A Weekend of Movies

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Horror: Fear Street Series

Fear Street Part One: 1994 released June 28, 2021

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 released July 8, 2021 

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 released July 16, 2021

Overall Rating: 9/10

 These movies are definitely a back-to-back must-watch! The movies can be found on Netflix and are categorized as horror and LGBTQ. The movies were directed by Leigh Janiak and are based on R. L. Stine’s books. In the first part, 1994, the audience is greeted with the main character Deena, who we will see for the rest of the series to come. She is a rambunctious and brave heroine who will do anything for the people she loves. The beginning of 1994 can be a little slow, but once the action starts, you will be on the edge of your seat. I suggest watching all these movies back to back because the thrills and twists are exhilarating. At some points, it is easy to guess what happens next if you pay close attention to detail, but the plot is amazing enough to get you to want to see it for yourself. The second part, 1978, includes the famous Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink. She is not the only Stranger Things actress to appear in the series as Maya Hawke is the first scene of 1994 as our first big death. This is sort of shocking as you would not expect the writers to kill a famous actress off right away, but it has proven a theme in other horror movies like Scream and Psycho. As for Sadie Sink’s character, she gets to stick around throughout that movie and does a phenomenal job as an angsty teen. She is in fact the main reason I watched the movies, and I’ve got to say, I was definitely not disappointed. In the third and final part of the series, Fear Street: 1666, we get sent back to the past to see the beginning of the witch’s curse and the origin of Sarah Fier, the witch. Although all of the movies are well-directed I believe this one takes the prize as you are thrown between perspectives, yet you’re never confused on what is happening. The last half of 1666 is the resolution to the entire series, and it definitely does not disappoint. Trigger warning for some viewers: these particular movies are gory! 

Action: Deadpool

Released: February 12, 2016

Rating: 7.5/10

The perfect movie to watch after horror movies like those above would be a superhero/action movie, and my recommendation is Deadpool. This movie stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool in the same universe as the mutants, AKA the X-Men. Directed by Tim Miller, the film is based on the comics by Stan Lee. The film follows the main character, Wade Wilson, who is a mutant that is faster, stronger, and basically unable to die. The movie starts in the middle of a fight scene and goes back in time a bit to explain what got us to this point. Ryan Reynolds’s character Wade is incredibly humorous and quite immature throughout the course of the film. However, his character begins to grow on you. What is great about Wade Wilson is that he does not try to claim he is a hero, instead he is just as equal as any other person, which is quite uncommon for fictional characters with powers. It makes his character more relatable and a new insight into his development and feelings. Deadpool also showcases two X-Men, Colossus, and a new character, Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Negasonic Teenage Warhead is by far one of the coolest characters to be featured in this movie. 

Family Friendly: Rise of the Guardians

Released: November 21, 2012

Rating: 8.5/10 

 Now it’s time for your family-friendly movies. The first movie is Rise of the Guardians, which was released on November 21, 2012, and directed by Peter Ramsey. This movie has an amazing cast consisting of Chris Pine, Jude Law, Peter Ramsey, Hugh Jackman, and Alec Baldwin. Rise of the Guardians follows Jack Frost (Chris Pine) as he teams up with Santa Claus, North, the Easter bunny, Bunnymund, the Tooth Fairy, Toothiana, and the Sandman, Sandy, to take down the Boogeyman, Pitch Black. It is a fabulous story about not losing hope and belief and learning what one’s purpose in life is. It is a great movie to watch around any holiday to get you in the spirit. Rise of the Guardians sees many ups and downs from the world losing faith to regaining hope, and some characters never being believed in at all. This movie sends a great message that even if you feel like nobody appreciates you and everything you do goes unseen, without you people would be sad and possibly hopeless, so never give up on yourself, because these characters haven’t! 

Musical: Encanto

Released: November 24, 2021

Rating: 10/10

 Encanto’s songs were written by the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda. This musical has a well-deserved 90% rotten tomatoes score. The twists of this movie are well predicted but still amazing. The music will most definitely play on repeat in your head and it will make you want to dance and sing. Encanto takes place in Colombia and follows a 15-year-old girl named Mirabel. In this movie, the writers actually tried to change Mirabel from other Disney characters by not giving her a sidekick. Mirabel is unlike the rest of her family because she, like the rest of her village, does not have powers, while the rest of her family members do. Each person’s powers are to help and protect their encanto which means enchantment. La familia Madrigal lives in a magical casita which is alive. The movie takes us through Mirabel’s adventure of saving the family and proving herself worthy. Within the first four days of this movie’s release, I watched it seven times because it was absolutely fantastic. The characters’ stories and the plot’s setting are all very well written and there are many little details you can tell hard work was put into. 

What do your peers at school have to say about these movies? Well, why don’t you read and find out!

Fear Street Series:

“It was very graphic, I’m not usually into horror movies but the storyline was intricate and compelling” -Alaina Pagulayan

“It was a little scary and kind of gruesome, but it was overall good” -Jessica Ignozza

 “It was a creative concept, but I think the second movie was the best, and then the third was just less engaging” -Danielle Scoblete

Deadpool:

“Ryan Reynolds is comedic, and he provides comedic relief while the overall story is depressing” -Alaina Pagulayan

 “It is simultaneously funny, and very action-packed, and it is a different take on superheroes, I really like how it mixes x-men with more of a normal plot” -Danielle Scoblete

 Encanto:

“Encanto is entertaining for all kinds of audiences. It has very catchy music. Great emotions are portrayed along with a magical feeling” -Ashley Vargas

 “Encanto is a great movie not only because I enjoyed the plot and characters, but because it contained so many cultural nuances that I felt were accurate and important to people within ethnic families. Also, it provided much-needed representation for people with features such as textured hair and dark skin” -Layla Macatangay

“My opinion on Encanto is that it was very underwhelming. The only reason it got so popular is because a 15-second clip of the music blew up on TikTok. The character dynamic was very basic and not thought out, as well as the plot. Like the grandma having many expectations and stress from the grandkids. The only original thing out of it was the characters themselves and the setting/ethnicity of the characters, which was at least an attempt by Disney at inclusivity” – Anonymous