Book Review: The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce #10)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun trip with these characters

Cons: Usual pacing issues

The Bottom Line:

Finger and letters

Open Flavia’s latest

Which is fun visit

The Curious Case of the Clue in the Cake

The last couple of books in the Flavia de Luce series have been rather somber, so I was ready for Flavia’s life and the series to return to the lighter tone some of the earlier books had.  That’s exactly what we get with The Golden Tresses of the Dead, and I really enjoyed it.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure yet, Flavia is a young chemist who has a special affinity for poison.  And she manages to find herself involved in one mystery after another in her small English village.  This book takes place in the fall of 1952, and Flavia herself is now thirteen.  It’s a unique choice for a series aimed at adults, but it works. 

The day has finally arrived – Flavia’s oldest sister is getting married.  Considering how rocky her romantic life has been over the years, this is a bit surprising.  The wedding is beautiful, but when the newlyweds go to cut the cake, they find a finger in the cake.  How did it get there?  Who did it belong to?

Before Flavia can really dig into this case, she and Dogger get their first client for their new Arthur W. Dogger and Associates Discreet Investigations.  A local woman has come in asking them to find some missing letters that would be damaging to her father if they got out.  Only Dogger isn’t so certain that their client’s story is true.  What is really going on?

Since this is the tenth book in the series, we are very invested in these characters, and that also means the wedding.  Those new to the series might find the first chapter boring, but I was loving it.  Heck, since the last book took place away from Flavia’s village of Bishop’s Lacey, it was fantastic to be spending time with all the series regulars again.  I’ve come to really love all of them, and the smiles I got when Flavia spent time with so many of them was proof of that.  The exception continues to be Undine, Flavia’s young cousin.  She continues to be the most uneven character in the series.  I get that she is supposed to be as annoying to Flavia as Flavia is to her sisters, but still, I find her over the top at times.  Yet that is more tempered here than in previous books, so I’m hoping she grows some in future books.

The plot?  It’s strong, although it does get sidetracked at times with Flavia’s soliloquies on chemistry and poison and her musings on life in general.  I didn’t find them any worse than other books in the series, so if you enjoy the series, you know what to expect.  The solution is a bit over the top, but it worked for me.  The suspects are all strong and add to the fun of the story.

I continue to listen to this series, and if you haven’t experienced Jayne Entwistle’s excellent narration, you are missing out.  I’m not sure I could read one of the books.  I certainly couldn’t do it without hearing Jayne’s voice in my head.  She brings the story to life with so much joy and fun that they make these books so much more delightful.

Fans will be happy to revisit Flavia and the rest of the cast in The Golden Tresses of the Dead.  If you haven’t found this unique character yet, you owe it to yourself to give her a chance to win your heart.

You'll want to check out all of the Flavia de Luce Mysteries.

Ornament Review: Millennium Falcon - 2018 Hallmark Star Wars Storyteller Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Adds to story, looks great

Cons: Not too much of a show when on its own

The Bottom Line:

Fly with Han, Chewie

Looks great, adds fun dialogue

A good addition

You Won’t Have a Bad Feeling about this Ornament

If you are using ships from Star Wars to retell the story from the original movie, of course you are going to put the Millennium Falcon.  It’s such a huge part of that movie, and the entire franchise really, that it needs to be included.  So I wasn’t surprised to see that it was one of the 2018 additions to the Star Wars Storytellers line from Hallmark.

This ornament looks just like the ship from the movie.  That includes molded plastic that is shaped to represent the ridges on the original ship.  While I don’t know how it flies through the air well looking like that, you certainly can’t mistake this ship for anything else.

But the fun comes when you plug this ornament into Hallmark’s Power Cord (sold separately).  That’s when a couple of very small areas on the ship light up and this ornament contributes to the overall show these ornaments put on.  Individually, it just has a 30 second clip from the moment they jump out of hyperspace to find that Alderaan has been destroyed.  However, when combined with the other ships in the series, you get more from it, including Hans’ contribution with this ship to the climactic battle.

With a mostly flat bottom, you could set this ornament out to be displayed year round.  It hangs straight when you go to hang it on your Christmas tree.

As I say, this is an iconic ship.  It had to be part of the set.  I’m a little surprised it wasn’t part of the first wave to be honest, although seeing how the sound clips add to the scenes originally released and don’t stand as well on their own, it makes some sense.

While the ornaments are expensive, I find them worth it.  If you are a Star Wars fan, you should definitely consider adding the Millennium Falcon to your Storytellers set.

Original Price: $39.99

TV Show Review: Fuller House - Season 3

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Plenty of laughs

Cons: Generally hokey show (like always)

The Bottom Line:

Next Fuller chapter

Filled with plenty of laughs, love

Light, mindless, and fun

“I Think It’s a Little Hokey.”  “Are You New Here?  This is What We Do.”

It’s always a pleasure to return to characters you know and love.  Look at how many revivals of TV shows we have going on these days.  The one I’ve been enjoying the most is Fuller House.  I snapped up season 3 as soon as I could get it on DVD since I don’t have Netflix, and I’ve been enjoying it.

If you aren’t familiar with the show, it is a continuation of the 1980’s-1990’s sitcom Full House.  30 years have passed since the original, and it now focuses on three of the characters who were girls when the first one aired.  At the center of the new family is D. J. Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure), a widow.  D. J. is getting help raising her kids from her sister Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) and her best friend Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber).  The kids in this new sitcom include D. J.’s three kids, Jackson (Michael Campion), Max (Elias Harger), and Tommy (Dashiell & Fox Messitt).  There’s also Kimmy’s daughter Ramona (Soni Bringas).  Rounding out the cast we have Kimmy’s ex-husband and current fiancé Fernando (Juan Pablo Di Pace), D. J.’s high school boyfriend Steve (Scott Weinger), D. J.’s business partner and current boyfriend Matt (John Brotherton), and Stephanie’s boyfriend Jimmy Gibbler (Adam Hagenbuch).  Yes, that’s right, Stephanie is dating Kimmy’s brother.

Hey, they don’t call this show Fuller House for nothing.

Over the course of these 18 episodes, Stephanie faces a decision about having kids of her own, Steve plans his wedding to C. J. in Japan, with Kimmy helping plan it and everyone traveling over for the event.  While D. J. has made a decision about her love life, she still has doubts that Matt is the man for her.  Fernando buys the former Gibbler house and, which Jimmy’s help, returns it to its former … glory isn’t quite the word for it.  Jackson has to retake history during summer school, which introduces him to Rocki (Landry Bender), the daughter of Stephanie’s friend Gia (Marla Sokoloff).  Max tries to give a report even though he’s sick.  Tommy even gets his own storyline in an episode as D. J. tries to get him into a prestigious pre-school.  And Ramona keeps trying to get into the dance school of her dreams.

To be honest, I feel like the show focuses most on the adults, with the kids usually being relegated to a B story in an episode.  If they are part of the main plot, there is an equally strong storyline for the adults.  Not that I’m complaining since the pull for many of us is the now adult characters.  We’ve loved these characters and the actresses and actor playing D. J., Stephanie, Kimmy, and Steve since the show originally aired, so it is natural to care most about them.  Not that the kids are bad characters, I just find the adults the ones I care about the most.

Speaking of which, the rest of the original cast continue to pop in for an episode here to there.  Everyone is back for the two-part season finale which celebrates the 30^th anniversary of the original show and brings some changes to the adult’s lives.

The most important thing for a sitcom is does it make you laugh.  I can easily say the answer is yes.  Oh, the show continues to be hokey and cheesy with over the top elements.  I can only speak for myself, but that’s one thing I love about it.  This show is light, mindless entertainment, and it does it so well.  The laughs are plentiful and everyone seems to be having so much fun, which comes across through the screen.  Yes, the show does have tender moments as well, although they aren’t quite as plentiful or obvious as in the original.

Likewise, the acting is perfect for this show.  It’s not going to win any awards, and at times it adds to the hokeiness of the proceedings, but it makes us laugh and brings the characters to life perfectly.

This will be the longest season of the show since Netflix gave us 18 episodes.  Each episode is in the 30 minute range, most running a few minutes under but a few running longer.  They are collected in this two disc set in their original wide screen and full surround sound.  There’s nothing in the way of extras, but the episodes themselves are plenty of fun.

I will fully concede that Fuller House is an acquired taste, but if you love these characters and this show, you’ll enjoy season 3.

February 16th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Once again, a light week for February sweeps.  And, while a couple shows are coming back this week, others are going on hiatus.

Arrow – Curtis has left?  No!!!  At least he left alive, which is rare for this show.  I’m not surprised that William is going away again.  They really don’t know what to do with him.  But how does this fit with what the older William said at the beginning of the season about being left at boarding school by Oliver and Felicity and basically forgotten about.  That’s right, I’m still not loving the flash forwards, which is no surprise.

The Flash – I’m glad that at least Barry discussed the issues with time travel since no one else seemed to bring that up.  57 times?  Wow, that’s a lot of death.  It will be interesting to see if they can figure out what she changed in future episodes.  And what is Thone’s goal.  It can’t really be to keep Barry from disappearing.

This is Us – So, Kevin has had a set back.  I hope it isn’t too bad, although knowing this show I’m sure it will be.  Amazing how Randall and Kate remembered that afternoon so differently.  I can certainly see that happening, however.  But my favorite part of the episode was flashback Randall on the phone ordering pizza.  So funny.

The Masked Singer – Again, the site I’ve been reading for theories called it.  I never would have come up with her in a million years otherwise.  I’m running about 50% on even knowing who the celebrities are, but that’s not surprising given how I fair on Dancing with the Stars, too.

Suits – Nice to see Scotty again.  Frankly, all the plots in this episode were nice.  They showed us the human sides of our characters in the end, something we don’t always see.  Pretty much stands alone, but I really liked it.

The Orville – That was a dark episode.  The lecture was a little obvious, too.  Hopefully, we’ve moved back to action and comedy next week.

Movie Review: Happy Death Day 2U

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Character growth, fun

Cons: If you expect formula, you’ll be highly disappointed

The Bottom Line:

What caused the time loop?

Tree learns as she loops again

Genre blending film

“Who Picks a Creepy Baby as a Mascot?”

I really enjoyed Happy Death Day, although the movie left one thing open – how exactly did Tree (Jessica Rothe) get stuck in the time loop that kept her dying over and over again?  That is one of the first things addressed in the sequel, Happy Death Day 2U.  But the answer to that is just the beginning.

The movie actually opens with Ryan (Phi Vu) as he wakes up in his car for the second day in a row.  He slowly makes his way back to his dorm room only to find that Tree is once again in the room he shares with his roommate Carter (Israel Broussard) only this time, the two are making out.  However, a phone call from his friends and research partners Samar (Suraj Sharma) and Andrea (Sarah Yarkin) sends him from the room over to their lab.  His elation at their news is short lived, however, when the Baby Face Killer puts in another appearance, and Ryan is killed….

Only to wake up in his car again.  Can the gang figure out what is going on now?

My teaser only covers about the first 15 minutes or so of the film.  After that, it spins off in some fun and surprising ways.  So if you are worried that we will have a rehash of the first movie in any way, shape or form, you can relax.  In fact, the Baby Face Killer becomes a sub-plot here, with most of the deaths being self-inflicted in order to reset the timeline.

I highly recommend you see the first movie first.  While there is a very helpful recap at the beginning, if you haven’t seen the first one, you might be lost.  This movie opens seconds after the first one ends, and continues the story right away, so it assumes you have a working knowledge of what has happened to the characters and even who they all are.

As I already hinted out before, this is much less of a horror movie than it is a science fiction story.  There are a couple of decent chase sequences that will get your heart pumping, but they aren’t the focus of the film.  Instead, the focus is on the science fiction that started these loops in the first place.

And there’s comedy.  No, this isn’t a laugh a minute film, but there are plenty of jokes and laugh out loud moments as Tree and her friends race to fix what has been set in motion.

Yes, I keep mentioning Tree on purpose.  Despite how my teaser set things up, Tree is still definitely the main character of the film.  It is her journey that pulls us into the action.  And she has some wonderful moments here as she struggles to deal with what is happening.  You probably don’t go to a slasher film to see character growth and be close to tearing up at one point, but that’s exactly what we get here, and the movie is better for it.

Needless to say, the acting calls for quite a bit of range.  While a couple scenes are a little weak, most of the acting is perfect no matter whether we are getting technobabble, comedy, character growth, or a chase scene.

And I was on the edge of my seat multiple times as the movie progressed, just not always because a character was being stalked.

There is a scene half way through the credits that not only explains the one plot hole I was thinking of as I watched the final scene, but also provided one final laugh.  You’ll definitely want to stay around long enough to see that.

Happy Death Day 2U is a genre blending film that is a lot of fun.  As long as you aren’t expecting the movie to fit any formulas, you’ll enjoy yourself.

Book Review: A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Great cast of characters, fun setting

Cons: Weak plot

The Bottom Line:

Upper class murder

This fun cast and setting are

Let down by weak plot

The Countess of Harleigh Must Solve the Murder of the Season

When I first heard about A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, it sounded like it could be a fun debut.  While I didn’t have time to read it when it came out, I continued to hear good things about it, so I decided to get it from the library.  While I certainly had fun reading it, I did have issues with it.

It is 1899, and the Countess of Harleigh, born as Frances Wynn in America, has just completed her year of mourning after the death of her husband.  Reggie’s death was no great loss since he spent more time with other men’s wives then he did with Frances.  In fact, it was only through Frances’s quick thinking that his death didn’t cause a scandal.  Fortunately, Frances has enough money of her own that she can move out of her in-law’s home and set herself and her daughter up in a small place in London with a minimal staff.  Unfortunately, trouble follows Frances to her new life when a detective shows up asking about the night Reggie died.  Why is this coming up a year after his death?

Frances can’t spend too much time dwelling on this, however, since her sister, Lily, is coming to London for her first season with Frances as her chaperone.  Between the balls and other social functions, Frances hears of a string of robberies happening in the London upper class.  What will happen when those thefts begin to hit close to home?

So let’s get my issues out of the way first.  They involved the plot.  Unfortunately, I can’t get into specifics without issuing major spoilers.  Let’s just say I found several things under done as the story progressed.  I’m trying to figure out if my issues involved my expectations or if they really are issues with the plot.  Either way, it was disappointing.

Which is a shame because the rest of the book is lots of fun.  We meet a cast of fantastic series regulars here lead by Frances herself.  She’s got a couple of friends I enjoyed seeing here.  And her neighbor is a true gentleman in every sense of the word.  It’s obvious that we will get more of a romance between them in future books, and I find that prospect great.

And the setting is well done.  I think we all dream of living the life of the upper class in English society, so getting to travel in those circles with Frances is wish fulfillment.

I enjoyed A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder enough to consider reading the sequel, which is due out in a few months.  The characters and setting are that charming.

Movie Review: More Bitter Than Death - An Emma Fielding Mystery

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good mystery; fun characters

Cons: Light dose of Hallmark cheese

The Bottom Line:

Conference murder

Along with theft and arson

Make for fun movie

“You’re Like Indiana Jones.”  “Yes, I Am.”  “Where’s Your Bull Whip?”  “I Left It In My Classroom.”

There are certain tropes used in cozy mysteries because they are a perfect way to bring the main character into contact with a new victim and group of suspects.  One that I’m a little surprised isn’t used more is a conference or convention.  It seems like a natural one no matter who the main character is.  It’s the one that is used in More Bitter Than Death, the third Emma Fielding mystery movie.

In this case, Emma (Courtney Thorne-Smith) is the one running the conference.  Her college is hosting the annual ASAA meeting, and Emma is in charge of the week long event for archeologists.  She’s even gotten her friend, FBI special agent Jim Connor (James Tupper), to come give a lecture on forgeries.  There is extra attention this week since Emma’s friend, Dr. Harrison, is stepping down as president of the organization and is expected to name her replacement at the opening banquet.  Since this is one of the pinnacles in the archeology field, everyone is trying to get some of Dr. Harrison’s attention to plead their case for why they should have the position.

Unfortunately, the opening banquet gets off to a rocky start, and it is all from things beyond Emma’s control.  First, a truck transporting an artifact that one of her colleagues has recently found catches fire.  Then, the antiquities museum on campus is broken into.  Things get worse when Dr. Harrison gets up to speak only to die moments later.  What is happening?

As you can see, there is plenty here to keep us guessing as we go from one suspect and motive to another.  Yes, everything does tie together in the end.  I should have seen the ending coming, but I was surprised when everything was explained.  I did think one red herring was dropped, and I was wondering how it didn’t point to that character being guilty.  Overall, that’s minor.

Emma’s ex shows up for the conference, which not only allows us to see another side of the character but also brings some clarity to her relationship with Jim Connor.  I’ve enjoyed watching their relationship over the course of these three movies, so I wasn’t complaining about that at all.  All of the characters were enjoyable, and I had fun watching them interact.

Yes, this is a Hallmark movie, so my usual Hallmark movie cheese warning applies.  It’s a light dose here, but it is definitely present.  It comes across in some of the acting as well as some of the writing.  Overall, it didn’t keep me from enjoying the movie.

More Bitter Than Death is a fun, light mystery.  If that’s what you are in the mood for, you’ll enjoy digging up clues with Emma.

This movie is included in the Emma Fielding Mysteries DVD Collection.

Book Review: The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and look at 1918 England

Cons: Too much going on; not my type of book

The Bottom Line:

Historical book

Brings time period to life

But not right for me

I Was the Wrong Audience for this Book

It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of Rhys Bowen’s mysteries for years.  I’ve also followed her to her recent standalone novels, which have been slowly venturing beyond the mystery genre.  That brings us to The Victory Garden.  Set during the final months of World War I, this book leaves the trappings of mystery far behind.

Emily Bryce is about to turn twenty-one, and she is ready to start doing something to help with the war effort.  Her parents have kept her at home with her mom hoping to find someone from the aristocracy to marry her off to, but Emily is determined to find her own path.  While she is envious of her friend who is a nurse on the front lines, she is hoping to find a way to help out closer to her home in England.

Then Emily meets Robbie, an Australian pilot recovering from an injury at a hospital in the area.  Even though her parents forbid it, she keeps seeing him behind their back.  She also soon joins up with the Women’s Land Army, helping to keep the farms in England running to provide food for everyone.  Will her parents ever accept her choices?

This book clearly falls into general fiction.  The only real mystery is how Emily will overcome what life is throwing at her next.  She does go through quite a bit as the story unfolds.  I’m not going to mention anything else specific since doing so would spoil the book.

However, as I read, I struggled to get into the story.  I’m not completely sure why.  It was obvious early on that the book wouldn’t have a mystery, which I suspected from reading the book’s description, and I’m usually able to adjust my expectations pretty easily when that happens.  I do enjoy historical fiction, so that wasn’t the issue either.

If I had to give the book a sub-genre, I’d call it a coming of age story, or possibly women’s fiction.  And I think that is part of my issue with the book.  There’s a reason I don’t tend to read those type of books – I don’t generally enjoy them.  So that is on me for picking up something I don’t normally enjoy.

The book covers a year in Emily’s life, and what a year it is.  Honestly, I think that was my other issue with the story – it tried to do too much.  If one of the things she had to deal with had been taken out of the book, and some of the others had been given time to be further developed, that might have helped me connect to the story more.  Instead, some of what Emily is going through is summarized so much that we don’t get to feel what she is going through as we are told things instead of being shown them.  I felt like I was being kept at arm’s length at times instead of invited into the story.  I did tear up a time or two, but I felt like I should have been more emotionally invested in the book.

I was compelled to keep reading because I enjoyed the characters so much.  Emily is a strong protagonist.  She meets quite a varied group of people over the course of the book, and they all come alive as well, sometimes in just a few pages.

And I was completely taken back in time as I read.  England in 1918 was facing some serious issues as the war wound down, and those are brought to the forefront.  We don’t think often enough of the sacrifices that were being made on the home front during these times of war, and this book does a great job of making us remember just how much everyone suffered during that time period.

So The Victory Garden isn’t a bad book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Rhys’s other books.

Ornament Review: Jolly Donald - Disney Christmas Carolers - 2018 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Donald adds fun to this trio

Cons: His jaws are too loud when he sings

The Bottom Line:

Donald caroling

He's rather loud when he sings

Still fun overall

Donald is Ready to Sing for You

While Donald Duck is normally angry, Hallmark likes to cast him against type when Christmas rolls around.  That's why he is dubbed Jolly Donald as part of the Disney Christmas Carolers set Hallmark released in 2018.

With this ornament, Donald joins Mickey and Goofy out caroling.  Donald's normal blue shirt has become a blue sweater, and he's getting into the festive mood with a red Santa hat and red scarf.  He's standing under a street light and he's holding a green song book in his hands.

This ornament is nice on its own, but it isn't worth the price.  To understand why it is expensive, you need to plug it into Hallmark's Power Cord (sold separately).  When you do that, you'll see the light above Donald's head lights up, and he becomes ready to sing.  Press the button, and Donald starts to sing "Deck the Halls."  And, if you have Mickey and Goofy in your collection as well, you'll enjoy all three of them singing along on the song.  All told, the song lasts about 30 seconds.

Unfortunately, Donald does have one feature that annoys me.  All three ornaments have a little bit of motion, and Donald moves his mouth as he sings.  The snapping of the plastic becomes annoying very quickly.  And since he is moving his mouth whenever he sings, we hear it quite a bit.  I wish they had found a way to do it without so much snapping.  Mickey and Goofy aren't nearly as loud, so there had to be a way it could have been done.

Donald is standing on a nice, round base, so you can set this ornament out if you want.  Or, you can hang him on your tree.  You'll find that he hangs straight if you do that.

The snapping of the jaw is annoying, but overall, I'm still glad I added Jolly Donald to my collection.

Original Price: $34.99

Movie Review: The Lego Movie 2 - The Second Part

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun, laughs, Legos

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Delightful sequel

Builds well on what we enjoyed

More laughs, fun, Legos

Building an Awesome Sequel

It’s been five years since The Lego Movie assembled in theaters.  Kind of hard to believe, isn’t it?  And, while we’ve seen some other Lego movies, we haven’t gotten an official sequel until now.  The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is different than the first, but I really enjoyed it.

Just like it’s been five years for us, it’s been five years for the characters.  After repeated Duplo alien attacks, the world has gone from awesome to apocalyptic.  Lucy (voiced by Elizabeth Banks) has improved her brooding side as a result, but Emmet (Chris Pratt) is still as happy go lucky as ever.

Things change, however, when an alien comes and kidnaps Lucy and four others.  With only Emmet willing to go off and rescue them, will he be able to save everyone?

One reason the first movie was so perfect was that it included the various worlds that Lego has created over the years.  It hit that nostalgia button perfectly for so many of us grown up kids.  This movie doesn’t do that.  Instead, it becomes a rescue mission that doesn’t quite work the other worlds in.  It’s still fun, but it’s more about the characters and less about the Lego worlds.

Of course, another reason this first movie was so successful was all the jokes, and this one still has all of those.  I laughed multiple times over the course of the film.  There are lots of pop culture jokes, some that will definitely fly over kid’s heads (and the film even notes that).  And there are jokes that everyone in the audience will get.  I’ll admit, I think I was laughing more than the audience I saw the movie in the theater with, but I completely enjoyed myself.

Knowing the conceit of the first movie (MINOR SPOILER FOR FIRST MOVIE WARNING: what we are watching is all part of some kid’s imagination/real life coming together), it was fairly easy to figure out where this movie was going early on.  I didn’t mind because I had fun getting there.  And the moral of the movie once again was fantastic.  Knowing the conceit beforehand also helped me accept it when it showed up here since that was really my only problem with the first movie.

The computer animation isn’t going to blow you away here, but it doesn’t have to.  This movie is about a world of plastic blocks, so the animation fits it perfectly.  It’s fun and they create some great site gags to go with the funny dialogue.  There is a lot happening, and I’m sure there are jokes I missed.

The voice acting is all great.  The actors get out of the way and let their voices and the animation tell us a fabulous story.

And did I mention the songs?  They are fun, but they will get stuck in your head.  Yes, we get “Everything is Awesome,” but there is a twist on the song in this movie and there are another couple of equally dangerous catchy songs that was extremely funny.

If you enjoyed the original, you’ll enjoy The Lego Movie 2.  It’s built with the same humor and fun as the first one.