Anne, wearing a white dress, with her eyes closed and her right hand reaching up to Wentworth's stubbly face. Wenworth, in his blue with gold buttons Naval uniform, his lips just touching Anne's forehead. It says PERSUASION across the middle of the image. Sparse blades of grass are along the bottom.
Rachel Comedy, Comfortable, Drama, Meh, Movie, Netflix, Romance

PERSUASION (2022): Call Me a Heathen, But I Didn’t Hate It

Allow me a moment to hoist up my petticoats before I wade on into the controversy surrounding Persuasion—Netflix's most recent Jane Austen adaptation—by saying that I didn't hate it. Go ahead, call me a heathen, but I'm generally not a purist when it comes to period pieces and enjoy the inclusion of a little camp, … Continue reading PERSUASION (2022): Call Me a Heathen, But I Didn’t Hate It

A wide shallow river with sand bars that have many birds on them. The banks are covered with closely growing fir trees. In the background are mountains in show. Virgin River is in white letters.
Rachel Binge Watch, Comfortable, Meh, Netflix, Romance, Series

VIRGIN RIVER SEASON 4: Better Than Last Season, But Beware of VRSO Syndrome

Virgin River Season 4 is here! And you know what that means. Yes, it's time again for us to gather round our screens and gorge our eyes on mountains of bucolic scenery, heaps of uneaten baked goods, and oodles of folksy charm mixed with soap operatic drama-rama. Fortunately, this season is definitely not worse—I think … Continue reading VIRGIN RIVER SEASON 4: Better Than Last Season, But Beware of VRSO Syndrome

Against a green floor with a yellow line down the middle, there are similar ornate rugs on either side of the line. An older, well-dressed woman is lying on each side of the line, reaching across grabbing the woman by the hair and screaming. In red font at the top: THE BEST FAMILIES A film by JAVIER FUENTES-LEON. At the bottom of the poster: FAMILY CAN BE A BATTLEFIELD.
Rachel Bliss, Comedy, HBO Max, Movie, Spanish

LAS MEJORES FAMILIAS (THE BEST FAMILIES) (2020): A Deliciously Dark Comedy

Is there a word specifically for stumbling across a movie that delights you in wholly unexpected ways? If not, we should coin one. Then, I would immediately apply it to Las Mejores Familias (The Best Families)—a black comedy about the upheaval that ensues when two intertwined upper-class Peruvian families unearth decades old secrets at a … Continue reading LAS MEJORES FAMILIAS (THE BEST FAMILIES) (2020): A Deliciously Dark Comedy

Against a yellow background and drawing of Roman ruins Lina stands in a red dress holding a cone of Pistachio gelato. Alessandro is to the left in a suit behind her and Lorenzo on the right behind her her. Both are also holding gelato. Above it says Love and Gelato
Rachel Cringe Watch, Drama, Meh, Movie, Netflix, Rom-Com, Romance

LOVE AND GELATO (2022): A Flavorless, Sticky Mess…With Good Scenery and a Goat

Please note: This review is based on the movie adaptation only. I have no prior knowledge of the book. Even if you appropriately adjust your expectations for Love and Gelato to be a just passable coming-of-age, rom-com adjacent movie, it's still kinda a slog to watch. The acting is exhaustingly forced. The characters are barely … Continue reading LOVE AND GELATO (2022): A Flavorless, Sticky Mess…With Good Scenery and a Goat

Against a pink background with white doodled line drawings of things like a laptop, book, to go drink cup, lightbulb, etc, Dimple is standing with her hands on her hips in a brown jacket with the sleeves pushed up, jeans and sneakers. Rishi is seated on the ground with his laptop next to him while he looks up at her. A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES Mismatched
Rachel Binge Watch, Comedy, Comfortable, Drama, Netflix, Rom-Com, Series

Review: MISMATCHED (2020) is an Imperfect, Funny, Endearing & Earnest Series

If you like coming-of-age stories with juicy secrets, miscommunications, intergenerational characters, and will-they-won't-they opposites, then Mismatched just might be a good fit for you. You should know, though, that the series isn't perfectly polished and some parts are pretty rough around the edges, but the characters are engaging and their stories are compelling. There's a … Continue reading Review: MISMATCHED (2020) is an Imperfect, Funny, Endearing & Earnest Series