Best Things of April 2018

The further into Spring we go the less time I find myself having to enjoy escapist entertainment, either because of my Masters Degree, Quidditch Commitments or just general laziness, but hey, let's talk about what we can.

Love, Simon
Love, Simon became the film that pretty much every LGBT+ person fell in love with and I am one of those people. Not even necessarily because my own personal story is similar to Simon's in that many ways, but the way this film is able to perfectly tell it's story to make everyone empathise and understand, regardless of their sexual orientation. Considering the amount of LGBT people who worked on the film, you can tell it comes from a place of honesty and a large number of scenes stand out as being emotionally poignant. Combine that with legitimately funny writing along with talented actors who have great chemistry with each other, and you have the most heartwarming and enjoyable film of the month, and so far one of my favourites of the year.

Monster - Frozen Broadway Musical
I've always been a lover of Frozen ever since I first saw it in cinemas back in 2013 before it had any hype, and I'll still stand by it to this day as one of Disney's best films (And people need to learn the difference between overrated and over exposed). With that being said I never had that much interest in the Broadway show because just in general Broadway adaptations aren't really my thing, they're products I love translated into a different medium that I am almost never exposed. That being said Disney has released several of the new songs written for the show on YouTube and easily my favourite and obviously the new showstopper of Monster. A power ballad that analyses Elsa's inner turmoil and gives new context that the film never did. I can definitely see people comparing this to Let It Go, it's a big emotional number for Elsa that will get stuck in your ear the minute you hear it, and by god I have not stopped listening to it since.

The Box - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
After going on an insanely long hiatus (Of three months) Brooklyn Nine-Nine came back as strong as ever, that being said, the standout episode thus far is episode 14 'The Box', an episode that sees Jake & Holt spend the entire night interrogating one suspect, trying to get a confession out of him. Bottle episodes themselves are always difficult to pull off, they're the writers intentional limiting themselves by forcing character to stay in one location, yet B99 takes it a step farther and limits it to also only two of the main cast members, and somehow, they still turn out a funny, well-written, fast paced masterstroke of a bottle episode. Highlighting the amazing chemistry and dynamic between these two characters, while also giving guest star Sterling K Brown a chance to stretch his legs and show why he's such a talent, that he's able to create such a well defined character in just 20 minutes. Unfortunately, while the development between Jake & Holt's relationship is always lovely, I can't help but feel it comes with a lingering feeling that this might be our last Jake & Holt episode. Most of this season has felt like a somewhat pre-emptive goodbye, with each character progressing much more rapidly than in prior seasons. Rosa coming out, Jake & Amy getting engaged, Boyle now with a wife and kid, Amy & Holt both getting promotions. It's very much familiar of Community, another brilliant sitcom that somehow faltered in the ratings, putting it at risk of cancellation every season, and not wanting to leave things unsaid. Which sadly makes me nervous that they know something we don't, but on the brightside it means they're trying even harder to make sure the time we have left is as good as it can be.

Avengers: Infinity War
Of course this makes the list. It's the friggin Avengers. A film that's been built up for a decade (Well, 6 years, but a decade sounds neater). Though I think some of the praise for the film has been somewhat hyperbolic in terms of how ballsy it is, it's still nice to have a Marvel film that has some genuine stakes towards it, where I was legitimately fearing for people's lives. But that's not to take for granted the usual qualities you can praise for these films. Marvel films are so good at presenting action, comedy, special effects & performances to such a peak that it's easy to forget certain studios struggle to get even these right when Marvel makes it look so basic. This was never going to be an easy film to make and I can only imagine the planning that had to go into it, but boy did they do a bang up job at piecing this together. I'd recommend you go see it, but judging by the box office, you already have.

-Danny