Tag: TV

Yellowjackets Review

Today I wanted to share my thoughts on a massive Paramount TV production. This TV series has just concluded its second season on Paramount Plus and is due a third season. If you are looking for something exciting and quirky to watch, read ahead for my ‘Yellowjackets’ review.

What’s it all about?

When a group of girl soccer players were involved in a 1990s plane crash, they made their home in an abandoned hut in the forest. Yellowjackets follows their story as they tried to survive, while also showing them as grown ups in the present day.

To begin with, the flashbacks are quite short but as the seasons go on, we see more and more. The characters include a quirky carer, a politician, a cult leader and a troubled mum of a teenage girl. As we track each personality we explore how messed up their lives are. The time spent in the wilderness certainly had a lot to do with that.

Strong Characters

Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures) plays the mum and wife at the centre of this story. Her husband was dating her friend when they first got together and they have a difficult history. She is distracted by an artist who tempts her to have an affair. At the same time she will do anything to stop people find out the tragic things that her friends got up to whilst stranded in the forest.

Misty is a carer who is less than conventional, played by Christina Ricci, who is known for her role as Wednesday Addams in the 1990s films. She is hilarious in this role, with her quirkiness and good intentions. The young version of her is very believable as are the other teenage actors.

Juliet Lewis plays Natalie who is a hardened drinker that stirs things up. She went through a lot in the wilderness and discovers a suicide of a guy she was close to as a teenager. Getting back together with the Yellowjackets, her character is edgy and willing to do what it takes to protect her friends.

In A Nutshell

This is an exciting TV show that is filled with adventure and emotions. I love the combination of danger and humour. One minute I am belly laughing and the next I am freaked out. Yellowjackets is not for the feint hearted as there are some fairly gruesome scenes. Nonetheless it is probably my number one TV programme at the moment and I cannot wait for its return.

Final Thoughts

I can totally recommend this show to you. It is full of intrigue, drama and laugh-out-loud moments. The acting is great and the narrative is very twisted, with lots of unpredictable events. You will find the first two series on Paramount Plus, which is accessible through Amazon Prime with an additional payment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Yellowjackets review. If you are looking for another TV show to watch, check my review of The Last Of Us. Please consider following my blog for more book, TV and film reviews.

Read, Watch and Listen – June

It is summer now and time to lay back on those sun loungers and start reading some books. If you need a break from the heat, pop inside and watch an episode of one of the many brilliant TV shows on telly. While travelling to work, turn up a great soundtrack that will chill you out. Here are my recommendations for things to read, watch and listen to this summer.

Read The Strawberry Thief

If you haven’t read one of Joanne Harris’ books yet, check out my review of Blackberry Wine which I read recently. Also – Where have you been?? Now I am half way through the fourth book in her ‘Chocolat’ series which is really satisfying.

‘Chocolat’ came out in 1999 and was the first book I read of hers. This fourth instalment carries on the beautiful adventures of a chocolate shop owner and her family as they negotiate life in a small French town.

When Viane Rocher’s daughter is left a small piece of woodland in the Will of a local gentleman, everything is turned on its head. His bitter daughter is determined to take back the land and make money on property sales.

Without giving anything away, this story sometimes feels magical. The description of food and, in particular, chocolate is used to immerse you in the narrative. Joanne writes brilliant, short chapters which carefully and cleverly absorb you into the situation.

Watch ‘A Small Light’ on Disney Plus

Last year when I visited Amsterdam, I took the chance to go to the Anne Frank Museum which is set in the actual offices where the secret annex was. Anne and her family were Jewish and hid in those small rooms during the German occupation of the Netherlands.

Now, Disney and National Geographic bring us a well made drama about the young woman who hid the family and provided them with food. Mieps (played by Bel Powley) was not Jewish and worked as a secretary for Anne Frank’s dad. When they went into hiding she remained a connection between them and the rest of the world.

I feel as though there has been little publicity for this project but it is incredibly well written and acted. I am enjoying the bitter-sweet nature of this eight episode series. It deserves 5 stars from me.

Listen to The Little Mermaid soundtrack

Right now I am listening to ‘Part of Your World’ a lot! Having reviewed The Little Mermaid 2023 last week, you will see how enthusiastic I am about this movie and its soundtrack. Having never seen the original cartoon, Part of Your World has become an ear worm which is played regularly in my household.

There is something about the purity of the voice and the meaningfulness of the lyrics. It celebrates equality by yearning for being a part of the mainstream world. I love it and the talent of Halle Bailey shines through. The orchestra provides a serene backdrop to some beautiful lines.

———————————————————————

Please let me know what you think of my suggestions in the comments. I can truly recommend all of these and look forward to sharing more reading reviews in July. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my article about what to read, watch and listen to in June. Please consider following my blog for future similar content.

The Last Of Us – Review

Being a blogger who loves reviewing TV shows, I felt that it was time to look back on the series I just finished. To do a proper ‘The Last of Us’ review I need a whole blogpost as it is quite complicated. Hopefully I can take a balanced look at a series that has got the world talking.

This shell reminded me of the worn out buildings in The Last Of Us.

Not really being a person who plays computer games, I hadn’t heard of this title before. However, when I started seeing trailers involving Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, both of whom were in Games of Thrones, it piqued my interest.

What’s ‘The Last Of Us’ All About?

Well…. it is hard to know where to start. In the first episode we were introduced to Joel (Pedro) and his daughter and they seemed to be living a normal life. Little did they know a kind of apocalypse was just around the corner.

In a one hour and twenty-one minute pilot episode, they took us on a rollercoaster ride from normality to chaos. Joel was forced to run away from some seriously creepy people who had been infected by a fatal fungus. He came across Ellie (Bella) who had survived being bitten by an infected. She then joined him on a journey of discovery, awkwardness and danger.

With military forces penning communities into quarantine zones (QDs) and countless infected everywhere, life became challenging. Joel and Ellie had already both suffered losses and the story led to several more acquaintances dying. A bitter-sweet relationship between the two of them led the narrative forward, unflinching.

Positive Points

– The lead actors were believable in their roles and had great chemistry. Bella was convincing as a lost looking teenager, swept up by a journey full of hazards. Pedro finally took his Mandolurian helmet off and was a mix of heroic and vulnerable.

– Each episode had guest actors (like Melanie Lynskey) who played important parts in carrying the story forward. Apart from a couple of characters, most only showed up in one episode each. A sweet episode where Ellie was exploring an empty shopping centre was particularly memorable.

– There is a lovely LBGTQ storyline where a man locked himself into a gated village and met another guy who he fell for. They had been friends of Joel and so he was taking Ellie to see them. Watching the backstory of protecting the village and their romance blossoming was sweet.

– I was reluctant to watch The Last Of Us as I knew nothing of the computer game. However, I’m glad that I began to watch as it was addictive and brilliant.

Downside

– There were a couple of scenes which were overindulgent and could have been much shorter. Sometimes the script wallowed a bit in conversations which didn’t push the story forward.

—————————————————————

Final Thoughts

I genuinely fell in love with this exciting narrative which focused on just two characters, played by excellent actors. One minute I was laughing at Ellie reading puns from the book she had managed to save and carry with them. The next my heart was jumping due to some pretty scary infected zombies.

Admittedly, some episodes were better than others but it really made me think. What if an incurable disease took hold and spread throughout the world? What if infected people hid the fact they had it until it was too late? How would we adapt, given our reliance on fuel and imported food?

——————————————————————-

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my The Last Of Us review. Check out my recent Scream VI review for another exhilarating viewing choice.