Rachel

F is For Family (Seasons 1 and 2): I watched two seasons of “F is For Family” during fall break and it’s a hilarious show. It’s about a family living in the 70s. If you don’t like harsh language or raunchy humor, skip this show. This show is produced by Bill Burr, on Netflix and it has five seasons in total. I plan on watching seasons three to five when I have a chance.

Whiplash: I watched this movie a while ago but it’s definitely worth catching. It’s about a militant college band director and a college student who is trying to make it big as a successful drummer. The band director is portrayed by J.K Simmons and he is incredible in his role. If you can get past harsh language, watch it because the story of this movie is really good. “Whiplash” is streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Youtube, Google Play Movies and Fandango At Home

Amazing Digital Circus: I mentioned this show in a previous What We’re Watching Article and discussed the pilot episode. Episodes two and three prove that this show has found its stride and is getting better. Episode two follows the characters through a Candy Kingdom for their adventure and the third one takes a surprising approach by going the horror route and building on Zooble’s and Kinger’s character arcs. “Amazing Digital Circus” is now streaming on Netflix and can also be found on Glitch’s Channel on YouTube.

Ava

Twin Peaks: “Twin Peaks” follows FBI agent Dale Cooper who comes to the town of Twin Peaks to investigate the death of a teenage girl named Laura Palmer. I absolutely love all the characters in this show and although the storyline is about a murder, the show has many funny scenes and characters. Throughout season one, there are so many mysteries that definitely keep anyone watching on their feet. Season two is a little bit slower, but it’s definitely worth watching because the last episode is very artistic and beautiful. I think David Lynch is such an interesting director and he did an amazing job with Twin Peaks.

Dead Poets Society: I absolutely love “Dead Poets Society” and it is definitely one of my favorite movies to watch during fall. “Dead Poets Society” follows a group of boys who attend a boarding school called Welton Academy where their new English teacher, John Keating played by Robin Williams, shows a sort of unorthodox way of teaching. Keating inspires the boys to start a club, called the Dead Poets Society, where they go to a cave at night and read and write poems. I’ve had such an emotional tie to this movie and I would never pass up a chance to rewatch it.

Hellraiser: With Halloween approaching, I recently rewatched the original “Hellraiser” from 1987. I think “Hellraiser” could have been a classic horror movie (like “Halloween” or “Nightmare on Elm Street”) if it was less gory and horrific. The story follows Kirsty, whose father and stepmother have recently moved into their old house. Kirsty’s stepmother, Julia, discovers that her brother-in-law, Frank, has been revived from the dead and needs to feed on human flesh to fully recover. Kirsty discovers a puzzle box that she solves and she meets demons (known as cenobites) where she makes a deal to lead them to her uncle Frank. “Hellraiser” is a really amazing horror story and I definitely think it’s an amazing movie.

Logan

Soul: “Cars” has always been my favorite Pixar movie until I rewatched “Soul” for the second time. This movie came out at the end of 2020. After the first watch, I thought it was just good, completely missing out on the message of it. Almost four years later, after lots of mental change, this movie is in my opinion the greatest film Pixar has ever produced. “Soul” follows the story of Joe Gardner who is all about chasing his dreams of pursuing music. But after literally dying, he meets this other “soul” named 22.

Joe becomes her mentor helping her find the spark that allows her to be born. Joe cheats his way out of dying and ends up bringing 22 with him back to earth. With 22 possessing Joe’s physical body, Joe takes a cat’s body. Joe gets to see 22 experience life and sees her enjoying it, even without that spark she needs. This I have applied to my life ever since: We need to live in the moment and enjoy life to the fullest. By focusing on the smaller things, rather than the bigger picture, we often get so caught up in our goals that we forget to actually be alive. I love what Joe says at the end of the movie when he is given a second chance at life. He gets asked how he will spend the rest of his life, and Joe says, “I’m not sure. But I do know, I’m gonna live every minute of it.”

Vinland Saga: I never liked anime, but the life messages I was seeing from this show online were more than enough to convince me to watch it. “Vinland Saga” follows a young boy Thorfinn who dedicates his life to killing the man who slays his father Thors. We see this young, happy, innocent boy become riddled with nothing but rage, vengeance, and a burning desire to kill. But after his father’s killer is slain, Thorfinn realizes all the harm he caused to himself and others wasn’t worth it, and dedicates his life to being at peace.

As someone who was always angry when things didn’t go my way, or I got upset when my friends ticked me off, as I matured, I can relate to Thorfinn very closely. The best revenge you can give is none at all. Sometimes holding onto something does more damage than letting go. Life is far better when you choose your peace than the chaos of others. If there’s one thing I can say about this masterpiece, it’s that, “You don’t have enemies, nobody in this entire world deserves to get hurt.”

The Lego Movie: Releasing on February 7, 2014, this 10-year-old movie was far ahead of its time. As a kid who loved to build Legos, and still does build Legos today, this movie is a classic. They made an animated movie about Legos, something I never thought would be possible. Not only does this movie have amazing voice actors such as Chris Pratt, Will Ferrel and Morgan Freeman, it has a silly atmosphere, characters and vibrant settings. It has an actual true meaningful ending, despite the movie’s goofiness.

The concept of “the special” that there is a chosen person who is the best in the world is genius. They make it seem like Emmet is the hero, but by the end, you realize that everyone is “the special” and that the prophecy is made up. It’s the same way in life: no one is greater than anyone else. Everybody will get their chance to shine.

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