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!


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‘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

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‘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

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‘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

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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,

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Audiobook Review: ‘Star Wars: Survivor’s Quest’ by Timothy Zahn

The Essential Legends Collection has been bringing together some of the best and most famous novels from the old Expanded Universe of Star Wars since 2021. The novels get republished under this new line, and are given amazing new cover artwork, for a whole new generation of fans to enjoy and read. Disney sparked some controversy when they decided to scrap

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Review: ‘Star Wars: Outbound Flight’ Joins the Essential Legends Collection

Star Wars: Outbound Flight has been released with a new cover and audiobook as part of the new Essential Legends collection. This novel, written by Timothy Zahn, is somewhat of an origin story for Thrawn during his final days as a commander in the Chiss Ascendancy.    Taking place five years after the events of The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Outbound Flight

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Review: ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Ends The DCEU In Disaster

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom begins promisingly enough. The DC and Warner Bros. logos are given a crusty, underwater makeover that gets you in the right mood. As a group of mercenaries prepares to do their dirty work, Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) stares them down. His gaze grows steely. Ass-kicking is certainly in store. Only- the scene cuts to Arthur smashing two

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