CWNC Reviews

Heartstopper (2022– )

Heartstopping Indeed!

[10/10 · 22 April 2022]

Easily one of the best shows I've seen on Netflix in a long time!

I actually ended up reading the webtoon after seeing the teaser for the series! It was so good I had to check it out for myself!

Barely a month leading up to the premiere I read all of them, and I was so impatient and excited for the show, but the wait was worth it!

I didn't even mind the changes the show made, as I actually felt like they were necessary for this format! And I was so pleased about certain things they still managed to fit in from the webtoon, like surprisingly most of it was were word for word, shot for shot the same.

Even when I thought for sure certain events wouldn't work in this medium, they somehow worked perfectly, even better in some cases! It genuinely surprised me!

I hope Netflix does the right thing and let's this show finish its course the way the writer wishes!

So please if you also liked it, make sure to rewatch it a bunch and even more importantly recommend it to others!

4 seasons is what the writer imagines, let's make it happen!

Beans (2020)

Amazing! I wish it was streaming!

[10/10 · 9 November 2021]

This movie is phenomenal! And I wish that more people were able to see it, either on Netflix or Hulu or whatever other streaming platform that allows for more of an audience.

I know a lot of people who are dying to watch it but just don't have the ability to purchase it or live outside the U. S. so it's a little bit more difficult.

Hopefully in the next year or so some streamer will pick it up so more people have the chance to see it! It deserves a lot more recognition and I have no doubt that it will do well once it is available to stream, eventually!

Rutherford Falls (2021–2022)

Good acting and timing

[10/10 · 22 April 2021]

Rutherford Falls is pretty good so far! I had expectations for the story, but it actually surprised me with a lot of uniqueness, in both the characters themselves and their relationships with one another. I wish it would air on NBC and not just stream Peacock though. Premium isn't an option for me so I won't be able to finish it, but hopefully I'll manage sooner than later! I actually got an account to watch this show specifically because I had a feeling it would be one I didn't want to miss! It didn't disappoint!

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets (2021)

That ending. Wow

[8/10 · 24 January 2021]

There aren't a lot of films like Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets, but there are even less that have endings like it. I think most filmmakers feel an obligation to fit into the expectations of their viewers, but DBA almost always did the opposite. I often found myself thinking, "this isn't allowed", at every turn. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, more so just unfamiliar territory. The world in this movie doesn't exist, by a long shot, and yet the literal feelings of James and all of the other characters are very real. Although surrealism seemed to be the main avenue for telling the story, that didn't stop it from taking itself seriously, especially as it neared its end. I initially left feeling heartbroken because most films give their audience the courtesy of leaving them feeling fulfilled, but since DBA gave that element of escapism for much of it's running time, it only made sense they would bring you back with a message of reality, a wake up call of sorts by its end. The reality that for most of us, who we are around other people/for other people isn't necessarily who we are, because we don't even know who we really are. And even though things don't always go our way at any given moment, we can't hold others nor ourselves back because of it. We have to continue living and just allow it to be apart of us without letting it define us, so hopefully one day, we can get to a point where we're happy with "who" we are.

Tiny Pretty Things (2020)

a little disappointed but I still finished

[7/10 · 19 December 2020]

There was a lot of scenes that felt like they were only filmed in one take, where they must have thought, "yeah, that's good enough", because the delivery wasn't so great, and could have maybe been improved if there were more takes. I was honestly sometimes left thinking, there's just no way that was the best one, ya know?

Kylie Jefferson's performance was pretty good, but there were quite a few moments for her, like I just mentioned, where I was like "damn, maybe one more take", because it wasn't as believable as it could have been? But I will admit filmmaking involves a lot of people so I don't totally blame her or the other actors for something they may have not had much control over. They weren't bad by any means, but also not the best either.

Unfortunately this was something that kind of made the story not as believable as it could have been, in order for it to really resonate with me and leave me like WOW.

Something I did really appreciate was that they used all real dancers, with no doubles. I have so much respect for Kylie and all the other actors skills, I cannot relate.

Araya Mengesha was also a pleasant surprise and probably one of my favorite performances in the entire series. I really enjoyed his role on Anne with an E, which is one of the few series that I think gives Netflix some validity in terms of their content's track record for quality.

I wouldn't add this series to the long list of Netflix shows and movies that are just godawful, but it also doesn't hold as much weight as it definitely could have.

Nonetheless, if there is a season 2, I will probably check it out!

Trickster: Episode #1.4 (2020) Season 1, Episode 4

Hard to keep up

[8/10 · 29 October 2020]

There's not a lot going on in the series at the moment, but I'm still having a hard time with keeping up. I hope that those behind the series have genuine intentions for where they want to series to end up, by not just the finale, but the second season even, because I could be okay with it being a little bit confusing right now if it means it will allow the story to be better off later on.

I did really enjoy Anna Lambe's performance this episode most of all! I was sort of worried how they would depict Sarah's self harm in the series, considering it's a show on the CBC. Though it seems like they are taking the mature route in that aspect and in others, as opposed to dumbing it down.

Lambe and Oulette's chemistry in this episode was something I was hoping to see done well going into the series, and I'm glad to see that it's really starting to flourish. Their portrayal of that relationship has also allowed them to really explore different techniques as actors as well which is awesome to see on screen! They get better and better every episode.

Trickster: Episode #1.3 (2020) Season 1, Episode 3

Moving a little slow right now - still good!

[8/10 · 29 October 2020]

I really enjoyed the first two episodes, but the third one seems to be moving a little bit too slowly, while simultaneously being sort of all over the place.

There's also a lot of things happening that didn't happen in the book, which is fine! Changes tend to happen with adaptations, but with this book being so recent, set in like 2017, I had hoped there wouldn't be a reason to change much. And I can't help but feel like certain choices they made happen differently, would have been better how they originally were?

Like for example, Wade is a lot more involved with Jared and even Phil in the TV series, which didn't really happen in the books. There was a very mysterious element to Wade in the books, where him and Jared barely interacted at all and Jared basically despised him, while in the series we're seeing them together almost all the time, with Jared really starting to genuinely connect with him. Not necessarily a bad thing, but this happening has already started a ripple effect of a bunch of things that never happened, and it's got me terrified there's things I'll never see play out because of how much has changed already.

By the end of the episode Richie seems to become a major enemy to Jared, and I'm starting to think he might take David's place from the books I guess? Because David is nowhere to be seen thus far, despite him terrorizing Jared being a pretty integral part to the books. I don't know yet how they're going to work around those characters, but I am intrigued.

I still really enjoy it for the most part and look forward to watching it every week, but I do hope it starts to speed up a little bit and connect more with the essence of the book!

Also think Nathan Alexis' role of Crashpad is one of the best performances in the entire series. He just fits so well with the character and I seriously love his dynamic with Oulette!

Trickster: Episode #1.2 (2020) Season 1, Episode 2

Even better than the first episode!

[9/10 · 17 October 2020]

We're really getting into the swing of things with the second episode of Trickster! We even got background info as to what was going on in the very first scene from the pilot.

This episode felt a little more established than the first. From the first shot to the last, I was completely entranced in Jared's world. The humor was honestly laugh out loud funny, ie: Jared not so subtly flicking off Richie as he rubs his face, or how Phil mentioned Wade not being around for almost 20 years, and Wade grinned "almost", alluding to what we soon discover to be a subtle jab at the fact he is Jared's real biological father, not Phil, meaning he hasn't been to town since closer to exactly 17 years, which is when Jared was born. The beautiful cinematography did not take any breaks for this episode either, it was genuinely breathtaking. Also curious about some of the song choices for background music, hoping to discover it might be Indigenous artists so I'll have to find out if that is the case.

Trickster (I) (2020)

Stranger Things meets Breaking Bad, but make it INDIGENOUS

[10/10 · 10 October 2020]

There aren't really any other shows out there quite like Trickster (despite my effort to get peoples attention with the headline).

I have a feeling it will be one of those shows that has a somewhat slow start, because the vast majority of Canadian shows do, but as more people discover it over the next year or so, I think CBC will have a hit on their hands.

The cast is probably the best part about it. I can't wait to see how each of them grow into their roles even more. Unfortunately, we have to wait 7 days at a time to find out, but it'll be worth it.

Trickster: Episode #1.1 (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

Very true to the feeling of the book series, Son of a Trickster

[10/10 · 9 October 2020]

Having read the books, I can say I am pleasantly surprised with the direction they've taken so far with CBC's, Trickster.

Something the pilot captured really well, more than anything, was the feeling of Jared as a character. We get to see Oulette basically fit the essence of Jared perfectly, his portrayal of the character almost uncanny to what was described in the book. Jared is observant, adaptable, almost too logical, and he uses these characteristics to sort of get by, with as little unnecessary conflict as possible, in a world that wants to make everything complicated for him.

We see how he wants to be a normal teenager, and yet he can't, because he has to constantly juggle providing not only for himself, but also his mother and his father, who are both battling addiction. Although there are moments where we see Jared trying to be carefree and open to what life has to offer, more than anything we see him being held down by the actions and even responsibilities of those close to him.

He's also thrown expectations from society around him, mostly his educators, who say he's not reaching his fullest potential. I think this moment in particular with Jared and his counselor was done really well, similar to the way the book did it, because it's the one setting where Jared is very unsure. Everything else in his life is pretty simple, he's going to try to figure it out because he has too, his livelihood basically depends on it. School on the other hand, is not something Jared sees as a solution to his problems, but more so just people and institutions that want him to be something he can't be right now. He doesn't have the privilege to only focus on school and extra curricular. He doesn't have the time to dedicate himself to thinking about who/where he wants to be when he grows up.

Some of the moments from this episode, that resonated with me the most, was first when Jared dealt with a customer at the Tasty Bucket, who was initially very nice to him, yet ended his order with, "you're not like the others,", implying Jared is more hardworking than other Natives. The second one was a few minutes after this, when Richie comes and threatens Jared in the drive thru, warning him that his mother will be the "next dead b***h lying in a ditch". Both of these lines resonated with me because, well, I know that Indigenous peoples are very poorly represented in media (on the rare occasion that they are at all) and this only perpetuates the extreme racism they experience still today. I also know that Indigenous women have more of a chance than any other group to be murdered/go missing, without receiving justice, so both of these statements are quite harmful and almost dangerous, and yet Jared has to carry on, because he quite frankly has no choice but to carry on (at least for now).

I look forward to seeing where the show goes and I hope to see more people watching it, because I have a feeling it will be unlike anything we've ever watched before.

Black Panther (2018)

Saw it in theaters, twice!

[10/10 · 10 September 2020]

This movie is an experience unlike any other I've had at the movie theater. I ended up seeing it again because I wanted to rewatch it with some friends who still hadn't seen it, and to also see their reactions. They of course loved it. Also loving Kendrick Lamar makes the movie and the overall feeling watching it ten times more enjoyable, as I ended up having the Black Panther album on repeat in the months after the movie came out. This movie most notably elicited a very memorable and important moment in time for a lot of Black audiences/creators, who unfortunately aren't used to superhero's that look like them represented so well, and not just one but a whole cast of incredible Black talent. Daniel Kaluuya who I remember from Skins and Black Mirror (where he was literally the definition amazing), only for Get Out to come and blow our minds entirely. Things like that is made the film incredible and impossible to forget. RIP Chadwick! Listening to the music and watching his other work since his passing has created a painful, but humble emotional nostalgia within me that no recent films can compare to, and I'm grateful for him and his impact, as many are.

Atlanta (2016–2022)

Best show of all time? yes, easily.

[10/10 · 6 August 2020]

There is a lot of good television, and there is a lot of good mediocre television, but once in a lifetime you get a show that is unlike anything else, that it's not even in the same ball park as what you usually qualify as good television. Atlanta is that show for me. Going into it, already loving Donald Glover because of his previous work in comedy and music, my expectations were pretty high. This is probably the only time I've ever went into something so hopeful yet ended up being even more impressed than I imagined I'd be. The setting, the characters, the imagery, is simply exceptional. Every episode felt like it's own little movie, but in a really good way. It also makes you question your expectations for film in general, because we as a society have come to memorize the formula that's been repeated over and over, so whenever someone goes against it, we either hate it or down right love it. What Atlanta does is test those expectations. It mixes realism with surrealism, serious topics that are very real in our world, with obscenely impossible occurrences, essentially forcing us to rethink what film is and the styles that we've made rules for. Are there really any rules? Can something peculiar happen with no explanation at all? Combining the real with the surreal gives people a reason to stop and think, instead of just taking it as it is, we now have to think about it from a bunch of different angles, making us better and more active viewers because of it. I down right love it.

Normal People (2020)

Missing Something

[7/10 · 27 July 2020]

It was quite good. I went into it with hope that it would be really good though, and was sort of disappointed. I think that happens a lot with shows nowadays so I can't really hate it for that reason alone. It felt like we were kind of just thrown into their existence, without really giving any establishment of what they are like, even as it went on you were confused about what their motives were and what they were even thinking or feeling. Maybe that was the point though? Because he always seemed very difficult with showing his feelings and she was the same? I did like parts, the performances were great. I do wish that it had something more that really resonated with me though, but since it was just quite good, a seven seems fair.

Anne with an E (2017–2019)

ALL FEMALE WRITERS

[10/10 · 31 March 2020]

I was very pleased to discover this show has an all female writers room... I wondered why it felt like something I've never really experienced before. The care they give to all the characters, especially the women is something I'm just not used to... I'm not used to feeling so much for people that literally only exist in fiction but they've expanded on LM's world and did something remarkable. Hope it can return someday (soon?) so we can see Anne in her college years and also find out the whereabouts of all of the other characters they added (who don't exist in the AOGG universe so I can't even go back and read to find out...).