Chick Magnet (2011)

This comedy brings a big surprise to Josh and his family when they move to New York City and struggle to adapt to their new friend.

Viewers get a glimpse of life of mediocrity in a world where humans and cartoon characters live together in this comeback.

This story solidified my choices to consume a more plant-based diet and nearly made me cancel my subscriptions to big corporations like Amazon. The narrative was perfectly crafted and on par with Bong Joon-Ho’s other major works; Parasite and Snowpiercer.

The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.

Overall, The Shining is a great film to watch for its atmosphere and setting. While the characters’ portrayals could’ve been more accurate to the book, they’re all still memorable nonetheless.

Unfortunately, People We Meet on Vacation didn’t hold up quite as well as I’d hoped.