Netflix/Movie Reviews – Page 2 – GamersUnitedGG Blog

Countdown to 2018: Favorite Movies of 2017!

Happy Sunday Novas! Today is the last day December and New Year’s Eve! I have 1 other countdown post that will release tomorrow at 3PM EST and it is my 10/10 Recommends post of 2017! This post will go over my top 10 items of 2017 that I highly recommend. It can be video games, movies, food, etc. Tune in tomorrow to see my recommends! In this series, we have already tackled video games, series (tv shows) and today we will take on Movies! The requirements will be movies that released in 2017 (so I could have watched them in the theaters or on Blu Ray). Let’s get to my top 5 movies of 2017!

#5 Power Rangers –

The revamped and reimagined Power Rangers movie released this year and the reviews have been subpar. My brother bought the movie on Blu-Ray when it released and we watched it that night. I can see why lovers of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers would not like the movie and yes, we don’t see the suits as much, but I really enjoyed the movie for a few reasons.

They’re Teenagers with Attitude! Actually, Kenny (my brother) pointed this out to me while we watched the movie. In the original opening,Zordon tells Alpha to find teenagers with attitude to help save the day. What we received were perfect students in the original series. This series will always hold a place in my heart, but the originals didn’t really have attitude.
The Story- We forget that Rita Repulsa was a ranger. This story delves into that a bit more and explains a tale of why Rita turned evil.

#4 Thor: Ragnarok –

Thor was an AMAZINGGGGG movie. You can read my spoiler free review of Thor by clicking here! I really love Loki and the Superhero movies have been on point this year. The comedic addition to the movie also made it a fun movie to watch.

#3 Wonder Woman –

I was debating on Wonder Woman being the number 2 or 3 movie. It settled in at number 3 but this is a fantastic movie. As you’ve probably heard, Gal Gadot did a fantastic job in capturing the Amazon Princess character and bringing her to the big screen. This is one of the few movies where die hard comic fans and moms were enjoying the action together. The plot was good, the effects and fighting scenes were seamless. 10/10 would recommend Wonder Woman to any person looking for a good action movie. I didn’t review Wonder Woman, but I’m telling you, it was amazing!

#2 Star Wars: The Last Jedi –

I’m one of the people that really enjoyed the new Stars Wars movie. I know it moves away from the canon, but personally, I didn’t really care about the old Jedi /Sith religions in the previous Star Wars movies. Talking about balance to the force, everyone assumed it would be a balance for good, but I interpreted it as a balance to which ever side was losing. But seeing Rey and Kylo Ren (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters) interact and fight was a bonus. A few questions were answered but not the ones that people wanted to know. You can read my review of Star Wars by clicking here.

#1 Beauty and the Beast –

Belle has always been my favorite Disney princess so when I heard about the new live action Beauty and the Beast movie hitting theaters, I made sure my boyfriend knew that this was a priority. Sure enough he bought tickets and we were there opening weekend. I think this is one of the more accurate and excellent productions from the original. The clothing, the songs and the people each fit their role perfectly and a masterpiece was born. I even cried at the end, no judgement please lol. Beauty and the Beast is by far my favorite movie of 2018! You can read my review by clicking here!

Those are my top movies of 2017, from the ones that I was able to watch this year. What are your top movies of 2017? Which movies are you looking forward to in 2018? Let’s talk movies!

-Luna 🙂

Countdown to 2018: Favorite Series of 2017!

Happy Friday Novas! Today is day 3 on the Countdown to 2018 posts! We started with Video games, added our favorite WWE Events and now we are ranking the top Shows or Series that we have watched (and reviewed) in 2017! As with all rankings posts, the order will be descending from my 5th favorite show this year unto my number 1 favorite show watched this year! Tomorrow we are diving into our favorite movies released in 2017!

#5 Medici: Masters of Florence – medici

Medici: Masters of Florence was one of the first series that I have reviewed on the blog. It was recommended to me on Netflix because of the genre of shows that I like to watch (Medieval Time Period). I was interested in this show specifically because of another show that I have been watching called Reign, where the queen’s name was Catherine De Medici. I wanted to see the story of her family and how they ran the city of Florence as though they were monarchs. You can read my review of the series by clicking here!

#4 Riverdale –

Riverdale is one of the surprise series that I have watched this year. I still remember seeing the commercial and saying, ehh that looks interesting but not interesting enough for me to watch. One day Emily and I were bored at her house and we both saw the show on Netflix. Almost simultaneously we looked at each other and said that we kind of wanted to watch it. That was all -she wrote! We binged watched Riverdale in a week ahaha. I didn’t read the Archie comics so this was new terrain for me. Similar to how the Power Rangers Movie this year had a darker twist, Riverdale brought out some crazy secrets. You can read the Review of Riverdale by clicking here!

#3 The White Princess –

twp

Here we are, back to a period piece drama and this time we are hopping aboard the start of the Tudor Dynasty in England. The white Princess is a Starz mini Series that talks about Lizzie the wife of Henry VII and her troubles as a queen of the enemy who overthrew her family, the Plantagenants. Lizzie is a princess and daughter of Edward IV. She is of the House of York and Henry Tudor was fighting on behalf of the House of Lancaster. The marriage of these two joined Lancaster and York and created the combined white and red rose as the sigil of the House of Tudor. This series only has about 8 episodes that are an hour long, but it’s well worth it in my opinion. Checkout the spoiler free series review by clicking here!

#2 Reign –

reign

Reign is one of the shows that started my obsession with the Medieval Royalty shows and documentaries. Reign is a dramatized story of Mary Queen of Scots and her fight to keep her country and her head. Mary is the granddaughter of Henry VIII and has a claim to the English Throne. Because Mary is the Queen of Scotland if she marries the Dauphin (prince) of France, she will have support from a nation of England that does not value a woman to rule alone. This puts a mark on Mary’s life and we get to watch the scenes unfold in the series. Reign has about 22 hour long episodes per season and 3 seasons so it’s a bit of a longer series. Emily doesn’t like time period dramas and she’s hooked! Definitely give it a try! You can read my Hidden Treasures Review of Reign here!

#1 Game of Thrones –

got

Coming in at number 1 will be Game of Thrones! Friends have recommended Game of Thrones to me for years and with my recent fascination with medieval kings and queens, I finally gave in and started watching GOT in January. Best decision of my life! I have to admit that the first few episodes didn’t sit well with me and I couldn’t see the appeal of the show, but after season 1 everything started to meld together. I am obsessed with GOT now and I can’t wait for the final season (which I hear won’t be until 2019 :((((). Game of Thrones is the adaptation of A Song of Fire and Ice. I am planning to read the books at some point, maybe that will get me through 2018. I’m sooo obsessed that I have a Game of Thrones page! Read some of my thoughts, recaps and theories by clicking here!

Thank you for joining us for today’s countdown! What are some of your favorite shows watched this year? Which shows are you currently binge watching on Netflix (or any other source)? Are you looking forward to any shows in 2018? Let’s talk favorite shows!

-Luna 🙂

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Spoiler Free) Review!

Happy Friday Novas! Last night I was able to catch the very first showing of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 3D and it was amazing! Today I bring you the Spoiler FREE movie review and encourage all fans of the saga to watch as soon as you can. If you haven’t watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens, beware! There are spoilers from that movie below.

Story: The Last Jedi picks up where The Force Awakens left off when Rey found the last Jedi Master Luke Skywalker in seclusion on a mysterious island. The 2 and a half hour movie showed the battle for the Republic between Snoke and Kylo Ren versus General Leia and the rebellion. With the larger scale battle taken place, Kylo and Rey line up on either side of the battle and both have to face personal obstacles in their midst. The Last Jedi contains the comedic scenes, awesome conflicts and morals that can only be taught from a Jedi Master or Sith Lord.

Visuals and Sounds: We watched the movie in 3D so that already beautifully, galactic world was amplified and if a great way! Normally, I don’t like to watch certain movies in 3D, but I really liked the way the 3D graphics were used in this movie. It accentuated the ships, lasers and of course the lightsaber battles that we all love to see! Star Wars has one of the best soundtracks of any series by far. There is the traditional galactic music at the beginning of the movie and a melodic symphony through every part of the movie. When Rey is training, the music is determined and hard, when there’s a revelation the music is hopeful and uplifting.

Characters: We are introduced to new characters in this movie and they provide a great support to the main characters that were established in The Force Awakens. From some of the reviews that I have been reading and hearing about, fans are upset about the backstory of Rey not being well established in The Last Jedi. I can understand the need to know where she comes from and why she is so special, but if you think about it, we didn’t know about Anakin for 3 episodes. I think this is a characteristic that the Star Wars Saga uses to draw out interest and ensure that we will continue buying tickets… and it works! We do get a glimpse into Kylo Ren’s past and find out why he turned to the Dark Side!

Action: There;s plenty of action in the movie for me! The pacing was fantastic with high adrenaline scenes, lightsaber battles, battleships making a statement and finding out secrets in a fantastic manner.

Final Thoughts: I really, really enjoyed the movie and I can see why it is being called one of the BEST Star Wars movies of all time. Watching a movie on premiere night with a bunch of fans of the series is always a great way to experience a Star Wars movie. As the traditional opening credits rolled the theater erupted into cheer and throughout the movie we all clapped, sighed and gasped at the scenes that we were experiencing together and in my case, in 3D. The atmosphere made the movie even more compelling to me, seeing and hearing everyone chanting for their favorite characters. At the end of the movie the entire theater stood up and clapped and I knew that I wasn’t the only fan satisfied with the money spent. I definitely encourage everyone to watch the movie!

This is the part of the review where I list my top reasons to Play or Skip the movie!

Play:

If you’ve watched and enjoyed The Force Awakens! Questions are answered and the picture is falling into place!
If you’re a Star Wars Fan!
If you’re not a Star Wars fan but want to start watching the series!

Skip:

If you have not watched The Force Awakens! There’s a bit of backstory that is re-told in this movie.
If you want more than 2 lightsaber battles (admittedly, I would have liked to see more battles)

Thank you for reading my spoiler free review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi! Are you planning or have you watched the movie yet? Who are your favorite Star Wars characters? Is there anything in particular that you are wanting to see in the film? Let’s talk Star Wars!

-Luna 🙂

Luna’s Rankings: Favorite (Recent) Superhero Movies!

Happy Tuesday Novas! I posted a review for Thor: Ragnarok on Sunday and that got me thinking about my favorite Superhero movies of all time! Since there are plenty of crime fighting movies to go around, this will be a 3 part series. This week I will rank my top Superheor movies in the past 5 years. Next week I will rank my top Superhero movies from my childhood and the week after that I will rank my top superhero movies of all time! Let’s jump straight into my rankings from least favorite to favorite (note anything that doesn’t make the list is not in my top 5!)

bane_in_the_dark_knight_rises-wide — He’s sooo cool!

The Dark Knight Rises – The Dark Knight comes towards the bottom of my list because well for 1 I’m not a Batman fan at all. I was actually forced to watch this movie when I was at my friends house when it released on DvD. What I really loved about this movie wasn’t the DArk Knight himself,but the villain Bane! Bane was amazing,. Convincing and he really made the movie. If you haven’t read any of my other posts regarding villains, I’m more of a villain type of girl!

Thor: The Darkworld– I really loveee Loki and Those the Darkworld only enhanced that love for Tom Hiddleson’s character. Don’t ask me the plot because I don’t really remember, I just remember Loki made sacrifices due to the personal issue that both he and Thor were facing.

The Lego Movie – EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!!! Who says heros have to have superpowers, cool gadgets or be a mega ba-zillionaire? The Lego movie gave our small, everyman a voice and a chance to save the world, albeit the Lego World, but still. This movie was amazing and should be how we everyday people try to live and be heroes in our lives every day!

Thor: Ragnarok – This recent Thor movie inspired the topic for today’s post. I really love the movie and you can read my thoughts and review of the movie by clicking here!

The Avengers – The original Avengers movie is my absolute favorite! My favorite superhero of all time is Ironman so meshing him together with Marvel’s best and having Robert Downey Jr. take the lead really drew me in. I liked the banter and the interaction between each of the heroes.

Wonder Woman – To preference my reasoning for selecting Wonder Woman with Gal Gadot as my favorite superhero movie in the past 5 years, I have to tell you that I was NEVER a Wonder Woman fan. The previews for Wonder Woman this year have been amazing and I was prepared to set my biases aside and watch, in theaters. This movie was so well done to me, so much so that I was instantly turned into a Wonder Woman fan! I can’t say enough about how great the movie, direction and acting was in Wonder Woman, so I will just stop here. It’s amazing and if you haven’t seen it, GO WATCH IT!

Notable Mentions that I haven’t seen: Logan, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spiderman Homecoming, Justice League, TMNT and TMNT 2.

What are your favorite superhero movies from the past 5 years? HAve you seen any of the movies on my list? Let’s talk superheros!

-Luna 🙂

Thor: Ragnarok Movie Review!

Happy Sunday Novas! Last night I was FINALLY able to see the new Thor movie; Ragnarok! I know that I am a few weeks late, but I wanted to review the movie and if anyone hasn’t watched it yet, try to give your the insights to the movie! This is a spoiler free review so don’t worry about having to quickly close the post if I say something crazy!

Story: Thor Ragnarok takes place after the Thor Darkworld and Avengers 2 movies in the Marvel timeline. Thor has returned home to Asgard in lieu of dreams that he has been seeing about the destruction of his home in an event known as Ragnarok! After receiving confirmation that his dream is a premonition on what is prophesied to happen, Thor returns home to seek guidance from his father Odin.

(Note: In the lore, Ragnarok is the apocalypse where the gods Odin and Fenrir (a giant wolf ) battle!)

Thor must call upon the help of friends, strangers and even his mischievous brother Loki to save his home from certain destruction!

Ambience: The setting and colors of Ragnarok are exactly what you would want to see in a superhero movie. We have bright vibrant colors on Asgard and the warriors on the planet are strong and worthy of being subjects for Thor’s family.

Characters: The characters and the style of this movie is different from the first 2 Thor movies! Ragnarok, ironically takes on a more comical side of things with everyone throwing out puns. We are introduced to new characters that play their role very well. I’m sure we’ll be seeing most of these cosplay outfits at next year’s conventions! I have to admit, I really wanted to see this movie because I can’t get enough of Tom Hiddleson’s version of Loki! I feel as if he has played this role successfully and there’s plenty of Loki in Ragnarok!

It’s that time of the review where I will list my top reasons to Play or Skip Thor Ragnarok!

Play:

A refreshing take on the Thor character and events (almost every scene has a joke or pun in it)
If you are obsessed with Loki as I am! (He appears quite a bit)
To stay up to date with the events happening in the Marvel Universe! (The movie connects to the Avengers and last Darkworld seamlessly)

Skip:

If you’re looking for the movie to be a replica of canon (liberal freedom was definitely taken)
If you prefer a more action based Marvel movie

Final Thoughts: The movie lived up to my expectations! I wanted more Loki, which I received, Action and a great story! All of these elements are presented in Ragnarok with the addition of unexpected comedy. If you have liked any of the Marvel movies so far, you will definitely love Thor Ragnarok.

Thank you for reading my review of Thor:Ragnarok! Tune in next week for my review of Star wars: The Last Jedi (my brother reserved us tickets last month lol). Have you seen the movie yet? What are some of your favorite scenes? What movies are you excited about seeing or have seen this year? Let’s talk movies!

-Luna 🙂

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You Should Try…Arrow!

Power up players and novas! I hope November is going really well for everyone. So NaNoWriMo is going really well and currently I am expected to finish the novel by November 28th, 2017 if I stay on the course that I am currently writing. I can already feel the pressure as my mind is circling thoughts of “Is this story good? Will anyone like it? What if this is for nothing? Etc.” I’ve been pushing those thoughts out of my mind and powering through although I have many doubts. Personally, I think the process of pushing through and completing your goals, no matter the results is the best part of this writing challenge. On to the topic of today’s post. We’ve all had friends, co-workers, family and acquaintances telling us that we should try watching a show or playing a game. I’ve been more open to playing games that I initially have no interest in and trying out shows that have been recommended to me over the years. This segment will probably go out every 2 weeks, detailing the activity that I have tried.

This week I will be talking about a series that was recommended. This show has been recommended to me a few times over the years. I finally listened to my friend Xsanie when I was on vacation last month. The topic: You Should Try… Watching Arrow!

Arrow is the show following DC Comics character, Oliver Queen. Similar to Bruce Wayne, Oliver was a privileged kid who grew up in Starling City. The Queen’s own a large company and contribute to Starling city as one of the “It” social families. Oliver was reckless, he was selfish and he was “The Male Lindsey Lohan.” How could this billionaire bad boy turn into a vigilante against crime? A new death experience of course!

My initial bias of Arrow – We know that Netflix and the media have been revamping comics and superhero movies for a few years now. I initially confused Arrow with the Green Lantern and had no interest in watching another jaded superhero battle his demons and criminals.

After Episode 1 – After watching the pilot episode of Arrow I noticed that there was a pretty good underlying story. I found myself not much interested in the vigilante fighting crime, but in the flashbacks to see exactly why Oliver became the Arrow. This curiosity fueled my need to binge watch the first season of the show. Each episode a problem was presented, it was solved and a new question emerged. Great way to get someone hooked!

After Season 1 – I’m invested in Arrow now. I will continue watching even though there are a few things that annoy me about the show. Look out for the season 1 preview of Arrow next week.

Final Thoughts: Arrow is a great show and I can see it’s appeal. You do not have to have knowledge of the comic to enjoy the show. I really enjoyed that all of the questions presented in the series, were answered before the end of the season. I was pretty annoyed with Laurel’s character. Her facial expressions were exactly the same whether she was angry, confused, happy etc. I also didn’t like her character and what she would think about situations. Then again, I’m more of a villain person anyway.

Have you watched Arrow? What shows have you been recommended to watch? Let’s talk!

-Luna 🙂

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Still Star Crossed Series Review!

Happy Friday Novas & Players! I have recently finished season 1 of the ABC Series Still Star Crossed that focuses on the events that occur between the Montagues & Capulets after Romeo and Juliet die.

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name.

Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.”

Familiar words spoken by Juliet Capulet to her forbidden lover Romeo Montague. But have you ever wondered what happened to the feuding families after the deaths of Love’s Martyrs? That’s what we seek to find when we watch the ABC Drama, Still Star Crossed. SSC is a period dramatic series based on a book by Melinda Taub that follows the events after the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Story: You follow a few main characters, the most intriguing of which are Rosaline Capulet, Benvolio Montague and Prince Escalus. The story takes place in Verona after Star Crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet are married secretly in front of their cousins, Rosaline and Benvolio. When the lovers seek to tell their feuding families of their love, a misunderstanding causes Romeo to take his life. Upon Juliet waking up to find Romeo poisoned, she takes her life as well, sounds familiar right? Now the pieces have to be picked up by the only 2 subjects in Verona that know the truth, Benvolio and Rosaline! What will the feuding families do now? Who will take the blame for the lovers’ deaths? Why are we still star crossed?

The Setting & Visuals – The setting modern-esque and did not immediately put me in the time period of the story. I get what the directors were going for, but some of the clothing and colors used seemed a bit “Modern” to me. It was as if they blended 2 eras to make the show. I can see this being a pet peeve for viewers who love for Historical Dramas to be accurate and precise. I compare this show to Reign, how some of the dresses and decadences of the French Court seemed to be exaggerated to appeal to a modern audience.

Characters & Portrayals – I loved how the characters spoke with a type of poetic language. The renaissance era of thinking was greatly portrayed with the buildings, the poetry and the language of the people. The nuances of the Lords & Ladies seemed to fit the actions of the time. The cast however, was very diverse and took me by surprise. I was happy to see the integration of different cultures even for the nobility.

There was no stand out moments in which I thought the acting was bad. I really liked the performances of Benvolio (Wade Briggs) and Lord Montague (Grant Bowler) because the emotion between the Nephew and Uncle felt real. The same can be said for Rosaline (Lashana Lynch) and Lady Capulet ( Zuleikha Robinson) as their performance together made me uncomfortable and upset. This is because Lady Capulet , Rosaline’s niece played a fierce role of entitlement and anger.

Final Thoughts – I really enjoyed the series and I am hoping for a season 2 (because it ends in a cliffhanger). The episodes are about 42 minutes long and you can watch on Hulu or ABC.com. The pacing was really well and there was surprisingly more drama and suspense then action. One of my personal favorites Torrance Coombs (who played Sebastian in Reign) , does a fine job as Count Paris, but admittedly the character looked similar to the one he has played before. A little more variation in is acting would have completely sold it for me. I definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves period dramas and the thrills of a royal court. I have a mild obsession with historical dramas and royal courts so SSC was recommended successfully to me by Hulu. I love the path that was taken as I felt the story, progression and themes differed from the likes of Reign, The Tudors and Versailles!

Play:

An exciting and believable story of the Montagues & Capulets
Awesome acting and an easy to follow story structure

Skip:

Looking for a more accurate representation of the time period
If you are looking for a solid ending, the series does end on a cliffhanger

Although the series was ranked pretty low by other media, I would give it a solid 7.5 out of 10 stars. I really like the direction and the story. It would have ranked a bit higher if I wasn’t thrown off by some of the modern colors and clothing.

Thank you for reading our review of the series Still Star Crossed! Have you seen the show? What shows are you currently binge watching? Let’s talk TV!

-Luna 🙂

The Man in the High Castle: Season 1, Episode 2 Review

Good evening all! Maria here, and hope all of you are having a good week so far. 🙂 Tonight, I’ll be talking about the second episode of the first season of The Man in the High Castle, and you can expect Episode 3 later this week, to make up for last week. 😀

Before I move onto the review, of course my disclaimer…if you haven’t seen the episode yet, spoilers lie ahead.

The highlights from Episode 2 (in no particular order):

Raeder and Obergrueppenfuehrer Smith are involved in a shootout with several men in an alley
Juliana buys a Bible under the counter at the only bookstore in Canon City
Paper Crane guy
Frank’s sister and her children are gassed with Zyklon B at Kempetai headquarters
Joe watches HIS OWN copy of the film
Randall gets executed

This episode, I have to say, was quite emotional, especially towards the end. I thought that a few cool characters (namely Frank and Juliana) were going to be killed off, and while I was viewing it, I felt an underlying sense of relevance to what is going on today. In one of the scenes, Randall says, “Evil triumphs only when good men do nothing” and that is unfortunately true.

The focus of the second episode appears to be Paper Crane guy. We do see a bit of him in the first episode but we get to know more about him in this one. At first glance, he seems relatively harmless and is the one who encourages Juliana to buy the Bible under the counter at the local bookstore (which is perpetually empty of people). But it turns out there’s more to him than what meets the eye, and…well, let’s just say his character incurs a large twist. I don’t want to give too much away here.

Overall, this was a good episode, and owing to the twists and bends I give it a 5/5.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and if you have already watched it and want to include input please feel free to. I want to know what you thought of it as well! 🙂

The Man In The High Castle: Season 1, Episode 1

Happy Monday all! I hope this post finds you in a good mood, and if today was the opposite of cheerful I hope it brightens your day.

Tonight’s post is exclusively focusing on the first episode of the first season of The Man In The High Castle, which is titled “The New World”. This episode basically introduces you to a majority of the characters that you’ll be seeing throughout the rest of the other episodes, and also to the Japanese Pacific States and Greater Nazi Reich.

Now, if you have not seen the episode yet, I am warning you in advance that there are spoilers in this review. If you want to stop reading right here and view it that’s fine, and if you want to continue reading that’s okay as well. However, though, consider yourself warned. So with that being said…

Let’s get started.

“The New World” starts off in New York City, where we see one of the main characters, Joe Blake, sitting in a movie theater on Broadway watching propaganda films, and accepting a piece of paper (with an address on it) from someone whose identity isn’t exactly made clear. I would say, though, that this person is possibly from the resistance.

Joe does go to this address, and it is revealed to be a sort of factory. Now, this is where you get the vibe that he is possibly working for the Resistance, because he talks about wanting to bring back the America his father knew and talked about, before it was split between the Japanese and Nazis after they won the war. At that point the Nazis themselves decide to bust into the factory, COPS-style (if you have watched that show at any point then you’ll know what I mean), and Joe Blake is lucky to get into the cab of a semi and drive away before getting caught. The factory manager unfortunately isn’t so lucky as he gets bitten in the neck by a German Shepherd and hauled away by Nazis.

Then the scene shifts to San Francisco, where we get acquainted with Juliana Crain, as well as her mother, stepfather, half sister, and boyfriend, Frank Frink. Juliana does appear to be content with the way things are in the Japanese Pacific States, as she is big into taking classes at the local Dojo and buying herbs which make her mother wince as she drinks them. That is, until she is hurriedly handed a film (along with a bus ticket to Canon City, Colorado, which is in the Neutral Zone) from her half sister, Trudy, who as it turns out is indeed part of the Resistance–and who ends up getting shot by the Japanese right in front of Juliana. This prompts her to view the film, which shows the United States, not the Nazis or Japanese, winning the war. Once she views it, she basically makes up her mind to go to Canon City in Trudy’s place and not to turn the film in to the police, which Frank advises to no avail.

To fast forward, we see Juliana leaving for Canon City, Joe going in that direction himself, and Frank getting arrested along with Trudy’s Resistance boyfriend Randall because the authorities feel that something is up with Juliana disappearing from San Francisco.

As stated originally in my previous post, this episode alone got me into the series. One thing that got my interest right away were the visuals–New York really did look like it was completely taken over by the Nazis, and San Francisco looked, I had to admit it, amazing with the Japanese signage.

As far as content went I feel it was a fitting way to start off the series and season. For this type of show, honestly, it could only begin a certain way, and it worked. For characters, Joe Blake really stood out, due to him being portrayed primarily as working for the Resistance, but then being very ambiguous as a person. Juliana was far more easier to read, due to her character being good hearted and transparent, and in this episode you could tell there was going to be a lot more of her in the episodes to come.

Overall, I give this episode a 5/5.

Hooe you enjoyed the review, Episode 2 will be coming up this weekend!

First image: http://www.history.com

Second image: http://www.westelm.com (Art print is from Rifle Paper Co)

Third image: http://www.pastelshop.fr (Art print also from Rifle Paper Co! In fact, I bought it last week.)

The Man In The High Castle: An Introduction

Happy Friday night all! It’s Maria, and as promised by last night’s post, a review on another show that I’ve been watching lately and am now addicted to is here. To start off, the reason it was long in coming is because I was trying to figure out how to set it all up: if I wanted to write a review on the entire first season or do it episode by episode. Eventually I decided to do it episode by episode, as that would be more engaging and interesting rather than knock the entire first season all out in one single review. And to be honest about this review, this is more of an introduction to it rather than a review on Episode 1, as to understand the premise better. You’ll see my view on Episode 1 tomorrow.

At this point, you are probably wondering what show it is that I’ve decided to cover on this blog, from the first episode to the very last. You may or may not have heard of it, since it has gotten popular since it first came out, on Amazon. Not on Netflix, and definitely not on Hulu.

Everyone, let me formally introduce you to…

YES! If you thought I was talking about The Man In The High Castle, you would be completely right. I was introduced to this show by someone I work with, who warned others and I to start watching now since the third season is premiering this coming December. With that sound advice, I decided to renew my Amazon Prime membership (you can only watch this show if you have Amazon Prime, which is possibly the only downside) and start watching it myself. Well, let me tell you, from the first episode I was hooked…and binge watching the rest of the first season from there. (The best I could anyway, as I do work and study when I’m not working.)

In a nutshell, and for those not as familiar with the show, The Man In The High Castle focuses on an alternate history in which the Nazis and Imperial Japan have won World War II, and who have divvied up the former United States of America into the Greater Nazi Reich (basically all of the Midwest, southern states, and East Coast with some other states mixed in) and Japanese Pacific States (pretty much the states on the West Coast). A visual aid is below.

(Note: Contrary to what this map says, that giant gray area is the Greater Nazi Reich.)

The show hosts a colorful cast of characters, which I will detail in Episode 1’s review. As stated previously in this post, tonight’s review is primarily an introduction to the series itself. In the meantime, I have included the trailer.

First image: Wikimedia

Map: http://www.bigthink.com

Trailer: YouTube