reviewsbyfreh

[reviewsbyfreh]

Rating: 7.4/10

**this review is spoiler free**

Break Your Glass Slippers is a love letter to your intrusive thoughts. It takes all the primary doubts in yourself you face and tells them to respectfully flip off.

I've always been a fan of anything related to retellings of Cinderella (hense A Cinderella Story being my favorite movie) and so the title alone intrigued me. The intrigue introduced me to things I needed to hear. There is a time and a place for this nothing, but there is also no expiration date to the lessons taught. It speaks softly to your soul and convinces you the things that friends can't seem to get through your thick skull.

As for a poetry collection, it is very nice but I felt from time to time it lacked a bigger punch. But when handling such heavy topics, sometimes the tear-jerker, gut punching lessons aren't what you need to hear. I read the book wanting more because I enjoyed it, but also because it just seemed like it was missing everything. As soon as it got my attention, it lost it by simply ending. However, I'm not a big poetry reader so this could be part of the problem.

Overall, a really calming read and I will likely read it again next time I need a reality check and a reminder that if I want my Fantasy life, I need to bippity boppity do it myself.

#cinderella #book reviews #novel #reviews #review #break your glass slipper #break your glass slippers #poetry #poem #amanda lovelace

[reviewsbyfreh]

Rating: 9.8/10

**this review has little-to-no spoilers**

It was a long time coming, but I finally watched Encanto and I regret not watching it sooner. I wasted precious time procrastinating when I should've been rewatching!

This movie is one that I would recommend everyone to watch because of the relatability. Encanto is everything Disney stands for, it's got heart, its got family and it's got magic. Encanto doesn't just follow typical picture perfect Disney format- and that is why I would recommend it to everyone. The aspects of hearts isn't just love, it's real heart break and grief. It's not just family, it's a family broken by suffering (which what family during covid isn't facing some of this). It's not just magic, it's family's high expectations for genetics to always make the definition of picture perfect offspring.

The details in this movie like something as simple as interesting "side" characters are just outstanding to say the least. There isn't a single character I wish I saw less of, if anything I was left wanting a spin off movie for each character. Each character brings something else that represents the very real pressures that occur in a family, the average high expectations that may not be directly placed on a member, but they feel is there.

If the movie itself wasn't good enough, the music was the new soundtrack to my existence. The extraordinary soundtrack did not come as a suprise to myself as I have been a Lin-Manuel Miranda fan for quite some time now- his name has become a stamp of approval in my mind. My favourite songs for just overall wow factor were We Don't Talk About Bruno (obviously) and Surface Pressure. These songs have been stuck in my head since before I even watched the movie, thanks to TikTok!

The only reason why I didn't rank this movie as a perfect ten is because it felt slightly rushed at certain points. I understand for most children based media it is shorter due to shortened attention spans, and so it isn't a huge downfall in my opinion.

Easily my favourite movie I've seen in months. Filled with iconic scenes and loveable characters, this movie has my heart. When it comes to my quest to find the perfect media for a "new adult" to consume, I am pleasantly surprised to report this is close to perfect! This movie doesn't just need a second, it deserves one. There is so much to explore so many Madrigals I want to know more about. Based on what I saw in the first movie, I know an encore performance would be just as outstanding.

#encanto #movie review #disney #madrigal family #bruno madrigal #we dont talk about bruno #lin manuel miranda #musicals #disney musical

[reviewsbyfreh]

Rating: 7.5/10

**spoiler free, unless you count the basic plot of Cinderella as a spoiler**

Despite the fact I am trying to actively avoid cliché teen novels at the moment, this book intrigued me during my rut. 

I am a sucker for the entire Cinderella Story movie series, so obviously this review may be a smidge biased. 

The story follows a young girl named Danielle who has lost both of her parents and is stuck living with her greedy and heartless step mother and sisters. In order to escape the toxic environment she is in, Danielle enters a cosplay contest in the hopes she will win a cash prize to successfully leave the house. In the process of doing so, she an anonymous text from the fed up celebrity starring in the movie remake of her favorite show, Darien Freeman. From there, your typical Austin Ames-Sam Montgomery situation comes to fruition. 

This retelling of the classic Cinderella fairytale is surprisingly realistic. I’ve been in Danielle’s shoes, however I have never been in Darien’s position before. Geekerella is an eyeopener to the pressure a lot of actors go through. Everyone always feel bad for the Cinderella figure and dream of being in the prince’s shoes, however the prince has his share of struggles. For once, a fairytale realistically shows the equal desire for a happily ever from both counterparts.

Filled with adorably (or, depending on the reader, nauseating) cute quotes, this novel is the perfect tale to restore your passion for reading as it as restored mine.  

#geekerella #book review #ya review #novel #cinderella

[reviewsbyfreh]

Sorry if I caused any abandonment issues I have caused by taking a slight hiatus from this blog. 

BUT 

I’m back with a bigger passion to make reviews. 

Now that I’m 20, I’ve come to a realization that reading YA is cute in all, but it doesn’t fully immerse my imagination. I have decided to embark on a journey to find the best YA/Adult fiction novels, movies, tv shows and more that are as some would describe “New Adult”.

Please recommend some titles as I currently have plenty of time on my hands and I am searching for more media to occupy and distract my pea-brain from spiraling. 

#new adult #ya #reviews #novels #book reviews #writer #freelance writer

[reviewsbyfreh]

Today I checked my emails and saw my first ever job offer from a publishing company. I can finally see my future as clear as day :)

#writing #future author #publishing #summer jobs #editor #freelance writer

[reviewsbyfreh]

Rating: 10/10

**basically spoiler free**

This movie is fantastic.

I could leave my review with just that sentence. Because that's what this movie is- just fantastic.

Pixar has yet again come to give you a life lesson hidden deep into an odd story about some non-human family.

I am honestly wanting to get on the phone with my therapist after seeing this movie. The whole thing was heart warming and then the ending decided it was going to be so heart warming it hurt. They really just took my eyesockets and rung them out of tears. The story hit very close to home. Although, big difference my dad was not a wizard of any sorts (I think wizards need to be wise).

Another really big, yet subtle, thing I give major props to Onward for is how subtle they placed LGBTQ+ characters into the movie. They normalized it as opposed to how a lot of movies place LGBTQ+ characters into movies to "please the gays". This movie made it felt so natural (as it should be). It wasn't just one character either, they subtly placed an LGBTQ+ couple in the background towards the end of the movie. I reccently came out, and this movie casually reminded me, it's normal... and that was important for me to hear and see.

The concept to the story of two brothers going on a quest is long and played out, but what isn't is showing what parental roles really mean. Redefining these ideas. This is heavily shown in Onward (for example the use of step parents or even single parenting).

I highly reccomend this movie to anyone. This is the best movie I have seen in a while.

#onward #disney #pixar #movie reviews #lgbtq

[reviewsbyfreh]

everything about stargirl was great except for the fact that they watered down the bullying aspect. i think because it was turned into a disney movie they had to lessen it, but in the book hillary along with the other students were really cruel to stargirl. and the reason why stargirl leaves mica is because hillary slaps her at the dance after she apologized. i think that’s why it felt like it was missing something because it was missing all that really drove stargirl to leave.

That makes a lot more sense. I understand why disney cut that out... but at the same time they should've had something to replace that to a similar extreme of bullying.

#stargirl movie #stargirl #reviews #disney plus

[reviewsbyfreh]

Rating: 7.8/10

**basically spoiler free review**

So, prior to watching this movie I did not follow prodocall and I did not read the book before watching the movie. So my review is STRICTLY based off the movie.

That being said, the movie was pretty good. I had to keep reminding myself that it was not really made for my demographic (though, perhaps it is because Leo can drive a car... so that confuses me). That explains why I got second hand cringe over the way certain scenes were done.

The writing itself (again, I haven't read the book so perhaps the credit needs to be given to the book) was very thought provoking for a pre-teen movie. It was also very modern in the sense that it was told from the perspective of a pre-teen boy's perspective. It's something that is not often portrayed in the media. It gives girls, or even boys, a look into what traits to notice when a boy is developing a crush. There was a certain analogy Stargirl made that talking about when you "erase" yourself, you can realize where you stand in the world. The line "it's a song about who the words say it's about" sent me back to when I was a lil grade 6 on pinterest and I saw a post like "if someone sends you a song, listen to it and it will reveal what they are thinking and what they think of you". I remember my crush sent me Beautiful by Celo Green and I got butterflies. Needless to say, I loved that line.

From a cinematography perspective and from just a more critical analysis on the film from a film students perspective, I really enjoyed the use of color in this movie. The lack of contrast in the beggining of the movie before Leo met Stargirl then the gradual increase in contrast as he was growing closer to her was so subtle but so innovative. It reminded me of La La Lands use of color to show the progression of moods. Going off of this, the costume design is not something to yawn over. It was very strategic the division between Stargirl and the rest of the school. Again, looking into depth at the behind the scenes crew- the casting crew did a really good job. I really couldn't see anyone else playing the quirky and intriguing Stargirl character.

So, some final thoughts; I'm left wondering more questions than answers... and I don't know if I'm quite okay with this. I usually love lingering after a movie, but this movie is different.. and maybe that is because I haven't read the book. But I definetly think that if the book did explain it, the movie definitely missed out on a lot of things. Needless to say, I'm on the hunt for answers. I don't need more reocurring thoughts. So, I'll update this review once I get a chance to read the book.

#stargirl #stargirl movie #disney plus #movie review #review #opinions #grace vanderwaal

[reviewsbyfreh]

Rating~ 8.2/10

**Spoiler free review**

This novel was a good cute read. It was one of the first few books I read this year and it felt refreshing. The characters were very relatable and dealt with modern teenage anxietys. Online personas viruses reality can be so hard to juggle, balance and maintain and this is displayed perfectly throughout the story. It was described in a tweet as comparable to the movie A Cinderella Story, and once I heard that I needed to read it. I was not disappointed with the story being told. My only critic is some areas felt rushed and others felt dragged out. Some moments I wanted to savor, whereas others I found myself getting bored. Besides that, the novel had some lines that actually hurt my soul because I related to them so much. I cried during a few scenes because I felt the lines so much, the scenes were vivid. After recently going through a breakup, I never thought I would feel passion like that again, but this novel made me feel loved and it made me believe in love again through this mostly realistic Cinderella Story.

#novel #review #novel review #book reviews #tweet cute #cinderella #a cinderella story