Reviews

Although we mainly focus on reviews of movies and TV or streaming series, we have a wide array of reviews here at Cosmic Circus. This includes concerts, tech and other products, travel, games, books, and comics.

Refer to the Stellar Picks archive to find some of our top-rated movies, shows, books, games, and more!


ReviewsStellar PicksTV & Streaming Series Reviews

‘The Brothers Sun’ Review: Fists Fly in this Heartfelt Black Comedy

The Brothers Sun is a surprisingly heartfelt black comedy where family is as fierce as fists, but both pack a powerful punch. The Netflix show is a story of a triad crime family spread across two continents, reunited due to an assassination attempt on a “country boy,” aka a powerful gang leader played by Johnny Kou. Michelle Yeoh plays Eileen ‘Mama’ Sun, the

Read More
ReviewsTV & Streaming Series Reviews

‘Metallic Rouge’ Cyber-Noir Anime Premiere Focused on World-Building

It’s the start of a new year, and with it comes the promise of a new year of anime! One of the first new shows we’re getting is Metallic Rouge, a sci-fi production by Studio Bones. Metallic Rouge is a mysterious mecha anime, in a world where humans coexist with androids called “Neans.” When a group of Neans known as the

Read More
Movie ReviewsReviews

‘Night Swim’ Review: A Shallow January Horror

Few months in the year are as scary to moviegoers as January. After the rush of awards season and holiday blockbusters, audiences spend far less time at the movies. Therefore, the studios dump the films they don’t expect to do very well at the beginning of the new year. Especially horror. The release of Night Swim, however, still feels a bit

Read More
ReviewsStellar PicksTV & Streaming Series Reviews

Review: ‘Solo Leveling’ is a Groundbreaking Anime Phenomenon

The highly anticipated anime adaption of Solo Leveling is finally premiering on January 6th on Crunchyroll, and fans worldwide are excited about the upcoming series. The franchise began as a Korean web novel written by Chugong, dating back as early as 2015. The novel was later adapted into a webtoon and Manhwa in 2018, with illustrations by DUBU. The series has garnered a massive following,

Read More
Book ReviewsBooksRankingsReviewsStellar Picks

My Top 23 Favorite Novels Read in 2023

Hello, fellow bookworms. It’s hard to believe that 2023 is over already. There’ve been highs and lows but overall it was a really great year for books. I’ve read well over one hundred books this year, many of them reviewed right here on Cosmic Circus for your perusal. So whittling it down to my top 23 was hard, almost like picking

Read More
Movie ReviewsOpinionPodcastRankingsReviews

Cosmic Circle Ep. 48: The Best Movies of 2023

Another year has gone by and we’ve completed another revolution around the sun. 2023 was a fantastic year for movies, so The Cosmic Crew was excited to sit down and rank their top 5 of the year. From Barbie to The Color Purple to Bottoms and John Wick: Chapter 4, it was a lively chat, and an hour just isn’t long enough for The Cosmic Circle.  There were

Read More
Book ReviewsBooksReviews

Book Review: ‘The Last Firefox’ by Lee Newbery

Charlie is just a normal kid growing up in Wales. And like all kids, he has a few problems. There are a couple of bullies that won’t leave him alone, there’s a killer goose that keeps chasing him, and his parents want to adopt a new little brother or sister. It’s a lot for one kid to deal with. Then something

Read More
Book ReviewsBooksReviews

Books: ‘Strangers’ by Taichi Yamada is a Simple Yet Haunting Ghost Story

The infamous words of cursed pirate Captain Barbossa, “You best start believing in ghost stories Ms. Turner… Cause you’re in one!” echoed through my head as I read Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Written back in 1987 and translated by Wayne P. Lammers in 2003, Strangers explores grief and the impact it has on someone decades after their initial loss. However, this

Read More
Book ReviewsBooksReviewsStellar Picks

Book Review: ‘The Bitter Crown’ by Justin Lee Anderson

An entire kingdom has been stolen without anyone even knowing. How? Because the one who stole it has memory magic. “King” Janaeus used a powerful magical relic to amplify his power and change the memories of the entire kingdom all at once. Now they all think he is the king and that the rightful king, Mynygogg is trying to steal the

Read More