When I first joined BALM, my only focus was to do media reviews. I was going to write these well-thought-out articles about pieces of media I consumed. Well, that didn’t go according to plan. It’s been harder for me to just focus on one thing, especially when it comes to media. I tend to hyperfixate on something for a week and then move on to the next. Within this short time frame, I have the interest to write an article about the media, but because of my short attention span, I never do. Therefore, I never write anything after a week because I’m no longer interested. I get bored.
Maybe it has something to do with my bouncing anxiety that comes and goes. It makes it harder for me to concrete one thing at a time. It makes sense I wouldn’t focus on writing media reviews. Mixing in senior year which took a lot of my attention, writing media reviews went to the back burner. Only now, I realized that I’m going to leave, so I wouldn’t be able to write anymore for the BALM.
Since I’m leaving, I decided to give quick reviews on all the movies/shows I watched so far in 2024. Being that these are quick reviews, I won’t be diving into most of the content, and I’ll focus more on my recommendation and what I liked or didn’t.
Maybe it has something to do with my bouncing anxiety that comes and goes. It makes it harder for me to concrete one thing at a time. It makes sense I wouldn’t focus on writing media reviews. Mixing in senior year which took a lot of my attention, writing media reviews went to the back burner. Only now, I realized that I’m going to leave, so I wouldn’t be able to write anymore for the BALM.
Since I’m leaving, I decided to give quick reviews on all the movies/shows I watched so far in 2024. Being that these are quick reviews, I won’t be diving into most of the content, and I’ll focus more on my recommendation and what I liked or didn’t.
(2016)
I do a tradition each New Year where I watch a movie right after twelve hits. I don’t have criteria for the movie I pick, I just go off of vibes. Apparently, my vibes were a romantic thriller movie. The plot follows a con man and pickpocket trying to scam a heiress out of her inheritance. The development of the characters is done nicely. I loved seeing the relationship between the pickpocket and heiress grow into something more and build into a romantic relationship. Along with that, the plots are shocking and really knock me off my feet. I never suspected it and they make sense to the movie, which is hard to do.
4/5
(2024)
This movie is usually a 50/50 between most fans: they either love it or hate it. Now to reveal my side: I disliked this movie. I’m already a big fan of the musical and the different genres they had for each song. I felt as if the movie tried to make every song a pop song, which I understand. They most likely wanted to make this movie more marketable for general audiences. Instead, they catered more to general audiences than to fans of the musical or original movie which is why I believe there’s such a big split.
Another thing I wasn’t fond of is that the writing makes so many callbacks to the original Mean Girls that it feels like the new movie relies on the old movie for source material. It doesn’t create anything new or exciting for me. Instead, it makes me want to watch the old movie rather than this. I will say that I did enjoy the singing talent of Renee Rap and Auli'i Cravalho.
Another thing I wasn’t fond of is that the writing makes so many callbacks to the original Mean Girls that it feels like the new movie relies on the old movie for source material. It doesn’t create anything new or exciting for me. Instead, it makes me want to watch the old movie rather than this. I will say that I did enjoy the singing talent of Renee Rap and Auli'i Cravalho.
2/5
(2022)
This is a pretty average watch for me. It’s a good horror movie that I enjoyed seeing unfold. The plot follows a woman who uncovers the secrets of a rental home and the sadder truth of the monster who lives in the basement. I would recommend this for horror movie fans.
3/5
(2022)
This movie is so bad. I respect the visual effects, as weird as they were. The plot follows a widowed woman who moves to the quiet countryside to hide away from her trauma:her husband falling off the balcony after a fight the couple had. During the fight, the couple was discussing about divorce, which the female lead wanted. The husband declared if she left, he wouldn’t live on which forced her hand. The reason he fell is left up to interpretation, whether he fell by accident or on purpose. The female lead, Harper, carries this trauma. The movie then goes to show that every man she meets is bad.
The theme seemed to be that the cycle of toxic masculinity will always continue and harm the women around this type of behavior. This message did not reach me at all. Harper was a one-dimensional character and I only knew about her trauma, I knew nothing about her which didn’t allow me to submerge myself into the story.
The theme seemed to be that the cycle of toxic masculinity will always continue and harm the women around this type of behavior. This message did not reach me at all. Harper was a one-dimensional character and I only knew about her trauma, I knew nothing about her which didn’t allow me to submerge myself into the story.
1/5
(2022)
A pretty average horror film that tackles the themes of mental health by adding a monster/curse element to it. This movie reminded me of Truth or Dare with the whole smiling thing. I will say this movie did better with visual effects. There’s nothing too special about this film, but it’s nice for the first time and that’s it.
3/5
(1993)
I always watch this film at least twice a year because I love it so much. This film does everything so well from the characters, plot, and machines for the dinosaurs. Jurassic Park is typically seen as an overrated movie, understandable since the director is Steven Spielberg, and his films are always highly ranked in the film industry. Yet, I will always come back to this because of the nostalgia it brings me:going downstairs to watch this movie on the VHS tape. It brought me comfort in ways I needed during my childhood. Even if it’s for a one-time watch, I would definitely recommend this movie.
5/5
(2016)
I always cry at movies whenever anything happens, whether it be sad or bittersweet, or even happy. This movie is no exception. I’m a sucker for anything about a dysfunctional family that has to come together and build a stronger relationship towards the end. It’s such a sweet film and one I wished I could’ve seen earlier. The actors did a great job of portraying such a close bond with each other and they pulled at my heartstrings.
4/5
(2016)
During this time, I was in the mood for the “dysfunctional families build a closer bond at the end” trope, and this movie is no different. This was a sweet film, mixed in with some cringey moments. This family outcasted themselves from society and grew up in the woods until they were forced to come out to see their mother’s funeral. Since they’re discovering our society for the first time, there are some moments where you find yourself cringing, but I loved it. I was able to see how the characters were raised.
4/5
(2007)
The music in this movie is Chef’s Kiss. It sets the tone of the movie and transports me back to the 2000s. I would definitely recommend this movie.
4/5
(2017)
Okay, but this movie. The trope is about a girl who doesn’t fit into conventional standards so she makes her own unconventional standards to pursue her passion. Yeah, this film fills me with joy. The viewer follows the journey of Irene, a girl who doesn’t fit conventional standards of being a cheerleader, so she makes her own team of cheerleaders with elderly folk. This movie brings a smile to my face and a feel good type of vibe that I need sometimes.
4/5
(2004)
The two perfect genres mixed into one: comedy and zombies. That’s all that’s needed to watch this parody of zombie movies. Enough said.
4/5
(2003)
The lighting and cinematography of this movie fit the downfall of the character’s mental health is done so beautifully. This movie deals with heavy topics such as depression, youth drug use, and self-harm. I would recommend watching this film with a healthier mindset because I made the mistake of doing the exact opposite. It shows the complex relationship between two girls, going through different struggles. There’s no real “villain”, just two girls doing what they were taught by the trauma they have. And it’s done in a beautiful, bleak way.
4/5
One of the more recent films I’ve seen, in theaters too, and man, it was a movie. The action was done well and the story of the rookie journalist accomplishing their path of becoming the best journalist is done nicely. I only wish the arc was completed for the veteran journalist. Even if the title is Civil War, don’t expect much talk about the Civil War. It mostly follows the journey of two journalists who mirror each other, both rising and falling to their next path in life.
3/5
When writing this article, I lost inspiration or focused my attention somewhere else. These were meant to be rapid and brief recommendations, which reflect how the anxiety in my brain works. I see things as rapid or I hyperfixate on something more than others. It’s something I’m still struggling with and hope I can work around someday, picking up helpful tricks to aid me in that journey. I’ll perhaps write a full-length media review, somewhere in the future, but at least I was able to get out my thoughts now on this document.
It isn’t easy dealing with the anxiety in my brain, as I’m sure many people can relate to. The only thing that I can do is take one day at a time. Hopefully, with that mentality, I can focus on the things I used to love, like watching films and being able to think properly through them, instead of rushing to the next item on my list. Though sometimes life doesn’t work that way, we just have to work around it.
With those lessons in mind, I hope I can continue to think critically about the movies I watched like I did before and produce something more meaningful.
It isn’t easy dealing with the anxiety in my brain, as I’m sure many people can relate to. The only thing that I can do is take one day at a time. Hopefully, with that mentality, I can focus on the things I used to love, like watching films and being able to think properly through them, instead of rushing to the next item on my list. Though sometimes life doesn’t work that way, we just have to work around it.
With those lessons in mind, I hope I can continue to think critically about the movies I watched like I did before and produce something more meaningful.
