I remember watching a trailer for Bullet Train last year and thought it seemed like a fun movie. It’s tough to tell with action movies because, as much as I love them, they tend to follow the same premise. Bullet Train was getting rave reviews, so maybe there was something unique about the movie that made it stand out. Bullet Train was such a fun twist on an action movie. If Knives Out was an action film, that’s how I would describe Bullet Train.

Bullet Train begins with Ladybug (played by Brad Pitt) being sent out on a last-minute job to pick up a briefcase on a train. As Ladybug searches for the briefcase, the film introduces us to “brothers” Lemon (played by Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who are also looking for the briefcase while also protecting “The White Death’s” son, who was kidnapped earlier. If that wasn’t enough to keep track of, “The Father” (played by Andrew Koji) is searching the train for the person who pushed his son off a building. “The Father” is knocked out by “The Prince (played by Joey King), who reveals herself as luring “The Father” to the train to help kill “The White Death”, but it’s not revealed why “The Prince” wants “White Death” dead until later. As the characters fight each other over the briefcase, they realize that details were left out as to why they were asked to be on the train.

As far as the characters, it’s clear that Lemon and Tangerine stole the show. They were hilarious, and they had great chemistry together. I would watch a “buddy cop” type film starring Lemon and Tangerine. Lemon talks about his love of the Thomas the Tank Engine TV show and how he would group people as one of the trains on the show. This carried throughout the whole movie, with everyone referring to the “double agent” as Diesel, a train on the show. As a side note, there are rumors that Aaron-Taylor Johnson is being auditioned as the next James Bond, and after watching Bullet Train, I can see it. Lemon and Tangerine are the best parts of this movie.

The reason I would describe Bullet Train as being a Knives Out action film is how much mystery there is and how it’s revealed towards the end. There are moments that happen earlier in the film that feel innocuous but are then revealed as being important later on. An example of this is when Ladybug punches a stuffed cat and walks away. The stuffed cat was really an assassin in disguise that Ladybug had to fight later on. The way everything is revealed and tied up at the end is satisfying.

Bullet Train was one of the more memorable action films that I have seen recently. I’m still waiting on a Lemon / Tangerine team-up movie. Hollywood should make that happen.

When it comes to sitting down and watching a movie, I tend to lean toward action or adventure films. After reading romance books in February, I found myself wanting to watch a rom-com. As I was scrolling through Hulu and Netflix, I found Set It Up starring Glenn Powell before his Top Gun: Maverick fame. I figured, why not watch it, because even if the movie wasn’t that great, it can still be fun to watch. Set It Up was cute and better than I was initially expecting it to be.

Harper Moore (played by Zoey Deutch) is an assistant to sports journalism editor Kirsten Stevens (played by Lucy Liu). Harper has always dreamed of writing sports articles that move people, but she hasn’t found the time to actually write. In the meantime, Charlie Young (played by Glenn Powell) is an assistant to venture capitalist Rick Otis (played by Taye Diggs). Charlie is hoping for a promotion, so he doesn’t have to be an assistant for too much longer. Both Harper and Charlie bond over the fact that they are constantly busy being assistants. They decide that if they tried to pair up Kirsten and Rick, maybe they would have more time to devote to themselves. Harper and Charlie work together to set Kirsten and Rick up while also falling in love with each other.

Set It Up falls into the trope of a “quirky girl falls in love with the hot guy” Harper is a sports fan, but the way she expresses herself, along with her personality, falls into the trope. She’s goofy and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Charlie is the “hot guy” who likes quirky Harper, and they fall in love. I can’t help it, but I love this trope in romance. For any fan of romance in general, I think everyone has that trope that they love, and this is one of them for me. Another theme in rom-com is the cast. The cast can either make or break a movie. I thought Zoey and Glenn had great chemistry together. I wasn’t expecting Pete Davidson to play Charlie’s best friend, so I thought that was a nice surprise.

Set It Up was a cute rom-com, and I’m glad I watched it.

Last weekend, I sat down to watch Critical Role Episode #115 “The Chapter Closes.” This was the final episode in Critical Role’s first campaign, Vox Machina. According to a Reddit thread, the full campaign of Vox Machina is about 447 hours, which includes all their episodes. To say that I have watched all 447 hours is incredible. I started Critical Role toward the beginning of 2021 without knowing what I was getting into. I can’t believe I have gotten to this point! I wanted to talk a little about Vox Machina and some observations I had. There will be spoilers of the campaign down below.

My first thought after finishing Vox Machina was how much the characters grew over 115 episodes. All the characters had character growth as they matured and learned from their adventures. The first character I thought of was Scanlan. Scanlan (played by Sam Riegel) was a flirtatious, wisecracking character who always seemed to break the tension. He would make sexist and somewhat indecent jokes throughout the episodes. Once Scanlan discovered he had a daughter, he became more humbled. Once Scanlan died and was brought back, he separated from Vox Machina and went on his own. I loved this arc! I think Scanlan was taken for granted by Vox Machina, and I’m glad that Scanlan called Vox Machina out on that. Towards the end of the campaign, Scanlan admits his love for Pike (played by Ashley Johnson), and it’s hinted that Scanlan and Pike marry. Scanlan, towards the beginning of the campaign, wasn’t on my radar, but now he has quickly become one of my favorite characters.

Besides Scanlan, Percy (played by Taliesin Jaffe) was another standout character. Percy was angry and bent on revenge for the death of his family. He made a lot of terrible decisions to get revenge. Halfway through the campaign, Percy and Vex (played by Laura Bailey) admit their feelings for each other. Vex softens Percy and helps Percy to move through his grief. Percy was originally the first character in Vox Machina that I paid the most attention to.

As I watched the last episode, I was absolutely crying throughout the first half of the episode. The emotion on everyone’s faces made it that much more believable. It’s clear that the cast of Critical Role became their characters and had a strong attachment to playing them each week.

Now that I have finished watching Vox Machina, what’s next? Three one-shots feature Vox Machina that I am planning to watch sometime this week (The Search for Grog, The Search for Bob, and Dalen’s Closet). The Amazon Prime series, The Legends of Vox Machina, has season #2 coming out on January 20th, which I intend to watch. Once all of that is completed, I will officially start watching campaign #2, Mighty Nein. If I had to predict, I probably won’t start until February, since I still have a lot of content left, even if it’s not the main campaign.

I’m so happy that I started watching Critical Role. It’s been fun to experience the full universe that Matt Mercer has built.

Merry Christmas! I wasn’t sure whether I should write a Holiday-Themed blog post, but I decided against it. I had this blog topic on my mind for a while and figured today would be as good a day as any to write this. There have been a lot of DC-related announcements now that James Gunn, along with Peter Safran, is the CEO of DC Films. There is a lot that’s been up in the air, as it seems that James Gunn is inheriting a mess of a franchise. With the recent announcements, there is a lot to unpack.

I think the biggest announcement is easily about Henry Cavill. Henry Cavill posted on Instagram that he wouldn’t be returning as Superman. James Gunn followed up on this, saying that they were aiming to create a younger Superman story. This news is disheartening. With the release of Black Adam, Henry Cavill appeared in the post-credits scene, which implied that he would be back in the role. YIKES. I think Henry Cavill’s statement was professional, especially given the context. Both my husband and I liked Henry Cavill as Superman, as we thought he was a good fit for the role, and it seemed like Henry genuinely enjoyed being in this universe. I’m not exactly a fan of a younger Superman story because it has been done before. I think it would have been much more interesting to feature a veteran Superman who has been through some traumatic events but has gotten through them.

To be clear, I don’t think James Gunn has an easy job. He has to enter an already messy situation and figure out a way to move forward. Unfortunately, it sounds like this will be a full reset instead of merging everything together.

My friend reached out to me and asked me if I had watched Ms. Marvel yet. I told her I haven’t, as I’m a bit behind in my Marvel Disney+ TV series. She encouraged me to watch it because she felt it was her all-time favorite Marvel show. I had this on my list to watch down the road, but since she set such high expectations, I started watching the show right away. I adored Ms. Marvel, and honestly, it might be up there with WandaVision as being my favorite Marvel TV show.

Ms. Marvel is centered around Kamala Khan (played by Iman Vellani), who is a teenager growing up in Jersey City. She’s a big Avengers fangirl, and she tries to convince her parents to let her go to AvengerCon, a comic book convention for fans of the Avengers. She brings along her friend Bruno (played by Matt Lintz) to AvengerCon, so she doesn’t have to go by herself. As Kamala enters the Captain Marvel Cosplay Contest, she slips on a family heirloom that grants her powers. She accidentally destroys portions of the convention and flees. With Bruno’s help, she starts to get a handle on her powers while also understanding her family’s history.

I loved Kamala! I’m biased because I did read Ms. Marvel comics before watching the show. Kamala’s love for the Avengers is front and center, which is a big part of her backstory. It’s not often that I watch a show and see a character on TV attending a comic book convention without it being a thing to make fun of. Ms. Marvel also highlights Kamala finding out about her family and why she has the powers that she does. I thought this story developed in a really interesting way. I also like Kamala’s friends. Ms. Marvel wouldn’t have come to be without Bruno. He’s the science best friend who helps Kamala. There’s Nakia (played by Yasmeen Fletcher), whom Kamala encourages to run for a position on the mosque board. While this is a show that’s focused on Ms. Marvel, Kamala’s friends help her become the superhero she wants to be.

Similar to She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel received online hate when it was released on Disney+. I genuinely do not understand the hatred for this series. I think if I had to guess, it would come down to the target audience. Ms. Marvel is aimed at a younger audience; it’s not gritty like Moon Knight was. Some of the hate could come from those who didn’t like Captain Marvel, which is silly because Ms. Marvel is a different story entirely. While I understand that not everyone will like the same things, I find it obnoxious whenever I see positive comments about Ms. Marvel, and there are Facebook reactions with the laughing face.

Ms. Marvel was so good! I’m contemplating rewatching the series again because that’s how much I liked the show. Ms. Marvel is available to stream on Disney+, and The Marvels is set to release in 2023.

I was scrolling through Facebook earlier this year, and Bridgerton kept popping up on my feed. I would watch video clips of the seasons along with cast interviews. There was so much hype around Bridgerton, and it seemed like everyone loved the show. I was going through Netflix the other day, looking for a new show to watch, and guess what popped up. I’m not normally a fan of Victorian-era content, but I figured I’d watch one episode of Bridgerton to at least see what it’s all about. From watching that first episode, I ended up finishing the series in a few days. Bridgerton is so good, and I cannot wait for season #3.

Bridgerton takes place in the 1800s and centers around various famous and rich families. Each season centers around one member of the family and finding love in the London social scene. In season #1, the story centers around Daphne Bridgerton (played by Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (played by Regé-Jean Page). In season #2, the story centers around Daphne’s older brother, Anthony (played by Jonathan Bailey), and Kate Sharma (played by Simone Ashley). In between all the romance and the balls, there’s a gossip column published by Lady Whistledown, who repeats the gossip she hears in a pamphlet. This is where the Gossip Girl comparison comes in. The voice of Lady Whistledown is Julie Andrews, who has the most lovely and soothing voice, which adds to the mystery of Lady Whistledown and her identity.

While the romances are the main draw of the show, I personally find it more interesting to keep track of the side characters. There is Eloise Bridgerton (played by Claudia Jessie). Eloise is coming of age, but she pushes back on what is expected of her. She’s a voracious reader and wants someone to have intellectual conversations with. She has no interest in holding down a household, and I find that Eloise gets more character growth in the second season. Besides Eloise, there’s Penelope Featherington (played by Nicola Coughlan). Penelope is one of Eloise’s best friends, and there’s a lot more to her than what is initially revealed. The third season of Bridgerton will focus on Penelope finding love. Throughout the series, Penelope was infatuated with Colin Bridgerton (played by Luke Newton), Anthony’s younger brother. I hope Penelope’s romance is with someone else because, towards the end of season #2, Colin makes some cruel comments about Penelope, which she overhears. I can’t see the two of them romantically linked, and Penelope deserves someone who authentically loves every part of her.

Speaking of the romances, I think I enjoyed watching season #2 more. While Daphne and Simon’s romance had a lot of chemistry, I liked how Kate challenged Anthony. It felt more like a tug of war between the two of them, which was more satisfying when they finally linked together. Kate and Anthony were couple goals, and I’m looking forward to Penelope’s season.

I did not think I would like Bridgerton as much as I did. Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix, and season #3 hasn’t been given a release date yet.

My husband and I go see every DC film as soon as it’s released in theaters. I have always been a devoted DC fan, even though DC has had quite a few hiccups in creating its own cinematic universe. As far as Black Adam, I completely forgot that this movie was being released this year. For what it’s worth, Black Adam was an enjoyable film; however, I think it emphasizes one of DC’s greatest weaknesses in the way they make their films.

Black Adam opens in ancient times, when a civilization attempts to overthrow a tyrannical king. A boy leading the rebellion gets transported to a secretive place where he gains powers. In the present day, archaeologist Adrianna Tomaz (played by Sarah Shahi) leads a team to a mountain searching for the Crown of Sabbac. As her team is ambushed by a rival group, Adrianna whispers a phrase that coincidentally releases Black Adam (played by Dwayne Johnson). Black Adam has been imprisoned for a while and is worshipped by the city as a hero. Meanwhile, Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis) calls in the Justice Society to stop Black Adam. Hawkman (played by Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (played by Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (played by Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (played by Noah Centineo) come together to capture Black Adam before he does too much damage.

The film itself was fun to watch. I felt myself coasting throughout the film and not getting bored in the slightest. I think Dwayne Johnson was perfectly cast as he fully embodies Black Adam. I loved seeing Amanda Waller / Viola Davis in this, as it helps build this cohesiveness that DC is missing. I was a huge fan of Doctor Fate, as I thought he brought reason to the group. It seemed like Cyclone and Atom Smasher had good chemistry together. Each character served a purpose in this team, and I liked watching them come together.

The one flaw in Black Adam and DC’s movies is juggling all these characters. I think DC, in a lot of ways, makes their films assuming people will know who these characters are. If I were to bring my friend to see this movie with me, she probably wouldn’t be able to fully invest in the story because there wasn’t any backstory given to the characters. It wasn’t discussed how Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher came to be. There were a few conversations in passing where Atom Smasher talks to his uncle, who used to have the suit, or how Cyclone was experimented on. I would have liked to see more backstories or flashback scenes of pivotal moments in their lives. Marvel, on the other hand, excels at this. They build these characters into their own solo movies, so fans start to connect with them. I don’t think the characters in Black Adam are on that level because they weren’t introduced in other live-action films. DC should make these movies that appeal to both fans of the comics and fans of superhero content who may not read comics regularly.

Black Adam was a fantastic film. I’m partial to Doctor Fate, as there’s a lot of comic book crossover between Doctor Fate and another favorite character of mine, Zatanna. If you see Black Adam, make sure you stay for the extra credit scene; you won’t want to miss it!

Spoilers for Campaign #3 of Critical Role

I have talked about Critical Role many times, and plan to keep doing so. I have been watching both Campaign #3 Bells Hells, along with Campaign #1 Vox Machina, simultaneously, as I hope to eventually be fully caught up on all things Critical Role. Campaign #3 is having a major moment, and the fate of one major character is unknown. I wanted to talk about Laudna (played by Marisha Ray) and her fate.

Spoilers for Campaign #3 of Critical Role Ahead

Before I talk about the episode, I wanted to talk about Dungeons & Dragons mechanics, so summarizing a moment in Critical Role will make more sense. In Dungeons & Dragons, when a character loses all of their hit points (or health points if you will), they go unconscious. If the player isn’t healed, they roll a death saving throw, which is completed by rolling a 20-sided die. Rolling a 1-10 counts as a failure, while rolling an 11-20 is a success. If a player rolls a 1, they get two failed death-saving throws in one roll. With three death-saving throws accrued, a character dies.

In episode #34 of Campaign #3, Fearne (played by Ashley Johnson) and Orym (played by Liam O’Brien) are dead as they were killed in battle. Fresh Cut Grass (played by Sam Riegel) had a spell that he used to bring back Fearne, and once Fearne was alive, Fearne would bring back Orym using a similar spell. Before all of this happened, Laudna was down and had to roll death saves. Unfortunately, Marisha had a failed death save already and ended up rolling a natural 1, meaning her character, Laudna, dies. Once Fearne was brought back to life, she had to pick which character to save: Laudna or Orym. Fearne picked Orym, and Laudna permanently died. I’m probably not doing the best job at explaining this, but the whole cast was emotional. As I was listening to this episode, I also became a little emotional.

I mentioned it multiple times before, but I’m playing in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that occurs every other Thursday. When I created my character, Laudna was a big inspiration for me. To see that Laudna may be permanently dead was gut-wrenching, as she was one of my favorite characters throughout this campaign. I’m bummed because I like the other characters, but Laudna was special to me.

Character death can happen in Dungeons & Dragons. It doesn’t make me want to stop watching Critical Role by any means, but as mentioned, I’m a little bummed that one of my favorite characters isn’t going to appear anymore. There’s a part of me that is holding out for Laudna to come back, but it’s not likely. If you’re watching Critical Role, let me know in the comments how this felt for you or who your favorite character is in Campaign #3.