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econno
Reviews
Chun gui meng li ren (2023)
Skip It
I am actually infuriated each episode of this show, because it is so disappointing. The acting is GOOD, but the actors are all wasted on the worst script i have EVER seen in a C-drama/comedy/romance. The one redeeming value here is Ding Yu Xi. He is
lovable as usual. The FL is naggy, selfish, and annoyng, and almost abusive toward here husband through endless disrespect. This series has everything disgusting about predictable and stupid mindless puppy love, self-absorption, immaturity, one-dimensional thugs, and evil, psychotic women. No-one grows, communicates, is fair, matures, or evolves on any level. Wasted time, money, and talent.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Drama-Queen Direction, Juvenile Cinematography
Drama-Queen Direction, Juvenile Cinematography, and C-grade, third-world level of sophistication: It's almost as if just because you know the situation, you are supposed to be invested, and care. But movies need to give a little something to get a viewer's love... Don't they?
THE CONTENT and WRITING: It's pretend apocalypse time with as much intellectual spin as an average four-year-old could muster, with one attempt at mini-climax after another. These mini-moments are provided in wanna-be action sequences full of unconvincing character passion, such as during the rebellion-planning by a routine (ho hum), resentful lower class, or in fight scenes portrayed with the embarrassing camp of early kung-fu movies - fake sounds and sprayed blood. (And Tarantino-class this does not begin to suggest. Besides which there's no kung-fu!) Actually, the fight scenes are quite disappointing.
Possibly the worst part is the 1950's-style, backward psycho-drama, which comes across as belabored and self-absorbed, and is thus comically pathetic. For example: A supposedly important personal development moment for the main character is when he acknowledges, in self-pitying whine, that Gee, I ate baby flesh when I was starving. Come on, Chris Evans is pretty flat-affected (which is why he makes a good purpose-driven Marvel automaton), and in this confession, the actor Appears to be Striving for Impact, but it was not at all persuasive. It was supposed to segue into the Personal Growth Highlight of the Entire Movie: His redemption comes in the form of sacrificing his hand to save a child, but by then?? We've already seen that in this movie repeatedly, and there is not enough buy-in with this character's emotions to be even mildly moved. And the Really Big Deal of blowing open a hole in the train? That was one uni-dimensional character's raison d'etre, but it was immediately and utterly overshadowed by the destruction of the train in a landslide ANYWAY. You see, all of it leads absolutely nowhere; so perhaps it is only the depressed, existentially-enthralled who could find any value here.
THE DIRECTION: There are long, long, boring moments between thoughts and actions, and between comments and responses, as if viewers could not possibly comprehend and therefore needs LOTS of time to get with the program. These drags do not increase tension, or contribute to plot movement, or reveal ANYTHING. This results in the director appearing truly ignorant of the craft, or at least out of touch with modern mind-sets. I can't help but wonder if the actors are either embarrassed or joking amongst themselves about their participation... It's a paycheck, right? No emotion seems genuine, despite that some of these actors have Good Salt. As every last actor performed like an amateur, I can only blame the direction.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Let's look at people from the ceiling at a weird angle so we can feel radically artsy! Then, let's shake the camera around a bunch so the picture is blurry, and it will seem like there is actually something going on!
Thank you for reading. KEC