🎬 ~ Soul

 rating: 9.25 / 10

wow, i was... not expecting that. at first i thought "hey another movie about the finding the meaning of life" but then again it's pixar so yea they delivered. i teared up when i realised what this movie was about. the fish story is so insane, man. ugh, angela bassett you ate queen. even the cinematography and aesthetics of nyc were so good. as a person lowkey obsessed with that city, i found it all very mesmerising. the sheer attention to detail was cool asf, which ik is a pixar benchmark but not in a realism sense yk? releasing this movie during the pandemic was a smart move. i would've bawled if i watched it then. i really love the message of this movie (can you tell? i keep repeating it lol) and that montage of moments where joe recalls his memories of just enjoying life was beautiful. i feel like this movie stuck a chord in me because i too have experienced those moments of the sun on my face and looking into trees and feeling the waves on the beach against my feet and thinking "i like living". that one tiktok audio "i like this little life" is literally this movie haha. twas very good. highly recommend. also, score by trent reznor and atticus ross from challengers?! y'all ate.

📖 ~ Jade City

 rating: 5/5

let's be honest, what else could i have rated this book? it deserves nothing but praises. not a single criticism comes to mind if i try to bring out any flaws, which even if there are any, must be nigh invisible. i'm writing this a day or two after finishing the book, because i'm a procrastinator like that, so i might be missing some things but i'll try my best to talk about everything. 

the writing was wonderful; the imagery it evokes and the emotions it brought out were truly a feat considering the likes of me so kudos to you, fonda lee. the story itself, oh my god, where do i even begin? it is magnificent, truly sublime, and it gives me everything i never knew i could ask for. it is right up my alley, and i couldn't be more happier that my first adult fantasy read turned out to be such a good experience (thank you for recommending this book, daniel greene). the plot happens because of active choices by the characters, in a manner reminiscent of real life. all the characters are truly complex and nuanced. usually with four (now three, r.i.p. lan, i'll get to him in a bit) characters in the spotlight, at least one of them turns out to be less interesting than the others and ends up feeling like an unnecessary puff piece for the word count, but goodness gracious was i invested in every single one of them. lan's death was truly shocking, albeit not all unexpected, firstly because of my trusty prediction skills and secondly, due to me watching daniel greene's review of this book a couple years ago and remembering that someone had died (i kept thinking it was some granny lol false memories go brrr). anden's entire character and his gojo satoru level power scale astound and excite me. i couldn't believe how nerfed he was lol because most pieces of media overstate a supposedly powerful character's powers but here it was like they didn't state it enough haha. his sheer prowess, of which we barely got a taste of what he is capable of, made my jaw DROP. shae and hilo are also immensely interesting characters, and i hope to see them in the narrative until the end. and lol i got emotional and almost cried so many times while reading this book that has literally never happened before. i am now off to read the rest of the trilogy. wish me luck, i'll need it (send condolences to my eyes).

🎬 ~ Ultraman: Rising

rating: 9.75/10

WHY IS THIS MOVIE GOOD?? i love it when kids movies are not horrible coz "they're meant for kids" and are also accessible for adults too. first things first, let's get this out of the way: yk why i watched this movie haha—KEN SATO IS FINNEEEEEEEE. like damn all y'all in character design cooked, didn't u? he was SUCH a girldad, i loved it. it's a feel good movie with subtle messaging but it's nice for a light-hearted watch. the animation is great, the score slaps (the ultraman song from the credits will be saved on spotify bet), and THE BABY JIGGLYPUFF KAIJU AHHH SHE'S SO CUTE BRO AWWWWW. i want to watch the next movie hehe post-credits thank you for the confirmation (also kenji looked so fine in that scene wha-). the antagonist was kinda weak tho and minor nitpicks with the overall ehh-ness of the villain's side made this something less than a 10. but A GENUINELY GOOD MOVIE OKAY. netflix releases truly good movies sometimes (i need to find other ways to say it adjectives where r u). this one is right up there w nimona.

🎬 ~ Ultraman: Rising

rating: 9.75/10

WHY IS THIS MOVIE GOOD?? i love it when kids movies are not horrible coz "they're meant for kids" and are also accessible for adults too. first things first, let's get this out of the way: yk why i watched this movie haha—KEN SATO IS FINNEEEEEEEE. like damn all y'all in character design cooked, didn't u? he was SUCH a girldad, i loved it. it's a feel good movie with subtle messaging but it's nice for a light-hearted watch. the animation is great, the score slaps (the ultraman song from the credits will be saved on spotify bet), and THE BABY JIGGLYPUFF KAIJU AHHH SHE'S SO CUTE BRO AWWWWW. i want to watch the next movie hehe post-credits thank you for the confirmation (also kenji looked so fine in that scene wha-). the antagonist was kinda weak tho and minor nitpicks with the overall ehh-ness of the villain's side made this something less than a 10. but A GENUINELY GOOD MOVIE OKAY. netflix releases truly good movies sometimes (i need to find other ways to say it adjectives where r u). this one is right up there w nimona.

🎬 ~ Atonement

rating: 7.25/10

cinematography, editing and score were gorgeous but plot was not. i expected a different story, and i expected it to be better. clearly, it's my fault for not liking this movie. it's not tragic enough (that's such a psycho thing to say abeer what're u doing to me). the part where robbie realises he gave the wrong letter to briony was so funny tho—i started losing my shi watching that on a train. the romance is definitely right person not enough time, but there's also the fact that i did not sense a single ounce of emotional closeness between the couple. it only felt like physical attraction was present, which made robbie's motivation to get back to her not very believable. they've done nothing for each other to warrant being in love. it wasn't developed enough imo. it's a pretty movie but it lacks a soul.

📖 ~ Funny You Should Ask

rating: 1.25/5

this book cannot decide what it wants to be: a contemporary, a holiday novel, or a small town second chance romance? idk bro, i can't tell you. it tries to juggle at least three different tropes and genres and loses all of them. the execution fails spectacularly, the mystery is ruined, the romance is half-baked, the attraction is all physical and it's literally all about the guy who's lowkey a creep and does questionable things. doesn't even ask for consent or confirm the girl's feelings in one scene before doing something that would've been sexual assault or harassment if she weren't into him. the writing is awfully mediocre and juvenile and despite being an adult romance, its language reads like stereotypical YA. i liked oliver but he doesn't take up a major spot in the narrative. homegirl keeps crapping on jeremy the ex but never says a single good thing about him, which doesn't explain why on earth she gets married to him. also, the book gets an F coz it flunked the bechdel. all interactions between two women are about a man. i want to give it kudos for having tall fml rep but it's offset by the ml being described as "ohh soo much taller than her". i'm mad at this story coz the beginning was so promising until the middle started getting mediocre asf, not to mention that horrendous third act conflict that happened in the last chapter because of a stupid thing and got resolved within minutes. who tf thought this was a good book. it feels like booktok bait.