fun

Now You See Me – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2013 film Now You See Me.

Story

One of the cleverest movies I’ve seen. It uses all the tricks of stage magic to pull an excellent twist.

Score: 1

Characters

The cast is excellent but a little too large. Although probably intentional, it leaves little time for character growth.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Extremely clever dialogue that is delivered rapid fire. Everything feels like it has more than one meaning, even when it doesn’t.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

Stunning visuals that suck you into the magic and almost make you believe. There are a few things that made me wonder if they thought of the visual first and not the trick.

The music is a great cross between procedural and mystery with an extra flourish of magic.

Score: 1

Fun

The movie is fun from beginning to end. The entire family was transfixed.

Score: 1

Overall

A movie that takes its inspiration from stage magic and truly delivers the tricks. A must-watch for anyone who enjoys mysteries, magic, or fun.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

My Spy: The Eternal City – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2024 film My Spy: The Eternal City.

Story

Mixing the teen travel drama with a spy thriller isn’t new, but they do it fairly well.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Transitioning from the previous reluctant partnership to the much more banal and overdone father-daughter fighting dynamic is just frustrating. They did such a good job turning the tropes on their heads for the first one that this just feels recycled. Separating the two for most of the movie ruins the charm of them working together.

The additional cast were fun and the new villain was interesting.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Bautista has wonderful comedic timing as does Coleman, but they really shine when they are together, which doesn’t happen much in this one.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

Beautiful scenery and great camera work.

The music was fun and did its job.

Score: 1

Fun

Had this been the first movie in the series, I would have liked it more. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough of what made the first one great, which was spoofing spy movies and the relationship between the leads.

The rest of the family did enjoy it.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An acceptable sequel but despite the bigger set pieces, bigger cast, and massive budget, it doesn’t have the same charm as the original.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

You can buy Winging it and The Copper Tarnish RIGHT NOW!!!!

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Hello Readers,

I’m so excited that these two books are out. You’re going to love them!

Winging It
by Jen Desmarais

A wedding and a summer camp that Tommy and Carter are never going to forget.

Tommy discovers magic exists, his boyfriend is a rock giant, and his sister is marrying one of the leaders of a supernatural community called Aetherborn.

Carter learns to navigate an in-person relationship, introducing Tommy to the magical world, and being involved in his Ariki’s wedding.

Both boys need to build their confidence in each other, themselves, and their relationship. The Door Tech summer camp seems to be the perfect way to do that, until they get magically transported to the not-so-fictional world of Everdome. In this realm of Domed continents floating in space, winged beasts, and new cultures, the boys will have to overcome challenges beyond anything they’ve seen before.

The only way they, and their relationship, can survive is if they start Winging It!

49th Shelf Crushing It
Indigo Books Crushing It
Archambault Crushing It
Amazon Crushing It
Rakuten Kobo Crushing It
Apple Books Crushing It

The Copper Tarnish
by Éric Desmarais

Until last summer, I was the most popular girl in school. Then I was accused of killing my boyfriend when he disappeared. Luckily, he didn’t die, but he wasn’t the same when he came back. Murder accusations are nothing compared to the rumours that I kissed said boyfriend’s sister. That rumour proved to be the real killer for my popularity.

Now everyone hates me except the gorgeous new girl who seems determined to ruin any chances of being popular by hanging out with me. There’s also a cute soldier hanging around my mom’s diner and freaky sounds in the woods.

Autumn definitely won’t be dull. All I need to do is graduate…and stay alive.

eBook
Paperback (coming soon)
Hardcover (coming soon)

What are you waiting for? Go buy some books!

Éric

My Spy – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2020 film My Spy.

Story

The show feels like it’s both paying homage and mocking spy movies and it pulls it off with heart. The story is fresh and has a few good twists that, even if you see them coming, are satisfying.

Score: 1

Characters

I expected, from the trailers, that this would be a cringe comedy, but Dave Bautista brings warmth and humility to the role, and Chloe Coleman is both funny and precocious in the best way. One of the things I really appreciated about this was how competent each character was at what they do. The humour comes from them being out of their element.

Score: 1

Dialogue

Clever, fun, and often really funny. The eight year old’s sarcasm is spot-on.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The camera work is solid and the action scenes are very well choreographed.

The music was perfect for the movie and complimented it well.

Score: 1

Fun

The entire family loved the movie. It was funny and heartwarming.

Score: 1

Overall

One of the many films that got shuffled away to streaming because of the pandemic, it deserves so much more. It’s a fun, funny, and lovable movie.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*

*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.

THEY’RE COMING!!! Winging it and The Copper Tarnish

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Hello Readers!

The books are coming out, the books are coming out! Just in time for your Pride Month reading too.

Winging It
by Jen Desmarais

A wedding and a summer camp that Tommy and Carter are never going to forget.

Tommy discovers magic exists, his boyfriend is a rock giant, and his sister is marrying one of the leaders of a supernatural community called Aetherborn.

Carter learns to navigate an in-person relationship, introducing Tommy to the magical world, and being involved in his Ariki’s wedding.

Both boys need to build their confidence in each other, themselves, and their relationship. The Door Tech summer camp seems to be the perfect way to do that, until they get magically transported to the not-so-fictional world of Everdome. In this realm of Domed continents floating in space, winged beasts, and new cultures, the boys will have to overcome challenges beyond anything they’ve seen before.

The only way they, and their relationship, can survive is if they start Winging It!

49th Shelf Crushing It
Indigo Books Crushing It
Archambault Crushing It
Amazon Crushing It
Rakuten Kobo Crushing It
Apple Books Crushing It

The Copper Tarnish
by Éric Desmarais

Until last summer, I was the most popular girl in school. Then I was accused of killing my boyfriend when he disappeared. Luckily, he didn’t die, but he wasn’t the same when he came back. Murder accusations are nothing compared to the rumours that I kissed said boyfriend’s sister. That rumour proved to be the real killer for my popularity.

Now everyone hates me except the gorgeous new girl who seems determined to ruin any chances of being popular by hanging out with me. There’s also a cute soldier hanging around my mom’s diner and freaky sounds in the woods.

Autumn definitely won’t be dull. All I need to do is graduate…and stay alive.

eBook
Paperback (coming soon)
Hardcover (coming soon)

What are you waiting for? Go pre-order them now!!!

Éric

Fountain of Youth – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Fountain of Youth.

Story

As entertaining as the movie was, there wasn’t so much a story as a bunch of set pieces held together by banter.

Score: 0

Characters

The major problem with saying your characters are super-intelligent is that they then have to act it. These characters missed obvious things and acted smart when the plot demanded it.

Now that being said, the actors took some mediocre scenes and elevated them. Every last one of them oozes with charisma and charm.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Intelligent people don’t have to use big words. With intelligence comes the ability to be concise.

The majority of the dialogue was good and the brother-sister banter was fantastic.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

This movie was stunning. The special effects, choreography, and camera work were superb.

The music was clever, incorporating the small theme in both the plot and the music was a genius idea.

Score: 1

Fun

I and the rest of the family really enjoyed this movie. It was pretty, exciting, and had some good banter. I dislike the ending enough to make me annoyed every time I think about it.

Score: 0.5

Overall

Unoriginal with one of the worst endings I’ve ever seen, the movie is fun and fluffy with the actors making it extremely likeable but the supernatural and the plot were poorly thought out.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5

The Legend of Zorro

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2005 film The Legend of Zorro.

Story

A straight sequel to the first one, it relies on miscommunication to move the plot forward. It also fall into the superhero trope of only failing when it’s a plot point.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The kid is adorable and the two leads are just as charismatic as the first time. Unfortunately, they are split up most of the movie when they work best as a team.

The villain is mustache twirling, British, and evil.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

There’s some amazing banter between the two leads and with the villain.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The movie looks just as beautiful as the first and the fight scenes are amazing.

Score: 1

Fun

I hate that the characters can’t just be happy… It’s frustrating and feels forced when they work so well as a team. That being said, it was still an extremely fun movie.

Score: 0.5

Overall

The movie suffers from needing to split its leads but it’s still an excellent movie.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

The Mask of Zorro – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro.

Story

The story and myth of Zorro is based on the “Fox” archetype. (Robin Hood, Reynard the Fox, or The Scarlet Pimpernel) I like the addition of the apprentice and especially the nod to Joaquin Murrieta. It’s an extremely good example of how to adapt a story.

Score: 1

Characters

Each character was perfectly written. The only part I had issue believing was Antonio Banderas needing help on how to be charming. The villains were nuanced enough to be realistic but evil enough to deserve their fate. The parallel stories and character development between the older and younger characters was excellent.

Catherine Zeta-Jones manages to balance damsel and kick-ass in an extremely believable way.

Score: 1

Dialogue

I’d give full points for, “So the devil will know who sent you.” alone. The rest of the dialogue balanced heroics, humour, drama, and romance in a perfectly believable way.

Score: !

Visuals and Music

This film, thankfully, came out before shaky-cam. The fights are wonderfully choreographed and the practical effects have aged fantastically.

The music is equal to any modern superhero and really amps up the emotion.

Score: 1

Fun

Swashbuckling, explosions, witty one liners, and at its core a big heart. I’m sounding old but this kind of movie isn’t made anymore and that makes me sad. The whole family loved it.

Score: 1

Overall

One of the best adventure / swashbuckling movies. The emotion and character drama anchor the action and heroics, making everything feel so much more. Modern superhero movies could learn a lot from this movie.

Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*

*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.

Pocket Library – Jen and Éric edition

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The Pocket Library template was made by @thebookishanimator_, and I thought it would be fun to make our own editions of it! Here are Jen and Éric’s Pocket Libraries.

Left: Jen has Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers, Crushing It, Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests, and Winging It. She also has an emergency cellphone. Note that lower back pain is sold separately.
Right: Éric has Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers, Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests, Parasomnia, Elizabeth Investigates A Study in Aether, Everdome, Coffee Shop Between the ‘Verses and The Copper Tarnish. He also has an emergency ukulele. Note that migraine pain is sold seperatly.
Winging It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Cover Art by Pinkpiggy93
49th Shelf Crushing It
Indigo Books Crushing It
Archambault Crushing It
Amazon Crushing It
Rakuten Kobo Crushing It
Apple Books Crushing It
The Copper Tarnish by Éric Desmarais available June 3rd, 2025.
eBook
Paperback (coming soon)
Hardcover (coming soon)

The Black Cauldron – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1985 film The Black Cauldron.

Story

The story is a cautionary tale in adapting a book. I haven’t read the book so there are a lot of sections that either make no sense or give the viewer the feeling that they should have done homework before watching.

Score: 0

Characters

There is no backstory to any of the characters. She says she’s a princess but then the villain mentions she’s a scullery maid? Why does the bard have a magical harp? Why is the pig farmer boy being raised by knockoff merlin? Is the villain undead or just a monster? … nothing is explained.

I did quite like the little furry Gollum and the characters are likeable and consistant. They have acceptable arcs, but there just seems to be too much missing.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

There are some nice peices of dialogue and some that make no sense at all. It’s mostly, again, because this was adapted from a series of books.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The animation was beautiful but inconsistant. Items disapeared and reappeared, characters changed sizes, backgrounds flickered.

The music was pretty epic.

Score: 0.5

Fun

Everyone kinda enjoyed it. It’s one of those movies that could have been great but was bogged down by too much lore that we didn’t get to see.

Score: 0.5

Overall

Not the worst Disney movie in existence, but it’s a missed opportunity to showcase a great story by cutting out any context.

Final Score: 2 Stars out of 5