The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the best movies to watch around the spooky season, or the Christmas season! It's really up to you, but for anyone who has never seen this movie somehow, or you just like the film and want a review, here's a brief summary. 

At the start it's set in a place called Halloween town on (surprise surprise) Halloween, but don't worry it doesn't stay spooky the entire film (Well a little bit!). After the end of the night our main character Jack Skellington doesn't feel too accomplished, he feels like things just repeat each year, and goes on a little journey and winds up in Christmas Town. Where he discovers joy outside of fright, and wants nothing more than to have it for his own, but this will end up coming back to go wrong for him. 

So if you like the spooky season or snow season, I highly recommend this film for you, although I will warn you, in classic Disney fashion, it's a musical. And the songs will get stuck in your head. You have been warned! But seriously it is actually a really good film, so if you like things like this, give it a watch.

Review by Rosa Amia Ventre (S2)

Hollow Knight Silksong is a sequel game to indie game Hollow Knight made by Team Cherry in 2017. Now hollow knight is a funny little platformer game where you play as a little cute buddy who is fighting his way through the depths underground to kill the hollow knight and do his job that he failed to do. Now Hollow Knight was already an amazing game that blew up in the gaming franchise and when Silksong was announced in 2019 the gaming community went wild and only 6 years later it finally came out. Now if you were here for a review you are mistaken because I haven’t even touched this masterpiece, I’m still 112% Hollow Knight (don’t ask about that 12%) but instead I am here to spread the word of Silksong to others.

Now Silksong only came out a few weeks ago and it already is probably Game of The Year or in my opinion should win Game of The Decade. Now here are some things Silksong has done in its few weeks of being out. Firstly it did the craziest thing in gaming ever seen, successfully crashing every online gaming retailer for 2 DAYS on release. Then, it broke the concurrent people playing on Steam 2 TIMES. Another thing it did, it casually broke more world records. Next, when the release date was announced, EVERY GAME POSTPONED THEIR DATES TO OCTOBER. Finally the developers of the game said the reason it took so long is because they had too much money and it was so fun developing it they could have gone on for another 7 years. So yeah if this can’t convince you to play Silksong then you have terrible tastes in games. Au revoir!

Review by Noah Griffin (S1)

Wednesday Season 2 is a great season and we would recommend you watch it if you enjoyed season one. Although they did keep some things the same, many things were changed. The atmosphere will really catch you. You really never know what will happen next. You may think you know what will happen next but you almost never do. The very first scene is fantastic - Wednesday is trapped in a killers basement with no way to escape 

At the start of this exciting season we know that at the end of season one Wednesday, Enid and others save the school from Joseph Crackstone. Sadly Principal Weems dies and since nevermore must have a principal or it would be chaos they get a new principal, Principal Dort. Wednesday is adored by the new students that joined the school and is now instead feared she is very popular. When Wednesday finally gets to her dorm room she was nearly killed by her mysterious stalker. Some very upsetting news - Wednesday discovers is that her mum is going to not just visit often but also be in charge of the gala meaning that she and Gomez would have to live on the school premises (as you may already know from trailers).

In true Wednesday fashion there is another dance scene to the dead dance by Lady Gaga . An unexpected twist leaves Wednesday angry and confused. So many questions and so little answers  not only does it leave us on a cliff-hanger it also leaves a class member gone that leads Wednesday on a brand new adventure. 

Review by Eva Friel  and Esme Dempster (S1)

This review is for S4 and up as the film is rated 15. 

The Long Walk is the newest adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Long Walk”. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed the Hunger Games franchise. It stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang, Tut Nyuot, Mark Hamill, Garret Wareing and Judy Greer. The movie is set in an economically ruined, dystopian America with an authoritarian government that holds a contest where 50 young men from all 50 states have to walk until only one person stands. That person will win unimaginable riches and be given one wish which the government has to carry out. They all need to walk otherwise they are shot, they are given no breaks, no time to tie their shoes, nothing. When I watched this film, I experienced one of the saddest, traumatic and moving movies that I have ever seen. This film left me heartbroken in the best way possible. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, from joyous content at one point, to depressing sadness at another. This was one of the best films I’ve seen in some time.

The story follows Ray Gerraty (played by Cooper Hoffman) who is selected by lottery to take part in the long walk, as he gathers at the “starting line” he socialises with the other contestants. He immediately forms a connection with Peter McVries (played by David Jonsson), and they quickly become friends. Suddenly, a military officer appears, known as “The Major” (played by Mark Hamill), he sets out the rules of the competition. Don’t fall below the speed of 3 mph, you get 3 warnings, after the third warning you get your “ticket”. You aren’t allowed to leave the road, take a break or even take time to go to the bathroom. It's basically walk or die, only one person can be left. Ray and Peter eventually become friends with Hank Olson (played by Ben Wang) and Arthur Baker (played by Tut Nyuot). The group calls themselves the four musketeers. The most daunting thing about this film is that you know that all the characters must die at some point, after the first demise, it’s only a matter of time before another man is cut down. This feeling of tension engulfs you, and is regularly punctuated by bouts of hope. Every death is shown, no matter how gory, no matter how controversial, it is all shown. One death which resonates with me the most would be Hank Olson’s. After miles of walking Hank is a broken man, hunched over, frothing by the mouth, eyes filled with hopelessness. Through unintelligible words spoken he detaches from the group and walks toward a convey car, grabbing a soldier’s gun. He gets shot in the stomach, Arthur chases after him, but is pulled back by Ray. As they run up to the rest of the group, Hank screams “I did it all wrong” over and over again. The movie ends with a twist so impactful that it left me speechless, with one of the characters fulfilling a promise made that would forever change the dynamic of the long walk.

In conclusion, The Long Walk was the greatest movie I have seen this year, it is even in equal excellence to Stephen King adaptations such as the Shawshank Redemption and The Shining. It is a movie which creates dread, happiness and shock. I left the cinema questioning everything, it was an extremely moving film and had a great narrative. It contained amazing dialogue and the characters were performed very well, especially the acting of David Jonsson. It was a great film that made me feel a range of emotions and it made me uncomfortable in a way that felt as if you were alongside all of these characters. I would give The Long Walk a 9/10, as it was an astonishing experience.

Review by Daniel Mcghee (S4)

The Inheritance games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a fantastic book and is the first in a series. The book is amazingly written as the story comes to life on the pages.

The book follows 16 year old Avery as she is called to Texas for a will reading of a billionaire she never knew. But in a shocking turn of events, she must move into the ginormous house she’s inherited. Filled to the brim with secrets and puzzles she must solve and jealous family members who believe the money is theirs, Avery is caught in the middle of the game.

Will Avery find out why she inherited so much?

Will she solve the mystery?

Find out in “The Inheritance Games”

I rate this book Five stars as i thoroughly enjoyed it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is suitable for S1-S6 and is a personal favourite of mine!

Review by Emilia Milne (S2)

If you like vibrant music, high energy acting and catchy lyrics then keep on reading. With the iconic ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ to start this musical off it’s not long until we get to see what Tracy is really like.

Tracy Turnblad is a plus sized teen and is both loveable and inspiring. Her journey from outsider to activist is not just heart filling but also exciting. Edna Turnblad usually played by a man in drag adds humor and unexpected emotions. The mother daughter relationship is surprisingly sweet despite the arguments and banter.

After trying out for the Corny Collins Show Tracy gets a detention for skipping class for an unexpected opportunity that doesn’t work out,she makes surprising new friendships. Tracy then encounters the boy of her dreams Link who is also on the show. Corny Collins finally realises Tracy’s talents for dancing and puts her on the show which annoys some mean people. After announcing Tracy’s love for "Negro day" - a day where African American dancers are allowed on the show - she inspires others to do the same and love it too. One of Tracy’s best ideas is to do a black and white march for equality.

It’s no wonder why this is a fan favourite with its humorous script. This musical doesn’t just tackle racism but also that everyone is weird and wonderful in their own way. I loved this musical because it is very easy to get sucked into its humour and songs. I would rate Hairspray five stars because I loved the diversity and message from this musical. 

Article by Eva Friel (S1)

I personally think this is an amazing movie because the story is full of action and suspense, the characters are really interesting, and the animation is stunning. I was completely hooked from start to finish!

Unsurprisingly, this movie took 9 YEARS to make—no wonder it’s so good. I definitely recommend you watch it because it has an incredible storyline, breathtaking visuals, and unforgettable characters. Every moment feels exciting, and the attention to detail makes it worth every second. Whether you love action, suspense, or just beautiful animation, Kpop Demon Hunters has something for everyone.

Let’s not forget the songs—I love them! Some made me cry so much. You really have to listen to them. Here are some of my favorites:

• Golden – I love it so much
  
  

• How It’s Done – This one plays around the beginning and is the song that got me hooked.
  
  

• Soda Pop – So catchy! I once heard it playing in Saint Enoch Sands by the Saja Boys (do I even need to tell you who they are? Go search it yourself).
  
  

• Your Idol – Also sung by the Saja Boys, and it’s just epic.
  
  

• Takedown (TWICE version) – This one’s been stuck in my head for weeks.
  
  

• Love, Maybe – Amazing duet! Jinu and Rumi sang it together once they finally understood each other.
  
  

Overall, Kpop Demon Hunters is a masterpiece of animation, action, and music—I can’t recommend it enough -seriously, im stopping now so you can go watch it!!!

Article by Gabriella Iwobho (S3)

About The Author

  Katie Kirby is a writer and illustrator who lives by the seas in Hove with her husband, 2 sons and a dog Sasha. 

    She has a degree in advertising and marketing, and after spending several years working in London media agencies, which basically involved hanging out in fancy restaurants and pretending to know what she was talking about, she has some children and decided to start a blog called “Hurray for Gin” about the gross injustice of it all. 

    Many people said her sense of humour was silly and immature so she is now having a bash writing children’s fiction. 

    Katie likes rabbits, overthinking things, the smell of launderettes and Monster Munch. She does not like losing at board games or writing about herself in the third person. 

About her series of Lottie Brooks

The character’s name is Lottie Brooks as of the first book she was 11 and a quarters. 

She resides in Hove, England and she has a best friend named Jess and poppy.

 And this is the first series called The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks and it begins like this;

Lottie Brooks is 11 and a quarter and her life is officially OVER- not only is she about high school without any friends or glamorous swooshy hair.

She LOVES KitKat Chunkys and has them all the time, Lottie takes on sleepovers, crushes and new besties and some extremely embarrassing moments. (You can read more about Lottie Brooks by buying the book or ask me Onyi).

The second series of Lottie Brooks' book is called The Catastrophic Friendship fails of Lottie Brooks. 

Lottie had a spot called MOUNT BARBARA AHHH.

Lotttie is back from spring term at secondary school and ready to face anything and anyone. She had a nickname called CUCUMBER GIRL. And she is no longer trying to impress mean girl AMBER.

She got a role in the school show and she has a chance to dazzle her mega crush (NOT SAYING THE NAME YET) with her talent as a SINGING CRAB . Her friendship keeps falling apart with Molly and Jess. Is Lottie on track for another epic friendship failure?(Sad times)

The Third series of Lottie Brooks (and it gets better) is The Mega Complicated Crushes Of Lottie Brooks starting…..

Things that are rubbish in Lottie’s life: 

• Have the most Disgusting little brother in the entire world

• Have to get braces when she’s about to kiss her crush ughhh.

• Her mom keeps making cottage pie for dinner yuck.

Finally summer has arrived and Lottie has AMAZING PLANS scrolling through IG, dreaming about her MEGA CRUSH(I AM NOT GOING TO BE A SPOILER read the book to find out his name). And sunbathing by the pool where she meets her HFB (Handsome French Boy) though language is a bit of a barrier but who cares when he’s so hot.

The Fourth series of Lottie Brooks is Lottie Brooks’s Totally Disastrous School Trip.(Again starting).........

So much is wrong in her life:

• Still look like tomato (as usual) 

• She’s stuck inside the house while her friends go shopping without her (RUDE)

• Her parents are leaving her and her siblings to go on date nights (EWWWW!!!!) 

Summer is now sadly over and Lottie’s heading off to CAMP FIREFLY on a school trip. A whole 5 days away from her disgusting family. The school trip soon turns into a MASSIVE DISASTER. 

Some of the girls staying at the camp are SUPER MEAN, Lottie’s bestie Jess is staying with the new girl Isha, and Lottie isn't still sure how she feels about her MEGA CRUSH(still not name dropping).

WHO KNEW THAT A SCHOOL TRIP CAN CAUSE SO MUCH DRAMA. 

The Fifth series of Lottie Brooks is THE MAJORLY AWKWARD BFF DRAMAS OF LOTTIE BROOKS 

AWWW new diary, new year, new multipack of KitKat Chunkys and most important A NEW BOYFRIEND!!! COULD THIS LIFE GET ANY BETTER????

AFTER WHAT SEEMS LIKE FOREVER LOTTIE AND HER MEGA CRUSH(which i'm not going to name drop until the final Lottie brooks book comes out with the chaotic christmas book which you can get on any good bookstores e.g Waterstones, The works and WH smith) THEY ARE OFFICIAL A COUPLE(AWWW). Everything seems to be going brilliantly (except for amber being as mean as always, not surprised). 

Meanwhile there’s a new member of the Lottie Brooks family POT NOODLE (aka the name of her fav noodles), the cockapoo. He’s very CUTE but not toilet trained AT ALL. 

Lootie soon notices that having a bf and a dog means she has little to no time for anyone else, leaving her best friends very upset. How is she meant to stop Pot noodles from pooing on the carpet and keep everyone else happy?, and please send help for Lottie GUYS SEND HELP.

The Sixth series of Lottie Brooks is the LOTTIE BROOKS VS THE ULTRA MEAN GIRLS

Today we brainstormed to #GETAMBERBACK.

Our top ideas are:

• Send her flowers

• Hypnotize her

• Kidnap her

• Tell everyone she smells like lasagne 

• Emotionally blackmail her by making a bff photo montage

Read Lottie ‘s NEW diary to find out what happens when she takes on MEAN girls, school injections, NIGHTMARE siblings and SERIOUSLY messy pets. 

Review by Onyichechi Uche (S3)

INTRO

Trolls Band Together is an American animated jukebox musical film produced by Dreamworks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was directed by Walt Dohrn. 

 Trolls Band Together premiered in Los Angeles On November 12, 2023 and was released by November 17, 2023. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $209.6 million worldwide. 

CAST 

• Anna Kendrick as Poppy

• Justin Timberlake as Branch (Poppy’s Boyfriend)

• Kenan Thompson as Tiny Diamond

• Walt Dohrn as King Peppy 

• Eric Andre as John Dory the oldest of branch’s brother

• Daveed Diggs as Spray

• Kid Cudi as Clay

• Troye Sivan as Floyd

• Camilla Cabello as Viva (Poppy’s long lost sister)

• Amy Schumer as Velvet 

• Andrew Rannelles as Venner 

PLOT

In a flashback, an infant Branch and his older brothers perform as a boy band and they fail to hit the perfect family harmony. 

The brothers all argued and went their separate ways and Branch was left to be raised by his grandmother.

 During Bridget’s and Gristle’s wedding John interrupts and tells Branch that Floyd has been captured by Velvet and Venner. The siblings trapped Floyd in a diamond perfume bottle and they sprayed him and extracted his essence to improve their singing which could actually kill him in the process.

Branch agrees to help find his brothers to save Floyd. Poppy met her sister Viva and she refused to follow them to save Floyd because she was scared after what happened. 

The trolls went to Mount Rageous to save Floyd when Venner and  velvet were performing the saved floyd by hitting the Perfect Family Harmony. The siblings were arrested after Venner publicly confessed to trapping Floyd for a perfume for their voice and Branch and Poppy shared their first kiss. The trolls returned to Vacay Island and the BroZone reconnected and a band that Branch joined with Kismet was part of the concert.

REVIEWS

The overall review of the new Trolls movie is 4.0 ratings .

Personally I actually love the movie. It's interesting, fun and enjoyable. 

You can check it out on Netflix, Amazon prime and youtube. 

Make sure to check it out on Netflix.

It’s a MUST watch.

Review by Onyichechi Uche (S3)

Stray Kids are a diverse K-Pop group that debuted in 2018, with members from Australia and South Korea. The members are Felix/Lee Yong Bok, Lee Know/Lee Min-Ho, Hyunjin/Hwang Hyunjin, Bangchan/Christopher Chahn Bahng, Han/Han Jisung, Seungmin/Kim Seung-Min, Changbin/Seo Changbin, I.N/Yang Jeong-In and former member, which left in 2019, Woojin/Kim Woo Jin. 

My bias is Felix, a bias in K-Pop means an idol you favour or prefer, basically your favourite one out of them all. However, my bias wreckers are Han or Lee Know, a bias wrecker is someone who is your second favourite or the idol who changes between your bias. 

The maknae of Stray Kids is I.N. A maknae in K-Pop is the youngest member. Bangchan is the group leader. He is 27 and was born on October 3rd, 1997 and his Zodiac sign is a Libra. He is a member of 3RACHA also, which is basically Changbin, Han and Bangchan writing the songs and choreographing it all. 

Chan has a dog named Berry. Bangchan was born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Sydney, Australia. He is the first of 3 kids, his siblings are Hannah Bahng and Lucas Bahng. His parents are Jack and Jessica Bahng. His father was an Olympic swimming coach. Bangchan was a JYP trainee for 7 years before becoming an idol. JYP Entertainment is the company that run Stray Kids and several other very successful K-Pop groups. Bangchan debuted when he was 20. 

Hyunjin is 25 years old and was born on March 20, 2000. He is a Fendi Brand Ambassador and became one on January 16th, 2025. His zodiac sign is a Pisces. He has a dog named Kkami and is allergic to cats. Hyunjin is an only child. His favourite season is autumn and his English name is Sam Hwang. 

Lee Know is born on 25th October 1998. He is 26 years old. He was a backup dancer for BTS before Stray Kids. He has three cats: Soon-ie, Doong-ie, and Dori. His zodiac sign is a Scorpio. He auditioned for JYP in 2015, without a response. 

Felix was born on September 15th, 2000 and recently turned 25. He was scouted through an online message after school. On August 22, 2023, he was announced as a house ambassador for Louis Vuitton. Since 2020, Felix has been a consistent donor to Save the Children, earning membership in the charity’s Honors Club. His zodiac sign is a Virgo. He has lots of freckles. Felix did Taekwondo for 12 years as a child and won 63 medals in total. He has a black belt. Felix became the youngest member of UNICEF's Honor's Club in 2024 by donating 100 million won to the organization. Felix has a younger sister named Olivia Lee and an older sister named Rachel Lee. 

Seungmin was born in Seoul, Korea on September 22nd, 2000. He is 25 years old. His zodiac sign is a Virgo. He can speak Korean, Japanese and English. Seungmin is a big fan of the k-pop group DAY6. Seungmin's representative animal is a dog. 

Every Stray Kids member has a representative animal. Felix’s is a chick named Bbokari, Lee Know is a rabbit named Leebit, Hyunjin’s is a ferret named Jiniret, Han’s is Han Quokka, a quokka, Seungmin’s is PuppyM, a puppy, I.N’s is FoxI.Ny, a fennec fox, Changbin’s is Dweakki, a mix between a rabbit and a pig, Bangchan’s is Wolf Chan, a wolf. These animals are called SKZOOs. 

Han was born on September 14th, 2000, making him 25. Han and Felix are often referred to as the sunshine twins because they were born just a day apart. His zodiac sign is a virgo. Han used to live and study in Malaysia. Han’s hobbies are playing guitar, reading manga and writing songs with 3RACHA. He has a pet dog named Bbama. He trained with JYP for 3 years. 

Changbin was born on the 11th of August, 1999. He is 26. He trained for 2 years. He speaks Korean, English and Japanese. Changbin is afraid of bunnies and puppies and is allergic to cats, he founded 3RACHA just before Stray Kids debuted. His favorite vegetable is sweet potato. On his 26th birthday, he donated 100 million won to children in need. 

I.N is the youngest member of Stray Kids, he was born on February 8th, 2001. He wanted to be a priest instead of an idol. His favourite colour is green and likes the number 7. His baptismal name is Johan. 

Woojin is Stray Kid’s former member, he left on October 28th, 2019 for personal reasons. He is currently a solo K-Pop artist. 

Stray Kids’ lightstick is a red, black and white compass. Stray Kids’ most recent album Karma released a month ago. They have 24 albums and EPs so far; Mixtape, I AM NOT, I AM WHO, I AM YOU, Clé 1: Miroh, Clé 2: Yellow Wood, Clé: Levanter, SKZ2020, TOP, GO生, IN生, ALL IN, Christmas EveL, NOEASY, SKZ-Replay, ODDINARY, CIRCUS, MAXIDENT, THE SOUND, ★★★★★ (5-STAR), 樂-STAR, Ate, Hollow and KARMA. My favourite album is KARMA or ODDINARY. My favourite song is BLEEP from KARMA or MANIAC. The Stray Kids fans are called STAYs.  

Review by Erin Stewart (S1)