Here are some of my favorite things from October. We’ve got three movies, two TV shows, one album, and one song.
[WARNING: SOME SPOILERS DOWN BELOW]
Movies
1.) A Star is Born
I really loved this film. I think Bradley Cooper did an amazing job acting and directing. Lady Gaga was just as great as Bradley and their voices together were perfect. The rest of the cast was just as great, the music just fit and flowed so well. My only complaint was that I felt some of the songs could have been shortened a little bit. I felt that the movie at times felt a little too long and I think that had to do with the fact that they stretched the film for length by using the songs. I did also have some issues with some character interactions and how some parts of the story felt rushed.
Overall, really loved it and can’t wait to see it again.
2.) The Hate U Give
This movie did such a great job a bringing to life Angie Thomas’ wonderful book. The cast was amazing and made me feel everything they were feeling, which was one of my favorite things about the book, so I’m happy they were able to keep that aspect of the book alive in this movie.
I will admit I couldn’t give this a five because there were some characters and parts of the book that were cut from the movie or shortened for time. Also I felt the pacing was a bit too fast, although I get that it’s hard to adapt an over 400 page book into a two hour movie, but it still felt very noticeable to me.
Overall, loved it and I hope everyone goes to see it and takes in the message of the movie.
3.) Ant-Man and the Wasp
I enjoyed the first Ant-Man movie, but didn’t think it was anything special. The second movie was a lot more interesting than its predecessor. I thought the story of Ava being turned into a weapon by S.H.I.E.L.D., then wanting to use Hank’s technology so that she could stabilize herself, and stop being in pain was actually really compelling. I actually wish they had gotten rid of that other guy and just focused on Ava. The dynamic between Scott, Hank, and Hope was just as good, if not better, then it was in the first movie. I thought this one was funnier than the first and overall I found Ant-Man and the Wasp a fun time which I think is what people probably needed after the hell that was Infinity War.
TV Shows
1.) Manifest
This show piqued my interest when I saw the commercials, but I didn’t think I’d watch it because it was going to air during WWE‘s Monday Night Raw and I usually don’t watch any shows that play during that time. That changed when I was visiting family in Arizona and my aunt had my mother and I watch the first episode. From that first episode we were hooked and figured out a way to keep up with the show later in the week. The mystery, characters, and storytelling so far of this show just keeps you engaged and excited for the next episode. It’s still early in the first season and I’m hoping this show can keep up this great momentum. If you haven’t checked out Manifest on NBC yet then I highly recommend you give it a chance.
2.) Charmed
So, I’ve made my feelings on this reboot very clear in the past and you can find those posts here on my blog. Given my hesitation and flat out anger at this reboot, I decided to give it a chance because I felt it was only fair to see what this new version was all about. The first episode did not impress me that much and didn’t give me much faith in the rest of the season, but the following episodes started to get better. I still don’t know how this show will be any good since they’ve only aired four episodes, but I’ll continue to watch to see what happens.
Also if you want to know my thoughts on the episodes that have aired and future episodes, then you can read my recap/reviews of the first two episodes that are now on my blog and I’ll be posting my thoughts on the other episodes as they air.
Music
1.) A Star is Born Soundtrack
The soundtrack for A Star is Born is just as good as the movie. The songs are so beautiful and perfectly illustrate the journey of both Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s characters throughout the movie through these songs. My only complaint is that I wish there had been an option of a CD without the audio from the movie because those just make the album unnecessarily long.
2.) Sara Bareilles “Armor”
While I’ve been loving watching Sara Bareilles’ journey with the success of Waitress, I’ve missed her and have been wanting new music. It seems Sara decided to answer my prayers and this month released her new single “Armor”. This single is so powerful and empowering. The lyrical content is amazing and screams feminist anthem, which I adore. All this song did was get me super hyped not only for this song, but for a possible new album.
The Random Musings of a Munchkin 