Lilo & Stitch
100% A+
GET READY FOR A HAWAIIAN ROLLER COASTER RIDE! But really though, this classic film from our childhood is a significantly more turbulent and emotional ride than I remembered. Especially when you realize Lilo’s older sister, Nani, is only 19 in the film and struggling to make ends meet while caring for her younger sibling. Despite the stark revelations I had, I found myself cackling at some of the more nuanced jokes the directors sprinkled throughout the movie. I firmly believe everyone should re-watch their favorite kids movies as an adult so they can fully appreciate the humor.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved
100% A+
This movie is a total banger. A 17 year-old girl named Lara Jean is subjected to a number of awkward encounters when letters she wrote to each of her childhood crushes are accidentally delivered to their recipients. This movie encompasses a concept many young women will find relatable: how a girl’s adolescent experience and search for love can be shaped by the innate need to impress her peers and gain followers on social media. This may not be the best movie for a house of bros - however, it’s the perfect chick-flick to watch with ya gurlz while you all totally ignore it to scroll through Instagram.
Explained
96% A
This Netflix-Vox collab is an original docu-series on a variety of interesting subjects from tattoos to astrology to the world’s water crisis. If you’ve ever watched Vice or Vice News you’ll be familiar with the edgy, explicit reporting-style used in the series. This style makes “Explained” a great series to watch when you want to feel engaged with the issues that face the world but also want to put in the bare minimum amount of effort necessary to stay informed, like most millennials do. But hey, it’s a step up from finding info on Facebook, so you’ve got that going for ya. Which is nice.
Editor’s Note: You could (and should) follow the TheIndyOnline.com or our social media platforms to stay informed!
The Twilight Zone
92% A-
“The Twilight Zone” is a familiar household name so I highly doubt many of our readers have never experienced it’s eerie vibe. “The Twilight Zone” is the OG “Black Mirror.” So like “Black Mirror”, every episode features a totally new (and totally creepy) plotline and a different cast. This show has hundreds of episodes to choose from, which makes it a great throwback for your Thursday viewing pleasure. This show is only given an A- instead of A+ because all episodes are lacking color, which is an eyesore for many millennial viewers.
The VVitch
84% B
This psychological thriller is absolutely terrifying in a very unique way. The writers referenced actual texts from the 1600s that were used by witch hunters to identify witches. This is used to create a plot surrounding a colonial family that experiences paranoia and anxiety when their youngest member, newborn baby Sam, disappears. Ultimately they decide there is a witch terrorizing them. It lacks all of the jump-scares and terrible sound effects that most modern horror films are centered around. This creates a sense of unease that is somehow even more disturbing than what I remember from my first Paranormal Activity experience, and everyone knows “Paranormal Activity” was the s#$t when it first came out.
Norsemen
76% C
Imagine that the directors and screenwriters for “The Office” (US version of course) were to get ahold of the costume directors from “Vikings.” This show is full of deadpan and cringeworthy humor like “The Office” but instead of Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute and Jim Halpert, we get various townspeople from the village of Norheim in the year 790 AD. At first I was really into it, but by the end of the first episode I was dessicated by the relentless dry humour utilized in the show. Upon further research for this column, I found that this show is shot in both English and Norwegian simultaneously. This is a valid explanation for the overall aesthetic of the show that I was lacking before, and because of this the show receives a slightly higher rating than I would’ve previously awarded.
Insatiable
72% C-
This show starts off on a great foot! It stars Debbie Ryan, who we can all remember from our preteen years which were filled with countless hours watching cheesy Disney Channel shows such as “Jessie!” and “The Suite Life on Deck.” Ryan plays a teenager who is quite overweight and has significant self confidence issues as a result, but quickly loses a shocking amount of weight in a brief time period due to breaking her jaw. She becomes a beauty pageant contestant and seeks revenge on anyone who scorned her before her transformation. Besides the obvious fact that the show tries to make humor out of an issue that is very real for many people, they also chose to cast an actress that has never once been a “plus size,” as if to just add insult to injury. Regardless, I stuck with it until episode nine (the remote was all the way across the room, ya know?) but then I had to bail when they began performing an exorcism on Ryan’s character, Patty Bladdell. Don’t bother watching this show unless you really just want to look at Debbie Ryan’s perfect hair the whole time. Trust me there’s nothing else worth watching here.
August Rush
66% D
August Rush is a slow, and unengaging film. It’s all about this weird, nerdy little orphan that plays piano all the time, and is constantly searching for his family. This description does not do justice to the terrible acting and long drawn out script that this movie forces its viewers to endure. To be honest, I saw this movie in theaters when it came out and I hated it then too, so maybe I’m a bit biased. In any event, I do not recommend watching this movie.
100% Hotter
62% D-
This show is a knock off of the hit show “Queer Eye”. It is incredibly similar but instead of taking the holistic approach to the transformations they perform, like in “Queer Eye”, the hosts rate the participants on their attractiveness; with the goal being to raise this rating by the end of each episode. Even worse, the hosts themselves do not rate the participants, they ask random strangers on the street to do so. The footage created from those interactions is played and the participants are forced to listen to a stranger insult them and pass judgement about them solely based upon their looks. I’ve never seen a more vapid show.