Chante JVR

Front of the Class (2008)

I first saw snippets of ‘Front of the Class’ on Tik Tok, and it looked like the perfect movie to torture my fiancé, who doesn’t like to get into his feels. Now, I know it looks like a cliché Hallmark movie, but trust me.

The movie follows a man with Tourette’s syndrome trying to start a teaching career. He faces many difficulties inside and outside the classroom, but his determination and positivity is inspiring.

This movie was a 5/5! Definitely watch if you want something gooey and feel-good.

Thunderbirds (2004)

“Thunderbirds are go!”

So apparently, this movie was a staple in a lot of people’s childhoods (according to my fiancé), I, however, had never seen it. Never even HEARD of it to be honest.

The movie follows a family of… basically rich white dudes and their help who all live on an island and own these superhero type aircrafts and they help save the world from time to time. The movie follows the youngest son who’s disgruntled that he’s too young to join in on their superhero expeditions but now, a new enemy has arrived that only he can stop.

While some parts of the movie were hella annoying – the excess use of the made-up saying “F A B” which has no meaning whatsoever! – there were some saving graces. Vanessa Hudgens is in it post-HSM and she was just adorable. All in all, they tried. I definitely think this is a movie they can look at remaking (it’s been long enough) and hopefully remake it better. 3/5.

Yellowjackets (2021 -)

“We won’t be hungry much longer.”

This show O-M-G! Did I finish a whole season in 2 days? Why, yes, yes I did.

The show follows a group of teenage girls heading to soccer regionals when their plane crashes in the middle of nowhere Canada. With dwindling food supplies and tensions rising, they start turning against each other. This show really makes you question, ‘how far would you go to survive?’

Jumping between the girls trying to navigate their present day lives with a looming threat of their secrets being exposed, and the their sordid past, you get thrown plot twist after plot twist until you become absolutely obsessed with wanting to know what happens next.

It was difficult to watch at first. Very gory and shock-inducing and feel free to skip the creepy, skin-crawling theme song. Once you get used to the casual limb dismemberments and animal gutting, the show becomes addictive.

With a stellar cast that includes Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey and Jasmin Savoy Brown, this is definitely a recommendation. But only if you can handle dark and gory. So far, 5/5.

The Call (2013)

“A lot of times you don’t know how it ends. When your units get to a scene you sign off and they take over. But you don’t know. Did they make an arrest, shoot the bad guy, did the PR live, did she die…”

Now, I had very low expectations for this movie. I’d pretty much given up on 9/11 themed thriller movies after Jake Gyllenhaal’s 2021 “The Guilty” (why I watched a movie with Jake Gyllenhaal is beyond me), I’m also not really a big fan of Halle Berry. But when my manager raved about this movie, I thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t have much else to watch anyway.

The movie follows a 9/11 operator who makes a fatal mistake on the job when a girl is kidnapped. Later on, she no longer works on desk but returns when they receive another call about a missing girl. She decides to take this case into her own hands.

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. It had me on the edge of my seat, and I was rooting for the characters all the way through. The ending was a liiittle weird, though, not gonna lie. 4/5.

Rookie Blue Season 1 (2010 – 2015)

“My mom taught me that success is 90% luck. 10% timing.”

We finished season one of this show so far. This cop show is set in Canada (even though they never mention that and are extremely vague on where it’s actually set. They mention from time to time different towns and in one episode in season 2, they mention being a ‘horse cop’ which is pretty funny) and it’s a’ight. It’s nothing to write home aboot.

It might be because it’s an older show and maybe harder to relate to what’s going on or due to the fact that there’s only like 3 likeable characters, but I sometimes get a bit bored watching this show.

There are sometimes things that don’t make sense or add up, but the cop part of the show is pretty cool. If you want a better Rookie cop show, I suggest watching The Rookie. 3/5.

Doctor Who (2005 -)

“Don’t Blink. Blink and you’re dead. Don’t turn your back. Don’t look away. And don’t Blink. Good Luck.”

We finished the third season this month. I’ve watched Doctor Who previously and have always been in love with it. I stopped watching once Peter Capaldi came in because it just seemed to be too dark, especially after Matt Smith’s performance as the Eleventh Doctor, but I’m hoping to get through that season with my fiancé.

For anyone who might not know, Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show centred around a time-travelling alien who saves the galaxy from other aliens and cyborgs. He usually travels with a companion and regenerates every few seasons, meaning it’s been a multitude of talented actors playing the role.

We didn’t watch the first season as he was eager to see David Tennant (I mean who wouldn’t be), so he gets a little confused. He also forgets that one episode doesn’t necessarily follow on another, and that confuses him a little too. The closest he’s ever come to sci-fi is Star Wars, so it’s a bit of an adjustment for him. I loved getting to watch the ‘Blink’ episode again as it’s my all time favourite. And I’m excited for my fiance to meet Donna and River Song and Amy and Rory.

4/5, mainly because Martha is annoying.

Steve Jobs (2015)

“You can’t write code. You’re not an engineer. You’re not a designer. You can’t put a hammer to a nail. I built the circuit board! The graphical interface was stolen from Xerox Park! Jeff Raskin was the leader of the Mac team before you threw him off his own project! Everything– Someone else designed the box! So how come ten times in a day I read Steve Jobs is a genius? What do you do?”

So, I’ve been on a Steve Jobs movie-watching binge this year despite my absolute hatred for Steve Jobs and all things Apple. Like, seriously, what did he do? But, as they say, know thy enemy and whatnot.

I actually enjoyed this one more than the Ashton Kutcher one. The fact that the entire movie was shot backstage of three of his different press releases was cinematic genius.

The connection and turmoil that he has with his daughter, which they showed in this movie, was also very sweet. I’d be interested in reading her biography to uncover her actual relationship with her parents and not just what the movies show.

All in all, 4/5.

Tetris (2023)

“Mr. Rogers, I don’t have right to receive money from my game.”

This movie was just brilliant. It was refreshing to watch a biopic where the businessman wasn’t stealing an idea from someone else (I’m looking at you, owner of McDonald’s), but instead was actually wanting to pay for it and do things by the book.

Obviously, with all biopics, you have to take it with a grain of salt. Things are often glamorized to make the film more interesting. However, from what I gathered, not much was changed in this movie.

The movie stars Taron Egerton who plays a Dutch man who helps bring Tetris to the world. The whole movie centres around the creation and development of Tetris, including how Taron Egerton’s character had to travel to Communist Russia to negotiate the game’s release. 5/5.

Shazam: Fury of the Gods (2023)

“Yet, the unicorn does not love you.”

Now, I loved the first Shazam movie. I prefer my superhero movies with some humour, which is why I’m such a diehard Marvel fan (although these days, their humour has become more cringey than actually funny). I thought the first Shazam was hilarious, it was literally the first DC movie I enjoyed that wasn’t all dark and grungy.

This one, on the other hand, did not hit the mark for me. I love Zachary Levi, but I felt that he was too childish in this movie. The character’s kid versions did not match the character’s ‘adult’ versions. Teenage Billy Batson was more mature than Zachary Levi’s Shazam.

The villains in the movie were very easily forgettable, and I’m sure all I’ll probably remember in a few years’ time is Adam Brody. I could never forget Adam Brody.

Anyway, maybe like a 2.5/5

Cocaine Bear (2023)

“Don’t panic. If it’s black fight back. If it’s brown. Lay down.”

I was actually, again, very surprised by this one. I went in with the impression that it was just going to be chocked full of dumb humour and ample amounts of gore.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There was an ample amount of gore, which got to me. But it actually had a relatively good storyline and there’s some funny bits in it too. 4/5.

Chocolat (2000)

“But still the clever north wind was not satisfied. It spoke to Vianne of towns yet to be visited, friends in need yet to be discovered, battles yet to be fought…”

“Chocolat” is a 2000’s romance based on a book of the same name. The story revolves around a strong-willed woman, Vianne Rocher, who decides to open a chocolate shop in a small town in France in the middle on Lent, causing tension between her and the traditionalist village mayor.

This movie had a sweet cast of characters, including the likes of Judy Dench and Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp’s character OMG! He had the ragged, suave, traveling gypsy thing going on and it was very sexy.

The movie effectively portrayed how food can bring people together and make people happy. All in all, 4/5.

Scream (2023)

“You know, you’re like the tenth guy to try this, right? It never works out for the dips**t in the mask”

Okay, strap in for this one, it’s a doozy. Spoiler warning because your girl has THOUGHTS.

For those who might not know, and maybe I can convince you to watch them, the Scream movies started back in 1996, surrounding a high school girl living in a small town called Woodsboro, where a masked killer called Ghostface is targeting her and her friends as they try and figure out who’s behind the mask.

I absolutely love the Scream franchise and have since I was a kid. I mean it’s a horror movie about people who are obsessed with movies. What’s not to love? I also love the fact that they’re bringing them back. This one pushed the norm by allowing for three villains rather than the standard two. This standardization was only deviated from once before, in Scream 3 when we had only one killer (as far as we know).

I’m also starting to notice a pattern. In Scream 1, the killer was boyfriend and friend. Scream remake, killer was boyfriend and friend. Scream 2, killer was family member of previous killer wanting revenge. Scream remake 2, killer was family members of previous killer and wanting revenge. Does this mean Scream 7 killer will be somehow related to the main characters? Does this mean Scream 8 killer will be actual family member of main character wanting fame and glory? What does it all mean??

Anyway, all that said, I will probably always love the Scream movies. They never fail to keep me on the edge of my seat. And you know we love meta humour and movies that are dripping in self-awareness. (Not to be confused with awe-ness, which this movie absolutely has. My South African peeps will get it.) Solid 5/5.