#seven kings must die review

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

Review of Seven Kings Must Die

I feel like people are going to have mixed feelings towards this film, however I really liked it and I think it did a good job within the constraints it had. Could it have been better as a whole season? Probably. But I think it was still a fitting way to end TLK.

Overall an 8.5/10 from me. I have written a very detailed review (lots of spoilers!!!!) under the cut. It is perhaps too detailed - I got carried away lol.

First things first, I loved the opening credits with the extended title sequence. Loved that it incorporated the original title art alongside movie specific sequences. Also the fact that the music started off different and then went into the iconic TLK theme was great, signalling that the film is both it's own thing and part of the TLK story. I have always loved the way they use the titles as a storytelling device, like how they changed it for season 5 to make Northumbria the 'last kingdom' rather than Wessex, so I thought changing it to have the burning start in Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man etc where the 'kings' in the film were from was really effective. Maybe it's the nerd in me, but I love these kind of details.

Finan doing the voice over was interesting as we've never had anyone else but Uhtred do the narration. It gave a different perspective from what we usually get which was cool. I also like to think that this was Finan telling the story of how Uhtred made England happen after Uhtred's death (I know it was left opened ended, but I personally think Uhtred did go to Valhalla at the end) which is cool as Uhtred always said he would live on in the songs his men will tell of him (thinking about his dialogue with Alfred in 3.09).

I was fine with Ingrith having the 'prophesy'. Yes it kind of came out of nowhere but it didn't really matter - by that I mean if she had not had the vision nothing would have changed, Uhtred was not acting on her advice or took real heed of it, in fact he shrugged it off. Having the prophesy gave us extra intrigue and the twist that 'the woman you love' was directed at Finan and she was the one to die was surprising and I thought well done. I did like that it was the sons of kings that died rather than the kings themselves, especially after the kings talked about how having an heir meant their kingdoms would live on.

In terms of the new characters, I cannot say they were particularly memorable (with the exception of Ingilmundr who I will talk about later). We did not get much of a chance to get to know them which is to be expected due to time constraints. I personally didn't mind this as I think most movies have a similar problem so I am used to it. I think the kings served their role for the plot and I was fine with not knowing much about them. Same for the Danes, they served their purpose plot wise. It would have been nice to have a bit more focus on Astrid (the Dane's daughter who spied on the Saxons) but I'm not that fussed about it.

Onto Ingilmundr - I thought he was an excellent antagonist. He was everything Aethelhelm was trying to be. I think with Aethelhelm in season 5, he felt a bit too much like a comic book villain to me, I kept expecting him to break out into cackles of evil laughter. But Ingilmundr felt more real and I thought the actor's performance was very good. He was manipulative without being too obvious. I also liked how he was the opposite of Uhtred - born Dane, taught Saxon ways and eventually betraying them for the people of his birth (just like how Uhtred was born Saxon, grew up Dane, but in the end chose to serve Saxon kings).

I was pleased that they gave Aethelstan a male lover as I believe it's referenced in the books (I have not read them personally) and I didn't know if Netflix had the balls to do it. I think it added to the manipulation and helped to explain why Aethelstan was so easily influenced by him (as I feel like Aethelstan genuinely cared for/loved him). It also makes the sense of betrayal on Aethelstan's part greater and I thought that was portrayed well.

In terms of Aethelstan in general, I think the writer's did a good job building him up to be the antagonist in the beginning third of the film. Him killing his brother in cold blood after the surrender clearly signalled he'd changed from who we met in season 5 and showed how Ingilmundr influenced him. Killing Aldhelm really shocked me and made me SOB (especially how he went calmly and accepted his fate). As much as I hated to see Aldhelm die as he had grown to become one of my favourite characters over the course of the series, I think his death was effective. It showed that Aethelstan had gone mad from paranoia and how lost he rally was, both to the audience and the characters - it's only when Uhtred sees Aldhelm's body does he realise what Aethelstan is capable of and realises he isn't the young man he had raised.

The change from Aethelstan being an antagonist to siding with Uhtred was a little abrupt and could have been done better over the course of a whole season, but I still thought it worked. Harry Gilby did a good job with the scenes he had, from the denial when Uhtred first tells him of Ingilmundr's betrayal to the acceptance and guilt when he discovers the truth.

The attack on Bebbanburg and the killing of Ingrith and the rest of the people was gut wrenching but thinking about it in hindsight I wonder what purpose it served? They would have still gone to look for their sons regardless. I guess it made Uhtred feel totally defeated and maybe alerted them to the immediate danger but I feel like it wasn't necessary. Ingrith's death destroyed me, mainly because of Mark's acting - that man knows how to sell an emotional scene! His scream and the sobbing was soul destroying. However, what really took me out of this moment was wondering where the hell Sihtric's wife and kids are? I guess they no longer exist?

There were lots of characters that were absent without explanation. This always happens when a series with a whole range of characters developed over many seasons have to condense down into a two hour film - it happened with Downton Abbey, although I feel like the writers of the Downton movie at least gave missing characters reasons for not being there. I didn't care so much about Hild or Eadith as much as I love them as I don't see what role they would have played in the plot anyway, but I feel like they should have at least explained Stiorra's absence as it feels odd she didn't come to Uhtred/Bebbanburg's aid if she had been able to.

I liked the introduction of Osbert and Edmund, although we didn't get much of them. I don't think there was time in the movie to address the whole 'Uhtred abandoning Osbert for most of his childhood' and I guess there has been a big enough time jump to assume they have worked out their differences. I also liked the fact Osbert protected and trained Edmund, it feels like it's carrying on the legacy of Uhtred teaching and protecting Edward.

I was glad that Eadgifu's characterisation was the same as in season 5 despite the change in actress. Her friendship with Uhtred was a surprise but worked well.

We didn't get a whole lot of Finan and Sihtric which was sad but was what I expected. There really wasn't time for side plots which means Finan's past is reserved for fanfic alone. I did like how they inferred Finan was getting older (falling asleep, sore arse etc) which at least acknowledges the fact that these guys should be like 80 by now lmao.

As always in TLK they travelled across the country in what seemed like no time at all - however I feel like although we didn't get extended scenes of them travelling places, the length of time it takes to get to places was acknowledged: when they get to the cave where the residents of Bebbanburg were imprisoned, it's said that Ingrith last spoke three days before they got there, which at least signals that time has passed since Uhtred left and not five seconds like it feels in the movie.

Something both the movie and Season 5 did was show the barbarity of the Christians. I feel like in previous seasons it was always presented as the Danes being the savages that rape and pillage and leave destruction in their wake, whilst in Season 5 we saw in the massacre at Rumcofa Christians doing the murdering and we saw it again here with them slaughtering everyone in Aegelesburg even after they surrendered and the burning of the Scottish settlements etc. I think this gives the show more nuance and makes it less black and white.

The end battle was epic. I loved that it was a return to the standard shield wall which was so iconic in the series but I feel like they moved away from in seasons 4 and 5. The tactics of moving them around so they could attack them from behind was clever, especially as I didn't realise that was what they were doing. The putting down of spikes in front of them was also such a cool idea. The whole battle reminded me a lot of Ethendun and so it feels like we've come full circle. I really thought Pyrlig was going to be another Leofric, but he miraculously survived yet again. Honestly I think this man is invincible - he's been stabbed TWICE, tortured, walked for miles and been through numerous battles. I love Pyrlig so I'm not complaining lol.

I thought Uhtred was going to die laying on the battlefield. I can't decide if I would have preferred him going down with a blaze of glory on the battlefield rather than the ending we got, but it was still emotional seeing him fight on whilst bleeding out. Sihtric and Finan finding him afterwards also made me tear up.

Uhtred seeing the feast hall of Valhalla with his friends laughing together was very emotional and I really liked it. It would have been nice to have seen Young Ragnar, Gisela and Thyra (although maybe Thyra is in heaven with Beocca) there alongside them but I know the actors were probably unavailable.

The fact that they don't specify if Uhtred lived or died was clever, especially with Finan's voice over saying that the chronicles didn't record his fate. It ties into this idea that Uhtred was written out of history, again linking back to his dialogue with Alfred in 3.09. I like the idea that we can pretend that the events in TLK did happen, that the Uhtred we know did exist, just it wasn't included in the chronicles.

I loved that the ending shot was modern Bambrugh castle, showing that the thing Uhtred fought so hard for lives on. Bebbanburg was such an important part of the show; even in Season 3 when we don't go to Bebbanburg at all, it still looms over the show and everything Uhtred does. It's also integrally linked to Uhtred's 'destiny' and as we know 'destiny is all'. The way the camera pans away in that final shot reminds me a bit of the last shot of Season 5 which ties the endings together.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I thought it was done well. As always with TLK the costumes, hair and makeup, stunts, fight scenes and music were awesome. The crew really outdid themselves. I do think that it would have benefitted from having a bit more space to expand on certain plot points and it would have been more effective as a whole season, however, I am really glad we got this movie and saw the creation of England which (alongside Uhtred reclaiming Bebbanburg) has always been the biggest theme running through the series.

I can't believe TLK is really over. I might cry. I will miss it dearly.

[losstboi]

(Spoiler Free) 7 Kings Must Die Review

This will be my spoiler-free review of Seven Kings Must Die!

It felt extremely rushed, given that it was originally meant to be a 6th season of TLK. It basically felt like I was watching a two-hour-long season recap. It didn't properly spend time setting things up, which I felt like the main series did wonderfully.

The rushed nature of the movie meant that not enough time was spent with the characters, which is weird considering this is the last time we're going to be seeing them. Still, as someone who has watched the 5 main seasons of TLK a concerning amount of times, I was still able to connect with our main gang.

The costume designs were on point as per usual, as were the hairstyles. The film, like the series, is very pretty (in both characters/actors as well as the cinematography). Everyone slayed, often in multiple ways. Uhtred's pretty boys continued to earn their nickname as per usual (who's honestly surprised).

There were many lines of dialogue that felt way too on the nose/meta for my liking, but hey, Netflix gotta Netflix. Overall, however, it still felt like TLK. It was another fun outing with Uhtred and his pretty boys and following the antics they get up to after everything that happened in the last season. Still wish they made this a 6th season but in this fandom, we have learned how to make crumbs into a Danish feast.

8/10 Kings

[karimamk]

I just watched Seven Kings Must Die, the epilogue movie of The Last Kingdom and I’m not ready to process 🥲

[voughthq]

Seven Kings Must Die review: A Fitting Farewell

Years after the events of the final season, Seven Kings Must Die is a perfect farewell to a much-loved series. While Uhtred’s story comes to an end, viewers will get to see the beginning of a united England. #sevenkingsmustdie #thelastkningdom #vikings

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5. For a century war has raged through the land between its inhabitants and the Danish invaders. But now a peace has settled with the country nearly united – only Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon), ruling over Northumbria, is yet to pledge his land to the throne. But when King Edward dies the peace is threatened as his two potential heirs, Aethelstan (Harry…

[gamer2002]

The Last Kingdom – Review2002

The Last Kingdom is a historical British TV show that ran from 2015 to 2022 and has concluded in 2023 with a movie Seven Kings Must Die. It can be considered the BBC/Netflix’s answer to The Game of Thrones – HBO’s cultural phenomenon that has disappointed us all. Both shows are adaptations of a book series, with The Last Kingdom being an adaptation of Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell. Both shows are dramas that focus on the brutality of medieval times, their wars, and politics, although The Last Kingdom is not a fantasy show. It does have characters believing in the supernatural, and it has events that are believed by the characters to be caused by a supernatural, but all those events can be explained rationally.

Admittedly, The Last Kingdom does not have GoT’s budget. The entire first season cost 10 million dollars, which was the budget of a single episode of GoT’s last season. And the first season does have some cheap moments, like the spear throw from its last battle, or the repetition of a mysterious hooded figure. And yet, the show manages to improve and retain a consistent level of quality, without losing its steam like GoT did. In some areas the series was better written and has handled the depiction of the dark age’s brutality and character drama in a much smarter way.

The story takes place during the IX/X century’s Britain, and it focuses on a semi-fictional Uhtred – a Saxon heir who at a young age has been kidnapped and raised by invading Danes. Due to inner conflict between Danes, Uhtred’s adoptive family gets murdered and Uhtred must find his place in the world where Saxons take him for a Dane and Danes take him for a Saxon. All while his personal goal remains to reclaim his stolen heritage in the form of the castle Bebbanburg. Fate leads Uhtred to Wessex, the titular last Saxon kingdom in Britain, where his destiny becomes tied with Wessex’s historical king Alfred and his family.

Uhtred is certainly a good lead character. While he is a barbarian warrior, he does employ deception and strategy during fights and battles. While he is a clever tactician who often fools his enemies, he is still a man of honor who stays true to his word. He is a strong lead, who has flaws in the form of his prideful and angry tendencies, and he still grows and develops through the series. After all, the story spans multiple decades. Still, it is a bit silly that Uhtred stops aging at his early 40s at most, though even GoT doesn’t even age up all characters in the House of Dragon. 

What I want to focus on in my review are the areas where the Last Kingdom has stronger writing than the Game of Thrones. During it, I will be more openly spoiling GoT, due to its being a known and abandoned series.

Establishing interesting bonds

The Game of Thrones was essentially Stark’s show, as the story was about them losing the head of their family and getting scattered while losing further members – until the survivors’ reunion. And while Starks were a functional point of view characters, they never were the most interesting characters of their show. Part of it comes from Starks being simpler characters than others, due to their noble and straightforward nature. And while they do change, a lot of interesting things about them still get dropped or played out in a boring way in the final season. Arya doesn’t get to use her face-changing ability, Bran is boring, Sansa doesn’t get much to do with her skillset, and John just simps.

But the other issue with Starks is that their bond is underdeveloped, due to the core idea behind the plot. Only at the start of the series, we can see them all together and their character dynamic. But then, one by one, they leave or get killed off. I honestly don’t remember John’s initial relationship with Sansa or Rickon. There is a reason why Lannisters had to carry the show - the most interesting Stark relationships were Sansa-Arya, John-Rob, and John-Catelyn because those had some conflict (even if John-Rob is a stretch and just boils down to Rob being the perfect son and John angsting over being a bastard). And those relationships don’t get a proper closure. Rob and Catelyn get killed off before John meets them again. As for Sansa and Arya, it was the best Stark relationship, but it is still disappointing due to Arya stopping being a terrifying face switcher.

The Last Kingdom is a show that centers on Uhtred and his bonds with three families – King Alfred’s family, the leftovers of Uhtred’s Danish family, and the family that Uhtred forms through the series. The initial primary characters are Uhtred, King Alfred, and the link between them in the form of Father Beocca – a priest who has served Uhtred’s original Saxon family, when he was a kid, and then became Alfred’s confessor and advisor. And this initial trio does have interesting relationships between them. Beocca is attached to Uhtred, but they disagree on the subject of faith, with Beocca being a devout Christian while Uhtred embracing Norse paganism. Beocca admires Alfred and shares with him one faith, but Alfred is a pragmatic and skeptical politician who doesn’t share Beocca’s optimism. While Uhtred and Alfred mutually try to use one another and barely can stand one another.

This is just the beginning of the series with its initial characters (and not even all of them, like the risen alongside Uhtred into a Dane Saxon woman Brida). The story spans decades, with Uhtred and Alfred expanding their families and circle of allies as the story progresses. And those characters have different beliefs and goals, which causes conflict between them. In time, their shared experiences allow them to form bonds between them, despite their differences. Or not, because not every friend must remain a one.

In short, it is like a Game of Thrones, minus the most boring characters. Uhtred is a man aware of his setting, with self-serving goals, but he still has his noble qualities. This is why watching him is more interesting than watching Starks, because you rather quickly realize that Starks were artificially written in ignorance about their own world, so they could be shocked alongside a viewer who has expected Lord of the Rings. But that trick gets old rather quickly, while Starks never really learn to not be stupid. Uhtred and even Alfred still can be stupid in their way, but it comes out as a logical conclusion of their character flaws mixed with testing them difficult situations. 

Respecting the weight of the death

Both shows are unafraid of killing their characters, often in a shocking manner. The death of Ned Stark, one of GoT’s leading characters, was one of the elements that made his show stand out. The shock value of killing characters and other shock values was definitely the fundamental aspect of the Game’s identity. And the Kingdom is not afraid of providing its shock value. There are rapes, gore, and gruesome death scenes. Characters die, during battle, executed, burned alive, decapitated, murdered, or from illness. But the thing that struck me the most was that The Last Kingdom, unlike GoT, quite often didn’t let the tragedy of its deaths be wasted on just its shock value.

Recall the most infamous killings of the positive characters from GoT. What do they often have in common? When did they happen, during their episodes? The death of Ned Stark, the Red Wedding, and such – those events have happened at the end, as a shocking cliffhanger. If not, the death happened during an ongoing battle, or when there was some other important plot-related sequence of events going on. Pretty much, there never was a significant amount of time for characters to mourn the deceased, before the episode of their death has concluded and the event has lost its fresh impact.

While the Last Kingdom does have its share of similar, abrupt shocking deaths at the end of its episodes, there are also significant character deaths that are played out as a genuine tragedy. The events in the show are arranged in such a way that such deaths happen either at the beginning or in the middle of its episode, so the tied to the deceased characters are given an occasion to be seen grieving during such tragedies while they’re still fresh. This is why I find Kingdom’s important deaths to be more impactful and memorable than the ones in the Game – they are not just here to shock, but also to deeply sadden.

Realism in place of a forced deconstruction

George R.R. Martin has famously asked what kind of taxes were collected by Aragorn, and his book series was written to deconstruct Tolkien’s idea of a good and just king. Putting aside that Martin has missed the point of Lord of the Rings (it is an in-universe book written by Bilbo/Frodo/Sam, and not even the original version, but Gondor’s re-edition), his core idea drove him into a corner from which he yet has to emerge. Ned being honorable, instead of realistic, has cost him his life and led to a war spanning across the entire continent. The problem is that if John Snow is going to fix his father’s mistake and contribute to the Night King’s defeat, it will be due to John being recognized as trustworthy by his allies. And if John Snow fails and the Night King/Lannisters/whoever wins, then Martin will go too far due to Aragorn being based on successful kings like King Alfred and King Aethelstan. Maybe Martin will satisfyingly make his point, but until he finishes his series, he has made no point so far.

As I’ve said, the Last Kingdom also tackles the subject of Aragorn-esque kings, due to having the historical kings he was based on as primary characters, including Alfred’s son and Aethelstan’s father King Edward. There are historical buffs who particularly criticize Last Kingdom for its portrait of the legendary king Edward as pretty much a failure to live up to his father who got lucky and had competent people around him.

But Last Kingdom isn’t about retelling the actual history of England, it is about telling the tale of Uhtred that is inspired by the history. Edward had to be less competent than historically, so the more experienced Uhtred from later seasons wouldn’t have another Alfred to support him. Not to mention, one of the themes of the story is exploring the reasons behind the successes and failures of various kings and leaders. Even Alfred, at least once per season, had endangered his kingdom and needed others to independently fix the mess. Even Edward had his moments where he was the right man at the right time.  

The point that the Last Kingdom makes is that the kings were mortal men who lived and died by their allies and followers. Uhtred’s father was a pragmatic and formidable king, but his close allies have doomed him by their incompetence. Alfred has gained the title of the Great for a reason, but even he wouldn’t accomplish nearly as much without Uhtred and others around him. The historical fact is that Europe has emerged from the Dark Ages, under the leadership of historically known men. Perhaps, those men weren’t as great as has been written by the winners. Perhaps, there were quite a few exaggerations of their accomplishments. Perhaps, there are a lot of uncredited accomplishments of those who have been forgotten by history.

But still, those kings and leaders wouldn’t be victorious over unable to create stable civilization chaos for no reason whatsoever. Like Lord of the Rings, the Game of Thrones is based on the history of Britain, which eventually has united into one formidable kingdom. The vision of King Alfred the Great has been fulfilled, even if he didn’t live to see it himself. But his vision has been fulfilled by those who were inspired and loyal to it, even if they ended up with luck on their side. Or, perhaps, with God on their side.

Vikings believed in Ragnarök and the inevitable fall of civilization. It was an excuse of barbarians sticking to their incapability with any civilization customs and values. But civilization has ultimately prevailed, eventually bringing us unprecedented prosperity in the history of this planet. Was it the Providence? Either way, the theory of evolution states that the better-fit ideas and attributes prevail.

It is unknown how the Game of Thrones’ author is going to resolve his story’s conflicts. Still, in his clear and misguided pursuit of criticizing Tolkien for his overly idealistic portrait of kings, he has to prove he will satisfy his readers without just going into the opposite extreme. Meanwhile, Last Kingdom does show that the kings that inspired Aragorn weren’t perfect like him, but they and the people around them needed to have specific noble qualities that allowed them for their historical accomplishments.

Sticking the landing

Game of Thrones had unfortunately a disappointing final season. The ending was rushed, with the final conflict, despite being a good idea on the paper, being caused and finished too soon. The ending to the series was a fine Lord of the Rings-eqsue ending, which was not the ending for a series whose point was to subvert the Lord of the Rings. The series was supposed to be a mix of Sauron-esque threats to humanity with medieval brutality and politics, and there was no proper resolution to that mix. Either Night King should have won, due to Cersei not wanting to join the fight against him, or Cersei should have won, due to not losing her forces on stopping the Night King. Or, at the very least, not being able to defeat both should be a clear reason behind Daenerys being forced to become the biggest monster and doing the unthinkable. Instead, the fantasy threat and brutal real-politics became ultimately disconnected, while Daenerys flips the table without a sufficient built-up. And then she dies, because we need to wrap up the story within one last episode.

Last Kingdom has two endings – the first is the season 5 finale, and the second one is the movie Seven Kings Must Die. Admittedly, the adapting three books movie does suffer from being rushed. It writes out of story major characters, like two out of four Uhtred’s children. Still, despite, the rush of the movie, the story is properly concluded. The series is about Uhtred’s journey, the shared or broken bonds due to differences, the importance of clever ploys during battles, the creation of a united England, and the inner conflict due to belonging to two different worlds. Both the series and the movie conclude all that in a satisfactional way. The movie villains, despite lacking screen time, are properly established as the last greatest threat. The result of the conflict with them comes from a clever idea that is also delivered dramatically. And the final scene is simply a beautiful conclusion that focuses on Uhtred’s prime dilemma.

I rate the show 8/10, while I rate GoT 7/10. GoT was worth watching when it was airing. It is still an important show that has contributed to the creation of such shows as the Last Kingdom. It is still one of the most spectacular TV series. But it couldn’t finish properly, to the point of going against its mission of subverting expectations about medieval fantasy. The Last Kingdom doesn’t have GoT’s budget, and the final movie should have been a proper season. But its execution is simply stellar, the main character is constantly compelling, and it allows us to learn something from actual history. And, despite the rush, it has a solid ending it has been built up.

Now, there is one thing about the movie I want to discuss, but it is a major spoiler territory. So, read the next part while being warned.

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SPOILER SECTION

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Making gay characters work

Let’s make one thing clear first - making Aethelstan a homosexual is typical LGBT community’s obsession with making historical figures gay or bi whenever such a claim is just marginally possible. While historically Aethelstan never did marry and had no children, which can be explained by him being gay, it can be also explained by him being simply an asexual or sterile. But of course, the LGBT community, in its hypocrisy, is free to assume somebody’s else sexuality, is free to claim that straight people aren’t that straight, but God forbid you deny their gayness. 

That being said. I can find changes to historical figures acceptable when the story is just inspired by history (Uhtred is a fictional character based on a historical Uhtred, who has lived later and is his supposed descendant). And when it does serve the story. Making Aethelstan gay isn’t a bigger historical revisionism than making Edward incompetent.

In season 4, Aethelstan was a straight-up messianic child. In season 5, he was a straight-up teenage Aragorn. While he was destined to unite England, his perfection didn’t fit well with the rest of the series. After all, the Last Kingdom is about demonstrating that historical figures can also fail. Even Alfred had his flaws, but Aethelstan spent two seasons being the godsent future king. The movie makes up for it, by making him spend 4/5 of it as a straight-up antagonist who was manipulated by the villains the entire time, to the point of him killing one the most sympathetic characters in the series. The divide between him and Uhtred is one of the biggest accomplishments of the movie’s villains, something that none of the others has done.

The other reason why I like the movie’s writing of gay characters is that it isn’t afraid to make them straight-out evil. I never thought that Netflix would be so based and redpilled that it would depict unrestrained gayness as the reason for the death of the most loyal and patriotic man who has walked on Britain. Joking aside, Aethelstan does abhorrent things, and while manipulating him and others Ingilmundr is irredeemable. The movie shows that gay people can be groomers and family wreckers, or be so susceptible to such manipulations that will turn against their family members regardless of them being supportive of their homosexuality.

In other diversity titles, to have LGBT be represented by anything but perfectly positive characters is unheard of. But they being manipulative with their sexuality, or even just plain wrong about their accusations of not being accepted by their family members? Such elements, which do happen in regular straight relationships as well, cannot exist in writing about the holy gay cows! And yet, the movie is unafraid to go there. And for that, its writing of gay characters, even if it is a bit shoehorned, has my respect.

Maybe more authors should take notes. Write people as people.

[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: "Destiny"/"The Winter King" (Fionna & Cake, Eps. 5–6)

Airdate: September 14, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jacob Winkler, Sonja von Marensdorff

Directed by: Ryann Shannon (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

One of my favorite moments from Adventure Time comes at the very end of season four's "The Lich" when we are introduced to "Farmworld" for the first time. When the episode aired, this reveal was positively huge, adding as it did a brand new reality to the already complex world of Ooo. The show would go on to expand our understanding of Farmworld in the season five premiere "Finn the Human"/"Jake the Dog" and the season seven episode "Crossover," but even with all those episodes, I never could shake the feeling that there was so much more the series could have done with Farmworld. You can thus imagine my surprise when I learned that Fionna and Cake of all people would be journeying to this strangely normal alternate dimension!

"Destiny" picks up with Fionna, Cake, and Simon landing in Farmworld, roughly 10 or so years after the events of "Crossover." Following the destruction of the Farmworld crown, things returned to their (post-apocalyptic) normalcy, and Ice-Finn (or, as the people in Farmworld call him, "The Snow Man") has grown into a strapping Man-Finn who is busy raising three children (his wife, it seems, has died). One of Finn's kids, Jay, overhears Fionna, Cake, and Simon asking around about the Farmworld crown, and so he steals them away to meet his father. Once Man-Finn discovers what it is Simon and Co. seek, however, he bids them to leave. Going against his father's wishes, Jay sneaks Fionna, Cake, and Simon to the crater where the Farmworld Bomb had detonated, where they all discover the charred remnants of the crown. At this point, Jay reveals that previously when visiting the crater, he had discovered one of the crown's jewels. The final act of the episode is a sees Fionna, Cake, Simon, Man-Finn, and Jay square off against the Destiny Gang and Scarab, who we learn has been trailing our heroes this whole time. After securing the jewel from Big D's turncoat daughter, Simon fuses it with Prismo's remote, zapping himself, Fionna and Cake to another reality just as Scarab stabs(?!) Man-Finn in the head.

First and foremost, I must stress that "Destiny" feels very much like an episode of the "original" Adventure Time. This is likely a result of the Farmworld setting: as a world, it is overflowing with an absurdist energy and out-there characters (e.g., Big D!) that I intimately associate with the adventures of Finn and Jake. And let me know emphatically state: This is not a bad thing. Not at all. I love how the producers have been able to weave the Adventure Time "feel" into something new. It is like meeting an old friend after a long time apart (only for that old friend to get stabbed in the head by a space-god).

OK, but seriously… did Farmworld Finn die? I hope note. If he did, that would mean that Jay's actions were directly responsible for his father getting killed. That's pretty dark. And considering all the bad dads in the Oooniverse, it would be nice if one of the good ones was allowed to live a (relatively) happy life.

Airdate: September 14, 2023

Story by: Anthony Burch, Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang

Storyboarded by: Iggy Craig, Graham Falk, Jim Campbell, Lucyola Langi, Nicole Rodriguez

Directed by: Steve Wolfhard (supervising), Hans Tseng (art)

After zapping away from Farmworld, Simon, Fionna, and Cake teleport to a reality ruled by the "Ice Prince"—an alt-universe Simon Petrikov who has somehow managed to avoid the madness that plagued Ice King. Simon quickly tells his fellow Petrikov the group's goals, and the Ice Prince gallantly agrees to help them by duplicating his own crown. Things are going swimmingly until the evil "Candy Queen" swoops in and snatches away both Simon and the Ice Prince. Fionna, Cake, and Ice Prince's guards dart to their rescue, brutally (but humorously) massacring dozens of hideously mutated candy citizens. Fionna and Cake rescue Simon and the Ice Prince, but once Fionna and Ice Prince share a kiss, the awful truth is revealed: Ice Prince is not some gentleman who overcame the madness of the crown through sheer will. No, he was a self-centered "wad" who used magic to deflect his madness onto the poor Candy Queen… who, as we quickly learn, is just an alternate universe version of Princess Bubblegum. Thanks to fairy tale logic, Fionna's kiss breaks Ice Prince's magic spell, which causes his crown to lose power. He subsequently crumbles to dust and everything he has created melts away.

So far, of the episodes we've gotten, I think "The Winter King" has been my favorite, largely because of the way it explores Simon's psychological character.

One thing that made Ice King’s story so tragic was how Simon, in his original form, was fundamentally a good person, buried deep within the mind of an outwardly "evil" wizard. "The Winter King" neatly conveys the opposite of this situation by showing us an Alt-Simon who, while outwardly "good," had long ago squandered his sense of morality for selfish gain. Not to get too analytical, but all of the good/bad talk reminds me of what the psychologist Carl Jung called the "Shadow." Put in simplest terms, the Shadow is a part of the unconscious human psyche in which repressed, rejected, or unrecognized aspects of the Self are contained, far from the light of conscious thought. The Shadow tends to seal away attributes of the Self that we wish to downplay or dismiss, making it "the home of the suppressed monsters of our inner world," in which "the energy of [our] dark side" bubbles (to quote Christopher Vogler). Furthermore, the Shadow exists as the inverse of our conscious Ego (meaning that, as Jung put it, "when one tries desperately to be good and wonderful and perfect, then all the more the shadow develops a definite will to be black and evil and destructive"). And because it is unconscious, the Shadow eludes easy detection. Nevertheless, its contents can often be ascertained by keeping an eye out for psychological “projection,” wherein a person denies their own foibles and instead recognizes those defects in others.

Now consider this topic in relation to "The Winter King." Let us start with Ice King, a hyperbolically crazy and "evil" wizard. I would argue that Ice King is a textbook of Simon's Shadow made manifest: He is everything that Simon consciously does not want to be brought to the surface in its entirety. The tragedy of Simon is that, while he doesn't often talk about it, he knows deep down that Ice King, while corrupted and warped by the crown, was an aspect of himself. In fact, this entire series feels very much like Simon’s journey to fully recognize his own Shadow.* And the fact that he starting to do this despite it being a painful process is, in my opinion, the clearest evidence of his ethical/moral character. Conversely, Alt-Simon is not like this. When presented with his Shadow, he does not choose to begin the painful recognition process. Instead, he projects it onto an innocent person; he builds up an elaborate "nice king" persona while literally condemning someone for his own sins. It is important to note that psychological projection is a pretty normal occurrence and thus not a surefire marker of "evil" or anything like that. What makes this instance of projection so bad is that Alt-Simon does this fully aware that it will cause someone to suffer for crimes they did not commit. Alt-Simon is like the "pious" archbishop who burns the "evil witches" at the stake all because he cannot come to terms with his own inner demons.

Now that is messed up!

But you know what isn't messed up? The voice acting in this episode. I do not say this to be hyperbolic: "The Winter King" may very well be Hynden Walch's finest performance to date. Her take on the Candy Queen is truly horrifying in a decidedly blursed way. So fundamentally different is her performance that at first I thought it was someone else! Also stealing the spotlight in this episode is Brian David Gilbert, erstwhile writer for Polygon and maker of many a wacky YouTube video. Gilbert's Ice Prince exudes the perfect amount of over-the-top flamboyance and faux chivalry. Both Walch and Gilbert get a song apiece in this episode, and both do a stellar job. (As an aside, have we ever had a true-blue PB song? Does the Candy Queen's song count?)

Oh, and as a quick aside: "The Winter King" features a few short scenes set in Fionna's non-magical world that follow Marshall Lee and Gary Prince as the latter tries to bake something that will earn him greater renown. Going into these scenes, I thought I would have found them a bit dull, but they were quite endearing. It's obvious that these scenes are a way for us to explore how Marceline and Bubblegum got to know one another, but from the parallax angle of a genderbent world, and I am here for it!

Final "Destiny" Grade: A

Final "The Winter King Grade": A

* My Prediction: Simon will attempt to become the Ice King, only to realize that a full-on transformation is not just necessary but ultimately dangerous. Recognizing one's Shadow does not mean you become synonymous with; it simply means that you know it's there.

[cibolasburn]

listen okay i know no one is perfect when it comes to research and stuff and i know that in undertakings of this size it can be hard to fact check everything but i do think its a little funny when a massive review on the accuracy of historical costuming says that a movie (the last kingdom: seven kings must die), gets the era wrong by like 300 years

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb: Arlo and her friends must decide how far they’re willing to go to depose a cruel ruler in this third book in the Hollow Star Saga that’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.

The die is cast. The era of Spring is over.

Riadne’s bloody coup on the Summer Solstice changed Arlo’s life forever. In one fell swoop and a fool’s bargain, she lost both her family and free will to the newly crowned High Queen. Now, with Arlo forced to use her powers as Luck’s Hollow Star to help summon the rest of the seven deadly sins, Riadne stands closer than ever to achieving her dark goals.

And Arlo isn’t the only one trapped in a frightening new role. Her ex-Fury girlfriend, Nausicaä, is determined to do whatever it takes to stay by Arlo’s side, even if that means becoming Riadne’s pet assassin. Aurelian and Vehan, torn apart, struggle to survive on their own.

Meanwhile, Celadon has been revealed as Riadne’s illegitimate son—and heir to both Spring and Summer, the ultimate offense in the faerie world. But the High Prince has secret plans of his own, plans made all the more complicated when the beautiful and deadly immortal Hunter Lethe takes an interest in him…

Five budding legacies will need more than luck if they hope to stand a chance against the greatest adversary the Courts have faced. For nothing’s more dangerous than a faerie tale… except the one who tells it, and maybe what they’re going to need is no longer that story’s hero but its villain.

Review:

A new Queen has taken the bone crown, a prince turned king must plot to destroy his new family, a fury will give up everything for love, and the die will cast a new path for all of them. Riadne is the new queen after killing all of Arlo's family and revealing that she is Celadon's mother. She forced Arlo to be bound to her and plans on reviving all the seven Sins and reshaping the world to her liking. Arlo is determined to find a way to fix everything, and her sort of girlfriend Nausica, fury, will do anything to protect her, even become the new queen's controlled assassin if it means saving Arlo. Meanwhile Celadon is dealing with the death of his family and the reveal of his new mother, and who he truly is and the power he has. On top of that there is a strange connection between him and Lethe, the deadly Hunter who has his own plan yet seems to be willing to do anything for Celadon. This book further explores Lethe's past (he is the son of a titan, Luck and the god of death but was forced into Atlantis to be trained (tortured for years) and his only solace was his friendship with the Moon... who sacrificed their life for his revenge. Lethe has been trying to get revenge and find a way to find his Moon again... and who just happens to bear the same tattoo that Lethe has... Celadon. This book really had the most interesting relationship between Celadon and Lethe, like I could do with an entire book about their relationship. They were the main focus of this book and I loved them. Celadon and Lethe have both gone through so much yet are willing to do anything to protect the other, they're both playing their own games in this terrible situation with Riadne, and I am sat for my Grim and Sunken Kings. Besides them, the rest of the book/couples felt kind of lackluster and a bit slow... the only thing that kept me so invested was Celadon and Lethe. They had the best storyline and the most interesting character dynamic and personality. There is a fourth book coming and I will be reading it just to see where they go with the story and the rest of the characters. This series is a saga, so honestly I don't know how many more books there are going to be. My one big gripe with these books is that they are all over 500+ pages and most of the time it's unnecessary, it truly could be shaved down because the story feels so dragged on and other chapters and events feel kind of pointless..... but anyways, I digress. I'd have to say this is my favorite book from the series so far, it truly is the best of the three and I am curious how the next one will go.

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[finanmoghra]

Seven kings must die spoilers!!!!

soo this is no review i just want to comment on some things like.... WTF AETHELSTAN IS 🏳️‍🌈 IM FREAKING OUT like i was saying a week ago that it would be interesting to see a lgbt character in tlk and then THEY GIVE ME THIS. following the topic, uhtred being such a good father making aethelstan promise he will never get married, cause he knew he wouldn't be happy with a woman

i need to comment about the deaths, first of all: Aldhelm, i was never fond of him in the beginning but eventually i started to like so much (except in some moments of s5) and his death made me start the crying marathon early

now, INGRITH i couldn't believe when they get back to bebbanburg to found out what happened and the flashblack of ingrith telling that seven kings must die and then looking at Finan and saying "and the woman you love" I CRIED SO HARD the realisation of the prophecy made me feel so sad like my man dont deserve this, it should be prohibited to him to suffer, all he deserves is happiness!!!!

last, but not least important, Uhtred. ma'am i dont think i will ever recovery from this death, my heart ache im not lying. the transition from his life to valhalla, i cried like a baby seeing all of the faces there (i miss ragnar 😢) even haesten got me emotional

i missed a lot of faces, actually, from alive characters like young uhtred, stiorra, cynlaef, alfwyn

i'll take a break from sad scenes to talk about something that made me really happy, Sihtric and Finan got more highlights in the movie and i think we never heard so much from sihtric's voice (poor baby) it was a relief from all the angry and sadness seing more of them, and i'll miss them so much i don't know how to live without them.

during the final scene, something hit me when uhtred was seeing all known faces in valhalla and i just could thought that finan will never be able to join them there and that made me so sad because thinking of them being apparted in the afterlife hurts.

that's it.

[reginarubie]

The Dance has begun. I can understand Sansa, as for why she feels so small again, calling out to her real family even more desperately — if only these people knew what was coming, just like she does! And right now she's not that Little Bird, she's a fighter and she won't run. I love this girl and how full of compassion for other people she is. She knows that innocents are going to be sacrificed for literally nothing. Alicent does too, but she blindly prays for salvation because opening her eyes would kill her. Rhaenys does too, but... I mean, this lady has issues. Or maybe she's just THE Targaryen and it is ✨fine✨ for them to think like that. Ugh, cringe bitches, both her and Rhae — Laenor deserved better, just like Symon does, though he's got something better than he hoped for. Ned is saving him just as much he & his fam saved her from Larys. *In Aemond's voice* It's a fair exchange. And oh no Rhaenys, don't you compare Lady Whent to your spoiled cun..ning niece. Ugh, I can't stand her in any universe, sorry. One more proof you got all the characters so well! But enough of the Blacks, my Green boys! Sansa is definitely all of us watching THAT scene 🤣 Despite it's being a fight scene it's absolutely heartwarming and I was happy to experience a better version of it. Aegon and Sansa need to chat more Imao, it's sending me 😜

But Aemond, babe, your plan! It wasn't that bad. Almost as okay as Daeron becoming a king in F&B. However, their loyalty to Aegon is here again to ruin the day. Loyalty is a great thing but did any of you except Niddle listen to Aegon himself? HELAENA MY DEAR SHE'S HAVING SUCH A BAD TIME WITH ALL THIS BULLSHIT. Cousin Ned is there for you to feel valuable 💜 I hope Cole mentions that it was Ned's idea, the crown.

Also... One more hint on the possible third team... The Starks + Firesteel? Would be perfect 🥺 Waiting for the Storm's End. Hope Ned does something to Aemond's anger issues hehe... But even if Luke doesn't die, something tells me the Blacks still won't be satisfied. Either way, may Lady Stark survive them all once more 😈

Ciao Anne!,

As always thank you for your review it’s amazing!

Rhaenys is still a Targaryen to the core and she has her own plan, she doesn’t trust Rhaenyra one bit, but she has her plan and won’t be standing down about it. Her girls need to inherit Driftmark and their children — Laena’s grandchildren — to sit on the Iron throne for her revenge to be complete, also, it felt fitting with the way she acted with the attack to the Sept that Rhaenys would be like “The Realm ain’t my responsibility since they rejected me. Now they pay the price”

Aegon is very aware that he is not fit to rule — maybe he might have been but his issues are all over the place — and he knows Ned is more clever than she lets on, he has seen it, and he’s a little spoiled shit anyway. So ofc their interactions would be fun 😂😂😂 he be like “Where’s ya husband, cousin?” a jab to her and Aemond alike and then be like “Ya know, I know, the Seven know. Are you more attached to reality than these idiots?”

Helaena is a baby and she must be protected at all costs, and Sansa is there for it. In the book it was Alicent and Helaena both who talked Aegon out of full war and convinced him to offer her peace terms. So she’s much more involved than the show made her — terrible really so we’ll see more of her. Sansa’ll make sure of it!

Aemond’s contingency plan wasn’t that bad, and it took into account several issues… still could the Greens claim to be better than the Blacks if they fought an intestine war between themselves? No. They love each other, they’re loyal — never forget Aegon commissioned ginormous statues of his brothers, Aemond never took the throne though he acted as Prince Regent and Daeron actually throw wine in the face of the lord who dared suggest he stole his brother’s crown.

Like Alicent did one thing right, she made sure her children would be united and loyal and true to each other — we see that also in the private dinner scene in the show, Aegon shoulders Aemond in his speech and immediately is ready to throw punches when the Black kids come for them making sure to humiliate them by slamming their face in the plate — 😂😂😂.

Lady Stark is much stronger than anyone gives her credit for, much more clever than anyone gives her credit for and much more good and brave than anyone gives her credit for. She’s going to eat you all alive and make of you all her project to save the North and you will do it gladly because she asked nicely. 😂😂😂

That’s Sansa superpower. Her own brand of magic.

Thank you again for dropping by and for the amazing review!

As always sending all my love ~G.

[aethelredism]

fandom year review asks (if you are still doing them) #10, and #25

10. Biggest fandom disappointment of the year

Already answered but another fandom disappointment I had, if we are being honest, is the sheer number of Emma x Canute shippers for VV. Like I get they are canon but Canute looks like a Tory. He simply does. And he has no personality. Also the show made the very BORING decision to have him be ~mellow middle aged when HISTORICALLY Canute was a 19-year-old ginger milf hunter who could barely contain his boner I'm so pissed about it always. And Godwin is sexy and brooding and schemey and played by DAVID OAKES. But people are like "boohoo he killed her stepson" SO WHAT he looked good doing it!!!!!!!!!

25. Fandom predictions for next year

I fear David Oakes with the good hair is going to pull me in for season 2 of Vikings: Valhalla and I'm going to get obsessed with a minor Saxon plotline that the show will ultimately forget about in favor of more Brokeback Kattegat. I also predict Seven Kings Must Die will drop the trailer a month before the movie like they did with the fifth season and I'll go into a panic.

[beforewegoblog]

REVIEW – THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT BY ALIX E. HARROW

They sing of a red-headed devil, one who fights with strength that borders on supernatural and agility as if a sword were born in her hand. But isn’t this devil, this dervish, just a serving girl? So goes the tale of The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix Harrow. This brilliant short story is part of a continuing series of bite-sized fantasy offerings from acclaimed authors Lev Grossman, Nghi vo, Tomi Champion-Adeyemi, and more. They are described thus, “Some truths are carefully concealed; others merely forgotten. In this spellbinding collection, seven acclaimed fantasy authors create characters who venture into the depths where others fear to tread. But when forbidden knowledge is the ultimate power, how far can they go before the darkness consumes them?”

Alix E. Harrow is easily one of the best short story fantasy authors writing today. If you are someone who looks at CVs, you would see Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award nominations and wins. As this young girl in Six Deaths of the Saint battles as if a sword had always been in her hand, Harrow writes as if she was born with pen and paper. That is why this series of stories, and by extension Harrows is such a decadent treat to read. She had me at The Saint of War, be still my shriveled dark fantasy-loving heart. 

The story’s protagonist is a servant girl on the verge of death, spared by The Saint of War. “Always mindful of the debt she owes, the girl finds her worth as a weapon in the hand of the Prince. Her victories make him a king, then an emperor. The bards sing her name, and her enemies fear it. But the war never ends and the cost keeps rising—how many times will she repeat her own story?” 

There is a unique difficulty in writing a short story; the author must get to things quickly and concisely. The characters must have agency, and be well-rounded in, usually, less than 30 pages. It is a tall order. 

However, instead of world-building, The Six Deaths of the Saint is a deep character story. Yes, there is gore and battle. Ones that are so vivid that you swear you can smell the copper penny stink of blood and iron, but all of the fighting and descriptions of gore support the characters in their struggles. What struggles, you ask? 

I can’t give that away. It would ruin the fun. 

However, I commend Harrow on creating characters that are now on my favorite ride-or-die list in 30 pages. When you read this, you will know exactly what I am talking about. You should give this story a go, especially if you are a fan of Harrow’s other work. 

5 out of 5 stars

Read more of our reviews here!

[solitairecafreeonline]

Klondike Solitaire | Free online Solitaire | Solitaireca

Mastering Klondike Solitaire: Strategies and Tips for Success

Solitaire games have been ruling the gaming industry since time immemorial. The game comes with a number of variants that have been developed with a different gaming strategy. The basic layout is the same for all, but the winning strategies and procedures are somewhat different. Solitaire games are the classic card games that have been able to maintain their allure over time. The game gained popularity in the early 19th century and became the most popular and most-played game during the 19th and 20th centuries.

In this blog, we will be talking about one specific variant of the solitaire games, which is called Klondike Solitaire. Amongst all the variants of the game, this was the most-liked one. The popularity of it among die-hard gamers at the time was enormous, and the vibe is still the same. As already mentioned, there are many different types of solitaire games, such as Spider Solitaire, Free Cell, Pyramid, and so forth. Although their patterns differ slightly, they all share the same fundamental principles. Each one has a different set of winning tactics, but they all become more difficult as the competition goes on.

About the game

All solitaire games have the drag-and-drop principle in them. You need to align the cards in the desired manner and make a set of cards that result in a grid formation. The cards need to be arranged in a specific order, keeping in mind their value and importance. Now the number of cards that can be dragged one at a time in each variant of solitaire differentiates them from one another. For example, in Klondike Solitaire, you can drag three cards, one at a time.

At the highest point of the game, there are four vacant spots. Starting with the Ace and working your way down to the King, each stack represents a different pack and needs to be filled in the proper order. You must comprehend all of Klondike Solitaire’s rules before you can play the game well. Therefore, refrain from taking actions that don’t advance your overarching plan.

How to Become a Pro at Klondike Solitaire

Prioritise moving within the seven columns after setting up the solitaire game before pulling cards from the deck. By carefully arranging the cards that are already there, this method seeks to reveal more cards inside the columns. Additionally, try not to deal cards from the reserve stack too soon because you might need them later on in the game.

Use the hint button to get help in the game if you run into difficult situations. Even though solitaire requires focus, make sure to enjoy yourself, keep your cool, and take your time. The game also gives you the option to go back and rethink your actions. You are welcome to go back and undo any steps you would like to review.

Each Klondike Solitaire game offers different opportunities and challenges. It’s helpful to evaluate your gameplay after finishing a game. Take a moment to identify any mistakes or opportunities you overlooked and think about other tactics you could have used. And remember to enjoy the process as you set out to become an expert at Klondike Solitaire. Enjoy the highs and lows, the wins and the losses, and remember that every game you play will get you one step closer to mastery.

[gchoate17]

I watched 25 movies in 2023 – down from 30 last year. Here they are, ranked in order. 

Cherry

Fantastic story, well told. It covered a lot of ground in a short time and made me believe everything. Despite the bad decision, I never stopped pulling for him. Tom Holland crushed it.

2. Tetris

I love these stories that pull the curtain back on pop culture phenomena. An enthralling sprint from start to finish.

3. I, Tonya

Nice job of showing the other side of the story. I felt some empathy for “the monster.” Also, I wasn’t expecting to laugh, but I laughed multiple times.

4. Dune (2021)

It’s always impressive when someone creates a new world that seems to add up. The story is set, now show me the sequel.

5. White Noise

Intellectual and quirky, but ridiculous, in a good way. But it also feels a little too unhinged. Adam Driver crushes it.

6. The Beanie Bubble

Zach Galifinakis’s best performance? Enough of a true story to give me the satisfaction of learning something while also pointing to the ridiculous nature of American capitalism in the 1990s.

7. On the Rocks

Bill Murray and his character carry it.

8. Barbie

Stylistically, really fun. Concept, fantastic. Kate McKinnon and Michael Cera’s characters are the best part of the movie. It was also nice to see so many actors from Sex Education. Of course, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were fantastic as well. Overall, the was good, but it certainly didn’t measure up to the hype (and how could it). My only real complaint comes with when they have all been enlightened and they name all of the problems with society, which is a little too on the nose for me. We got it without being told.

9. Narvik

I’ve been into Dutch things lately, and I always like a new perspective on World War II, but I wouldn’t say this one is a can’t-miss.

10. Seven Kings Must Die

SPOILER ALERT: I feel like I couldn't get into the movie because legitimately the only person I was pulling for at the end was Uhtred. King Athelstan was a dumbass who deserved to die. All the kings who got duped into allying with the evil Dane guy made the move I would have made. Moral of the story: War is terrible. But that final shot of the Great Hall was awesome.

11. Parasite

Kind of funny. A little too far-fetched.

12. This is Where I Leave You

Weak story, great actors.

13. Air

I know why they did it, but it was a mistake to make a movie about Air Jordans without Michael Jordan.

14. Blood & Gold

I couldn’t buy that what happened in that small town didn’t alert larger authorities. In that way, it was a lot like Three Kings, but less humorous.

15. Those People

I am writing this review months after I watched the movie and even after watching the trailer, I have no recollection of ever seeing this movie, but in my notes I gave it three stars, so I’m putting it at the end of my three-star movies for the year.

16. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Loved the first half-ish, and the acting was great, but – as is with most action mind-benders – when anything can happen because the filmmakers aren’t bound by the rules of reality, it felt completely out of control by the end.

17. The Covenant

Movies that pretend like you can move about freely in war are out of touch with reality. But I do love a battle-buddy flick.

18. Raymond & Ray

A little absurd, but Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor are always likable.

19. To Leslie

Predictable addiction story. Bad Southern accents.

20. Midsommar

A horror film, but replace the dark aesthetic with light. Immature characters who ignore all the red flags.

21. The Wonder

SPOILER ALERT: Eerie and intriguing, but my investment diminished once the jig was up. I don’t buy that a devout little girl like that would just walk away.

22. Greyhound

SPOILER ALERT: Decent action sequences at sea, but not enough background for any of it to really mean anything. Elizabeth Shue needed to come back, for sure. Otherwise, why have her play the role?

23. Dead for a Dollar

I’m a Christoph Waltz fan, but this one was full of melodrama.

24. The Incident (1967)

None of the characters do what they should and there was no payoff. I did enjoy seeing those actors in the early stages of their career, though.

25. The Menu

I want to know how Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and John Leguizamo got trapped in this stupid-ass movie.

See previous years’ lists here: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017.

[cinephilesadeqi]

Movie Analysis and Review: "The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die" (2023)

Synopsis:In the aftermath of King Edward’s death, “The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die” plunges audiences into a riveting battle for the crown, where rival heirs and invaders vie for supremacy. Uhtred, a central figure, faces a profound choice between his allegiances and the dream of a united England when an alliance seeks his aid. Key Themes:This standalone feature film serves as the final…

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Warrior’s Hope by Rebecca Zanetti

Dark Protectors #16

Growing up knowing you are the key to a prophecy and that your choices impact an entire realm – or more – making decisions about what direction to take and what man to choose is a big choice to make. Hope’s story and who she ends up with has been awaited through the reading of several books. She has spent time with Libby, Paxton, and dream-time with Drake of the Kurjan Nation. She feels her “time” has arrived and is ready to take that final step to keep her realm safe, believes she knows what that step is, and then…wonders if she is right or got things wrong.

I was looking forward to finding out how this segment of the story and the prophecy was handled and did find out although I had a bit of letdown. I am not sure if it was Hope being so “young” and seeming rather immature or that one character became even darker than he had leaned previously, or something else. I had a feeling, after the last book, that I knew which man Hope would end up with but still wanted to find out for sure.

This book provides the answer of which man, Drake or Paxton, Hope will be mated to, gives a hint of the work she and her mate will face in the future, if there are more books that they show up in. And my guess is that there will be more books as there were plenty of loose ends left to tie up if the author chooses to stay with this series. What loose ends? Well, enhanced women have a blood issue, the Kurjan Nation has a lot of repair work to be done by their new king and queen, and there are issues I wonder about like the Seven and what they will do now…and then all of the OTHER realms and beings and such.

The author mentioned 21 books written in this world though this is book 16 in the Dark Protectors Series. The books don’t have to be read in order but this book would benefit from knowing the backstory of Hope, Paxton, and Drake.

Did I enjoy this book? Not as much as I thought I would

Will I read more by this author? If the synopsis appeals – yes

Rating: 3 overall

Enjoyment: 2-3

5 because it needed to be written

Averaged to: 3

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical Press for the ARC – this is my honest review.

BLURB

An explosive love triangle comes to its passionate conclusion and decides the fate of battling nations in award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti’s Dark Protectors . . . As the only female vampire ever born, and the heir to two powerful immortal families, Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood has always felt the weight of fate and destiny. Now her heart is torn between two men and two different futures. It’s a choice between duty and love, peace and war, with the fate of everyone she loves hanging in the balance. As the leader of the Kurjan nation, Drake has always known that mating Hope is the best path to avoiding war. He’s counting on her to know the same. . . . Paxton has been Hope’s best friend and protector since they were children. He would kill and die for her without a second thought. In fact, he’s always known that would be his path . . . With deadly factions at her heels, Hope must decide whom to trust and where her loyalty lies—before the choice is taken away from her . . .