Letterboxd Friday #3

Ruby Moley
Oct 18, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2024

Published on 10 / 18 / 2024

Rolling out another week of reviews! It was a tv show kind of week in this household. Also, the closer we get to Halloween, the more spooky reviews to appear!

Scream V (2022)

There is no way I picked ANOTHER movie with Kyle Gallner. It wasn't even on purpose!!! All jokes aside, the cast in this was absolutely unexpected, featuring Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette ("13 Reasons Why" star), and Jack Quaid (Hughie from "The Boys"). Love that Minnette held off from his little indie band to give us a show in this slasher film!

To be honest, this was bad. The original scream seemed creative, this seemed formulaic (which if you have seen it, I know that is kind of the whole point of the plot). It was short enough that I didn’t regret it, but I predicted it within the first 15 minutes. Without the cast, this would’ve gotten lower than the sad rating I already gave this film.

Review:

Jarhead (2005)

Jarhead ranks higher than any other war movie I have seen due to the successful conveyance of declining mental health amongst struggling marines. Jake Gyllenhaal and other supporting roles did a phenomenal job keeping the viewers intertwined with their emotions, as they lost soldiers, revolted against leadership, lost partners, and more painful experiences. It was engaging and the right amount of frustrating.

If you like war movies and/or Jake Gyllenhaal, this is a good watch. The moving nature of this film can turn anyone into a war movie fan.

I ALMOST FORGOT! Peter Sarsgaard stars in this film as the main character's partner in combat. If you are familiar with the newest film in the Batman franchise, The Batman (2022), then you would know Sarsgaard plays a phenomenal District Attorney of Gotham City. As I was lost in this thought watching Jarhead, suddenly "Something in the Way" by Nirvana began playing. The Batman also incorporated this classic Nirvana hit as the theme song for Robert Pattinson's Batman, matching his young, new-age energy better than any other Batman soundtrack (my opinion, of course). Just a silly parallel I connected. Maybe "Something in the Way" is really Sarsgaard's anthem...

Review:

In Progress...

Fleabag, Season 1 (2016)

I’m surprised I’ve never heard of this before! Fleabag deserved more hype in its original release, for it beckons everything 2016. The fashion is also interesting, being very reflective of the times.

I found this show through an amazing TikTok edit of the priest and Fleabag, and yes, that is the name of the main character. While the priest character, played by Andrew Scott, has not been introduced, I’m still hooked.

The show utilizes 4-wall breaks continuously, with Fleabag expressing her inner thoughts to the audience in short side notes. The humor is vulgar yet sophisticated, and the plot lines are woven together and complex. Fleabag's intelligence and decisions are very different from mine, and I think the curiosity keeps me hooked. I cannot wait to see what Fleabag has in store for the rest of the season.

Review:

Total Drama Island, Season 1 (2007)

I have been unable to get the theme song of this epic, teenage, animated, imaginary reality show out of my HEAD!

I was not allowed to watch this show growing up, as the characters often mention topics of a sexual explicit nature. This show was apparently targeted to teenagers around the late 2000s, and did a successful job of doing so. My ex-step-brother used to loved this show. He also loved his water bed. I did, too, but he'd kill me if he knew I used to jump on it when he was gone.

So far, I love the show and it is an excellent background watch during cooking, cleaning, or easy homework. If you are unfamiliar, Total Drama Island follows the animated reality show of teenagers who compete for a cash prize on a foreign island. The host of Total Drama Island Chris McLean narrates, monitors, and humors the audience every episode. My favorite part is the elimination campfire at the end of every episode, where campers gather around the fire and pray they receive a safety marshmallow to secure their spot on the island. Each season supposedly features different characters on the island, keeping our host consistent (you can't replace Chris!).

Watching the series has inspired me to create a future blog post picking a TDI character to describe each of my friends. Or maybe even I will concept some TDI Halloween costumes?

Review: