The Olive Opinion

Vivarium - an enclosure, container, or structure adapted or prepared for keeping animals under semi-natural conditions for observation or study or as pets; an aquarium or terrarium. According to Google. I had not heard of Vivarium until I saw the poster in my movie suggestions a few days ago. The poster intrigued me and it said that it started Jessie Eisenberg and Imogen Hoots. Immediately, I had to watch the trailer. Like the trailer promised, the movie was just all the way psychologically traumatizing. The film starts with an opening sequence of a bird pushing down a bunch other baby birds out of the nest to make room for her its hatchlings, leaving them to die. That should already give you a sense of what you are getting yourself into. Jemma and Tom are just like every other couple in the world, looking for a place to live in. They come across a real estate agent named Martin ( who undeniably and oddly lacks social skills ) who takes them to a suburban town called ...

This is my first book review. Better yet, my first book SERIES review. So, let's hope that I do an alright job at this. Now.. readers out there that love fantasy novels, you might love this trilogy of books I'm about to mention for that it is much different because it does not take place in ancient England like most fantasy novels do (fictional versions of England to be exact), it instead it takes place in a fictional country called Ravka which was inspired by Imperial Russia. Interested yet? Our story begins with two orphans with one of them being extremely important ( this is because she is the protagonist). Alina is the main character in this series and she is this prophecised "Sun Summoner" that is meant to "take away the darkness". Sound familiar? In the first book, she has two love interests. The first being her best friend, Mal. Obviously. The second being this man called The Darkling, a powered dude that can manipulate shadows or so...

After the failure of The Mummy, Universal's Dark (shared) Universe is no longer happening. With The Invisible Man, it's quite alright for the Dark Universe to not be connected in any way. More like an anthology series only with movies. (Depends on how you look at it since every movie is... well you get the point). The Invisible Man, connected or not, was a psychological, thrilling masterpiece starring the one and only Elizabeth Moss. Written and directed by Leigh Wannell (never heard of her) and she does a marvelous job creating a modernized version of a classic monster movie with elements of female abuse. As it is also a horror movie, the movie did not rely on jump scares like most horror movies and made it just as creepy as good horror movies are. Elizabeth Moss brings in her Handsmaid Tale experience to the table in her second feature film in the best way possible. Clearly, Moss is meant to play roles like Offred and her small role in Us. Disturbed character...

Can anyone name a Pixar movie that hasn't made you cry or made you feel warm inside? (Except Cars 2) I'm sure you cant. Pixar has a history of making some of the best 3D animated movies and they have done it again with their latest release, Onward directed by Pixar alum, Dan Scanlon. The new Pixar feature is based on the modern day lives of fantasy creatures like elves, unicorns and mermaids. The main story is about an 16 year old elf named Ian Lightfoot who has never met his father and has always wanted to live up to him. He learns that his father had left him in his brother, Barley a magical staff that can help them bring him back for one whole day and so the adventure begins. I shall tell you more for I will be spoiling. Onward is the perfect addition to Pixar's ever growing roster of kid friendly movies that not only give you laughs and make you cry but also give you a new perspective in life. Onward may seem a tad similar to one or two previous Pixar movies...

  What happens after happily ever after? Especially when it's a really good teen rom com based on an awesome book. Well I guess you'll find out when you watch To All The Boys P.S. I Still Love You. Lara Jean and Peter return for another heartwarming/heartbreaking adventure filled with cliche romance and tiny references to the 80's rom-coms. To All The Boys 2 takes place shortly after its predecessor that took the world by storm. Lara Jean and Peter are together and everything is just perfect... until it isn't when dear old John Ambrose McClaren unexpectedly drops into the picture. With a few other subplots throughout, this sequel romantic sequel may not have the same magic as the first movie had but it's still good. Fans of the book (like myself) will be very happy and all we have to do is wait one more year or less till the third and final installment of this infectious franchise is released.  The cast was amazing. Lana Condor is the star and she...

It's a been yet another long while since I've reviewed anything but I'm finally back to review the one and only fantabulous emancipation of one Harley Quinn. Along with the introduction of the Birds of Prey, of course. Margot Robbie returns to portray the infamous Harley Quinn as well as having executive producing credit in her belt. The Last time we saw Harley was way back in 2016 in the fan bombshell of a movie, Suicide Squad. Nobody liked the movie for that it was dull and it had many flaws. I did like Squad but I knew there was more to show. Months later, an extended version of the movie was released but it made the story even more complicated. The extended version was basically a Harley cut giving Harley more screen time. Not that I'm complaining for that I love Harley, but I would have loved a Harley solo movie. Birds of Prey is basically a movie about Harley but with new supporting characters supporting her, instead of her being the support of D...

Happy New Year everyone. It's an all new year of movies and this may not be the first movie I'm watching for the new year but I think this should be the first movie I should review for the year. Do you guys remember a movie called Alien that was released back in the late 80s and became one of the most iconic sci-fi movies ever made? Yeah... a new movie called Underwater has been released and it has somewhat a similar concept to Alien. You'd think they would do something new to an already masterfully done imagining. They dont unfortunately. Starring Kristen Stewart and a bunch of actors you don't see in many movies except for T.J. Miller, Underwater is yet another place where no can hear you scream. What I can give credit for is the effects for the creatures. The sea monsters look exceptionally scary for the horror part of this film but look somewhat man-made. I guess that's for the science fiction part. I could be wrong but if they make a sequel,...

Took me a few days to write this cause I was busy with Christmas. But its finally here.  It's the end of the Skywalker Saga, a more than forty year journey all geeks have endured and enjoyed throughout while picking up more geeks on the way to fall in love with this beloved franchise. If you dont know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about Star Wars and The Rise of Skywalker also known as Episode 9, is out now. It's not only the final chapter of this sequel trilogy but 'The Final Word in The Skywalker Saga' according to Palpatine who conveniently returns in this sequel. Also, returning are your current favourite StarWars characters like Rey, Finn and Poe along with your favourite droid, BB-8 for one last crazy adventure. But ever since the trailer came out, we all wondered 'will The Rise of Skywalker live up to the hype and be able to finish this specific part of Star Wars and also end the saga altogether?'. Well in my opinion, the h...

Knives Out is a classic murder mystery meant to pay tribute to all whodunnit classics such as famous Agatha Christie novels and episodes of Murder She Wrote and like adaptations of Agatha Christie novels, Knives Out features a stellar ensemble cast that shine through the roof. This modern day murder mystery is based on the Harlan Thronbey and his extended family including his caretaker, Maria. One day, the house caretaker finds dear old Thronbey, throat slit on the sofa in his study, assuming that he had committed suicide. A week later, an investigation begins with Benoit Blanc, a renowned private investigator is anonymously hired to find out if it was suicide or... murder. The star-studded ensemble include Christopher Plummer, Ana De Armas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collete, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Lieberher and a few more. Everyone in this movie brings their A-game to the table in this engrossing script that pulls you from...

I couldn't think of a title for this review for that it is in fact a marriage story and everything it is nowadays. The only thing about this marriage is that it is ending. Marriage Story features the woes of a real-life marriage that is falling apart and how it affects both parties as well as their child. This all-new Netflix film is the one of most depressing, well written movies I've ever seen starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as the dysfunctional couple in their best roles to date.  Marriage Story is about Nicole, an actress and her husband, Charlie, who is a director who have co-worked with each other for years. Nicole is tired of living in his shadow and wants to get her life back while Charlie is just feeling very flustered and shocked at everything that is being thrown at him. Like most men in this situation, Charlie feels like he has done nothing wrong and that Nicole is overreacting but she feels that she needs to grab hold of her life again as she ...

Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle, which came out two years ago, was the surprise hit sequel that we thought wouldn't live up to the original. Jumanji became an adventure comedy that kept you at the edge of your seat while also got you laughing your ass off. After it became an box office success, they announced they would make a sequel with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan set to return. I was sceptical at the announcement but I was sort of right and also wrong, I guess. Now subtitled The Next Level, our favourites return with all new adventure in a broken Jumanji but this time including old times, Danny Devito and Danny Glover while also adding the amazingly fresh Akwafina. Oh did I forget, Nick Jonas. How did I forget him? I can't spoil much because I'm afraid I might reveal too much but Jumanji's second round is fun but also a tiny bit underwhelming. Jumanji is action packed, funny and adventurous but there were some elements that...

It's been six years since the phenomenon that is Frozen came into our lives including the song that came with it that haunted parents for a very long time, the Oscar winning "Let It Go". Now, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf return for an epic new adventure that is equally as good as (and also somewhat surpasses) the first one. The story expands the Frozen universe to a whole new level of magical proportions while also keeping the franchise's familiar footing. This sequel delves more into Elsa's purpose in life and the reason why she has her powers. Questions that were raised in the first movie were answered. I don't really remember if there more questions added to the pile because I was too engrossed with everything about this amazing Disney sequel. This is the second sequel off a Disney movie that was not released direct-to-video. The first being Ralph Breaks the Internet which I think exceeded alot of expectations being even more enjo...

I LOVE THIS POSTER SO MUCH. They look amazeballs.  Now, to the review.  Charlie's Angels. 2019.  We have gotten many versions of Charlie's Angels in the last 5 decades that resonate with audiences throughout these last 5 decades. For me, I grew up with McG's take on the infamous angels starring now cinema legends Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore which spawned two movies and it was also the first time the angels were on the big screen for that originally it was a TV show starring Farah Fawcett and a bunch of other actresses I do not remember the names of because they kept changing the lineup throughout the show's many seasons. And also it was long-ass time ago and I watched old show like one time when they were playing reruns on Star World (which is now Fox Life). Now, 2019 introduces the world to all new angels which I think everyone will love. It was my first time watching Charlie's Angels on the big screen so, I basically h...

Christmas season is here and Netflix is bringing a whole new bunch of Christmas movies this year. The first one among them is Let It Snow. Let It Snow is based on a book with three short holiday romance stories written by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle which interconnect with each other. The movie doesn't entirely follow the book except for some tiny instances but all around it's still a good Christmas movie.  People who like it consider it the modern day Love, Actually but hell no, it's not. Love, Actually is the best ensemble interconnected Christmas movie ever. There may have been many other movies like Love Actually which feature other holidays but they all did not feel as great Love, Actually. Let It Snow is no different but will be beloved among YA fans. The book was targeted to YA audiences anyway. The ensemble cast includes Isabel Mercer (Dora and Lost City of Gold), Shameik Moore (Spider Man Into The Spider Verse), Kiernan Shipka (...

In my generation, everybody remembers The Addams Family from the two live action movies that came out in the 90's which were both directed Barry Sonnenfield and were amazing adaptations of the beloved famous macabre family. The Addams Family was first a comic book series that was created by Charles Addams. It then became famous sitcom in 1960's and came the live action movies and now, the 3D animated movie that I think fans will simply adore even though this animated take of the Addams is a tiny bit stripped down. Stripped down how you may ask? Well, it's a little less raunchy. I mean, it is an animated movie after all, meant to target younger audiences for this spooky occasion. There were always jokes meant to poke towards sex but it was always embedded in the dialogue and it would be distracted by the craziness that is the Addams Family. The movie may not have had one of those tiny moments but the Addams are still a fun, creepy, oddball family. The Add...

After three sequels and two reboots, the Terminator franchise is back on track as a box office darling. Took them almost three decades to get it right amongst fans and critics alike.  As we all know that T1 and T2 are the best Terminator movies ever made. The worst one in my opinion would be the third one, Rise of The Machines. Watching T3 felt repetitive. It was the same whole thing again where a Terminator was sent from the future to kill someone (who was John Connor's wife at the time), future John sends another version T-8000 to protect her who is, of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger and you know the rest, defeat the terminator and save the future.  I sort of liked Salvation. It was unlike the others. Meant to be reboot of the franchise to tell the story of the future timeline where John is already the leader of the resistance and how it leads up to him sending Kyle Reese to the past to protect his mom, Sarah but that ended up being only one movie which was go...

Fall is here and all new movies are raging through our cinemas for the sake of the chills and horrors of Halloween. A week late, I have managed to catch the controversial yet character-study worthy of a beloved and iconic character amongst DC's rogue of villains, Joker. Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Oscar nominee, Joaquin Phoenix. Joker is what everyone would expect of from solo movie about the origins of The Clown Prince of Gotham, to be sad, depressing and absolutely bone-chilling. From start to finish, Joker was a masterpiece. It's dark tone and portrayal of the real world was disturbing but educational. Joker will definitely be very triggering towards some people but it's still worth the experience. Critics and fans all over the world are very partial about the movie. Half of the people find the movie beautiful while other half finds its disturbing and that it promotes violence. Whatever the world thinks, I think that movie is was very good at the same ti...