akwardlyuncool

[akwardlyuncool]

Sitting To Know Your Collection January Roundup

Week 1 (January 5th- January 7th)

Album: Learning Logic (2016) by Camilla Recchio Play Count: 5-ish times. Top 2 Tracks: I’m Gone (Track 9) I Don’t Wanna (Track 2)

I started week one a little late, cause the idea for this challenge/project came to me late, but I still managed to get a few good listens in. I had the wheel picker spit an album from my collection out and this is what it gave me. If you haven’t heard Camilla Recchio before I highly recommend you check her out. Listening these last few days just reinforces how good I think she is. The album is soulful and vibey and I didn’t mind having it on repeat. Solid first week.

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Week 2 (January 8th - January 14th)

Album: Peace Love Death Metal (2004) by Eagles Of Death Metal Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: San Berdoo Sunburn (Track 13) Whorehopping “Shit, Goddamn” (Track 12)

Not gonna lie I was not immediately siked for this one. I thought I was gonna have to sit through a week of death metal on repeat and although I do enjoy metal, I just wasn’t ready for that lol. Now that I’ve given it a few plays I can first tell y’all I was wrong, it’s for sure not death metal and second it was not bad at all. It had a funky, classic rock kind of vibe and I was actually super here for it. I think the metal dudes would get down with them for sure.

I got this CD sometime last year I believe, when my boss was getting rid of a whole bunch of CD’s cause it seemed cool and different and I don’t have much metal in my collection lol and it’s for sure staying. I took a chance and that chance paid off. There were some things I didn’t completely rock with, but for the most part I’d check out whatever dive bar these folks are playing at. Week 2 was the prime example of why I’m doing this.

Also I just checked their Instagram and their look matches PERFECTLY to this sound. Love the mustaches, love the suits, love the entire energy.

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Weeks 3 + 4 (January 15th - January 22nd)

Week 3 Album: Corinne Bailey Rae North American 2X Disc Deluxe Edition (2007) *Emphasis on the 2nd disc by Corinne Bailey Rae. Play Count: 4 with 1 full run through. Top 2 Tracks: I’d Like To Weekender Remix (Track 8) Daydreaming (Track 6)

Week 4 Album: I Am Me (2005) by Ashlee Simpson Ross Play Count: 5 Top 2 Tracks: Catch Me When I Fall (Track 8) Say Goodbye (Track 11)

Sorry this is a long one. You’re getting a double feature this week, because I paused my posts cause that was one of the ways I was participating in the strike that was happening last week. Anyways, but not really cause Free Palestine, both albums were good.

Corinne Bailey Rae’s self titled is one of my favorite albums of all time, however this second disc took me a minute to get into. The flow just wasn’t as automatic as I thought it would be, but it eventually picked up with help from the lyrics and a full run through of both discs. Once you’re there, you’re vibing.

Made an exception for this album because of the second disc that I had never listened to.

As for week 4, it was automatic with I Am Me. The album starts with Boyfriend, which is never not a good time and just continued from there. It was fun and poppy and had that little rock edge all the pop girls who dated rocker guys from that era had. Good stuff. __________________________________________________________________

Week 5 (January 29th - February 4th)

Album: PETALS for ARMOR (2020) by Hayley Williams Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: Why We Ever (Track 10) Sudden Desire (Track 5)

Not gonna lie this one wasn’t automatic for me, like I thought it would be. It took a moment and even then I wasn’t sure. That being said the 80’s vibe did grow on me and the songs that I wasn’t really feeling at the beginning almost became favorites, particularly “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris” and “Simmer.” I can see the bleed from what Paramore is putting out and her solo work, even if it’s only a slight bleed. It’s Hayley Williams so you’ll probably find something to like.

PS: I saved this one from getting tossed at the library and I’m glad it got picked cause it makes me not regret saving something I didn’t have space for.

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So those are the albums that I sat with in January. I think it was a good variety. Which one would you check out?

Stay tuned for February.

#Sitting To Know Your Collection 2024 #Sitting To Know Your Collection #Learning Logic #Camilla Recchio #Peace Love Death Metal #Eagles Of Death Metal #Corinne Bailey Rae Deluxe Edition #Corinne Bailey Rae #I Am Me #Ashlee Simpson Ross #Ashlee Simpson #PETALS for ARMOR #Hayley Williams

[akwardlyuncool]

Sitting To Know Your Collection Project 2024 (January - TBD)

So in 2024 I've been doing a little album listening project with my CD collection. Essentially every week I spin the picker wheel that is filled with a list of all the CD's from my collection, that I've cataloged so far and give it a few plays throughout the week.

For those who have decent sized physical music collections, you know there's just some stuff that doesn't get played or doesn't get played enough. Hate to say it, but some things sit and I figured why not try and dust them off a little bit. (It also forces me to work on my CD cataloging project.) It's called "Sitting To Know Your Collection" because the challenge is to sit with your music and get to know it a little better.

I have a friend who did something similar a few years ago, so shout out to him for most likely planting the seed in my head a few years before it would manifest into my own take.

All that being said, and I know I'm informing folks late, but I figured someone else might want to challenge themselves too, so I figured why not share my hella subjective rules that can be modified to fit whatever you got going on.

Rules and Such:

It can be any genre you choose, just pick a "new" album from your collection every week to show some listening love to. (New as in different.)

Track the albums for yourself or with friends.

PS: I made a tracking template if anyone wants it.

Go for as long or short of a time period as you want. (My initial goal was to go from January until the end of September, but I'm liking the project so much, that I might extend it out till the end of the year, who knows.)

This is a side quest to your regular music listening habits. Replay the album as much as you want, but at least twice works within the spirit of the challenge.

If you don't have any physical music but this still sounds fun to you, just hop on the streaming service of your choice and pick a new album from there every week.

No pressure. No Stress. Just fun.

*Not Official Rules (just somethings hella specific to me):

Since I always show love to my soundtracks, they are not part of the project, neither is any album that has made it to my favorite albums of all time list. Just to be fair.

Last I try to only do full albums, but every once in a while I'll allow myself an EP.

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So that might pose the question, what albums have I listened to so far? Great question! Because I'm sharing this like 3 months in, I'm gonna post monthly roundups for January, February and March. Then starting sometime in April, hopefully I'll get to sharing last week's album on a weekly basis. The good thing is though, I've been keeping up with it on my Instagram, so copy and paste will be involved.

Stay tuned for January.

And if you participate, I'd love to know! Let's talk about what you're sitting with!

#Sitting To Know Your Collection 2024 #Sitting To Know Your Collection #Physical Media #CD Collection #CD's #Vinyl

[akwardlyuncool]

Dear Never Had To Leave Tour 2022,

I know I'm late to writing to/about you, but a year or two late is still better late than never. Matt Maeson filled every other playlist and morning notebook session of 2022 and when I found that I also had a friend who loved him too, it just made sense for us to to go to the show together. Now I hadn't seen this friend since high school, which was over 10 years ago, but hey I tend to trust dudes who ask me how my day was lol. That being said planning with this dude is rough, cause I had to confirm on several occasions if we were still going together and almost mistook him for some other big guy with long hair lol. Honestly I just have anxiety and am never really sure if people like me or actually want to be in my presence.

I wasn't feeling 100% that day, but I rallied around the idea of seeing an artist that did a lot of comforting for me in 2021 and 2022 and I was determined to do everything I possibly could to make that a reality. I might not of had the most energy in the club, but I for sure sang every song I knew even half the words to.

Glad we got to cross another venue off the this. I hadn't been to The Mission Ballroom before (RIP to the Watsky tickets I had that kept getting rescheduled because of covid for the same venue) and I don't tend to go to the larger venues, but a coworker of mine said it felt rather intimate to them, in the sense of like vibes and I must agree. Don't get me wrong it is a huge spot, however once you're in the pit, things don't feel as massive and unreachable as you might think they would.

Showing up like you want to be there. It doesn't matter who you are, but if you're entrance song is Man I Feel Like A Woman, you can't go wrong. I hadn't listened to All Get Out before, I probably dabbled the week beforehand, but overall they were good. I was for sure feeling it. We also got pictures afterwards and a free album, so it's good vibes all around. Shout out to nice dudes in overalls.

I'm always focused on making sure the people I bring to shows are okay, so if I don't have to stress about that, I feel better. Still stressed a little bit, but my friend also cared about my enjoyment so it was mutual. I know outside food is contraband at most venues, but fruit snacks and the judging of candy conversations are rather good ways to spend intermissions. You gave me moments that sprung into other lasting things and and that's pretty special for the sentimental human in me.

Now Matt Maeson, my boi! So good! Like if you love his voice through your speakers, live is just EVERYTHING. I wish I had felt 100% cause the videos I got go hard and I would have gone even harder! Not saying I didn't go hard, just not hard enough. (Note: I haven't written one of these in a while, so "go easy on me baby" lol.) Obviously Cringe and Cut Deep were fantastic, but a highlight was Beggars Song for the encore. Absolutely perfect choice for an encore song and it ranks supper high in that category for me.

You closed out the night with food truck churros and chivalry in the form of a ride home. The churros didn't end up being that great but the ride home was nice and the ear plugs that I couldn't get to work for me led to some extra bravery, so all the stars and all the points and I hope there's more bravery and Matt Maeson in my future.

Fondest Memories,

Jai (Akwardly Uncool/FreshJai)

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Matt Maeson ft All Get Out

Venue

The Mission Ballroom (10.19.2022)

Stats:

1st time seeing Matt Maeson

1st time seeing All Get Out

#Concerts #Never Had To Leave Tour 2022 #Matt Maeson #All Get Out #Never Had To Leave #The Mission Ballroom #Fresh Jai Photos #Fresh Jai

[akwardlyuncool]

Friday March 15th 2024

Hi..... (Picture me akwardly in the corner figuring out how to intro this ish.)

Some people say that if they tell the internet something, toss it out into the universe or just write it down somewhere somewhat visible, that you're more likely to do the thing. I don't know if that is true or if it will work for me, but it doesn't seem like it would hurt.

I took a little break after Akward Class Favorites 2023 (go check that out, I spent a lot of time on it) and now I'm ready to start chipping away at the backlog of stuff I've been wanting to post and write out and get out to the universe and even current ish, cause I've been doing things in 2024 too. I have concert posts from 2022, an album listening project that I've been doing every week this year and I even took some really cool pictures for my favorite albums lists the last few years and don't know if any that work will ever truly get the shine it deserves. Again there's just all kinds of stuff I want to share and I hope that this is the moment I really get back into sharing that work.

So to start, I'm testing out a collage/ "Love Letter" format for older concert posts that I just want up and documented and the first one will follow the post you're reading now. This weekend I might also share the weekly album listening project I've got going and maybe you might want to join along?

Don't know how often I'll do these update posts, but I like the idea of them so I might just toss one up periodically. So here's to sharing sharing more and giving myself the project feelings that I love and crave so much.

Akward Goodbye.....

PS: I have an Akward Side Blog that I made for "behind the scenes" content and reblogs, that rarely gets used (mainly cause no one follows me there) but it might also be time to add stuff there too.

#Extra Talk #Akward Updates

[akwardlyuncool]

Akward Class Favorites The Playlist 2023

I thank y'all for being here. I thank myself for being here. Somehow you and I made it through another year and another Akward Class Favorites and that is a win in my book. I do this thing, whatever this is, because it brings me joy. Regardless of all the missing pieces or the things that will show up later cause I lost them in the couch, I'm still trying my best to show up for that joy. Before I officially close us out though, we gotta phat playlist to listen to. I'm also gonna add in some life-notes, cause I like to talk and I overshare and what better way to do that, than through an annotated playlist. Once again, thank you for sticking around and if you're new here thank you for showing up. As always conversation are encouraged on this blog. Let's see what comes next.

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Notes:

This is not a strictly 2023 playlist, but the 2023 songs will be clearly marked.

There is a story or flow that I tried to create once again, but you do not need to know any of that to follow along with the playlist. You can listen in order, shuffle, pick and choose, do whatever you want.

That being said if you’re following along from the beginning and reading along, the anecdotes that follow many of the songs aren’t really apart of that story, they’re just extra pieces of sometimes “personal” information that I include because it’s fun for me.

When I’m collecting YouTube links for these songs, I’ll often find a live or alternate version that I really like and will share that instead, or in addition to, the original/studio version. I will note when I do this, however the full Spotify playlist will have the “correct” version.

And to make sure I included the YouTube links in general, the formatting for the whole post might be a little off, sorry.

Side note: I wrote all the songs how they show up in Spotify, which is why some are capitalized and some are not. (Just in case anyone was wondering.)

Key:

⭐️ = Songs that came out specifically in 2023 🕚 = Songs that came out in November/December of 2022. (You know the late babies.) ✊🏾 = Songs by/featuring Black Artists.

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There is something here for literally EVERYONE, so if you don't find something you like, you didn't listen hard enough. Enjoy!

1. ⭐️ Gans Media Retro Games - Hot Mulligan

Why do I keep trying to spell Hot Mulligan as "Hott Mulligan?"

2. ⭐️ CHRONICALLY CAUTIOUS - Braden Baless

I relate to this song on a core level.

3. ✊🏾 Anxiety - Meg Thee Stallion

I know less than nothing about this current beef, but it's always gonna be team Meg!

4. I'D RATHER DIE - AS IT IS

It was a rough summer. People who know me in real life, I promise I'm fine.

5. ⭐️ Lost - Linkin Park

Happy 20th Anniversary to Meteora! These unearthed tracks fit that era so well.

6. ⭐️ Rational - Matt Maeson

Stop describing me lol.

7. ⭐️ No Shoes In The Coffee Shop “Or Socks” - Hot Mulligan

8. ⭐️ 20 Missed Calls - Braden Bales

The video is of a live session, but Spotify will have the recorded version.

9. How Do You Know It's Not Armadillo Shells? - Hot Mulligan

10. I Like to Hide in the Bathroom at Parties ft. The Knocks - Winnetka Bowling League

11. ✊🏾 Stupidfreak (Audiotree Live Version) - Juice

12. ⭐️ Nevermind - Between You & Me

13. Fake It - State Champs

14. ⭐️ It Won’t Be Like This Forever - Neck Deep

15. ⭐️ NEW LOVE - BOYS LIKE GIRLS

16. First Date (Acoustic Cover) - Taylor Acorn

17. PERRIER - Braden Bales

It's just so cute and it makes me want to find a crush and be in giddy kind love.

18. Sundress ft. Four Years Strong - State Champs

This song also makes me want to be in love.

19. Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray

Second first kisses or first second kisses? I definitely wanted to be there and wanted to do it again. Also it wouldn't hurt if you thought things would have gotten better the next time. This is filler a version cause the actual song that played was a heavy punk cover of this song and I don't know who sang it.

20. ⭐️ ✊🏾 Buckle Bunny - Tanner Adell

Be a little thot-y. Have a little fun. PS: This post has been written for quite some time now, but with the new conversations being had, I just want to add that Yoncé didn't invent Black Woman in Country music and she is not the revival of such things.

21. Nonsense - Sabrina Carpenter

Dress a little thot-y. Have a little fun. Flirt a little. Fall in love or hard core like.

22. ⭐️ Breakfast For Dinner - Winnetka Bowling League

This song is hella cute. Y'all don't understand how much I want to be in love.

23. ⭐️ The Places We’ll Go ft. Dashboard Confessional - Yellowcard

24. 🇵🇸 sun and moon - anees

My best friend had baby, but more relevant to this list, a baby-shower that was themed after the moon and the stars. She asked me to make the playlist and I understood the assignment. Free Palestine!

25. Spaceship - Andy Grammer

More baby shower playlist gems. Also this song is hella cute and I recommend it to all the parents.

26. Act Like That ft. Mitchell Tempenny - State Champs

27. An Irish Party in Third Class (Includes "John Ryan's Polka" and "Blarney Pilgrim") - Gaelic Storm

25th Titanic Anniversary in Imax 3D. Let's just say I finally got my "Dinner and A Movie," you know the one that Harriet The Spy was talking about.

28. ⭐️ ✊🏾 What’s The Move ft T-Pain - Watsky

29. ⭐️ FIGURE IT OUT ft. YNG Martyr and Stafford Beats - Chandler

I only really like Chandler's parts and if you heard this from this from TikTok, yes the Chandler Shimmy has a hold on me too.

30. ⭐️ THE OUTSIDE (Outsiders Version) ft. 30H!3, State Champs, The Summer Set and The Ready Set - Boys Like Girls

This collab is top tier and I'm still geeked about seeing most of them in one lineup. Also not to be rude, but what part does The Ready set do? I've been trying to figure out what he does and the answer doesn't seem to exist for me.

31. 31 - Mike Edel

32. Miles Apart - Yellowcard

This was my summer anthem for 2023. It's just such a perfect fit.

33. ⭐️ ONE MORE TIME - blink-182

PERFECT! No notes. It gives the same energy as Back Together by The Summer Set, both of them make me want to cry.

34. ⭐️ 2005 - Story Of The Year

I'm not mad at it. Let all the boys come back and reminisce, especially if it involves anniversary tours.

35. ⭐️ NOTHING LIKE THE LAST TIME - Watsky

I am celebrating. I am not crying. I promise you.

36. ⭐️ Don't - Wild Rivers

This song is so good, but I ran away from it because feelings are complicated and I thought I didn't know until I realized I did and then it was over. PS: You can always ask me how I feel or felt, conversations haven't expired yet.

37. 🕚 Forget Me (Piano Acoustic Version) - Lewis Capaldi

38. are you okay? - Winnetka Bowling League

This song is everything, moody, sad, caring…. all the feelings.

39. Untitled - Rex Orange County

40. ⭐️ That’s Not How This Works ft. Dan + Shay - Charlie Puth

41. ⭐️ That's Not How This Works (Sabrina's Version) ft. Dan + Shay and Sabrina Carpenter - Charlie Puth

You can skip this one if you want, I just listened to both versions back to back every time, so it was hard to not include both.

42. fiimiy (fuck it, i miss you - Live Version) ft. Demi Lovato - Winnetka Bowling League

Sometimes you just need to let yourself say the words, even if you don't act on them.

43. ⭐️ Heartbreak Of The Century - Neck Deep

I feel like I'm finally getting back into Neck Deep, not that I really stopped I just didn't listen to their last album and it feels so good to be back.

44. ⭐️ BLOOD AND SUGAR - BOYS LIKE GIRLS

I love this song so much, it's hella groovy, but I'm sorry I can't ignore the fact that it's essentially "why doesn't she like me?" or "why won't she go out with me, we're all just human?" Or hey to be more forgiving, "why does she make me feel this strongly if we're only 'blood and sugar?'"

45. ⭐️ Daddy Issues… - Bury Mia

46. MakeDamnSure (Cover) - Hot Mulligan

47. 31 - Soul Glo

This was the first song that popped up when I was looking for songs the day I turned 31 and I will say it's not for the white faint of hearts. It goes hella hard though.

48. Fuck You - The Used

49. *Equip Sunglasses* - Hot Mulligan

50. ⭐️ ✊🏾 Roll The Dice - Fluorescents

I walked around singing that 30 second bit from TikTok for a good minute there. I was probably annoying. Although I do enjoy the song, I wonder if TikTok is just feeding me pizza. Do I really like these songs or do I only like the 30 seconds I've heard 100 times. (I'm gonna make a playlist of my music folder on TikTok and get back to you on that one.)

51. Forward - Linkin Park

Songs 51-54 are what I considered to be my safe music for a period this summer cause I was just so sad and nothing was making me happy for the longest time, so thank you Linkin Park and Disperser CA for being the "good guys."

52. Breaking The Habit - Linkin Park

Again happy 20th Anniversary to Meteora, thanks for being there when I needed you.

53. ✊🏾 Snake Eyes - Disperser CA

54. ⭐️ Easier To Run (Lofi Version) - Less Gravity/Linkin Park

55. ⭐️ They Don't Make Pills For A Heartbreak - HONESTAV

I heard it late one night and wanted to cry.

56. Monsters - James Blunt

57. ⭐️ Cut Deep (Live Version) - Matt Maeson

I think this was from my date of the Never Had To Leave Tour, which makes it extra special.

58. I Need You - Relient K

TMI, I thought I was breaking up with my sister (will not provide any further details) and through this song, among others and prayer, we're comforting me. I'm okay, but still working on healing wounds.

59. Brown Skin Girl - Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, Beyoncé & Wizkid

It's here in the name of my self love journey.

SPOTIFY LINK!

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Top Songs of 2023 #Akward Mixes #Playlists

[akwardlyuncool]

Artist Of The Year: George Watsky!

This is gonna be on the longer side, so I'm cool if you don't to read of it. TLDR: Watsky put in the creative work and he's supper nice!

Honestly I didn't know who I wanted to give artist of the year to and although he's been a constant shout out for me over the years, I kept coming back to the thought that Watsky's put in so much creative work this year. He was dedicated to the art, put on a FANTASTIC show and was still trying to give back to his community of fans, even me personally. So, at the end of the day there wasn't really a question cause I already had the answer.

First he put out Intention the final album in a trilogy of albums, did an US/International tour, with a FREE live stream of one of the dates, for that album. Then at the end of all that decided that he'd go back on a mini tour at the end of the year to do a Art Pop Up/Meet & Greet as a send off and a thank you to the fans.

Now I'm not gonna get into the lore of all the challenges and puzzles and international scavenger hunting, he's done this last year as well, and probably even longer, just know that ish is amazing and shout out to anyone who was apart of that being the hella cool thing that it was/is. I just watched him in a not so parasocial way live stream his life for a couple weeks (was it a couple weeks?) while he hand drew all of the art work for the lyrics of his last album to be put into a book. It was a comfort watch this summer. So yeah, when I talk about the work, this is what I mean.

Artist of the year is really better known as artist of MY year, and although he would still deserve it otherwise and knowing that I wasn't the most knee deep into everything, I was still there for so much and had a lot of fun. The tip-over however was when he decided to make small batch of physical copies of the live album he made for the Metro date and I happened to win a copy. The first one got lost in the mail somewhere (or so I'm assuming) and upon sending a follow up email, hoping I didn't look "desperate" he was basically like "you didn't get yours? I'll send you another one."

That story shorter, the special thing about all of this is that he was like you got my word that I'll get you another one. Although I would have been bummed, I would have eventually just been okay with winning at all, but he did the extra and in the world of fan experiences, that was cool of him. It really made me feel like this was something I was supposed to win, like he thought I deserved it. Now ish might not be that deep lol, but to me it felt like it was.

All I'm really saying is that between getting to see a really good "final" show live (from my couch too), watching him livestream his creative process, as well as getting what I consider to be special fan experiences without having to pay for VIP, means a bit to me and so deserving, he is. __________________________________________________________________

Mini Watsky Introduction Playlist

Note: This does not include the lore and unfortunately stuff from the mix-CD's. I worked only with what's available on Spotify.

Two Blue Moons - Watsky (Self Titled)

(*Bonus Track) Dent In The Moon - Cardboard Castles

Sarajevo ft. Dia Frampton - All You Can Do

Wounded Healer (Live) - All You Can Do: Live From The Regency

(*Bonus Track) Exquisite Corpse ft. Dumbfoundead, Grieves, Adam Vida, Wax, Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs, and Chinaka Hodge - x Infinity

Same Way - Fine Print (Invisible Inc.)

Welcome To The Family - COMPLAINT

Undermine ft. Raquel Rodriguez - PLACEMENT

FLOAT - INTENTION

Tiny Glowing Screens Pt 2. (Live) - Watsky Live from the Metro

Spotify Link!

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PS: When I get to it and have the emotional capacity for that amount of sentimental-ness, I'll do an official reminiscing of the last 10/11, maybe even more years of my time going to Watsky shows. I'm also still gonna make the official Intention tour post, as well as one for the Art Pop-Up, so there will for sure be more Watsky content to come.

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Artist Of The Year #Watsky #George Watsky #Akward Mixes #Playlists

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Rooting For “Everybody” Black! Year 4

Bringing it back for the 4th year, we got a mini playlist featuring all the Black artists/bands that made it to the full end of the year list. Like always this is just a sampler plate, take what I offer you and use it to go get more. Join the vibe movement, cause there's something for everyone!

Disclaimer: We rooting for Blu Ivy here, cause Yoncé on some quiet ish and she needs to do better with the kind of platform she got and Blu is just a kid. Also yes there are couple repeats from last year because I was going through it in 2023 and was playing the same stuff and honestly anything that just felt safe, over and over again. Sorry not sorry.

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This year includes the songs you'll see in the official 2023 playlist, as well as a new-to-me song by the artist or band that I want to get into in 2024. (Also not in any specific order other than artist next to artist.)

31 - Soul Glo

32 - Soul Glo

Buckle Bunny - Tanner Adell

I Hate Texas - Tanner Adell

Roll The Dice - Fluorescents

Sober Lullabies - Fluorescents

Brown Skin Girl - Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, Beyoncé & Wizkid

My Power - Nija, Beyoncé, Busiswa, Yemi Alade, Tierra Whack, Moonchild Sanelly and DJ Lag

Stupidfreak (Audiotree Live Version) - Juice

Heartbreak In A Box - Juice

What's The Move ft T-Pain - Watsky

A Change Is Gone Come (Cover) - T-Pain

Snake Eyes - Disperser CA

None Taken - Disperser CA

Anxiety - Meg Thee Stallion

Cobra (Rock Remix) ft. Spiritbox - Meg Thee Stallion

Spotify Link

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Rooting For Everybody Black #Akward Mixes #Playlists #Soul Glo #Tanner Adell #Fluorescents #Juice #T-Pain #Disperser CA #Meg Thee Stallion

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Top *12 of 2023

Here are my top 12 songs of 2023, in good enough rank order. If you wanted something strictly 2023, here you go. I'll just go ahead and say now that there is a bonus track 13, but for good reason, which won't be explained here, but inside of the big playlist, where I typically write all my annotations.

PS: I decided to pick only one Braden Bales and Hot Mulligan song each for this list. There were several other tracks by them that probably would have made the cut had I let them, but I decided to let other folks have a chance. _______________________________________________________________________

CHRONICALLY CAUTIOUS - Braden Bales

Gans Media Retro Games - Hot Mulligan

Rational - Matt Maeson

Breakfast For Dinner - Winnetka Bowling League

ONE MORE TIME - Blink-182

Buckle Bunny - Tanner Adell

It Won't Be Like This Forever - Neck Deep

THE OUTSIDE (Outsiders Version) ft. 30H!3, State Champs, The Summer Set and The Ready Set - Boys Like Girls

That's Not How This Works ft. Dan + Shay - Charlie Puth

The Places We'll Go ft. Dashboard Confessional - Yellowcard

2005 - Story Of The Year

They Don't Make Pills For A Heartbreak - HONESTAV

(Bonus Track) Don't - Wild Rivers * I love this song so much but I ran away from it, so here as a bonus song. Will explain more in the full end of the year playlist.

SPOTIFY LINK!

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Top 12 of 2023 #Top 12 #Top Songs of 2023 #Akward Mixes #Playlists

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Albums

It's makes sense. You already knew what was up. Let's talk about it.

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Why Would I Watch - Hot Mulligan

I'd been doing the dabbling work on Hot Mulligan for a good part of the year and was there and in love. Then this album came out and everyone was going off about how good it was, so I needed no convincing, just a CD copy. They even announced a tour shortly after the album release, but because I hadn't listened to the album yet I decided to wait and see. If you in the mix, you know how big of a mistake that was. It sold out SO quickly. Anyway I listened, went on a couple neighborhood walks with the album and the rest is history.

They may feature song titles that are sometimes nonsensical and cause you not to remember what their names are when you want to recommend them to your friends, but don't let that deter you, "This Song Is Called it's called What's It Called" needs no automatic memorizing of it's title, it's okay if you look it up or shorten them. I had already heard "Gans..." as a single in my Spotify release radar, so beyond that "No Shoes In The Coffee Shop" was the first song that I got attached to lyrically because of "for every crater on the moon, there's an empty beer around the room." I don't know I was just drawn to it.

If you haven't already listened and you're into Midwest Emo, Pop-Punk, Post-Punk, any of that, go listen to the album, have a moment and thank me later. Also tell me what your favorite song is cause I'd love to know.

Top 4 Tracks:

Gans Media Retro Games (Track 10)

No Shoes In The Coffee Shop "Or Socks" (Track 5)

Betty (Track 7)

It's A Family Movie She Hates Her Dad (Track 2)

King Of The New Age - State Champs

This album was listed as one that needed more attention during ACF22 and since I did my homework, in 2023 it made it to an top favorites category. I saw them in concert with Boys Like Girls, so that majorly increased their chances. Honestly though I think I was just starting to ease off the break that I was taking from some of my favorites and here were are. I thought they deserved to be a little cocky, just wasn't entirely here for it previously cause I always want to keep my favorites accessible. After sitting with the album a ton and seeing bits of it live, I can't be less of a State Champs fan. They're too good, so it is impossible for me. Like always give me time.

This is the album you make once you're a Senior in school and are now the top dogs. People are coming to your house to party now. This is stating a moment for the band and I think regardless of where they go from here, they were able to make a record reflecting the feelings of this time, most of which were high. At the end of the day I'm not gonna knock them for celebrating themselves and making sure we're aware who's winning here, I'm actually just gonna go right ahead and join in on the gang vocals.

My advice for anyone else this happens to, is to go ahead and take breaks from the artists that you love. I know that sounds sucky but trust me, you're most likely gonna come back to them and you're gonna appreciate the work so much more and if you don't, that's okay too. It worked for me, so that must count for nothing, but still something.

Click here to see what I said about the album last time.

Top 4 Tracks:

The proof that I did my homework is in what tracks are my favorite currently, cause they have definitely changed.

Fake It (Track 5)

Act Like That ft. Mitchell Tempenny (Track 8)

Sundress ft. Four Years Strong (Track 10)

Just Sound (Track 7)

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Why Would I Watch #Hot Mulligan #Kings Of The New Age #State Champs #Albums #Album Reviews

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Albums That Needed More Time Or Came Out Too Late To Be Official Favorites

General Note: Y'all know albums that I don't have physical copies of are more likely to end up here and that is what it is.

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Placement/Intention by Watsky

So what had happened was.... In preparation for what probably would be my last Watsky show, I went and binged his last 3 albums: Complaint, Placement and Intention, with emphasis on the last two, so I wouldn't look silly at the concert and ended up not dedicated enough personal time to any one of them in particular. It was a failure on my part, however I did not look silly at the show and Watsky ended up being one of my top 5 artists of the year. That's all fine and dandy, but I truly do need to give these albums more attention than just treating them like I'm binging for a test. There's great stuff in here, that I've been bumping even before 2023. I know I will fall even more in love with this whole body of work, that I'm so proud of, if I literally chilled with them. I now have Complaint and Placement on CD, so that should help as well.

Top 2 Placement Recommendations:

Undermine ft. Raquel Rodriguez (Track 4)

The Price of Growing Up (Track 6)

Top 2 Intention Recommendations:

Nothing Like That Last Time (Track 10)

What's The Move ft. T-Pain (Track 2)

Sunday At Foxwoods by Boys Like Girls

I wanted to give it to the Boys anyway cause I saw them in concert this year (wonderful show) and had many songs from the album on repeat, for most of the year, however the full release came out in later October and my quest to get a physical copy hasn't been so great. Target sold out of the copy that I wanted and the CD that I bought off eBay came broken, so things just weren't working out. All of that being said, I have no doubt that when I finally get my CD and listen to everything in order, front to back, it will reaffirm what I already feel and that's that THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN. They're just so good and I'm here for everything, except for their fashion choice of the American flag lol. Y'all-ternative is real and Boys Like Girls are leading that charge. (Yes I am cringe, leave me alone.) Anyway the album is fantastic and even though I haven't done a full run through, I don't need to, to tell you that.

Top 2 Recommendations (Yes this is hard, cause I know half the album):

New Love (Track 5)

Blood and Sugar (Track 4)

*Bonus: The Outside (Outsiders Version) ft. 3OH!3, State Champs, The Summer Set and The Ready Set

I added this song and specifically this version because I think it's the best way to get the full effect of this moment and what it feels like with Boys Like Girls coming back to us. At the end of the day I think I love other songs slightly more, but this song gets me going every time.

SHIMMER.SEASON by Not My Weekend

I didn't think I was going to talk about this album because it came out in November, but then I had an end of the year binge of Not My Weekend as a whole, that's still kinda kicking and figured why not include it here so that maybe it will make it to all the main stuff in 2024. So I'm shouting it out here and now, but to be fair, this will be it's only appearance for ACF23. I also just don't want to have to go rework all of the categories that have already been long since completed, cause they would bump several folks.

Anyway SHIMMER.SEASON is the general wave for me right now. It's what I got on "out of album order" repeat and what I imagine will stay in rotation for some time to come. I'm not sure if I've listened to it front to back but I feel like I've played the Not My Weekend artist station on Spotify so many times now that I've heard all 10 songs at least once and some of them at least 20. Again it's what we doing right now. Also I don't think Patrick Gilchrist emphasizes the line "b*tch I might be!" enough when he does Lighting for in his Instagram videos, just sayin.

Top 2 Recommendations:

LIGHTING ft. Brian Butcher (Track 7)

SHUT.UP (Track 9)

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Placement #Intention #Watsky #George Watsky #SHIMMER.SEASON #Not My Weekend #Shimmer.Season #Shimmer Season #Albums

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Concert (Ranked-ish)

Before I get into the lose ranking of these concerts, since physical tickets are often times being replaced with our phones (rude) I started making my own faux tickets as my own personal takeaway, as well as using it for another creative outlet. The first time I did it, I printed off too many cause I couldn't decide which version I wanted or how many I "needed" so I brought the extras to the show with me and handed a few out to fellow concert goers. Since then it's almost been like a random act of kindness type of gift that seems to bring other people joy, but it's also something I can put on my wall or my notebook and I think I want to make them forever.

The first one I made was for when I saw Yellowcard cause I was just so excited about the tour announcement, however the first one's I was actually able to bring to a show was for Watsky. Anyway they're all my babies and I love them so much.

PS: I only give them out after the show is over, cause I'm so scared of anyone trying to actually use one of these things to get into a show. I also reserve these for the community and not really the artist, however I did make personal ones for Watsky to give to him.

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Note: All these shows were fantastic and such good times, so this won't a hard rank, but more of a soft one instead. I also haven't done any official concert reviews since like 2022 (SHAME ON ME) but I do plan to get those posted this year, because this blog feels incomplete without them, so this is just a taste of that.

The Speaking Our Language Tour - Boys Like Girls

ft: The Summer Set, State Champs and LOLO.

I bought this ticket so last minute cause I didn't know if I wanted to go to any show at the time. That being said, do you see that lineup?! There was no way I could let myself pass that up. This thing was so stacked and such a ridiculously fun time. State Champs called us the best crowd of the whole tour. My 30+ year old body wanted to die when Martin from Boys Like Girls said they were playing 50 songs, but I made it through and however sore and tired I felt afterwards was hella worth it! I think BLG in December will have to be how I see them from now until forever.

Disclaimer: They didn't actually play 50 full songs, it was more like lets mix some covers in with bits and pieces of their original work. So that's how I made it through.

Yellowcard Celebrating 20 Years of Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard

ft. Amberlin, This Wild Life, Mayday Parade and Emo Night Brooklyn

The moment I saw this show was announced I knew where all my money was going. I'm pretty sure I did pre-sale the day they let me. If you know me or have been following this blow for a while now, Ocean Avenue is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time and one of the first albums that I knew to be a front to back piece of work. Essentially what I'm saying is that there was no way, I wasn't going to this show. I forced myself to feel good enough to be first in line lol. I think the only reason why this show gets second place is because Yellowcard skipped a couple songs (hella rude) so it wasn't technically a full album show. The show was still amazing, it just when you cut a few tracks out, I'm gonna be a little butt hurt.

Watsky Intention Tour - Watsky

ft. Feed The Biirds and Wax

This was another show that I don't think I waited around to buy tickets for. Covid rescheduled and rescheduled and eventually canceled the last set of Watsky tickets that I held, so this was a little bit of a comeback tour for him. Somberly it was also potentially Watsky's last full cross-country/international tour as a musician and although I was gonna go regardless, that made it even more important to me. I was sad that I was seeing him for what could be the last time without my best friend, who I'd seen Watsky with the majority of the time in like the last 12 years, so I've kinda avoided reminiscing about it. (Which is probably why it's at 3.) I will say though, that it was for sure a really GOOD show. Feed The Biirds gets me every time and Wax is just continuously stepping his game up. Watsky said if this is it, then we gone do up right and across the board, he did not disappoint. The whole set was built to cover every album and give fans of any stage something to take home with them.

He also livestreamed the Metro date for free so people who couldn't make a date in person got to still experience the show or so other's could re-watch and re-live the experience from their couches. So technically I got to see the show twice, live and from my couch. I just love how accessible he wants to make his art.

The intention tour ended up not being the last time I would see Watsky in person, George did a small Art Show Pop Up/Meet & Greet tour at the end of the year. There I got to thank him again and do the whole send off thing in person which was really nice. I even made special, more personal faux tickets for the occasion to give to him, so that was cool.

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On the side: I didn't make tickets for them, but I did go to a couple metal shows at a brewery, which I think is hella tight. I mainly watched my friend's band (Goat Hill Massacre) play and ate pizza called The Mortician. I watched other bands too of course and they were also fun, but again I was there mainly for my friend's band. Anyway I wanted to still shout them out cause they were technically shows that I went to this year, had fun at and felt pretty cool while attending. I just need to do the ear plug thing the next time I see them cause I need to save my ears, but also because metal ain't no joke lol.

Go check out their work! Goat Hill Massacre's Spotify

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Concerts #The Speaking Our Language Tour #Boys Like Girls #Yellowcard Celebrating 20 Years of Ocean Avenue #Ocean Avenue 20th Anniversary Tour #Intention Tour #The Intention Tour #Watsky #George Watsky #Goat Hill Massacre #FreshJai Photos

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Shows I Finished and Shows I Didn't, But I'm Ranking Them Altogether.

1) Good Trouble Season 5 Part 1?

I remember, not much, about this season but I can tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed it while it was on. I do remember though that due to the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA stikes that took place for several months in 2023, Good Trouble went on a bit of a hiatus and we didn't know if it was coming back or not. I also remember that it was getting really good right before the strike and I was upset because of timing.

To note: I support the unions and strikes in general, I was just in my feelings cause of timing, but that lasted all of like 2 seconds cause I cared more about them getting paid fairly and not being screwed over by The Man lol. Just to be clear.

Anyway this is MY show and although it was forever ago that I watched it, I don't doubt my choice in putting it at the top. That being said the rest of season 5, otherwise known as the final season 😭 just premiered last week, so hopefully the questions I think I have will be answered and I'll leave the series feeling good. I still haven't put it on though, cause I'm not ready 😭 lol.

2) The Good Doctor Seasons 1-5 ish

This was a binge I started, but haven't finished quite yet, so I won't give my full, full opinion, but I can say that I like it. I think I just wanted something new (to me) and everything I was currently watching I had put on hold. And not to compare the two at all, but I haven't picked Grey's back up yet, and since it's been some years at this point I've probably been wanted a medical drama to fill that void. There were parts of The Good Doctor that didn't give me the full punch that I usually get from these shows, most likely because of how I was binging it but it was still solid and I do recommend. Also Freddie Highmore, enough said.

Side Note: I can't say whether it's good or acceptable Autism representation or not, so if you want that information, seek elsewhere.

3) The Best Man: The Final Chapters

This series for those who don't know is what happened after the 1999 and 2013 Best Man films, essentially following these characters to the "end." In 2022 I did Peacock's Black Friday deal just so I could watch this show. The original Best Man is a favorite of mine and I was excited to see them bring it back. Obviously not without reservations, but excited nonetheless.

I watched this one with my Father and we had a good time. It was fun and messy and the endings made sense. We laughed and maybe wanted to cry a little bit. Quentin (Terrence Howard) was the class favorite for sure. He brought the laughs and the tears. Now it getting the 3rd sport is mainly because of it's shortcomings.

The series tried way harder than it needed to, to show that it was/is progressive. I'm not saying don't join the times, but can you just be natural? In some places it wanted to rise above the fight and in others it wanted to drive the point home. Like I said, it was good, but it featured a common pitfall that hurts a lot of shows these days. They're just "making sure you know" but doing it in a way that feels a little forced. To note, I don't mean this in an "everything is woke nowadays" kind of way, just that I think there are better ways to talk about these things, to where it actually feels genuine.

I recommend the show to anyone that saw the original movies, simply because that's where the entire story comes from and the history of why the characters behave the way that they do is formed. You can still watch if you missed the movies, it just wouldn't be as good without them. That being said, if you have seen the show and want a more spoiler involved detailed review, let me know cause I'm down to talk about all of the characters and get a little deep on em.

4) Paradise City Seasons 1+2 (Sumerian Records)

Paradise City is the series follow-up the film American Satan. (I talked about the movie in my movie ranking for 2023, so look for that there.) The Relentless band has been on a break since reaching peak stardom, after their lead singer got some jail time and was going through drug addiction. Simon (Cameron Boyce) is a "kid" in a band who looks up to The Relentless and is trying make it just like they did.

If you read my review of the movie, you'd know I didn't think it was good, however although I would not give it shining stars, the show was better. I think Paradise City was actually attempting to say something where the movie just didn't or failed if they were even trying. Still a mess, but Cameron Boyce really did carry this thing, along with Mark Boone Junior. Andy Biersack did better here, but his singing voice was still dubbed and I rolled my eyes at some of his scenes, especially with Bella Thorne, but I already wasn't a big fan of the Lilly Mayflower character to begin with. PS: Good Trouble Fans, Booboo Stewart plays in this one as well and he's one of the least offensive characters, so that's a win lol.

Personally the show kept me watching and I was more invested in it than I was in the movie. I don't know that I would recommend this to the audience I'm sure it was trying to target, because of the whole franchise's problematic nature, but I'm sure they've probably already seen it, so it doesn't matter. And for those who haven't or are just curious, watch at your own discretion.

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Where's Riverdale?: I was gonna talk about the few episodes of this last season of Riverdale that I did see cause I do remember them being fairly decent at the time of watching, but I didn't get very far and thought I'd either save my thoughts for a separate series ending post or 2024's ranking. So I did start this last season, the tab's probably still up in one of the 6 browsers windows I have in my doc-bar right now, but it's been months so I thought I'd be a little more fair to it, seeing that it is the last season.

#AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Class Favorites 2023 #TV Talking Time #Good Trouble #The Good Doctor #Paradise City #The Best Man: The Final Chapters #TV Shows #TV

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Movie Ranks! (Part 2)

Welcome back for part 2 of Akward Class Favorites: Movie Rank!

If you missed Part 1, click HERE.

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21) The Good Guy (2009)

Beth wants to find love in the big city and once she thinks she's found just that, other things including "just friends" decide to show up as well.

Now I don't want to spoil anything, but if you've been around for a while you know how we feel about "the good guy," so just sayin. Now my takeaway is that it wasn't that bad. I still gave it 3 stars and Bryan Greenberg always plays some of my favorite slightly average white guys, with slight knowledge about random things. That being said, the movie does try (for just a moment) to romanticize Lolita (yes that book) and that's not okay! So it was alright, has a little mess, but not one I'm running out of my way to recommend.

22) Odd Man Rush (2022)

A kid who dreamed of playing professional hockey grows up to get signed to the B or is it C team in odd places around the world and this time it's Sweden, but at least there's a girl to talk to in the midst of all the cold weather.

This movie also wasn't that bad, but the whole time all I could think of was knock off Patrick Fugit and when it's not giving all it can, that thought doesn't help it's chances. I like sports movies, but in the world of re-watches, it's most likely going to be on because I've seen it at least once. With my 3 stars I probably rated it higher than the folks who this movie was forced upon, so note that it's because I don't hate everything like most people seem to lol.

23) Sorority Wars (2009)

Katie always planned to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a Delta just like mother, right alongside her best friend. Things take a turn though and nothing is like it's supposed to be.

This movie screams 2009 Lifetime movie, without a teen pregnancy. It has "cat fights" with superficial mean girls and then suddenly realizing you're above the bs and fakeness. If this is your thing, eat it up and if not you saved yourself an hour and a half of pettiness and not the supper good kind.

24) The Prince & Me 2: The Royal Wedding (2006)

Paige and Edvard are set to get married in a few weeks, but some old fuddy-duddy law comes out of the woodwork in attempts to stop the marriage from taking place.

Julie Stiles is one of my favorite actresses and if I ever met her the one question I would ask (obviously if I actually met her, I'd find a way better question lol) is why doesn't she play in any of the sequels to her hit movies lol? This has always bugged me and this particular movie is the prime example as to why that is.

What I love about Paige's character in the original Prince & Me felt lost this go around and their attempts at recreating her personality fell flat. The chemistry also wasn't there between Kam Heskin and Luke Mably (Paige and Edvard) and for a romance, that's more than half the battle. The spark just didn't exist the same way at all and that's dissapointing. The other thing that made it drop, was that it ended up being a little too hijinks-y for my me. I know that's how all of these princess sequels seem to go, but I wasn't super into it this time. If those two things had been better I would have enjoyed it way more.

All that being said, I will eventually watch the 2 following sequels that I ended up not watching this year and know that anyone who consumes these movies, like me will also watch the whole franchise too. (We're the same type of people who have seen all 7 Bring It On movies, as well as all 6 Cinderella Story films.)

25) Wedding Daze (2006)

Anderson is heartbroken over the loss of the woman he intended to marry, so after a year of moping and some encouragement from his best friend he decides to propose to the waitress in the diner that they're eating at.

Now I liked this movie for all the reasons I tend to like any movie from this era of romantic comedies, however I also didn't like it for all the reasons this era doesn't always land on me if I didn't see it in it's "prime." Again it's the hijinks and the tacky humor that bring it down. I don't hate those things, but they don't always hold up a movie the way we would like them to. It's cute and does a lot of the quirky romantic comedy things we smile over, but that's just not enough here. Bonus, it does feature Inches and Falling by The Format, so major points for that.

PS: I'm also not in the business of recommending J*son B*ggs to anyone right now, so there's that.

26) Double Mommy (2016)

*TW: Sexual Assault. Ryan and Jess broke up right before summer started. Jess is still in love with Ryan, which she states to his best friend Bryce, all summer long while they hang out to pass the time. When Ryan returns home he realizes he made a mistake and wants Jess back. They immediately fall back into old habits. Upon rekindling their love however, Jess realizes that she's pregnant with twins and Ryan isn't the only father.

This was during my Lifetime teen pregnancy binge. (I just needed stuff that wasn't gonna give me too much anxiety. And what is sleep.) The title was also hella messy, so I'm like let's go! I yelled at the screen so much while watching this one cause there's simply no other way to consume these films. You saw the title, you saw my description, of course that's how I watched this ish.

I'd been watching these movies all year, but this is where I really started to rack up the numbers of "Lifetime" trash. They're hot messes of quick, so they can pump them out faster and you can down them on whatever free streaming service you choose. I only recommend these movies to those who already eat this stuff up like it's candy and bad movie nights.

27) The Cheating Pact (2013)

Rich kids have more money than time and would rather pay someone to take take their college entrance exams than to risk the disappointment from their parents, who if they pass would pull their donor strings to get them into the good college anyway.

I thought I was getting a bad Perfect Score remake and to be fair it was bad (remember these are all rated on a curve) but when they decided to add the whole true crime element to the mix and not the money laundering/embezzlement kind, it became not as "fun" for me. I was engaged, but this was just too petty, cliché and started to involve crimes that wouldn't get them slaps on the wrists, so by the end I wasn't so into it.

28) Just Peck (2009)

*TW: Talks of suicidal ideation. Michael Peck (Keir Gilchrist) isn't one of the cool sophomores and his parents are a little overbearing with the psychology and therapy parenting style, which sometimes makes things worse. Even his friends consider themselves losers. When senior Emily Donaldson (Brie Larson) decides to let him and his friend ride in her car for a lunch smoke break, suddenly Peck thinks he's made a new friend.

This is filled with all the dark, edgy humor of our teen years and sadly that's what didn't win me over with this one. If you end up watching it, you'll notice how one of the big events of the film shines light to the overarching problems of the movie as a whole. It tried to laugh away the serious issues going on with these teens, in a way that very few actually laughed at for the right reasons. It will be for some, just not for me.

29) Remember The Daze (2007)

Last day of school in 1999 the kids decide a party and cruising is how they'll live it up.

This was a terrible rip-off of my beloved Dazed and Confused. Like they literally bit the title. It had none of the essence, none of the cool and I hated all the characters, except this one kid who went around taking pictures all day. Even the antagonists aren't done well, they're just ass-hats. This movie in it's recreation tried to spotlight the problematic behavior of D&C, without making any real statements of its own and in my opinion, actually making themselves look worse.

Like one example is that they tried to re-do Matthew McConaughey's character Wooderson, you know the guy who's still hanging out with the high school crowd, and made him 10 times more uncomfortable. Not excusing Wooderson's behavior at all, but he was someone you actually kinda wanted to hang out with because you thought he was cool, his replacement however gave all of the ick to where you might need a shower after being around him for longer than 2 minutes because he actually touched you. I'm sorry they just failed miserably at the "replacements."

One of the other things that failed this movie was the fact that it gave not one 90's vibe whatsoever. It was 2007 with maybe a 90's Nokia phone. No grunge, no soundtrack, no "like totally buggin" anything! I believed none of it's attempt at being a period piece. Just overall sad really.

Basically when you rip off a classic or classics, cause I saw many others pointed out how it also took bits from Can't Hardly Wait and American Graffiti too, at least try hard to live up to that legacy. 2 and a half stars for something that could have been decent had I not seen any teen movie made prior to the release of this one.

30) Magic Mike: Last Dace (2023)

Mike thinks he's taking one last gig before he goes back into retirement, but the London socialite decides his talents are more useful than a one night stand.

Meh, this was just way passed it's prime. It feels like when you're trying to relieve the glory days, so you become a coach. I don't know, it just didn't make me desire to have a half-naked man grind on me and although that's never truly been a desire of mine, the other films did better at the attempt. Now don't get it twisted, he's still Channing Tatum and he still has the ability to make me swoon, even during this whatever, it just wasn't what I was after. All that being said, go watch it. This is the type of movie you put on for the fun of it, not because it's gonna be great.

31) Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006)

College student Olivia Martin (Lacy Chabert) is being asked to take care of her 7 year old half sister, after her father and step-mother's untimely death. She must now decide if she wants to be a parent or enjoy her youth.

The movie probably deserved at least 3 stars (I gave it 2 and a half) because it wasn't that bad, but I wasn't moved and probably felt a little bored by it if I'm being completely honest. Predictable ending that could have used way more compromise than it gave. Again I watched a lot of "trash" this year cause they were fun, and although this wasn't exactly trash, it could be easily forgotten and thus why some of the actual "trash" beat it out lol.

32) Maine (2018)

Two strangers meet while hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Once their paths cross during a outdoor bathroom break, they become rather involved with one another.

This is the third Thomas Mann film on this list and although one of the more aesthetically pleasing watches, it ranked the lowest cause I couldn't figure out what it was actually trying to say. I gave it 2 and a half stars for the ending, cause it wasn't good, but I think that just means I didn't like the ending and it brought what could have been a 3 down. The movie is chill and vibe-y with some overcast and if that's your thing take the chance, just find the right place to stop and I think you'll be good.

33) Fallen (2006)

The day Aaron Corbett (Paul Wesley) turned 18, he found out that he wasn't just a teenage boy on the way to adulthood, but a Nephilim (human/angel) and now has to fight for a bigger cause than grades.

This was part of a 3 part mini-movie series back in the day on ABC Family and although I thought I'd watched it back then, I added it to this list cause I couldn't recall really anything that was happening and let it live like I had never seen it before. It wasn't good and probably felt a little overdone. I thought I might go and watch all 3 parts, but after sitting through the first one and all of it's "grand" fight scenes/family protecting, I knew I wasn't invested enough. I also thought I was getting the 2016 movie under the same name, so that probably had a negative effect on things as well. (I haven't seen the 2016 Fallen either, it's just what I thought I was going to be watching that day.)

I recommend this to the ABC Family nostalgia folks and Paul Wesley fans. That being said Bryan Cranston is in the other 2 parts, so maybe it might be worth testing the rest of the series out, just to see lol.

34) What Goes Up (2009)

*TW: Talks about subjects of suicide and inappropriate relationships between adults and minors. The misfits find one teacher they can trust and when that teacher dies and a new figure appears in his wake, will they too trust him in that same fashion? Campbell Babbit (Steve Coogan) is put on a newspaper assignment, to get off of writing about the woman he obsessively writes about at current. They want to get him onto more world news. like the Challenger Space Shuttle launch. He ends up slipping into the life of an old college buddy that has passed away, thinking he can figure out the students his friend left behind and maybe tell someone else’s story for a change.

This is the only movie that got a full review on the blog this year, so I won't rehash everything, however I will say that I totally get why it's this far down on the list. The ick just sat with me for most of the watch and upon it's conclusion I wasn't confident that things were cleared up, so I'm not sure I want anyone else to sit through that either. It's a dark film, with that misfit teen edginess that draws some people in and if you wanted to take a peak, on you, but not one I don't wave the red flag for.

35) Guilty At 17 (2014)

What happens when you believe your friend when they tell you they were assaulted by your teacher, but you're not 100% sure they were telling you the truth? Guilt is a strong feeling.

The movie doesn't go full mask off into the whole "women lie" territory, however it does act as the what-if, devils advocate, to that belief. It rides the line of that narrative too close for me to be like "yeah lets go!." You're upset and irritated for most of the movie and the story it was trying to tell wasn't even done well. The guilt that looms the whole time was the "heart beating underneath the floorboards" and at a certain point you're over waiting for the big reveal. This one I watched because Chloe Rose from Degrassi and Erin Sanders from Zoey 101 were in it. I'm pulled by anything with Degrassi Alumni. If you like movies that play unnecessary devil's advocates, go for it, but this is not one I'll be quick to recommend to the toxic masses.

36) Double Daddy (2015)

*TW: Sexual Assault. Cameron's life is turned upside down when he finds out his girlfriend and the new girl at school are both pregnant, supposedly by him.

Just like Double Mommy, this movie is UNHINGED! They both have similar plots, but this one adds more of that "ticket to the good life" aspect that so many people love. Although unhinged keeps you engaged for sure, there was a lot of off personality moments that you get tired of real quick. Remember the curve and all that ish, not everything that's bad is good and not all of them will make it to the coveted 3 stars.

Double Daddy and Double Mommy are ones that I absolutely would recommend... for bad movie night. Like this is a true LET'S GO! for the category. And you have to subject yourself to both, because of course you do.

37) Beautiful Disaster (2023)

*Based on a book of the same name by Jamie McGuire. Let's avoid the "bad-guy" that's totally not good for us, but find a way to sleep in his apartment and maybe even his bed every night. You know, until your "bad-girl" past starts to be the real issue.

Y'all know how much I don't like New-Adult books and the movie adaptations are just as egregiously bad. No I did not read this book (or at least I don't think I did, but if I had it would have been a million years ago and my memory of the books I would have finished in a day isn't great) however if you've read a couple, you've read plenty.

I'm tired of bad boys who aren't bad boys and love stories that revolve around 18/19/20 year old girls/women who find themselves engrossed in men/boys, but in a completely toxic ways. It's one thing if it's about new experiences and growth and young love, riding the high of something, but it's a whole other deal when you take that and have allowed yourself to barely even breathe before you say how high you're gonna jump with this person. I didn't get to watch an After movie this year, so this is the After stand-in. I will say that it's not as toxic as After, but the rushing to be all in, was just as present here as it was there.

Now side note, I'm not saying that Dylan Sprouse is unattractive or a bad actor, but once again I don't believe his performance as these particular characters, in these particular movies that he's playing. I don't know, maybe the stories just don't sell any of this to me and I just want to say "nope" to it all.

All of that being said, yes I will watch the sequel coming out in 2024 because even when it's bad, like 2 stars bad, that toxicity keeps me coming back for more. You know, just to see. Disclaimer though: I can tell that these things aren't good and I don't want relationships like them, which is why I can separate myself when I watch them, but if you can't do that and you're idolizing these characters, you need to touch a little grass and find better influences. Just sayin.

38) Stalked At 17 (2012)

CW: Teenager has relationship with a guy who's already graduated. You're young and in love, so a pregnancy should strengthen that love, but sometimes love doesn't conquer all and sometimes it gets violent and won't let you go.

I'll say that this movie wasn't great, but you already predicted that, so I'll say that you spend most of the time irritated, cause no we should not trust guys who can't find girls their own age to put up with their bs and who carry their violent flags on their sleeves with them. To be fair said she's only 17, so her not seeing all the RED makes sense. It also ended up here because the ending was trash and brought the rest of the movie down with it. Not worth it, unless you want to see a guy named Chad live up to the worst version of what the Chad stereotype can be and then get even more mad when the ending screws you over lol.

39) Locked Away (2010)

You're pregnant and although your boyfriend is supportive, because your mom is not, you still look for other maternal figures to get advice from. You better choose wisely though, cause not everyone is innocent.

I promise that this is the last Lifetime Teen pregnancy movie on this list lol, but I can see how 5 or so of them out of 41 is a lot. I mainly pulled this one out because it has Jake Thomas of Lizzie McGuire in it and you know how nostalgic cast members can pull me with a quickness. Despite the casting pull, this one was far too unrealistic true-crime for me and I can only take so much murder being added into spaces it does not need to be. Like these writers must sit there and go "let's sprinkle in a murder just for the funzies of it." There was also a lot of random trust given too, that suspended my belief systems while watching and I was not in line. Basically give me less murderous true crime and mindless trust and you might score higher.

40) American Satan (2017)

A bi-continental band from the U.S and UK named the Relentless decide to forgo college for LA and ultimately Rock & Roll. To get to their dreams however, they might have to sell their souls to the devil.

Oh man was this one bad. I started it a while back, like years ago but never finished it, cause it didn't sit right with me and now having seen the whole thing I get why. I've seen other "sell your soul to the devil" movies, the 1986 Crossroads is a great example, but American Satan does not tell that story well. This movie doesn't even make a statement or tell me something real and honestly I don't even know if I was supposed to enjoy it. I do consider this one to be actual trash.

I didn't know this until I got to the spin-off TV show Paradise City, which I also watched because of Cameron Boyce, but Ash Avildsen of Sumerian Records wrote and directed this mess. If you're part of the alt scene, I'm sure you would have heard that Ash is kinda trash himself, especially because of what he said about Covid and booster shots on the record label's social media page, not even his personal page. Again I didn't put two and two together before watching, but after seeing how he's personally behaved, it gives this film extra red flags.

Now this movie doesn't speak to vaccines or anything like that, it came pre-vid, however one of its major flags is it taking the allegations that get talked about in the real world scene, pertaining to adult band members and potential minor fans, and using that not once but twice as large plot points. Sure we're talking Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll, but it's a really bad look, to on multiple occasions use something many are actively trying to fight against in the scene and to me reducing that to " fame-drama" that "just happens" and something that can be skated by. So writing that multiple times, unnecessarily, definitely gives me the whole trash can. (Or maybe Ash just doesn't know how to tell a good "groupie" story? If that's even what he's trying to convey?)

Beyond that seriousness, one of my personal grievances was the fact that Andy Biersack (of Black Veil Brides) who actually has a very decent singing voice was dubbed and ended up sounding worse. How you gon take one of the biggest artists from your record label and do them so dirty like that? Also, and this is a hella hella side note, I think Andy is SO attractive, but his spicy scenes between the movie and the show were so unsexy that they were a little painful to watch lol.

Basically it was so bad that I wouldn't even recommend it to fans of the bands they got to act in the movie. Hope these guys get more work in the future, cause I would hate for this to be their acting legacy.

41) Last Day Of Summer (2009)

Joe (DJ Qualls) has been picked on his whole life and even as an adult his manager and coworkers are still laying the torment on pretty thick. One day Joe decides he's gonna do something about it and was almost brave enough, but ends up kidnapping an innocent woman instead.

This is one of, if not the most incel movie I've ever seen. Not to spoil anything, but one of the major plots of this movie is literally based on a look he thought this woman gave him. That's why all of the other ish takes place; a damn look! I have a list of the actual worst movies I've ever seen, movies that you don't show at bad movie night and in 2023 I added the second film, this one. I'm a DJ Qualls fan and he plays the nerdy, awkward kid that gets picked on, very well, but I'm sad and a little embarrassed, even for the characters that he plays, that this movie is apart of his filmography. Don't do it, not worth whatever idea you think you're going to get yourself into.

#AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Class Favorites 2023 #Movies #American Satan #Lifetime Movies #Beautiful Disaster #Remember The Daze #DJ Qualls #Lacy Chabert #Movie Reviews

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Movie Ranks! (Part 1)

This is a ranking of all the movies I saw for the first time in 2023. Since the writers and actors were on strike for a good chunk of he year, I only did one full length movie review in 2023. I was also a little burnt out from the last few years where I "made" myself write full reviews for almost every new movie I watched, so I took the strike as my okay to for the most partjust consume.

That freedom led me to watching 40+ "new" movies this year and I wanted to just come rank and rant at you for a minute. And thanks to very short mostly 1 lines on Letterboxed I don't have to rack my brain too hard. I will say though before we get too deep into the explainers, just know that a lot of how I ranked these films is based on re-watch-ability, so don't get mad that some of the better made films fell shorter than you'd like.

I decided to break it into 2 parts cause the post would be too long otherwise.

PS: Not in backwards order cause I can't be bothered.

1) Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Let's wait 4 years to tell the girl you're in love with, that you love her, while the grad party before the rest of your lives takes place.

I know I'm behind on this one, but I made it and we're it's supposed to be lol. Yes, there are movies that I ranked higher than this one because they were probably just better overall movies, however good or decent 90's always shows my bias. But also Ethan Embry 😍. Can't Hardly Wait just fits with all the other classics of it's time and I think that's what ultimately does it justice. Obviously it didn't age great, I'm acknowledging it's faults, but neither did some of its peers and knowing where it came from we're letting that part slide. It is what it is with this one, sorry not sorry.

2) Alabama Moon (2009)

*Based on a book of the same name by Key Watt. Your father doesn't trust the rest of the world, so you learn to not trust it either and now that he's gone you have learn how to survive in the world outside of your woods.

Not 100% but I'm pretty sure this movie made me cry and that's partly why it made it to the top of the list. I'm a sucker for a spunky "family" movie and this one just tugged at me. There were some parts where it was a little silly in the "bad guy" area and I also called the ending "disingenuous" but all that aside, I was here for everything else. I probably liked it more than most but again I'm a sucker for a lot of this ish and it wasn't bad by my standards. It also does a little ACAB, which doesn't hurt lol.

3) Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. (2023)

*Based on a book of the same name by Judy Blume. When changes arise in Margaret's life, she starts talking to God to see if she can find the answers.

I read the book several years ago and had planned to re-read it before watching the movie, but didn't get around to doing that, so I can't remember if it was accurate to the source material or not, so going beyond that, I can say that I liked it. I liked how awkward and coming-of-age it was. I like the questioning and I liked all the prayer for the big and the small, to the silly and the honest. I also really loved the parents relationship, they were just super cute. There was a bit of confusion at the end with my understanding of the conclusions Margaret came to, however setting that aside, it was still rather sweet and would totally recommend to the young and the old.

4) Leap Year (2010)

When another year passes and your boyfriend has not proposed to you, you're obligated to take matters into your own hands and do the proposing yourself. Obviously like all romantic comedies, accidents will happen along the way.

Another one I'm late on, but y'all that was actually rather cute. It's one of those ones where you're not sure in the beginning and then it does the thing and drops the feels and you can't deny the fact that it did what it said it was going to do. It's a 2010 rom-com and I think it did that era justice.

5) A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

*Based on an autobiographical book of the same name by Dito Montiel. Dito returns home after his mother's request because his father is sick and relives why he left in the first place. A bunch of kids who don't have much, but are fighting for what little they do have.

I thought this was a very decent movie. It kept me engaged and the acting was good. Now I never want to hear Channing Tatum shout racial and homophobic slurs ever again, but outside of that, for those into raw indie movies I think you'll like this one. It's good outweighs the bad. I'm not sure but I might have also cried a little during this one too. All I know is that it dug a little bit and that was enough for me. This is also one of the lesser known films for this cast, but worth the watch cause they got some strong folks in here and I don't think they'll disappoint you.

6) Runt (2018/2021)

When you're bullied, eventually, sometimes you fight back. TW: For violence, sexual violence and animal abuse.

I had a little moment of Cameron Boyce movies this year and of the few that I saw, Runt was the best one. This was his last movie before his passing and I could for sure see why people liked him so much. Cameron pulls you in and is so likeable. I know Cameron Boyce being in it wasn't enough for everybody, so do with that information what you will. Now beyond Boyce, this movie could have been better and more fleshed out, but I was for sure engaged in what I was watching and that was good enough on my end.

7) Mystery, Alaska (1999)

A small town in Alaska bets it's home town heroes against the New York Rangers.

I've watched the trailer for this movie in front of several VHS tapes for most of my life and because of that it was always on my to-watch list. Several years ago I found a sealed VHS copy and this year I finally unsealed the thing, because #NoSealedTapes. One thing to know about me is that I'm not big on sports unless you put it in a movie and preferably in the family movie era of the 80's, 90's and mid 2000's. So did it live up to the hype? Only once you take away the misogyny and leave the hockey and the underdog tale. Despite it's faults it did alright and plus I saw so much "crap" this year, that I'd take a few 90's misogynistic comments over some of the other, way more offensive things I consumed this year lol.

It also won me over because they were correcting people on not using the slur for Inuit people back before I knew it was even a slur. Like folks been tryin to tell us.

8) A Look Back: Dog Town & Z-Boys (2021)

A short documentary follow-up to the original documentary Dog Town and Z-Boys and it's impact.

This didn't rank higher mainly because it was less than a half an hour long. I love the original documentary and this addition brought attention to some of the things that I wondered about after seeing the full documentary, like the lack of girl skaters that were highlighted, so it just furthered the love. When the people involved also see falls and aren't denying them, I say that's a little stand-up-y and I support it. Now could they have just done better the first time, absolutely, but it is what it is. I also watched this during a re-watch of the Hollywood film which sparked me to watch other little skating docs on YouTube and I just gotta say, man do I love skateboarding culture!

9) Ashby (2015)

Ed Wallis has the high school assignment of interviewing an older person, so he chooses his ex CIA neighbor (didn't know that at the time) and stuff goes down.

I watched this on YouTube one night and it wasn't a waste of time. I gave a lot of 3 stars this year and this one truly was decent. It might have been a little far fetched in some places, but it really tried and I enjoyed it. Also father figures are all around us.

10) Keith (2008)

Popular vs unpopular, smart vs slacker. Rich vs poor. Let's pick on you because we like you. I just want to save you, but I don't know what from. A tale as old as time.

I thought I'd seen this one before, but apparently I hadn't. Well I've seen other iterations of the same story before, but no I had not seen Keith in particular. Yes there are so many other movies that tell the same tale, and came before and after this one, however as long as it makes an attempt at being decent I'm gonna watch it. Of course it does the feel-y thing and makes you root for the underdogs. It also gives does the thing where we want to chuck the current ideas about our future away. Oh and you're always saving someone lol. Essentially there have been plenty of movies post 2010 that do the same thing (I counted 6 in under a minute) and we've never turned away, so if you watched and remotely liked any of the "new" guys, you'll most likely enjoy the older stuff.

PS: I kept it a little vague only because I didn't want to spoil a big plot in the movie and the thing that makes it a common theme in teen movies today.

11) Blind Dating (2006)

Let's get literal and take a Blind man on blind dates. The dates aren't good, but that doesn't mean his hunt for love is over.

I'm not saying that the representation wasn't iffy or that it's not filled with ableism, but I can say that in the problematic era of 2006, I thought this romantic comedy was cute. There are better made movies, even on this list, but when I think about what would get the easiest of re-watches, this beat out a lot of the other ones. Sorry.

12) Whiplash (2014)

Andrew wants to be a drummer and he wants to learn from the best, but at what cost.

Obviously this was a prime example of a better made movie than some of the other films that proceeded it, however it didn't hit as hard as I would have liked it to. The day I watched it, there was a lot physically going on in the room, people moving in and out, talking about the movie, not about the movie, and that most likely soiled the viewing experience. Now I think it probably just needs a solid less-distraction filled re-watch because it was good in all of it's depiction of toxicity, it just didn't get a fair shot. Also I like the roles Miles Teller plays and he also needs more of a fair chance with this one.

13) Eagle Eye (2008)

The supposed sins of your identical twin brother get you mixed up with the Feds and a woman who you've never met, so now youre tied to her and his past, because of an all seeing AI woman.

This was my distraction movie the night that I watched it and I had been avoiding it because I knew that I didn't want to watch a military/war movie with everything going on, but somehow it's what I ended up choosing. The acting was good and the running and the car chases do keep one entertained, but not a movie I'd suggest you watch at this time, again with everything going on.

This was also another Cameron Boyce movie I knocked off this year. He's not the main character, like we don't see him a ton, but he was there so it counts lol and he did well.

14) Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012)

*Based on a true story. Carlina was abducted as a baby and now as an adult finds out she might be a missing person and the woman who raised her isn't telling the truth.

First we support Keke Palmer in this house! Now that that's been addressed let's talk Lifetime/Straight to DVD Movies and how they're all rated on a curve. Even when these movies aren't that good, they keep me interested and I will always come back for more and that's how I watched 9 or so of them this year. The Carlina White Story was definitely the best one that I saw though. I gave it a three because it was decent and I enjoyed the performances. Obviously there was also conversation at my screen, which always helps these films. Yelling at the screen is half the fun. Although based on a true story, remember this is Hollywood and Lifetime, so do with that what you will.

15) Fun Sized (2012)

Change of plans, you can't go to the party you were invited to by your hot crush, because you now have to take your little brother out trick or treating and spend the night in charge of him. But hey, what could go wrong.

This was Nickelodeon/Paramount's take on the semi-raunchy teen party movie. I thought I had seen it before, but apparently I hadn't and I'll say that I didn't hate it. I think it would have given me more post high school feels of nostalgia had I actually watched it in 2012 and then did a re-watch now, but with the formula being mostly fill in the blank you're gonna get some of them regardless. Now although it was the funniest part of the whole movie and the part that isn't okay in real life, like don't do that ish, was taking an 8 year old to do illegal stuff, as a sad adult. I laughed, but again don't do that. Also I hope the kid who dressed up as Aaron Burr got to see Hamilton a few years later lol. It's another teen party rom-com in the list of other teen party rom-com's, so if that's your thing just go with with it.

I feel like any time I watch a Thomas Mann movie, I have to watch multiple, so I ended up watching 3 this year and this was my favorite.

16) Unaccompanied Minors (2006)

Stranded at the airport during the holidays, the kids who were riding solo decide to make friends with one another and mischief ensues.

Unaccompanied Minors is basically The Breakfast Club meets Home Alone, if both were set at the airport. It wasn't bad... It's a family movie with Grinch-type adults and kids who's goal is to be happy. If that's not your thing, I get it, but for those who do enjoy one of these films every now and again, you're gonna have a decent time.

17) The Pact (1999)

A teenage boy witnesses the murder of his parents and now must go into hiding. While in witness protection he makes a friend, but will his secret be kept for long.

I picked this tape up one day at the thrift store because it had Rider Strong in it. I thought it was going to be way more thriller-y and just overall hit harder, to the point where I thought it would trigger my anxiety, however it fell a little short of that expectation. I still gave it 3 stars for doing what it did, but it wasn't something I needed to be truly nervous about lol. The punch just really didn't hit hard enough.

18) Fight Club (1999)

*Based on the book of the same name by Chuck Palahnuiuk. I can't really talk about what Fight Club is actually about, so I'm just gonna talk about the vibes and some takeaways.

My nephew said this was his favorite movie, so I went and bought a VHS copy for him and we watched it one day. Now the reason that this movie is this far down is simply because I had so many thoughts after watching the movie but I still don't know what I was supposed to get out of it. What is the moral, what are we supposed to gain?

I read somewhere that if Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt's character) is your favorite character, like you want to be him, that's a red flag and I agree. You should not want to be him and if you do, seek help lol. The other red flag for me was the fact that in a section in the movie, I could potentially see how some men are convinced to join that alt-right and even hella far-right pipeline in the real world and it gave me all of the heebie-jeebies.

David Fincher who also directed The Panic Room, which I absolutely love, makes intense movies and Fight Club was no different, so it's not the fact that the movie wasn't made well, just that I was so uncomfortable and confused at times, that I don't know when I will ever subject myself to another watch. Not saying I'll never watch it again, I kinda even want to read the book with my nephew which is supposedly worse, just that it's gon be a minute, a very long minute lol.

19) Fifteen And Pregnant (1998)

* Based on a true story. When Tina Spangler gets pregnant at 14, she starts to realize that not everyone is gonna stick around and how much she actually has to show up in the world.

Again Lifetime movies are graded on a curve, so based on on that criteria alone, it was okay. That being said the movie was hella religiously conservative coded in terms of teen pregnancy and just like sex in general. I felt like it wanted to do sex education, but didn't lean hard enough into that desire because of how coded it was and that's what ultimately failed the telling of this story.

Also yes Tina is more than a little bit selfish. Not in the getting pregnant part, but in a lot of her attitude and the way she moves afterwards.

20) Emily & Tim (2015)

Emily and Tim's romantic relationship is being told through 6 acts with different actors representing their different stages, as well as different time periods.

The cast across the board is very wonderful and the movie itself had an interesting set up, but at the end of the day it was just alright. I think I had started this movie once before, but it didn't keep me engaged enough to see it through. This time however I pushed, probably in a few sessions for that same reason but I got to the end and that's the win here. This set up and the charm the movie does have, will definitely win some people over and if that's your thing, enjoy.

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If you made it this far and are still into it, come back for part 2 as I finish out the rest of the movie rankings. Spoiler alert I watched one of the absolute worst movies in 2023 and now have 2 movies on my worst movies of all time list.

There's also more ACF 23 content to come, so be on the look out for that too.

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Movies #Can't Hardly Wait #Leap Year #Fight Club #Whiplash #Runt #Mystery Alaska #Are You There God? It's Me Margaret #Thomas Mann #Cameron Boyce #Movie Reviews

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: The "I'll Have What He's Having" DougDoug Food Challenge.

*Disclaimer and apologies to DougDoug:

I didn't watch his official run, but I've seen at least 5 or 6+ different groups do the challenge (full VOD's over here), I've read his rules on X, listened to people reference run and was overall invested in this silliness. That being said, I wanted to link his video first cause he deserves the props and his run is what you should look at if you're "serious" about doing the challenge.

The "Essential" Challenge Rules:

So basically you and 3 of your friends, so 4 humans total, get like 4 or 6 hours to go to 10 fast food places (drive-thru only) and order the same exact meal that the car in front of you just ordered and finish it, drinks and condiments included. 1 of the restaurants has to be KFC, there can only be 1 official drink spot and 2 official dessert places. Oh and you can't, like my dad likes to say "call Earl." Also I don't think it was official, but it probably was and if it wasn't it should have been, no car watching, as in don't try and to scam the system by scoping cars before you get in line.

Now Let's Rank A Few:

I was only gonna throw up links to my favorite runs, but in the process of doing that I've decided to rank them. Note, this won't be the leader-board ranking, just a rank based on my personal enjoyment and how annoyed I got when teams did ish they didn't have to do, like eat everything before going to the next spot or when they didn't eat the condiments. For everyone else's sake, I'm only gonna link the "condensed" versions because if you happen to be remotely interested, I'm not gonna make you watch multiple 5/6 hour long VOD's, even though I think they're better. (It was a hyper-focus, leave me alone.) Also this is not something to be taken supper seriously, any commentary I have is not that deep, but I am right lol.

Ludwig with The Yard Podcast

I had such a good time watching them test their limits, with some wanting to quit after 1 coffee and then thinking you got this when you're 2 seconds from calling it on a quarter pounder. I feel like when I say I want bro content, this is what I mean.

Blau & Friends

Blau is diabetic so their run was just fun to watch, because of that being being the case. (Don't worry too hard, he was monitoring his insulin and doing what he needed to do to be safe the whole time.)

Fear & Podcast Ft. Nadre and CarolineKwan

This was the first one I watched and how I really got into following the madness. Don't get cocky right away and don't think that the healthy or vegan options will necessarily be your friend. In this challenge, no is really your friend cause all of them could surprise you with a super sized, family meal.

Agents Of Chaos

From what I remember they just had a solid run and I want to give them props for that.

Mayor Wertz & Friends

Their run was as little annoying cause if I'm remembering correctly they were car watching and forcing themselves to finish the meal before they could go to the next place. I just wanted to scream at them "N0" and "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT," every couple minutes. There was also a Pup Cup involved in this one, so they get content points there.

Wubby & Friends

Probably my least favorite just based on the vibes of the group and if I'd watch them again, but they did have heart. Honestly though, it's been so long since I watched all of these, so last might be too strong and Mayor Wertz team might need to be dropped down, just because of how annoyed I was while watching.

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This was just something I was so into this last year and without going into the valid critiques of over-consumption, I genuinely enjoy this kind of foolishness. Like this kind of silliness is what I'm referencing when I say I want something that doesn't matter, but that I can also be the judge of cause I'll watch every other one and become the expert.

PS: As I'm writing this, I'm literally watching another run of the challenge and I'm so annoyed cause they used Kody Ko as the run example and he didn't do it right! For anyone who hops in on this in 2024 lol, Kody Ko's run shouldn't be the run you watch because they didn't finish their drinks and he called Earl, which technically ends your run. (Yes I'm looking at you JC.) Also to the person on YouTube who told me to chill because I pointed these things out, that was me be chill-ish lol.

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #DougDoug Food Challenge #I'll Have What He's Having Food Challenge #Doug Doug #Blau #Fear & Podcast #Agents of Chaos #Mayor Wertz #Wubby #YouTube Videos #YouTube #Videos

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: Online Content Creators "TikTok" Edition

These folks can be found on many different parts of the World Wide Web, but I primarily watch them on TikTok. If you find you also like these humans after checking them out, I'm sure you can find them on Instagram or Twitter (X) or other online spaces they reside. Hopefully there's something for a lot of y'all.

BIG NOTE: I personally don't agree with all of their takes and opinions, however these folks are just human. If y'all vibe, don't vibe or you vibe too much, that's okay and valid, but ALWAYS BE RESPECTFUL!

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*In no particular order, I'm just dropping @'s with their bios and a little personal note. Sorry if the formatting is not right, I promise it pretty in the editor.

@alina.gene - Gene Lee (He/They/She/Xe)

(Unpacking Intersectionality)

They speak to me and I attempt to learn a lot, definitely makes me think and explore my ish.

@saint.stereo1 & @saint.stereo - Saint (They/Them)

(No One Doesn't Deserve Food and Housing)

Do you want to know about communist theory?

@AllInTheMusic - Keona (She/Her/Hers)

(Punk Rock Princess and Marketing Manager for CenterStageAtl)

I love hearing people talk about pop punk music, among other genres in the scene and just music in general. The bonus is getting it from other Black Women. I especially love her artist album rankings. Inspiration for future stuff I do with this blog.

@sicilyjoy - Sicily Joy (Fae/Faer/They/Theirs)

(41yo Gender Fairy - Black, Disabled, Trans, Bi, 18+, Slow Talker)

First I apologize if I translated their emoji bio wrong, will correct if need be. Second fae just be giving me somebody to relate to in this world and that will always be important to me.

@th.readings - Ismatu Gwendolyn (They/Them/Theirs)

(Where Ismatu Gwendolyn, budding abolitionist, reads their work.)

If you want to feel like someone cares about you personally and humanity in general, Ismatu will give you that every time. They are constantly finding new ways for me to say "man that's what radical care and love looks like." They gon ask you to do some work, but it's all rooted in love.

@the_giv3er - Tee - Tee's Way INC.

(#Type 1 Diabetes)

Tee's mission is to feed the homeless population and y'all know that is some of my favorite content to watch. He just be handing people food and shoes and other things straight from his car and every time I see it, I'm closer to figuring out how to do that my damn self, but I don't drive lol. We should naturally want to take care of other people and when I watch Tee it feels like it comes naturally. Anybody who gives without requiring anything is who I'm gonna give the points to, all day every day! If you make a person, who is already struggling dance before you help them, you wrong for that and I don't like you.

PS: I don't know when this happened but they officially became a non-profit, so if you're so inclined, drop them a couple somethins, somethins.

@thatclarafied - Clara

(Screenwriter, comedian, TV, Pop Culture, Queer)

This is really just a moment shout out Clara, cause she's one of the primary people that I watched for news and updates on the Writers Strike and as well as a few other strikes that took place this last year and I wanted to highlight that.

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Online Content Creators #TikTok #alina.gene #Gene Lee #Saint.Stereo #Saint #AllInTheMusic #Sicily Joy #Ismatu Gwendolyn #Tee's Way INC #ThatClarafied

[akwardlyuncool]

Class Favorites: #FreePalestine

Like I mentioned at the start of Akward Class Favorites 2023, I didn't feel right just jumping in with things without talking about at least 1 of the travesties that is happening at the moment and has been taking place for many years, and that's the occupation of Palestine. Y'all already know where I stand and it's with the Palestinian people for their freedom and liberation. Now that being said, this post isn't to educate you on the more than 75 year brutal occupation that they've been facing, but rather to highlight some of the people and resources I've been using to educate myself and to generally stay aware of what's happening day to day, while also just staying in the mix.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of everyone and everything I've been consuming, so it's only a start. If this is your first look, here's to starting (that being said we're over a 100 days into the current wave, so you got some catching up to do,)and if you are aware and maybe want more ways to stay in the know, that works too. It's all love here. Also I am not perfect or the model, again I'm just trying to stay aware myself.

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Let's Start With Books:

I'm currently reading Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis. It's about how Ferguson and Palestine are connected and really how tied struggles for liberation are across the globe and why we should care. She also speaks to the prison industrial complex and how that is tied from our government to what what they're doing over there, it's all connected. I haven't finished it yet because I'm annotating my copy and that is work in an of itself, but I can say that I am enjoying it and recommend it to anyone who needs more reasons to care about Palestine, than simply because it's a human rights issue.

I've read two children's books: What The Kite Saw by Anne Laurel Carter and These Olive Trees by Anya Ghanameh. Not gonna lie you might cry reading both of these because they are both set in the illegal occupation of Palestine, however both feel like they are rooted with some hope.

The last book is a graphic novel that I haven't actually started yet, but checked out from the library recently, so it's on my to-read list. It's called Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine by Mohammad Saba'aneh. It's about his time in an Israeli prison and what he believes freedom and hope look like for Palestinian people.

Content Creators, Journalist and Social Media That You Can Follow:

This is truly just a handful of things, I follow many more than this. If you go on to follow any of these people or accounts, be respectful of their time and the fact that they are human.

Al Jazeera English - Media News Company

(Instagram and Twitter)

Meriamawadatalk (Meriam Awada "She/Her/Hers") - Artist and Content Creator

(Instagram)

PraxisRedacted/PupposePraxis - Palestine Coverage

(Telegram with Meriam Awada)

Sbeih.jpeg (Subhi) - Content Creator

(TikTok)

Motaz_Azaiza (Motaz Azaiza "He/Him") - Photography Journalist on the ground in Gaza

(Twitter and Facebook)

Wizard_bisan1 (Bisan) - Filmmaker, Traveler and a Dreamer/On The Ground Journalist in Gaza)

(Twitter)

Jenanmatari (Jenan Matari "She/Her") - Palestinian Writer and Cultural Creator

(Instagram)

JVPLive (Jewish Voice For Peace) - Jews organizing towards Palestinian liberation and Judaism beyond Zionism.

(Instagram)

Websites and a Google Doc Full of Useful Information:

DecolonizePalestine.com

USCPR.org

Palestine Resources (Google Doc compiled by Madeline Pendleton)

BDSMovement.net (Information on the most impactful companies to boycott.)

#Class Favorites 2023 #AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES #Palestine #Free Palestine #TikTok