P.S. I Still Love You Movie Review

*this review contains spoilers for the book series To All the Boy's I've Loved Before

If you've been here a while, you know that I love the To All the Boy's I've Loved Before book series. I re-read it all the time, and I absolutely adored the first movie. Clearly, I was very excited for the second movie adaptation, P.S. I Still Love You to come out. Surprisingly, it took me a long time to actually get around to watching it though. The movie came out in February, and then the world almost ended so I only got around to watching it a couple of weeks ago. Again to my surprise, I didn't like the movie much at all. Here's why:

When the To All the Boy's movie came out, the world fell in love with Noah Centineo. Admittedly, I did too. I didn't know much about him, but he brought Peter Kavinsky to life and I just thought he did a fabulous job. But a couple of months later, the hype kinda wore off. He's said some problematic/douchey things, and honestly it's more like a meme now to dislike him. I'm not a fan of his anymore, but I still like how he portrays Kavinsky and didn't expect anything less for P.S. I Still Love You.

That being said, John Ambrose is my ultimate dream guy. I do overall prefer him to Peter, and I was SO EXCITED when Jordan Fisher was cast in the role. However, my excitement wavered when I watched the movie. Don't get me wrong, I thought Jordan did a fabulous job in the role. He's perfect. But, he was given NOTHING TO WORK WITH. John Ambrose was reduced to a kinda flat, one- dimensional character in this storyline. He was given little to no screen time compared to the huge role he has in the book. I wanted more of him. I NEEDED MORE OF HIM. I felt as if John was reduced to a wimpy secondary character. He was paid dust.

I thought the movie was rushed and disorganized. We don't get to see much of Lara Jean's and John Ambrose's blossoming relationship, and even Stormy was not fully developed at all. Instead we got a little bit of Peter being a dick, a little bit of a starlight ball being planned (Idk why they scrapped the USO party), and then Peter and Lara Jean get back together in a happily ever after. In my opinion, even Lara Jean and Peter's love story wasn't fully fleshed out. They had significantly less chemistry than in the previous movie.

I also thought the conflict was poorly handled in this movie. In the book, Peter messes up a lot and is really moody. However here, I thought that Lara Jean was blamed for most of the issues between her and Peter, and he barely apologizes for all the dumb stuff he pulled. Peter has to work hard in the book to gain back Lara Jean's trust, but here it seems like she takes him back like a lovesick puppy, and she is the one who ends up apologizing for everything. What is up with that?

Overall, I was not impressed. Was this a nice, sappy movie with some lovable characters? Yes. But, it did not capture the complexity of the relationships that the book has. The book is a big change since the first one, and I thought that the movie would reflect that. However, all I really saw was a John Ambrose who had so much potential but was given a weak storyline, and a potentially toxic, and too quick to forgive relationship from Peter and Lara Jean. I'm sad to say this, but this movie fell flat for me.

Have you seen P.S. I Still Love You? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Review *Spoilers*

*This post will be crawling with uncensored spoilers, since there are too many for me to hide. Proceed at your own risk*

I was debating whether or not to even do a review of RoS. I am a fairly new fan of Star Wars, and I've always felt intimidated by the people who have lived and breathed this series for years. I didn't know if my opinions on Star Wars even mattered, because there are greater experts out there. But then I thought, fuck it. I have a lot of opinions on this movie, and I wanted to share them with you. So, here is my review of the last movie in the Skywalker saga.

Let me start off by saying, I do not think that The Last Jedi was that bad. I thought that Rian Johnson did as well as he could with the material he was given, and if JJ Abrams cared so much, he would have directed that movie as well. I liked the dynamics of the characters, and I thought that it further developed the storyline very well. So, I came into RoS with no bitterness whatsoever.

I think what I liked most about RoS was the comic relief. Most of these movies have a lot of overt sarcasm, but this one seemed to be on another level. I laughed out loud during a lot of moments, which is something that I can really appreciate in action/sci-fi movies. I don't want it to always be doom and gloom. I found the dialogue to be witty and hilarious.

The main thing that I had to grapple with in this film, was the character development. Some characters I loved, and others, I didn't. I thought Poe was awesome. I have always loved his character, and I thought that his promotion to general was powerful. I'm proud of where he ended up.

What mainly kicked off my issues with this film, was the treatment of Rose and Finn. Rose was such an interesting, powerful character in The Last Jedi. I was excited to see where she would go next. Instead, she got minus three seconds of screen time and absolutely no arc whatsoever. I was so disappointed with how Abrams treated her character.

Finn also really annoyed me in this film. Again, I love his character, and it was not his fault, but the writer's. Finn was reduced to a moody, useless figure who spent his entire time chasing after Rey. I wanted him to have a big moment, I wanted him to have more scenes with Rose. AND I JUST WANT FINN AND POE TO BE TOGETHER, DAMMIT. Their chemistry is undeniable, but we were cheated out of what could have been an amazing romance, and instead got Poe and his former enemy making flirty quips at each other, with no chemistry in site.

Now, let's get to Rey. Specifically, Rey and Kylo. I love Rey as a hero. I find her kind-hearted and badass. I LOVE Kylo as a villain. I find him morally-grey and unique. What I don't love, is when these two are forced together at the end of the film, after constantly fighting on opposing sides for the first two films. Yes, they have chemistry. But to me, it isn't romantic chemistry. It's chemistry that emphasizes how different the two are. How they will never work. Was I sad when Kylo died? Yes, because I think he is one of the most fascinating villains in the Star Wars universe, and I enjoyed watching his development and redemption. But, I didn't like how the last thing he did was kiss Rey. It just seemed wrong to me.

The main plot twist in this movie AGAIN, SPOILERS!!!, was that Rey is actually Palpatine's granddaughter. Then, Palpatine magically returns and attempts to bring Rey to the dark side. I thought this storyline was bullshit. Karissa and Mary actually brought up a worthy point in their review, which I totally agree with. They said that it almost seemed like Rey was forced to be a Palpatine so it would be justifiable that her and Kylo could kiss. Because if she wasn't a Palpatine, she would most probably have been a Skywalker, and that would obviously be incest. I think that this theory makes sense. Rey as a Palpatine seemed forced and random.

It may seem like I am ripping on this film. The truth is, there were a lot of things I didn't like. However, I did enjoy the humour, and where some of the characters ended up. I thought that this movie had great potential, and the overall idea of it does satisfy most of the things that the previous movies bring up. However, the disregard for some of the main characters, and the forced romantic relationships of others, brought this movie down for me. And I know that a lot of other people agree.

Did you watch The Rise of Skywalker? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Movie Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

If you have been absent from book twitter for the past week, then you might be unaware that the To All the Boys movie came out on Friday. People have pretty much been going mental over how utterly adorable is, myself included, and I just knew I had to write a full review on it. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible, but if you haven't seen the movie yet and want to go into it fully blind, then you can just skip over this review, I won't mind.

Release Date: August 17
Rating: PG-13
Director: Susan Johnson
Run-Time: 1 hr 39 min

To All the Boys was released on netflix as opposed to in theatres which I thought was such a smart move. As someone who doesn't have anyone that would be interested in seeing the movie with me, I didn't have to go to the theatres myself and instead could enjoy from the comfort of my own home. And boy was this film comforting.

The acting was superb. I was a bit hesitant over Peter's casting when it was first announced; Noah Centineo just didn't look like a Peter to me, but by his first scene, I instantly fell in love. Right down to the way he talked, was utterly Peter K. I also really loved Lana Condor as Lara Jean. She was so cute and awkward, exactly how I pictured her. Lana and Noah also had impeccable chemistry, without being overly sexualised.

This movie had such witty dialogue and actually made me laugh out loud at scenes. Some parts were so quirky and relatable that I couldn't help but chuckle. It was funny with no overly dramatic points, perfect for a light and easy to get through film.

Even though the film was not exactly like the book, it stood on its own as a heartwarming tale. Jenny Han even made a cameo which was so sweet and got me really excited. It was quite emotional to see a series I have loved so much be so well received by the general public. And can we talk about that post credits scene?! There HAS to be a sequel now.

If you haven't seen this movie already and you have Netflix, please do. It needs to be hyped up and I am convinced that this story needs to continue.

Have you seen To All the Boys I've Loved Before? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Movie Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Genre: Fantasy
Released: November 18, 2016
Running Time: 2h. 13 min.
Rating: 3/5 stars

*highlight white text to reveal spoilers*

In 1926, magizooologist Newt Schamander has entered New York City in hopes to find some rare breeds of beasts. However when a no-maj named Jacob accidentally takes the briefcase of beasts that Newt keeps with him, chaos ensues, and suddenly Newt is thrown into a wild adventure with new friends to find all the misplaced beasts.

I didn't know what I was expecting from this movie. I wasn't sure if I was looking for some sort of prequel for Harry Potter, or an action-packed movie filled with one of my favourite actors, Eddie Redmayne, but honestly, I left Fantastic Beasts feeling somewhat underwhelmed at somewhat confused. Idk, it just wasn't all I had hoped for.

Let me start with the positives first. Eddie Redmayne could play a potato and I would still go see the movie and gush about how great of an actor he is. There's just something about this man that is so charming, and he is able to adapt to literally play any role. I couldn't have imagined a better Newt and I thought he played the role perfectly.

I also really liked the whole beasts storyline. It was witty and funny and kept me interested. I really like Jacob and him and Newt going to find the beasts was very entertaining. I liked how the beasts were portrayed and the scene where they go inside the briefcase and see all of the beasts was really well done.

Now to the not so good things. What the hell was the point of Ezra Miller? Every once in a while we'd just go to his character and this weird witch organization with this little girl and I was so confused??? I did not understand the significance/relevance of those parts at all and I was very bored.

I also didn't really get the end. The crisis seemed so out of loop with the whole "fantastic beasts" story and I just couldn't grasp it. And then Johnny Depp shows up and I was like: whaaattt?? I did not understand.

So overall, a good movie, but not as great as everyone says it was. I needed more of the beasts storyline and less of the orphanage to have been thoroughly engaged throughout the entire thing.

Have you seen Fantastic Beasts? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess