Hello to everyone who happens upon this post! I’ve been behind on my personal writing because of work and school, but I like to take the time to look back at what I’ve been doing every month. Here is how I rate things:
- No redeeming qualities whatsoever visually, aesthetically, or as a story.
- So boring I could barely pay attention or it frustrated me SO much I couldn’t finish.
- I had a headache but somehow made it through.
- I could make fun of it. . . because of how bad it is.
- It’s not good, it’s not bad. It’s just blah.
- There were various interesting aspects but nothing to really gush about.
- A solid story. Good characters, plot, and visuals. However, not amazing.
- I genuinely enjoyed watching/reading it. I could see/read it again with friends.
- A great experience! As a film/show it is visually stunning and has an incredible story I could go back to multiple times. As a book, I could do the same.
- Near Perfect (nothing is perfect. ) It has become one of my favorites. I could also write entire articles on it.
Movies
The Pebble and the Penguin (1995) 2.5/10
This movie stood on the brink of headache-inducing and so boring I could barely pay attention for more than five seconds. The one scene I ironically enjoyed watching was the “Don’t Make Me Laugh” villain song. Don’t get me wrong, it was garbage. However, the animation was so jarring it made me cry, I laughed so hard. I also showed it to my students and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their faces of disgust as we watched it together.
This is a movie for people who like watching bad movies for fun. Just be warned it is really difficult to sit through in one sitting.
Charming (2018) 6.5/10
There are a lot of good things going for this story, like some of the songs, some of the animation, and the overall charming love story and message at the end. I also really liked the knights who followed the prince around and saved him from getting mobbed by angry men. They were my favorite.
However, this movie is overly simplistic at times and the design for the prince is. . . bad. His chin is too long and his voice is a little bland at times.
But you know, it is okay! I liked watching this movie, especially after a slough of garbage films I looked through for my animation class.
Food Fight (2012) 1/10
I didn’t believe people when they said this movie was an abomination. I regret everything now. This is truly one of the worst films I’ve ever seen in my life. It hurt on so many levels and I never want to really think about it again honestly. I mean, look at the movie poster!
The Big Parade 6/10
I wanted to like this movie. I love silent films and John Gilbert was a very good actor. However, I watched it with my U.S. history class and we all concluded it reflected the American mentality about World War I perfectly. In other words, they overly romanticized it and had no clear vision of what fighting in the war really was like.
Basically, it was 2/3 dedicated to the romance and 1/3 sort of dedicated to showing what the war was like. It wasn’t a bad movie, but I don’t think I’ll watch it again. It DOES have great movie posters though! That is a wonderful plus! I bought one of them for my classroom.
Dawn of the Nugget (2023) 6/10
Sigh. . . this movie had a problem. It was a timing problem. Everything was just slightly. . . off. The jokes hit shallowly and I wasn’t really invested in it. I missed watching the original and wished I could go back and watch it again.
That aside, I was really impressed with the stop-motion animation and marveled at how far this studio has come in its special effects. I recommend you watch it if you’re interested to see what Aardman came up with.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) 8/10
This is not a perfect movie. In fact, it really isn’t a movie for everyone or something I would give roaring accolades to. But I don’t think that’s the point of this film. It is the perfect film for fans of the Mario franchise and is overall fun to watch. I don’t really play the games so I have no nostalgia for it, but I could tell it was respectful of the source material.
Also, the animation was SUPERB. I enjoyed picking it apart in my brain.
Doogal (British Version) 4.5/10
I’ve seen the American version of this movie. . . it is mentally painful to watch. So, my brother and I switched to the British version. Did it make much of a difference? Well, yes. I didn’t want to melt in my seat so I didn’t have to watch it. Rather, I was simply BORED the whole movie. So much in fact I made fun of it the entire time.
If you want to try this movie out do this version. It won’t hurt your soul as badly and you’ll be able to laugh at how bad the story is.
Shows
SpongeBob (1999) 8/10
I simply enjoyed walking down memory lane as I watched this show. It is memorable, quotable, and all-around lovely to watch for fun! I don’t go out of my way to watch this show very often, but sometimes I want to watch it after having a hard day.
Danny Phantom (2004) 8.5/10
I ironically loved watching this show this time around because I’m a teacher now. I laughed so hard when the teachers commented or did things during the show. I also realized how far I’ve come from my awkward teenage self.
I wish they could have explored this world more but I think it was sort of made at the wrong time in cartoon history. If they made it nowadays, I think people would enjoy it more.
Doctor Slump (2024) 7.5/10
I was excited to watch this Korean drama because I really like Daily Dose of Sunshine which came out earlier this year. But, this show was just. . . okay. I didn’t like how it handled PTSD and depression as much as Daily Dose, It’s Okay Not To Be Okay, and Move to Heaven. I also thought it was unhealthy how often the two main characters relied on alcohol to fix their problems.
That said, I do think there is a lot of like in this show. The romance is really down to earth and I liked the cinematography. I honestly don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you watch it if you’re a fan of Korean Dramas.
Books
Death on the Nile (1937) 8/10
I loved listening to this book with narrator David Suchet. Agatha Christie is truly a wonderful author and always weaves an interesting story. The only reason why I rated it lower than other books she’s written is because of some of the racist nuances against the Egyptian people. Plus, I figured out this mystery really easily.
The Fellowship of the Ring (audiobook) 10/10
I don’t know what to say beyond I loved listening to Andy Serkis narrate this book. It took a LOOOONG time because it was 16 hours long and I kept losing my hold for it on Libby. But it was worth it in the end. If you like this book, listen to this version and you will be happy. 🙂
The A.B.C. Murders (1936) 9/10
It will come as NOOOO surprise to anyone I really liked this book, especially because Hugh Fraiser narrated it. I loved every moment but realized it wasn’t my absolute favorite. I’ll listen to it again sometimes and will look for unlucky people who have never heard it before who I can relive the story through.
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans (1934) 7/10
Disclaimer, I don’t actually think this story is a 7/10. It’s the audiobook that is a 7/10. I didn’t like how Emilia Fox narrated men in the story. Her voice was gravely and grating much of the time. I would have rather someone else took a crack at it personally, especially because it is such a whimsical story.
Webtoons/Manga
There weren’t very many Webtoons I read this month that I could remember besides this one. However, it was a mediocre pile of Meh so it isn’t particularly worth mentioning. I didn’t get the story really. . . or how they came to love each other (Love is a stretch of what actually happened) and I didn’t care about the other relationships so. . . it was basically a waste of my precious time. Oh well.
As always, I hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you for reading.
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 