Netflix Must Watch: 'Sex Education' #2

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Hi all, I’m back at it again with another review -you didn’t see that one coming did you hahah.

Today, I wanted to write about one of my favourite series in the entire World, Sex Education the second series. And while I know I’m late to the party with this review, here’s my opinion of how I thought ‘Sex Education’ developed in terms of its storylines and its characters. 

We get to meet our favourite characters again, Otis (who is still as awkward as ever), Maeve (the rock chick who gives zero f’s), Eric (the most caring friend of them all) and Otis’ mum (the most embarrassing parent of them all, with a heart of gold). However, we also get to meet some new characters like Rahim who is introduced earlier on, while Isaac is introduced early on, but his development plays a huge part in the series two finale. We also get deeper insight into the residents of Mooredale High (majority of the teachers, and some of the school kids from last term). 

Last we saw of Maeve was that she left school and had broken up with her previous boyfriend to give things a try with Otis, however as she saw Ola and Otis kissing outside his house, their time hadn’t begun, and we see her working in a waffle-house when Season 2 begins. For Otis, his ‘sex clinic’ with Maeve has taken a backseat as she is obviously not there, but his relationship with Ola has been going well, Otis is trying to come to terms with the fact that his mum is in a relationship with Ola’s dad Jakob, which is certainly proving quite difficult for him.After last season’s climatic finale for Eric, he still thinks about Adam (even though Adam’s dad has sent him to a military boarding school to clean up his act), but Eric is more positive than ever as he is grown to be carefree. 

I love how every single character has developed as we get to see Maeve’s mum and how their relationship is non-existent at the start, but it develops into something strong towards the end, however (don’t worry I’m not going to spoil it for you) towards the end … well you’ll just have to see. Through her relationship with her mum, we get to see Maeve’s more caring said, which we might have seen in the first season, but it becomes more apparent in this one, especially when she is helping Aimee get on the bus (THE MOST ICONIC SCENE OF THE SEASON)!Furthermore, this series explores stigmas regarding sex and sexuality and explores them, telling people it’s alright to feel this way, which gives it an exclusivity tick as I feel every topic is answered/gives people advice.

Otis’s character development starts off slowly, but especially in the scenes with his dad we find that Otis is trying to be a better version of himself, and not an ‘asshole’ like his dad. It’s really sweet as he starts taking responsibility for every wrong-doing he has caused, it just takes him ages to figure it out.

 Finally, Eric’s character development shows him being in a relationship with Rahim, but as soon as Adam comes back he does not seem to know where his loyalties lie. On one hand, Rahim shows Eric it’s okay to express yourself as he is being really open, however with Adam you can tell that this is a more delicate relationship as both characters care for each other, however, one is more open than the other.In the season finale, Eric chooses and thinks with his heart.

 I love this series and I hope you do too  

xNx

Netflix Must Watch: 'The Stranger'

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Hi guys, First and Foremost, I just wanted to say Happy New Year to my MiddlingAround subscribers and thank you so much for giving my blog so much love and support.I know I’ve said this for a while, hopefully I will be continuing writing while I am at University, however you get the gist, I might not post in-between assignments, but I promise to be more consistent this year (this year more than EVER).I know it’s February, but here’s my first ‘Netflix Must-Watch’ of the DECADE (can you BELIEVE IT), so here’s what I’ve ‘binge watched’ whilst balancing my social and Uni life. 

‘The Stranger’ came onto Netflix on the 30^th of January, and I kid you not, when I watched the trailer, I was so caught up in the suspense of the whole drama that I just knew I wanted to watch it in one go. Even as I watched TV (yes, I still watch television even though I’m a Millennial SHOCKER) most of the interviews I watched could not give any details away because it all connected together, which made me even more intrigued. However, I did not start watching it until the first or the second of February as I had just watched Ru-Pauls Drag Race UK (I know I’m not much on the bandwagon am I), and needed something to fit that lonely hole in my heart reserved for television shows, so I decided on watching ‘The Stranger’.

I’ll tell you the complete truth, I was utterly confused at first. The things I had seen on the trailer were shown fairly quickly, but the twists and turns of how the incidents of the residents became connected made me continue watching it.To be fair, I did Google the ending (who doesn’t love a spoiler alert) and even after seeing that I was still confused, this answered none of my questions as I barely knew the names of some of the key characters. I don’t want to ruin the plot for you, as if I tell you even a small thing, it could ruin the rest of the plot for you, but what I will tell you is that it’s a psychological thriller which surrounds an English family.  Each family member has their own secret, which will humiliate them if their secret ever got out. It’s only got eight episodes too, however if that does seem long to you, watch it in two parts like I did, having a two-hour break to clear your head. But it does get you hooked! 

ENJOY :) 

 xNx

Must Watch Movie: 'The Sun is Also a Star'

Hi guys, 

I saw ‘The Sun is Also a Star’ in the cinema yesterday, and I have to say it’s unlike any romantic comedy film I have watched before! 

First of all the cinematography was STUNNING, and it showed New York as it’s not been seen before everything was photographed beautifully. 

The main stars of the movie however are the two actors: Charles Melton (who people may recognise as Reggie from ‘Riverdale’) and Yara Shahidi (Zoey from ‘Black-ish’). Melton (who plays Daniel) and Yara (who plays Natasha) meet as a result of ‘fate’ as Daniel saves Natasha’s life as she nearly gets hit by a car. However, while Natasha is grateful to Daniel for saving her life, she is sceptical as he proposes an experiment to make her fall in love with him in one day. 

Therefore, the rest of the movie sees Daniel and Natasha slowly fall in love, while she is struggling with the fact she may never see Daniel again as she might get deported. 

This movie is not like your typical romantic comedy as  the relationship happens very organically, and doesn’t have the typical ‘romantic ending’ where the characters end up happily together in love. There are many twists and turns along the way, with both characters coming from similar backgrounds, and learning about themselves. 

You will get very tense towards the end as you fall in love with both the characters and the storyline and you get attached to their relationship with each other and their families. 

A huge twist will happen at the end, and makes you question ‘does fate actually exist?’ 

I definitely recommend you watching this movie, it’s such a fantastic piece of work, and it’s nice to see Charles Melton out of his Reggie role in ‘Riverdale’! If you love both actors, you’ll love this movie. 

xNx

Netflix Must Watch: 'Trinkets'

Hi guys, 

It's been while since my last blog post, but trust me I have wanted to write about 'Trinkets' for a while. I binged it in one day and I can honestly say that I LOVED IT SO MUCH. Seriously, it's the best series I've watched on Netflix in a while; and that's saying something!  I've always watched films as I don't believe there are many good series on Netflix (I always want to watch many series, however, they're always too long, or, I watch 1 episode and become distracted and therefore don't get the full storyline). 

However, with 'Trinkets', each episode is 30 minutes long, and the storyline is so gripping that you'll want to watch it ALL. You'll get so attached to the characters and their storylines. Literally, you get to see each character blossom and the assumptions you may have had from the first episode disperse as the episodes continue. You'll just want each character to be happy and content within their lives. 

The storyline follows 3 girls (from different backgrounds) who attend the same school, but only get closer as they meet at a 'Stealing Anonymous' group every day.  Each character has their own issues and we get to see how these issues have impacted on their everyday lives. It also highlights how many people judge or assume how great someones life is, but as we get to see in one of the girls cases, it is not always true. 

This series is spectacular as it has really good cliffhangers, a great storyline, great character development and I hope to God there is a Season 2 as I don't think I'll ever be able to live without knowing what's happened to the characters. I don't want to spoil ANYTHING for you, I just want you guys to watch it and enjoy! 

xNx

Netflix Must Watch: 'Murder Mystery

Hi guys, it has been ages since I've last written a blog post. Thank God I've watched 'Murder Mystery', as that's what I'm going to be discussing today. Let's get stuck in shall we. 

'Murder Mystery' was released on 14th June and it has taken me ages to watch, I have been doing other things, so I think that got in the way. However, I'd have to say that 'Murder Mystery' is a good movie.  I like how both Adam Sandler and Jenifer Anniston are playing a married couple (Nick and Audrey Splitz),  I mean if you've watched 'Just Go With It' you'll understand how much chemistry they have; furthermore, their comedic energy just works. I love them as a couple. 

Anyway, back to the story, the main plot revolves around who killed billionaire Malcom Quince (involving family members). The way that Aniston's and Sandler's characters get invited to this family meeting is via Luke Evan's character called Charles Canvendish who's Quinces' nephew. 

We meet other characters who are also suspects of the murder such as Gemma Arterton who plays Grace (an actress),  David Walliams who plays Tobais (Quince's son), Luis Mendez who plays Juan Carlos Rivaria (a formula one racer), Shiori Kutsuna (Quince's mistress/Canvendish's forma flame), John Kani (The Colonel), Adeel Akhtar (Maharaja) and Ólafur Ólafsson (Sergi ~ the Colonel's bodyguard). 

However, things get a little complicated when other murders are committed and Audrey and Nick are constantly getting blamed for them. 

They have to convince everyone they are not to blame for the murders, and doing that sees them owning up to the truth as well as working together. 

Finally, I have to say that I absolutely loved how this was slightly comedic with a good plot line. I also loved the European locations the movie was filmed at. If you haven't watched this movie, I recommend that you do. Don't listen to reviews saying this movie isn't good, be curious and see for yourself. Only you can answer that once you've watched it. It's such an easy watch as well, enjoy!

xNx

Netflix Must Watch: 'Always Be My Maybe'

Hi guys, 

As soon as I saw this movie trailer on Netflix, I knew I had to watch it. I saved it in ‘my list’ category on Netflix as it hadn’t been released when I first saw the trailer. However, as soon as I came home, I forgot what was on Netflix as I was busy doing other stuff; so when I logged on I instantly clicked on it. Let me tell you. It is FABULOUS. 

It’s so comedic, heartwarmingly precious and annoying at times, (you just want both characters to get together). 

The plot focuses on Sasha (played by Ali Wong) and Marcus (played by Rendall Park), who were neighbours, hence growing up together. 

However, they grow apart and we see what has happened to them as the story comes back to the modern day. Sasha, has become a Chinese chef who is looking to open up a San Francisco restaurant, while Marcus has continued to live in his dad’s house; working for his dad’s business, while also playing gigs in his spare time. 

The rom-com storyline is very predictable as this is where they get to know each other again, and see where their lives have taken them. Falling in love with each other as they do. But, what I love about this is the fact that it’s so comedic and hooks you right until the very end because the plot is less than straightforward. 

Furthermore, I love how great the soundtrack is and I love how it’s main characters are Asian. I love how the media are making movies to showcase the great Asian talent which seems to be becoming more and more eye-opening. I mean we have ‘Crazy Rich Asian’ and ‘To All the Boys’, which are also great movies; and seeing Asian actors/actresses in this light demolished the stereotypes once thought about them. 

I hope you take the chance to watch this movie as it’s hilarious and worth the watch. Plus, a special guest makes an appearance, and to me this makes the storyline even more comedic. I totally recommend this movie to anyone who just wants a laugh, while it has got emotional scenes, the comedic scenes will make you cry with laughter! 

It’s definitely worth the watch. 

xNx

Must Read: 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'

Hi guys, 

This is the first book I’ve read in a while, and thought I’d review it. 

So here we go, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is a fictional romance novel written by Jenny Han. You may know her as her book ‘To All the Boys..’ was turned into a hit Netflix movie; staring Noah Centineo and Lana Condor. 

I digress, but ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ follows the same plot line the way ‘To All the Boys’ does. The main protagonist called Isabel aka (Belly) is head over heels in love with Conrad who is the son her mother’s friend. 

Every summer, Belly and her brother go to ‘Cousins’ a holiday resort and stay with Susanna and her sons (Conrad and Jeremiah). 

During their summer breaks , Steven and Conrad have always made fun of Belly through brotherly banter as she is a couple of years younger than them. However, Jeremiah who is the same age as Belly has treated her as his equal. 

The storyline focuses on Belly owing up to her crush on Conrad and looks at how she has built up a wall to deal with it. This book also focuses on how Belly grows up and develops a sense of realisation. This occurs as all the boys at the house make fun of her, however when she is outside of the summer house, boys begin to notice her; therefore her confidence and self-esteem grows from this. 

While the book has a lot of elements of romance in it, this book also deals with issues of  death and grief. I felt like this really wasn’t touched on a lot, only towards the end of the book. Personally, I feel like it could’ve been dealt with better as I believe the stereotypical emotions took place in this book. If you want to find out what these emotions were, you'll discover what these emotions are as you read the book, since I don't want to give much away. 

In my opinion, I believe the book was my cup of tea as I love books about romance; however I did find it a bit slow and annoying as Belly is confronted with overwhelming situations that she finds difficult to deal with at her young age. I might even read the sequels as the story doesn’t feel as though it has finished yet. I'm sure the plot will get better as the story picks up. 

xNx