Reviews

Fangirl Recaps: 5 Favourites of Agents of SHIELD 3×18

Hello and welcome back to another Agents of SHIELD review! This week I’ll be reviewing episode 3×18, “The Singularity”. And whoo boy, did I love this episode and you’ll find out why. MAJOR, HUGE, CRAZY SPOILERS AHEAD. You’ve been warned.

1)FITZSIMMONS

If you haven’t watched this episode, please don’t read this, because I was so delightfully surprised, I want all Fitzsimmons shippers to be as well.

Ok, Fitzsimmons made LEAPS AND BOUNDS this episode with their relationship. Last episode they kissed and the fandom ERUPTED in joy and hoped that we’d get another kiss this episode. Well we didn’t just get a kiss. The ENTIRE episode was named after Fitzsimmons stepping into the unknown and DOING THE DO. Yes, FitzSimmons slept together. I’ve been waiting 3 years for them to get together and they FINALLY did and I’m still in shock. Also slightly concerned that I’ve been dreaming for over a week straight and that this is all an elaborate game by Marvel and that I’ll wake up and be super disappointed. FITZSIMMONS ARE CANON. I legitimately screamed. My beautiful ship is canon. Also, going on Tumblr after the episode was one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever witnessed. The Fitzsimmons tag on Tumblr exploded with feels and I was part of it.

2) Hive vs. Simmons

Ok I’ve always known this, but Simmons is a badass. She stared Hive down, FACE TO FACE (quite literally) and did not budge. Not only did she reject Hive using Will’s memories to sway her, she SHOT the monster in the chest and ran off. Simmons for the win. But seriously, how terrifying was that scene? He could have easily disintegrated her into a pile of ash.

3) Daisy and Hive

Ok, that is one super creepy, messed up relationship. It’s clear that when they’re together, Hive is not Ward and that he’s clearly a different man/monster/beast thing. But it’s disgusting how he uses Daisy’s desire to have a family to his benefit. Hive is a parasite and I can’t help but get shivers when he’s on screen. Props to Brett Dalton for once again playing a villain with such ease. I truly hope they end Hive this season though. The longer he’s around, the more powerful he becomes and the more Inhumans he’ll collect for his army. He’s extremely dangerous.

4) Coulson’s shield

Ok, so this was a super quick part of the episode, but Coulson’s robotic arm has a BUILT IN SHIELD just like Cap’s! So cool and I also love that it clearly demonstrates how much of a fanboy he still is of the Captain.

5) FITZSIMMONS AGAIN

Yep, they make the list twice. And I’ll tell you why. It’s not just the fact that they’re finally Canon. It’s the way they did it. They talked about their feelings and actually finished a conversation for the FIRST TIME. They didn’t back down or shy away from what they were feeling and they made it very clear that all of it was mutual. I think it’s very important for audiences to see that sort of discussion, because a lot of Hollywood portrays relationship romance from some flirting and BAM, into bed, no discussion involved. This was a very healthy way to portray Fitzsimmons and doing it any differently would have been disrespectful to their 10 year friendship. Fitzsimmons are still friends first, relationship second. It’s their friendship that makes their love so beautiful. Major props to the writers. Beautifully done (claps slowly while crying).

I could literally go on all day about how beautiful all their scenes were and cry for about an hour from happiness, but I won’t submit you to that. I’ll just go watch that episode on repeat instead.

I’m extremely curious to see how the next two episodes will play out on Agents of SHIELD, since Captain America: Civil War will be out this Friday. It’s bound to change their universe somehow!

Anyways that’s all for now folks! Did you like the episode? As happy about Fitzsimmons as I am?! Let me know!

Ciao for now,

Kristy

May 2, 2016 0 comment

Comics Marvel Recaps Reviews TV

Fangirl Recaps Agents of SHIELD 3×16

written by Kristy T

Hello and welcome back to another Fangirl Recaps on Agents of shield episode 3×16! HUGE spoilers follow, so read at your own risk!!

This show has gotten so packed to the brim each episode that its hard to cram my favourites into 5.

1) Hive

Hive played a BIG component this episode and we finally got to partially see his “true” form. And maaann. Is he ugly. Gotta give it to the CGI team at Marvel, he was high levels of gross and squishy. But not only is he gross, he’s horrifying. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Hive makes all of SHIELD’s previous villains look like Dora the Explorer. I’m very worried for our beloved characters, because there is no way they’re all going to make it out alive this season. Also, the fact that he carries around the souls of those he’s killed and can “talk to them” is beyond twisted.

2) Gideon

The writers at SHIELD have this brilliant way of making you feel bad for the villains you hate and Gideon is no exception. He grew up in a weird “hail hydra” household as a child and it’s clear how that can mess you up. Watching his own brother draw the white stone and condemning him to life on Maveth because of him had to be scarring beyond belief. And as much as I hate Gideon, I truly felt for him when Hive decided to give “justice”. Poor Gideon. And poor daughter. I can’t say any more on that subject because I was actually beyond shocked when it happened. I still am.

3) May vs Giyera

I’ve been waiting for May and Giyera to throw down for quite some time. Mark Dacascos (Giyera), is a total badass, knows mixed martial arts and has won various competitions. So I knew it was bound to happen eventually. You don’t cast someone like Dacascos and not use their legendary skill. Well this episode finally delivered the dream. May and Giyera threw down in some epic hand to hand combat that was in my opinion, one of the best fights this show has ever had. Definitely worth the wait.

4) Lincoln

THANK YOU SHIELD. This show FINALLY gave us some depth to Lincoln’s character. I’ve been waiting for some characters development for quite some time, and it makes everything a bit more clear now. Lincoln had some major drinking problems in the past and nearly killed an ex-girlfriend. (By accident). Lincoln’s hesitation to be close to anyone now makes sense to me. The talk that Daisy and Lincoln had finally shed some light on his troubled past and bound the two a bit closer together. I’ve never liked Lincoln and Daisy as a couple before, but after this episode, they’re starting to grow on me. Plus, both being Inhuman, they’re pretty much a power couple. Haha.

5) The dream team

Alright, last episode left our beloved team in a tight spot. Giyera got loose, wreaked some havoc (as Giyera does) and now the entire team other than Daisy and Lincoln are basically in the clutches of Hydra. Time for the dream team baby. We’ve been waiting for the Secret Warriors to finally unite in the most epic of battles and I’m personally very excited to see it all go down tomorrow. I’m especially interested in seeing Joey and Yo-yo converse in Spanish while Daisy and Lincoln look on in confusion.

Bring it on writers!!

Anyways, that’s all for now folks! What did you think of last week’s episode? Pumped for tonight? Let me know!

Ciao for now,

Kristy

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April 19, 2016 0 comment

DC Comics Movies Reviews

Batman V Superman Review

written by Kristin Glass

The My Fangirl Life team went to see Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and boy do I have a lot to say about the subject (along with most of the world). This much-hyped movie is not the out-of-the-ballpark shot that DC so badly needs… but I’m not upset that I saw it. Read on for a Batman V Superman review!

Please note: In accordance with our Spoiler Guide, I have to let you know that there are heavy spoilers of this movie in the following review. Stop reading now if you haven’t seen it yet; you have been warned!

As a whole, I thought that this movie had too much going on and not enough, at the same time. It was moving too quickly and yet I found myself bored at various points. Some of the storylines seemed totally random and unnecessary, and I’m not really sure that they even tied in to the overall plot. Basically, I found a lot about Batman V Superman confusing.

It all began with the artsy, choppy shots that were selected for the end product. I mean, this movie was never meant to be an award-winner or anything like that – why try to make it seem like an artistic endeavour? I get that DC takes their superhero movies in a bit more of a dramatic and serious direction than Marvel, but I think that the greyscale filter and the camera angles and perspectives selected were a little much. The appearance of the whole movie was way overdone.

And the brood-fest that is most of the movie only added to the dull and grey exterior. Both Superman and Batman spent far too much time brooding about the other hero, making them both seem dull. The juxtaposition of light versus dark felt more like a comparison of grey and slightly darker grey. Though Batman can be expected to have this kind of attitude, Superman seems like he should be lighter. The traditional boy scout was portrayed as a less dramatic version of the caped crusader.

I did, however, find it interesting that Batman was shown as being motivated by hatred of those that did wrong, while Superman was motivated by love. It was ironic to see that as the alien, Superman was the one that seemed to be the more human character overall. I think this is a common trait for them in all incarnations but I enjoyed how it actually came across in this film (as opposed to the aforementioned day vs night comparisons).

The plot itself advanced in strange leaps and bounds… and there were many scenes that did not even seem to really fit in or be necessary. Like what was with the Batman workout montage? Why did it happen then? Was someone in the training room a big fan of the classic 80’s training montage and insistent it be thrown in at some point? And was it really necessary to re-show Batman’s origin story? How many people are going to see this movie that don’t know how he came to be? EVERYONE knows Batman’s parents died. EVERYONE. And why did we need all those weird flashbacks/dream sequences that I didn’t get at all? Things moved very slowly but also jumped from scene to scene and back to the previous scene in a rapid-fire fashion; it was tough to follow.

And that brings me to some of the other perplexing plot questions. Perhaps if either of the heroes had spared a thought for what Lex Luthor could be planning to do, they could have headed him off at the pass and avoided the whole gross-alien-mutant debacle at the end of the movie. Maybe instead of judging Superman for something that happened when he first came forward into the public eye, Batman could have started some sort of superhero mentorship sessions with him. I mean, they’ve gone through some similar things and have similar goals; it would make sense to team up to achieve them. What’s so wrong with all getting along, gentlemen?

I really can’t get over the fact that one mention of the name “Martha” was what made Batman decide to be reasonable. In the words of our contributor Mark: “Oh we’re like totally cool Martha bros! Now we can be besties!”. I’m pretty sure they could have found a more powerful way to unite the two heroes… like oh say a giant alien thing destroying cities and threatening the very people they both want to protect?

Other random confusing things about this movie that I really want to mention:

Why did the guy with no legs decide to send his paycheques back to Wayne Enterprises with mean notes on them? Because he was mad at Superman? What exactly was this accomplishing?
What was Lex even doing when creating that giant alien? Maybe it was just me, but I don’t know what his goals were with that at all. Just to destroy the world? I guess that works.
How exactly was there a live broadcast of what was happening on Wonder Woman’s airplane? And also, doesn’t it seem like the things going on in that city would be reason to ground any air traffic?

And on that note, my favourite part of the movie was Wonder Woman! The mention of all potential Justice League founders was great… although, as a very casual superhero fan, I did not get the Flash reference earlier in the film… we had to retell all of Batman’s origins yet we couldn’t have had some sort of “Hey! It’s the Flash!” shoutout. But back to Wonder Woman! She is just so darn cool and I’m incredibly excited about the fact that she has her very own movie in the works. When she jumped into that final battle, it just amped up all the excitement for me. The way she fearlessly took on Doomsday with flying leaps to rival any hero… perhaps she is the female cinematic superhero we’ve been waiting for!

There were many perplexing things that happened in this movie that I don’t have the time or energy to mention here, but I think the overall takeaway from this is that at the very least it is a giant ad for Wonder Woman. I can’t wait to see more of her story!

To sum it all up, here is my rating of the Batman V Superman movie based on our My Fangirl Life Rating System:

5 out of 10 feels: ?￰ﾟﾤﾔ?￰ﾟﾘﾱ?￰ﾟﾏﾻ⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️

What did you think? Have you done a Batman V Superman review? Share in the comments!

Cheers,

Image Sources: Wonder Woman, Featured Image

March 26, 2016 0 comment

Marvel Recaps Reviews TV

Fangirl Recaps: 5 Favourites of Agents of SHIELD 3×12

written by Kristy T

Hello everyone! Last week’s episode of SHIELD was another good one. We got a few more insights into the mind of Hive, and some major story plots have been setup. I think from here-on-out, the show is going to be super fast-paced. Hold on tight! There are SPOILERS up ahead, so read at your own risk!!

Alright, there were some awesome parts of this episode and I had to narrow down my favourites, which is always tough with SHIELD. Here we go, my 5 favourites are:

1) FitzSimmons are FitzSimmonsing again!!

Ok this point is pretty clear on its own. FitzSimmons are starting to science together again and this is a REALLY BIG DEAL. They haven’t scienced together since Season 1, aka the Season where everything was all fine and dandy and we had no pain. At the end of season 1, Fitz sacrificed himself to save her, then came back in Season 2 with brain damage. Simmons left in hopes that her absence would help; she felt he was too reliant on her and would not heal with her around. Just when things were starting to get back to normal and Fitz asked her out on a date we reached the Season 2 finale, AKA Simmons gets sucked into a vortex of hell and we don’t know her status or whereabouts for months. Flash to Season 3, Simmons is still missing, Fitz saves her, all sorts of awkward tension, a kiss, and an agreement to take a sort of step back.

So basically, seeing them science together was a relief and reprise from the ridiculous amounts of drama they’ve endured over the last while. It was most welcome.

2) General Talbot

Ok, there were TWO plot twists this episode that I didn’t see coming. First I loved Talbot, then I hated him, then I loved him again. The banter between Talbot and Coulson is always hilarious and I’m glad his character got some time to awkwardly shine. Also, learning about his son was an interesting turn of events. Hope he patches things up with his wife! Have to give kudos to the writers for the hilarious “would you give me a line”. I bet they’ve been waiting to use that ALL SEASON.

3) Creel

Ok, Creel is a total badass and basically has one of the best powers ever. He’s able to turn his skin into any substance he touches, which basically makes him ridiculously hard to deal with. Thankfully he’s on the good side…or is he?

Either way, watching him fight with Lincoln near the beginning of the episode was cinematically fun to watch, as he is truly a powerful foe for Linc, who can usually take an enemy down pretty quick.

4) Lincoln

Ok, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Lincoln has a major darkness in him that we haven’t fully seen yet. There are parts of his character that have yet to surface, and I feel like we’re going to see a different side of Lincoln very soon. They’ve been foreshadowing that he can’t keep his powers in check when he’s emotional or upset and I’m worried he’s going to do some MAJOR damage to someone this season. And it may be one of the good guys. Writers don’t typically give scenes for the sake of having scenes (they’re calculated and always have something to do with the overall plot) so I’m very sure something will happen. The darkness is coming.

Plus, the whole Daisy/Lincoln romance happened way too quickly and easily and I am totally not feeling it at all. It feels forced by the writers, which is why I’m also concerned that something BAD is about to happen.

5) Hive

Ok Brett Dalton is good. He is so, so good. He’s has had to transform his character three different times throughout the course of Agents of SHIELD and has managed to do it seamlessly. And to see him play a character that absolutely DISGUSTS me proves he’s doing a very fine job indeed. Hive is a monster. He’s a beast that preys on humans for their “life force” (or whatever you want to call it) and downright disintegrates them (or who even knows what exactly). The scene of Hive rising up in that gooey substance will be etched into my memory for quite some time. We should be very, very afraid of Hive. He’ll be the more terrifying villain yet. And I’m almost positive he’ll take some of the core team down before they kill him. *please not FitzSimmons, please NOT FitzSimmons* Kudos to Brett Dalton for such an amazing job, I look forward to seeing more scenes with him, even though I just want Hive to die ASAP.

Anyways that’s all for now! Check back next week for another recap! Please sound off in the comment below! Love it? Hate it? Let me know!

Ciao for now,
Kristy

March 21, 2016 0 comment

Marvel Recaps Reviews TV

Fangirl Recaps: 5 Favourites of Agents of SHIELD 3×11

written by Kristy T

Hello and welcome back! Agents of SHIELD has returned for our viewing pleasure, and it sure came back with a bang! I’ll be reviewing my favourite parts of the episode, with MAJOR spoilers below, you’ve been warned!

My apologies for being absent the past couple of weeks. As with the rest of the My Fangirl Life team, life got in the way. But now I’m back and I’ll be discussing my 5 favourites of last weeks episode below:

1) The Intro

The first 45 seconds of the episode gave us a promise of what’s to come in the very near future. Does it have to do with Captain America? (Most likely), why was Yo-Yo’s necklace in the cockpit? What the heck is going on?

Definitely something to look forward to. I can’t even make an educated guess what that’s all about, so I’m excited to see what the writers have in store for us!

2) Yo-Yo

We’re lucky on SHIELD, we have so many super kickass woman on the show… and we’ve got ourselves another awesome one last week! Nicknamed Yo-Yo by Mack (he gives the best nicknames and also his crush is super adorable), we have another Inhuman on the show. She originally seems as if she has super speed like Quicksilver, but her powers are a bit more complicated than that. I particularly enjoyed her and Mack trying to converse in Spanish and English. It finally gives Mack a bit more personality and gives Joey (who has Spanish heritage) the job of translator. I’m excited to see Yo-Yo on the show in the future. Her dynamic with the entire team is fun and exciting to watch. Also, her and Daisy make a KILLER team.

3) Joey

I liked Joey from the moment we first met him at the beginning of the season. We can see he’s grown tremendously while offscreen and has become much more confident in the use of his powers. He’s a fun character, which is desperately needed on SHIELD now, as everything hurts and there’s always pain. *cough*fitzsimmons*cough* I’m really excited to see more of Joey. Now that he’s officially a member of the team, I look forward to more character interactions between him and characters OTHER than Inhumans.

4) FitzSimmons Talk

Reading this, you may already know that I love and adore these two and they must be protected at all costs. They FINALLY had a conversation about what’s been going on. They FINALLY got it out in the open. They FINALLY just want to start over. Personally, I feel like this was an extremely wise decision by the writers. Too much has happened between them to sort through right now, so they just need to take a step back and focus on becoming friends again. And whatever happens from there, happens. (Please fall in love. Please fall in love.) I firmly believe those two are endgame, as I thought from the very first moment I saw them on screen together. They have a lot to work through and it’ll take time, but I feel very confident they’ll be together. LET THEM BE HAPPY.

5) Ward is Back…kinda…

So the Ward we know and love (to hate) is officially dead. But his body has been taken over by Hive, the strongest Inhuman to ever walk the earth. This should honestly frighten the living daylights out of us because Hive is able to retain the memories of anyone he has ever consumed. He has Will’s memories… and knows things about Jemma. He has Ward’s memories… and knows things about SHIELD that no one else would. This is extremely dangerous information and I think Hive will be their most dangerous enemy yet. We should all be scared. Very scared. Plus, he looks GROSS. That is all.

Anyways, that’s all for now folks! What did you think of the episode?
Sound off in the comments below!

Ciao for now,
Kristy

March 14, 2016 0 comment

Marvel Recaps Reviews TV

Fangirl Recaps: 5 Favourites of Agent Carter 2×06/2×07

written by Kristy T

Welcome back to another Fangirl Recaps! Today I’ll be reviewing my 5 Favourites of Agent Carter episodes 2×06/ 2×07.

HUGE SPOILERS BELOW. You have been warned.

If last weeks episode was meant to be the comedic relief, this week’s was surely was meant to be the dramatic one! Lots of intense moments happened that opened up some interesting scenarios for our loveable (and not so loveable) characters!! Here are my 5 favourites:

1) Jarvis and Dottie moments

The Dottie we all know and love to hate is back this week! And as much as her character absolutely ANNOYS ME TO NO END, I truly enjoyed the dynamic she had with Jarvis. Pairing an intense, totally unapologetic character such as Dottie, with a kind and gentle soul such as Jarvis makes for great TV. Their back and forth banter (they actually had INSANE chemistry) and dance all while undercover was perfection. I would like more Jarvis/Dottie scenes, but now that she escaped….we’ll probably never see her again.

2) Peggs and Sousa

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I LOVE these two. Peggy and Sousa are wonderful for each other. Sousa admires and respects her as an equal, and I think would make her incredibly happy. Sousa has had continuous confidence problems due to his injury and the stupidity of Jack Thompson, asshole extraordinaire. On more than one occasion, he’s felt less of a man than the rest of his counterparts (IT’S NOT TRUE SOUSA, WE LOVE YOU!!!) and unworthy of Peggy (Once again, Jack’s fault. Jerk). This episode however, Peggs is down for the count, as she got ACCIDENTALLY IMPALED last episode. It was refreshing to see her rely on others for a change. And because she took a minute to slow down, she was able to have a moment with Sousa, where he told her that Violet broke off the engagement because she thought Sousa was in love with Peggy. (WHICH IS SO, SO TRUE) They had a pretty intense staring contest and gazed at each other longingly for like 15 seconds and ALMOST KISSED but got interrupted like ALWAYS. Why Marvel, why?! I ship them so hard and hope that one day Sousa becomes Mr. Carter. I’d be down for that.

3) Dottie’s sass

The entire time Dottie was being held captive by Whitney was full of sass. The only effective type of torture against Dottie was something she had never experienced, Whitney’s touch of death! (ok that’s a bit dramatic, but that’s what it seems like!) Other than Whitney, while she was being interrogated, she had all the sass and never backed down from a threat. Being one of the first Black Widow’s, it’s really interesting to see Natasha Romanoff’s sort of ancestor. I’m curious to see what happened to Dottie. Will we see her again? We can only hope. Just please don’t kill anyone we love.

4) Peggy and Jarvis heart to heart

I’ve always loved the friendship that Peggs and Jarvis have. There’s not the slightest attraction between them, they always have each other’s backs, and they deeply care for one another. They also don’t tend to talk about feelings or emotions. Jarvis is shocked that Peggy doesn’t see her own romantic allure and the effect she has on the men interested in her. As sweet as always, Jarvis made a comment that really sticks out in my mind, “You underestimate your allure Ms. Carter. I’m not in the least surprised.” But she is. She’s truly shocked that two completely different men want to be with her and she doesn’t know how to handle it. It was a short moment, but one that sticks out in my memory. Peggs you’re AWESOME and don’t forget it!!!

5) Mrs. Jarvis

I’ve mentioned in previous recaps that I’ve always liked Mrs. Jarvis. She’s a smart, independent woman that can hold her own, which is why is was so horrifying that she got shot this episode by the PSYCHOTIC WHITNEY FROST. We don’t know her fate yet, but I’m guessing (AND HOPING. PLEASE MARVEL) that she’ll live. Throughout the course of this episode, she helped Jason build a containment pod for himself AND graciously cooked him a traditional Hungarian meal, what a woman! It’s also quite sad to admit that I knew something was going to happen to her. Be it the extra screen time, her reactions, or emotional responses, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. And for the very first time, we saw Jarvis a complete and utter mess in the hospital. He’s normally a man that wouldn’t leave his home with a hair out of place, and he looked like he got hit by a truck. That truly speaks volumes about his love for Mrs. Jarvis.

Once again, Agent Carter delivered another fantastic double episode! Did you like it? Hate it? Please let me know and sound off below!

Ciao for now,

Kristy

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February 22, 2016 0 comment

Reactions Reviews Teen TV Shows TV YA Fiction

A Fangirl’s Shadowhunters Review

written by Kris Padget

Last Tuesday was an ultra exciting day on television. We were graced with the mid-season premiere of Pretty Little Liars – with the intriguing #5YearsForward jump – and the series premiere of Shadowhunters, the new series based on Cassandra Clare’s book series The Mortal Instruments. Obviously we are obsessed with both of these fandoms and as the good fangirls we are, we’re dedicating an entire week to discussing these thrilling television debuts. Welcome to PLL/Shadowhunters Week on My Fangirl Life!

On Tuesday we had the pleasure of watching the first two episodes of Freeform (aka ABC Family)’s Shadowhunters, a tv adaption of the YA series The Mortal Instruments. It was touch-and-go as to whether we’d see it at all, seeing as we are Canadian and ABC decided to only air it in the US, but Netflix has done us all a solid and carried it internationally. As for watching the first two episodes… I’m good at using the internet to get what I want, but that’s all beside the point. I said that I had the pleasure of watching the first two episodes, and I meant it. Here’s my honest Shadowhunters review.

For the record (and as per our Spoilers Guide) I will specify that this post is spoiler-free… especially if you’ve read the books. There will be mentions of characters, places, and events but nothing that will wreck the show for you.

Let’s first break down the show into its three basic parts, as I see it: The Characters, The Plot, & The Composition.

The Characters

I will preface this by saying that I love the Mortal Instrument characters. While I find the whole (partially) fictional world Cassandra Clare created for this beloved book series incredibly interesting & compelling, what really drew me into the stories was the people. So I was adamant that these lovable personalities be done right when this show aired.

After the premiere, my opinion was that the characters were still as great as ever, but the acting was leaving a bit to be desired. Everyone was a bit wooden or, alternatively, a bit cheesy. But isn’t this always the case in a pilot? No one has settled into the skin of their characters yet… no one except Isaiah Mustafa who plays Luke Garroway (now a badass cop!) and was acting the heck out of that episode. If that name sounds familiar you may relate to this exchange that happened between Justine & I:

Me: “Do I know him?”
Justine: “He’s the Old Spice guy.”
Me: “Oh fun! Look at him… actually acting… like really acting… like the most of anyone in this show.”

After episode 2 my initial misgivings were already starting to fade. I am a fan of the casting. These talented folks are starting to look more comfortable with their new personas. Plus everyone physically looks perfect for their character and is nailing the attitude. Jace – On Point. Simon – On Point. Izzy – On Point. Alec – On Point. The only noticeable variants I saw was Luke now being a badass (a welcome change) and Clary being less stupid & annoying… maybe even not stupid and annoying at all (a super welcome change). Side Note: I love Katherine McNamara (aka Clary). She’s so cute… and also apparently brilliant & perfect. Ugh.

The main take away is that I like the cast & I want them to succeed, which is half the battle. If people are pulling for you then there’s way more leeway. You can be a bit cheesy here or need a bit more growth there. If we’re on your side then we’ll stick with you until the potential we see has been realized.

freeform-shadoehunter-review-caracters-clary-izzy-jace-alec-simon

The Plot

The start of the pilot is admittedly rushed. I felt a bit panicked as we frantically switched scenes, trying to meet all of our new characters. Wait who is that? Where are we now? Did they just say demons? Shadow World, what? Ok… that wasn’t me. I have read the books multiple times and knew exactly what was going on. But if I had’t, would I still get it? I don’t know (I just said I’ve read the books). Either way I was happy when things levelled out and scenes lengths increased. Even this experienced member of the fandom felt more comfortable to settle in to the story.

I was intrigued to see where this tv show would go plot-wise. Would they follow the storyline of the book? Or would they take the known characters on new adventures? My guess is that we’ll see a bit of both… in the style of Game of Thrones or Gossip Girl, season 1 is likely to be pretty true to the source material with variations as time goes on. It’s looking like this will be the case after episode 2.

freeform-shadowhunters-review-technology

Of course there will be variations too though. We’ll get new side stories, which might be the most exciting part. And we’ll see some concepts morph into ‘more logical for scene’ versions of the original story. Like shadowhunters using technology. Let’s be serious, this is more realistic than the book’s story of them being totally out of touch with the world. Yes, they see the Shadow World but they also live in the actual real world too. Or like Magnus owning Pandemonium. Huzzah for now having a place for the group to hang out. Every show needs it (see: Friends & Central Perk, PLL & The Brew, One Tree Hill & Tric, The OC & The Bait Shop, Chicago Fire/PD/Med & Molly’s, Girl Meets World & Topanga’s, How I Met Your Mother & Maclaren’s, Nashville & The Bluebird, The My Fangirl Life Team & Rosie’s).

Also, Haha Chernobyl ?￰ﾟﾘﾂ?

freeform-shadowhunters-review-pandemonium-magnus

The Composition

There’s not much to say here except that by the end of episode 2 Shadowhunters is kind of killing it. Visually, it looks great. the effects are surprisingly well done. The demons are weird but scary. The seraph blade swords look intense. And the colouring is gorgeous & totally on point. It’s dark but also somehow vibrant. Perfect. What really impressed me more though was the soundtrack. I wanted to download every song that play during both episodes. It was totally top 40 while also being haunting & dark… and fun… Perfect x2.

freeform-shadowhunters-review-composition

All of that is excellent background information (If I do say so myself), but what did I really think of Shadowhunters when it comes down to it? Using the My Fangirl Life Rating System (where everything is ranked out of 10 feels) I give tv’s Shadowhunters…
7 out of 10 Feels: ?￰ﾟﾘﾬ?￰ﾟﾘﾱ?￰ﾟﾤﾓ?￰ﾟﾘﾎ⚪️⚪️⚪️ with lots of potential for growth!

Now all we need is for this show to be wildly popular. So popular that they decide to do a spin-off series set in Victorian London… because any loyal Cassandra Clare readers know that The Infernal Devices is 10 time better than The Mortal Instruments. ❤️ Tessa – ❤️ Jem – ❤️?￢ﾝﾤ️ Will

Love & Luck,
Kris

January 17, 2016 0 comment

Books Reality TV Reviews Tuesday Walk of Shame

TWoS: Bachelor Books – For the Right Reasons

written by Kristin Glass

Vote Kris for The Bachelorette… because socially anxious, kinda bitchy, hopelessly unromantic nerds deserve love too.

Tuesday Walk of Shame is back after last week’s (necessary) Star-Wars-induced hiatus (did you hear, the new movie is “so good“?). I’ve taken over Kris’s series again this week to discuss Sean Lowe’s book For the Right Reasons. As Kris has shared previously, there is a whole library of Bachelor books just waiting to be explored, and we’re here to let you know which ones are most worth reading, as the member of Bachelor Nation you are.

Do you remember Sean Lowe? If you’re a hardcore Bachelor fan, I’m sure you do… he was possibly one of the most popular Bachelors ever (but, you know, the dreamy and perfect Ben Higgins is obviously going to take over this title shortly). Despite the fact that Sean dealt with a difficult season of The Bachelor (aren’t they all?), he still came out at the end looking overall like a class act – which is not usually the case.

But on to his book… as I’ve already mentioned, it was titled For the Right Reasons, and this title was possibly my favourite part of the book. This phrase is one that is thrown around pretty casually and liberally on any season of the Bachelor, and I originally thought that Sean was maybe just being the stereotypical Bachelor guy that he can often come across as by titling his book this way. But within the first few pages, Sean came clean, letting all of us know that he may not have been on the show “for the right reasons”. He originally went on The Bachelorette for a good story and an adventure. He wasn’t closed to finding love, but he didn’t really expect it to happen this way.

Sean Lowe, the golden boy, wasn’t originally in the Bachelor game for what are typically known as “the right reasons”.

This is a revelatory statement as far as Bachelor Nation is concerned. Fans and contestants alike are constantly speculating about whether everyone on the show is there “for the right reasons”. The fact that Sean was so open to admitting to the fact that he might not have originally been focused on the right things shows that this is probably the case for most contestants. Does anyone actually expect to find love on this show? They all say they do, but who really knows. I respect Sean all the more for raising this point. And in the end, does it really matter whether he expected to find love? Because the fact is that he did.

This book was a relatively quick read – especially for someone like me who has trouble putting down a book before it is finished. I can’t say I read it in one sitting, but it certainly wasn’t difficult. Sean shared some behind-the-scenes knowledge about what it’s really like to be a contestant on The Bachelorette, or to be The Bachelor, but he didn’t have the same level of shock factor in the things he shared as Courtney Robertson did in her book I Didn’t Come Here To Make Friends (which I reviewed a few weeks ago for this series). The parts of the book that I actually found the most interesting ones were mostly at the beginning. I really enjoyed learning more about Sean’s backstory and how he ended up on a reality TV dating show. Once he got into talking about the show itself, I found myself wishing he’d be as candid as Courtney was… though perhaps his experience was just a bit more sterile than hers.

I did enjoy hearing about a couple of the small behind-the-scenes discussions that he had with some of the contestants. These were not big moments by any means, but hearing about how he needed to check in with Catherine about faith the night before he proposed to her, or that AshLee had brought up doing a newlyweds show once they were married and this was a red flag for him was interesting. Speaking of which, I find it fairly hypocritical that AshLee’s idea was a turn-off for him at the time (and he gave it as the reason he actually let her go), but as soon as the next reality show opportunity came his way, he jumped all in on Dancing with the Stars. In addition to this, he and Catherine are constantly doing appearances on different TV shows. I question whether he was actually honest about not wanting to be in the spotlight.

Aside from this point, Sean has a very likeable voice throughout the memoir (as he did throughout his time as the Bachelor). I think that this book is pretty much what you would expect from Sean Lowe. It’s not shocking, but it does have some interesting insights into the whole strange experience of falling in love on a reality show, and I enjoyed the look at Sean’s life as a normal guy before he was The Bachelor.

To help you quantify just how good this book actually is, here is a score for the book using our Rating System:

5/10 Feels: ?￰ﾟﾤﾔ?￰ﾟﾘﾉ?￢ﾚﾪ️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️

Have you read any books by contestants from The Bachelor (or any of its spin-offs)? Would you like to review it for us? Drop us an email at myfangirllifeblog@gmail.com.

Cheers,

December 22, 2015 0 comment

Boy Bands & Girl Groups Music One Direction Reviews

One Direction Made in the AM Album Review

written by Kristin Glass

November 15, 2015 0 comment

Concerts Events Music Reviews

Jason Aldean Concert Review

written by Kristin Glass

I am definitely a country music fangirl, but I ended up at Jason Aldean in Edmonton almost by accident. Don’t get me wrong, the guy is great and I love his music, but after our whole “Summer of Concerts” this year – not to mention quitting my job to start a business – I didn’t exactly have the spare change to buy tickets to more live music events.

But as it turns out, the universe is totally down with me going to concerts. If you don’t care about how I ended up there and want to just read about the concert, feel free to scroll down a few paragraphs and keep reading. Because right now I am going to regale you with the tale of just how I was able to attend.

Last weekend Kris and I were out at Cook County Saloon, a fun country bar only a few blocks from where we live. Now, we don’t go “out” often (and we didn’t even particularly want to go “out” on this evening), but we rallied ourselves and made an attempt. It was a friend’s birthday, after all. I have to say, when we go dancing, we tend to go so hard that we don’t even leave the dance floor. This is exactly what was happening last Saturday night, when the announcer let us know that it was contest time!

It was a two-stepping contest, which Kris and I both love to do, but the twist was that the girl had to do the leading. We looked around for the group we had come with, hoping to find some boys that would be into joining the contest, but to no avail. It wasn’t long before we decided to just dance with each other. I knew that Kris would have a great shot at winning because she is really great at two-stepping and total knows how to lead when needed. That being said, we both assumed that they would pick an actual couple to win, so we were pretty much doing it for fun.

Throughout the song, we looked around and realized that the announcer was nowhere near us. We just kept going and were laughing when the song ended. At that moment, over the loudspeaker came:

“And the winners are these two girls right here!”

Kris and I looked around, wondering which girls had been so lucky to have actually been chosen, when all of a sudden, the announcer appeared from nowhere. He was pointing right at us! As he brought us back to the booth to claim our prize, he told us that there was no other couple on the dance floor where the girl was actually leading – and he couldn’t deny that Kris was doing a great job. So basically, thank you Universe and Cook County Saloon for getting me to this show!

And now on to the actual concert:

Kris was unable to attend since she was heading out of town for the weekend, so our contributor Johnny Rico came along with me. We showed up early enough for the opening acts because I knew a song or two from each of them and just love to see these lesser-known artists perform in general. Have I mentioned yet that the tickets we won were floor seats? In the 7th row? If I hadn’t already been closer than that to One Direction this year, I would have been pretty blown away.

The first of two opening acts was Tyler Farr.

Opening Act – Tyler Farr
Burn It Down Tour – Rexall Place – October 9, 2015

Before this show, I knew only a couple of his songs, but also knew that I liked them. Have you heard “A Guy Walks into a Bar”? If not, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a great track, and it’s been all over the radio here in Alberta. Farr got the crowd warmed up really well for the following performers. Maybe it was exciting because I was on the floor, but any opener that has the crowd on their feet dancing and having a good time is certainly a winner in my books. During the last part of his set, he walked right out into the crowd, stood on the arena boards, and sang from there. It was awesome to watch him get a hand to climb up there from a guy in the crowd, and just keep on singing like it was nothing.

Here’s a short clip of one of his performances for you to enjoy:

Next up was Cole Swindell.

Burn-It-Down-Tour-Opening-Act-Cole-Swindell

Opening Act – Cole Swindell Burn It Down Tour – Rexall Place, Edmonton – October 9, 2015

I’d heard a few songs of his and was very excited to see him perform live. What I wasn’t prepared for is the fact that Cole Swindell is a total BABE ?. And from the moment he came on stage to the moment he left, he looked like he was having absolutely the BEST time; I love performers like that. He sang a few songs that I didn’t know but enjoyed listening to, as well as his popular songs including “Chillin’ It”, “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight”, and “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey”. In addition to these, Swindell has written a bunch of well-known songs for a variety of other artists including Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Chris Young, and Scotty McCreery. He treated us to performances of a couple of those songs: “Get Me Some of That” (released by Thomas Rhett) and “This is How We Roll” (co-written with Luke Bryan for Florida Georgia Line). It was really neat to see his renditions of these songs that I already know so well. That being said, my favourite part was hearing him do “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” live, so here is a little clip of that:

I have to say that I think Swindell was my surprise favourite part of the evening. I was certainly excited to see him, but I had no idea that I would become such a fan. After this show, I think his music is what I will be listening to on repeat. And after looking him up on Wikipedia, I think his story is really interesting. He was a “Highway Find” on SiriusXM Radio’s The Highway, and that was what lead to his record deal. Before all this happened though, he spent several years selling items for Luke Bryan (a fellow Sigma Chi member). In particular, I think what made me love him was the way he happily danced around, smiling and pointing at girls in the crowd throughout his performance – his joy was infectious.

And now on to the main event, the amazing Jason Aldean.

Jason Aldean
Burn It Down Tour – Rexall Place, Edmonton – October 9, 2015

It was easy to tell that Aldean is a seasoned performer throughout this show. It was also easy to tell that he had a lot of fun with his staging – this is called the “Burn It Down” tour and there was certainly no shortage of fire! He had flame graphics on the large screens behind him, as well as actual pyrotechnics and real fire. The high point on the production was the end of the show, when he walked off stage while his mic stand was slowly engulfed in flames. It was sick.

As far as the music is concerned, he sounded stellar, just like I always expect from country artists when performing live. I like Jason Aldean and knew several of his songs, but only really the ones that have come out as singles and some of his bigger older hits. He performed everything that I personally wanted to see, plus some extras that were totally enjoyable, including a cover of Bryan Adam’s “Summer of 69”. He was composed on stage even when a fan jumped up to join him of her own accord, and he kept on singing without missing a beat. Here are a few clips to check it out if you want to see what his performances are all about:

So just how good was this concert actually? According to our handy fangirl-inspired rating system, the Burn It Down Tour scored the following:

8/10 feels: ?￰ﾟﾘﾍ?￰ﾟﾘﾊ?￰ﾟﾒﾃ?￰ﾟﾘﾃ⚪️⚪️

The heart-eyed smileys are for Cole Swindell, obviously. The rest of the show was a blast, and I had a lot of fun dancing to the mostly upbeat set of tunes. I love that Aldean carried his guitar for most of the show – it was awesome to see him rocking out on that while singing his iconic lyrics. I definitely recommend this show for any fan of country music. As you probably know, I’ve been to some pretty major concerts this year and this one was overall simpler than many of those, but it was still highly enjoyable.

This concert definitely made me long for Nashville. Some of you may know that I’ve been there twice in the past two years and it is my dream to live there. Just how does a Canadian girl move to Nashville, not at all to pursue music? If any of you can figure it out, please let me know!

Did you see these guys on the Burn It Down Tour? What did you think? Let me know in the comments or tweet us at @Fangirls_Online!

Cheers,

October 11, 2015 0 comment

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