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If you love middle-grade/early-YA adventure and mystery books/TV shows, you'll love 'The Mysterious Benedict Society.' As another reviewer pointed out, this series has a distinctly Wes Anderson feel in that the colour palette is pastel, the shots are symmetrical, the production design is vintage, very detailed, and has the same quirkiness that the characters do too. I haven't read the books, but the show also reminded me of the old Famous Five/Secret Seven books written by British author, Enid Blyton, which I used to love reading as a kid.

This series was shot very close to where I live. All the exterior shots of Curtain's evil institute, which the kids infiltrate in Season 1, were shot in a park just about a 10-15 minutes walk from my place near Vancouver and I wish I knew! But this series is dear to me for more than just that. The stakes are never too high, but you are constantly engaged in the story because the characters - particularly the kids and Mr. Benedict - are so endearing and well-written. Tony Hale is excellent and so are all the actors playing the kids. I especially loved Marta Kessler as Constance and Mystic Inscho as Reynie Muldoon.

Production design is the highlight of this show. The world-building achieved through the production design is immersive and contributes greatly to making the show engaging. I'm really sad that there's not going to be a Season 3. I wish there was just one more season to wrap up the storyline. I'd highly recommend watching 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' if you're in the mood for some feel-good, adventure/mystery, nostalgia-soaked content.

I consider myself to be bit of a Jane Austen snob, having studied English literature at university and read all her novels. The great thing about Autumn de Wilde's adaptation of Emma is that you don't need to be familiar with Austen's work to be completely drawn into the story. De Wilde's attention to detail, her choreography and crafting of each shot in this movie is second only to that of Wes Anderson. This movie is exquisite and a feast for the eyes. Thankfully, though, substance is not lost to style. I feel like every single department on this movie - production design, costume, cinematography, music - came together to create a harmonious whole. The soundtrack of this movie by David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge, in particular, is absolutely spectacular. It so perfectly matches the scenes and the comedy of manners we're witnessing. Since watching the film, I've played the soundtrack many times at home just to be transported back into this movie.

All the actors are also well cast. I do wish we had more of Mrs. Weston in the movie as there is in the book, and I also wish some scenes were longer because they seemed a tad hurried. Anya Taylor Joy makes for a very convincing Emma, but it is Mia Goth as Harriet who is a revelation. There is such effortless artistry to every look she gives and the way she delivers her dialogue that I have no doubt it must have taken her a lot of effort and hard work. The 1996 adaptation of Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow and the 2009 adaptation with Romola Garai are both good, and I honestly didn't think there could be a new adaptation of Emma that could beat that. But I saw this one and I'm completely floored. I've watched it three times and every single time I cry when Mr. Knightley asks Harriet to dance with him and every single time I'm amazed that this movie exists.

A last note: I do understand that not everyone will like this movie. I personally think the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is the definitive version of the book and not the 2005 one with Kiera Knightley. So, to each their own.

Isn't the whole point of a movie to side with the protagonist? More so in a movie in which the lead has a chronic disease? But somehow this movie accomplishes in making you feel the opposite. I watched this movie only and ONLY for Martin Freeman, who I absolutely adore and love. But, god, his character is so unlikeable. He uses both his brother and his girlfriend and yet never really apologizes for using them. And doesn't have to face any consequences for using them.

All the characters are one-note: Charlie's the one with the disease, brother's the stereotypical handsome dummy who can't sustain a simple conversation with a woman, girlfriend's portrayed as a total weirdo, grandma's quirky, and all Francesca is, is "a total fox." I kid you not, over 5 times in the movie, we're told how hot Francesca is. Everyone - the brother, the dinner friend, the grandma - everyone comments on her looks. Like we get it; we get it, writers of 'Ode to Joy,' that your definition of a good looking woman is someone who's slim and sexy, because you keep hammering it to us over and over again, even going so far as to add (for a few chuckles, no doubt) that it's weird that the brother finds Rachel Ray attractive when he should find Giada de Laurentis attractive (who's much slimmer and svelte than Rachel Ray). Tell me you're fatphobic without telling me you're fatphobic...

Oh my god, this movie is so vapid. Gah! I expected so much more from a movie titled 'Ode to Joy' because I love simple, slice-of-life stories. I was expecting something nuanced, tender, believable, and I got this. I don't know if this was a paycheck movie for Martin Freeman, but I sure hope it was just that, because this is just disappointing...