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Thoughts on Broken Harbour and The Lost City of Z

Hi! I originally planned to write several posts about some books that I finished reading recently and the 2017 San Diego Comic Con event, but I had to get my laptop repaired so I couldn't use it. I could have used my phone to type my posts but I'm just not a fan of typing long posts using only your thumbs, so I didn't write anything while my laptop wasn't with me. But now it's back, so I'm back too.

During my long summer break, I spent a lot of time reading. I finished reading the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire. I enjoyed reading it but I don't think I need to review it because I assume everybody knows what the book is like. After I finished that one, I immediately started reading Tana French's Broken Harbour, the fourth book in her Dublin Murder Squad series, which I'm going to review in this post. Besides the book, I also have a lot of thoughts about a movie I just saw recently entitled The Lost City of Z.

Broken Harbour by Tana French

Maybe you remember that I have read the first book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, In the Woods. Technically I should have read the second and the third books in the series before I read Broken Harbour, but I found Broken Harbour when I came to Big Bad Wolf a while ago and couldn't resist the temptation to buy it. I did a research and found that it's okay not to read the series in the right order because each book is a standalone. So I happily bought and read the book.

"The ones that slice like razors forever are the ghosts of things that never got the chance to happen."
Page 187

Broken Harbour has the same formula as In the Woods. Harbour involves two detectives, Scorcher and Richie, that partner up and develop a friendship that starts as something lovely but gradually turns complicated as they get more involved in the case, just like Rob and Cassie in Woods. One of the most memorable parts of Woods is the autopsy part, which is painful to read and Harbour has that as well. I think the ones in Harbour are even more brutal. Also similar to Woods, Harbour has a main character who is emotionally connected to the location of the crime, which allows us readers to see glimpses of their true self outside their work. My favorite part of the book is when the killer is finally revealed. That one chapter where the killer gets exposed is mesmerizing. When I read that part, I totally forgot everything, even the other parts of the book, and was completely hypnotized by the killer's story about what has actually happened. I could really picture everything that the killer says in my mind and even feel what she feels. Tana French is such a talented writer.

When I finished reading the book and found out who the killer was and the reason why, I thought it was crazy and didn't make any sense. But then I realized that I've actually seen something like that right before my eyes. Yes, it doesn't make any sense when you think of it, but it actually happens. Sometimes the world is crazy, right?

So I enjoyed reading this book. I still love In the Woods more because it feels more atmospheric to me, but this book has convinced me to read the rest of the series.

Rating: 3/5

The Lost City of Z

The Lost City of Z is a film by James Gray that is based on a true story of Percy Fawcett as told by David Grann in his book entitled The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. Percy, played by Charlie Hunnam, was a British explorer who found evidences of a civilization that had never been discovered before while he was on a mission in the Amazon. Finding the lost city where the civilization used to exist soon became Percy's obsession. The film covers Percy's entire journey to find his lost city, which began with his first expedition with his loyal companion, Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson), during which he found some broken pottery which indicate the existence of an advanced civilization in the uncharted area, and ended when he and his oldest son Jack (Tom Holland) mysteriously disappeared during their final expedition.

The thing that I love about films like Z that follow the main protagonists for so many years in their lives is how they could make me feel so small compared to the (hopefully) many years that are coming. At 25, sometimes pride consumes me because I'm technically an adult now, not a child anymore. Sometimes I feel like I am the wisest person in the world who has experienced so much in life. But watching films that let us see someone go through their whole life, how much they change and grow throughout the many years is just humbling. Films like Z always succesfully slap my face and make me realize that I have so much to learn.

Z is based on a book that has the word "obsession" in its title. So I was quite surprised by it because I don't really get how and why Percy became so obsessed with the lost city. Percy's three expeditions that are featured in the film feel really short and, I don't know... rushed? They don't really show how difficult the obstacles were and how obsessed Percy was with his mission. It's probably because the film has to cover so many years of Percy's life yet it only has around 140 minutes to do it. It probably doesn't have enough time to go that deep with each expedition. It's a shame because the obsession is supposed to the center of the story, right?

One of this film's appeals is the actors who are involved in it. The cast includes some well-known actors like Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller and Tom Holland. The great thing about this ensemble cast is, this film is about Percy Fawcett, yet the supporting characters in it show their layers and complexity that are really enjoyable to watch. If there were spinoffs that center on the supporting characters of this film, I would like to watch them.

One of the performances in Z that caught my attention came from our favorite glowing vampire from Twilight, Robert Pattinson. I haven't seen Rob in any movie for a long time; the last time I saw him in a movie is probably when the final Twilight movie came out. So it was nice to see him in a movie again, in a role that is completely different from Edward Cullen. Rob plays Henry Costin, Fawcett's companion in his first two expeditions who also became his close and loyal friend. He has his face covered by a massive beard and mud and spectacles for most of his screen time. His voice also sounds a little different. The way he portrays Costin, who is always smoking and chill and quiet yet so loyal and brave, is unlike anything Rob has ever done in Twilight. There is a scene where Costin geeks out because he and his gang of explorers have just landed on a place where no man has gone before that I like very much. I also love Costin's last scene where he tells Percy that he doesn't want to join him in his next expedition and that he thinks finding Z may not be the answer that Percy seeks. I think that scene is just so intimate and shows how close Costin and Percy have become and how much Costin cares and knows Percy. The point is, I'm really happy to see Mr Pattinson in this movie and hope he would do more films that can show his great acting skills.

Robert Pattinson, his beard and Charlie Hunnam in The Lost City of Z
Source: www.usmagazine.com

Another scene-stealer in this movie is Sienna Miller, who plays Percy's wife Nina. Nina is such a rich and complex character. She is an incredibly loyal and supportive wife to her husband. When Percy tells her that he wants to leave her, again and again, to chase his dreams, she doesn't stop him. She even lets her son go and follow his father when the time comes. After being left like that, she always embraces her loved ones with all the love that she has when they come home to her. I think that really shows how selfless true love can be. Despite being loyal, Nina is also a feminist who demands to be seen as an equal by men, especially her husband. Oh yes, a woman can be a loving wife and mother and a fierce feminist at the same time, just like Nina. 

Father and son
Source: collider.com

Even though he doesn't have much screen time, Tom Holland surprised me with his powerful performance as Jack Fawcett, Percy's oldest son. Tom doesn't waste any time to show that he can act. In the first scene where he interacts with his father for the first time as a teenager, he pours all of his anger to Percy, a father who leaves him and lets him grow without him. He even whispers, "I hate him," with tears running down his face after his father slaps him. That scene totally wrecked my soul. I can understand that Percy, just like every human being, has the right to pursue his dreams. Stopping him from doing that is totally unfair. However, I also know what it's like to be angry at someone who is supposed to take care of you but doesn't. And Tom's final scene! Oh my God! As I told you before, Percy and Jack never returned from their expedition. In the film's ending, we only see them being taken to a river by some people from a tribe after they're captured and are never shown what happens after that because nobody knows what actually happened to them. Seeing Percy in his final scene was kind of peaceful for me. I mean, he has lived a long full life. He has had time to be with the woman he loves, see how his children have grown, feel the glory of success and chase his dreams. So, in that last scene, I could see peace in his face. If he dies after that, at least he has had the chance to live a long full life. But things are different for Jack. He is just a boy. His life hasn't even started. If he has to die that day, that means all the dreams, the joy, the glory and everything that he could have experienced in his life die too. Seeing him sob next to his dad and say, "We're going to die here today," is unbearably painful. It's just cruel. The last look on his face still haunts me until now.

Rating: 3,5/5

Say Hello (Again) to Your Friendly Neighborhood Superhero: My Review of Spider-Man: Homecoming

Another month, another superhero movie. After Wonder Woman smashed the box office with her lasso last month, now it's Spider-Man's turn to swing himself to the top of the box office charts. Yes, your friendly neighborhood hero is back with another whole new cast, another director and another story. As you all might have known, Marvel Studios managed to bring back the rights to include Spidey in their movies a few years ago and decided to end The Amazing Spider-Man franchise and replace Andrew Garfield (*sob*) with a much younger actor, Tom Holland. So Spider-Man now lives in the Avengers universe.

When I first heard the news, I was speechless. As you know, I'm a huge fan of Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and their work in The Amazing Spider-Man films. I know the second movie didn't do very well but knowing that Andrew and Emma were recast was heartbreaking. Tom Holland managed to convince me that the role of Spider-Man is in good hands when he made a special appearance in Captain America: Civil War, though. His Spidey is funny, charming, adorable, a little bit too chatty and so young and made me fall in love. As I walked out of the theater that played Civil War, I decided that I would go and see Tom Holland's Spider-Man movie when it comes out. The highly anticipated Spider-Man: Homecoming was released in Indonesia on July 5th. It is directed by Jon Watts. Tom Holland is accompanied by, the Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Michael Keaton and many more.

I always l love seeing Spider-Man sitting on the top of  a building with a view of his city like this.
Source: comicbook.com

Before I start writing down what I think about the movie, I want you to understand that everything you'll read below is my opinion. If you disagree with what I think, it is totally fine, but please don't attack me. And this review contains spoilers.

So yeah, I've seen Spider-Man: Homecoming and I have a mixed feeling about it. I don't think it's a terrible movie, but I don't think it lives up to my expectations. There are things that I really like about the film, but there are other things that I don't like too. So I'm going to list those things below because I find it difficult to cram them in paragraphs.

The things I like:

1, Tom Holland. Tom's version of Spidey is definitely the cutest, the funniest and the most adorable version of the hero. I think he should form an Adorable Superhero Club with Grant Gustin's The Flash and Melissa Benoist's Supergirl hahaha. Tom's Spidey definitely matches his title as the friendly neighborhood superhero. I like that he's so young, so inexperienced, and so eager to prove himself. A lot of people say that this Spidey is very close to the one they remember from the comics. I never read the comics so I can't say anything about it. And Tom basically leads this mega blockbuster movie by himself as he dominates the whole movie. That is pretty impressive for me.

2. The teenagers. In the comics and the films, Peter and his gang are always seen as high schoolers, at least at the beginning. However, let's be honest, the actors who portray Peter and his friends in the previous films were way too old for the roles. Things are different in Homecoming. Peter and his classmates actually look like teenagers here. I don't think any of the actors who portray the teenagers are older than 25 years old (Tom Holland just turned 21 before the film was released). The film spends a lot of time following Peter at school, which allows us to really see him as a teenage boy. They even make Peter a vlogger, which is so millenial hahaha. I like this because it makes the characters more believable. It's also kind of funny to see Peter paired with Tony Stark here. He looks like a baby compared to Uncle Tony hahaha.

Aren't these teenage boys cute?
Source: tumblr.com

3. Vulture's backstory. At the beginning of the movie, we can see how Vulture's business is ruined by the Avengers' pride. Vulture aka Adrian Toomes has made a deal to clean up a mess caused by the Avengers' encounter with their enemies, with a lot of money and many families' financial security at stake, but a team formed by Tony comes and takes over the gig without caring about what will happen to those worker if they get unemployed. This makes Vulture hate the Avengers and swear to create weapons that can match the Avengers' weapons for their own benefit. I think it's interesting how Marvel addresses this issue about what happens after those heroes finish their big final fights against their enemies. Who cleans up the mess? How many people get hurt or even die because of that? Are you a hero if you destroy the things around you while you're fighting the bad guys? I would love to see those things get explored. Unfortunately the issue is only used as Vulture's backstory here but hopefuly it will be explored deeper in the upcoming films. Probably in Infinity War? They already started touching on that in Civil War, right? With all that superhero identification thingy?

4. The diverse cast. Homecoming features many people of color. They even put people of color in roles that are traditionally given to white people, like the roles of Flash Thompson the bully and Liz the popular girl. I think this is a great thing. It would be cooler if they can make people of color the leads, though. The main protagonist and the main antagonist are still white people here, right? But they're going to do that in the upcoming Black Panther movie, which is super exciting.

5. The Star Wars reference. You know how much I love Star Wars, right? I even love people who love Star Wars too hahaha. In Homecoming, Peter and his buddy Ned are seen as Star Wars fans who spend their afternoons building Lego Death Star together. So yeah, I love you, Peter and Ned. And I just realized that Star Wars and the Marvel heroes are now under the same company which is Disney. So it's like they are in the same family. Isn't that crazy?

6. The humor. Spider-Man: Homecoming is probably the funniest superhero movie I've ever seen. I think it can even be classified as a comedy. It is really fun and refreshing to watch.

7. Karen. She is the voice that represents Peter's sophisticated costume. Our good boy Peter is really sweet to her and treats her like a real lady, which is fun to watch. Peter's scenes with Karen reminds me of the movie Her hahaha. I thought it wasScarlett Johansson, aka Black Widow aka the iconic voice in Her, who lends her voice for this part but it turns out that the actress who voices Karen is Jennifer Connelly, aka Betty Ross in Ang Lee's Hulk aka the wife of Paul Bettany, who plays Vision in the Avengers films and voices Tony's computer assistant in the Iron Man films. What an Easter Egg, huh?

8. The second post-credit scene. After the film is done, you need to wait until the end credit finishes because there are two post-credit scenes. You have to wait for a pretty long time for the second one but, trust me, it's worth the wait. The second post-credit scene is a hilarious one. The way Marvel makes fun of itself using that scene is just genius.

The things I don't like:

1. Lack of emotional connections. One of the things that make me love the previous Spider-Man films is how they allowed me to feel what Peter feels. You can call me sensitive, sentimental or whatever you want but I adore films that allow me to connect with the characters and feel what they feel, experience things from their points of view. This film is fun but it doesn't make me feel anything at all. I think the way Peter is portrayed (you know, underestimated but eager to prove himself) gives a lot of room to develop emotional scenes, but the film tries to be cheerful and funny all the time instead. In the previous films, Peter has a beautiful and close relationship with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, but I didn't see that in this film at all. Marisa Tomei's Aunt May doesn't even have much to say and contribution throughout the movie. The relationship between Peter and Tony would be interesting to watch, if they realy want to make it about the Avengers, but Tony is just being the rich and more experienced superhero who is too busy to listen to our lovely Peter most of the time. It's annoying to see Peter being ignored and underestimated by Tony, and Happy, like that. I personally think Peter should have defended himself harder when Tony scolds him after the boat incident. That will make things, you know, more emotional, which I would like haha.

Happy and Tony and Peter
Source: imdb.com

2. Lack of familiar characters. Peter Parker is always associated with some other iconic characters from the comics like Aunt May, Unce Ben, Mary-Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, Green Goblin, etc. However, among those names that I mentioned, only two are featured in the movie. Peter does address Uncle Ben's death one time, but the uncle's name is not even mentioned. Instead of those characters, we get a bunch of unfamiliar characters like Liz and Ned. I know they are also from the comics and it's  always nice to see some fresh faces but, man, I want Gwen and Harry and Green Goblin and all those characters! I hope they will include those characters in the upcoming sequels.

4. Peter's powers. I feel like Peter's powers that come from the spider's bite, you know, his Spidey sense that likes to tingle, are not seen much in this film. Instead we see more of what his sophisticated costume from Tony can do. I hope they will show us more of what Peter can do with his own powers in the future.

Like or dislike?

1. Zendaya's performance. Teen idol Zendaya plays Michelle in Spider-Man: Homecoming, a girl who turns out be SPOILER ALERT our new MJ aka Mary-Jane Watson. I know she might be prepared for a much bigger role in the upcoming sequels but, man, she really does nothing in this film. What she contributes to the storyline is no bigger than what Stan Lee's cameo performance does to it. She really needs to be given more screen time in the next films. She is going to be interesting to watch because she is totally different from the Mary-Jane that we know from the Tobey Maguire version. Her physical appearance is certainly different from Kirsten Dunst's MJ, but it's not a problem for me. Her character description is the one that interests me, because here our MJ is like the female version of Jughead Jones from Riverdale hahaha. I hope we'll see more of her in future films. SPOILER ENDS

So that's what I think about the second reboot of Spider-Man. For me it is not a perfect movie, but it is definitely fun to watch. Go swing yourself to the theaters and watcch Spider-Man: Homecoming!

Rating: 3,5/5

The Rise of the Warrior Princess: My Review of Wonder Woman

When was the last time you saw a film that is led by a superheroine? Probably in 2005 since it is the year when Elektra, the last female-led superhero film, was released. Now, after nearly two decades, we're finally getting another superheroine movie. This time, our heroine is not just another comic book character. In fact, she is probably the most popular female superhero ever. Yup, she is Princess Diana of Themyscira aka the wonderful Wonder Woman.

After being introduced to the audience in Batman vs Superman, Wonder Woman is finally getting her own movie. This movie features Diana's origin story, which has never been explored in other films before. Set in the era of World War I, Princess Diana lives peacefully with her people (who are all women) in an uncharted island that is hidden from mankind. Young Diana grows into a warrior who has the desire to use her powers to help and save the world. When a man named Steve Trevor accidentally lands on her island and tells her about the terrible war that is going on outside her island, Diana can't resist her desire and decides to go to the war and fulfill her destiny.

Wonder Woman and her gang
Source: www.imdb.com

Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins with (the insanely beautiful and gorgeous) Gal Gadot playing the titular role. Chris Pine plays Diana's love interest Steve Trevor. Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright and David Thewlis also have supporting roles in this film.

Before I start elaborating my thoughts about this movie, I would like to let you know that this review contains spoiler. There are some important revelations in the film that majorly affect my opinions about it so I just have to talk about them.

Before I saw Wonder Woman, I expected the film to be so focused on the fact that its lead is a woman. I thought seeing this movie would make me want to go back to my Muay Thai sessions and kick some ass. However, things turned out to be a little different. Wonder Woman doesn't emphasize on the fact that Diana is a female hero. Instead, it focuses more on the fact that she is a human being who has such a pure, innocent heart. Just like Patty Jenkins said, this film is a about a hero trying to be a hero. I adore this because it shows that women are just human beings who, just like men, have their own journey, can be strong, experience loss, are able to love, can be consumed by anger, etc. She is such a universal character that can make everyone, whether they are men or women, feel related to her. Her story shows that, no matter who you are, a man or a woman, you can be heroes as long as you have it in you. If you're strong, then you're strong and your gender shouldn't affect that fact. I think this is a great and important message to deliver because, based on my experience, people still tend to see other human beings based on their gender. For example, when a man has a successful career, he will be seen as someone who is admirable and desirable, especially by women. In contrast, when the one who has a successful career is a woman, she will be seen as an intimidating figure by men. I think that needs to change, and this film helps bring that change.

One of the most badass moments from the movie
Source: www.inverse.com

I spoke to some of my friends about the movie and they think it takes too much time telling Diana's backstory, which makes them feel a bit bored when watching the film. I agree that this film really takes its time to build the characters, but I disagree that it makes the film feel boring. In fact I'm happy with that. I'm glad that the story isn't rushed and that they didn't give Diana the costume and make her Wonder Woman right at the beginning of the film. Her backstory allowed me to understand her and made her debut as Wonder Woman feel monumental because, at that moment, I felt like I've known her and had a connection with her. It's also great that they don't put too many references from other superhero films in the DC Extended Universe here, like many other superhero films these days. It's her movie, so yeah, let her shine! Bruce Wayne and his gang from Justice League can wait until their movie comes out.

Playing such an iconic character is not an easy task, but Gal Gadot did that phenomenally in Wonder Woman. She is the perfect person to play Diana. As her co-stars state, she is a combination of beauty, tenderness, intelligence and strength, just like Diana herself. Those qualities that she possesses shine through her performance in the movie, which makes the character even more lovable. Chris Pine, who plays Steve Trevor, also wins my heart. I was truly devastated to see his character (SPOILER ALERT) gets killed at the end. I know his death gives depth to his relationship with Diana, but seeing Chris Pine die was just painful hahaha. Gal and Chris have great chemistry as well. Seeing them learn from each other is just really sweet. However, the best thing about their relationship for me is the way Steve supports Diana embrace her powers. He surely always tries to be a gentleman, but he also lets her stop a bullet for him, go attacking their enemies before he does and save the world because he knows she is capable of doing all of that. He doesn't get intimidated by Diana's awesomeness but adores her for that instead. I just wish there are more men like Steve in real life hahaha.

Steve' reaction when Diana asks him to stay back
Source: CandyMag.com

The only thing about this film that I don't like is what they do to end the Ares story. (SPOILER ALERT) When Diana gets startled by the fact that the war doesn't stop even though she has killed Ludendorff, the man she assumed is Ares, the moment is perfect. It really sends the message that Steve also tries to tell Diana; that Ares doesn't really exist and lives in the dark parts of people's hearts instead. I think it's a really deep message. However, the embodiment of Ares suddenly appears in the form of David Thewlis after that. I love David Thewlis but I think his character really ruins the message. The great thing about the climax is that they separate Diana's battle against Ares and Steve and his gang's battle against the Germans. So Diana fights in her own battle of the Gods while Steve saves the day from human-made deadly gas.

The blog post is getting too long, so I think I'll stop here haha. The conclusion is, I think Wonder Woman is great. Maybe it's not for everyone, as some people find it boring and weird, but I still think it's great.

Rating : 4/5

Through the Eyes of Criminals: Thoughts on The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter by Malcolm MacKay

Earlier this month, I went to the annual Big Bad Wolf Indonesia event in BSD City, Tangerang. In case you don't know, it is an annual book bazaar in Indonesia where books are sold with insanely low prices. This year's event was the second time the event was held. I went there with my friend Nofi on the first day of May. Unlike last year, I was really prepared for the book hunt this year haha. I prepared enough cash in my wallet (they only accept payment using cards issued by certain banks and my card isn't from any of those banks...) and made a list of books that I would want to buy.

As I haven't been in the mood for romantic stories, I thought it might be good for me to buy some crime or mystery books. So I did a research and came up with some titles and went on a book hunt. I ended up buying five books that day, and all of them involve murders and deaths hahaha.

My new books!

One of the books that I bought at BBW is The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter, written by Malcolm MacKay. The book is the first installment in the Glasgow trilogy. The story takes place in Glasgow and takes its readers to the criminal world of the city. A huge criminal organization hires a freelance hitman named Calum MacLean to kill a drug dealer named Lewis Winter, who is believed to be a potential threat for the organization. While reading this book, readers will be able to see what happens before, during and after the murder through the eyes of the people involved in it, who mostly are in the criminal world.

The most surprising thing about the book that I found is how it could make murder feel so... casual. The main character of the story, Calum, is a hitman who sees killing as nothing but his job. In fact, he even sees it as a career path. He repeatedly admits that it still makes him feel nervous, but he doesn't feel guilty about it at all. It is just strange to see it that way because I personally see nothing justifiable about killing people. However, I find this interesting at the same time. It got me thinking, what if your talent, the thing that you were born to do, is killing other people like Calum?

Besides Calum, the book also takes readers into the lives of criminals and police officers. From this story, I learned how unsettling their lives are. The criminals like Jamieson, Young and Calum constantly feel worried about their safety because they might get caught by the police, be betrayed by their partners or get shot by a hitman sent by their rivals at anytime. Life is also frustrating for the police because it turns out to be so difficult to reveal the truth behind a crime as people can be quite manipulative. Again, I find this surprising and interesting. I feel like I went to a different life through this book.

Among the male characters that dominate this book, there is one female character that stole my attention: Zara Cope. Zara is definitely not a lovable woman. She is manipulative and opportunistic, but also beautiful, smart and fragile. She only thinks about herself; she even abandons her own daughter. She lies and constantly hides the truth to protect herself. However, she admits that she cares about Winter while nobody else does. It is also crazy to see how she gets through the brutal police investigation all by herself with no one to trust, which shows how strong she is. She is just complicated. If she returns in the next two books in the trilogy, I bet her journey would even more intriguing to follow.

So, I'm definitely going to buy the sequels of Lewis Winter. This book seems like the opening of a much bigger story, so I definitely must check out the rest of the series.

Rating: 4/5

My New Favorite Show: The CW's Riverdale

Although a lot of people at work still call me "Miss Teenager" because I do look like a kid from high school and I am one of the youngest people at work, I'm technically not a teenager anymore. I'm turning 25 in a few weeks, which means I'm totally an adult. However, I just can't stop watching teen TV shows! Hahahaha. Now that my favorite teen shows are on hiatus, I'm desperate to find a new one to binge-watch. I've been hearing a lot about Netflix's 13 Reasons Why and The CW's Riverdale. Since I am in the mood for some murder mysteries and feel like I've been watching (and involved in hahaha) too much drama lately, I decided to watch the latter one first.

Source: imdb.com

Riverdale is an American drama series that starts its first season earlier this year. It airs a new episode every Thursday (USA time, Friday in Indonesia) on The CW. The characters in this show are based on characters from Archie Comics. The story takes place in a small town called Riverdale and begins when the town gets startled by the mysterious death of its golden boy, Jason Blossom. After the news are spread, the main characters come back from their summer holiday with their own secrets and somehow get connected to Jason's death, which turns out to be a murder. The murder mystery is not the only thing that keeps the story going as some teen issues are also featured in it. So, as the creator describes it, this show is basically a mix of Gossip Girl and Twin Peaks.

So, I've seen the first two episodes of Riverdale and I am OBSESSED. The premise of the show is not new at all, (I personally think it's very similar to Freeform's Pretty Little Liars) but it is always fun to play detectives and try to find out who's the killer, right? Another aspect that makes Riverdale so addicting to me is the characters. The characters have strong personalities that are different from one another, which make each character very memorable and iconic. So, because I love the characters so much, I'm going to introduce you to my favorite ones.

1. Archie Andrews

Source: Heavy.com

Archibald "Archie" Andrews is a sophomore at Riverdale High School. At the beginning of the first season, he just comes back from his summer holiday, which is filled with construction work that he does for his dad's company. He comes back to his small town as a different person as he brings some secrets with him. The secrets include his affair with his music teacher, Miss Grundy, and some crucial information about Jason's death that he can't reveal without endangering himself. Archie is a long-time best friend of Betty Cooper, who is secretly in love with him. He also has complicated friendships with Jughead Jones and the new girl, Veronica Lodge. Archie is portrayed by KJ Apa.

Archie's status as a member of the school's football team and his physical appearance (Veronica once describes him as "the red-haired Ansel Elgort") will make you think he's the popular boy type, but based on what I've seen so far, he's so much more than that. He seems like a guy who always wants to do the right thing. I also like the fact that he struggles to express his real passion for music to other people because people don't expect that from someone like him, which makes him such a complex character. He's definitely relatable and likeable, and kind of cute as well hahaha. I feel a bit guilty for having a crush on Archie because he must be around sixteen right now and  KJ, the actor, is only nineteen years old at the moment. So young! I feel old...

2. Betty Cooper

Source: riverdale.wikia.com

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is also a sophomore at Riverdale High School. She has been friends with Archie for a long time and secretly loves him. She is also friends with Kevin Keller, Veronica and, later this season, has a romantic relationship with Jughead. Betty has a sister named Polly, who is Jason Blossom's ex-girlfriend and currently lives in a group home due to a mental breakdown that she experiences after a toxic relationship with Jason. With Polly staying at the group home, Betty becomes the only child in her home. Betty's mother really pushes her to be perfect at every aspect in her life, which gets Betty frustrated sometimes. Based on what I've seen in the first two episodes, Betty seems to have problems with controlling her emotions as well. Betty is played by Lili Reinhart.

When I first saw Betty, I felt instantly connected to her. I can see a bit of myself in her. A girl who always tries to please everybody and be perfect at everything? Man, that is totally me, although I fail so many times hahaha. I can totally relate to what happens with Betty and Archie's friendship as well haha. Her controlling emotions issues are quite interesting. I have a feeling that, one day, she might explode and turn evil because she has kept all her feelings for herself for too long. Let's just see...

3. Veronica Lodge

Veronica is a new girl in town when we first meet her. She has just moved from New York to Riverdale with her mom after her rich father gets arrested for being a fraud. When she first arrives at Riverdale High School, she becomes friends with Betty, Archie and Kevin. Her relationship with Betty and Archie soon becomes complicated as Veronica and Archie seem to be attracted to one another, making Betty jealous. However, Veronica tries really hard to keep her new friendship with Betty. She tells Betty that she wants to be someone who is better than a rich bitch she used to be. Another interesting fact about Veronica is that her mom used to date Archie's dad, Fred, before she decided to "choose the rich kid", who is Veronica's dad. Camila Mendes plays Veronica in Riverdale.

"You wanted fire? Sorry, Cheryl Bombshell, my speciality is ice."
Source: Tumblr

Veronica seems like a very cool, badass girl. You can see how savage she is from the GIF above. That makes me like her a lot. It would be interesting to see more about her past, when she was the icy rich bitch like Cheryl Blossom (Jason's twin sister, we'll get to her soon). She is very stylish as well. She likes to wear fancy dresses, high heels and carry cute bags. Her black hair and eyebrows and her red lips make her stand out. Sometimes she reminds me of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl.

4. Jughead Jones

His real name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III but his nickname is simply Jughead. Like all the main characters of the series, he goes to Riverdale High School as a sophomore. Jughead acts as the narrator of the series as he is also writing a novel about Jason's murder mystery. Jughead has been friends with Archie for a long time but, at the beginning of the series, their friendship seems like it's not in a good place. Probably because Archie has grown to be more like the popular boy type while Jughead is more like the loner, outsider type. I haven't seen the episode yet, but Jughead describes himself as a weirdo who doesn't fit in and doesn't want to fit in in one episode. Jughead is portrayed by Cole Sprouse. Yes, Cole Sprouse aka Cody from Disney's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Source: www.hercampus.com

Jughead is probably the most talked about character from Riverdale. I've been hearing and seeing a lot of articles about him lately. Jughead reminds me of Stiles Stilinski from Teen Wolf. Like Stiles, Jughead is not the popular boy type, sarcastic and has a unique nickname. Jughead is a bit darker and weirder than Stiles, though. His weirdness and darkness might make it easy for people to have suspicion on him. We haven't seen a lot from him in the first two episodes, but, judging from his popularity among the fans, there will be more from Jughead in the next episodes.

5. Cheryl Blossom

Source: id.pinterest.com

Cheryl Blossom is the mean girl of the series. She's beautiful, stylish, rich, the captain of the cheerleader squad and, as Blair Waldorf used to say in Gossip Girl, the bitch around here in Riverdale. Cheryl is also the twin sister of Jason, the murder victim. Cheryl claims that, on the 4th of July, the day Jason went missing, they both went to the Sweetwater River for a boat ride. Before the Boy Scouts found her alone on the river's edge, Cheryl states that her glove fell into the water and Jason tried to take it back for her, but fell and drowned. Her story about her brother's tragedy makes Cheryl even more popular than before, and she, weirdly, seems to be enjoying it. Cheryl has a complicated relationship with Betty and her family, as their families have a dark history. Cheryl is played by Madelaine Petsch.

When I first saw Cheryl with Jason (who, I just realized, looks like a young Eddie Redmayne hahaha) in the first scene, I immediately screamed "Lydia!" because she looks a lot like Lydia Martin from Teen Wolf. I instantly hated her because she is just so mean and manipulative, but characters like this are always interesting to watch, eh? To me, Cheryl is the most suspicious character. I think she might be the one who killed Jason.

So, are you already a fan of Riverdale? Or maybe you're interested to start watching it now? Make sure you don't miss its new episode every Thursday (or, in my case, Friday)!

Reliving the Tale as Old as Time: Thoughts on Beauty and the Beast

Two years ago, Disney released its first live-action version of its own classic princess film, Cinderella, and received great success. The film, directed by Kenneth Brannagh, is critically acclaimed and brought a lot of profit to the company. I personally love the film as well because I think it really is lovely, beautiful and somehow refreshing and traditional at the same time. My favorite part of it is the adorable chemistry between the two lead actors, Lily James and Richard Madden. It's just so amazing. So, just like every Disney princess fan in the world, I was really excited about Disney's second live-action princess movie, Beauty and the Beast. I had such high expectations.

In case you don't know, BATB is led by everyone's favorite girl Emma Watson. She, of course, plays Belle, the Beauty. She is joined by Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson and so many other famous actors who play the iconic characters from the original animated film. Bill Condon, whose previous projects include the final installments of The Twilight Saga, is the director of the film.

Source: http://artlover67.deviantart.com

I don't mean to compare BATB with Cinderella but I have to say that I love the latter one more. However, that doesn't mean BATB is a bad movie. 

BATB really stays true to the original movie, the animated one. The costumes are very similar to the ones in the 1991 film. They also use the songs that are featured in the original film. They even keep the original storyline for this film too. This is great, especially if you are one of those people who demand adaptations to stay true to the original versions, because the original story is really good. However, it makes the movie too familiar and predictable. I was hoping for something that can make the story still faithful to the original one, but deeper. Maybe they should show more interactions between Belle and the Beast, or maybe more glimpses of the Beast's life before he gets cursed. Unfortunately we didn't get that.

Some other things in the movie that annoy me are the scene where Belle takes her father's place in the Beast's castle and the Be Our Guest sequence. I find the first scene that I mentioned quite strange. It might work in the animated film but it doesn't really make sense when you put it in a live-action film. Meanwhile, the second scene is a bit too long and cartoonish for me. I know it's such an iconic song but that's just how I felt when I was watching.

Now let's move on to the good side!

Emma Watson is crazy beautiful as Belle in this film. From the moment she first appears on the screen until the end of the film, she always manages to stun with her beauty. Her singing voice is suprisingly good as well. Her version of Belle makes me feel related to her in the same way that Belle in the animated film did. Belle loves books, wants more that other people have got planned and can't help but adoring men who love books haha. Emma really is the perfect Belle.

I really wish I could see more of Dan Stevens in his human form in the future. He seems like a talented actor but I couldn't really "see" him here. Maybe I should start watching his new TV show Legion. Luke Evans successfully brings Gaston to life in this film. His Gaston is just so nasty and makes me hate that character so much (this is a compliment). Josh Gad's Lefou is hilarious and the way he acts reminds me of Olaf in Frozen hahaha. Maybe because Josh is the man behind those two characters.

Just like all Disney princess films, BATB makes me so mushy. The ballroom dance sequence makes me smile like an idiot hahaha. It just awakens every girl's fantasy to be a princess and wear a pretty gown and dance with a prince. As I grow older, I've started to become so pessimistic about love and relationships, but films like BATB and Cinderella make me believe in the beauty of love again.

I just love seeing this dreamy photo of Belle and the Beast
Source: http://www.digitalspy.com

Last but not least, the songs. The song whose title is also used as the film's title is currently stuck in my head. I was surprised when I realized that I still remember the lyrics! Among the new songs that are especially written for the live-action version, my favorite is How Does a Moment Last Forever? Parts of it are sung in the film by the actors while Celine Dion sings the one played during the (stunning) end credit. The song is just so beautiful.

So, BATB is not a great, Oscar-worthy movie, but it is quite fun to watch. It will make you forget all your problems and frustration for a while, smile and sing the iconic songs over and over.

The next live-action princess films that are in the works are Mulan and Aladdin. The latter is one of my favorite Disney animated films, so I'm very excited to see it. I'll happily wait for it while playing the songs from BATB until the replay button breaks haha.

Rating: 3/5