Disney+

Tuesday Review – Encanto (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’ve been on the internet recently, so I’ve heard the absolute banging tunes from this film. It got to the point where I’d heard them so much that I just had to watch it. It’s another of those recent Disney films that I’ve just heard nothing bad about. Although, I was slightly concerned that the actual film couldn’t live up to the songs. I mean, the ones I’d heard were so good out of context that I wasn’t sure placing them into a story would work for me. The only thing that I could do was give it a go.

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Tuesday Review – Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)

books, reviews

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

I know that a lot of people out there will say that the original Home Alone film is a timeless classic and that it could never be topped. These people will say that the most recent film in the Home Alone franchise is ruining their childhood and that its very existence is an absolute travesty. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the first Home Alone film but I wasn’t outraged that Disney was attempting to cash in on the premise again. Especially as it was going to star Archie Yates who was an absolute delight in Jojo Rabbit. He seemed like the perfect choice to take over the Macaulay Culkin role. I also think there was a lot of potential to update the story for 2021.

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Tuesday Review – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Is anyone suffering from Marvel fatgue? It just feels so overwhelming to be a fan of the MCU these days. Not only are all the films pretty formulaic right now but they are trying to do something huge. It doesn’t help that I was reading about Dr Strange 2 today and the prospect of characters from Fox’s X-Men movies finally arriving in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s become so big. So much has changed since those early days when there were only about 6 superheroes to contend with. This general fatigue is part f the reason that it’s taken until now to watch Shang-Chi. I just needed a break. What with WandaVision and Loki ending in such cliched Marvel ways, I just wasn’t ready to go back to the big blockbusters. Now that it’s on Disney+, I figured it was time to see what it’s all about.

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Sunday Rundown: That’s What She Read

books, films, rundown
Sunday Rundown

What have you been reading this week?

I’ll be honest, I’ve not done well with reading this week. I don’t know why but I’ve just not felt like it. Thankfully, I’ve still managed to finish one, so I’ve not fallen behind schedule yet. However, I just haven’t found myself wanting to sit down with a book at any point. This means that I’m going to have to spend another Sunday reading. I’m sure that I can get it done but it’s not what I wanted. I don’t know why I can’t get into anything right now. It’s either the books I’m reading or the time of year. Of course, it doesn’t help that I’ve started playing Animal Crossing again. I just wanted to see what the latest update was like but I’m quickly falling back into the old routine. Need to sort myself out.

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Sunday Rundown – That’s What She Read

books, films, rundown
Sunday Rundown

What have you been reading this week?

Work is starting to get crazier but I’ve actually done more reading than normal this week. Well, until the end of the week but that’s okay. I have time. The point is, I didn’t struggle to finish a book to review on Friday so I actually managed to post 2 book reviews. This weekend feels like its been busy but I’ve had to try and get my photos for next week sorted out too. My friend just had her second baby and I’m going to see him next week. So, I’ve changes my priorities a bit. I think it’s only fair.

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Sunday Rundown – That’s What She Read

books, films, rundown
Sunday Rundown

What have you been reading this week?

It’s been another slow week, which is mostly due to the weather. I’m not built for this kind of heat and it’s really put me off reading. I have read a bit more than I did last week but it’s nothing to shout about. I’m very much aware that I’m getting to the end of July and I still have a few letters to cross off my reading challenge. I’ll get there. It will just require all of my attention. A real shame considering that I’ve got a lot to do today. Weekends need to be longer.

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Tuesday Review – Black Widow (2021)

reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

It’s been a long road getting to this Black Widow film. The character first appeared in the MCU way back in 2010 and has been sidelined ever since. Then the news finally hit that she was getting her chance in the spotlight. Of course, it wasn’t smooth sailing and Covid put the release date back by over a year. It’s fair to say that Natasha deserved a better deal but at least she’s finally the star of the show. Yes, it’s 4 years after Wonder Woman debuted and we’ve met Captain Marvel already. The fact is, Black Widow is here and we’ve got a lot to celebrate. For one thing, Scarlett Johansson is playing a character with an appropriate ethnic background. But this has always looked like a genuinely good film. The cast looked awesome ad there was plenty of potential to get to know the character from a different point of view.

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Tuesday Review – Cruella (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

I’m yet to be convinced by Disney’s plan to remake all of its animated film as live-action. At best, they can be described as fine. At worst, they’re pointless. The best by far is The Jungle Book because it was only slightly concerned with the original film. I guess Maleficent worked pretty well but I wonder how much that had to do with Angelina Jolie rather than the actual film. So, I wasn’t exactly hyped when it was announced that Cruella DeVil, first seen in 1961’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians, was getting an origin story. Or that she was going to be played by Emma Stone. Don’t get me wrong, I love Emma Stone but she’s no Glenn Close. The 1996 remake did many things wrong but casting Close as the villain was a genius stroke. I didn’t see how Stone would be able to compete and that was before I heard her dodgy accent.

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Sunday Rundown – That’s What She Read

books, rundown
Sunday Rundown

What have you been reading this week?

It’s been a fairly uneventful week. My reading started off pretty strong but quickly petered out towards the end of the week. I have quite a bit to get through today if I want to get my Monday review finished in time. Still, I’m pretty happy about the books that I’ve managed to read in June so far. I normally intend to read Pride books and then never get round to them. This year, I’ve actually stuck to my TBR. Is this a sign that things are changing? Doubtful but it’s a good step.

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Tuesday Review – Luca (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My last Tuesday blog ended with me saying that I needed to stop watching random animated movies and start watching real films again. Of course, when I said real films what I meant was grown-up films. It’s not that I think animated films aren’t real. So, I guess it could be considered something of a failure that I’m back this week with another animated feature but I think this one’s okay. After all, the latest Pixar release is a far cry from the random stuff that keeps popping up on Netflix these days. I’ve always been a big Pixar fan, so I knew that I had to check this one out as soon as possible.

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