#why did they let jules have more chemistry with her than with any other male love interest

[rhymeandharmony]

in my head rhyme and gemma are in fact in each others' arms by the sea

[karlajoyner]

Strawberry Lipgloss (Carrie Wilson x Reader)

A/n: Hey guys! This is my first girl x girl so I hope the requester and everyone else enjoyed it! I'm also working on my first male x male so I'm excited for that! Definitely my first time branching out into doing a lot more with my writing so I hope you guys are liking it so far. I'm working on an Owen smut next and trying to get through my requests! So thanks for reading!!💙

Requested by: lonelygranger (Wattpad)

Warnings: Bullying (kinda sorta)

————

The final bell of the day rang signifying class was over. I stood up rushing out of the classroom knowing the hallways would be packed any moment with students trying to leave as well.

"Hey Molina" I heard a familiar voice call from behind me as I put my chemistry textbook in my locker. I sighed shutting my eyes. Turning around slowly.

"Carrie" I spoke through gritted teeth.

"Y/n. I just thought I'd remind you how much of a freak show you are like always"

"Thank you for that. Anything else?"

"Yeah. You should really keep your sister in check with her little hologram boy band. You know before she gets hurt" The girl said making sure to bump my shoulder as she passed by me.

I internally groaned hitting the locker behind me watching as she strutted away.

"Hey are you okay?" I heard my older sisters voice.

I turned my head to see her and her best friend rushing towards me in a panic.

"What'd that witch do to you now?"

"The same as always Flynn. Insult me bump my shoulder and walk away" I said using jazz hands to show the flatness in my excitement.

"I just don't understand why she has it out for me"

"It's all my fault y/n. I'm so sorry" Julie said as we walked out the schools front entrance.

"It's okay Jules. I'll be fine. You know I'll just continue to deal with Carrie for the rest of my high school years until you two graduate. I'll just continue let her to bully me. And I'll just continue cry myself to sleep every night because the pop princess that bullies the hell out of me also happens to be the girl I've had a crush on since my sister first brought her over the very first day of middle school"

I ranted watching my dads car pull up to the front of the school.

"We'll finish talking later" Julie said opening the front door and getting in.

"Call me if you two need anything"

"Thanks Flynn. See you later" Julie called after her best friend who walked in another direction.

"Bye Flynn!" My dad called after the girl as well.

"Mija are you gonna get in or am I just gonna hold up traffic all day"

I heard my dads voice from inside the vehicle. But my focus was on the blonde boy who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her boyfriend. Clearly not wanting to be standing beside her while she chatted away with the rest of dirty candy.

"Hey get in weirdo" I sighed getting in the car, shutting the door behind me.

"What's your problem?"

"I'm not in the mood Carlos" I spoke to my little brother as we drove off.

"Ooo someone's a bit moody"

"Dad leave her alone. She's had a tough day" Julie explained.

"Nothing a little family movie night can't fix. What do you say kids?"

"I call dibs on picking the movie!" Carlos shouted before anyone else could call it.

I woke up the next morning with determination. Putting on my best outfit. Waking up extra early to do my hair. And I even put a bit more makeup than usual.

Carrie Wilson had been bullying me ever since her and Julie had that falling out and I was tired of it.

I don't know if it was the sugar adrenaline of the large amount of candy I had eaten the night before during the movie. Or if I was just that fed up with the girl but today I put an end to her once and for all.

I walked downstairs with a pep in my step. The smell of waffles hitting my nose.

"There she is my other beautiful daughter" My dad spoke handing me a plate of waffles.

"Hey dad"

"D-did you do your hair?" Julie asked as I took a seat beside her at the table.

"I did"

"Why?"

"Because my dear sister today I am a new person"

"A weird person"

"Carlos" My dad warned the boy.

"It's okay dad. Not even little Carlitos could ruin my mood today" I said pinching his cheeks.

Satisfied with his look of disgust I took a bit out of my breakfast.

"Okay who are you and what have you done with my little sister?" Julie questioned only earning a smirk from me.

"I'm only a year younger Jules but if you must know. Well your just gonna have to wait until lunch time" I spoke before continuing to eat.

Lunch time rolled around quicker than I expected. I had spent the whole morning mentally preparing myself until that bell rang.

Walking out of class I immediately spotted Julie and Flynn sitting at our usual table in the cafeteria. I smiled at them as they waved me over excitedly.

Slowly but surely I began to walk my way over to them with confidence only to be stopped by someone blocking my path.

"Well if it isn't the loner of the two Molina sisters. I mean seriously get some friends your own age y/n"

"I didn't hear you complaining before you and Julie fell out"

"Oh wow look at you. Finally sticking up for yourself" She smirked.

"And for your information I was just being nice. You were always annoying chasing after us" She spat. My heart breaking a little bit more than usual.

As if on cue Nick made his way towards us. Like many other times he tried to get Carrie to leave Julie and me alone.

But this time it was different.

I smirked at the girl in front of me taking her boyfriends hand. Pulling him close to and planting a kiss on his lips. Immediately hearing gasps from the people around me.

I pulled away watching Nicks face contort in confused daze.

And the look on Carries face was priceless. Her signature smirk was wiped off her face as her eyes glossed up.

I didn't get the chance to get a word out before I felt her grab me by the wrist and drag me away from the big scene in the middle of the cafeteria.

"Carrie let me go!" I shouted as she dragged me down the halls.

"Where are you taking me? Carrie!" I yelled as she opened an unfamiliar door shoving me inside.

Immediately assuming it was the music room. Noting all the instruments I turned back to the girl in anger.

"What are we doing here?" I asked as she shut the door behind us.

"Why would you do that?"

"Why do you think?"

"D-do you like Nick or something?"

She asked clearly ticked off.

"You think I like Nick? Seriously?" I asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well do you or not?"

"Of course I don't. I only kissed him to get back at you" I watched relief wash over her face as we stood there in silence before I spoke again.

"You know? I'm just tired of your shit Carrie. You've been bullying me since you and Julie stopped being friends. I just don't understand. We used to get along so well. Then all of a sudden you hated me" I spoke leaning against the wall.

"I don't hate you" She stated my eyes falling onto her.

She quickly made her way towards me stopping a few inches away from me.

"W-what are you doing?" I whispered watching her eyes closely to see them looking down at my.....my lips?

"Just don't say anything for a second" I bit my lip as she slowly leaned in.

Taking the opportunity I met her halfway. Our lips dancing against each other's.

The taste of her strawberry lipgloss making butterflies erupt in my stomach.

I wrapped my hand around her waist pulling her closer. Smiling into the kiss as she pushed me up against the wall behind me.

I was first to pull away seeing a pink tinge take over he cheeks. No doubt my face had a similar hue.

"Can I say something now?" I asked as she playfully rolled her eyes.

"Yes y/n"

"I like you Carrie. A lot. I've liked you since I first met you. And I know your with Nick but-"

"But I was gonna break up with him anyways. We've been having problems for a while now"

"Really?" I asked fidgeting with the ends of her cropped cardigan.

"Yes really. Look I know I've been putting up this mean front but truth is I've always had a crush on you too. I just thought you would hate me when Julie and I fell out. Especially since she's your sister. I just thought you'd side with her. So I did what I do best. I played the mean girl" She spoke her eyes glossing up.

"Hey don't feel bad. I understand everything now. I know you and my sister aren't in the best of places right now but I'm sure she's gonna support this 100% like she always has" I spoke caressing her cheek. Softly smiling as she leaning into my touch.

"You think so?"

"I know so" I smiled pecking her lips once more. A grin plastering itself on her face.

"Your so beautiful" I simpered.

"You are too Molina. You look extra beautiful today with your hair and makeup done"

"You noticed?"

"I always noticed. And though you look amazing now you look just as good with your everyday makeup look. And no makeup at all for that matter. Maybe you could show me how you to do it sometime" She suggested gazing into my eyes.

"I guess I could give my pop princess a few pointers. Though you don't really need them" I said intertwining our fingers.

"I guess I should go break up with Nick. You know before someone catches us"

"I'll be here waiting"

"You better be. We've got a lot of catching up to do"

"It seems we do" I spoke before kissing her cheek.

"Maybe you could teach me some of your dirty candy moves" I proposed as she leaned her forehead on mine.

"Or you could just join dirty candy and learn with everyone else"

"Let's get one thing straight here Wilson. You're the star. And I'm perfectly okay with being your loving supporting girlfriend from the sidelines"

"Girlfriend? I like the sound of that" She grinned.

"So do we have ourselves a deal?"

"Yeah. Just as long as I get to call you my girlfriend"

"Sounds good.....but"

"But?" She asked her smile slightly faltering.

"Can we hold off on going public for a while?"

"Why?" She pouted.

"Well it's just your gonna break up with Nick and I don't want him to think it's because of us"

"But it is because of us" She stated making me send her a pointed look.

"Fine. I'm sure he won't mind but if you wanna hold off on telling people I guess we could play the best friend card for a while. But not too long. I want to show you off to everyone"

"And you will. When the time comes" I said pulling her in for a hug.

"My house after school?" I nodded watching her remove something small from her school bag.

"Here. So you could think of me while your in class" She spoke pinning a custom made enamel pin that read Dirty Candy.

"I always think about you" I stated hearing the first bell ring.

"We should go" I said as we walked to the double door separating once we exited.

I spent rest of the school day with a smile plastered on my face excited to see my newly found girlfriend after school.

———

Up Next: Owen Patrick Joyner x Reader

Charlie Gillespie x Reader

Alex x Male Reader

Luke Patterson x Reader

Charlie x Reader

Jeremy x Reader

Charlie x Reader

Reggie x Reader

Charlie Gillespie x Owen Patrick Joyner x Reader

Charlie Gillespie x Reader

————

@lolychu @headheartbellarke @bookish0918 @kcd15 @ifilwtmfc @moviesbooksandfandoms @lovesanimals @lavender-writer @kaitieskidmore1 @morganayennefertyrell @iloveteenwolf @ghostofmgg @jammi13 @theravenclawlife

[lightsandlostbells]

Druck episode 9-10 reaction

If they don’t renew this show I’m going to boycott Germany. 

a huge thank you to everyone who translated Druck and made the clips accessible to the international viewers! I know it was a lot of work and the geoblock was a pain. I really appreciate the continued effort.

Episode 9

Clip 1 - Hanna comes for Matteo

Jonas is really closed-off in their conversation; he’s not that warm to Hanna, which is kind of interesting since I’d say the other Jonases were a little less frosty in this scene. Especially because German Jonas and Hanna have such strong chemistry. But I get why he’d still be upset, I think less time has passed since he and Hanna had the talk about him not understanding her? He hasn’t had much time to work through it so he still seems really wounded.

Clip 2 - Hanna and Jule

Hanna appropriately has a “stronger together” shirt for a scene in which girls commiserate over how boys are such dicks.

Jule and Hanna’s conversation didn’t really have the meat to it from their previous interaction to set up how friendly Jule is here, I would’ve preferred a little more hesitation and maybe an apology from Jule. A little initial awkwardness just to acknowledge that they didn’t leave off on a cozy note.

I do love the initiative Hanna is taking and that she’s the one to extend the invitation/olive branch to Jule. It’s a nice mark of maturity. We’ve seen some scenes of her gradually gaining confidence and being proactive so we can chart how her character is slowly but surely moving forward.

Clip 3 - Fight on the stairs

I dig this artsy paint-splattered stairwell. I felt like it also made the scene a little more tense and awkward (in a tonally appropriate way) - instead of them running into each other in a warmly lit stairwell or hallways with lots of light shining through the windows, they’re in a closed space (very awkward) with cool coloring and no sunlight. There really is no way to avoid this conversation once they run into each other, and there’s still ice between them, unlike with Eva and Jonas where you could tell they did enjoy seeing each other despite the awkwardness.

Nice details are added to Matteo’s family story, that the dad wanted him to come along but Matteo chose to stay behind and take care of his mom. Oh baby :(

Jonas got rougher with Samuel than I expected, like he seems dead inside talking to Hanna but he came alive to slam Samuel up against that bar.

To be fair, Samuel was kinda asking for trouble with that comment, which was unprompted and meant to provoke. You guys are also in a tight enclosed space, you can’t really avoid each other. 

And Jonas doesn’t tear away from her grip, he firmly removes her hands. He is not happy with her at all.

Lmao, these random students staring at Hanna. She was just a bystander to that male aggression, yo.

Clip 4 - Drink your way out of obligations

Is it just me or did Sam’s hair get even bluer? Or is she just that radiant?

Nice that Mia acknowledged that Kiki behaved poorly even while expressing that they should include her. Because yeah, I feel bad for all the Vildes/Kikis knowing what they’re going through, but they also were nasty to their friends.

L O L Sam’s brilliant plan to get out of supervising the party - get drunk, get fired, go to the party. That’s kind of amazing. And they’re all like sure, we’ll roll with it.

Good that Amira mentions that Leonie and Sara called Kiki a slut previously and there’s a bit of a challenge between her and Kiki. Not a great look that Kiki wanted to disregard that incident at least in front of Amira, her defender.

You know, Kiki is one of the bigger jerks of the Vildes, but … I still kinda like her, I’m sorry! It’s not that she’s a great person, it’s that the way she’s acted and written feels very realistic. She feels like a clear social climber/popularity seeker but is messy enough to alienate people. Compared to the way that say, Kelsey is portrayed in Skam Austin, she’s also a jerk, but the depiction often veers into something cartoonish and broad - like a definite TV character. Kiki feels like a ton of people I’ve known in real life.

Sam is drawing an alien in her notebook to illustrate how her pal Kiki has gone to space. She also appears to have doodled a flower and a unicorn.

Clip 5 - Karaoke emotions

Okay, now THIS karaoke scene is exactly what I wanted from karaoke in S4 of OG Skam. Lovable scamps wailing their hearts out to beloved pop tunes.

Sam doing Wannabe by the Spice Girls!!! I'm not imagining that she dressed and styled her hair like Scary Spice, right?

YES AMIRA “DA QUEEN” IS NEXT! Dedicating it to her favorite Germans! Everyone cheering Amira :D :D :D Amira doing Rolling in the Deep!!!! We are blessed.

Are they all wearing pussy hats? Also love Hanna and Mia’s blatantly feminist shirts. Truly a ladies’ night.

It’s hilarious that Carlo and the other dude (do we know him?) are wearing matching pussy hats. Honestly from what I remember of him way back in the Dark Ages of March/April, he didn’t seem like a terrible dude. A bit obnoxious, but not rude or bad on Elias levels.

The Hanna and Matteo confrontation? My soul will never be ready.

Oh man, Matteo openly acknowledges his mom is going insane. There’s no feigned attempt to keep an optimistic attitude about his parental situation like with Isak. And he’s not putting in any effort to seem cheered up, except for having a drink.

Hanna doesn’t even toy with her food before eating it, she just lays it out for Matteo and confronts him directly about telling Jule.

And he looks so sad and depressed when she asks the reason. Worth noting that he doesn’t directly confirm her hypothesis that he has a crush on her, he just looks downcast and awkward.

He looks honestly near tears when he asks her how she couldn’t get it. Because as we know, he’s not really talking about him liking Hanna, he wants to know how she couldn’t understand his BLATANTLY OBVIOUS crush on Jonas. 

A drunk Kiki appears! Does she have a tattoo on her arm??

And she gives Matteo a hug … have they met before? Lmao.

Kiki staggering in just in time to steal Amira’s spotlight, scream a thematically appropriate song about how she and Alexander could have had it all, and then collapse is the most Kiki-ish thing I can think of. Yeah, that’s exactly how it would go.

Also I thought “we could have had it alllll” could apply to Amira and Kiki’s relationship , heh. Especially because it ends up getting downgraded a lot from Sana and Vilde’s relationship? It was so important that Sana was the one carrying Vilde and sticking her fingers down her throat and letting her puke down her front, and that their relationship in particular was affirmed. 

They just dragged Kiki to the nearest toilet and had her puke on some dude’s shoes (that’s Matteo’s friend, right?) which I will admit, more practical than carrying her like a romance novel heroine as a divine hymn plays.

Wow, so it’s just Mia tending to Kiki and we don’t get the girls all lying in bed together. On the one hand that’s a little disappointing; it’s one of the most iconic scenes of S1 and probably the whole show, and it’s a moment that really solidified the girl squad as a ride or die group of friends. But I also like them to try new things and not just redo big successful moments from the original show. I did like seeing Mia go through all these little steps of tending to Kiki, getting her dressed, sending a text to her mom. 

Pretty big difference that it’s Mia and not Amira taking care of her, though; as mentioned above, the Amira-Kiki relationship is downplayed. Not super keen on that because Kiki was quite nasty to Amira and visibly hurt her feelings on several occasions, such as the bus stop incident and the disastrous group meeting. Sana was better at adopting a harder attitude and not letting the hurt show. But then again, Kiki is the one who really needs to grovel, not Amira.

Also ...HUGE break in POV since Hanna isn’t there but lol I’ve accepted it’s a losing battle even if I’m still not super fond of it. You win, less-than-tight third person POV. I surrender.

Mia has a text from Alexander, because what is truly desirable in a man you have rejected is him texting you about changing your mind close to midnight while you take care of your friend who he fucked and then ghosted passed out beside you in bed.

JONAS PLAYING THE GUITAR AND SINGING FOR MATTEO WOW WOW

while wearing a pussy hat lmao, BEST REMAKE JONAS

I’m sure Matteo loved Jonas playing and singing a song dedicated to him, only for Jonas to slow down and get more serious once Hanna entered. Not to mention shifting that eye contact from him to Hanna.

Lovely scene of Hanna and Jonas, I’m a broken record but they have SUCH good chemistry. They just seem so into each other, and overall I would say they felt so much that they liked each other.

NOOOOOO don’t break up! Please!

Episode 10

Clip 1 - Honas and Janna

Honas and Janna fucking ADORABLE.Them snuggling… you’re hurting me, Druck.

He took her nose! Goddamn!!!

I love all this backstory and delving into the beginning of their relationship. This honest conversation that takes its time and really lets them talk ... what Skam does at its best, man.

Jonas looks so heartbroken in this flash forward where he’s holding onto Hanna.

And that painfully raw moment where he asks if she regrets choosing him and the answer is an unspoken yes, owwww

All this emotional soul-baring, such as Hanna talking about how once she got with Jonas, she was only happy when she was with him, and dependent on him for happiness. And that she became paranoid Jonas would cheat on her and thought she deserved to get hurt. And that she changed her personality so he would like her and wouldn’t have a reason to leave her. Really happy how plainly Hanna stated the truths, even the raw and uncomfortable ones.

I know they just laid out all the reasons Hanna should be on her own and they should break up, but I don't want them tooooooooo

The way they hold each other and cry and draw it out for so long because they don’t want it to end!

“I still got your nose.” “You can keep it.” FUCK YOU, DRUCK!!!!!

You realize that we need this show to run for many more seasons and eventually Jonas will casually mention to Hanna that he’s still got her nose and she says, “I hope you’re taking care of it.”

And then one day he gives her a fake nose like on one of those Groucho Marx masks and she puts it on and IDK, this is all a buildup to them kissing again.

Hanna as an independent woman, wearing her Femme Future shirt. Nice.

They’re honestly up there with original Eva and Jonas for me. Round of applause for the director and actors for making this couple as likable and believable as they are.

Clip 2 - Mia and Kiki in the mooooorning

Oh jeez, this is a TOTAL break from the POV, I wonder what the logic behind it was?

I guess they're setting up S2. Or who knows, maybe there were scheduling conflicts with the actors and they couldn’t have everyone together.

Seriously, what’s Kiki’s tattoo? I’m sure it’s just because the actress happens to have one.

Kiki saying she wants to die, oh no. She looks miserable.

Although how dare you show Mia’s flat but not her roommates.

Clip 3 - Doctor visit

So only Mia went with Kiki? They’ve really downplayed her relationship with Amira, and the other girls as well. I mean in a way, it’s nice it’s just the two of them, and I presume Mia will keep this incident a secret. I hope this will affect their S2 dynamic a little.

I got so hyped for this scene, though. I adore this doctor.

Did she tell her she was pregnant at first just to mess with her??? Omg. 

I doubt that’s the most professional approach but who cares, my love

Mia saying that the pregnancy was “Unplanned of course, she’s 17” and the doc mentioning the 5-year-olds in Peru or Chile who gave birth … I mean, 5-year-olds who get pregnant are the victims of rape, so hardly planned.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” but I want to see more of you! Can the whole cast just get like incredibly sick and have a reason to stop by?

Not only did she have an apple, she gave Mia a banana too, lmao! She just keeps fruit in her office for wayward teenagers not getting the proper nutrition.

We need this show to get to S3 so I can see this doc talking to Matteo.

Clip 4 - Mia giving Kiki the talk

I guess Hanna told Mia about hearing Kiki puke at school.

This is pretty direct referencing to Kiki’s ED when I think it’s been more or less implied before, in other versions. I mean it’s pretty obvious, it’s just not spelled out quite this much.

There’s also a more direct reference to Mia also having an eating disorder … “I know exactly how you feel.” That’s very pointed. Noora having an eating disorder was understated and mostly subtext in a lot of ways.

Again, a shame that Kiki and Amira’s relationship was downplayed, but hopefully the focus on Mia and Kiki in these scenes will add more to S2.

Clip 5 - Hero party

This was just a heartwarming clip so don’t expect commentary other than 😍😍😍.

Hanna and Mia and Amira just hanging out!!!!

Amira eating during Ramadan, though... the remakes are really bad at remembering this. (I’m not Muslim so if I’ve made a mistake in understanding when she can/can’t eat, let me know. And I do know that she can eat during her period, it’s more like in the absence of other acknowledgment of Ramadan, I tend to think it was an oversight.)

Amira giving Hanna a hug and telling her she’s strong … GOSH. Although she calls Hanna out on the similarities between what she did with Leonie and what Matteo did to Hanna, which I mean ... fair.

Amira encouraging Hanna to talk to Matteo .... I know this is for Hanna’s benefit, not Matteo’s, but man, I can’t wait for Amira and Matteo friendship. They’re both vulnerable kids with lots of buried feelings.

Oh my God, them putting on their security uniforms and being ADORABLE, ahhhhh! We get another slow motion power walk on the way to the party, Druck gets the essence of Skam.

Of course the power walk was just to lead up to them standing/sitting outside awkwardly.

Are they for real going to get drunk to avoid their responsibilities? Maybe not the best life choice, but in this situation, sure, why not.

Amira getting “high on Allah” was precious. GIVE ME S4 ALREADY.

Mia is drinking, which is quite a character divergence from Noora. 

Was that a peace offering of beer from Leonie? Love it. 

OH GOD JONAS AND MATTEO AND THAT OTHER DUDE ROLLING UP IN A CART

Sam is so magnificent. Her hair is a beautiful blue tower!! 

And she and her brother are too cute! She brought him and his Bass Bus to liven up the night!

SHE TOLD HIM TO DRIVE INSIDE. THE BEEEEST

Matteo and Hanna <3333 She said she realized she’d done as wrong to her friends, and she asks if they can stay friends. It seems like a really genuine moment, guys. I wouldn’t blame her for keeping him on her shit list for a time but it feels like they might not drift quite as much as Eva and Isak did, since there’s maybe a bit more comfort between them here.

Mia says she’s worried that Kiki is drinking too much again and that’s why she’s not there, suggesting that she hasn’t told Alexander to apologize to her and that’s not the reason she wants to call her.

OH GOD THIS AMAZING ADAPTATION OF THE “FUCK, YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL” MOMENT

Mia tells Alex he’s creepy for that whole “no means I want you more” thing. She tells him it was blackmail to pressure her for just one date and then he’ll leave her alone. He tries the “fuck, you’re beautful line on her” and she turns around to make out with Hanna. Then she calls him a massive asshole and tells him she’s not her type, wink wink. She and Hanna walk away laughing.

This is the best remake, guys.

ALSO LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT HANNA AND MIA SMOOCH, A REMAKE FINALLY GAVE ME NOOREVA

On a more serious note, there’s absolutely reason to be concerned this is just queerbaiting. I doubt Hanna and Mia are going to be a couple, Mia and Alex are almost certainly going to have a romance arc, and the whole “two girls kissing in a bar so a boy can witness” is definitely enough to give off “barsexuality” vibes and make it seem like just a gimmick.

However, the production team has confirmed that Mia is bi, so hopefully that will be acknowledged in the show itself (other than “I don’t like labels” which is not actually an admission of bisexuality, and tbh which suggests that she won’t call herself bi on the show). But even if she doesn’t want to label herself, there are ways to address her interest in women and incorporate it into the story. And I hope to God they don’t make Alexander all “girls kissing is hot” or trying to pursue Mia even though she’s indicated she’s a lesbian (even if she’s really bi, her comment to him suggests she’s a lesbian), because that character does NOT need another reason to make me dislike him.

For real, Alexander better leave her alone after this, because Mia has told him she is not only not him, but not into dudes, and whether that’s true or not, he needs to accept it as truth. If they get together Mia has to make the first step in pursuing him.

Damn, this this makes me want to go back and rewatch S1 through shipper-tinted goggles. So was Mia really trying to hit on Hanna at the bar? I don’t know if that’s what they meant but I’m declaring it canon in my mind.

Plot twist: Toilet Sam pats Alexander on the shoulder here as foreshadowing for their upcoming love affair, Mia will be free to get together with a nice girl in S2.

Another plot twist: That awkward yet smoldering Jonas/Toilet Sam eye contact.

You know, if Alexander apologized to Kiki without any incentive - if Mia’s like “I’m gay” and then Alexander apologizes to Kiki anyway - then that makes me approve of him more, since he doesn’t think Mia is an option now. Unless he’s thinking, “Well, time to convert the lesbian!” But otherwise - a MAJOR step in improving Winterberg.

Kiki got a little sarcastic with Alexander, too. ”Wow, you know my name?: GOOD FOR HER. 

Group hug! I still feel that the girl squad is a little disjointed, mainly on the Kiki angle, but that’s to be expected.

Mia giving Kiki a slice of pizza … very nice to work that in, nice. And Alexander apologized so that may have something to do with it, that her image-related insecurities stemming from his comment have been soothed.

Also, props to Mia for waiting until the other girls left to bring up Matteo’s gay porn to Hanna.

L M A O it only took Hanna 10 episodes to realize Matteo’s deeply gay looks and feelings for Jonas. That’s impressive because of all the m/m Isak/Jonas pairs, Matteo was by farrrrr the most transparent about his 😍😍😍😍😍 

Speaking of, excellent smitten look Matteo gives Jonas there. Some of the remakes have been toning down the 😍😍😍😍😍 but no, Matteo is bringing it.

Awww, the cast dancing during the credits <3 <3 <3 Was this from their audition tapes or something?

General Comments:

This is my favorite remake. My ass will be so bitter if Druck out of all of them doesn’t get renewed. It’s the one that most captures the spirit of the original, has an age-appropriate and charming cast for the most part, great chemistry between the characters, and did a decent job of adapting the storyline while giving the story its own personality.

Moreover, Druck really captures the vulnerability of the characters, which is essential to Skam’s storytelling. A Matteo or Amira season really excites me because those actors have already displayed capacity for fragility in this season, and I think they could do decent jobs in their own seasons. 

Plus, Jonas would be SO amazing in a Matteo season! If I already loved him in S1, when he’s at his worst, imagine how awesome he’ll be supporting Matteo during his coming out process! 

Give me that Amira and Matteo friendship. Or Amira falling in love, jeeeeeeez. Matteo falling for a boy who can match him in longing stares.

I’ve had some reservations about Mia’s acting but she has honestly grown a lot on me as a character, I like how she’s written, and so frankly? Even S2 kinda has me excited. My personal feelings about the central relationship aside, Druck deserves a chance to have its S2 as much as any of the others.

IDK, it’s kinda frustrating that the geoblock and random production issues seem to have cut off a lot of the potential fanbase, so I hope the show gets another chance, and that they fix whatever lingering issues. 

They definitely could do better with social media output and overall keeping the interest in the show flowing between clips.

Anyway, for the most part, I actually enjoyed Druck S1 quite a bit, and I truly hope I get to see more of these characters. 

I don’t speak German, so if I missed some context, feel free to correct me.

If you got this far, thank you for reading! 

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Just a Girl

So i saw Captain Marvel opening day. I was part of that rush, yes. Cap was one of my most anticipated films of the year for me. She’s actually my fifth favorite Marvel character, second favorite female character. When i heard she was getting a film, i was apprehensive. No one knows who Cap is. They don’t know how powerful she is. Hell, how would that power-set translate to the MCU? When they announced Brie Larson was going to play Carol, i was concerned. Not because Brie is a feminist or man-hater as the less intelligent parts of the internet would like to focus on, but more she didn’t fit the bill for an MCU hero. Larson is an excellent actress, one of my favorite working today. What she ain’t, is charismatic. There’s a different type of energy you need to carry an MCU film and Marvel has done an excellent job of finding people who capture that spirit. Brie has never demonstrated, in any of her roles, an ability to do that. I was super on the fence about this entire situation. I want this film to succeed. I want it to be good. I want Captain Marvel to get he shine she deserves. My fingers were crossed this would be good. And then the less intelligent parts of the internet got to it.

I wrote about this at length in my Captain Controversy post. The thing about Captain Marvel, the thing that i love about her, is the small moments. When she interacts with other characters, she's super on point. In a team dynamic, Carol is amazing. On her own? Not so much. This stems from the fact that the origins of her character are from that whole women lib movement of the 70s. She's a rule 63 of the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell. She-Hulk kind of has the same issues but, given proper writing and development, they both shine. Carol, however, has not had the same luck in that department as Jessica and it shows. Throughout the years, as a comic entity, Carol's had, like, three stories that have been dope - all of them occurring in the late 00s until now. Bendis has done a great service in developing Carol into her own, independent, personality and the recent revelations in her new origin, The Life of Captain Marvel, have gone a long way to establishing a future where Captain Marvel can be great. She has a ton of potential to be excellent and I think, as a creator, I am drawn to that aspect of her. Plus, she has had some really dope costumes over the years. Now, I said three good stories because the bulk of Captain Marvel in modern Marvel comics, has, more or less, become a poster child for gender politics and THAT sh*t is whack! That sh*t is why none of the fanboys want to have anything to do with this character. And casting Brie Larson, a very vocal feminist, does not help in any capacity. All of that White Male Outrage has review bombed the f*ck out of this film and I don't think it deserves any of it. I think, removed from all of the butt-hurt Menisists and fragile male egos, there are very real issues with this film. Issues that hinder but never detract. This is why I took so much time before writing this review. I actually wanted to digest what I saw on the screen and try to distance myself from my admitted bias and this weird, sad, unwarranted hate, this flick has been getting. So, with a properly digested understanding of what I saw, here is what I thought about Captain Marvel.

The Good

They changed the opening Marvel title card from MCU events, to all of  Stan Lee's cameos and that sh*t hurt, man. They ended it with “Thank You, Stan.” The entire theater lost it. It's been a few months, but that loss still hurts, man. Marvel Comics means a lot to me and Stan is one of the principal architects. Say what you will about the quality of his character, the strength of his work will stand the test of time.

Speaking of Stan Lee cameos, this is easily his second best after the one he had in Spider-Verse. If you're a 90s kid, or someone who grew up during the 90s, you'll know why. It's f*cking brilliant and I loved it. I bet Kevin Smith did, too.

Sam Jackson knocks it out of the park as usual. His Nick Fury has been the linchpin of the MCU since way back in the Iron Man stinger. You see a lot of who he was before all of the responsibility and SHIELD clout, which was mad refreshing. If we loose RDJ, I think we'll be alright if we can keep Sam around for the occasional pop-in.

I think Brie Larson did fantastic in her first stint as Carol. I mean, with the exception of RDJ and Tom Holland, who f*cking knocked it out of the park as Pete, every other MCU hero needed time to grow and figure out HOW to be those characters. We had, what? Three different Hulks before they hit that sweet spot with Ruffalo? It took Hemsworth four movies before he cracked Thor? Hell, Cummerbund had to have two films and an end credits stinger to get Strange right. What I'm saying is, a lot of what cats are dinging Larson for, will work itself out over time. Especially when she gets into the think of it with everyone else in Endgame. Also, a better script and director would go a long way to helping that growth, as well.

The chemistry between Carol and Nick was wonderful. His movie is a buddy cop flick more so than any other in the MCU so far. I think Carol needs that to play off and, in the comics, she usually has Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, to do a lot of that with. Considering it looks like the MCU is going in another direction with that, which is a shame because that dynamic would be awesome to see onscreen, what we got with Fury and Danvers was great.

This guy Ben Medelshon? How great of an actor is he? Dude is almost always the best part of any film he's in, even if they're trash. Like, he was the best thing but Ready Player One and that movie was a right clusterf*ck. Mendelsohn in this, is just as brilliant as he was in that, pulling off what no other villain in the MCU forced to wear such heavy face make-up has been able to do; Act. Mendelsohn's  Talos, even caked with an inch of green paint, was never not charismatic and human. Dude was amazing and it kind of paints the MCU into a corner as to how to make these cats terrorists later which is messed up. I was kind of looking forward to Veranke...

The soundtrack for this thing s probably the best since Black Panther. Personally, being of negro descent, I think THAT soundtrack is the best of the MCU. Kendrick created a goddamn masterpiece, man. But I would imagine the more accessible Awesome Mix vol 1 is more the masses speed and, I agree. That sh*t is awesome. I haven't heard all of Vol 2 so I can't comment on that one but, what we got in Captain Marvel, was absolutely wonderful. There's a scene where No Doubt's Just a girl starts playing and it made me smile. It's a little on the nose but still, a great time.

Goose was awesome. I kind of hate that they changed her name from Chewie to Goose, but I get why. Air Force. Top Gun. Danger Zone. Clever. Flerkens and Feminism, man.

Speaking of, the message this movie sends for little girls is amazing. Wonder Woman had kind of the same effect but I think Captain Marvel is the superior film, overall. That and Carol is literally the nuclear deterrent of the MCU. She is, by far, the most powerful hero on the Avengers roster. For it to be a woman? Fantastic! I've seen so many positive affirmations and uplifting testimonials from women about how this movie made them feel. That sh*t is important, man. I'm all about representation in media so to have such a monumental moment being taken in like it should, in spite of such... immature hostility, was great. When I was walking out of the theater, I saw a little girl absolutely gushing about how cool Captain Marvel was and that sh*t legit made me smile. She's a fan for life and might grow up to be the next great creator who makes some pretty cool stuff because she went to see a movie, about a girl who can do some pretty cool stuff. If that sh*t doesn't make you feel good, you're an asshole and need to get off my page, post-haste.

This movie is f*cking gorgeous. Cap's powers translated to the screen brilliantly and even her Binary mode was something to behold. Like, if we ever get a proper, live action, DBZ, they should take note because watching her go super saiyan was f*cking amazing. It kind of sucks she had no one to go super saiyan against. I'd loved to have seen her go up against Ronan and his hammer but nope. Maybe next time? Even more than that, the de-aging effect of Fury was kind of miraculous. Sam Jackson looked younger than his stint as Jules in Pulp Fiction, which is suppose to be out around that time in the film. I was shocked.

The Meh

The supporting cast in this was a little flaccid. They felt more like meat targets than viable characters in this flick. Everyone touted Gemma Chan's Min'Erva as someone to watch but, nope. She didn't do much but sit on a rock/platform and shoot things from distance. The return of Son of Coal? Nope. Like, 4 minutes of Clark Gregg, which sucked. Annette Bening? One of the greatest actresses to ever grace Hollywood? Pulling double duty as a gender swapped Mar-Vell and The Great Intelligence? Nope. She literally just stood or laid around in every one of her scenes. Lee Pace? Man, this didn't even bother giving Ronan the face makeup. Jude Law was Yon-Rogg was completely underused. I think, though, that everyone except Jackson and Brie were underused.

Kind of in that same vein, the overall character development In this was... underwhelming? You never get a feel for who Carol is. Even when she commits to one personae over another, you don't really care. She's dope, overall, but that's more because of her interactions with Fury than any semblance of self realization on her part. Essentially, the weakest part of this film stems from how the writing let the main character down. This thing doesn't look like there was a lot of Marvel Films edicts to bog it down so there should have be a wealth of free range to develop this character. We did not get any of that. Maybe in future films but this one? Nah.

This thing has no idea what it wants to be, where it wants to go, or how it wants to get there. The tonal whiplash in this movie is crazy jarring. The performances and effects do a great job of distracting  you from most of that but, if you're paying attention to the structure of this film, you can see it clearly. There was no path, no consensus, on how to introduce this character and her story. In that regard, this is one of the weakest of the MCU films, for sure.

There are hints of a grander scope in this flick. We saw a bit of Hala. We saw a bit of the Accusers. We learned a bit more about the Kree. The Starforce interactions were awesome. The second we get to earth? All of that out the window. That could be forgiven if what we witnessed on earth was more fleshed-out, more organic, but this was kind of a paint-by-numbers tale. I think that has a lot to do with the direction. Speaking of which...

The Bad

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were the wrong people to make this movie. You needed someone with the vision to deliver a massive space opera but focus in on the character struggle and inner conflict of Carol Danvers. You had a great actress to help pull of that vision but the ones trying to guide that performance were out of their depth I think. The pair do a lot of low budget, character driven, indie flicks, and that's fine. Those films have a very specific tone, a very specific line of execution. That type of storytelling does not lend itself to a tent pole MCU film. Sure, Marvel has been great as finding diamonds in the rough to make masterworks out of the mundane (The Russos, James Gunn, Ryan Coogler) but they have also had a lot of misses. Whoever did the first two Thor films, letting Edgar Wright go over creative differences, and now these two cats. I'm not saying they are bad directors but, for this type of film? Horrible choice, I think.

Kind of in that same discussion has to be the mediocrity of the overall writing. The dialogue in some of these interactions was outright awful. Like, anytime Ronan was on screen, I kind of groaned. Anytime Bening had airtime, I rolled my eyes. These excellent actors that I've seen give much better performances in other flicks, had next to nothing to work with in this flick. That can be said about everyone in this movie. I feel like there should have been much more care given to this script considering it's going to be Carol who carries the next Phase of Marvel films.

While I loves the Grrrl power message laced throughout this flick, the way it was delivered seems a little heavy handed at times. That scene where Just A Girl playing? I love that sh*t. But, at the same time, I can see how it could alienate a vast swath of fans. It's ill to me because why shouldn't we celebrate a powerful woman coming into her own? I, personally, don't see anything wrong with it but I'd be considered a cuck by men less than myself and that's who will have an issue with this. Unfortunately, they make up a massive portion of the fanbase who see capeflicks. That being said, even with all of the tirades, tantrums, and review bombs, Cap might break 100 mil, which is great for the franchise and the MCU overall.

There is a real lack of imagination in this movie and I think it goes back to the the choice in directors. I touched on it a little before, but, I mean, you have a galactic space opera, taking place on two planets, with a ludicrously OP, female, protagonist who has amnesia so is an absolute clean slate, and the best you can do is a sun-of-the-mill, fish out of water tale? F*cking really? There are little moments of brilliance here and there but overall, this was underwhelming for 9ne of the most powerful character in Marvel comics.

The Verdict

I really enjoyed Captain Marvel. I thought it was a decent introduction to a character that had, up until very recently, no direction in the lore of the Marvel mythos. This movie has it's issues, for sure, but I think these things can be fixed with a different director, a better script, and much, much, more imagination. I think the biggest issue with this thing is the utter lack of Marvel. It doesn't feel like a Marvel film. It feels like a Marvel film by way of Fox or Sony. This is, more or less, because the character of Captain Marvel is also so wayward. There are a lot of good ideas here and I am convinced Brie Larson can develop into something special, but it's going to take a while.  It's going to take someone with a clear vision for spectacle and respect for character. Thor took a while and Taika Waititi to be great. Strange took a while and the Russos to feel organic. Lang took a while but, I mean, Paul Rudd was awesome from the get. He just shines much. Much better when alongside others. I think going forward, if Feige can find that right balance of creativity and vision in the creatives behind the camera, Captain Marvel will be great. As she is now, just like this movie, she's fun but hollow. Marvel hasn't cracked Captain Marvel just yet but when they do, she'll be absolutely Marvelous. Ultimately, I'd say check it out. It's beautiful, entertaining, and Sam Jackson is always awesome. For a weekend distraction, you can do much worse.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Just a Girl

So i saw Captain Marvel opening day. I was part of that rush, yes. Cap was one of my most anticipated films of the year for me. She’s actually my fifth favorite Marvel character, second favorite female character. When i heard she was getting a film, i was apprehensive. No one knows who Cap is. They don’t know how powerful she is. Hell, how would that power-set translate to the MCU? When they announced Brie Larson was going to play Carol, i was concerned. Not because Brie is a feminist or man-hater as the less intelligent parts of the internet would like to focus on, but more she didn’t fit the bill for an MCU hero. Larson is an excellent actress, one of my favorite working today. What she ain’t, is charismatic. There’s a different type of energy you need to carry an MCU film and Marvel has done an excellent job of finding people who capture that spirit. Brie has never demonstrated, in any of her roles, an ability to do that. I was super on the fence about this entire situation. I want this film to succeed. I want it to be good. I want Captain Marvel to get he shine she deserves. My fingers were crossed this would be good. And then the less intelligent parts of the internet got to it.

I wrote about this at length in my Captain Controversy post. The thing about Captain Marvel, the thing that i love about her, is the small moments. When she interacts with other characters, she's super on point. In a team dynamic, Carol is amazing. On her own? Not so much. This stems from the fact that the origins of her character are from that whole women lib movement of the 70s. She's a rule 63 of the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell. She-Hulk kind of has the same issues but, given proper writing and development, they both shine. Carol, however, has not had the same luck in that department as Jessica and it shows. Throughout the years, as a comic entity, Carol's had, like, three stories that have been dope - all of them occurring in the late 00s until now. Bendis has done a great service in developing Carol into her own, independent, personality and the recent revelations in her new origin, The Life of Captain Marvel, have gone a long way to establishing a future where Captain Marvel can be great. She has a ton of potential to be excellent and I think, as a creator, I am drawn to that aspect of her. Plus, she has had some really dope costumes over the years. Now, I said three good stories because the bulk of Captain Marvel in modern Marvel comics, has, more or less, become a poster child for gender politics and THAT sh*t is whack! That sh*t is why none of the fanboys want to have anything to do with this character. And casting Brie Larson, a very vocal feminist, does not help in any capacity. All of that White Male Outrage has review bombed the f*ck out of this film and I don't think it deserves any of it. I think, removed from all of the butt-hurt Menisists and fragile male egos, there are very real issues with this film. Issues that hinder but never detract. This is why I took so much time before writing this review. I actually wanted to digest what I saw on the screen and try to distance myself from my admitted bias and this weird, sad, unwarranted hate, this flick has been getting. So, with a properly digested understanding of what I saw, here is what I thought about Captain Marvel.

The Good

They changed the opening Marvel title card from MCU events, to all of  Stan Lee's cameos and that sh*t hurt, man. They ended it with “Thank You, Stan.” The entire theater lost it. It's been a few months, but that loss still hurts, man. Marvel Comics means a lot to me and Stan is one of the principal architects. Say what you will about the quality of his character, the strength of his work will stand the test of time.

Speaking of Stan Lee cameos, this is easily his second best after the one he had in Spider-Verse. If you're a 90s kid, or someone who grew up during the 90s, you'll know why. It's f*cking brilliant and I loved it. I bet Kevin Smith did, too.

Sam Jackson knocks it out of the park as usual. His Nick Fury has been the linchpin of the MCU since way back in the Iron Man stinger. You see a lot of who he was before all of the responsibility and SHIELD clout, which was mad refreshing. If we loose RDJ, I think we'll be alright if we can keep Sam around for the occasional pop-in.

I think Brie Larson did fantastic in her first stint as Carol. I mean, with the exception of RDJ and Tom Holland, who f*cking knocked it out of the park as Pete, every other MCU hero needed time to grow and figure out HOW to be those characters. We had, what? Three different Hulks before they hit that sweet spot with Ruffalo? It took Hemsworth four movies before he cracked Thor? Hell, Cummerbund had to have two films and an end credits stinger to get Strange right. What I'm saying is, a lot of what cats are dinging Larson for, will work itself out over time. Especially when she gets into the think of it with everyone else in Endgame. Also, a better script and director would go a long way to helping that growth, as well.

The chemistry between Carol and Nick was wonderful. His movie is a buddy cop flick more so than any other in the MCU so far. I think Carol needs that to play off and, in the comics, she usually has Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, to do a lot of that with. Considering it looks like the MCU is going in another direction with that, which is a shame because that dynamic would be awesome to see onscreen, what we got with Fury and Danvers was great.

This guy Ben Medelshon? How great of an actor is he? Dude is almost always the best part of any film he's in, even if they're trash. Like, he was the best thing but Ready Player One and that movie was a right clusterf*ck. Mendelsohn in this, is just as brilliant as he was in that, pulling off what no other villain in the MCU forced to wear such heavy face make-up has been able to do; Act. Mendelsohn's  Talos, even caked with an inch of green paint, was never not charismatic and human. Dude was amazing and it kind of paints the MCU into a corner as to how to make these cats terrorists later which is messed up. I was kind of looking forward to Veranke...

The soundtrack for this thing s probably the best since Black Panther. Personally, being of negro descent, I think THAT soundtrack is the best of the MCU. Kendrick created a goddamn masterpiece, man. But I would imagine the more accessible Awesome Mix vol 1 is more the masses speed and, I agree. That sh*t is awesome. I haven't heard all of Vol 2 so I can't comment on that one but, what we got in Captain Marvel, was absolutely wonderful. There's a scene where No Doubt's Just a girl starts playing and it made me smile. It's a little on the nose but still, a great time.

Goose was awesome. I kind of hate that they changed her name from Chewie to Goose, but I get why. Air Force. Top Gun. Danger Zone. Clever. Flerkens and Feminism, man.

Speaking of, the message this movie sends for little girls is amazing. Wonder Woman had kind of the same effect but I think Captain Marvel is the superior film, overall. That and Carol is literally the nuclear deterrent of the MCU. She is, by far, the most powerful hero on the Avengers roster. For it to be a woman? Fantastic! I've seen so many positive affirmations and uplifting testimonials from women about how this movie made them feel. That sh*t is important, man. I'm all about representation in media so to have such a monumental moment being taken in like it should, in spite of such... immature hostility, was great. When I was walking out of the theater, I saw a little girl absolutely gushing about how cool Captain Marvel was and that sh*t legit made me smile. She's a fan for life and might grow up to be the next great creator who makes some pretty cool stuff because she went to see a movie, about a girl who can do some pretty cool stuff. If that sh*t doesn't make you feel good, you're an asshole and need to get off my page, post-haste.

This movie is f*cking gorgeous. Cap's powers translated to the screen brilliantly and even her Binary mode was something to behold. Like, if we ever get a proper, live action, DBZ, they should take note because watching her go super saiyan was f*cking amazing. It kind of sucks she had no one to go super saiyan against. I'd loved to have seen her go up against Ronan and his hammer but nope. Maybe next time? Even more than that, the de-aging effect of Fury was kind of miraculous. Sam Jackson looked younger than his stint as Jules in Pulp Fiction, which is suppose to be out around that time in the film. I was shocked.

The Meh

The supporting cast in this was a little flaccid. They felt more like meat targets than viable characters in this flick. Everyone touted Gemma Chan's Min'Erva as someone to watch but, nope. She didn't do much but sit on a rock/platform and shoot things from distance. The return of Son of Coal? Nope. Like, 4 minutes of Clark Gregg, which sucked. Annette Bening? One of the greatest actresses to ever grace Hollywood? Pulling double duty as a gender swapped Mar-Vell and The Great Intelligence? Nope. She literally just stood or laid around in every one of her scenes. Lee Pace? Man, this didn't even bother giving Ronan the face makeup. Jude Law was Yon-Rogg was completely underused. I think, though, that everyone except Jackson and Brie were underused.

Kind of in that same vein, the overall character development In this was... underwhelming? You never get a feel for who Carol is. Even when she commits to one personae over another, you don't really care. She's dope, overall, but that's more because of her interactions with Fury than any semblance of self realization on her part. Essentially, the weakest part of this film stems from how the writing let the main character down. This thing doesn't look like there was a lot of Marvel Films edicts to bog it down so there should have be a wealth of free range to develop this character. We did not get any of that. Maybe in future films but this one? Nah.

This thing has no idea what it wants to be, where it wants to go, or how it wants to get there. The tonal whiplash in this movie is crazy jarring. The performances and effects do a great job of distracting  you from most of that but, if you're paying attention to the structure of this film, you can see it clearly. There was no path, no consensus, on how to introduce this character and her story. In that regard, this is one of the weakest of the MCU films, for sure.

There are hints of a grander scope in this flick. We saw a bit of Hala. We saw a bit of the Accusers. We learned a bit more about the Kree. The Starforce interactions were awesome. The second we get to earth? All of that out the window. That could be forgiven if what we witnessed on earth was more fleshed-out, more organic, but this was kind of a paint-by-numbers tale. I think that has a lot to do with the direction. Speaking of which...

The Bad

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were the wrong people to make this movie. You needed someone with the vision to deliver a massive space opera but focus in on the character struggle and inner conflict of Carol Danvers. You had a great actress to help pull of that vision but the ones trying to guide that performance were out of their depth I think. The pair do a lot of low budget, character driven, indie flicks, and that's fine. Those films have a very specific tone, a very specific line of execution. That type of storytelling does not lend itself to a tent pole MCU film. Sure, Marvel has been great as finding diamonds in the rough to make masterworks out of the mundane (The Russos, James Gunn, Ryan Coogler) but they have also had a lot of misses. Whoever did the first two Thor films, letting Edgar Wright go over creative differences, and now these two cats. I'm not saying they are bad directors but, for this type of film? Horrible choice, I think.

Kind of in that same discussion has to be the mediocrity of the overall writing. The dialogue in some of these interactions was outright awful. Like, anytime Ronan was on screen, I kind of groaned. Anytime Bening had airtime, I rolled my eyes. These excellent actors that I've seen give much better performances in other flicks, had next to nothing to work with in this flick. That can be said about everyone in this movie. I feel like there should have been much more care given to this script considering it's going to be Carol who carries the next Phase of Marvel films.

While I loves the Grrrl power message laced throughout this flick, the way it was delivered seems a little heavy handed at times. That scene where Just A Girl playing? I love that sh*t. But, at the same time, I can see how it could alienate a vast swath of fans. It's ill to me because why shouldn't we celebrate a powerful woman coming into her own? I, personally, don't see anything wrong with it but I'd be considered a cuck by men less than myself and that's who will have an issue with this. Unfortunately, they make up a massive portion of the fanbase who see capeflicks. That being said, even with all of the tirades, tantrums, and review bombs, Cap might break 100 mil, which is great for the franchise and the MCU overall.

There is a real lack of imagination in this movie and I think it goes back to the the choice in directors. I touched on it a little before, but, I mean, you have a galactic space opera, taking place on two planets, with a ludicrously OP, female, protagonist who has amnesia so is an absolute clean slate, and the best you can do is a sun-of-the-mill, fish out of water tale? F*cking really? There are little moments of brilliance here and there but overall, this was underwhelming for 9ne of the most powerful character in Marvel comics.

The Verdict

I really enjoyed Captain Marvel. I thought it was a decent introduction to a character that had, up until very recently, no direction in the lore of the Marvel mythos. This movie has it's issues, for sure, but I think these things can be fixed with a different director, a better script, and much, much, more imagination. I think the biggest issue with this thing is the utter lack of Marvel. It doesn't feel like a Marvel film. It feels like a Marvel film by way of Fox or Sony. This is, more or less, because the character of Captain Marvel is also so wayward. There are a lot of good ideas here and I am convinced Brie Larson can develop into something special, but it's going to take a while.  It's going to take someone with a clear vision for spectacle and respect for character. Thor took a while and Taika Waititi to be great. Strange took a while and the Russos to feel organic. Lang took a while but, I mean, Paul Rudd was awesome from the get. He just shines much. Much better when alongside others. I think going forward, if Feige can find that right balance of creativity and vision in the creatives behind the camera, Captain Marvel will be great. As she is now, just like this movie, she's fun but hollow. Marvel hasn't cracked Captain Marvel just yet but when they do, she'll be absolutely Marvelous. Ultimately, I'd say check it out. It's beautiful, entertaining, and Sam Jackson is always awesome. For a weekend distraction, you can do much worse.

[books-n-wine]

~**~ ARC Review: Lucas (Cold Fury Hockey #8) by Sawyer Bennett ~**~

***3.5 Stars***

After meeting Lucas in Max (one of my fav’s of the series) I knew I wanted to find out more about him and I got all kinds squee/happy dancing when it was announced Lucas was getting his own book...and let’s not even get me started about that cover *drools a little*. So I happily dove into the book and while it started off great it unfortunately didn’t stay great for me. It truly pains me to say this, but as much as I loved Lucas and liked Stephanie, their journey to their HEA just didn’t do it for me. It was sweet and holy hell smexy (but then again this IS Sawyer Bennett we are talking about and she knows how to bring the heat) but there were just things that just didn’t do it for me in the end.

Now before any pitchforks come out I did say I loved Lucas, and I did. The man is all kinds of sweet, smexy, compassionate goodness with a heart of gold. Yeah, he likes the perks of being a hockey god and I can’t fault him for that at all. But what I loved about him was that he wasn’t an island, meaning he asked for help and advice and if he was wrong he would admit it.

And then there is Stephanie. I loved her strength, humor and how she owned her sexuality. My heart hurt for what she went through as a child and I was more than ready to throw down for her because of it. But while I absolutely understand why she never allows anyone close, it started to grate on my nerves because all I could see what this strong woman allowing others to keep her down. I wanted her to take off the blinders, see the amazing that was within reach and throw up the double bird to her past and the hurt that lay there, and take the good that was within reach.

As for Luc and Steph’s journey. As I said, things started out great. I absolutely approved of how they were dealing with the pregnancy and their plan. I thought it was perfect for their situation and I was even good with how they decided to keep the smexy times going, because why the hell not...they were SMEXY together. But then came that moment and while I totally understand that here are two people who are working at getting to know each other, kinda, and they’ve been tossed into a situation they never saw coming, this moment/situation had me going “WTF? Am I reading a YA romance now?” and from there on out things shifted for me. I hate that it happened because the truth of the matter is I really liked Luc and Steph together when they were just being themselves. They had great interactions, not only the smexy kind, and the chemistry was there, but the push/pull and their constant hiding of their feelings and not pulling their big boy/girl panties up got tiring.

If you’ve read any of my reviews you know how much I love ensemble casts and having the characters we’ve come to know and love (most of the time) make appearances in the books, whether they help move the storyline along or are just popping up with an update of what’s going on with them. So it should come as no surprise that hanging out with the Cold Fury family was what kept me turning the pages (they are the .5 in the rating). I loved finding out what was going on with the players I love and I swear if I didn’t already adore Max and Jules, this book would have pushed them to that level. Then there is Van, the lead male for the next book in the series. I am absolutely intrigued by him and from the tease we got ad I need his book in my life...like yesterday!

I’m well aware that I will not love every book an author I fangirl over will put out. That sometimes it could simply be the mood I’m in that day or be a side effect of a book I just read, but it still pains me that Lucas didn’t do it for me like I wanted it too *sad pouty face* So, I am chalking it up to the whole “It’s not you, it’s me” thing and say that if you’ve loved this series so far and the author in general, then dive on in and I hope you absolutely love it!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

The Carolina Cold Fury hockey team is stacked with hotshots. But when a new player joins their ranks, he learns that even superstars can’t go it alone when it comes to love.

Lucas Fournier is only serious about one thing: hockey. The league’s fun-loving charmer, Luc is always up for a good prank or a great lay, and he has no intention of settling down. But being traded to the Carolina Cold Fury—and to play alongside his big brother, Max—is no joke. With another title in sight, the last thing Luc wants is to let his new teammates down. To succeed, Luc will need to keep his head in the game and the most . . . er, demanding member of his anatomy in check. But when temptation hits, Luc hits back harder.

Museum curator Stephanie Frazier has always put business before pleasure, which just about explains her nonexistent sex life. But when Stephanie meets Luc at a champagne-fueled gala, she finds herself flirting like crazy—and going home with the uninhibited athlete. For one night, she learns what passion is all about. She just never counted on the little surprise Luc leaves behind. And that’s when things really start to get . . . interesting.

Sawyer Bennett’s New York Times bestselling Carolina Cold Fury series can be read together or separately

Book Summary

Genre: Sports Romance

Published By: Random House - Loveswept

Release Date: September 19th, 2017

Pages: 244

Series: Cold Fury Hockey #8

ASIN B01MS0WJ0T

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Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions.

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.

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