Marvelous Geeks

Netflix’s two-part release schedule is sadly doing more damage than good, and if this is the route the streaming network chooses to take with every show, it won’t be shocking if there are more cancelations on the horizon. Just yesterday, they announced that one of their most popular shows, Bridgerton, would be released in two parts, with four episodes coming on May 16 and the remaining four on June 13. 

If Netflix wants to create buzz around its shows and have people consistently talking about the content they’re putting out, then a weekly release would’ve been the better approach. Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney—they all do it and have done it for years now. But that’s not what people come to Netflix for, is it? People come to Netflix because binging is part of a different media consumption format, and it works for most of its audience. The main reason the streaming network has seen an influx of cancelations in the last few years is that, along with the detail that they weren’t paying writers and actors, they’ve canceled the shows fans have cared deeply for without ever properly promoting them in the first place. And, of course, there’s the whole password-sharing debacle that came with inflating prices.

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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a visionary masterpiece and the most meaningful adaptation of the story yet. It’s hard not to appreciate the stop motion animation alone, but the magically enamoring screenplay by Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale, Gris Grimley, and Matthew Robbins plays a colossal role as well. The story feels fresh in this version, heartwarming and haunting simultaneously as it takes viewers through the darker trenches of grief in order to showcase healing.

Pinocchio, in general, is a dark story, but more often than not, as the darkness is dimmed and the story tries to bring itself to life, it fails to communicate what it truly means to gain something worthwhile in the end. However, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio focuses intently on this darkness as it brights the necessary barrels while guiding its audience through grief and loss masterfully. There’s a light in this adaptation that examines desolation through a nuanced look into what it means to find a purpose. Is it being a caretaker? A writer? A performer? What lengths are people willing to go through to find a light at the end of their lives to make every moment of it worth it? The film carefully answers each question it poses through subtle, meticulous decision-making that never once takes the magic out of the story.

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Netflix’s A Castle for Christmas is the holiday film we’ve all been waiting for. It’s romantic, it’s utterly charming, the lands are stunning, the cast is exceptional, and the tropes slam hard. Dun Dunbar castle is the dream location for a film like this, and the leads are everything.

Starring Brooke Shields, Cary Elwes, Vanessa Grasse, Lee Ross, Suanne Braun, Andi Osho, Eilidh Loan, Tina Gray, and more, there is nothing A Castle for Christmas is lacking. The plot, the friendships, the love story all thread together so perfectly that at no point will you want to avert your gaze.

Forced to share space? Check. Grumpy castle owner, somewhat of a sunshine author? Check. A duke? Check. Enemies to gradual friends to lovers? Check. A lingering embrace followed by longing looks? Check. Dances? Check. The only trope absent from this film is basically forbidden lovers—everything else is set. There’s even a precious pup named Hamish, and I wouldn’t trust anyone who doesn’t love that? She walks on him bathing, folks—need I say more?

A Castle for Christmas is film is a delight from start to finish.

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