Best friends Mia Carter (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel Paige (Rose Byrne) run their own cosmetics company — a business they built from the ground up. But they’re also in over their heads financially, and the prospect of a buyout offer from an industry titan proves too tempting to pass up. The beauty business is now about to get ugly as the proposal puts Mia and Mel’s lifelong friendship to the ultimate test.
A couple of months ago, while sitting in the theatre waiting for Elizabeth Banks’ reboot of Charlie’s Angels to begin, the coming attractions started. Most people think that the coming attractions are boring and they don’t usually enjoy watching them, but the same cannot be said with me. There is always something magical about watching some (hopefully) good trailers in the theatre with the lights dimmed while waiting for your feature presentation to start.
But, the first preview that showed during that screening was one for Miguel Arteta’s Like a Boss. It’s trailer was so bad that I genuinely dreaded the knowledge that I would have to eventually go ahead and check it out. Although I give every movie the benefit of the doubt and watch them anyway, something inside me just knew this film wouldn’t be good. But nonetheless, I went into Like a Boss crossing my fingers that this would be the rare January film that was actually pretty diverting and decent. But, yeah, my gut instinct was right this whole time. Like a Boss is one of the most unfunny comedies in a long time. It’s probably, in fact, the weakest comedy since 2019’s The Hustle.
Something that was kind of abrasive about this film was how in your face all of the jokes are. Comedy is extremely subjective, though. My favorite type of humor is the humor that you have to kind of think about. It isn’t an incredible surface-level joke. Dad jokes make you shake your head and chuckle, but they’re not hilarious. Cringe comedy is also a big thing for me, which is why I love watching shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office.
Like a Boss offers some of the most childish humor there is out there. None of the jokes landed here. They are jokes that are aimed towards teenagers that is probably going to please the masses, but these jokes to me, just weren’t funny. This is a movie that is not even an hour and thirty minutes long, and I am glad that it wasn’t longer, because every time somebody said something “humorous” from the script, I cringed.
At the very least, this movie should have been somewhat amusing to watch. Tiffany Haddish is actually a really funny person and I greatly enjoy a lot of her work. The same can be said about Rose Byrne and the rest of the cast. The problem isn’t them. The problem is the script. Nothing entertaining happens here. It’s a movie that constantly settles for mediocrity and it’s one whose story is ridiculously predictable. There’s no tricks up Arteta’s sleeves which was unfortunate.
Arteta is actually a decent director, too. He previously helmed the 2017 comedy-drama Beatriz at Dinner, which actually succeeded at being a funny film that had some really great dramatic beats along the way. This is why it is actually kind of surprising that he directed this movie. The two feel wildly different, and I am unsure as to what compelled him to direct this.
Those who are looking for a competent story and one that is interesting will be disappointed too. Then again, I don’t think anybody goes into these kinds of movies expecting Best Picture nominees, and neither do I. Comedies for me, are movies that can be great, but they are almost never groundbreaking. Yes, there are a few exceptions, and sadly Like a Boss just isn’t one.
With one of the most unfunny scripts in film in quite some time, Like a Boss is a painfully unfunny mess with cringe-worthy humor that wastes its director and cast.
The Grudge: The BRWC Review – After a young mother murders her family in her own house, a single mother and detective tries to investigate and solve the case. Later, she discovers the house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death.
Well folks, here we are not only in a brand new year but in a brand new decade as well. It genuinely seems hard to believe that the 2020s are finally here, but alas they are. There’s only one negative thing that comes with every new year and every January and particular – we get a bunch of bad horror films releasing. Last January, we had the massively disappointing Escape Room, and the year before that, we had Insidious: The Last Key.
But, if I am going to be completely honest with you, something about Nicolas Pesce’s latest feature, a new reboot of The Grudge, intrigued me. Pesce is a filmmaker that I greatly admire. The Eyes of MyMother, his 2016 feature is one of incredible originality and a terrific movie overall. His direction and writing is usually quite strong, so when I heard that he was going to be directing this movie, my excitement increased a little bit.
Another reason why I was cautiously optimistic here was because of the cast. The cast is incredibly impressive with stars such as John Cho, Lin Shaye, and Andrea Riseborough as the leads, which seemed like a win for me. Everything about The Grudge in terms of a technical aspect seemed like a lock.
A great cast, terrific director, good cinematographer, etc. Which is why it seemed so surprising to me that The Grudge was getting a January release. I honestly thought this was going to be one of the rare times that a January film was not too bad, but boy was I wrong. The Grudge is not only a disastrous way to start off the new year in cinema, but it may end up being one of the worst movies of the year by the time December comes.
Virtually every element of this film fails on every level. Let’s start with the characters, though. In the 2004 American reboot of The Grudge, the characters, while not terrifically strong in any regard, were ones that I could get behind at times. I understood their motivations and I knew what they were after and I got to know a little bit about them as the story progressed. In Pesce’s version, the characters are painfully dull and underdeveloped. There is maybe only one or two sequences here in which he cares to flesh out the characters, and even still, the scenes that we do get are frustratingly quick. It seems like the filmmakers were worried to take a breather in its scares department to focus on the human element which was such a shame.
If any one of these characters were to die in the first fifteen minutes of the film, I would not have cared one bit, because we are never given any reason to care. They feel like the exact definition of disposable horror movie characters. They’re only in the film to eventually be killed off in some way, and you know it is coming. That’s another thing about The Grudge I despised; the scares and its overall predictability.
Those that have been following me and my reviews for many years know by now that there are few things I hate more in a horror film than jump scares. They have never been scary. There is a stark difference between being scared and startled. Jump scares can be startling. They can take you off guard for a brief moment or two, but after that initial shock, you no longer feel terror, because you have been released. A loud sound effect accompanied with a weird image on screen can be startling. Being scared is feeling downright uncomfortable, uneasy even. You feel like you may literally be in danger, and you feel like you will never be released from the tension the filmmaker is gripping you with. The Grudge is not scary. It can be startling, which to me, is annoying. It seemed as if there was a jump scare every other minute in this movie and after a while, it was insanely predictable as to when a jump scare would happen.
Even in terms of a story The Grudge has nothing new to offer either. This is the exact same story that we have been told time and time again with nothing exciting to change things up present here. In fact, I am completely confused as to how this movie was approved, as it feels in every way, like the most generic horror film that the filmmakers could have possibly made. I admire and respect the effort, but it just did not work.
Now without spoilers of course, I have to briefly touch upon the ending. It is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the worst endings in cinema in several years. An ending that feels so unearned and comes completely out of field field and will leave fans of the film beforehand, no longer fans by the time the credits roll.
Don’t get me wrong though, this is not one of the worst films ever made or anything. There are much worse films out there, but this is still really bad. That being said, there are some things about this movie that are not too bad, so let’s talk about those.
The acting some of the cast is actually quite strong during certain moments. For example, Andrea Riseborough as Detective Muldoon was one that, at first, I was not sure how to feel about her acting. But after a while, I found myself thinking that she was actually quite good. But by far the best actor here is Lin Shaye as Mrs. Matheson, who does her best with the little screen time that she is given. While still being good in the film, I have to admit that there was one scene in particular that involves Shaye that I thought was extremely cringe-worthy, and it even had people in my theatre laughing out loud, which was not at all the intention. Not only was I laughing at this scene, but I found myself laughing at a large portion of the film, and this film is not supposed to be humorous whatsoever, but it just was.
Speaking of Mrs. Matheson, and I know this is just a silly nitpick but I still feel the need to bring it up, I challenge you to count how many times her name is spoken in the film. I guarantee you it is at least thirty times or more, and after I while, it actually became hilarious to listen to.
The Grudge is a massive disappointment and a drastically dull horror film that has a recycled story, a wasted cast, and weak scares.
Following the lives of four sisters, Amy (Florence Pugh), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen) and Meg (Emma Watson), as they come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War. Though all very different from each other, the March sisters stand by each other through difficult and changing times.
When Greta Gerwig released the masterful coming-of-age film Lady Bird back in 2017, it blew away both critics and audiences alike with its true sense of heart, emotion, and relatability. That film for me was absolutely one of the best films of that year, and the fact that it was Gerwig’s directorial debut made it all the more impressive. How she went from an incredible actress to an incredible filmmaker is truly inspiring and after my first viewing of that film, I was so excited to see what else the young talent would create in her bright future.
Fast forward two years and we have Gerwig’s second film as director: Little Women; a 2019 reimagining of the Louisa May Alcott story of the same name from 1868. Throughout the years, there have been numerous film adaptations of this tale, with many of them also receiving much praise and all of them have been held in remarkably high regard too. Now, what I am about to say might seem immensely crazy, but it is the completely honest truth. I have never read Alcott’s Little Women, nor have I watched any of the older films of the same name. Yes, you heard that right. It most certainly does seem really hard to believe, as the story is one that is taught in schools all around the world and is widely considered to be one of the most popular books in literature, yet I somehow have still to this day not read it.
Perhaps more hard to believe is the fact that I have never seen any of the other films that have come before this one. To be honest with you, I don’t have any idea as to why I have not seen them either, but after today, that may have to change, because Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Little Women is going to go down as a future classic.
This year, I have seen around ninety five to one hundred new release films in theatres, and this is in my top five favorite films of the year, which is funny as it will also be the last film I see in a theatre this year. What a way to end this year and even this decade.
Gerwig injects such a level of heart, whimsy, and emotion in this hugely wholesome masterpiece that uplifted my spirits throughout. This is a movie that I can almost guarantee will put a smile on your face at least a few times throughout. Me? I had a smile on my face nearly every second. Every frame of this film has something of interest going on and every moment that Gerwig has is used well. There is no baggage here. Little Women starts with a bang and it ends with a bang and in between is a story that I genuinely cared about, mainly because of the incredibly impressive script which Gerwig also wrote, most particularly the characters.
Saoirse Ronan, who previously starred as the titular Lady Bird, portrays Josephine “Jo” March here, a woman who loves to write and lives her life with her sisters and mother. She is somebody that is deeply passionate about her writing and it is genuinely everything to her, besides her sisters. Her character was not only my favorite of the bunch, but she was the most relatable character for me by far. In fact, I was actually surprised by how much I related to her character especially during key character moments later on. Her character is one that, as you learn more about, the more you root for her and Ronan delivers an absolutely remarkable performance here, perhaps the best of her career.
If anybody knows me, they know that Florence Pugh is my all-time favorite actress. Even though she is a new talent and one that I have discovered fairly recently, I am one hundred percent comfortable with saying that, and I truly believe that she is the most skilled actress of this generation. Her performance in this year’s Midsommarwas one that took me by complete surprise. A performance so devastatingly real and powerful that it shook me to my core, and I just knew that there was something special about Pugh.
Yet again, Pugh delivers an extremely powerful performance, this time as Amy March. Her character is one that is honestly really easy to hate as she does things that are a bit infuriating at first. There is one moment fairly early on in this movie that made me dislike her character during that scene, but then a few moments later, I found myself feeling sorry for Amy. She is a character that, while not without her faults, has an undeniable charm to her and she is somebody that has a ton of depth. I am praying that Pugh gets an Academy Award nomination at the upcoming ceremony for either Midsommar or this film because she honestly deserves it. I would hate to see such strong talent go unrecognized, which is what I fear will happen, but I am hoping that I will be proven wrong.
If you have seen any of the trailers for Little Women, you would probably agree that this is a gorgeously shot film, in fact, it is one of the most stunning films of the whole year. Yorick Le Saux served as the director of photography here, and it is one of his best efforts yet. If you thought that the shots in the trailer were impressive, then you truly haven’t seen anything yet. Trust me. There were a few frames in particular here that left me in utter awe.
This is also a picture that has a beautiful and euphoric score from the legendary Alexandre Desplat. This is not a score that is loud and in your face, but carefully quiet and moving whenever it needs to be. During certain emotional beats in the story, the score works in a way that manages to pull at your heartstrings in an effective way, thanks to Desplat. He is a composer that is incredibly skilled and this score is no exception.
Something that I have been seeing a ton of people talk about on the internet is the editing here, by Nick Houy. Throughout this entire film, we jump between time periods. One scene we watch may be taking place a few years in the past, and then the very next one could be taking place in the present. Some people found this a little bit confusing and hard to follow, but it actually did not bother me at all. To be truthful, I thought Houy’s editing was impressive, strong, and incredibly unique.
Little Women is a movie that I only saw one day ago, yet I desperately want to go out and see it again, because it is just that good. I liked this even more than Lady Bird to be honest, and even though this is a film that is almost two and a half hours in length, I get a strong feeling that this is one that I will be revisiting again and again for years to come.
Little Women is a modern day masterpiece that further cements Greta Gerwig as a skilled filmmaker. It has euphoric music, excellent cinematography, and powerhouse performances from Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh.
The Rise Of Skywalker: Another Look. The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more as Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron’s (Oscar Isaac) journey continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle commences.
Well, here we are. I never thought this day would come if I am going to be one hundred percent honest with you. This weekend, the final film in the decade-spanning Skywalker Saga has been released, titled The Rise of Skywalker, which promises to bring a definitive, satisfying, and thrilling end to this beloved series that started all the way back in 1977 with George Lucas’ Star Wars (later retitled to A New Hope).
For many children all around the globe, the Star Wars films are ones that they grew up with and have loved ever since their youth. Many people grew up popping in the VHS tapes of films like The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and falling in love with this empowering saga about hope, family, love, and so, so much more. Whether it was the fan favorite characters like Luke Skywalker, the villainous Darth Vader, the Jedi master Yoda, or the bounty hunter Han Solo, the characters are ones that have become iconic in the decades to come.
These movies have offered so many classic moments in cinema, that if I were to sit here and make an effort to list off every single one of them, it would take me hours to do so. Perhaps the most famous one is the shocking twist in the aforementioned Empire Strikes Back, where it is revealed that the evil Sith lord Darth Vader is actually the father of none other than lead protagonist and hero Luke Skywalker.
The point I am trying to get at here is that Star Wars means something to seemingly every movie fan. There truly is something for everybody in these films, even if you are not the biggest fan of science fiction action epics like this. This may come as a gigantic surprise to all of you reading this, but my first exposure to this massive franchise was not during my youth. I did not start watching the adventures of Luke and company as a three or even five year old and fall in love with these characters my whole life. My first exposure to Star Wars in general was at the age of nine, when I first played the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The first Star Warsfilm I watched, however, was the original 1977 one, but that was not until my pre-teens at least.
So, even though I did not grow up loving this franchise, I did eventually find my love for this series, but it just was not until much later in life than most people may expect, especially from a film lover like me. But, I do remember that the first time I watched these pictures, absolutely cherishing the themes that they carried, and having an absolute blast with all of these characters that I eventually become emotionally attached to. When the original trilogy came to an end, it was bittersweet for me.
It was actually really heartwarming to see Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest of the gang finally defeat the treacherous Empire and to see none other than Darth Vader himself be redeemed, but it was also kind of sad because some part of me thought that I may never get to go on another journey to a galaxy far, far away with these characters again. Sure, it was definitely nice to see the prequel trilogy explore some of the more lesser known areas of this expansive universe and give answers for how Anakin Skywalker ultimately became corrupt and turned to the Dark Side, but those films, while still entertaining, just did not quite have that spark that the original trilogy had for me.
But then, the sequel trilogy became a reality back in 2015 with the release of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which beautifully set up a heavily intriguing story that introduced brand new characters such as Rey, Finn, and Poe, while also bringing back fan favorites such as Han, Luke, and Leia. For me, The Force Awakens was so much more than just “a retread of A New Hope“. I often hear that complaint, and simply do not feel that way at all. Sure, the two have similar themes and sometimes, some of the characters’ arcs are similar, but they feel distinctly different in my eyes. I remember seeing that film in theatres for the first time and falling in love with this franchise even more.
Then, in 2017, we had a follow-up to that film, titled The Last Jedi. Let’s just get this out of the way right now – that was, and still is to this day, the most controversial entry in the saga to date. So many people all around the world hate that film with a burning passion. Many disliked the choices that writer/director Rian Johnson did with that picture and thought that it had ruined the series. People did not like the portrayal of Luke Skywalker in that film, they did not like the Canto Bight sequences, and they also thought that it was a bit corny at times as well. Those are not all of the complaints it got, but that is the biggest ones I have seen over the years. I, however, cherish that film with all my heart. Not only is it a masterpiece, but for me, it is still to this day the second greatest Star Wars movie ever released.
So, here we are then. Two years since the release of The Last Jedi, four years since the release of The Force Awakens, and more than forty years since the release of A New Hope. We are at the end of the saga. A day I truly never thought would come. When you love a franchise this much, when it ultimately comes to an end, it can seem surreal.
Going into The Rise of Skywalker, the final entry in the series, once again directed by Abrams who previously helmed Force Awakens, my expectations were lowered considerably, which may come as a shock to some of you. The only reason why, is because of the immense amounts of hate this film got online before it was released to the public. I am not talking about the fan reception, but the critical reception. Critics actually really loved the first two films in the sequel trilogy, and both of them have more than 90% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. But Rise of Skywalker has a rotten score, making it the first film in the franchise since The Phantom Menace to have a negative score on the service.
People kept telling me that this movie was awful. A disgrace to the fans that adore this series. I heard that if you loved The Last Jedi, which I did, then I would really hate this movie. So I went in to the theatre with my expectations checked at the door. But, I have to say… The Rise of Skywalker floored me. From the bottom of my heart, I did not expect to leave this theatre with this much joy radiating from me. This is no bad film, not even close. In fact, it is one of the best Star Wars entries to date, and I actually enjoyed it even more than Force Awakens.
At this point, we come to expect breathtaking action set pieces for these films, yet even still, my jaw was on the floor watching all of these action sequences playing out in front of me. There are tons of fun moments here that will leave people massively thrilled throughout. If you did not like the fact that Last Jedi did not have a “true” lightsaber battle, then fear not, because Rise of Skywalker contains a long, brilliantly choreographed, intense lightsaber battle that left me white knuckled. One of the best in the saga.
Accompanying these mesmerizing action scenes, are state of the art, visually awe-inspiring visual effects that left me speechless. I honestly cannot comprehend how long it must have taken the team to even create the effects for even one scene, let alone an entire film. All of the visuals here are gorgeous, and look so convincing. Yes, of course we know that it is computer generated imagery, but that does not make it any less appealing when it is done with this much skill.
Dan Mindel, who previously served as the director of photography on the aforementioned Force Awakens, returns once more to shoot this picture, and he did a remarkable job yet again. Virtually every frame of The Rise of Skywalker is astoundingly beautiful, with a few shots in particular leaving a lasting impression on me. There are some frames here that I will never forget seeing for the first time.
John Williams has composed the score for every film in the Skywalker Saga to date, including Rise of Skywalker. This is the last time he will compose a score for a Star Wars film, and he went out with a bang here. He creates a euphoric score that will excite you, pull on your heartstrings, and make you joyous. Although a lot of this score is new material, something really great I thought Williams did this time around was use subtle cues from previous tracks he composed. A couple of times during the film we can hear the iconic Imperial March playing in the background, as well as many others that I did not expect to hear and delighted me.
Speaking of pulling on the heartstrings, this is an extremely emotional movie. It is gladly not overly emotional; it hits exactly when it needs to. There are a couple of moments in particular that left me in tears. Yes. I cried twice during The Rise of Skywalker and I did not expect to do that. I don’t know why to be honest, because I cried during Force Awakens and Last Jedi too. But there are two sequences here, that hit me hard.
But it is not a film that is overblown with sadness. Much like the others before it, this entry is filled with terrific humor that happily always lands and managed to put a humongous smile across my face. It was really nice to sit down in a theatre, and laugh, smile and have fun with a packed audience seeing Star Wars one final time.
One of my favorite things that the sequel trilogy offered us was Daisy Ridley as Rey. I am so incredibly glad that the filmmakers decided to hire her to portray a hero for a whole new generation starting with The Force Awakens, because Ridley is a revelation. I truthfully believe she is one of the strongest actresses working today, and one that I don’t think is getting enough roles. Here, she delivers yet another gripping performance as Rey, who gets explored in ways I did not expect. Although Rey is most certainly an interesting character, Ridley makes her more charming and entertaining to watch on screen. You can tell that she genuinely has a blast playing this character.
Also enthralling here is Adam Driver who reprises his role as Kylo Ren. Out of all the characters that go through an incredibly memorable journey here, its Ren whose story is the most exciting. Kylo goes places in this story that left me in complete and utter awe. His journey is one of the most touching, riveting, and fascinating of the entire Star Wars saga.
It feels so good to have been able to see such an incredible film serve as the final installment in one of the most beloved franchises in the world. Of course there are going to be people that see this movie and absolutely despise it, but that is to be expected. With any film, not everybody is going to be pleased, but there are people out there that will be. I was not only left pleased, but envigorated and emotional, as I witnessed a beautiful end to my all time favorite film series.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is an absolute revelation. Filled with gripping performances, awe-inspiring action and visuals, an emotional core, and beautiful technical elements, this is a beautiful way to end such a beloved saga.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Is 30 – Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is really into Christmas and promises to make it a good one until he turns everything completely around, causing a domino effect of disasters.
It is genuinely hard for me to believe that I have never published a review of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation until today, because it is, in all honesty, my favorite Christmas-related film of all time. It is a tradition in my family to watch this film once every single year a few days before Christmas Day. Every year, it is such a treat to gather around together and have fun watching this non-stop laugh riot and celebrate my favorite holiday and the most wonderful time of the year.
In terms of rewatching movies, I don’t really do that as much as I used to. Back in the day, I used to rewatch dozens of movies I had already seen and loved. There was one time a few years ago, in which I watched Richard Linklater’s School of Rockevery day for ten days in a row. I have no idea why I did that to be honest. That must’ve been a massive favorite of mine back in the day.
But regardless, Christmas Vacation is one of my most rewatched films of all time. If I were to take a shot in the dark, I would say that I have watched this movie about twenty or so times thus far. Since this is a film that is so close to my heart, those rewatches will keep coming every year. But let’s talk about why this film means so much to me.
Comedy films are great because they can put you in a genuinely great mood and uplift your spirits. They can make you forget about all of your real world troubles. Christmas is a holiday in which you can gather around with all of your friends and family and just celebrate life, laughter, and love. You can enjoy the comfort of one another, open presents, and just have an amazing time. Combing Christmas themes and comedy, makes for an occasionally great film. There are plenty of hilarious Christmas movies out there, but this is my favorite.
Why? Because this is slapstick to its most extreme. Every single comedic element in Christmas Vacation makes absolutely no sense. This is what I like to call an “absurd comedy”. A comedy that has so many crazy things that defy logic, yet are still so much fun to watch, maybe even more so than a regular comedy. For example, there is one scene in this movie that is absolutely ridiculous and straight up makes zero sense. It is the scene in which our beloved goofball protagonist Clark Griswold and his family go sledding. Knowing Clark, he does not use a regular sled, but instead, he uses a metal saucer as a sled. Going downhill, he suddenly shoots rapidly downwards and goes through traffic and ultimately ends up in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
Also the scene in which a giant icicle literally shoots through the window of Clark’s neighbors Todd (Nicholas Guest) and Margo Chester (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Scenes like that are absolutely littered throughout Christmas Vacation, and if you think about the logic behind them for even a few seconds, it can be extremely silly. But, the reason why that is not a problem with this movie for me, is because John Hughes, the late writer/director of this film, knows what he is doing. He is fully aware that what he is doing is silly and off-the-charts ridiculous. None of these over-the-top sequences are meant to be taken seriously, but rather, we are supposed to be shaking our heads and laughing at the same time, which is exactly what I do every time I watch this movie.
In terms of a technical aspect, this is a really great movie as well. All of the cinematography is extremely well handled by director of photography Thomas E. Ackerman. Also, it has beautiful lighting, great editing and of course, the opening theme song, also titled “Christmas Vacation” and sung by Mavis Staples, is an incredibly memorable, fun, and charming way to kick off this zany, off the walls, hilarious Christmas classic.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a non-stop laugh riot, with extremely memorable moments, beautiful cinematography, and a heartwarming story at its core.
