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by Lauren Shippen 

5 Stars

The supernatural tale, ‘The Infinite Noise’ follows the story of Caleb Michaels and Adam Hayes. The writing captures the view of neurodivergent, queer teens, describing the struggles of everyday life. 

Caleb appears to be your average ‘nice jock’ stereotype. Before a certain incident, Caleb would label himself as normal, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. But when he gets into a fight and is sent to therapy, Caleb soon discovers he is an empath. All of a sudden, his constant feeling of being overwhelmed was explained. As Caleb grows into this new ‘superpower’, he takes more notice of his classmate Adam. This leads to a complicated understanding of both their feelings. 

 The main plot consists of this constant struggle to understand emotions, the inability to communicate, and the general teen experience. While Caleb continues his therapy sessions, he learns more about being an empath, how to control it, and others like him. Adam has his own struggles, being one of the only gay boys in his area and fighting depression. As the characters learn more and grow closer, they’re forced to see the world in a different light. 

This beautiful book is heartwarming, throwing you up and down on the emotional spectrum. You will find yourself empathizing with the characters, forming an attachment, and genuinely understanding them. It is an engaging read, slow-paced at first but speeds up as you continue. I believe that anyone could thoroughly enjoy this and find it entertaining. 

This charming piece of work is full of vivid imagery, strong feelings, and everything else you could want. 

Sarah B.

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directed by: Jonathan Liebesman 

3 Stars

2014’s live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, directed by Jonathan Liebesman, follows April O’Neil’s father, who was a scientist, and among other pertinent experiments in his lab were a rat and 4 baby turtles into which he injected a powerful mutagen. On the night of the fire that killed him, young April managed to save the tiny test subjects, releasing them into the night. Awaiting the inevitable attack of the Shredder and his Foot Clan, Splinter and the turtles make a home in the underground, the sewers of New York city—mutating and preparing. April, now an unestablished news reporter eager to have the deets about the Foot Clan’s rising presence in the city, finds herself on a unique path to learning the truth about her father’s death and prior experiments. Meanwhile, she is trying to save the city alongside four 6-foot talking teenage turtles with thorough knowledge of Jujitsu, the names of early Renaissance painters, contrasting personalities, and overwhelming love of pizza. 

The movie tells of brotherhood and teamwork. As for that central team, there’s Leonardo, the leader, Raphael, the muscle, nerd Donatello, and Michelangelo, the jester. The duly movie keeps their traits true to being young, inexperienced, and sometimes rebellious teenagers. On the other hand, as the main character, April was a bit bland in terms of personality. Otherwise, there’s never a dull moment between defining juvenile humour and compelling action. With these, it pairs an effective score, heroic and riveting, that also features a hype Atlantic Records track, “Shell Shock”, to denote the teenage turtle aspect. 

Of course, at first glance, the concept is a bit extravagant—it was adapted from a kids’ comic books series. The bottom line is it couldn’t have managed a better ratio of real and kiddish entertainment. I recommend the movie to ages 12+. 

Chaya J.

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directed by: Andrew Niccol

4 Stars

  In 2011’s In Time, directed by Andrew Niccol, humans stop ageing at 25 and have an initial one year alive. Time is the currency, and one’s funds are the clock on their forearm, a line of steadily decreasing green digits; and “0000•00•0•00•00•00” means instantaneous death. Although much changed when “the clock” started, the disparity between the rich and poor—or rather the poor and the practically immortal—remains. Will Salas’s working-class lifestyle is relatively benign until Henry Hamilton, a stranger of means who’d had enough of life and a genocidal economy, gifts him his remaining century. Then ensues a mission to dismantle the system built on the wealthy’s notion that “for few to be immortal, many must die.” Having the skills of his deceased father, a notorious “time-fighter,” stolen the daughter of a man worth eons, and the “minutemen” and “timekeeper” pursuing them only adds to the challenge. 

The movie is a decent length and plays on the real-world ideology that “time is money,” which makes for a script laced with entertaining double entendres. It does a fair job with the characters. Sylvia, for one, is given a realistic starter personality, allowing for decent character development. This plays a part in executing a slight enemies-to-lovers trope which develops into an even more captivating Bonnie and Clyde dynamic. That being said, Justin Timberlake’s lead called for more charisma and intimidation at certain points. The central relationship needed more authentication, perhaps in the form of little accidental intimacies that distinguish the initial trope and the fate of a certain antagonist. This feels like neglect of an impactful actor and a potentially epiphany-like character development. 

Ultimately, the way In Time cleverly merges two fundamentals and is otherwise compelling—the action, romance, and sprinkle of humour—makes it completely worth experiencing. For ages 14+, I definitely recommend it. 

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by Angeline Boulley

4 Stars

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley is a story of an eighteen-year-old Ojibwe girl named Daunis Fontaine. Daunis has not had the best year, and tragedy strikes Daunis left and right. She puts her future on hold for her family. The only bright spot she encounters is meeting Jamie, a dashing recruit in her brother’s (Levi) hockey team with a secretive past. Daunis falls for Jamie, but he isn’t who he says he is. 

 Daunis has a special place in her heart for the reservation and her family. She would do anything for it. When Daunis witnesses a shocking murder and sees the rise of a lethal drug, she goes undercover for the FBI. Using her chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine knowledge, she will do anything to save her community. It’s safe to say that what she will find won’t be as pleasant. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter is a YA thriller and mystery. Firekeeper’s Daughter is Angeline Boulley’s first book. For a debut novel, it is surprisingly good. I did not have high expectations when reading this, so it wasn’t anything I expected. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am not a big fan of thrillers and mystery. I prefer fantasy, but was it impressive. I loved how I gained knowledge about Ojibwe culture, and I love how this book ties into reality. It made it easier to see life in Daunis’ shoes and relate to all the characters present. It was an extraordinary, intriguing, addicting book. I would spend most of the day reading this book, never wanting it to end. I would recommend this book to everyone, even if this isn’t your favourite genre. This book is suitable for ages 12+. 

Jahnvi V.

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directed by: Reginald Hudlin 

Based on true events, Marshall, directed by Reginald Hudlin and released in 2017, follows one of the most high-profile cases the young but diligent Thurgood Marshall faces in his career as a lawyer for the NAACP. The firm advocates for innocent Black people across America. The case is the alleged rape and attempted murder of a respectable white woman at the hands of her black chauffeur. On the case with him is Hebrew-American Sam Friedman. We witness as they piece together the story and fight for the life and dignity of the Black man whose innocence is being questioned—and not without having to withstand certain racial partialities that would accompany such a case in 1940. 

If not a testimony of “nothing is black and white,” this movie perfectly demonstrates the justice system as it relates to the endangerment and inequality of Black people and the audacity of dishonest accusers. The main characters being Black and Hebrew men, it’s also able to highlight the implications of race in general and personal setting. Through this, the movie also does the character-building justice. But mechanical aspects are also on point; the script, costume, storytelling, and jazzy, alluring music suit the setting. As if there isn’t already sufficient reason to experience this movie, it stars the late Chadwick Boseman, who of course, gives a particularly memorable performance alongside Josh Gad, who plays Sam. 

Marshall is an important and captivating story knitted with injustice, drama, a bit of surprise and an alleviating sprinkle of humour. It also happens to be true to life and history. I strongly recommend it for those ages 15+. 

Chaya J.

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directed by: Guillermo del Toro

2013’s Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro, is set in an age where colossal dinosaur-like creatures that bleed a radioactivity neon blue occasionally ascend, one after the other, from a crack in the pacific ocean and wreak havoc on major cities across the globe. To combat these monstrosities, the nations collaborate in building monstrosities of their own—the jaeger—a two-man machine made of metal and brawn. And they get good at winning. But, the rate of kaiju attacks has increased, and the jaeger program, the only viable means of intervention, is in jeopardy, being deemed ineffective. They need funding. But they must prove themselves. So, they need better pilots. And they need Raleigh Becket, former jaeger pilot, who retired after a botched kaiju mission 5 years ago whereby he lost his brother/co-pilot. Raleigh and the jaeger program also have the overwhelming responsibility of safeguarding the world from a race of prehistoric creatures that prove more organized than they initially thought and continue coming.

This movie is memorable, to say the least—rather sci-fi, action, and military purpose done right. It carries trumping themes of responsibility, courage, and sacrifice. It builds important characters by working past events seamlessly into the setting and incorporates captivating but subsidiary romance. There isn’t much whelm around Charlie Hunnam’s lead, Mr. Becket, but other characters certainly make up for it; Idris Elba gives an irrefutable performance as stoic, authoritative, and to be respected Marshal Stacker Pentecost. The movie lasts a steadily paced two hours in which there’s never really a dull moment, and its riveting theme music makes it feel like an abomination to look away from kaiju-jaeger combat.

“Haven’t you heard, Mr. Becket? The world is coming to an end. So, where would you rather die, here… or in a Jaeger?”

 —Stacker           

Chaya J.

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directed by: Peter Jackson

4 Stars

In 2009’s The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson, 14-year-old Susie Salmon narrates the story of her murder. For most of the movie, Susie resides in an identical but desolate dimension between reality and the heaven explicitly built for her killer’s victims. Here, she struggles to come to terms with her own death while watching her family grieve her in the real world. But Susie’s lingering has devastating effects on her family and the “In Between.” She must move on so that her family can also.

The movie highlights the conflicts brought on by grief as well as the importance of acceptance. It also ends on somewhat of a good note, perhaps encouraging that after the darkest of times, it’ll be ok and life goes on. What’s particularly special about this film—and where it also becomes controversial—is that it also seeks to answer the question as to the fate of the young girls who die in this gruesome manner—at the hands of the vile men of the world. Some argue that the In-Between is too fantastical, and it thereby invalidates their suffering. However, it seems like a rather benign manifestation of our hope for those girls, that they might find in some other life what they were robbed of in this one. For the story overall, it creates a harmony of comfort and reality. It balances the crippling anxiety and hopelessness the film is keen on inducing otherwise, especially since there is a real lack of absolute justice and closure, which almost allows the audience to relate to Susie’s family.

Heartbreaking or heart-palpitating at moments and contrarily hopeful at others, The Lovely Bones is a beautiful and horrific story, not for the faint of heart, and accordingly more suitable for ages 14+, but somewhat crucial.

Chaya J.

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by: Alexandra Horowitz

5 Stars

A wonderful book that makes the world come alive, this non-fiction piece by Alexandra Horowitz follows her adventure in learning about the often ignored parts of the city she walks through every day. In each chapter, she enlists a different expert on a subject to walk with her around the city so as to notice much more about the world, the people, and even her own senses. She goes on 11 different walks through the city with people who study geology, animals, the auditory world, and even one walk with her dog, in which she explores how smells may play a big factor in a dog’s life, as just some examples. Each chapter is short enough to give you an overview of the subject being discussed while still keeping you interested. Personally, I loved this book. After reading each chapter, I felt like I had new knowledge that could help me view the world through a new lens each time I went on a walk around my city. It was interesting to hear the perspectives of different experts, especially when you don’t know anything about the subject. Horowitz writes in a very accessible way, which helped me feel involved in every chapter, even with topics I never thought I would be interested in before! For example, after reading a chapter about the geology of the city, I went out and noticed that the walls that make up buildings almost always have signs of past life (like insects) inside of the rocks, which I would never have paid any mind to previously. Overall, I really enjoyed how Horowitz wrote this book with the reader in mind, not adding complicated terms that lose the reader instantly. A once bland city comes alive with new knowledge after reading this book.

Piper I.

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directed by: James Cameron

5 Stars

The wonderful movie Avatar is a science fiction/action movie that takes place in a world far away from Earth called Pandora in the year of 2154.

Jake Sully, who is a fictional character in the movie Avatar, is a paralyzed Marine veteran. Even though he might be injured, he still has a heart of a warrior. Jake is recruited by the U.S. military to travel light years to Pandora where a rare mineral can be found. That mineral can solve the Earth’s energy crisis. But little did Jake know, the planet Pandora was owned by the Na’vis, who are indigenous species. Jake’s mission was to control and gain access to the Na’vis, who were becoming a big problem in obtaining the ore(mineral). The US military developed an Avatar very identical to the Na’vis. This would help the humans communicate better with them. The United States had a very dangerous plan in mind. They were planning on mining and depleting Pandora’s resources. While Jake was on his entertaining/dangerous journey, he meets a very beautiful Na’vi female, who he eventually falls in love with. Jake Sully faces a hard challenge. He really wants to stay in his avatar form after falling in love but is not sure what to do.

Overall, I would give this movie a 5/5. It has almost everything I wanted. It had action, romantic scenes and it had many themes which I loved. It contained themes such as conflicts between humans and nature etc. I would recommend this movie to ages 12+.

Hasan Q.

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by: Tessa Bailey

5 Stars

Wow. So it was not what I expected from this book. Based on the title, I expected a cute little romance book, but boy, it was so much more!

 This was my first Tessa Bailey book, and now I want to buy them all. I never expected to give this 5 stars either, but this book was just full of surprises!

So to start, Brendan is an absolute catch. He is so super sweet, and I love the grumpy guy act he has going on and how he’s only sweet to his girl kind of vibes. I loved his character. He is amazing and gives these real-world men high standards to live up to.

 As for Piper, she’s super cute and spirited. I loved seeing her journey and reading about her finding her purpose. I love stories that I can relate to. I think everyone can relate to this in a way. Piper finding what feels like home to her and figuring out what makes her happy and satisfied was so touching to read. It makes me think of my life and finding those things as well, finding that purpose in my life. I loved reading about her.

 I found myself smiling so often and laughing when reading. So many moments just caught me off guard. I find it pretty rare that I laugh out loud at books, while this had me laughing and smiling. I was specifically in love with their relationship and how they worked through their problems.

Overall I loved this book. I cannot wait for Hook, Line and Sinker! (Fox and Hannah) I’m ingrained in this book, how their story unfolds. It’s not even out yet!!

 Five Stars.

Kayla

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