stuff by paige

I'm not going to lie, I really had no idea what the heck was going on throughout most of this series, but I did really enjoy watching it. Behind Her Eyes , based off of the book by the same title by Sarah Pinborough, is an extremely suspenseful and interesting thriller. The story follows single mother Lou, who finds herself entangled in a romantic affair with her boss, David, and a secret friendship with his wife, Adele. It is indicated quite early on in the series that not everything is as it seems, and that there is something dodgy going on behind the closed doors of David and Adele's life, which Lou of course decides to take upon herself to try and figure out. There are a WHOLE lot of twists and turns in this show, and I made many incorrect guesses as to where the story was going. The ending was shocking and extremely sad, but also very satisfying as all of the confusing elements in previous episodes finally made sense. The only thing I wasn't too keen on in this show wa...

Escape Room really took me by surprise, and I actually found this movie to be an enjoyable and suspenseful watch. The film instantly hooked me by starting off with a very high stakes scene from near the end of the film, investing my interest in the character and giving me a little taste of the thriller and horror elements to come.  As with most films of this genre, like SAW and Final Destination , the characters fit into the usual stereotypes; the smart but shy girl, the edgy underdog with a pair of fingerless gloves, a rich man used to getting things his own way, the platinum blonde lady who is underestimated, the token smart Asian, and the token fat dude. However, I felt the movie does a good job of breaking past these particular stereotypes with some of the characters back stories and actions whilst in the escape rooms. This film kept me predicting and guessing narrative points, making me feel very smart when I got them right and leaving me gobsmacked when given a completely o...

 "If you don't document yourself it's simple, you just don't exist."  Spree follows the story of Kurt (played by Joe Keery) an outcast individual who aspires to be a social media influencer. Whilst working as a Spree driver, Kurt comes up with a deadly plan to become viral with his account KurtsWorld, with a series which he titles 'The Lesson.'  This social media thriller starts off painting Kurt in a somewhat positive light, revealing that his family is struggling and that he really just wishes to have friends or people who find him cool and want to listen to him, which is a major aspect of how social influencers stay relevant.  I initially felt quite sorry for Kurt, however things took a sinister turn as Kurt's 'Lesson' is revealed - he is murdering his passengers live as a ploy to gain viewers and buzz around his channel. The murders are set up in a prank style format, which makes the one viewer which he does have believe that he's not ...

 Sweet Home is a Korean Horror Drama series which I watched partly out of boredom than anything else, and is a show which I have very mixed feelings about. The shows premise is very promising; a group of apartment residents fighting for survival in an apocalypse where anyone could turn into a blood thirsty monster.  This promise however was let down by the very evident lack of production value in the CGI department, a surprising lack due to the CGI monsters having a significant on screen presence from the first episode. Many of the monsters are reminiscent of those which I have seen in other series or films, however they are not executed even half as well. I am honestly not kidding when I say I have seen scarier and more realistic monsters in a Play Station 2 game.  Alongside this, there is some very bad acting, which thankfully improves as certain characters die off. Despite the main major issues I had with this show, I did manage to sit through the whole thing. This...

I finally got around to watching Season Two of The Mandalorian , which was one of my most anticipated series returns, and I was not disappointed. This instalment follows Mando and fan titled favourite Baby Yoda as they search for Jedi to help train The Child and learn more about him. As with the majority of the Star Wars franchise, this season of The Mandalorian is full of action, adventure and interesting characters.   Each episode follows a similar narrative structure; Mando needs information, he can find it on a certain planet, but the character who holds the information requires him to fulfil a strenuous, dangerous task before he can obtain it.  Although some people might find the repetitiveness irritating, I found it quite comforting, plus if the show was just Mando and Baby Yoda eating soup I would probably still watch it. As always, the planet sets and different character details are stunning. The first episode especially featured some amazing establishing shots, disp...

In all honesty, I had forgotten that Amazon Prime had a streaming service until I started getting advertisements for this show, and was instantly intrigued - sorry Netflix, but it just looked too good. And good it is! The Wilds is an intense and exciting show which follows a group of girls, some friends, some strangers, as they find themselves stranded on a deserted island after their plane "crashes" on it's way to a girl power centric trip to Hawaii. All is not as it seems, and every episode leaves you second guessing characters intentions, relationships and what exactly is going to happen to the girls.  This guessing game is not helped by the non-linear narrative, as the story is revealed through pre-stranded flashbacks, stranded flashbacks, and present day as the girls are interviewed about their experiences on the island, leaving a lot of questions to be answered in the very final episode, and even potentially in a future season. The show does a good job of explorin...

 It has been years since I watched a k-drama, and even longer since I watched one the whole way through. However, I decided to trust my friends judgement when they suggested Itaewon Class to me, and I was... pleasantly surprised?  As you would expect from the term k-drama, the show is literally jam packed with drama, revolving around a variation of high stake themes and expected themes, such as death, violence, romance, business, revenge, friendships and familial relationships. There is always something exciting and dramatic happening plot wise in every single episode, and at times I felt as though I had seen a whole series worth of content in one episode. This I felt was emphasised with the extreme time skips which carry the narrative forward, for example when the series moves on ten years within the first few episodes. I initially started watching the show by myself, however halfway into the first episode I realised my boyfriend was watching over my shoulder. Slightly confu...

I have intended to watch Netflix's The Get Down for a long, long time, and I finally got down to it.  Starring, amongst many names, Justice Smith and Jaden Smith, the two season long show follows a group of friends in seventies era Bronx as they find their passions, purpose, and paths in life through music and the relationships they make along the way. Music is the main theme of the show, with genres such as disco, rap and dj-ing explored by the protagonists. This means for an incredibly lively soundtrack which is used as a tool to navigate the narrative and reveal plot aspects. I have been familiar with the shows soundtrack for a few years, due to being introduced to it by a friend, and this made my viewing all the more exciting as I could sing along as I went. The show isn't all fun and music, however. The Get Down is a complex show, exploring not only tensions and drama in the characters relationships but also historical issues through dark themes, for example: poverty, gan...

 As a faithful Instagram follower of the wonderful Florence Pugh, I was recently introduced to the online mini series Star Force (2020), a parody of Star Trek , which has been placed into the cleverly named genre of "sci-fisolation." What shocks me is that none of my fellow film studies friends have spoken about it! Due to the current pandemic, Star Force has been shot, edited and produced via mobile phones and posted to social media platforms, starring a cast of familiar famous faces, one of the most surprising to me being James McAvoy. Despite being created with a lack of resources which a studio would typically use to make a show like this, Star Force features some decent plot points, humour, plenty of sci-fi driven drama, and of course, a great cast. It's pretty enjoyable, I would say, overlooking the somewhat crude special effects.  Star Trek and Star Wars must be quaking in their (space) boots. Watch and follow Star Force on YouTube or Instagram . ~Paige Nicole