Movies and TV Shows I've Watched Lately (Fall/Winter 2024-2025)
An eclectic mix of fun animated stuff, adaptations of books I've read, and old Gothic horror
Well, it has been over half a year since my first post in this series of biannual movie and TV reviews, so it is time for another one! It is kind of hard to believe it was that long since then; time has passed so quickly! During these past six months I watched eight movies and four shows, two-thirds of these being live-action and the remaining one-third animated. Aside from watching the two new adaptations of Tolkien’s work that came out during this time, I watched three adaptations of books I have read, an adorable anime movie, two music-related biographical documentaries, two cartoons, and even decided to try something new by watching two old black and white Gothic horror movies.
Black Sunday (1960)
⭐⭐⭐
After being inspired to start watching Gothic horror, I selected this movie to watch first. Set in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, the story’s premise is that a witch named Asa who was murdered two centuries ago is awakened from her grave when two men stumble upon the desecrated church where she was buried. To enact revenge upon the family who killed her, she aims to possess the body of a young woman named Katia who bears a striking resemblance to her. Filled with supernatural occurrences, mysterious passageways, dramatic irony, and suspenseful moments, it combines many of the elements I enjoy in books to make for an interesting watch.
Due to its age, this movie is in black and white, and I believe it is only the second movie I have watched that is not in colour. As such, it is harder to see things on the screen with it all being in gray. Additionally, the audio also has that slightly fuzzy sound characteristic of old movies. The soundtrack is very strange and some of the music did not seem to fit what was going on visually which made me laugh several times at just how absurd the music was. I also laughed quite a bit at how dramatic the characters and acting were. Overall, it was entertaining but super weird and obviously very dated.
Castle in the Sky (1986)
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Castle in the Sky is a beautiful and wholesome two-hour-long fantasy anime movie that begins when Sheeta, a young orphan girl, falls off of an airship after pirates raid it. Saved from the drop by her magical necklace pendant, she is found by a boy her age named Pazu, also an orphan, who looks after her. Together, the two of them end up running from the pirates and the army, finding themselves on a quest to search for the legendary castle in the sky.
I loved everything about this movie, from the animation to the music, the characters and the plot. It was only the second Studio Ghibli film I have watched and made me realize that I have missed out on so much so I will definitely be watching more of them!
The Rings of Power Season 2 (2024)
⭐⭐
This is of course the second season of Amazon Prime’s TV show covering the Second Age of Middle Earth. I watched the first season when it came out back in 2022 and had a mostly positive perception of it while disliking certain aspects of the show. When it was a little over a year old, I decided to give it a rewatch to reevaluate my opinion on the show and I found that I liked it less the second time. Despite all that, I still held out hope that season two would set the show on a better track forward and bring out some really cool moments of Tolkien’s world on a screen. I am sad to say that was not the case.
There are a few positives to the show that I appreciate. Visually, it looks amazing and the soundtrack is one of my favourites for background reading/research/writing music. I loved many aspects of Elendil’s character, especially in episode six. His line, “Faith is not faith if it is not lived,” was my top quote from the show and a sentiment I wholly agree with. The show’s concept itself is interesting, as we get to see parts of Middle Earth that have never been adapted to the screen before. Númenor is one of my favourite places from Tolkien’s writings, after all!
Honestly, though, I did not much like this season. There were too many changes from the lore that did not seem to have any purpose such as the order in which the rings were created. I thought the episodes were pretty boring and was always doing something else while watching like going through Substack posts or writing one of my own. Much of the dialogue was super cringey and the frequent references to the Peter Jackson movies just felt like plagiarism and lazy writing. Sauron’s line from episode one, “Let my people go,” was incredibly irritating in the way it framed him as a sort of Moses figure and I was not on board with it.
Similarly, some key characters are missing from the show such as Anárion, the brother of Isildur and son of Elendil, Celeborn, Galadriel’s husband, and Celebrían, their daughter. I would have liked to see these characters show up and the fact that they are not included despite them having important roles in the lore at this time is very unfortunate. The whole Harfoots and Stoors storyline was not something I cared about even remotely, plus Tom Bombadil’s role did not fit his character from the books. There are many more things I could say about why this show did not work for me, but I will cut it off here. You can find some of my spoilery thoughts in this footnote.1
As far as whether I will watch the third season when that one is released, I honestly do not think I will. Basically the only thing keeping me watching the show for this long was to avoid the FOMO and keep up with all the things in the LotR fandom buuuuuut idc enough about that to suffer through eight more hours of a boring show.
Persuasion (1995)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is the only one I have watched, and from what I have heard, appears to be the most-loved one. I thought it was quite delightful and appreciated the way that the film kept Anne as a quiet and reserved individual with not much expressed through dialogue. One thing I disliked was the scene in which she begged Captain Wentworth to stay and listen to the music and it was not an Anne-like thing to have done. Aside from that, it was really sweet and reminded me just how good of a story Persuasion is.
Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After reading the book this show is based on and finding out that it has a TV show adaptation, I started watching it almost immediately. And yes, I loved the show so much! If you missed my review of the book and have no idea what this show is about, it is an amazing historical fantasy that follows two magicians, Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell, in early 19th-century England during the Napoleonic Era. The first of these, Mr Norrell, aspires to bring back English magic and make it respectable, as magic has fallen out of use in England. He greatly values his books of magic and is generally a solitary individual. Jonathan Strange is a younger and newly-married man who finds out he can perform magic when he buys a spell which leads him to train under none other than Mr Norrell.
As a big fan of the book, I can confidently say that this show is really well done. It is only seven episodes, and although each one is an hour in length, that is not quite enough time to cover everything in the book as it is pretty long. However, the essential stuff was all included, even if that means we did not get to see Lord Byron or hear all those fun literary references I gushed about in my book review. It truly captivated me from beginning to end and I will probably rewatch it at some point because I had such a fun time getting to see these fascinating literary characters on-screen. And btw, totally random tangent here, there were some brief moments of a harpsichord being played in the show! I happen to really love the sound of harpsichord music for some weird reason but those instruments just have such a distinctive and really cool sound to them. So yes, I am begging you to watch this, and read the book. If you have any amount of good taste in entertainment, you will not regret it.
The Owl House (2020-2023)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Owl House is a Disney animated fantasy series and probably my new second-favourite show ever. It begins in the real world in contemporary times with the character Luz Noceda, a fantasy-obsessed teen who is a bit of a loner and probably neurodivergent, so that was relatable! When an owl steals her favourite book, The Good Witch Azura, she follows it into a mysterious old house and stumbles across a portal into another world known as the Boiling Isles.
Once there, Luz finds Eda the Owl Lady, a witch who lets her stay at her home, the Owl House. Along with Eda and King, a mischievous little creature, Luz explores the super wacky fantasy world and attempts to learn magic. She later visits a magical school called Hexside where she makes friends with characters Willow and Augustus but is treated badly by Amity, one of the most popular students. As the show progresses, Luz learns how to perform magic by drawing glyphs, becomes friends with Amity, and discovers all kinds of fascinating things.
The humour here is hilarious, the animation style is beautiful and full of colour, and the characters are all so much fun. I probably watched this in too short of a time but it sucked me in right away and each episode made me want to keep watching. It really is the perfect show for teenage (and young adult) fantasy nerds and I would love to watch more things like this!
Music by John Williams (2024)
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I happen to be really into movie soundtracks. As in, that is the main type of music I listen to and I happen to have a 1000+ song Spotify playlist with only instrumental movie songs.2 One of the most significant film composers is John Williams, having created some of the most memorable themes for movies such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jaws, Jurassic Park, E. T., Home Alone, Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones, and many more. So, when I found out there was a John Williams documentary, I just knew I had to watch it.
It tells a bit about John William’s early life and how music was always a big part of his life from childhood. Many of his compositions are played throughout the movie as it discusses the most famous of his works. Some more personal things like the death of his first wife and the close relationship he has with his daughter Jenny are discussed, but mostly, as the title suggests, it is about his music. The well-known directors Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Chris Colombus also make appearances in the documentary to talk about their appreciation of John William’s music in some of their movies.
This was exactly what I wanted was so much fun to watch. As someone who was not alive when many of these movies were made, the music of John Williams has still been very impactful to me. I played themes from four movies he scored in my junior high and high school band, Star Wars: A New Hope, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Raiders of the Lost Ark before I had even watched any of them.
One of the most famous quotes from film music history showed up and I very nerdily quoted it along with the movie (we can ignore the fact that I got one word wrong). It was when John Williams (talking about Schindler’s List) told Steven Spielberg that he needed a better composer to write the music for that movie and Spielberg’s response was “I know. But they’re all dead.” SO ICONIC, RIGHT??? I also learned some things too! Apparently, John Williams used to have red hair and seeing pictures of him younger was suuuuuper weird because, in my mind, he has always been an old white-haired man. I suppose everyone was young once. Okay, I should stop rambling about all this. But go watch the movie if you love John William’s music as much as I do!
Howard (2018)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Also under the category of music-related Disney+ documentaries is Howard, a movie about lyricist Howard Ashman, who wrote words for the songs from The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. It features composer Alan Menken who worked with Howard Ashman on these songs and other people in his life such as his sister, mother, and friends. Ultimately, the story has a sad ending, as he died of AIDS in 1991 at the age of 40. I think this documentary was a well-done tribute to his memory and emphasizes his important role in making these Disney movies that still captivate people's imagination today.
The Old Dark House (1932)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
When looking up weird old black-and-white horror movies a while back, as I had a sudden interest in watching films of this sort despite never having done so before, this was one that I came across. I believe it is the oldest movie I have watched, and wow, it sure was fun to watch. It covers the story of a couple and their friend who get caught in a bad storm and seek shelter at an old house where they meet the inhabitants, a brother and sister named Horace and Rebecca, and their servant Morgan, a scary-looking man. I laughed so many times watching this, especially at the beginning. Pretty much every line delivered sounded so absurd to me because, characteristic of movies this old, the acting was so dramatic and the way the actors spoke was hilarious. Rebecca has to be my favourite character because that woman is the funniest part of this movie. It was not anything amazing, but I am sure glad I watched it!
The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In addition to being the latest movie from the world of The Lord of the Rings, The War of the Rohirrim was my most anticipated new movie of last year which I watched in the theatre with my sister. This anime movie tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, one of Rohan’s most famous kings, and his family. I loved the way the film was framed as a story told by Éowyn, who served as the tale’s narrator. The story begins by introducing its protagonist Héra, Helm’s daughter who is unnamed in Tolkien’s writings. Freca wants his son, Wulf, Héra’s childhood friend, to marry Héra but she rejects him. Helm, worried that Freca has ulterior motives, challenges him to a fight in which Freca is killed. Wulf is then banished but becomes bitter over the death of his father. The movie then follows the story of the revenge enacted by Wulf.
I thought this adaptation was very well done and one I greatly enjoyed watching. It was my first time seeing Middle Earth in animation which was fun. One concern that I know many people had about this movie is that Héra would be a stereotypical girlboss warrior princess, but thankfully, that is not the case. She, although being the protagonist, does not take too much focus away from Helm and is not the type of character who is disrespectful of authority and never needs to be saved (I am looking at you, Galadriel from RoP). Honestly, I loved the characters and the whole movie in general. Howard Shore’s beautiful and majestic Rohan theme did make an appearance, though admittedly not as much as I would have liked. If you have not seen this yet and are wondering if you should, I recommend it! The movie does not stray much from the lore and I think it will be great fun as long as you do not expect it to be on the same level as The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Dream Productions (2024)
⭐⭐⭐
Dream Productions is a show set in the world of Inside Out that follows the characters inside Riley’s mind that create her dreams. I liked seeing more of Riley and there were some funny bits but it was pretty mid. Nothing was amazing here though it was something cute to entertain me while undecorating the Christmas tree and can be binged all at once as there are only four short episodes.
Peter Pan (2003)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After reading Peter Pan for the first time, I figured I should watch this adaptation, as I heard it is more book-accurate than the Disney version.3 Unfortunately, this movie is pretty underrated and it failed at the box office because its release was basically at the same time as The Return of the King, which is my all-time favourite movie, so I totally get that. The movie was very fun and I must say, I do like it more than the Disney movie, as it is closer to the book than that one. Probably my favourite part of this is the score, written by one of my favourite film composers, James Newton Howard. I had actually listened to it many times before ever watching the movie so it was really cool to see how it matches up with what happens on-screen!
The acting feels a bit cheesy and it is no masterpiece but I had a few good laughs, especially at Captain Hook’s expense. He was so dramatic and it was kind of amazing. There is a bit of narration in the movie which I liked and the ending was so heartwarming. Anyway, I was originally going to give this four stars buuuuuuut I changed my mind because it was truly so delightful and just an all-around sweet fantasy adventure story that reminded me of the book and I kinda wish I had grown up on this movie instead of the Disney one.
Those are all my reviews of things I have watched recently. If you have a suggestion for something to watch that you think I would like, tell me in the comments below and I just might review it six months from now… or maybe in a few years 😆. I am not really sure what all will go on the next post in this series aside from the children’s cartoon and the anime series I am currently watching as I do not have any anticipated movie or TV show releases this year. 2025 just does not look like it will be a good year for movies but I will hopefully find some good stuff to watch.
ROP S2 SPOILERS: I really hated the Galadriel/Elrond kiss. It makes zero sense given that Galadriel is literally Elrond’s mother-in-law, and just whyyyyyyy?!?! Also, having the balrog awaken this early is a massive lore change as it should not have happened until much later! Then the whole thing got revealed that the Stranger is indeed Gandalf and I know many people are upset by this. Gandalf never went to Rhûn, so this ”Stranger” really should have been one of the blue wizards. *screams in frustration*
Follow me on Spotify to see my really cool playlists! I think I have some pretty fun stuff on there.
The animated one. I have not watched their live-action remake nor do I want to. It just looks so dark and depressing.
Thank you for validating my decision not to watch season two of Rings of Power.
I’m curious what your one other black and white movie is 😂 And if over-dramatic acting takes you out of the film, I recommend Laura (1944). It’s one of my favorite movies of all time, and quite understated in the acting of most of the main characters. One or two of them think they’re God’s gift to mankind, so their lines are high-minded and profuse, but it fits their character, and we all know the type.
It’s a murder mystery, and the detective is magnificently quiet and collected and clear-eyed, while not at all attempting to be charismatic in the least, but also not being a jerk about it. I can’t think of another leading man who’s done that.
It’s fantastic.