Media Reviews No One Asked For

We are currently living in such a prime era for media consumption and trust me — I am absolutely doing my part as a consumer. We’ve got massive movies hitting theaters, TV shows taking over everyone’s personalities for two weeks straight, and my personal favorite: book-to-screen adaptations.

Now, while yes, all of this is incredibly fun to obsess over, not everything is necessarily hitting the mark in my opinion. So naturally, I have thoughts.

Movies

Michael — ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic Michael hit theaters on April 24, 2026 and overall… it was fine? Entertaining? But life-changing? Not quite for me.

Now don’t get me wrong — the music obviously hits. Michael Jackson will absolutely be back in my regular rotation after this, specifically Smooth Criminal because every once in a while I like to pretend I’m an LSU Tiger Girl (if you know, you know).

But plot-wise, I felt like the movie barely scratched the surface of what actually makes Michael Jackson such a fascinating and elusive figure. Personally, I was way more interested in the later years of his life — the controversies, the isolation, the absolute chaos of fame at that level. That’s the stuff I wanted them to dig into more.

Instead, the movie ended after his second album and I literally sat there like… wait, that’s it?

Maybe they’re setting up for a sequel? Maybe I missed something? Either way, I probably won’t be running to watch it again.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Now THIS is how you do a sequel.

I honestly didn’t think we needed The Devil Wears Prada 2, mostly because the original is already basically perfect and sequels have a tendency to ruin things unnecessarily. But somehow this one completely worked.

First of all, how does the entire cast look exactly the same 20 years later? I need answers and preferably a skincare routines immediately.

The movie did such a good job of bringing everything full circle in a way that actually made sense. We jump ahead and every character ended up exactly where you’d imagine they would be. Watching it felt like reconnecting with old friends and realizing they somehow became exactly who they were always supposed to be.

Like yes, obviously Emily would end up doing that. And Andy? Completely believable career progression. Every choice clicked in my brain immediately.

What I loved most though was that the movie didn’t leave you desperately wanting more. And I mean that in the best way possible. Every storyline wrapped up beautifully, every character got a satisfying ending, and for once a sequel knew when to stop. Which honestly feels rare these days.

TV Shows

Off Campus — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Are we surprised? Absolutely not.

This show is peak binge-worthy television in my humble opinion. And by "binge-worthy," I mean I watched it in two days, immediately restarted it just to emotionally recover, and then started reading the books because apparently patience is not one of my strengths.

I need to know what happens to my close personal friends Dean and Allie immediately!

Also, my GOD do I love a hockey romance. Something about it works every single time. Plus, I needed something to fill the Heated Rivalry sized hole in my heart.

For anyone unfamiliar, each season follows one of the Briar University hockey players and their love story. Season one centers around Garrett Graham—the MVP himself—and Hannah Wells, a musician. It kind of gives The Summer I Turned Pretty energy, but significantly more adult and with much better chemistry.

What really sets Off Campus apart from other college romance books, movies, and TV shows is how refreshing the relationships feel. Every character is incredibly accepting of one another regardless of social status, interests, or quirks. Take the hockey team, for example — they immediately welcome Hannah into the group and even attend a drunk Shakespeare event without turning it into a joke or acting like they're above it. They just genuinely have fun!

It's also refreshing that there's never some big storyline about the popular hockey captain secretly liking the "nerdy" girl. The show simply allows people to be themselves and fall for whoever makes sense for them.

Garrett, in particular, was such a pleasant surprise. He never treats Hannah like a social liability or someone he needs to hide. And unlike so many athlete characters, he's not written as a complete jerk who's secretly nice underneath it all. He's genuinely kind from the start. Sure, he's cocky, but he's never cruel, and he doesn't hide behind the emotional indifference trope that we see over and over again in college romance stories.

Honestly, that's what makes this show so addictive. The romance is great, but the friendships, acceptance, and genuine respect between the characters make you want to stay in their world.

I just finished Dean and Allie's book, and now I cannot wait for their season. If it's anything like the first one, I'll once again be clearing my schedule and emotionally attaching myself to fictional characters for the foreseeable future.

What’s Coming Soon

And because the media machine quite literally never sleeps, here are a few upcoming releases already taking up unnecessary amounts of space in my brain:

Every Year After — June 10th Prime Video

Listen… if they ruin this adaptation, I may never emotionally recover. Every Summer After already destroyed me as a book, so naturally I will be seated the second it hits Prime Video. Summer romance, nostalgia, emotional damage? Exactly my brand.

Your Fault: London — June 17th on Prime Video

The chokehold these movies have on people needs to be studied. Will it be dramatic? Absolutely. Will everyone involved make terrible decisions? Most likely. Will I still watch it immediately the day it comes out? Without question.

House of the Dragon Season 3 - June 21st

Alright, everyone grab your Team Green or Team Black merch because the world's most dysfunctional family is back. The Game of Thrones universe is genuinely one of my favorite fictional worlds ever created, and House of the Dragon somehow managed to make me pick sides in a civil war that I have absolutely no business being emotionally invested in. Honestly, all I want is good television, a few shocking moments, and for at least one of my favorite characters to survive the season. Based on the track record of this franchise, I'm not feeling particularly optimistic.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping — November 20th

I’m actually nervous for this one because I fully sobbed while reading the book. Like genuine emotional devastation. The fact that we’re going back into the Hunger Games universe again and getting Haymitch’s story on the big screen already feels dangerous for my mental stability, and I just know this movie is going to emotionally humble me all over again.

Verity — October

Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson? Oh, they knew exactly what they were doing casting this movie. I already have a feeling this adaptation is either going to be unbelievably good or completely chaotic — which honestly fits the energy of Verity perfectly. Either way, I will absolutely be watching.

Thoughts?

Overall, media consumption has become less of a hobby for me and slightly more of a personality trait at this point. Between movies, TV shows, adaptations, sequels, reboots, spin-offs, and whatever streaming service is currently demanding my attention, there is truly no shortage of things to obsess over.

That being said, not everything needs to be critically acclaimed cinema for me to enjoy it. Sometimes I just want to sit on my couch, get attached to fictional characters.

And honestly? I think we’re in such a fun era for entertainment right now. Even when something misses the mark, it still gives us something to talk about — which, clearly, I love doing.

Anyways, I’ll continue consuming media like it’s my civic duty and reporting back with unnecessary opinions nobody asked for. Stay tuned!!