#chloe reviews

[romajuliettemai]

“The romance in Immortal Longings was so bad!” “We want more romance!” “Chloe’s OTHER romances are so well done!!”

How many times do we have to say ITS NOT A ROMANCE!!

[noahschnappinfs]

a glimpse of noah in chloe’s new tiktok

23/12/2024

[watchnrant]

Interior Chinatown: A Sharp Satire That Challenges Stereotypes and Forces Self-Reflection

Interior Chinatown is a brilliant yet understated reflection of the world—a mirror that exposes how society often judges people by their covers. The show captures this poignantly with the scene where Willis Wu can’t get into the police precinct until he proves his worth by delivering food. It’s a powerful metaphor: sometimes, if you don’t fit the mold, you have to prove your value in the most degrading or unexpected ways just to get a foot in the door. The locked precinct doors represent barriers faced by those who don’t match the “majority’s” idea of what’s acceptable or valuable.

While the series centers on the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community and the stereotypical roles Hollywood has long relegated them to—background extras, kung fu fighters—it forces viewers to confront bigger questions. It makes you ask: Am I complicit in perpetuating these stereotypes? Am I limiting others—or even myself—by what I assume is their worth? It’s not just about API representation; it’s about how society as a whole undervalues anyone who doesn’t fit neatly into its preferred narrative.

The show can feel confusing if you don’t grasp its satirical lens upfront. But for me, knowing the context of Charles Yu’s original book helped it click. The production team does an incredible job balancing satire with sincerity, blurring the line between real life and the exaggerated Hollywood “procedural” format. They cleverly use contrasting visuals and distinct camera work to draw you into different headspaces—Hollywood’s glossy expectations versus the grittier reality of life.

Chloe Bennet’s involvement (real name Chloe Wang) ties into the show’s themes on a deeply personal level. She famously changed her last name to navigate Hollywood, caught in the impossible middle ground of not being “Asian enough” or “white enough” for casting directors. It’s a decision that sparks debate—was it an act of survival, assimilation, or betrayal? But for Bennett, it was about carving a space for herself to pursue her dreams.

This theme echoes in one of the show’s most poignant scenes, where Lana is told, “You will never completely understand. You’re mixed.” It’s a crushing acknowledgment of the barriers that persist, even when you’re trying to bridge divides. Lana’s story highlights how identity can be both a strength and an obstacle, and the line serves as a painful reminder of the walls society creates—externally and internally.

Interior Chinatown doesn’t just ask us to look at the system; it forces us to examine ourselves. Whether it’s Willis Wu at the precinct door or Lana trying to connect in a world that sees her as neither this nor that, the show unflinchingly portrays the struggle to belong. And as viewers, it challenges us to question our role in those struggles: Are we helping to dismantle the barriers, or are we quietly reinforcing them?

[tremorsmackenzie]

interior chinatown ep 10 & series thoughts

i think its pretty good what they did with the ending. just really dropping the show to hammer home the message about how the entire societal expectation towards asian americans and immigrants in general is fucked. im german and white, i lack the experience to really get it, but i still know enough to just agree. i hope that it helps raise awareness and make people in the us a little more aware of the situation. especially now.

in terms of the show itself, the "is this all a tv show" plot is sort of resolved by saying "yeah it is and the viewers and studios control it but we can upgrade ourselves to a new format". the logistics and implications arent really adressed, but like i said after episode 1, not the point. im just nitpicky because i actually have ocd.

because i am a gigantic daisy johnson stan i will always wish chloe bennet plays a bigger role in anything she is in, and that that thing is agents of sword, but thats just me still grieving the loss of agents of shield.

this show is great, it really has some existential horror aspects to it (even if they just serve as a vehicle, not really the main gimmick), and the social commentary at least to me cuts through everything and is the way more important part. and thats what mattered to the cast too, going off all the interviews they gave.

its also really funny, although they dial up the drama a lot in the last few episodes.

the only thing that really bothers me is the willis lana romance cause there are so many reasons against it, even if it doesnt really take off even towards the end

[crownedinkcomix]

Heretic adds a fresh twist to the religious horror genre, though it succumbs to some common contrivances. The film uses a SAW-like setup, with its victims forced into a series of choices that feel more like manipulative traps than real options. This formula creates tension, yet I found myself wondering why the characters complied so easily with their captor’s orchestrated scenarios.

In any horror film, some suspension of disbelief is expected. But even as someone who doesn’t consider themselves particularly clever, I kept thinking: why not refuse to play along? Rather than submitting to the “Door A or Door B” choices, I’d likely ignore the options entirely, maybe even wait by the front door until the timer ran out.

The captor, played well by Hugh Grant, openly admits to setting a lock timer and adding signal-blocking metal walls to prevent phone calls, yet he insists on maintaining the illusion that he’s not forcing these girls to participate in his game. Given that his philosophy centers on the idea that religion is all about “control,” his strategy would have been stronger if he were more openly coercive rather than relying on these thinly disguised choices. His indirect approach feels less like a character-driven choice and more like a narrative convenience.

Despite these issues, Heretic is still a compelling entry in modern religious horror. It manages some surprising twists and offers a unique approach to the genre. For those seeking something new, it’s a worthwhile watch, especially when compared to recent offerings like Late Night with the Devil.

[jessread-s]

Thanks to @chloegong and @sagapress for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Art torn with the permission of @artbysmashley

✩⛓️🕊️Review:

Seeking out the next fantasy book that will destroy you? Look no further! 

Picking up where “Immortal Longings” leaves off, “Vilest Things” follows Calla Tuoleimi as she serves as royal advisor to August Shenzhi, who has risen to the throne. Only Calla knows Anton took over August’s body to survive her betrayal. The two must set aside their conflicts when Otta Avia awakens and her secrets threaten the very fabric of the monarchy.  

This book outdoes its predecessor with more power (but in the wrong hands), more repercussions, more politics, more tension, and even more  betrayals. Gong truly has a knack for making her readers suffer and I’m not sure what this says about me, but I endured every cliffhanger, volatile exchange between Calla and Anton, and unanswered question happily. 

“Vilest Things” is told from multiple points-of-view and I was captivated by every single one. Gong makes each perspective necessary in advancing the plot forward and unraveling what larger is at stake. As a result, I was equally frustrated and excited to follow a different character at the start of each chapter and discover a new piece to the puzzle. 

I am obsessed with the world Gong creates in “Immortal Longings”, so I really enjoyed how she expands upon it in this book. Gong completely engrossed me in Calla and Anton’s journey beyond the walls surrounding San-Er and into the outer reaches of Talin. Each province they cross into is accompanied by descriptions of the region and its customs to make one distinctive from another. The secret that draws them out there in the first place adds an element of mystery relating to the kingdom and its history that kept me on the edge of my seat!

 Calla and Anton’s begrudging alliance on their travels had me in a chokehold! The events at the end of book one obliterate all trust established between the two of them, bringing their relationship right back to square one, and their toxicity festers because of that. Both still have residual feelings, but allow their stubbornness to keep them apart. Otta also serves as a source of tension for Calla and Anton’s relationship and nothing was more agonizing than watching Otta manipulate their perceptions of each other. The angst and mutual pining, however, makes it all worthwhile.

Fair warning: “Vilest Things” ends with the most brutal cliffhanger. I thought the end of “Immortal Longings” was soul-destroying…but this is a whole other level. I could do nothing but watch it play out and I fear I might be scarred for life. Chloe if you’re reading this, I’ll forgive you in exchange for book 3. 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[pard-s]

I finally watched Interior Chinatown (i binged the whole thing in a day). Holy shit that show. It is one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. It was funny and emotional and satirical and everything that a show should be. I can't explain just how much that show affected me, but I can honestly say I don't think there will ever be another show that will make me feel so heavy and giddy like this. I need whatever they put in this show injected into my fucking veins.

Using a cop show as the backdrop and kind of framework for what is actually something about a "side character" is fucking genius. The restarting of scenes when Willis isn't confident in his choices yet and just accepts being in the background turning into glitches once he finally decides to do whatever he needs to do and not give up are just *chefs kiss. The distance that grows between him and his family as he devotes all his time to his investigation without asking for help or telling anyone anything feels way too real and it's perfect. Turner slowly starting to realize something is up and having more existential crises is so well paced and feels so real. Green barely noticing anything other than her partner being odd because she has blinders on and doesn't care about anything but the job she loves and then finally just wanting to do the right thing instead of just keeping her dream job feels so rewarding. I cannot express how magically real this show feels. I love it.

Absolutely 10/10 will be recommending to everyone I know. This is one of those things I will forever wish I could experience for the first time again.

[jq37]

I've been thinking about Descendants 4 again today and, having had more time to think about it, it's even more disappointing than I initially felt it was. Because it actually has all the ingredients to be my favorite of the four.

-Brandy coming back as Cinderella (along with her prince) is an inspired move (as a Black girl and theater kid in spirit, I obviously loved her as a kid). -I also love a Cinderella focus in general because she's one of my favorite princesses--in Disney and in general. My MFA thesis project is literally a Cinderella retelling. -I love a focus on platonic relationships and an interesting mother-daughter dynamic is one of my faves. -Likewise, as cliche is it is, I love two characters with almost violently opposite vibes being forced to work together and getting close along the way.

This movie has all these things that I love which makes it extra disappointing that the movie seems uninterested in basic tenets of storytelling.

The two main relationship rifts in this movie are between Cinderella and the Queen and Red and her Queen and neither of those relationships grow or develop in a way we can get invested in. They're just fixed by stealing a book. The Red Queen doesn't learn to be a better person. They just erase one bad thing that happened to her and it's all fine now I guess? Ella doesn't reconcile with her friend. Whatever caused their rift (which we never see or even are told about in any detail) is just poofed from the timeline. There's no emotional climax. There's no real action climax. Every time it seemed like something interesting was going to happen or be revealed, they hard pivoted to something else. The connective tissue in the movie is super weak and the foreshadowing leads to very little if anything.

I've really never seen a movie so bizarrely unfocused and disjointed. It has real first draft vibes.

[pr1dek1ng]

Okay so this is my real review on the life is strange double exposure game. That original post I made was to troll

I went into it with an opened mind. I tried to stay away from much spoilers as I could but the internet made that impossible so I knew a little bit about things.

I thought the story was actually really good. I love a murder mystery type plot. I didn’t think it was to bad at all actually. The amount of twists and turns was awesome.

The characters were probably my favorite part about the game. I loved majority of the characters that max interacted with. The relationship dynamic between max, Safi and Moses was comforting gave me such sibling vibes.

Max and Amanda’s dynamic was really good and probably my favorite. I loved how they interacted and I loved how much Amanda cared for max.

Max and Reggie’s dynamic felt like big sister/little brother vibes. Reggie was absolutely hilarious and such a Comedic relief

Max and diamond’s dynamic was interesting to me. I loved diamond don’t get me wrong but I really couldn’t understand her very well. But that’s probably just me

Max and Vihn’s dynamic (prolly spelling his name wrong) was very interesting as well. I loved how we went from not liking him to him becoming apart of the gang and dating Reggie.

Gwen was like hot damn. Nothing else to be said. shoutout for trans representation ❤️ loved her

Lucas can just kick rocks tbh

Now the only problem I had with this game was how they did Chloe. I think what they did with Chloe was entirely stupid and a trash take. Like I personally would’ve been fine if she was in the game but interacting with max throughout it. Her not being present doesn’t bother me but the way they just trashed her relationship with max is wild to me.

But besides this I thought the game was a 9/10. Cannot wait for what they have next for max’s story 🤘❤️

Also happy Halloween 🎃 p.s please don’t harass and or trash on people who are like me and like the game! I feel like this shouldn’t have to be said but unfortunately it does.

[tare-anime]

SxF Mission 89

(Beware spoilers)

I love every Yuri development we have in this chapter.

I love Chloe!!!

OmG!!!

And she's much older than Yuri too???

My Chloroform ship is sailing!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

So YuriIona (Yuri and Fiona) or Chloroform (Yuri Cloe)?

Ahem

Anyway, yeah, I love how we got tidbits of Briar siblings' past, and Yuri's growth.

Chloe's speech here is immaculate.

Yes. You need to get stronger and be able to protect yourself first, before you able to protect others. But you also need to stay alive!!!

This speech is so important.

Having a dream to protect others but by being reckless to your own body is a big no no.

Yep yep.

Yuri also starts to notice that Yor's "important persons" has grown

Back then during the bus hijacking arc, and now this.

It's a slow progress, but still a progress nonetheless.

And I love how strong the Briar siblings bond is.

Both can sense the other's presence just like that??

What a special bond!

Of course if we go to angst route, this might lead to a very very angsty Briar sibling reveal, or they might sense if the others are severly injured or died.

I love it how Yor's cooking has improved by Yuri not vomiting when he eats her cooking 🥰

Last, Yuri is still the firstmate of TwiYor ship it seems (Anya is the captain)

So yeah, Yor, answer him will ya??? 🤣🤣🤣

Lovely chapter. I can't wait to read more 🥰🥰

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟑 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐨𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐡 - 𝟒.𝟓/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

boys of tommen book one

premise: shannon lynch has dealt with bullying her whole life which leads her to the front steps of tommen college after the christmas break. johnny kavanagh is dead set on joining ireland's international rugby team after years of training and hard work. but when he kicks a ball straight into the back of shannon's head by accident on her first day, both of their lives may change forever.

couple: johnny kavanagh and shannon lynch

tropes: sports romance, high school age romance, friends to lovers, found family, slow burn, grumpy/sunshine ish

CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING!! - includes themes such as physical and verbal abuse (familial and not), bullying, sexual harassment, and more.

available on kindle unlimited

review below!

review:

wow... i wasn't expecting to be so hooked on this so fast. even just 50 pages in, it had its claws in me and wasn't letting go for the next 600ish pages. it's a long read but it doesn't feel long either. even the 40 minute long chapters went by so fast. this book is put in the young adult section of the store but i think that's solely based on how easy of a read it is. it very much so does NOT have themes that are young adult. it's a heavy book with some darker themes, and a far amount of sexual content honestly even without smut, and i know the second book and the ones after that will just continue to get heavier.

johnny kavanagh... the boy you are. i loved johnny. i'm pretty sure if you don't love johnny, something is wrong. he really just embodies that typical sports guy with a soft spot but i related to him on so many different levels. he's deeply determined to achieve his goals and puts everything aside to do just that. he really knows what he wants and what he thinks he has to do to achieve that and he goes at it full force. and then shannon comes into the picture and messes with his head and plans and he is just deeply understandable in all of internal angst. he's already scared because he's sporting an injury and now he's sporting a crazy crush and he doesn't know what to do about it. i think that it's really interesting to read about how he handles it all and what his thought process is and when you keep in mind that he's only seventeen, it's honestly so understandable.

i loved shannon as well. she is a deeply fractured and hurt character and getting to watch her grow to be comfortable with the other characters while still holding her walls up was so interesting and i was so invested with her the whole time. she's one of those characters that you just want to hug and tell it's okay to. she has so many layers to her that are so interesting to read about because she's been through so much and is still going through so much. i love her relationship with johnny, of course, but something that i really hope we see more of going forward is her relationship with gibsie. i feel like she already has that deep brotherly bond with her brother, joey, but that is founded more so in their shared trauma, that to get to see her grow into this sibling bond with gibsie that is more on the humorous playing around side was something so healing. she has those moments with joey but there is a heaviness to them that isn't there with gibsie and i love that so much that i hope we get to see more.

honestly i wasn't entirely sure what i was getting myself into with this book but i'm really really happy i read it. i can't wait to read the rest and get my heart ripped out because i know that's coming and it's going to hit so hard.

q & a:

are they endgame? - this is one question that i don't think i can quite answer yet. my gut says yes but we've got a very heavy second book ahead that will really solidify my answer to that. so we will wait on the determination of endgame status but currently my gut answer is yes even though they are just teenagers still.

did i cringe? - i'm american... this is set in ireland in 2005. admittedly, some of the slang and banter did make me cringe a little. it's also a high school age romance i'm not going to hold back the fact that i did cringe a few times at the teenagers. i think it's not anything that deters from the book though. the cringing i did do leaned towards the endearing side as well because it's just this found family of teenagers who are all dealing with some heavy stuff and humor is definitely something that some of them, and this book, falls back on. but even with cringing, it felt natural for the book and the characters. it wasn't the kind of cringing that was from something that was wrong.

favorite part? - i love the found family aspect in this. i love how close knit our main characters are with our side characters. johnny is an only child but he really is just brothers from another mother with gibsie. if you've seen teen wolf then you'll know what i mean when i say that johnny and gibsie really are another version of scott and stiles. and even beyond johnny and gibsie, we see hughie and katie and patrick and claire and even lizzie a bit all join together to be this second family to shannon that she really needs. it's so heart warming and such a light air in the middle of all of these traumatic experiences you read through and i loved it so much and hope we get more of it going forward. my gut wants to put the slowburn in the least favorite part section but i really cant. it's such a pivotal part of this book and of johnny and shannon's characters that i have to praise it. it makes so much sense for them individually that even when it takes over 500 pages to make true progress, it feels natural. it's not something that is played out just to make the book longer. with shannon's trauma and johnny's career, it makes sense that it takes them so long to come together and i really loved it even if i was a bit in agony from the length haha.

least favorite part? - i really don't know if i can choose something. i know there is something because i feel confident in not quite rating this 5 stars but i can't place my finger on it. perhaps it's the focus on johnny so much in this book but i can tell from the ending that this book is more johnny's book and i think the next one will be more of shannon's book so even that isn't something that i have a real problem with. i don't know... it's hard to place what i think should be different because even with whatever faults it has, i think it has a lot of reasoning for each of those that makes sense.

favorite quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

It mattered that she mattered when no one ever mattered to me before.

I remembered the way he had taken care of me. How he had stayed with me until my mother came. The way he had touched me with big dirty, gentle hands. How he talked to me like he wanted to hear what I had to say. And then listened to my rambling like it was important to him.

Shannon Lynch utterly disarmed me.

You could love this girl your whole life, the crazy thought persisted inside my brain over and over, if you just let yourself.

“I’m going to hug you,” Johnny whispered in my ear. “Tell me if that’s not okay.”

Instead, I nestled my cheek against his side and closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift off to sleep without an ounce of fear in my heart because it couldn’t exist inside of me, not when this boy had his arm around me.

I was completely fucking clueless, armed and ready to go to war for a girl I didn’t know, against an enemy no one would tell me about.

“She’s always been your Shannon.”

“She makes my heart go, like, whoa.” “Is that right?” he mused. “So bad, Da.” I sighed. “Boom, boom, fucking boom.” I shook my head. “All the time.”

[whilereadingandwalking]

In 2004, in the Australian town of Palm Island, an aboriginal man named Cameron Doomadgee was arrested by Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley. Less than an hour later, he was dead. Chloe Hooper came to Queensland to cover the case, and her months of interviews, investigation, and witness led to The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island, an account of the struggle to get justice for Doomadgee's death.

This book was on my list of priorities to buy while in Australia. The case is historically important on its own, as the community rose in riot and protest against the police department (who claimed Doomadgee got his injuries from an unfortunate fall), but also in the wider context of aboriginal rights and the continuing issues aboriginal communities face due to the impact of colonization and imperialist violence. This well-written narrative nonfiction brings everything together into one coherent, frustrating story of police brutality, systemic oppression, and the complicity and "codes" that keep those systems going. Superb nonfiction read. Highly recommend it both in general and to add a global perspective to radical US readers.

Content warnings for violence, racism, police brutality, anti-indigenous sentiment and violence, suicide

[calla-tuoleimi]

i'm reviewing for a quiz for my theology class and in one of the videos we're required to watch for it there's this one quote that made me go "oh the chloe gong fans are going to love this" and it's this:

"How [do] we live [with] that? How [do we] live [with] the truth that love and wounds are never separate?" – Henri Nouwen

[crimson-chaffinch]

Life is strange but I like it.

A new game of Life is Strange franchise was a big surprise. I love first game so much (played it 3 times and never could change my final choice). This game is definitely different and I’ll try to write about its pros and cons.

Let’s start with something positive. The first things you notice (since first trailers I’m sure) are graphics and facial animations. Characters look like real people; you can see when they are puzzled or surprised, and it’s amazing! Voice actors and actresses did a great job; you feel this chemistry between characters when listen to them (Max and Vinh are just brilliant).

The list of negative things will be definitely longer and I’m upset writing that.

The greatest problem is the plot. Probably I shouldn’t have bought an early access because after finishing Chapter 2 I had some high expectations and also read some stupid spoilers on reddit (which I definitely wasn’t looking for). So my high expectations and some cool ideas which appeared in my head played a cruel joke on me. Probably Chapters 3 and 4 were kind of good but Chapter 5… and ending was so disappointing. I had a feeling like a scriptwriter just gave up right in the middle of the story, and even didn’t try to make it a bit complicated. Come on, gamers aren’t stupid, we like good stories, cool twists and heartbreaking endings. But it’s not about LiS:DE.

The second problem – characters. Some of them are just good or bad, there is nothing in the middle. Amanda is cute, hard-working and has a big family. That’s all I can tell about her. You even can’t understand why Max like her. She is just an ordinary girl, a typical green flag for Max and it’s cool to have relationship with some good person in real life but such characters in games are just super boring.

That’s why I like Vinh (yeah I like him), because he seems real, he did something stupid in the past and he isn’t proud about it, and it makes him real.

Tbh I don’t know what to say about Safi without spoilers, so maybe it’s better to skip this part.

The rest of characters are like a background for the main story, not sure if you remember any of them in a week or so.

And the third part – length of the story. Yeah, when you play it for the first time you are too curious and just want to move further and further. But even when you start playing the second time and you look for all photos and other collectables, chapters are still so short.

I wish we all got some cool DLC which isn’t about cat or extra clothes. But dreams, sweet dream. Deck 9, plz, can you guys make something really funny for fans, maybe a date for Max (she deserves it).

And the last problem – there is no Chloe. She was annoying in the first game but she is a person Max needs and in my game Max sacrificed Arcadia Bay for her. I just can’t believe Chloe could leave her so easily. Btw Max’s trauma after these events is shown really well, and it helps to see how deep her character is. Sad that’s other characters aren’t so well-written.  

In conclusion I still want to recommend this game. No matter if you are the fan or not, it worth playing and it won’t take lots of time to finish it. Max is still Max even being 28 she can say some cringy stuff and that’s why I like her.  

[just-a-girl-who-likes-sharks]

Just finished Foul Lady Fortune…

An honest review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 it pains me to say this but Juliette Cai walked so that Rosalind Lang could run

[rickchung]

Dune: Prophecy (prod. Alison Schapker).

HBO's prequel series to Denis Villeneuve's blockbuster film adaptations of Frank Herbert's 1965 seminal sci-fi novel is also based on one its forerunner spin-offs, 2012's Sisterhood of Dune written by son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. It provides further lore and legacy to the mysteriously powerful matriarchal superhumans, known as the "Bene Gesserit," ten thousand years earlier after the way and banishment of the "thinking machines." This series sadly reverts back to the drier, colder mythological elements of Hubert's work long thought to be unadaptable in live-action and other further proves Villeneuve's talent for making the dense sci-fi material at all entertaining in the mould of blockbuster fare. Prophecy just never comes together to be compelling enough to add to what the films have built while trying so hard to be the next Game of Thrones-style drama.