REVIEW: Blockbusters, Bops and Binges

Free State Journalism editor’s loves and loathes of summer media

Baila Love, Online Editor-in-Chief • August 18, 2025

Photos sourced from Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, Columbia Records, Universal Music Group, Netflix, Inc. and Warner Record, Inc. Design by Baila Love.

Blockbusters, Bops and Binges

"Addison" by Addison Rae

Like most people, I was exposed to Addison Rae through her popular TikTok dance videos in 2020, but her debut album “Addison” has me gagged. Although this isn’t her first time releasing music, she has shown significant growth since her debut EP “AR.” There’s a wide variety of quality songs, even beyond the singles. For this being Rae’s first time releasing an album, I’m very impressed with the attention to detail. The tracks flow into each other, and each song doesn’t take much effort to enjoy. Vocals aren’t her strong suit, but she makes up for it with the production. There’s not much depth to each track, but for it being an electro-pop album, there doesn’t need to be. Rae’s switch from social media to music shows promise to be what really makes her career.

"American Heart" by Benson Boone

Coming into “American Heart,” my expectations were low, and I can’t say they were exceeded. Going from track to track, I felt bored. Being a pop album, it should be anything but boring. His claim to fame, “Beautiful Things,” was such a hit because it doesn’t sound like many other popular songs with the build up in the production and strong vocals. Throughout the album, he relies too much on high notes and vocals to make his songs stand out from other male artists, which doesn’t make it remotely enjoyable to listen to. I will admit that he shows potential with his strong vocal prowess, but he could do a lot more production wise than what he has done on “American Heart.” The album could’ve been improved if he explored a different style of music than what could be heard from any other artist.

"Virgin" by Lorde

Considering how groundbreaking Lorde’s previous albums were, I was always concerned that “Virgin” was going to break her successful streak. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s evident Lorde wasn’t scared to experiment with the production in “Virgin,” and all of it works to her advantage. Lorde managed to expand her sound while still maintaining the qualities that make her music recognizably her discography. With “Virgin” being so compelling, the outlook for the rest of her career is bright.

"Ginny and Georgia" - Season 3

While “Ginny and Georgia” has been infamous for being one of the cringiest Netflix shows out there, season three showed huge improvements in basing the show in reality for how teens act and dress. However, this reality also made the show darker, which made it lose the fun, guilty pleasure essence of the past two seasons. Additionally, it was also apparent that they had grown adults playing teenagers, or even teenagers playing nine-year-olds. This season had me hooked with all of its captivating storylines, so I did enjoy it; I just wish they had more fun with it instead of making it so heavy.

"Phineas and Ferb" - Season 5

I grew up with “Phineas and Ferb” on repeat at my house, so it’s an understatement to say I was terrified to see if the new season held the same quality. I was almost shaking as I pressed play on season five because of how many aspects could go wrong. There were a few moments throughout the season where it was clear they were trying to pander to a teenage audience, but it didn’t deteriorate the quality as much as I expected, especially in comparison with their last attempts at being more mature in “Candace vs. the Universe.” Because it’s hard to mimic that original magic, it was obviously not as captivating as the previous seasons. Still, each episode felt true to the original “Phineas and Ferb” spirit. Every episode had an outlandish and unrealistic plot line that somehow got fixed before the end of the episode, and that’s exactly what I wanted to see from this season.

"How To Train Your Dragon" - Live Action

Each time a live action version of a movie is released, it is relentlessly criticized because of how hard it is to get it right, but “How To Train Your Dragon” did just that. What’s really difficult with live action adaptations is capturing the same vibe that made these types of movies feel enchanting when watching them as a kid. “How To Train Your Dragon” felt very similar to the original. The live action elements only elevated how mystical, magical even, the big flying and fight scenes seem. The animation of the dragons was very impressive, and combined with the camera work, I was immersed into the movie. Any fan of the original series should definitely check out this adaptation.

"M3GAN 2.0"

Similar to its predecessor, critics' perception of “M3GAN 2.0” is very divided. However, the sequel was far better, and it made up for the flaws that the first movie had. The strength of “M3GAN 2.0” is primarily that it doesn’t take itself that seriously. Yes, it is a horror movie, but “M3GAN 2.0” had me laughing just as much as it had me on the edge of my seat. Additionally, it did a better job of targeting a teenage girl audience, especially with the character of Megan through building her personality. Even for non-horror buffs like me, “M3GAN 2.0” is accessible and enjoyable. While the film is definitely not the horror movie of the year, it’s still a fun watch.

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