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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Review)

It's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has expanded into the multiverse, with Disney+ series like Loki  and What If...?  as well as last year's blockbuster film  Spider-Man: No Way Home  directly dealing with the concept. The multiversal direction that the MCU is going in has only been further cemented with the release recent of  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness  (henceforth referred to as  Doctor Strange 2 ), which sees Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as the titular hero. To save the multiverse from an old friend-turned-foe, the Master of the Mystic Arts and one-time Sorcerer Supreme must cross the border between worlds so without further ado, let's dive in. REVIEW (SPOILER ALERT) Introduction : Doctor Strange 2  more or less picks up after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home , which saw Doctor Stephen Strange assisting the wallcrawler with a multiversal disaster. Strange now continues his job as one of Earth...

The Witch's Diner (Initial Thoughts)

Fantasy dramas are always fun to watch, giving viewers an escape from the monotony of the real world. At the same time, the most interesting entries in the fantasy genre oftentimes have just enough realism thrown in to make for an engaging story. This is the case for  The Witch's Diner  (or directly translated to Come to the Witch's Restaurant ), an 8-episode web series that was met with strong viewer reception. Based on a novel of the same name by Goo Sang-hee, demands for a season 2 have seen this drama moved to television, where it'll begin airing on 5 Jan. Starring Song Ji-hyo  ( Lovely Horribly ,  Was It Love? ) and  Nam Ji-hyun  ( Suspicious Partner ,  365: Repeat the Year ) as female leads JO HEE-RA and JEONG JIN respectively, the first episode has been pretty intriguing thus far so let's get right to it.  INITIAL THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS (SPOILER ALERT) As the drama's title suggests, this show revolves around a witch's diner, namely one run b...

Check Out the Event (Series Retrospect)

Sometimes I think it's a genius move to have shorter dramas, since many normal length 16 episode dramas tend to drag a bit near the end. With only 4 episodes, Check Out the Event  blitzes through its story, giving us little filler and tying up plotlines just as fast as they're introduced. This gives us a simple drama complete with all the usual tropes, and an ending that generally leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. So, to start off the new year, let's talk about this special drama.  SERIES RETROSPECT AND REVIEW (SPOILER ALERT) As mentioned in my initial thoughts post, most of the drama focuses on the love story of leads Song-yi and Do-kyum, who spend most of the time at loggerheads with each other. Do-kyum has broken up with Song-yi for no apparent reason and starts to act extremely cold and distant to her, even though he's still obviously very much in love with her. Over time, we find out the true cause to this 180 degree emotional change. Do-kyum is part of an indie b...

Check Out the Event (Initial Thoughts)

It's been ages since my last K-drama, more than 3 months to be exact. But since 2021 is coming to a close, I felt it would be nice to maybe finish one more drama before the year is up. That decision has brought me to  Check Out the Event , a 4-episode special that won the 2020 MBC Scenario Contest. Starring Girls' Day's  Bang Min-ah  ( Beautiful Gong Shim ,  My Absolute Boyfriend ) as female lead HA SONG-YI and  Kwon Hwa-woon  ( Doctor John ,  Mouse ) as male lead PARK DO-KYUM, this romance drama revolves around the sudden unexplained breakup between our leads and their journey to reconciliation. Without further ado, let's dive right in. INITIAL THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS (SPOILER ALERT) With only a quarter of a typical drama's runtime, this drama has no time to waste in getting things done so things move fast. The first episode sets up the general premise. 28-year-old Song-yi is a coordinator at a botanical garden and is in a loving relationship with Do-ky...

NUS AY 21/22 Sem 1 Course Review

My first semester as an National University of Singapore (NUS) student has been pretty meh. Fraught with uncertainty because of curriculum changes, most of my time was spent glued to my laptop screen because of online learning. Apart from the monotony of what many call Zoom university, I was also a bit confused by everything thrown my way, especially all the courses I had to take. I think that entering a brand new environment is a nerve-wracking experience for everyone and this is certainly true when it comes to university. My blog is usually entertainment-focused but this time, I want to try something different. Whether you're a current NUS student or a prospective freshman, I hope that my course reviews, which I'm looking to continue until I graduate, will alleviate some of your worries and give you a better idea of what's to come. Cheers. Disclaimer 1: As a CHS student doing a double major in Communications and New Media (CNM) and Management, my reviewed courses will be ...

Hawkeye (Series Retrospect)

It's no secret that the MCU is going bigger than ever before, in no small part due to the multiversal shenanigans of other Disney+ series. In such a cosmic environment, it's easy to forget the little guy and more grounded stories, which is why Hawkeye  was such a joy for me to watch. Telling a heartfelt story that reintroduced us to our titular archer, introduced some new ones and brought back some old faces, this series was a pretty fun ride throughout. Without further ado, let's get started.  SERIES RETROSPECT AND REVIEW (SPOILER ALERT) Introduction : Hawkeye  takes place in the Christmas period of 2024, specifically lasting from 19-25 December 2024. After reuniting with his family post- Avengers: Endgame  (henceforth referred to as Endgame ), Clint Barton has hung up his bow and wants to make up for lost time. Unfortunately, ghosts from his past haunt him in the form of his Ronin persona, with his darker alter ego continuing to create more problems for him even af...

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Review)

Undoubtedly the most anticipated film of 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home (henceforth referred to as No Way Home ) has finally landed in theaters. Rounding up the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)'s first Spider-Man trilogy, Tom Holland reprises his role as the titular wall-crawler, with this film being the latest release in Phase Four. Picking up right where we left off with Spider-Man: Far From Home (henceforth referred to as Far From Home ), Spider-Man has to deal with the fallout of having his identity revealed as well as getting himself into severe multiversal mayhem. This film had a ton of expectations riding on it, with rumours and leaks abound, so how does it hold up? Let's find out.  REVIEW (SPOILER ALERT) Introduction :  Far From Home  ended with Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) revealing Spider-Man's secret identity to the world and framed him as a criminal, really messing up Peter Parker's life. Everyone close to him, his best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), girlfrie...