness – White Wolf Announcement

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During Darkness Emergent Los Angeles, it was announced that World of Darkness is being rebranded to White Wolf and will be the official publisher for World of Darkness properties. This includes: Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and Hunter: The Reckoning. For those new to World of Darkness, the original role-playing books were published under White Wolf Publishing, which is now defunct and has been merged with a gaming company, subsequently acquired by another gaming company. If that sounds messy, it’s because it is. This announcement comes full circle, meaning World of Darkness products are going back to the White Wolf name. Is this purely a corporate stunt? Or will this improve upon the World of Darkness brand?

Let’s start at the very beginning. White Wolf and Vampire: The Masquerade were created in the 90s by Mark Rein-Hagen. After Vampire’s release, there were Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion, and Changeling: The Dreaming. In the 1990s, numerous editions and revisions were made to the games to enhance their quality. With the business downturn and Mark Rein-Hagen leaving, White Wolf was acquired by CCP Games in 2006. In 2015, Paradox Interactive acquired White Wolf Publishing from CCP Games. World of Darkness partnered with Renegade Game Studios to sell World of Darkness licensed products. I’m skimming over quite a bit of history, but to simplify this as much as possible, that’s where we are.

It took me more time than I care to admit to research and cite all this information. Going back to the announcement, what does this actually mean? In the announcement, it says, “As White Wolf enters its next chapter, it brings World of Darkness’ IP closer to fans and empowers a new generation of storytellers to explore and expand its rich universe.” My thought is that White Wolf and World of Darkness would move away from Paradox and Renegade and own everything. I don’t see this as a bad thing. This history is convoluted, and when you introduce new players to the brand, it would be easier if White Wolf owned everything. Given White Wolf’s history, I think there is skepticism about the announcement. I’m curious to see how this plays out in the next six months to a year from now.

My first thought when I heard this announcement was, are we getting a current Wraith: The Oblivion book? I came into World of Darkness later, so I’d be curious if some of these older games will get a rebrand. Wraith: The Oblivion is on Drivethru RPG, and reading the description of this game, this is absolutely something I’d love to play. Based on the description, players play as ghosts who have recently died and are now trying to survive in this gothic underworld. How cool is that? There’s a lot of opportunity with this rebrand; it depends on how White Wolf approaches it.

It’s too early to say more than this, but I’m hoping for an update on some of the other World of Darkness properties. The World of Darkness property has so much potential, and I’d love to see these games become more popular in the TTRPG space. The last thing I will say, I’m not an expert in World of Darkness; I’m simply a fan who loves the game. If I missummarized anything or if something needs to be updated, let me know in the comments below.

The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

Posted in Reading/Books by
Image is a book cover for The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent. The book shows a sword with a crown and blue flower next to it.
Photo taken by me.

Spoilers for both The Serpent & The Wings of Night and The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King

While in Italy, I finished a few books that I had been reading before the trip. With the two 9 1/2 hour flights and multiple trains that we took, I had plenty of time to read. One of the books I read was The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent. This is the second book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series starring Oraya and Raihn. I loved the first book when I read it last year and received the sequel as a gift, so I knew I wanted to continue the series. I loved The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King and can’t wait to read more books in Obitraes.

After the violent end to the Kejari, Oraya is a prisoner, and Raihn becomes the King of the House of Night. Raihn faces challenges as his background as a former slave doesn’t bode well with those who feel he doesn’t deserve nobility. Raihn offers Oraya a deal: help him deal with his betrayers, and he will let her walk, even if Oraya chooses to kill Raihn to avenge her father. Oraya is confronted with her past and faces her destiny as the chosen heir to the House of Night.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I love Obitraes and the world these books take place in. I like reading about the vampire houses and their history. In this book, we learn more about the House of Shadow, and this impacts Mische and her story. I like how the gods shape the world. In my first review of the book, I said it reminds me of the gods from Dungeons & Dragons, and how Nyaxia reminds me of The Raven Queen. I still find that to be the case in this book. Writing this review is going to be heavily biased. The story could have sucked, and I’d still rate this book highly because I love this world so much.

This book truly feels like Oraya’s story. Raihn has a point of view in some of the chapters, but this story centers on Oraya. I liked reading about Oraya’s past (how she’s half-vampire, her abilities, and who her mother is!) Oraya’s mother has a strong bond to one of the other gods, and I thought that was interesting. I read other reviews for this book, and some readers were unhappy with the story and how Oraya united with Raihn, even though he killed her father. I can see why readers would feel that way, but I disagree. Oraya’s father, Vincent, is not a good person. It’s strongly emphasized that he sexually assaulted the previous queen of the House of Night and killed the king. He lied to Oraya about her past and about killing her mom. I don’t want this book to be a revenge story because Vincent’s past caught up to him. Instead, I liked how this book portrays Oraya’s relationship to power and what kind of queen she wants to be. Sure, Raihn is still in the picture, but I fully believe Oraya has the power to kill Raihn if he steps out of line.

The one grievance I have with this book is that the story felt rushed. Oraya’s learning about her past was told in 100 pages, and I think this could have been elongated into multiple books. I understand that this is a duology for Oraya and Raihn specifically, but I would have loved another book to dive into this more.

I was contemplating what to rate The Ashes & The Star-Cursed King. I ended up rating this four stars, but leaning towards 4.5 or five stars depending on the day. The next book in this series will focus on Mische, and I’m excited to read more about her! She was a standout character in this series, so the fact that she’s getting her own books, I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Traveling to Italy!

Posted in Life Lately by

For the past ten days, my husband and I were in Italy! This trip has been a long time in the making. Ever since our trip to Europe, I have wanted to plan another international trip. We talked about planning this trip last year, but ended up pushing it to this year. When we were deciding where to go, my husband originally suggested France, specifically Paris. I suggested Italy. The more we looked into it, the more we solidified Italy as our next country to visit.

Image is a photo of me and my husband smiling at the camera. We are sitting in our airline seats waiting for our flight to take off.
Photo taken by me.

Learning from our honeymoon, we didn’t commit to any other countries to visit. We solely focused on Italy, and that was absolutely the best choice. We went to Rome, Florence, Milan, and Lake Como. While we didn’t see every single city in Italy, I felt we still saw a lot in the time we were there. I’d rather fully explore one country than try to see three or four countries and bounce between cities. Paris was dropped from our trip, but I hope to visit Paris someday.

I’m looking forward to getting back to my routine. I’m dedicating one post per city that we visited, and of course, I will share the pictures we took. Our trip to Italy was amazing, and I’m happy that we were able to make an international trip work this year.

Thunderbolts* (2025)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
Image is a movie poster for Thunderbolts* It shows Yelena on the cover, thinking. To the right is Taskmaster. Bucky and Red Guardian are behind Yelena. John Walker and Ghost are fighting / grappling Red Guardian.

Major spoilers for Thunderbolts* Below

Thunderbolts* was a Marvel movie that I was looking forward to. I read some of the Thunderbolts comics as single issues last year to help prepare for the movie. Another thing that I was looking forward to was seeing both Bucky and Yelena in one movie. If that wasn’t enough, I like how this is a less intense version of Suicide Squad. Thunderbolts* held up to the hype and adds a lot of good themes and commentary about a variety of topics.

Thunderbolts* focuses on Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh) as she struggles to find purpose in her life. She has been doing paid work for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), but the jobs only give her the money she needs to survive and nothing else. Yelena wants out, so Valentina says that if she does one last job, she will be free to walk. Yelena is tasked with finding a thief who’s attempting to break into one of Valentina’s storage facilities. When she gets there, she meets John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell), Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (played by Olga Kurylenko). They were all sent to capture a thief and quickly realized that Valentina had set them up to kill each other. After fighting each other, they realize they have to escape with help from a new friend, Bob (played by Lewis Pullman). The group, naming themselves Thunderbolts, has to stop Valentina and expose her illegal activities.

Okay, but can we stop bringing characters back only to kill them? Taskmaster was brought back, which was cool, only to be shot in the head by Ghost. Why bother? I’m fine with Marvel tying up loose characters from all of these films, but not if they are going to be killed. Both my husband and I thought this was a waste of the character. Olga deserved much more than this.

Going into this film, I thought Bucky would be the star of the show, but this is clearly Yelena’s movie. I’m perfectly fine with that. Yelena fills the void left by Natasha’s death. I like her as a character and how her grief is explored. Yelena confronts Hawkeye in Hawkeye, but it doesn’t give her the closure she needs. Yelena feels alone in the world, and while Red Guardian (played by David Harbour) shows up later, he could have shown up earlier. There’s good dialogue between Yelena and Red Guardian where he apologizes for not being there for her, but wants to be there for her now, and it’s really sweet.

While this is Yelena’s movie, Bucky does make a grand entrance. In his position within the government, he’s also investigating Valentina’s activities, which coincides with Bucky aligning with the team. He attacks several convoys, and it was the entrance that Bucky deserved in the movie. I think it’s clear that Bucky wants to make a difference as a politician, but maybe that’s not where he needs to be.

Thunderbolts* has excellent commentary on mental illness, grief, and how heavy loneliness can feel. Bob’s powers are unlocked thanks to Valentina manipulating him. After beating the Thunderbolts, Bob is betrayed by Valentina. This darkness washes over him, and he starts to cloak New York in shadow. Yelena is the first to help by entering the darkness to find Bob. Bob is a victim as he agreed to undergo medical testing to rise above his addiction and his trauma. There’s a moment where Yelena runs to Bob and tells him she’s here for him, which empowers Bob to put away the darkness. Thinking of all the characters within Thunderbolts, they have had tragic back stories in which they are stronger together. This movie didn’t have an epic hand-to-hand combat finale; instead, this movie had a softer approach in the latter half, which I thought fit the characters within the team.

Thunderbolts* was worth the hype. I’m looking forward to seeing these characters pop up in future Marvel projects.

The Amateur (2025)

Posted in Bizarre Brunette Big-Screen Watches by
Image is a poster for The Amateur. It shows two actors on either side of each other: Rami Malek on one side and Lawrence Fishburne on the other. It's clear from the background that they are in a European city.

When I think about my love for movies, I can’t help but think about my mom. Growing up, I was exposed to a lot of different movies. I grew up on Harrison Ford action films, the Bond films, and dramas. I wouldn’t be the moviegoer I am today without my mom. When I think about my favorite genre, it would have to be action films. My mom had wanted to see The Amateur, an action film that came out in April of this year. The Amateur was a solid and entertaining movie.

The Amateur focuses on Charles “Charlie” Heller (played by Rami Malek) as he gets ready to go to work. He kisses his wife, Sara (played by Rachel Brosnahan), as she is leaving overseas for a work trip. Charlie works for the CIA as a cryptographer. Charlie is called into his director’s office, as he is told that Sara was killed in London during a terrorist attack. Charlie is heartbroken and angry and researches who killed Sara. When he brings this information to his director, he’s told that they will handle it, but they clearly have their own agenda versus bringing in his wife’s killers. Charlie pushes back and gets specialized training from Robert Henderson (played by Lawrence Fishburne). Charlie is forced to go on the run as everything he’s doing isn’t sanctioned by the government. He plans on taking out his wife’s killers once and for all.

The draw for this movie is that Charlie isn’t built to be a killer. His area of expertise is computers, tech, and putting together explosives. The government dismisses Charlie and doesn’t think he’s capable of doing what he does. In one scene, Charlie kills a man by causing the glass pool to break, sending the man crashing down several stories. There’s an element of creativity to what Charlie does because he doesn’t have the experience of killing anyone. I wouldn’t say that this makes the film unique, but I think it makes the viewer want to root for Charlie.

The cast in this movie is great. I have been a fan of Rami Malek for some time. I think he’s great in anything he’s in. This can be said about Lawrence Fishburne and Rachel Brosnahan, although Rachel is barely in the film. In these action films, the cast is important. Casting actors who have a big following will bring interest in wanting to see this film in theaters.

The Amateur was a solid action film. It was entertaining from start to finish.

Snotgirl Volume #3 – Review

Posted in Reading/Books by
Image is a cover for the third volume of Snotgirl. It shows two men on either side of a woman. The woman is in the middle and has bright green hair.
Photo taken by me.

When I was in Chicago, I stopped by a comic book store. I found several volumes of various comic series that I needed. I’m working my way through them now, and one of those volumes is Snotgirl Volume #3, written by Bryan Lee O’Malley with art by Leslie Hung. When I first started reading comics, I read the first issue of Snotgirl and did not like it. I returned to this series several years later, and I’m glad I did. Snotgirl has an interesting premise, but it’s the art that keeps me reading through the series.

Snotgirl follows fashion influencer Lottie Person as she lives her life in California. In the first volume, Lottie meets a mysterious woman named Caroline. Caroline becomes fast friends with Lottie and very quickly integrates into her life. There’s always been something about Caroline that seems off. In the third volume, secrets are revealed that Caroline hasn’t been aging since the 90s. Who is Caroline, and why did she seek out Lottie?

My biggest gripe with this series is how the story keeps getting dragged out. Each volume shows a shadier side of Caroline, but who is she? Is she a vampire? a demon? Did she sell her soul to a devil to remain ageless? Each volume seems to blend together with all the shady things Caroline has done without revealing what her goal is. I hope the next volume provides some much-needed answers.

Snotgirl is one of the few comic series I read solely for the art. Leslie Hung does an excellent job of bringing the world of Snotgirl to life. Lottie’s hair is this bright lime green, and that color is featured throughout the panels. Each page is an explosion of bright neon hues, and each of Lottie’s friends has their own distinct style. It makes the series memorable. Leslie can illustrate all the comics, and I’d buy every single one of them.

Snotgirl is a series that I enjoy reading. It’s not my favorite series, but I find it a page-turner nonetheless. I want to know what Caroline’s deal is, and hopefully that’s answered in the next volume.