Movies and TV Shows I've Watched Lately (Spring/Summer 2024)

ATLA, Lady Bird, Star Wars, Inside Out 2, Jaws, and more

Those who know me IRL can testify to the fact that I have never been much of a movie or TV person. The number of times I have confessed to not having seen a popular film only to hear a resounding chorus of “You had no childhood!” is… kind of a lot. As a self-described person who lives under a rock, I have not watched many well-known movies and shows. Books have always been more interesting to me than pretty much everything else in the world, hence the name of this publication. However, that is not to say I do not enjoy a good movie or show. I was the socially awkward nerd in junior high school obsessed with Frozen and Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated while the rest of my classmates watched things like Friends, It, and Stranger Things. In recent years, though, I have started watching more things and experimenting with different genres to better appreciate one of the most popular contemporary art forms. Here are the movies and TV shows I have watched from April until now with my thoughts.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)

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I watched this show for the first time in April and instantly fell in love with it. For those unaware, it is a fantasy animated children's show with heavy Asian influences that has become one of the most-loved shows for kids. It is funny, emotional, addictive, and an all-around amazing TV show that quickly became my favourite. The art style is simply beautiful, and it is so much fun to watch.

Set in a world divided into four tribes (one for each element), Avatar: The Last Airbender begins when siblings Sokka and Katara of the water tribe encounter a boy named Aang, who is the long-lost avatar. As the avatar, Aang is the only person who can use all four elements and he must master them all to save the world from the increasingly antagonistic advances of the fire nation. The magic system revolves around “bending,” a technique used to manipulate one of the four elements, and “Team Avatar” as they become known, comes in contact with many such benders from various tribes. They are being tracked by Zuko, the exiled fire tribe prince who is one of my favourite characters in movies/TV, second only to Elsa (yes, I still love Frozen, okay?).

It is hard to put my love of this series into words because it is just that good. The strange thing is, I probably would never have watched this show if it were not for the new Netflix live-action adaptation of it (though I have not watched that one). Three YouTubers that I watch made videos about the new adaptation to share their thoughts as people who had been fans of the original for a long time, and this inspired me to actually go watch it. Based on what I have heard, I do not think I would like the live-action series much, though I am glad that it exists because it somewhat inadvertently introduced me to this fandom.

The Legend of Korra (2012-2014)

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The Legend of Korra is the sequel to ATLA that takes place 70 years later with a mostly new cast of characters, though a few of the old ones are still around. Its protagonist is Korra, the new avatar after Aang who is from the water tribe. She ends up going to Republic City to learn airbending with Tenzin, Aang’s and Katara’s son, where she meets brothers Mako and Bolin. The three of them compete in pro-bending matches, forming a new Team Avatar with a fourth character, Asami.

One of the coolest aspects of this show is getting to see how the technology has evolved since the original series. It is also geared at a slightly older audience than ATLA, with the central characters being in their late teens to early twenties over the course of the show. I had a really great time with this one as well, though not quite as much as ATLA. There is action, magic, defeating villains, and all kinds if great things. Plus, Korrasami is so cute!

Lady Bird (2017)

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Okay, please do not hate me for saying this, but I do not understand why this movie has achieved such high acclaim. The thing is, I would not normally watch a movie like Lady Bird, but since I heard a number of people I follow online speak very positively of the film, I figured I should give it a try. In addition, I loved both Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and Barbie, so I thought I might enjoy the other movie she directed. It is set in the United States in 2002/2003 with a protagonist named Christine, who calls herself “Lady Bird” and attends a Catholic high school.

Throughout nearly the entire movie, Christine is a completely idiotic jerk too blinded by her rebellious nature to make rational decisions. She jumps out of a moving car when her mother says some common-sense facts, makes an extremely offensive comment to a pro-life advocate speaking at her school, falls for a boy who is even more of a jerk than she is way too quickly, and drinks a lot. There is a bit of redemption at the end, but the movie felt incomplete to me.

The movie is obviously quite well-made, but I found all of the characters unlikeable and could not understand what its message actually is. I found myself annoyed that it chose to depict a stereotypical rebellious boy-crazy teenage girl. I do not deny the fact that I was rebellious as a teenager (I literally referred to my parents as dictators), but Christine takes teenage rebellion to a whole new level. My version of rebelling was making an Instagram account at age 16 without permission, whereas Christine literally gets naked and does bad things with a guy just because… well… I do not really know why.

Perhaps I am just really prudish or something, but I do not think things of that nature should be depicted in visual media, especially if the characters engaging in such behaviours are minors. Furthermore, the movie seemed very disjoined, like it is just a bunch of random events happening instead of having an actual plot. This was not meant to offend anyone who loves Lady Bird, but whatever the target audience for this movie is, I am certainly not in it.

Unplanned (2019)

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My sister insisted upon watching this movie after we both had our wisdom teeth removed, and I watched it with her because I did not feel like doing much. I did not particularly want to see it because I get very uncomfortable watching medical things (doctors, hospitals, needles, surgeries, etc.). However, it was not too bad, as I closed my eyes during the nasty moments.

The movie is based on a true story and is about a woman named Abby, showing her journey from working at an abortion clinic and having two abortions herself to becoming pro-life. Just to be clear, I hold the most pro-life position and am against abortion in all forms and situations, but I thought this movie was just mediocre. I cannot see myself ever rewatching it and I found it to be mostly boring.

Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi (1977, 1980, 1983)

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I have decided to group these movies together because I have the same rating for each of them and they are obviously related, being three parts in the same story. It was my second time watching them but they are still the only Star Wars movies I have watched, as nearly everyone says they are the best things in the franchise. The Star Wars original trilogy is one of my favourite movie series, and I especially love The Empire Strikes Back.

If you have never watched these movies, they are certainly worth a watch. With cool space fights, strange creatures, and a compelling plot, they make for an enjoyable viewing experience. It would also be good to know if I should watch any other Star Wars content, as my family now has a Disney+ subscription, so I can watch these things without renting or buying them. For those who know much more about Star Wars than I do, should I watch more of it, and, if yes, which is the best order to do so?

Babar: King of the Elephants (1999)

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This is one of those movies I watched many times as a kid, so I thought it would be interesting to rewatch it as an adult and see what I think of it now. The inspiration to watch it came about from one of my Wikipedia rabbit holes (yes, I do a lot of those lol) and I found out that the movie was preceded by a TV show that I have not seen. It is based on a book series and tells the story of an orphaned elephant named Babar who goes to the city and is adopted by a kind old woman who teaches him how to live among humans. Eventually, he leaves the city and becomes the king of the elephants.

The honest truth is that this is not a very good movie. Neither the animation nor the music are very good, and the plot is admittedly quite strange. Yet I could not help but find it charming, sweet, and occasionally funny. While watching it, I often knew exactly what would happen next because of watching it so much, even though that was many years ago, so it was a very nostalgic experience. One scene in particular, in which a rhinoceros uses his fingers to stretch out his mouth and sticks his tongue out became somewhat of a meme to my sister and me. Anyway, it was fun to watch, though I do not recommend it to adults who have never seen it before, as it is kind of boring.

A Kind of Spark Season 2 (2024)

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I am a big fan of this show and eagerly watched the second season when it came out this year. It covers the adventures of a young autistic teenager, Addie Darrow, and her relationships with her two older sisters, Keedie and Nina. Despite the show taking many creative liberties and making changes from the book it was based on, I honestly prefer the show. This is such a comfort watch for me; it is a family-friendly TV show with positive themes and cozy vibes. Each episode left me wanting to keep watching, and I really appreciate the show’s mission to authentically portray autistic females.

Inside Out 2 (2024)

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Inside Out 2 was my second-most anticipated movie of this year, and so far, the only one I have seen in theatres. I was the same age as Riley when the first movie came out and it was one of very few movies I had seen in a theatre at that point, so I fell in love with the colourful world of Riley’s mind. This second film adds four emotions to the original group: Embarrassment, Envy, Ennui, and most notably, Anxiety.

In the movie, Riley goes to a hockey camp with her two friends. She hopes to perform well enough to make it onto a particular team, and Anxiety plays a large role in her decisions surrounding this situation. It is such a beautiful story about changing relationships with friends, becoming a teenager, and dealing with complex emotions that did not disappoint.

The Chosen Season 4 (2024)

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I have been keeping up with The Chosen for years now so I obviously watched the latest season. My thoughts on the show are somewhat complicated but I generally find it quite entertaining and think it is by far the best adaptation of a part of the Bible I have ever seen. There are some historical inaccuracies and I do wish that there were more Bible scholars working with the show to ensure that these sorts of things do not make it into the finished product.

As for season 4, things definitely got more intense. The characters of Pilate and his wife were introduced, and I think Pilate’s wife has now replaced Matthew as my second favourite character, as she is super interesting and seeing more of her is one of the things I am most excited about next season. And for those wondering, my favourite character is Quintus. Yes, I know he is probably the main antagonist of the series, but I tend to find villains the most intriguing characters in a story. One thing I did not like much was the death of a relatively important but not canonical character as it was unnecessary to the plot and seemed like a poor narrative choice.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 (2023)

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I have written an entire review of this recent TV series previously, so I will keep my thoughts here to a minimum. As someone who is a big fan of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, I found that the show was nowhere near as good as the book and disliked many of the changes that were made. It is not terrible, but I simply did not have an enjoyable viewing experience and did not think that it was a good adaptation of a book I love so dearly. For more of my thoughts on this, read the review post.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV Show Review

The Rise of Red (2024)

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The Rise of Red is the fourth Descendants movie, though many of the characters are different. Events in this movie directly follow the prequel book Beyond the Isle of the Lost, which I read earlier this year. It begins when Red, the daughter of the queen of hearts, is invited to attend Auradon Prep, and to her surprise, her mother allows it. When the two of them leave Wonderland to go to Auradon, Red discovers things about her mother’s past as she and Chloe, Cinderella’s daughter, find themselves back in time.

The movie is fun, light, and full of music and bright colours. While I do not think it is as good as the previous Descendants installments, fans of the series will still like it. Plus, Uma, my favourite character from the series, makes an appearance as the new principal of Auradon Prep.

Jaws (1975)

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I was inspired to watch this famous movie after reading a Substack post about how to get into watching horror movies, and this one was on the suggestion list. As someone who had never watched a horror movie before, it was very helpful!

An Extra Friendly, No-Tears Guide to Watching Your First Horror Movie

Jaws tells the story of a shark attacking people and the mission to kill this shark so that it will no longer wreak havoc on the community it has been terrorizing. Although I was not instantly invested, it is honestly a fun watch and one I am sure glad I did. I was sent into a laughing fit when someone mentioned a “colour TV,” because the thought of having to specify if a TV has colour or not is just kind of ludicrous to me. Anyway, I do recommend this movie if you have never seen it!

Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

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This movie was my dad’s pick, and the two of us watched it together. It is about a group of people who go on a plane that crashes in an Asian desert and have to survive in an extreme environment. With a limited water supply and no chance of successfully walking out of the desert, the group must develop a strategy to stay alive and escape.

While it does start off slow and not all that exciting, things do pick up later on. The music was really annoying because many songs have lyrics despite it not being a musical, and there was an extended flashy moment that was very hard to watch. Aside from those things, I liked the film, plus Miranda Otto, who played Éowyn from LOTR, is in it.

Yona of the Dawn (2014-2015)

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Yona of the Dawn is a 24-episode anime that I watched this year. Set in a fantasy world, it follows a young princess named Yona whose innocent and sheltered life gets turned upside down when her father is killed and she is forced to flee the palace. With her childhood friend and bodyguard Hak, the two of them encounter many interesting people and explore fascinating places. I really liked the whole show and would love to watch more anime in the future.

Though it does not end on a cliffhanger, it certainly left me, and probably most viewers, wanting more and I am sad that more of the manga has not been adapted. Anyway, I would say this is a great watch for fantasy lovers who are into or would like to get into watching anime.

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This is the first post I have done reviewing multiple movies and TV shows, but I think it is something I would like to continue doing. You can always recommend things for me to watch, and I may consider seeing them at some point.