Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now (2018) Book Review

June 14, 2018June 14, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: I’ve got seven days to come clean to my new dad. Seven days to tell the truth…

For sixteen-year-old Tiffany Sly, life hasn’t been safe or normal for a while. Losing her mom to cancer has her a little bit traumatized and now she has to leave her hometown of Chicago to live with the biological dad she’s never known.

Pros:

Characters. We actually met a LOT of characters in this book but I think going through all of them or even mentioning would kind of ruin you getting to know them as Tiffany does so I’m not going to do that.

Tiffany Sly. She is our protagonist and our narrator. She just turned 16 and is traveling to California to live with a father she’s never met. In the first chapter, we learn that she is terrified of flying, and also terrified to meet Anthony Stone. She has anxiety and she’s always worried about things that could possibly kill her. Irrational fears and what not. She is very nervous about meeting her father, but she’s also a bit in doubt since not long before she departed, another man came to her home, thinking he might be her father and he wants her to take a DNA test. So she’s thinking about that, plus, the other man is going to serve her father a court order so she has to take a DNA test and she’s thinking about that time frame. Seven days to confirm who might be her father. She marches to the beat of her own drum, she doesn’t conform, at least not completely, she does try not to test the waters, but she can’t help but to speak out against certain things she finds ridiculous that her new family does. She’s easy to befriend Marcus, even though he did come off as weird in the beginning and everyone freaks out about him, but she was pretty easy about it. She’s from Chicago, so she tries really hard not to be a stereotype in this new place, that’s also majority white. I really liked Tiffany, there wasn’t anything about her I didn’t like. She’s super tall, so of course people assume she likes and/or plays a sport but she’s into music. I loved her “nerdiness” and just how it was just natural and a part of her and not something shocking because she’s a black girl into what she’s into.
Anthony Stone. He is a potential father for Tiffany, but he is the one she’s going to live with. We don’t really get to meet him until the second or third chapter, and he’s interesting but also seems very detached and I did not like him, mostly in the beginning. I softened up to him more towards the end, but it was a hard journey. I felt like Tiffany when it came to him. She was kind of awkward with him, but unsure if he could be her father, especially once she meets him and sees what he looks like. There are moments where it feels right, where you wonder “Wow, maybe he is her father” but then he does something outrageous and you’re like “NO! He can’t be her dad!” I mean this dude has some pretty ridiculous moments, but he’s also kind of tragic in ways. A lot of things that dealt with him made me cry, especially at the end. Oh man. I had so much whiplash with him but I think Dana L. Davis wrote an interesting man.
Marcus McKinney. Definitely my favorite character of the book, he’s definitely a secondary leading character but I loved every bit with him. When we first meet him, I was a little unsure to what he was doing, or what he looked like because of his description but it becomes clear later. It does take a while to learn what is up with him but I think that’s part of his charm as well. He doesn’t care anything about what other people think about him and he just lives his life because it’s his to live. There is something different about him and Tiffany doesn’t really pick up on it until later, but she never makes a big deal about anything. Marcus doesn’t either. He became a great friend for Tiffany and she for him. He wrote a book in the book and I actually want to read his book.

Realistic Dialogue. I definitely have to give Dana L. Davis praise, because the dialogue in this book was very realistic. Especially for the teenage characters. I always complain when I read certain young adult books because it seems like the authors don’t really understand how teenagers respond to things, or how they speak to each other. Sometimes it comes off really pretentious or childlike and just ugh, but Dana L. Davis does it so well. Tiffany sounded like a true 16-year-old teenage African-American girl. The conversations she would have with her grandmother on the phone, with her best friend, even the conversations she would have with London and her other sisters. It just really flowed well and it sounded genuine instead of generic and awkward. I mean outside of Tiffany being awkward in general.

Humorous. I laughed quite a lot reading this book. The dialogue is so funny, and the interactions between characters is always entertaining. The book is told in Tiffany’s point of view, so we get a lot of her inner thoughts and her reactions to things, her irrational fears, her though processes, or her telling us how other characters are looking at her, or reacting was very funny. Also, Marcus being so enigmatic as he was, was also pretty funny too and he did it without trying it was just part of his character. Also, Neveah is maybe where most of the humor comes from when it comes to dialogue. That little girl will say whatever it is she wants and doesn’t find the problem with it.

The Family Dynamic. Tiffany’s mother passed before the events of the book, she is still very hurt from it, but she has hope, since she is going to live with her father in California. She’s never met him so it’s a first anyway, but I think we see of the family is pretty interesting. I don’t necessarily agree with what the Stones do, or even believe in, I think it’s a little extreme, but that’s how it is for some families and I appreciate that the book really touched on that. Their family was dysfunctional and they tried to pretend like they weren’t. I always find that very interesting because there is so many options to explore. Also, when Tiffany gets added to the mix, it’s very weird and awkward at first, but as the book progresses, the women of the family, well some of them, really become a strong lifeline for her, or her for them. It was a great natural progression.

Very emotional. I cried. A lot actually. The book deals with death and grief, and loneliness and family, and abandonment and I can understand a lot of that. I’m definitely not going to get into anything, but I do think if you’ve lost a parent, or someone you were close to, this would really hit home for you. Also, Tiffany has anxiety, among other things and seeing her deal with that, or dealing with her father who doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff, it’s hard and challenging but the way it’s handled is really beautiful. I think the end, the last few chapters are what really got me, especially after the trip in Malibu. Oh man, I can imagine if you don’t cry but don’t be surprised if you do.

Thought provoking. Marcus McKinney is a fantastic character, probably my favorite in the story but he is so smart and his beliefs are truly amazing. I’ve never met anyone like him but I can imagine I’d befriend him as well. He’s a bit odd at first glance, sure, but the way he thinks about God and energy, I was like “he’s legit” and I actually feel the same way in some instances. I talked about it with my coworker the other day and we both were like “so deep”. I mean, I really thought about it while he would explain it to Tiffany. Plus, there was something special about him anyway, so he felt like a pure person.

Cons:

Unfinished Plotlines. I do think there is a lot that happens in this book. We get a lot of information and while I do think the book handles a lot of it really well, I do wish it would have gone a bit deeper, particularly with Pumpkin. She apparently she’s on the spectrum and at first I thought it was just something the mom made up, or they thought because they didn’t know how to really parent her outbursts, but the mom does try but nothing else really comes of that. Not that it had to be a big part of the story, but since it was brought up and since it was something Tiffany was around, I thought we should have seen more of that. Also, with London, there is something that happens with her and it does kind of become a little big something, but it kind of just ends. It was kind of strange to be honest.

Overall, I really loved Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now because it felt like an authentic story. Tiffany was a realistic teenager, she didn’t feel like an adult’s view of a teenager which I appreciated. I loved her interactions with other characters, and how she just marched to the beat of her own drum, she didn’t care because it was who she was. She loved her music, she loved the idea of what a father would be like to her and I think that’s all beautiful and so realistic for a teenage girl whose never had a father. I thought while complicated, Anthony Stone was a great character and someone who I ended up really liking and thinking was tragic by the end. Marcus was my favorite and I just want to sit and speak with him and also read his book. It’s funny, it’s emotional, it made me go “TELL EM AGAIN GIRL” and I finished it in a day so I loved it. My only real negative was that I felt there were a few storylines that didn’t get wrapped up as easily and I thought about it afterwards. But regardless, fantastic story.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars.

What I’m reading Next:

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

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Ocean’s 8 (2018) Review

June 11, 2018June 11, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 3 Comments

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I have actually never seen any of the other Ocean’s movies. I know, I know. They’ve always been on my list, but I just never got around to them. So, now that I’ve seen this and let me say up front, I HAD SO MUCH FUN!!! I think they’ve been bumped up a bit. So with that said, I don’t have any frame of reference nor can I compare this to the others.

Summary: Debbie Ocean gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City’s yearly Met Gala.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. It’s actually kind of funny how I went with two my best friends and we were sitting there assigning who would be who from our friend group in the movie. It was a mutual agreement that I was Debbie Ocean but don’t worry, nothing’s safe. I mean, everything’s safe. There are a lot of characters in the film, but I’m only going to touch on the main women of the film.

Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean. She starts out the film getting released from jail on parole, she lets us know in the beginning what she plans on doing when she’s released. She is Danny Ocean’s estranged sister and a professional thief as it runs in the family. She is a planner, she is particular, quick on her feet, and a natural leader. I mean, what she does when she gets out of jail was amazing. AMAZING. She gets the plan started, and she is so in control it’s kind of inspiring lol. She recruits the others and has the ability to get them to believe in her plan, and to get them to follow her when they really could have said no. Nothing bothers her, she is so under control, that even when things don’t seem to go as planned, she either has planned for that, or she regroups so it can go according to plan. Sandra Bullock was great, she’s always great, LOOKS great. She was so suave in the role, like a natural and she had such great chemistry with EVERYONE ON SCREEN!!
Cate Blanchett as Lou. She is Debbie’s best friend and partner in crime, she is the first person that Debbie goes to once she’s out of jail and it’s clear that they’ve been friends for a long time and Lou trusts Debbie. There are maybe two times when she doubts the plan, but she always comes back around because of Debbie’s unwavering confidence. She is literally the right hand, and while she’s not like super hands on with the main plot when we actually get to the Met Gala, it’s clear that the job she has, no one else but her could do it. Cate Blanchett is always great. She had great friendship chemistry with Sandra Bullock, they worked so well together and just the choices she made for the character, with how COOL she was, from how she walked, to how she sat, or reacted to her friend’s ideas. If I saw her walking down the street, I would go “Wow, she’s so cool”.
Anne Hathaway as Daphne Kluger. She is a celebrity, I’m assuming either an actress or a model, but someone important as everyone knows her and she’s the face for a lot of things. She partly the target of the heist and her character is just a mean, selfish and that “typical celebrity” and I think Anne Hathaway just has so much fun in this role because she gets to be so dramatic. A good amount of humor comes from her as she’s just ridiculous but so much fun to watch. I don’t care what anyone says, I love Anne Hathaway.
Mindy Kaling as Amita. She is a jewelry maker, who is single and still living with her mother and working in her mother’s employ. She is ready to be out on her own, and she takes the opportunity to get from under her mother’s thumb. Now, I do think she knew Debbie previously, I don’t think we learn how exactly, but they know each other which helps when it came to her trusting Debbie. I think she really gets to do some fun stuff when she’s with Helena Bonham Carter looking at the necklace.
Sarah Paulson as Tammy. Poor thing, she is a suburban mom with I think three children, who are just some evil little things. One was just kicking a ball inside, the other whining about being hungry (but like… I WANT IT NOW type thing) and the youngest who wasn’t so evil. But she is bored in her life and at first refuses but considering what she has in her garage (lol), she gets involved and she actually has a pretty large role in the heist. A lot of their intel banked on her and she played her role really well. Sarah Paulson is also always a win and she was great. She has this innocent demeanor about her in the film, no matter what she was doing, I would always trust her face.
Awkwafina as Constance. Lou finds her working some people on the streets of New York and she gets involved after they tell her plan. She is a thief/pickpocket, sleight of hand in ways and she is pretty funny. She has a pretty big job in the heist, even though it’s probably the quickest. I only saw her in Neighbor’s 2: Sorority Risingand she was okay then, but I very much enjoyed her in this. She was a joy to watch, she was energetic, funny and I couldn’t help but watch what she would do in a scene with the others because she was always reacting.
Rihanna as Nine Ball. She is a technical genius and her real name is a secret. To be fairly honest, she was pretty much Rihanna which is probably why I enjoyed her so much because Rihanna is fun. She is a master hacker and is pretty much the best at all computers and she show her prowess so much throughout the film. She has a great scene when she is researching about this guy on Facebook, that entire scene was hilarious and pretty much one of my friend’s in a nutshell lol, especially if she was a master hacker lol.
Helena Bonham Carter as Rose Weil. She is a fashion designer and one of the first ones they recruit for their heist. She is awkward, and her designs have been a bit laughable for most people in recent years, but as she is designing Daphne’s dress for the gala, everyone is curious. She is a bit awkward lol, but she gets the job done and she creates a beautiful look for Daphne, I mean really, it’s beautiful. Helena Bonham Carter was great in the role, I can’t even think of someone who I would have chosen instead. She plays kooky very well.

The Fashion. Sarah Edwards does the costume design in the film, and I looked her up to see what else she might have done and it’s not really that impressive but THIS MOVIE RIGHT HERE! Literally everyone’s outfits were amazing. All of Sandra Bullock’s outfits I wanted. Cate Blanchett looked FANTASTIC and then everyone in their Met Gala outfits at the end, everyone looked so beautiful. I just can’t. If you think this movie is dumb, that’s fine, but it has to be acknowledged that the fashion was absolutely amazing. I love watching movies like this, where the people look great doing what they do. Everyone had their own style, it fit their characters and was amazing.

The Team. I liked that even if the women came together to commit a crime, they trusted each other. There were no moments of cattiness. When Debbie first met Nine Ball and Constance, she was skeptical, I mean they are the youngest of the group, but after her initial wariness about them, they became a team. There was trust, there was humor and teasing but nothing that made me think they didn’t like each other. I’m interested to see if they will keep the same group in the next one. They should so we can see them become more of a friendship.

It’s Hilarious. It’s very clever, witty and funny. It’s not always the dialogue, sometimes it’s just a character making an expression in a scene, them reacting which is great. A lot of the dialogue is funny, but it also can be attributed to the actor’s comedic timing. Of course, James Corden shows up in the last act of the movie and he’s a joy to watch, Rihanna was actually really great as well.

Looks Beautiful. The direction and the cinematography were both very good in the film. There were some really cool transitions throughout the film and it has a very smooth and crisp look. If anything, this film knows how to give you a movie that looks good, with characters who also look good.

Cons:

The Friendship. So, while I think they worked well together and didn’t become catty towards each other, I don’t think the movie ever really allows them to really be together. Yes, they become a team and yes, they work well together, but we never really see them become friends other than the clear friendship between Debbie and Lou. Even Tammy who they seemed to know, didn’t really get to feel like friends with Debbie and Lou. I hope, if there are more films, that they allow the women to really become friends.

The Script. Even though I haven’t seen the others, I do think this script is pretty weak. I mean, the biggest praise is probably the characters and enjoying watching them plan the heist but the story itself is weak, and lacking and I’m sure that there are moments where people will check out because it’s not that engaging outside of the whole heist aspect. They try to make that the most important but with the other stuff around it, it’s kind of… meh. Ya know?

The Last Act. It’s always more fun to see the set up and the heist than after the heist. I do have to say that the last act is probably the weakest in the film. As soon as the heist is over, it does slow down quite a bit and kind of feels like a bit of a different film, even though it’s still enjoyable to watch.

Overall, I really liked Ocean’s 8. It was a lot of fun and I would definitely watch it again. All of the main women are likable, and I think people can see themselves in a character, or what role they would play if they were part of a team of criminals lol. I think they all work well together and that they become a great team who at least trust each other enough to get the job done. The movie also looks great, the transitions are cool and the film itself has a very smooth and clean look to it. It’s a really funny movie as well, all of the characters have moments when they get to be hilarious, some more than others, but I don’t think there isn’t a time where the humor doesn’t land. The fashion is also amazing, literally all of the clothes in this movie, gah so jealous of everything. The outfit that Debbie wears at the end of the film, those PANTS swoons so amazing. It’s a fun movie and harmless. My only real negatives are that while I think the actresses had great chemistry together, they didn’t really get the chance to become friends. I believe they became a team but not friends, since they didn’t really get a chance to just be together. I know they were planning a heist, but it’s always great to see the team become friends. I also think the last act is the weakest in that it feels weird compared to the rest of the movie, I’m glad that some of what happened happened as it’s realistic, but it just slowed the movie down. BUT if you’re looking for a fun, polished, fashionable movie, then definitely check out Ocean’s 8.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Ocean’s 8? What did you think of it? Let me know your thoughts down below!

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When It’s All Over

June 9, 2018June 9, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

Read the other parts before part four.

I. One and Only

II. Falling Fast

III. Hello Heartache

“I met my soul mate today.”

Those were really not the words he was expecting her to say. He didn’t know why but he couldn’t react. Not at first. He just stood there. Silent. Say something. But he couldn’t, he didn’t know what to say. What should he even say? He knew this day would come, he didn’t know when and he didn’t know what it would do to her and just by looking, he could tell it was killing her inside.

What should he do?

“Steve?”

Hearing his name snapped him out of whatever he just disappeared in. He cleared his throat and took a step back trying to regain his balance. Theo moved forward but stopped herself, her eyes darting away from him. He could see on her face that she was confused. He could see on her face that she was in pain.

This is why. This is why he never put stock in the whole “soul mark” thing because of reasons like this. She’s hurting, and he knows he can’t do anything to help her, not really. This is why he admired his parents for making it through this society full of matching soul marks because they are still in love. He never knew if they met their soul mates or not, but regardless they’re together. They’re in love. He wanted that regardless of matching soul marks. He knew Theo didn’t care either, she always wanted to make her own way. So why was this so hard? Especially for her?

“Steve…”

“Just…” He waved his hand asking her to stop. Just don’t. He wasn’t angry, not really. Steve didn’t really know what he felt. It was confusing. He turned his back on her and gripped the back of her navy-blue couch trying to stable himself. What does this mean for them? He wanted to move in together. He loves Theo. He doesn’t want to lose her to… “What is his name?”

“What?” Her voice was shaky, almost a whisper. He didn’t want to see the look on her face because who know what he’d see.

“What is his name?”

Silence. Steve turned to look at his girlfriend. She stood there, her head lowered, her arms crossed, like she was trying to close herself in. Theo had walls up before, he worked hard to get through them, but it was like she was trying to pull them back up.

“Theodora… what is his name?”

“Michael.”

Michael. He wanted to know what he was like. She was gone for a long time, perhaps they got better acquainted. That burned him up inside, it felt like something red-hot was trying to claw its way out of his chest. Jealousy maybe? He never thought he would feel this way. Theo looked at him, her brown eyes wet. Was she crying? Oh god, he can’t handle a crying Theo. She is always so strong so tears were a rarity.

“Tell me about him.”

“There’s nothing to tell Steve. He doesn’t… I mean, we didn’t… it wasn’t like a full conversation. We just talked.”

She stepped towards him again and he would have moved away but he forced himself to stay. He could smell her perfume as she moved closer. The honey lavender scent wafted into his nose and it centered him. He always loved the way she smelt. The smoothness of her hands, touched his arms that tightly gripped the back of the couch behind him. He watched as her hands moved up his arms, rising to his shoulders…his heart beat so painfully in his chest but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to kiss her. Her hands moved to his neck, they rested on his face and she stood on her toes. Her full lips touched his and he didn’t know if the sharp intake of breath was his or hers.

Steve released the couch and pulled her closer to him. Her body touching his…but something was wrong. Something was off. There was an alarm going off somewhere in his mind. When they pulled away, his breath was heavy, her eyes stared into his eyes and he knew something was wrong.

“Theo I-”

“Something’s wrong Steve.” She pulled away completely, her movements frantic as she began to pace back and forth. She touched her fingers to her lips, her brow furrowed as it did when she was in thought.

“It’s the soul mark.” His voice was quiet. It was the only explanation. But why would they feel different just because Theo met her soul mate. Nothing changed when he met Ebony. Why has it changed now?

“No. Why would it be different for the both of us and not just me? I don’t understand any of this. It’s so annoying and I hate it. I love you Steve. I know I do but I just feel… so confused that I don’t know what to do.” He watched as her pacing picked up speed. Her face was full of agony and she occasionally stopped to look at him her brown eyes wide.

“No one truly understands how soul marks work Theo.”

“Maybe not but I don’t… I hate this. I hate it. When I heard my words…” No. I don’t want to hear this. “…I, I wanted to fight it. I did fight it, but it wasn’t good enough. I’m so sorry Steve. I never want to hurt you.”

“I know.”

“You know I never wanted to meet my soul mate. I just… I want to be with you. I just can’t decide what’s going on inside of me. If you meet your soul mate you’ll know exactly…”

“I’ve already met her.”

Theo stopped moving, her body rigid. She turned to look at Steve even more confused then she already was. Steve looked away. Today has been ruined. He shouldn’t have said anything, he should have kept everything to himself. He shouldn’t have asked in the first place.

“What? You have? When?”

“About six months ago.”

Theo’s eyes grew large. Steve wasn’t sure what that expression was, but he knew her mind was going through all kinds of scenarios. She stood still. She was so silent. He felt like he should have moved forward, maybe he should reach for her, maybe he should reassure her that it meant nothing. Yeah, he thought about Ebony, but not like constantly. It just happens every now and then.

“That’s why.”

What? It was so quiet that he almost didn’t hear what she said. He asked her to repeat what she said, but she finally looked at him. Her brown eyes watery once more but soft.

“Is she pretty?”

What?

“Tha- that doesn’t… that doesn’t matter Theo.”

“Is she pretty Steve?”

He sighed. This is so painful, and he didn’t want to make it worse. Why should it matter if his “soulmate” was pretty? It didn’t matter.

The woman of his dreams stood there in front of him. Her eyes a beautiful light brown, seeming brighter because of her tears. Her beautiful brown skin always glowed from the light she carried inside her body. Her large curly hair styled in one of her favorite “go-to” styles of a fro-hawk. Her dark jeans and blue tank top. Everything about her was what he wanted. She was perfect.

But… there were times when he thought of Ebony James. It happened randomly. Not often but randomly. He remembered how she looked when he stopped her dog from running too far.

Ebony had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, it was black and straight with wisps escaping and curling around her forehead. Her skin was dark, he imagined it was beautiful in the moonlight. She had almond eyes, dark as well and a beautiful smile with full lips. She was beautiful and sometimes her face appeared, and he always pushed it away.

Sometimes it lingered for too long though.

Ebony doesn’t look a thing like Theo. But he couldn’t deny his own confusion, but he could push it away a lot easier than Theo apparently could. He didn’t know Ebony. She seemed nice, but he didn’t know her.

Shit. He’s been quiet for too long.

“Yeah, she was pretty.”

There was a sharp intake of breath, but he didn’t see anything accusing or hurt in her eyes. There was understanding, and he hated that. She was perfect and he’s sitting here upset that she met her soulmate, like she planned it.

He sighed and moved towards her.

She wrapped her arms around him and they just stood there entwined. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest, and he really wished everything before this moment could be erased but he knew it was going to be different.

At the end of the day, it’s Theo’s choice.

Isn’t it?

Power Rangers Needs a Sequel

June 9, 2018June 9, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

I watched Saban’s 2017’s Power Rangers again and I have to say that I still very much enjoy it. I don’t think it’s great but I think it’s good. Check out my review here and my thoughts on the MMPR show here.

I don’t know what the state of a sequel is at the moment but I think there is plenty of room for them to make one. I know it had mixed reviews but I think there were a lot of people who at least thought it was good and would see a sequel, especially if they bring Lord Zedd and Tommy Oliver into the mix.

There are some big things they need to do in order to make it work. So below are going to be some of my ideas of how a sequel could work and what they should do because while the first one didn’t do a huge grab of money, I think it has become a kind of cult film, and I think a lot of people enjoyed it enough to merit a sequel.

Tommy Oliver

I definitely would love for Tommy to be in the sequel because he is such an iconic power ranger that it would be crazy to not introduce him in the sequel. I do have a lot of ideas of how that would work that would still pay homage to the show and how his character was written and handled. Obviously with it being a movie, it would require a shorter arc, but I actually think it would work depending on how they handle it.

Tommy in the Show

In the show, Tommy is introduced at a karate tournament and we can see from the jump that he is a skilled fighter and is competitive to an extent. He and Jason have a mutual respect of each other from that fight, but Rita also sees this and she brainwashes Tommy to become her Green Ranger and fight against the Power Rangers. He is a formidable foe for a long time.

He then becomes a great ally for them, but Rita does try later to get him back on her side a few times, or she strips his powers away until he leaves for good and then comes back as the White Ranger. Soooooo for the movie, I think we can do all of that, just without trying to fit it all into ONE movie. That’s where it will make or break the movie.

Tommy in the Movie

Right before the rangers received their Zeo powers, they were turned into kids and they had to go on Spirit Quests to find the meaning of being a Power Ranger or something. So they went to their ancestral backgrounds, each one having a different ethnic background which I thought was really cool. Tommy comes from a Native tribe. Jason David Frank’s real brother, played his brother in the show and it’s clear they have a Native background. David (Tommy’s brother) was adopted as well, but into a family on the reservation while Tommy was adopted by a different family. So there was a whole history he didn’t know about and it became really important for him later on. I really want to keep that. So that leads me into Tommy Oliver’s casting.

I am against the idea of him being a girl. I know that some fans want it and the cast don’t mind it, but I don’t think it’s a smart idea because that does nothing other than balance out the team and we don’t really need it, it’s never really been a big deal. I have a lot of thoughts on that actually but I’ll just keep them to myself.

So with that said…. drum roll

Booboo Stewart I choose you!!!!!!!!!!

I think he would be a GREAT Tommy Oliver.

He’s handsome, just like Jason David Frank as Tommy. He has long hair, which is iconic Tommy Oliver (until his Black Ranger days), he has Native background, and he has experience in physical fighting.

Someone on the internet agreed.

He’s perfect. I mean look at the gif. I don’t know who made it but they’re awesome because as soon as I saw a picture of him, I can’t unsee it and I want him to be Tommy. He’s about the same age as the other actors, he still looks young enough to be in high school just like the others. He can play that confidence that Tommy has, he is good-natured, kind, compassionate and sometimes aloof. I think Booboo Stewart can play all of that. Plus, whenever he’s serious and fighting, I can picture his serious fighting face and I think I can take it seriously. Plus, I can imagine him actually being a possible leader for the Rangers and how he and Jason (Dacre Montgomery) could butt heads every now and then.

The things about Tommy that need to be in the movie, alongside his background, is that he’s always late and forgetful. One of the big things the show talked about with Tommy is that his memory is terrible most times and he comes off as aloof at times. He’s a nice guy but I can see why people might find him intimidating.

Tommy should also be the only one of the group who has a background in martial arts, since they didn’t give that to Jason or even Zack as well. He often liked to teach karate classes in the community center for younger kids and self-defense. I think this would add tension to the group with him and Jason since he actually has a background in physical fighting. In the show, Jason and Tommy did have a little bit of a rivalry but never to the point where I thought Tommy would try to be the leader, it’s like a friendly rivalry and this would be a good starting point. They had a mutual respect and were “friends” but I never considered them best friends like the show later tried to make it seem like, it never happened on-screen at least to me. I don’t think they should do that here either. Jason in the movie is close with Billy and Kimberly as of right now, and I think they should make Tommy close to Kimberly (obviously) and maybe Trini or Zack depending on how they would react to him. I actually don’t think in the movie Tommy and Jason would get along right away.

What They Should Do for Tommy

So, we already know there is going to be a Tommy Oliver, since the detention teacher called his name but he wasn’t there. I can imagine that he’s in detention for being chronically late, or for fighting. Since they all had some baggage, Tommy should have some too. He’s adopted and I think he should know it, he knew it in the show as his parents were white and he’s not. Perhaps he has a bit of an identity crisis, he wants to know where he comes from, he’s forgetful and always late, so that would get him in trouble in school.

I want to say that we are officially introduced to him being late to class instead of the karate tournament since there isn’t really a reason for there to be a karate tournament, at least not that’s a serious one lol. I think it would be great since it would let Kimberly and Jason meet him at the same time.

So picture this:

It’s Monday Morning at Angel Grove High School. Kimberly Hart and Jason Scott are in History class, talking quietly to each other about a mission they handled that morning.

Kimberly (laughs): What was his name again?

Jason: Bones I think. I mean where do these people come from?

Kimberly (shrugs): I don’t know but I need them not to show up before school.

A few more students file in before the teacher closes the door, clapping his hands to get the class’s attention. The girls throw a hushed insult at Kimberly who makes a sad face, and slumps down in her chair.

Jason: Don’t worry about them.

Teacher: Alright class, let’s get started.

The teacher teaches for about 15 minutes. Suddenly the door opens and a tall male student with long hair, walks into the classroom. He looks up from his paper startled.

Teacher (folds arms with a disappointed expression) Late again Tommy?

Tommy (sheepishly rubs the back of his neck) Yeah sorry.

Some of the students whisper to each other while looking at Tommy, as the teacher talks to him about being late to class and detention.

Tommy is not really listening to the teacher, looks out at the classroom searching for an empty chair. His eyes meet Kimberly’s and smiles.

Kimberly (smiles).

Teacher (sighs) Take that seat over there Tommy.

Tommy walks to his seat. Some curious eyes follow him, including Kimberly’s. Jason watches and raises an eyebrow at Kimberly when she turns back around. Kimberly shrugs, picking up her pencil to doodle in her notebook. Class continues and Tommy spends most of it looking out the window. Kimberly steals a few looks every now and then.

Later that day.

Kimberly and Trini walk up to Billy, Jason and Zack standing near Billy’s open locker.

Billy (doesn’t look up and tinkers with some device) Hello Trini, hello Kimberly.

Trini & Kimberly: Hello Billy.

Zack (eating from a bag of chips) What are you even doing Billy?

As Billy talks quickly, explaining what he’s working on, Kimberly looks up seeing Tommy walk past them, his eyes on a paper in his hands. Seems like the same paper from before. He manages to maneuver through the crowd without even looking up.

Trini (nodding towards him) That dude has been late to class all week.

Zack (crumples up his bag of chips) He was even late to Gym, I mean how are you late to gym?

Jason (shakes his head seeing Tommy disappear around the corner) He’s kind of new right? Hasn’t been here that long and already is in detention. What’s his name again?

Kimberly Tommy Oliver.

Everyone looks at her, Zack raises his eyebrows and Trini hides her smirk. Kimberly looks at them and shrugs.

Kimberly (shrugs) What?

Something like that would be a good introduction for him. It would cover his lateness, his loner like personality in the beginning and it would put him this kind of mysterious light.

The Villains

In the show the big baddies, like Rita and Lord Zedd created the monsters for the power rangers to fight, but since they slapped Rita to the moon, she needs to be found first. So I would want the movie to open with the rangers fighting with the very first MMPR monsters Bones (he’s a skull monster) but he’s just a monster who came out of the woodwork because the rangers are back. I would like to have them fight someone when the movie starts, so the audience can see that they are still rangers and that we don’t have to wait till the end to see them suit up again.

I think the Green Ranger should be the main villain of the sequel. I definitely don’t want them to have too many villains in one movie. I do think that they should at least introduce Lord Zedd since I like to believe that he would be the one to help tempt Rita over the dark side before she officially turned on her team. I think that would be a good way for them to be connected and for him to have a reason to find her on the moon. Now, I don’t necessarily think that Lord Zedd himself has to be the one to find her, but perhaps he sends Finster and some other subordinates to rescue her frozen body and revive her or whatever. That way, we know Lord Zedd exists (almost the same way Marvel handled Thanos) and that he’s a threat but we don’t necessarily need to see him yet. This way, Rita can conduct her business on snaring Tommy to her side. Perhaps, she’s too weak to use the green power coin herself, so she needs someone else to do her dirty work, plus it would be beneficial for her to make Tommy work for her, since he’s strong and a good fighter, he’s new and mysterious and no one would think the new Evil Green Ranger would be this quiet, kind new kid Tommy.

I would also prefer that he really played with them, in the show, when he became evil, he was mean. He was even mean to Kimberly, not that it was really him but I think that even though he’ll be under Rita’s influence, he should be able to play it where the other Rangers have no idea who the green ranger is. I think that will be more interesting and it would allow the other rangers to freak out way more.

In the show Tommy is introduced in a karate tournament, but perhaps it doesn’t necessarily happen that way but instead he gets into a fight. All of the others deal with not really getting along with all the other students, at least not all the time, but I think Tommy would have that same kind of problem. He’s the new kid, he’s kind of quiet, and I think he would have a little bit of an anger issue when it comes to his background. He’s adopted, and I can’t imagine that he would be upset about it but he is a teenager and he could be having trouble with identity. But maybe someone says something to him, something about being adopted, maybe some guys are messing with him, I don’t know, but he fights to defend himself. Obviously he’s a better fighter than the other rangers so she’s impressed and kidnaps him, makes him pass her tests, and then does the whole Evil Green thing. I believe the sequel could really focus on this, and really allow us to see the kind of hold that Rita manages to hold over Tommy, especially since she was previously the green ranger and she passed on that power to Tommy. Plus, I think they shouldn’t allow the Rangers to know that it’s Tommy so quickly, let him be a threat. Rita had this kind of sensual, in-your-face personality, and I think Elizabeth Banks would really be able to play that up with Booboo Stewart and he would be great playing off her.

I also think it would be great to see Booboo Stewart play the worry and fear that he has later on about her coming to take him back, and all of that kind of stuff. sighs It would be so great!!

Kimberly Hart

So in the movie, Kimberly did an awful thing to her friend. Yeah she got bullied later, but she did a horrible thing and it’s kind of hard to forget such a thing. I feel like there should be something that redeems her, yeah she’s a power ranger, but no one knows that, so I think she needs to be redeemed in a way that doesn’t make her look like a terrible person. She told Jason that she felt bad, but she needs to apologize to that girl and I don’t know something else, they can’t just brush it under the rug. Obviously she won’t really be the “popular girl” anymore, but she should remain likable to the viewers.

In the trailer, they showed her and Jason share a kiss, and then they kind of had a closer relationship than they did in the show, which is fine, but I never thought that they had any kind of romantic potential in the show, even in the Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie I didn’t think about that. It’s always been Tommy and Kimberly and I don’t think the movie should ignore that. Now, I don’t really think a love triangle would be something they should do but if it must happen, it must be a good one. I’m firmly on the Tommy/Kimberly train no matter what, so I would prefer that’s the end game but I think that Kimberly and Tommy should have a lot of great moments together. I think Booboo Stewart and Naomi Campbell would have great chemistry together and they would be cute together as well. They’re both people of color, which is also great.

The Rangers

I think the way they handled the other Rangers is fine for the most part, they’re all likable I think. Yeah, they’re different from the show, but I think their personalities are still pretty on point and I liked that about the movie. This movie should begin with them fighting a monster, I did suggest earlier that it could be the very first monster they ever fought, but it doesn’t have to be. They don’t have to still be newbs at being rangers. It doesn’t really have to be a year or anything, but enough time to pass where they’re used to it and have grown into their roles and their friendship. They just have to make sure we believe that they’ve spent time together as a team and unit.

Jason- He’s still kind of the strong, silent type that he was in the show, but it was clear at the end, that he grew into being the leader of his team. Now, let us see him leading them. He was kind of like the Captain America of the group, in that he was patriotic sort of guy, who loves being a hero and saving the world, he is the guy next door but he has his moments too. I don’t want to see the movie Jason turn into that guy who just is broody because he can’t play football anymore. If anything, let him get back into football since he’s not already a black belt… or have him switch gears and take to learning martial arts more so he can be a better ranger…I definitely want more substance with him.

Billy- Definitely my favorite from the movie, I loved what they did with him, but he still the same smart, kind of awkward kid from the show. We got to see a lot of him, he was the heart of the film, and I don’t want that to be lost just because we got a lot of it in the first movie. In the show, Billy and Trini were close and she could understand his technobabble and I actually would love it if they did that here too. Billy and Jason were close but I’d also like for Billy and Trini to be close too. It would be a great friendship. I also would like to see him working alongside Zordon and Alpha more as well, since he did come up with a lot of the Rangers’ upgrades and what not.

Trini- She seemed very quiet in the movie, not that she wasn’t in the show, but she was a loner. She also seemed to love yoga, so make sure that’s kept in her personality, someone who is maybe a little spiritual in nature or something. It was clear that she and Kimberly already were growing into a nice friendship, just continue making it stronger, definitely not one where Trini has a crush on her straight friend. Let her really explore her sexuality since it was hinted at in the first movie, that’s fine. Just allow her to really grow into that, and let her meet someone, whether it be at school or someone she meets at a yoga class or something, someone who is separate from the rangers. I don’t mind the girlfriend knowing she’s a ranger, to avoid the whole “secret” thing, but they don’t also have to make her be suspicious of Trini either. Regardless, Trini needs more screen time, with her family, particularly her brothers and like I said in Billy’s section, I would like for them to be close like they were in the show.

Zack- So he’s very outgoing, brash, and seems to just love living life, which is great because that’s how he was in the show. They gave him a plot with a sick mother, so is she always sick? Will she get better? Let’s definitely explore that since we didn’t get a lot of that either. He is a boundless supply of energy, and he seems to be kind of a parkour bro, I don’t know why, he just comes off that way, so I definitely want him to be able to do something active outside of being a ranger. He was also pretty intelligent in the show, which matched Jason’s gung-ho attitude (they were besties), so I think he should be as well. We don’t know anything about him in school other than the fact that he’s a truant, soooo… I don’t know but let’s get Zack something more to do. I also think that he and Trini would be really good friends as well, since they had a nice kind of chemistry in the first movie. Perhaps when Tommy comes into the picture, he could get close with him. I think Ludi Lin and Booboo Stewart could really work off each other.

Future Rangers

This is for mainly down the line, maybe after a saga (4) or three strong movies. I want to believe they were Sophomores in the first movie so we can really get to see them do their thing for a while.

In the show we get Adam, Rocky and Aisha towards the end of the Mighty Morphin Era due to the controversy around the money issues, but I don’t think we really need Aisha or Rocky (until later) unfortunately. I don’t see why Jason, Trini and Zack would leave prematurely for new rangers to come into the mix, unless Adam, Rocky and Aisha are a year or so younger than our original rangers. In the show, Tommy came back as the White Ranger and while it’s iconic, it’s not as iconic as his Green Ranger, Black Ranger, and Red Zeo Ranger so I’m not sure if I really want him to ever be the White Ranger in the movie. It doesn’t bother me too much either way but I don’t think we really need it. It doesn’t really fit since I can’t imagine anything happen that would make three of our rangers leaving prematurely. However, it gets a little tricky in there because I do really like Adam and then later down the line Tanya. Rocky and Aisha I don’t really have to have.

If, down the line, there are legitimate reasons, then it could happen. But only with legitimate reasons instead of some STUPID SUMMIT. Otherwise, it might just be better to have Aisha, Rocky and Adam be younger than our original rangers so they can age out gracefully… but that would be odd for Tommy who is the same age as our original rangers. sighs If I was involved, I would really make sure the timing was done correctly lol.

Zack– Maybe Zack’s mother passes away and since Zack is underage, he has to leave and live with family elsewhere, which is how he ends up passing the Black Ranger on to Adam. Prematurely. I think he’s the only one who could really work in having to leave prematurely in order to get Adam.
Jason- I kind of like to think he’s a year ahead of the others. So, he could probably just graduate and is playing football at some awesome college and he passes the Red Ranger on to Rocky. OR they could change it up and pass it on to Tommy which would prevent us from ever seeing the White Ranger and having Rocky be useless as the Red Ranger.
Trini- In the movie, her family moves a lot so maybe they move again which causes her having to pass along her Yellow Ranger power to Aisha. OR we just never get an Aisha since she didn’t stay that long and go right into Zeo and she can pass it on to Tanya who I like way more than Aisha anyway.
Kimberly- In the show Kimberly left during the last season of Mighty Morphin in order to pursue her dreams as a gymnast is Florida. This Kimberly isn’t into gymnastics so she wouldn’t leave for that, maybe she gives it up for swimming? Since she dived her behind into that water on the mountain. I don’t know. There was still at least two years of school left before they graduated during the Turbo times. Katherine is the Pink Zeo Ranger, so unless they don’t do the whole thing where Katherine is evil and working for Rita (which means NO KATHERINE) then it’s not like Kimberly can actively age out. Like I said, the only new rangers I really liked and cared about until we had new people completely was Adam and Tanya. Soooo I don’t know lol. But since I want her with Tommy, it might be good to have her not leave prematurely at all.
Billy- Later, he becomes like the “man in the chair” for the team when they take the Zeo powers and Rocky becomes the Blue Zeo Ranger. So, perhaps if they all graduated out, then Billy can find Rocky, perhaps Rocky is nice to him or something, and he chooses him to take his place as the new Ranger. That would allow Rocky to have importance because when he was the Red MMPR he was pretty useless since Tommy was the leader and technically the Red Ranger is the leader and it was awkward sometimes lol. Makes more sense to me.
Tommy- In the show, he loses his green ranger powers, which is fine if they do that in the movie, but instead of making him the White Ranger, they should just wait on discovering Rocky until the Zeo era, if they do that, and let Jason pass on the Red Ranger powers to Tommy. Which would be a nice thing since they started off kind of adversaries and had to build a trusting friendship. I think that’s better than giving the red ranger powers to some random kid who never really gets to be the leader. So when he becomes the Red Zeo Ranger, it’s seamless. It just flows better to me.

Overall

I just want this movie to really pull from the show in how the characters interacted with each other because they were all friends, even if some were closer than others. That’s fine. I just want this sequel to be stronger than the first movie. Let’s get those rangers in at the beginning, audiences want to see the power rangers, so make sure they have the chance to suit up throughout. It was great finally seeing them suit up in the last act of the film, but this time, we know they can morph, we know they’re a team, so let’s get it!

Rita needs to come back, but not as the main villain, get Lord Zedd to have her saved, so she can destroy the rangers and try to destroy the goodness that’s in Tommy Oliver in the process. We need Tommy Oliver in the sequel because he is iconic, whether you like him or not. It took a while for him to officially join the team, doesn’t mean he’s going to take over, really have him have to integrate into the team because teenage friendships are really formed in a day. Really allow the Green Ranger to be an adversary for the others, which means MORE RANGER SCREEN TIME! It would be awesome. I feel like the sequel could be great if they really took their time to make sure it flows as a movie.

Look, I will help, I will do the hard work. Let me help! Give me a call! I mean seriously. Either way, I think Saban will make Tommy a dude, because while it would be interesting for him to be a girl, it wouldn’t work. If you’re interested to know why I think that, you can comment below and we can chat, but at the end of the day, HIRE BOOBOO STEWART!!!!

Don’t forget to like and comment on this blog! Also follow for more discussions like this!

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This video below is for your viewing pleasure. It is a SCI-Fi teaser, that I think is being turned into a full length movie, not too sure, but it stars Booboo Stewart and THIS is why he should play Tommy Oliver in the Power Rangers sequel.

Shadowhunters (2016) TV Review

May 27, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

HARRY SHUM JR., MATTHEW DADDARIO, DOMINIC SHERWOOD, KATHERINE MCNAMARA, ALBERTO ROSENDE, EMERAUDE TOUBIA, ISAIAH MUSTAFA

So, I watched this show when it first came out. Well, I watched like maybe the first two episodes lol but I watched it because of the movie. I thought the movie sucked donkey balls and I only watched the movie because of Aidan Turner (I love him lol) but I thought maybe the show would be better. It was, at least better than the movie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect but it’s a lot of fun and I think everyone is likable. So, why did I start watching it officially now? Well, I always told myself that someday I would go back and binge it since it’s kind of up my alley but it’s because of The New Legends of Monkey show that I decided to watch it. So I have this thing where if I liked an actor or actress, I’ll look to see what else they were in and generally watch their entire filmography if I can. So I liked Chai Hansen enough in The New Legends of Monkey that I wanted to watch other things he’s in which includes Shadowhunters. He’s in season three, so I was like sighs I wonder if I’ll be able to keep with the show just for him in season three and well… here we are lol.

Disclaimer: I have not read the books so this based solely on the TV show. This is a review of the show and not the books or the movie (I might review that snoozefest another time).

I’m also going to try to not spoil things but some things I can’t talk about without spoiling so I’ll let you know if there’s a spoiler in that section.

Summary: After her mother disappears, Clary must venture into the dark world of demon hunting, and embrace her new role among the Shadowhunters.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. So we have a lot of characters in this show. I’m going to highlight the main cast and a few of the recurring characters, the ones that made the most impact on me and the show.

Katherine McNamara as Clarissa “Clary Fray” Fairchild

Backstory: So in the beginning Clary Fray has been accepted in the Brooklyn Academy of Arts and her life is going swell. While with her friends Simon and Maureen she gets bumped into by a mysterious blonde boy, who seems surprised that she can see him. She of course wants to prove to Simon and Maureen that there was indeed a boy there, so she goes into the club to find him thus beginning our adventure as she witnesses a fight between a group of young adults and some creatures. The three people tell her who they are, they are “Shadowhunters”, humans born with angelic blood who protects humans (mundanes) from demons. Later that night, Clary’s mother, Jocelyn, is abducted by a group of rogue Shadowhunters called the Circle. Their leader is Jocelyn’s ex-husband, Valentine Morgenstern. With her mother missing, Clary turns to Luke, a person she trusted, only to seemingly be betrayed. Clary joins up with a band of Shadowhunters to save her mother and discovers powers she never knew she possessed.

Character: So Clary is pretty much the typical “YA” female lead, the girl who doesn’t know about the supernatural but gets thrust in that world. The thing I do like about her though is that while she is learning about all of this, she still tries to be an active participant by actually doing things. She can be a bit narrow-minded in that she really wants to save her mother, so she does whatever she can to do it. Everyone else helps her and I think she just a bit, selfishly expects everyone to just help her. With that said, Clary also does what she can to help others as well, she doesn’t necessarily always make the smart decisions but she’ll try to do what she thinks is right. She is very headstrong and determined. I love the fact that we see she’s not a natural at being a Shadowhunter, she has to actually work at it, even with some of her other natural talents. As the series progresses, we see her evolve a bit, she matures and I think she becomes a stronger, less annoying character after the first season.

Acting: I think Katherine McNamara does well in the role. She does have some really annoying tics that she does and sometimes her emotional begging/pleading feels over the top but it works in the long run for the character. She has great chemistry with her cast mates, and I think as the series progressed, she got more into her character and she felt more like a human than a young adult “heroine”. She does really well in the season 3 mid-season finale and I think the moments where she gets that determined smirky look on her face is probably my favorite because it’s funny you know she’s about to do something interesting either way. Oh, and I’m glad they seemed to slightly darken her hair. I know McNamara is a natural redhead and from the research I did, Clary’s hair is kind of “carotty” but that’s not really appealing on-screen, personally. It was really kind of jarring in the first season, so while I like that her hair isn’t the typical red, I like the fact that they made it look more natural.

Dominic Sherwood as Jace Wayland

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Spoilers ahead.

Backstory: Jace Wayland is a Shadowhunter living at the New York Institute with his adopted family. Jace’s legal name changes throughout the series, the poor kid has a hard time trying to even figure out who he is due to the fact he learns about his ancestry constantly and most times it’s lies. Jace has a lot of history that is learned, and a lot of things happen and I don’t want to spoil everything but I will have to spoil some things. So, one of the biggest things is that Jace spent his preteen and teenage years with the Lightwoods after his father, Michael Wayland died. So he became really close with Alec and Izzy, he even becomes Alec’s parabatai (it’s like this kind of intimate brotherly bond that allows their souls to be linked). Valentine tells Jace, that Jace is his son, which crushes him (since Valentine is also Clary’s father) but we end up learning a lot of other things as well.

Character: Jace is obviously the male lead of the show, since he and Clary kind of have a “meet-cute”, and he is immediately drawn to her, just as she is to him. He apparently is the best Shadowhunter, or at least the one with the best record. He is a little impulsive, and selfish in ways, but he really tries to help people. A lot of times, he does things for Clary, it’s what she wants, and he loves her, so obviously he’ll do it for her. He marches to the beat of his own drum, not always following the rules and he loves doing what he does. Being that he is a Shadowhunter, he doesn’t really understand human things, so whenever Simon or Clary make a pop culture reference or some kind of “mundane” thing, he doesn’t understand or he makes fun of it. Now, I do think Jace can be kind of mean and intimidating. It doesn’t work on everyone but he does come off that way and I believe there is something scary about him. I think he’s a very interesting and layered character, a lot has happened to him in this show, especially the first half of season 3, I hope nothing gets pushed to the side but is talked about and conquered.

Acting: I definitely thought that Jamie Campbell Bower in the film was a good Jace, very different, but a good one. However, I think Dominic Sherwood really shines as this character and I think he’s a standout in the show. Jace goes through an emotional roller coaster on this show, I mean this dude goes through a lot of things emotionally and I think Dominic does a great job. I very much enjoy him. I think Jace would easily be just a plain jerk, because he has his moments but I like the fact that Dominic plays him very subdued, you can see the makings of an unlikable character but Dominic prevents that even while still showing that Jace isn’t this perfect person. When he’s being sassy and snarky, I love it because he just smirks (and I love his lips) or he does a big smile like it’s nothing. I really do enjoy watching him. I also think Season 3 is some of his best acting so far, there is this scene with him, Alec and Izzy in a mental realm and it’s so heartbreaking and he does such a good job that I really felt for him.

Alberto Rosende as Simon Lewis

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Spoilers Ahead.

Backstory: Simon and Clary have been friends since they were young, they are best friends and pretty much inseparable. Simon has an obvious crush on Clary but he never actually got around to telling her. Simon has a love and passion for music but he feels pressure to become a CPA because that’s what his mom wants, since he’s her only son. When Clary disappeared on her 18th birthday, he is frantic with worry and manages to find her using a phone app and thus begins his introduction to the Shadow World. At first, he keeps being distracted by Isabelle, in order for Clary and Jace to try to discover some secrets, but he ends up being kidnapped by Raphael (a vampire) who would exchange him for the Mortal Cup. While captive, the leader of the Vampires Camille put Simon under her encanto charm to get him to tell her where the cup was, while doing this, she fed on him and offered him blood to drink until the others rescued him. So, long story short, he got all angsty and emotional (more than usual) and he eventually went back to Camille who killed him. Raphael gave him to Clary and the others, and ultimately Clary decided to bring him back as a vampire. He pretty much is around after that, living as a vampire. He and Clary get to have their chance, then he meets Maia who obviously likes him. He also is now a Daylighter because when he was kidnapped by Valentine, he slit his throat to make Clary come faster, so a disguised Jace, allowed Simon to feed on him in order to heal and I’m sure the angel blood, which they kind of talk about, allows Simon to be a Daylighter. Anyways, the Seelie Queen has a weird obsession with him and brands him with a mark, that pretty much harms anyone who tries to attack him.

Character: I like Simon for the most part, he’s sweet, kind and loyal to a fault but there are also times when he can be annoying. He is a nerd, he loves music, movies, very much into pop culture, or “vintage movies”. He’s someone who I would probably hang out with considering his positive energy but it would have to be in doses because he would probably drain me too. He is the first one to find humor in any situation, he’ll tell jokes to lighten the mood, or make a reference or something and I usually always chuckle or laugh at whatever he says. I like how he’s willing to stick by Clary’s side, I like that he tries to help in whatever way he can. Simon has morals, part of him hates being a vampire because he hates the idea of hurting or killing humans (mundanes), but he is also pretty resourceful when he needs to be. Now, I do think Simon is naive most times, he’s like a little lost puppy.

Acting: Alberto is really good in the role. I think Simon could very much be unlikable, I didn’t really care for him in the movie, but that might have been the actor, but Alberto keeps Simon grounded and human. I like how he plays Simon’s fast talking when he’s excited, nervous or pretty much anything lol. The way he looks at Clary or later looks at Maia is so sweet. Season 3 was also a lot of acting highlights for him, especially when it came to dealing with his family, it was so sad and I really think that was some of Alberto’s best acting on the show so far.

Matthew Daddario as Alec Lightwood

Backstory: Alec is the eldest child of Maryse and Robert Lightwood. He is the older brother of Isabelle and Max. Their mother is very distant and cold, so Alec grew up with a strong desire to prove himself worthy, to make his parents proud and bring honor to the family. He very much follows the rules and orders to the letter. When Jace was brought to live with them, they immediately hit it off and became parabatai. Alec realized he developed romantic feelings for Jace didn’t want to go through with the ceremony but Isabelle convinced to go through with the ceremony. While his parents are gone, he is often appointed the acting head of the Institute. When Clary becomes involved, Alec doesn’t like or trust her and he hates that Jace just goes along with her ideas on a whim. Plus, he was jealous. They meet Magnus Bane at a party, and Magnus immediately starts flirting with Alec every chance they meet. Long story short, a lot happens and Alec goes through a lot, emotionally, Isabelle is very good with being supportive and for him to just be himself. He and Magnus finally get together, Alec in ways, gets along with Clary, and he and Jace are still close, but without any romantic feelings. He is also currently the Head of the Institute.

Character: I like Alec a lot, in the beginning, I thought he was being a bit harsh but at the same time I understood. I mean, who does this girl think she is coming in here and just trying to change this good thing we’ve had going here. I definitely get that and a lot of times, I was on his side. Alec has a very cautious and by the book demeanor, which can also make it hard to get things done that require a little rule breaking since he’s so against it. Even when he lightens up, he still can be like NO. But even so, he’s very protective of his friends and family, and extremely loyal. He is actually the only one who really ever thanks Magnus when he helps them. He is also the one they usually send to ask for help in the first place. Even though he cares deeply for those he loves, he can be very harsh and mean. which crack me up. Alec is very self-deprecating, when things go wrong, he blames himself a lot of the time. He’s very interesting and most times I just want to give him a hug because I feel like he needs it most of the time.

Acting: In the beginning, I was a little unsure, but he grew on me. I think Matthew Daddario has this innocence about him, or at least with the way he plays Alec. When he first meets Magnus, his shock and nervousness whenever they had an encounter was super cute. Alec is the strong silent type, and I like that he’ll stand in the back and be very observant of what’s going on. He doesn’t get a ton of emotional scenes but when he does, I think Matthew handles it very well.

Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle Lightwood

Backstory: Isabelle is the only girl in the Lightwood children, she does not have a good relationship with her mother. She often feels judged by her mother, or not looked at with the same pride that is shown to Alec and Max, even Jace. When she learns that their family is under scrutiny (thanks to them going off to help Clary without having their mission sanctioned), she decides to stop her old lifestyle and be more like her mother. While she was willing to do what she had to in order to help her family, she didn’t want Alec doing the same and forfeiting his happiness. She encourages Alec to be himself, to accept what he wants and she invites Magnus to Alec’s wedding, which helps Alec make the right choice. Valentine sent a demon to attack the Institute, causing Izzy to be harmed, Aldertree gives her Yin Fen (a serum made from Vampire venom) to help ease the pain and she gets addicted to it. She eventually goes straight to the source, to Raphael, and they begin a romance of sorts. That goes badly, because they get addicted to each other, since Shadowhunter blood is like part angel blood. She eventually tells Alec, who is supportive about her quitting her addiction. She ends up meeting Sebastian Verlac who helps her quit Yin Fen completely and she’s stronger for it.

Character: She is definitely a favorite character because she’s just so sweet and badass at the same time. She is apologetically beautiful and will use that to her advantage if she can. Now, I do think Isabelle can be a little naive in certain instances because she has gotten herself into some situations that I feel like she should have known better. She is loyal, and gives great advice, everyone generally goes to her whenever they need a confidence booster. Being the only girl of the Lightwood children, including Jace, she is often the one who keeps both Alec and Jace in check during tense situations. She is not afraid to speak her mind and can be very defiant and argue her points when necessary. Being that she is comfortable in her body, she has no problem wearing revealing outfits, or standing up to her mother’s strict rules. I think she is the moral compass of the show in a lot of ways and the backbone. I think without Isabelle a lot of stuff would not have happened or worked out the way they should. I

Acting: I think Emeraude is one of the consistently good actors on the show. I never have a moment where I doubt her abilities, or where I cringe during an emotional moment. She has this kind of high, sweet voice so whenever she’s being in charge, I’m like yasss, y’all better listen to her. When she was addicted to the vampire venom and Yin Fen, she did such a great job battling that, that while I was upset she was addicted and couldn’t shake it for a while, I really felt for her too. My favorite though, is probably when she confronted Raphael about what he was doing to this new vampire girl and when she saved Jace in his mind.

Isaiah Mustafa as Luke Garroway

Backstory: Luke used to be a Shadowhunter, he was Valentine’s parabatai when they were younger but drama ensued and that ended. Valentine is also the reason why Luke was bitten and turned into a werewolf. He was disowned by his family after he turned, and pretty much had to do things on his own, he kept in contact with Jocelyn Fairchild, as he was in love with her as a young man, and it remained so into adulthood. When all of the stuff hit the fan, he lost contact with Clary for a little while since she overheard him saying he didn’t care about her or her mother, but of course it wasn’t sure, it was just a ruse to get them off his back. They finally get back into contact and it’s a good thing since Clary really needed him. He’s been dealing with a lot on his own, having to be an Alpha to his pack, while also trying to keep Clary and Simon out of danger puts him in an awkward place. Right now, I think he’s lost the pack because they made him choose between them or Clary and Luke left, choosing Clary. I also think there will be a romance in the future for him, and I like it.

Character: I just want the best for Luke because he is such a nice guy. He likes to help whenever he can, he prefers to resolve issues by talking them through instead of conflict because he does not want to risk bloodshed. He also likes to thoroughly investigate before making rash decisions. However, piss him off by messing with his kids (he considers Clary his daughter and Simon is basically his son) and he’ll get you, he will not hesitate to punish those who cross a line. He is the Alpha of his pack, so he has an air of authority and control, and he has paternal instincts towards younger Downworlders, he tries to help them navigate their new lives. I find it hard sometimes, because he obviously loves Clary and he wants to help her whenever he can, but his pack gives him crap because of that. I think he’s in a hard place and it really affects him though he doesn’t always show it. He’s their father but he’s also the Alpha, so it’s like a rock and a hard place. His loyalty is unshakable though and he is fierce in his determination which are things I love about him.

Acting: I’ve only ever seen Isaiah Mustafa in the old spice commercials which cracks me up whenever I think about them. I also saw him in a Tyler Perry movie but this would technically be my first time seeing him in something where he is a lead role. I think he’s great though, whenever he’s angry and is about to turn into a wolf, I very much enjoy those moments. When he was in mourning, he couldn’t control his emotions and while he wasn’t really speaking, it was all over his face, which is a great ability if I do say so myself. He’s also great with being a leader, being authoritative and protective. I think this is a great role for him. I know in the book Luke is a bit different from how they portray him here, but I think him being an officer works for him and the show.

Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane

Backstory: Magnus has a long history since he’s hundreds of years old, so I’ll try to be brief. When he was a child, his mother discovered his cat eyes were the mark of a demon, making him a warlock. She couldn’t handle it so she committed suicide. His stepfather blamed him for his mother’s death, so Magnus killed him with fire. Jocelyn Fairchild often went to him to have Clary’s memories wiped as she didn’t want her daughter to know about the Shadow World until she was older. So they go back to him so he could restore her memories, and he basically ends up being heavily involved with the Shadowhunters and their shenanigans. He is immediately taken with Alec and he really tries to get Alec to open up and be true to himself, especially once Magnus found out that Alec was in love in Jace. They FINALLY get together and Magnus always tells Alec to not push him away when things get tough and they often lean on each other when things happen. When things got tough in the Shadow World, he took the side of the Seelie Queen which resulted in him losing his position as High Warlock of Brooklyn, so right now he’s been doing small jobs for a fee, but he definitely misses that role, especially since the guy who is now the High Warlock is a douche nozzle. When Jace was in serious trouble, he took the risk of going to someone for help and he makes a great sacrifice to help.

Character: He is my favorite character on the show. He is fierce, intelligent, cunning and wise. He also cares deeply and is very compassionate, and he understands people since he’s immortal and has lived for hundreds of years. He is very protective of his people and takes his role as high warlock very seriously, it takes priority over his own happiness most times. Magnus is usually distrusting of Shadowhunters due to their history with Downworlders but he is not against being friendly with them. He has helped other Downworlders navigate as well, he was a mentor figure to Raphael when he first turned. He is also very powerful. Magnus is known for his eccentric style and exquisite taste, which I love. His entire wardrobe is amazing and Harry Shum Jr. wears it so well. I think it’s easy to tell that Magnus is lonely, or has been for a long time, but he tries to fill it by helping others whenever they ask. In terms of romance, Magnus is openly bisexual, he’s been with men and women, and does not discriminate between kinds, since he’s been with Downworlders and mundanes. He’s currently with Alec, who is a Shadowhunter. He’s my favorite because he will do what he can to help people, they never really say thank you and he doesn’t wallow in that. Obviously, I want him to be thanked, or acknowledged for EVERYTHING HE DOES but it’s not like really needs it. The sacrifice he made in the season 3 mid finale… just wow.

Acting: Harry Shum Jr. is amazing in this role. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in anything before but he’s great. His sarcastic responses are always on point, the facial expressions he makes and the way he carries himself in the role is just fantastic. His interactions with Alec are always so sweet, and you can tell that it’s really bothering him whenever they have a disagreement or an argument. I could really watch a TV series that details Magnus’ life before the timeline of the show because I think Harry Shum Jr. is amazing and I love Magnus to pieces.

Alisha Wainwright as Maia Roberts

Backstory: We learn that Maia grew up with a brother, who was clearly the favorite. When he died, her relationship with her parents got worse, so she ran away. She ended up meeting Jordan, and they hit it off and started to date. Later, he got weird and then it was learned that he was a werewolf and that he scratched her which turned her into a werewolf. There was no one to guide her through her transitions so she had no idea what was going on, until Luke found her and helped her into controlling her transitions. Jace was a target after one of her friends was abducted by The Circle, and Maia, along with other wolves, actively pursued Jace. Luke made them stop though, since Jace wasn’t responsible. Maia and Simon ended up hitting it off and became fast friends, it was obvious that she liked him and he liked her, but his feelings for Clary were too important that they were put on a back burner. They are currently dating now and they’re super cute. Also, Jordan has entered the picture again and they had a great scene in a church.

Character: At first, I didn’t really like her, she grew on me. We first meet her because Jace wanders into her bar and she’s a little sassy and sarcastic, which I usually like, and I didn’t mind that she thought he was responsible for her friend, I got all of that. What annoyed me in the beginning was how she kept arguing with Luke about helping the Shadowhunters and trying to make him choose between the pack and his children. It was really annoying. However, seeing her with Simon and how she was with him, she grew on me and I felt bad for her in ways as well, due to her past. She’s strong, determined and stubborn, but it works for her because she fights for what she thinks is right. It’s clear she has trust issues but I think being with Simon and being around Luke has really helped that.

Acting: I don’t know why but the actress reminds me of Zoe Kravitz, or maybe in my mind, Zoe Kravitz would be a good choice to play this role if they did a better movie. Anyway, I think she’s good in her role, I love her voice, and I like how when she’s emotional, it comes from a real place, or at least she can just cry very well lol. I love when she’s kicking butt because she’s enjoying it and I think watching her get angry and almost turning, and reacting to the pain of the beginning transitions is really cool too. Also, I love her chemistry with Alberto.

Recurring Characters

Alan van Sprang as Valentine Morgenstern

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I don’t really want to go into his backstory, so I’m not gonna lol.

Character: He is obviously very intelligent, cunning, manipulative and charming, sometimes. It’s because of these traits that he’s able to gain so many followers and people who believe in his cause. He will kill anyone who gets in his way without even thinking twice about it. I do believe that he cares about his children in a weird way, but ultimately it’s because of whatever his goals are. He really manipulated Jace, being that he’s a vulnerable person, Valentine was really able to get his poisoned claws in him. It was great to watch though.

Acting: In terms of him being a giant dick, and horrible father, I think Alan van Sprang was great because boy did I hate this guy. He was very manipulative and kind of charming, I think the main missing was the charm, Jonathan Rhys Meyers played him in the movie, and I don’t know in terms of physicality, but I thought he had the manic charm that seemed to fit this character. I don’t think van Sprang really has that. When he’s trying to get his kids on his side, I don’t think they actually believe him, they only go along with him or whatever because the script said so. I definitely have to give him props though, there was an episode where Valentine and Magnus switched bodies and he did SUCH a good job portraying Magnus.

Will Tudor as Sebastian Verlac

Character: So in the beginning, he helped Izzy kick her Yin Fen addiction which made her trust him and bring him into the Institute. He told her this story about how he left his Institute since he was addicted for a time as well. When he gets in there, he gets close to everyone, but we also learn that this is not actually the real Sebastian Verlac, it’s someone else using a rune to make themselves look like Sebastian. I didn’t trust him regardless because he has beady little eyes that look shifty and I knew he was up to something.

Acting: I knew the actor looked familiar so I googled it and it turns out he was in Game of Thrones lol, everybody be in GOT. Anyway, he’s fine, I do think he overacts a little when he’s being all yelly and stuff, I know his character is perpetually angry but I can’t help but wonder during those scenes if Will Tudor ever hurt himself doing all of that, his face turns red, his veins become pronounced, I mean yesh. Otherwise, I very much enjoy him being quietly angry, I think that’s better because he kind of has an innocent face so it works in his favor.

Anna Hopkins as Lilith

Character: She is soft-spoken and eerily calm. Lilith carries herself with an air of supreme authority and power, but she also couples that with innocence so no one thinks she’s a threat until it’s too late. She hardly shows great emotion unless she’s talking about her “son” or her hatred for his killers. She also has a fixation on children since she cannot have children. It’s funny because she does actually care for her “subjects” because they serve a purpose but she won’t hesitate to get rid of them if they’re no longer useful. She only really cares for her son. She is the reason why Jace struggles a lot during the first half of the third season. Lilith does, or orchestrates stuff to happen so she can get what she wants, which is to revive her son, which might have been successful, don’t know yet.

Acting: So ever since I saw her in After the Ball I get excited whenever I see her because I thoroughly enjoyed her in that movie. I like her and I really liked her here. She is able to keep up this creepy calm personality she has going on and I love it. She never raises her voice, unless something happened to her subjects, or unless someone talks or threatens her son. She’ll get personally offended and the faces Anna Hopkins makes are just pure gold. I very much enjoyed watching her whenever she was on screen.

Chai Hansen as Jordan Kyle

And here we are to the reason I started watching this show. Well, gave me an extra push to finally catch up. He’s so cute lol.

Character: So we meet him when he runs into Simon on the street as Simon is looking for a new apartment. He’s going by Kyle, and he just so happens to have a nice apartment, where his roommate just moved out. So he and Simon hit it off, and turns out that he is actually Maia’s ex-boyfriend, the one who turned her, we get some backstory about them. He’s very remorseful at what he did, I don’t think he knew what he was doing exactly, but he did know what he was doing when he left her there. So it’s hard to get a true read on his personality, because I don’t think he’s a mean guy, at least where he is now. He is a werewolf, and he’s working for this organization who sent him to protect Simon, after the whole Seelie Queen thing. He’s still in love with Maia and I hope he doesn’t try to get in there and split Simon and her up because that will make me upset, no matter how cute I think he is. He really wants to help and while Simon seems wary of him since he knows what happened in the past, they get along pretty well. I hope for positive things in the future.

Acting: I never doubted Chai Hansen’s ability in this show, I was curious to see what he would be doing. We don’t know a ton about his character yet, nor have we seen a lot of him, but what we have seen is enough for me to talk about lol. He’s wonderful at being a nice guy, a clumsy and slightly awkward nice guy but he’s also great at playing angry since the first time we see him change it’s because he’s angry.

The Friendships. So I like the fact that even though they’re family, Alec, Izzy and Jace are so close. They’re friends too. Alec and Jace have a slightly different bond because of the whole parabatai thing, which I do think is interesting. I also love the friendship between Simon and Clary, I do think she asks a lot of him, but he loves her. I also love that they’ve all become friends in their own right. Jace and Simon don’t really get along, but there are some moments between them that are pretty great.

The Romances. So obviously there are a lot of them. The Alec/Magnus stuff is adorable and I think the two actors have great chemistry. There are only a few times where I don’t think it always work and I think that’s more on Matthew Daddario in that I think his acting isn’t always the best. But regardless, I love Alec/Magnus because it took a moment to happen, we saw the slow burn and it was satisfying when it finally happened. Same with Clary and Jace. It was clear in the beginning that they were instantly into each other, but it was thwarted when they thought they were siblings thanks to Valentine’s lies but even after they found out they weren’t, they didn’t jump right into it right away. I liked that as well because Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood have really good chemistry, probably some of the best on the show and the tension that builds up between Clary and Jace is just so annoying sometimes that I’m like JUST KISS. Simon and Maia are also a great couple, I very much enjoy watching them because they are just sincere with each other and she challenges him in ways that he’s never been challenged.

The Action/Fights. The choreography for the fight scenes are handled very well. Izzy is supposed to be one of their best and I think it shows with how she fights, same with Jace, since I think he’s supposed to be one of the best too. The choreography in the mid-season finale was fantastic, probably some of the best action in the entire show.

Mature Themes/Storylines. I actually thought the show was surprisingly mature. Sure, a lot of these “teen shows” do have mature themes and storylines. The whole thing with Izzy’s addiction and how that was handled, I thought that was mature and real. Also Maia’s backstory was also handled really well, it’s sad, but it was a good one and her scene with Jordan in the church was pretty great. Also all of the stuff with Jace and his identity crisis and the stuff with Valentine. I think the show handles it all well, it doesn’t seem to trivialize anything.

Emotionally Fueled. I think one of the strongest aspects of this show is the ability to be emotional. I don’t necessarily mean that I’ll cry while watching it, but the characters really get into some stick situations, that while I know most of them will come out at least alive, you don’t really know what the consequences might be, or even what they should be. Season 2 especially dealt with a lot of that as we got to see Jace deal with his identity crisis and the others having to deal with traitors, and their livelihood changing, the whole story with the Lightwoods, Clary and dealing with what she learns about her family and her mother’s death… there’s a lot that happens in season 2 that it’s kind of amazing how these people have not lost their minds in the long run.

Cons:

Inconsistent Acting. While I did praise everyone in the “pros” section, it’s not always consistent. I think Katherine McNamara has some moments, mostly in the first season, where she does some annoying ticks, or that she’s trying too hard, especially in emotional scenes. I think by the third season, she has gotten into Clary’s skin a lot better. Matthew Daddario also is a culprit of this, I like him overall, but when he has to be emotional, I don’t always believe him because I don’t think he’s that good consistently. Season 3 seems to be particularly hard on him, I don’t know why but it does, maybe he’s over it? lol, who knows, we’ll see what happens in the second half of season 3. I also didn’t think that Alan van Sprang was that good at being charming and his character was supposed to be, he tried it sometimes but I was like meh, you have to work on that.

Selfish Characters. I mean human nature is human nature but literally everyone in this show is selfish except for Magnus Bane. There are definitely levels to the selfishness, and sometimes they have great speeches that kind of mask just how selfish they are, which is fine but whenever I’m watching, I’m like “Does no one say THANK YOU!? around here?” the amount of times people ask Magnus to help them, they just expect him too and NO ONE THANKS HIM. I think Clary is the most guilty of this but unfortunately this is how it is when it comes to YA heroes, they’re usually selfish in some forms, but it’s really noticeable in this show. Like IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT YOU!!

The Fantasy Aspect. So this show is technically a fantasy show with all of the fantasy elements it has, but my main thing is, they don’t really focus on that aspect of the show. It’s mostly drama. I like it don’t get me wrong, but in the first episode, we get introduced to so much stuff, not only is it overwhelming but it’s also underwhelming. We meet vampires, but we don’t really see them do anything but wear suits and talk, we’ve seen the werewolves but we’ve never really seen them do anything, unless one of them gets mad and loses control over personal reasons. We don’t really get to see anyone be a vampire or be a werewolf, or anything else. We learn things that Shadowhunters can do, and now that Jace and Clary have extra abilities due to their pure angel blood, we should see more of that. I think for a fantasy show, it misses a lot of that. Shadowhunters should relish in the world they’ve set up.

Stupid Decisions. The amount of stupidity in this show is crazy. Characters make really naive and stupid choices, I mean you HAVE to know that’s not going to work. One of the more notorious is when Clary and Jace were going to visit the Seelie Queen and Clary lets Simon come along. I knew that wasn’t going to end well (great scene though) but if she would have just told him NO! and then even left his ass somewhere, none of that would have happened. I mean, for drama and story sake it had to but it was so dumb. Also, whenever people act impulsively, and it turns out badly, I’m like “well what did you think was going to happen?” it happens so much that I just want to double slap everyone, literally everyone. Even Magnus who is my favorite makes dumb decisions but usually at the behest of someone else or the biggest thing I thought was ridiculous, was when Lilith went to him for a potion, I think it was clear he kind of doubted it but he still made it for her. I thought it was a little careless of him and stupid. It happens a lot with people being careless and stupid.

So Dramatic/Cheesy. THIS SHOW IS SO DRAMATIC AND CHEESY it hurts. I don’t know what else to say about it but it is lol and I love it.

Overall, look this show is so cheesy and a lot of times it just bad, however, I very much enjoy it. I like all of the characters, there is no main character that I don’t like. I think they’re all interesting, the actors play them well and I think they’re acting is good for the most part. Emeraude Toubia and Dominic Sherwood I think are standouts, especially in season two, they both did such a good job and Sherwood has been doing really well in season three. I think the show has a lot of emotional moments for the characters and that it handles those moment and the mature storylines pretty well. You get invested. I think the action and fight scenes are well choreographed and look pretty realistic, especially after the first season. All of the relationships, the friendships and romances happen in a slow burn way, I don’t feel that any of them were rushed into, or forced or unrealistic, this is the first time in a show like this, that I don’t hate at least one character, or that I don’t hate one romantic relationship in the show, it’s very surprising to me. On the other hand, the show is very cheesy and dramatic that it can get a little ridiculous but that’s part of the charm in ways. I do think some of the acting is very inconsistent and that it’s not always believable. Also, characters can be really selfish and dumb to the point where I curse them (But not hate them), there needs to be a lot of people saying “thank you” going forward in this show because some people go out of their way to help our main heroes and no one thanks them. That’s so selfish that it drives me insane. Also, people are so dumb sometimes, UGH!! I want to slap everyone but I still like them lol. I also think the fantasy aspect of the show is very lacking, I think it’s very underwhelming when it should feel like a gigantic part of the story but it really just feels like conventional additions. But listen, I very much enjoyed the show, I binged way faster than I thought would. I started watching the show to really watch an actor I enjoyed who shows up in season three but I ended up falling into the characters and the story, I even kind of want to read the books because I enjoy the show but I’m still iffy on that because I feel like the show improves on mediocre books since apparently the movie was closer to the book and the movie was terrible… but we’ll see. I can’t really comment on the books… yet. I can’t wait for the rest of season three.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars.

P.S. I also just have to say, I was on Tumblr (which is dangerous) and I saw a lot of negativity towards Jace’s character. I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know how he is written but in the show, I think he’s likable, not always, but he is. I just started watching the show so I haven’t followed everything the actor has done, but I have read some things and while I don’t condone it, I don’t think that really should affect how people view the character. Jace is a tragic figure, and I do think the show focuses a lot on him but I don’t think it does it in a way that is detrimental to the other characters. I think Alec and Jace do have a strong brothership and the parabatai thing allows their relationship to be a bit more intimate but not in any other way than brothers. Alec and Magnus are sweet together and I don’t think that Alec would ever think negatively about Jace in a way that’s just mean. I’m sure they get on each other’s nerves and say things they don’t really mean but I don’t think Alec would make any choices that would cause the death of Jace or Magnus, or anyone he loves. He would rather die himself. At least that’s what I see from the show. I also don’t think that Jace would be offended if Alec did choose Magnus over him because he understands the pain Alec has gone through trying to be true to himself, plus Jace can take care of himself. In terms of the end of the finale, when Jace says “I’m going to get Clary”, I don’t think that was him completely ignoring what he did to Alec while under the influence of Lilith. He knew that Alec was good hands with Magnus and he trusts Magnus and in that moment, he was just thrown back into his body after being trapped in it for a long time, and Clary needed help. What was he going to do? Not help? Plus, I’m sure he was angry at what happened to him. I don’t think that constitutes being selfish. Anyway, I just had a lot to say about that and I wanted to get it off my chest because I think it’s a little ridiculous.

Have you seen Shadowhunters? What do you think about the show? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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Deadpool 2 (2018) Movie Review

May 24, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

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Summary: Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA. Deadpool), brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy of supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-traveling mutant, Cable.

So I’m not going to lie, I really liked the first one but I think I only saw it maybe once or twice in its entirety. I wasn’t really anticipating the second one, it wasn’t really one of those movies that I was like “I HAVE TO SEE” but I knew I wanted to since I had so much fun in the first one. Anyways, on to the review!

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool. He is a wise cracking mercenary with accelerated healing but severe scarring over his body after undergoing an experimental regenerative mutation. In this movie, he has been DP for a while now, and his life seems to be pretty good as he has his girl with him. But he is put on a path where he meets Russell and things aren’t going so well. Throughout the movie, he’s trying to find his place, trying to find out what the dream he had means and he goes on this discovery, while also causing trouble as he does. We get to see a little more emotional side of Wade, which I really like, since it shows balance with his larger than life personality. Ryan Reynolds was meant to play this character and it shows just how much he loves it because I’m sure he ad-libbed as much as he could. It got a little over the top sometimes but he’s great in the role.
Josh Brolin as Cable. A time-traveling cybernetic soldier who is very different from Deadpool in that he’s very serious and he has a set plan for what he wants. I think the character could have easily been that “narrow-minded soldier” very easily but I think Josh Brolin manages to add humanity to the character and he’s very likable. What he does in the end shows a lot of emotion and I can’t wait to see what happens with him in the future, especially since he came from the future and his parents are around.
Julian Dennison as Russell Collins / Firefist. He is the older version of Russell from Up. A young mutant with pyrokinesis who is being hunted by Cable due to something his future self does. I would consider him a kind of villain through most of the movie, but the whole point is to save him, well it takes a moment for Deadpool to get to that point, but yeah. He’s pretty funny himself throughout the movie.
Zazie Beetz as Domino. Easily the best part of the film. She is a mercenary with the mutant ability to manipulate luck, who joins Deadpool’s X-Force team. Domino is sassy, unbothered and she just goes through life-like nothing can faze her, which nothing does. Considering she’s lucky, no matter what happens, no matter how dangerous it is, she’s fine. However, she has a tragic past buts she can definitely kick butt and takes names. She’s funny as well. I’ve never seen Zazie Beetz in anything but she’s great here and I really want her to have her own movie since she was the clear standout in this film. Her back and forth banter with Ryan Reynolds was great, they had great chemistry and I would love to see them team up again. She also just looks physically awesome.

Supporting Characters.

T.J. Miller as Weasel. He is Wade’s best friend and owns the bar that apparently all of the mercenaries frequent. He doesn’t really do much but he’s funny and makes jokes and has great comedic chemistry with Ryan Reynolds.
Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead. A teenage X-Man with the mutant power to detonate atomic bursts from her body. She seems to be more apart of the team now, she was more of a trainee in the first one. I loved her in the first one and I was excited to see her in this one. I was bummed she wasn’t in it that much. Her new relationship was cute, I liked her girlfriend, but we didn’t really get the chance to see much from either of them. The actress is still great in her unbothered persona as well, I think her and Domino would get along swimmingly.

The Opening Credits. It was hilarious and unique. I love how they used a song beautifully sang by Celine Dion and there were some crazy images going along with such a slow song. The picture at the top of the review is one such image from the opening credits. I also liked the fact that the credits pretty much tells you what’s going to happen in the movie lol very bold and it was funny foreshadowing joke.

The Action. It’s pretty nonstop for a good chunk of the film. The opening fight scene before he runs home to Vanessa is fantastic. My favorite is definitely the car chase scene, Domino fights Cable and she does this really cool move while in the truck AND she has great stunts period because she’s just so lucky. Plus, Cable is cool and we get to see him and DP go at it a few times and I thought the fight choreography was handled very well.

It’s Still Funny. Unfortunately, I’ll talk about this later too, but I still the movie was funny. Crude humor doesn’t bother me, if it’s funny it’s funny and if it’s not it’s not. Humor is subjective but I normally enjoy Deadpool’s antics, even in the comics, so there were a lot of times where he was still enjoyable to watch. The entire scene where he has to grow something back was probably the funniest of the movie. Also, Domino has some great humorous moments and lines, her banter with Deadpool when she’s “interviewing” for his superhero team was great. Also, the scene when his “X-Force” team does the skydiving. Hilarious. Oh and Russell was funny sometimes too.

The Heart/Emotion. It wasn’t like super emotional but it does have some sad stuff, especially in the beginning. However, the whole story with the kid and how Deadpool is reacting to him, especially the end, I thought it was sweet. Same with Cable’s story and why he’s there. I think there is a lot of heart in the movie, but it does get bogged down at times by the jokes.

Cameos. There are some great cameos in the film. There is one in the X-mansion when Deadpool is in there talking to Colossus. There is also an extended cameo in the end with a well known character that was pretty cool to see and to see them done correctly.

Cons:

Dead Horse. I felt about this movie the same way I felt about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. The first movie was so funny and different that they wanted to do the same thing here just bigger and better and I don’t think it was better. Not all of the jokes hit for me, and some of them went on for way to long. There was a scene at the end, where Wade just keeps going on and on and on and I’m like… if you just don’t GO! It got really old really fast a lot of times and it was kind of annoying.

Enjoy the moment. I know with a comedy, it’s hard to let moments just be moments but I wish that when there’s an emotional part, just let it be emotional. You don’t have to make jokes, just let it happen and more than likely, I’ll actually feel something other than annoyance.

Boring. It’s weird to say this in a Deadpool movie but I was kind of bored at various times throughout the movie. I think my friend even fell asleep at a point, but I was disappointed that it just didn’t keep me engaged like the first one did. It was trying to hard and I could tell and it didn’t do it for me. It had some minor pacing issues, where we were really high for a while and then it was like a deep plummet and I was like sighs okay.

Wasted Characters. There were some characters introduced in the movie just for laughs, which is fine, but I was expecting to see way more of the X-men characters we saw from the first movie. I was a little miffed that they were just glorified cameos.

Overall, I enjoyed Deadpool 2. I liked all of the characters, they were all fun and it was easy to tell that the actors had a good time as well. Ryan Reynolds still is great as Deadpool. He loves the character and it comes through in the film. I enjoyed the little arc that he got to have in the film, he’s ultimately the same person just a bit more mature in the end. Josh Brolin as Cable was great, he was intimidating but awesome, Julian Dennison as Russell was also great to watch, he clearly had fun in his role and I thought he was funny, most of the time. Lastly, Zazie Beetz as Domino was the standout in the film and I think she should get her own film. The action is handled very well, it’s well choreographed and it’s awesome seeing how some of the characters get through some pretty crazy situations. The opening credits was one of the best sequences of the film, especially coupled with that song. The emotional heart in the film was also pretty well-earned. It’s also funny. Now, with that said, I do think this movie suffers from the “trying to hard” syndrome. I think because the first did so well that they tried to capture that again and it didn’t always work for me. Crude humor is never a problem for me, but when you beat a dead horse, or you just don’t know when to let the moment be a moment, that gets annoying. Yes, I know that’s how Deadpool is but that doesn’t mean it has to come off forced. I also felt a bored in some areas of the film, I wasn’t so bored that I pulled out my phone or anything, but I was bored that I wanted to get back to other scenes and I don’t really do that when watching a movie. My friend even fell asleep and she was looking forward to this way more than I was. I left the movie disappointed and the more I thought about it, I was disappointed. I enjoyed it but it was fine.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Deadpool 2 yet? What did you think about it? Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

Thank you for reading and please be sure to follow this blog for more movie reviews!

Why Static Shock should be a Live Action TV Show

May 12, 2018May 14, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 2 Comments

So who remembers this guy? I’m sure a lot of you do because he was a big part of our childhood television experience.

I remember watching this show faithfully on Kids WB. This was among my first animated superhero shows that really got me into superheroes. I used to watch the Christopher Reeve Superman movies (1 & 2) all of the time, I watched Batman Returns (I did not know the first Batman existed), and then of course all of the animated shows.

HE IS NOT RELATED TO BLACK LIGHTNING IN ANY WAY.

Why It Should Be A Live Action TV Show

So I’ve always loved the idea of this show being live action because it’s so relevant. Now that we have the amazing Black Lighting on The CW and the success of Black Panther, there’s even more reason for Static Shock to be a show. Virgil is a 14-year-old African-American teenager. He’s definitely an ‘everyman’ which is always a great person to look up to on television. Virgil is smart, so he can think his way out of situations and he does well in school. He’s well-known but he’s not popular by any means, he gets bullied and teased but he usually takes it in stride because at the end of the day, he has people who love him and he’s really cool for that. When he gets his powers, of course the first thing he wants to do is be like the heroes in the comics. He does the suit montage and at first he’s kind of bad at it but he learns along the way and he evolves into a great hero. Virgil is likable too. He’d be the type of lead that everyone can see themselves in because he’s just like a normal teenager.

The Characters

Static Shock had a very unique roster of characters and obviously there is a lot to pull from which is why I prefer it to be a TV show instead of a movie because a movie (unless a series) limits how many characters can be introduced and used without the movie feeling bloated, or some characters not receiving the attention they deserve IE. the X-men films. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy those, minus The Last Stand, but those movies either focus too much on Wolverine OR Mystique going forward that other characters that should get a strong introduction in movies, don’t because the movie wants to follow Logan or Raven. I get it, Logan’s popular and it’s Jennifer Lawrence, but honestly, Wolverine was never my favorite and Mystique is a villain, no matter how many times they try to act like she’s not. I don’t want that to happen with Static. He has a LOT of villains and most of them are teenagers who went through the same thing Virgil went through to get their powers. I would love the chance to see all of them come to life because they’re all so interesting. Well, there’s a lot of them but at the same time, there isn’t a lot of them. We see the same ones quite a bit.

Virgil Ovid Hawkins/Static (Phil LaMarr). Virgil is a high school student in Dakota City. He’s really smart, he loves comics and superheroes and he’s considered to be a bit of a nerd, which causes him to get picked on a lot. He gets involved with some gang nonsense that forced him to be on the docks one night. So, due to accidental exposure to an experimental mutagen he gains the ability to control and manipulate electromagnetism. The accidental exposure is later known as the “Big Bang” and Virgil becomes “Static”. Unlike other “Bang Babies” who were exposed to the mutagen and use their powers in bad ways, Virgil uses his powers to protect the city. Virgil is a happy-go-lucky kid, he usually finds the good in everything. He’s really intelligent and he uses his intellect to help him win against his adversaries as well. He’s the younger brother so he often has to deal with his older sister Sharon, he nags her and she nags him. He also has a close relationship with his father, but he very much misses his mother. He’s 14 so he does deal with girls, in the beginning he has a massive crush on Frieda but when he meets Daisy, they definitely develop a close friendship which transforms down the line. Phil LaMarr is the man! He does Virgil’s voice and he manages to keep the innocence about him even though he deals with some crazy stuff.

Richard “Richie” Osgood Foley/Gear (Jason Marsden). He is Virgil’s best friend and confidant. In the beginning, he’s more along the lines of the “man in the chair”, he makes gadgets for Virgil and even helps cover for him to protect his secret identity. Later, in the third season, it was learned that Richie was passively exposed to the mutagen, from Virgil which altered his brain and gave him enhanced intelligence. He was able to invent rocket-powered boots and “Backpack”, a highly intelligent multipurpose device worn on the back capable of surveillance and other semi-independent activity. With this equipment, he adopted the superhero identity “Gear” and becomes Static’s full-time partner in crime-fighting. Richie is Caucasian, and I loved the fact that he and Virgil had a strong friendship and that he was the “support” compared to the many times that the black kid was the support. But at the same time, when he became Gear, he was never treated like the sidekick. Sure, they had arguments about it, but they’re teenagers, it happens. Richie is also smart, loves comics and I always thought he was a bit more awkward then Virgil was.

Robert Hawkins (Kevin Michael Richardson). Virgil and Sharon’s dad, he runs the Freeman Community Center as the head counselor. He is a social worker and a widower. Robert strongly dislikes gangs and the destructive attitudes of most Bang Babies, but he believes that he can motivate teens to do good things, and he’s motivated himself, to counteract the bad influence of Bang Babies on other teenagers. Robert is a good father, there are times where he comes down hard on Virgil and I remember watching as a kid thinking he was being extra, but as an adult, he just wanted to protect his son. He has a great many seeds of wisdom and the episode where he finds out Virgil is Static is a lovely episode full of great father/son moments.

Sharon Hawkins (Michele Morgan). Sharon is Virgil’s older sister, she attends college but still lives at home. She volunteers at a hospital and counsels young people at the Community Center. Sharon is that typical, annoying and nagging older sister but it’s obvious that she really does care about Virgil (and vice versa). She will come to his defense quick fast and in a hurry whenever he’s in danger. After the death of their mother, Sharon took it upon herself to be the woman of the house, especially when it comes to giving out chores and cooking (which apparently she isn’t good at according to Virgil). I like Sharon though, yeah she can be very annoying, but I love when the Hawkins family has their Hawkins moments. It’s very sweet.

Adam Evans/Rubber-Band Man(Kadeem Hardison). He is a meta-human whose body structure is basically rubber. He can change his form. He is the younger brother of Static’s archenemy, Ebon. Rubber-Band Man first shows up as a tragic villain who just wants his due after a record producer stole one of his songs, but he is caught and sent to jail, only to later break out of prison. However, he decides not to become a criminal and instead have an alter-ego as a musician, date Sharon and kind of sort of, works with Static. They clashed a lot in the beginning but after a while, Virgil accepts Adam’s relationship with Sharon and they fight crime together without problem and Adam even at times becomes a brother figure to Virgil. I like Rubber-Band Man because his powers are cool, and he’s a nice guy but he still has a temper on him. He’s the character that we know could easily be a villain but chooses not to be one. I like characters like that. They’re in that grey area.

Ivan Evans/Ebon(Gary Anthony Sturgis). So Ebon is Virgil’s archenemy and Rubber-Band Man’s big brother. He the head of a large group of Bang Babies called “The Meta-Breed” and he’s the main antagonist. He is very powerful and extremely strong, probably one of the most powerful meta-humans. He is basically a living shadow. He is able to create inter-dimensional portals and can manipulate pure darkness and shadows. he can also transport others to various locations of his choice. Ebon is frankly quite scary. I think in the first two seasons though, or mainly the first one, he is at his scariest because we haven’t been introduced to other big villains yet so he really takes the cake. He’s really strong and he really puts Virgil through it. I think we got to see him one time before his powers, because I always wanted to know what he looked like lol and he just looked like some punk, so honestly his powers were probably a good thing for him lol.

Francis Stone/F-Stop/Hotstreak (Danny Cooksey). Francis was one of the gang members who was at the docks when the Big Bang happened. He was exposed to the gas and was given fire powers where he changed his name from “F-Stop” to “Hotstreak”. His powers added to his hotheadness where he is able to create fire and shoot fire blasts. At first, it seems a lot of his bullying is fueled by his crush on Frieda but let’s be real, Francis is a douchebag. He does some good things in the show, mostly in the episode where a lot of the Bang Babies are kidnapped and Hotstreak and Static manage to escape before being captured, but they work together to save the others. He has some moments but otherwise, he’s a giant bully with fire power. He was definitely one of Static’s first rivals and he probably is one of the villains who gives him a challenge every time they meet. Definitely personal in ways since they were rivals before the big bang. In the end, we don’t know if he survived because he and Ebon merged together when Ebon tried to stage a new big bang and Virgil and Richie had to fight them and blew them up, so who knows if he survived. But I enjoyed watching him.

Frieda Goren(Danica McKeller). She is one of Virgil’s friend and his first crush. Frieda is very lively, outgoing and popular at school. She is very feisty and be short-tempered, especially with bullies and impulsive. People call her “Hurricane Frieda”. She is also an active participant of the school’s newspaper. I’ve always liked Frieda, she does get pushed to wayside when Daisy joins the show but I think she would be greatly utilized if they did a live action show because I think it’s important to have a strong female who is her type of character. Plus, she was always Latina to me, so boom diverse cast as well. I read that in the original comics, she was more important and that’s what I want for her in the live action show.

Daisy Watkins (Crystal Scales). She attended Vanmoor Institute, which is an academy for the gifted and that’s where she met Virgil because they wanted to recruit him (see ya boy is a genius!) and after an event where two fellow students were culprits, she enrolls in the same school as Virgil. Daisy and Virgil create a strong friendship and she ultimately becomes the girl he crushes on.

My Casting

So obviously this is my opinion of who should play some of the key roles in the show. It would be fantastic if they hired unknowns, especially for Virgil and Richie but since I’m not a casting agent, these are my picks after doing some extensive research.

Nadji Jeter as Virgil Hawkins/Static

So, I’ve seen him in a few things, of course the Grown Ups movies, he’s in Wonder which I thought he was good and likable in and he’s in The 5th Wave but that doesn’t really mean much since I thought the movie was terrible and forgettable. BUT, while I was doing the research for young black actors, he came up and I thought “ya know, I kind of like him” and compared to the other young actors I saw, he’s probably my favorite. I can see him playing the awkward Virgil, who is a nerdy teenager just trying to make it through high school while also serving some witty quips and getting the job done as Static. I can really see it. So Nadji Jeter is my top choice. I think it’s important that since Virgil does start off being 14 (they can make him 15 or 16 if they need to), I want someone who looks youthful enough that as they get older, they don’t suddenly look like a grown man. I think Nadji still has a lot of youth on his face and he’s 21 so that works. I also want the locs. He needs to have locs. There are a lot of male heroes that have a close cut, so it would nice to have Virgil with nice locs because it would be different.

Other Choices:

Jacob Latimore. Ironically, he is also 21 but he just looks older to me. I thought he was older. It’s really because of Sleight, that I really started thinking about this. I’ve always had it in my mind but his character Bo, really reminded me of Virgil in ways that I was like “whoa”. So he’s not my first choice but I wouldn’t be upset. But again… locs.

Quincy Fouse. So, I’ve only seen him in Logan and I liked him in that, enough to make me tweet him and ask if he would play Virgil if the opportunity came. He tweeted me back and said he would! It was exciting! I could see him pulling it off, but he did say in his response, he was interested in Miles Morales, so I would be more okay with that than with Virgil but he’s still on my list.

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Algee Smith. Now I haven’t seen him in anything so I can’t attest to his acting ability but I have seen him come up a lot for people’s fan casting when it comes to Virgil. I mean, I wouldn’t be upset going off of physicality but he’s also 23, so I don’t know how much room he’d have with playing a teenager.

Skyler Gisando as Richie Foley/Gear

So when it comes to Richie, he obviously has to have good chemistry with Virgil, but he also has to be able to stand on his own because he does become a hero in his own right. He creates a lot of Static’s stuff and he later makes his own tools to be “Gear”. Richie also can sometimes come off “cool” but he definitely gets bullied, just like Virgil and I think Skyler is perfect. Of course, he’s not blonde but I would be okay with that because he would be Richie so well. I can even see him being all frazzled like Richie would be. I can also see him being really jealous just like the times Richie wanted powers. I think he’d be great.

Kevin Michael Richardson as Robert Hawkins

He did the voice on the show. Enuff said.

Shanice Williams as Sharon Hawkins

So, I really wanted to find someone who looked like they could be annoying but when I came across Shanice Williams in my research, I decided she looks like she would be related to Jeter and Richardson so that works. She was great as Dorothy in The Wiz Live! and I haven’t heard anything about her since. I would love to see her on tv and I think she’d have fun as Sharon. I would dial down her nagging and make her a bit more of an independent person. She is a college student so I would like to see her go to school and be studious as well. I think Shanice would be great at trying to be the mother figure, while also thrive on her own.

Stephan James as Adam Evans/Rubber-Band Man

I think Stephan James would be a good choice because for one, he looks a bit like him AND I think he could play that complex character. Someone who starts off bad because he’s been slighted but who later becomes a hero because he wants better for himself. Plus, I think he’ll have good chemistry with Sharon and Virgil and he has maturity about him that makes him seem like he’s been doing this a while, even though he technically hasn’t lol.

Kofi Siriboe as Ivan Evans/Ebon

I mean obviously Kofi is a gorgeous man but I think he can play Ebon to a T. I’ve seen him in Kicks and he was the main villain and he was scary. He’s bad from the get go and I really think that Kofi has the charisma that Ebon needs to even recruit people over to his side. I mean, the dude has a girlfriend who is pretty much ride or die (until she gets the chance to be human again)… he has to be good with people and words. Kofi definitely can do that.

Daryl Sabara as Francis Stone/Hotstreak

So Francis or “F-Stop” at first, was kind of hard to cast. I wanted to find a ginger so when I came across Daryl Sabara, I was like “hmm…” I liked the idea but then I wasn’t sure because he has to definitely be a douche. Francis is such a bro to me that I wasn’t sure about Daryl, but a friend agreed with the idea so it was confirmed. I think he could do it. He has played mean before and I think he would have fun. I would want Francis to be a bit more than just a bully since he is such a long time antagonist for Virgil. I would like to see him have some depth and other character than just being a bad guy who likes fire. He doesn’t necessarily have to become “sympathetic” but at least where it’s not just mindless evil.

Becky G as Frieda Goren

So I think in the comics she’s Caucasian, I’m not sure, but in the show, I always thought she was Latina so in my mind, Frieda is Latina. Looking for a Latina actress who I could see with red hair, if instead of having her be a redhead, she can dye her hair red. My friend mentioned her, I wasn’t sure because she’s a power ranger, but who knows what will happen with that. But anyway, I think Becky G can be sassy like Frieda, she has a big smile and she looks like she could portray the kind of personality that would make people like her but also be afraid of her. She’s supposed to be the super popular girl who is nice, she’s friends with everyone, she is involved in all the clubs and she’s very involved in the school. It would be awesome to see Becky G do that. Plus she can mean mug like no one’s business for when the times Frieda is upset. Plus, I think she would be a great best friend to Virgil and great chemistry since he does like her for a while in the beginning. Plus, I think she’d have great chemistry with my choice for Daisy since they become best friends. I also would want her to know Virgil’s secret earlier on. In the show her role is very small, I would definitely have her have a larger and more active role.

Other Choices:

Victoria Justice. She was my first choice because she can rock the red hair, but she can also have the darker hair. At first Frieda’s hair was more red, then when they upgraded the animation, her look changed a bit and her hair was darker. Frieda can be frazzled and all over the place and she can be intimidating which I think Victoria Justice can do. I just think she might be too old at 25, but she’s my close second choice.

Isabela Moner. I saw her and I wasn’t sure how I felt but I think she’s cute and she has the look I was thinking about for Frieda. She’s the youngest of the bunch being 16 and is basically the perfect age but ya know, it could also be a bit odd being that she isn’t technically an adult like the others. But she does have the look I was thinking of.

Jessica Sula as Daisy Watkins

So in the show, Daisy is biracial, her mother was black and her father was Asian, I think. So, I really wanted to make sure I kept that in my casting. Jessica Sula is a name I saw a lot for Frieda but I think, since I can’t really find a biracial actress that I liked, I decided that Jessica Sula would probably be a better fit for Daisy anyway. She is biracial of Asian, African and Latina descent which works for what I wanted. I think she would have great chemistry with Nadji, and since she’s practically a genius, I definitely want to show that, and give her a larger role in the show. Since it would be diverse, I want her to be seen having a family. She also has a motherly kind of personality, so I would also give her younger siblings. I haven’t seen a ton from Jessica Sula, only from Split and she was sweet for the most part. I think she would be a good fit.

As for all of the other characters, I could sit here and cast them but that’s a lot of work lol. I wanted to make sure I cast the main characters of the show. I think this group should be a good focus. Virgil and Richie are definitely the leads so I want them to get a lot of character development and growth, but since it’s a TV show, I think it would be beneficial to the other “main” characters to get arcs as well. All of the other villains, will be guest stars and reoccurring. There are a few that would require mini arc like Edwin Alva, but some would just be like lower level villains who could show up every now and then.

The Romance

So I believe in the Static Shock comics, it was confirmed, or at least after the run, that Virgil and Frieda got together. Sure, that’s fine. But I think in the show, it should be Virgil and Daisy. I liked them together more anyway. When I was a kid I thought that Richie and Frieda would be cute together but ya know that’s fine lol. Daisy and Virgil meet at the smartypants institute, and they immediately click and when she comes to his school, he’s happy to see her. In the show, I would want them to really develop Daisy. Show indications that they are crushing on each other, they were comfortable with each other and it would just naturally progress. Plus, I think Jessica Sula and Nadji Jeter would have great chemistry together, they look good together. Plus, they liked a lot of the same stuff in the animated show. That’d be so great!

The Action/Powers

So Virgil’s power set is to control and manipulate electromagnetism HE IS NOT RELATED TO BLACK LIGHTNING! Anyways, that’s really cool and different. He is very resourceful with his powers, plus he has to deal with static cling a lot, so that would help with the humor. But his power allows him to fly thanks to electromagnetic levitation. He has a lot of abilities:

Amplified Electrical Aura
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetic bolts
Electromagnetic force fields
Flight via Electromagnetic levitation
Static Cling
Taser Punch
Ball Lightning
Technology Manipulation
Nova Burst
Electromagnetic pulse
Radiowave auditory

Then of course he can be immune to mind control and electrocution which was shown when Brainiac took control of the Justice League with mind control technology but Virgil’s body shorted it out. However, his powers can be temporarily shorted out if he comes into contact with water. Unlike Richie, he did not rely on gadgetry unless he had to, especially during the solar flares which sometimes took his powers away lol. All of this would be sooo cool to see on TV, and if it’s handled correctly, it would be fun for him to use. Plus, he understands science so he’s able to use his powers in ways his villains may not really understand so he can out think them.

As for Richie, since all of his stuff is technology, all of that is pretty simple. Backpack would probably be the most difficult considering how it does everything lol. But it would be cool!

I can imagine that Rubber-Band Man’s power would be challenging, especially to keep it from being cheesy and lame looking but they do alright with Ralph Dibney on The Flash, I think it can be redone, plus, anything he turns into is always purple lol which I like because it’s different and his power isn’t perfect.

Ebon’s power is scary and he’s very powerful. He is a shadow. I don’t really want him to be CGI’ed but I think there are ways around him just being a physical shadow. I don’t know how but I really want to see how it would look on screen before I completely dismiss the idea especially since he’s so cool looking. sighs

I would really want them to take the action and fight scenes seriously. Yes, it’s a superhero show but whoever does the choreography for Black Lightning, I want them to do Static Shock as well. There should be stakes in the fights. I’m not expecting it to be dark and gritty since young people would be leading the show, but where I’m nervous for them while they fight because in real life, Ebon and even Hotstreak can do some damage. It shouldn’t always be easy.

The Music

Look, the music in Black Lightning is amazing. When I rewatched Static Shock, the music was always kind of R&B and Hip-hop and I think they should maintain that because it was unapologetically black and I don’t think the live action should shy away from that. Virgil is a black teen and his high school was mostly people of color, the music should also reflect that. I definitely want an awesome theme song, shoot they could find some way to incorporate the very first Static theme song in the show, they could even throw a nod at Lil Romeo’s theme song or just re-record it and BOOM. There’s really nothing wrong with that theme song lol. Also, Shanice Williams can sing, so they could use her if they need to lol.

Mature Storylines

So in the animated show, they did sometimes touch on some tough situations. It was a little “after school special” sometimes but they were important. The ones I remember the most, are the ones where Virgil has a run in with Richie’s racist dad (Robert was the MVP in that episode), the one with the kid who was bullied so much that he tried to shoot up the school and the episodes where Static went back in time to meet his mom and the whole thing with gang violence… powerful. Those episodes were deep, albeit cheesy in ways, but deep. I would want the show to carefully handle mature storylines. I’m not asking for them to try to “teach a lesson” because I find when you have that intention, it comes off preach and I don’t want that. I want them to handle it like its real life. These are very delicate situations and they don’t really have to be those I mentioned before, but when it comes to relationships, or prejudice and racism, bullying, domestic violence, sex, all that kind of stuff, I want it to be handled seriously. Yeah, they’re kids but it’s not like kids these days don’t see this stuff every day. I bet you’re thinking “dang, the show was lighthearted” and yeah it was and I’m not saying it shouldn’t be, I want it to be light-hearted but I also want it to be taken seriously.

The Heart

The main thing about this show would be the heart at the center. Virgil’s relationships are what matters because they’re important to him. Sure, he argues with his dad and his sister, but he loves them. The family dynamic should be a strong one. They should feel like a family and the dialogue and writing should reflect a real family. His friendship with Richie is also extremely important to him. He makes a lot of choices because of his love for his best friend. Virgil is a good kid. It’s his heart that makes him a hero and I think that’s important to be maintained. My biggest problem with The Flash is that Barry makes such egregious mistakes and sometimes the consequences are not really felt, or whatever, I mean terrible and there was a time where Virgil almost made a terrible one, he tried to save his mom from her fate but he wasn’t able to alter time and I don’t remember him trying again. Her legacy meant to much to try to change it. He was so emotional about it. cries Ugh so much potential.

Overall

I just want a live action show because I think Static deserves it. I did extensive research into his background and what happened with the comics and how DC bought him from the creator and pretty much everything that could have been got pushed back. The show just ended and while it has a lot of re watch value, it does look a little dated and I think a lot of people would watch the live action show because of the nostalgia and the diverse cast.

Look, I’ll write it lol.

Let me know your thoughts down below on Static Shock becoming a Live Action TV show. Who would you cast in these roles?

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like and follow this blog for more!

Summary: I’ve got seven days to come clean to my new dad. Seven days to tell the truth…

Pros:

Characters. We actually met a LOT of characters in this book but I think going through all of them or even mentioning would kind of ruin you getting to know them as Tiffany does so I’m not going to do that.

Cons:

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars.

What I’m reading Next:

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

Summary: Debbie Ocean gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City’s yearly Met Gala.

Pros:

Looks Beautiful. The direction and the cinematography were both very good in the film. There were some really cool transitions throughout the film and it has a very smooth and crisp look. If anything, this film knows how to give you a movie that looks good, with characters who also look good.

Cons:

Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Ocean’s 8? What did you think of it? Let me know your thoughts down below!

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Lastly, check out some of those Father’s Day gifts in the ads below. 😀

“I met my soul mate today.”

What should he do?

“Steve?”

“Steve…”

“What?” Her voice was shaky, almost a whisper. He didn’t want to see the look on her face because who know what he’d see.

“What is his name?”

Silence. Steve turned to look at his girlfriend. She stood there, her head lowered, her arms crossed, like she was trying to close herself in. Theo had walls up before, he worked hard to get through them, but it was like she was trying to pull them back up.

“Theodora… what is his name?”

“Michael.”

“Tell me about him.”

“There’s nothing to tell Steve. He doesn’t… I mean, we didn’t… it wasn’t like a full conversation. We just talked.”

Steve released the couch and pulled her closer to him. Her body touching his…but something was wrong. Something was off. There was an alarm going off somewhere in his mind. When they pulled away, his breath was heavy, her eyes stared into his eyes and he knew something was wrong.

“Theo I-”

“Something’s wrong Steve.” She pulled away completely, her movements frantic as she began to pace back and forth. She touched her fingers to her lips, her brow furrowed as it did when she was in thought.

“It’s the soul mark.” His voice was quiet. It was the only explanation. But why would they feel different just because Theo met her soul mate. Nothing changed when he met Ebony. Why has it changed now?

“No one truly understands how soul marks work Theo.”

“Maybe not but I don’t… I hate this. I hate it. When I heard my words…” No. I don’t want to hear this. “…I, I wanted to fight it. I did fight it, but it wasn’t good enough. I’m so sorry Steve. I never want to hurt you.”

“I know.”

“You know I never wanted to meet my soul mate. I just… I want to be with you. I just can’t decide what’s going on inside of me. If you meet your soul mate you’ll know exactly…”

“I’ve already met her.”

Theo stopped moving, her body rigid. She turned to look at Steve even more confused then she already was. Steve looked away. Today has been ruined. He shouldn’t have said anything, he should have kept everything to himself. He shouldn’t have asked in the first place.

“What? You have? When?”

“About six months ago.”

“That’s why.”

What? It was so quiet that he almost didn’t hear what she said. He asked her to repeat what she said, but she finally looked at him. Her brown eyes watery once more but soft.

“Is she pretty?”

What?

“Tha- that doesn’t… that doesn’t matter Theo.”

“Is she pretty Steve?”

He sighed. This is so painful, and he didn’t want to make it worse. Why should it matter if his “soulmate” was pretty? It didn’t matter.

But… there were times when he thought of Ebony James. It happened randomly. Not often but randomly. He remembered how she looked when he stopped her dog from running too far.

Sometimes it lingered for too long though.

Ebony doesn’t look a thing like Theo. But he couldn’t deny his own confusion, but he could push it away a lot easier than Theo apparently could. He didn’t know Ebony. She seemed nice, but he didn’t know her.

Shit. He’s been quiet for too long.

“Yeah, she was pretty.”

There was a sharp intake of breath, but he didn’t see anything accusing or hurt in her eyes. There was understanding, and he hated that. She was perfect and he’s sitting here upset that she met her soulmate, like she planned it.

He sighed and moved towards her.

She wrapped her arms around him and they just stood there entwined. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest, and he really wished everything before this moment could be erased but he knew it was going to be different.

At the end of the day, it’s Theo’s choice.

Isn’t it?

I watched Saban’s 2017’s Power Rangers again and I have to say that I still very much enjoy it. I don’t think it’s great but I think it’s good. Check out my review here and my thoughts on the MMPR show here.

Tommy Oliver

Tommy in the Show

Tommy in the Movie

So with that said…. *drum roll*

Booboo Stewart I choose you!!!!!!!!!!

I think he would be a GREAT Tommy Oliver.

He’s handsome, just like Jason David Frank as Tommy. He has long hair, which is iconic Tommy Oliver (until his Black Ranger days), he has Native background, and he has experience in physical fighting.

Someone on the internet agreed.

What They Should Do for Tommy

So picture this:

It’s Monday Morning at Angel Grove High School. Kimberly Hart and Jason Scott are in History class, talking quietly to each other about a mission they handled that morning.

Kimberly (laughs): What was his name again?

Jason: Bones I think. I mean where do these people come from?

Kimberly (shrugs): I don’t know but I need them not to show up before school.

A few more students file in before the teacher closes the door, clapping his hands to get the class’s attention. The girls throw a hushed insult at Kimberly who makes a sad face, and slumps down in her chair.

Jason: Don’t worry about them.

Teacher: Alright class, let’s get started.

The teacher teaches for about 15 minutes. Suddenly the door opens and a tall male student with long hair, walks into the classroom. He looks up from his paper startled.

Teacher (folds arms with a disappointed expression) Late again Tommy?

Tommy (sheepishly rubs the back of his neck) Yeah sorry.

Some of the students whisper to each other while looking at Tommy, as the teacher talks to him about being late to class and detention.

Tommy is not really listening to the teacher, looks out at the classroom searching for an empty chair. His eyes meet Kimberly’s and smiles.

Kimberly (smiles).

Teacher (sighs) Take that seat over there Tommy.

So with that said…. drum roll