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Damsel (2024)
What a princess fairy tale should be...
If only I had been given a fairy tale princess like Elodie when I was growing up. A woman that didn't need a prince to save her and her family, but instead had a dragon to help her do the job.
There is far more to love about this movie than there is to poke fun at. Damsel took those contrived fairy tale tropes of a female in peril and completely flipped the script. Elodie had herself, her smarts, and her ability to feel empathy to rely on. Not to mention a stepmother who was the complete opposite of what that character has been portrayed as in every fairy tale ever. And a family that was imperfect, yet still cared about one another, even to their own detriment.
I loved how this film both fit the bill for a classic damsel in distress set up, but also broke every single one of those rules. The dragon was very reminiscent of Lord of the Ring's Smog, but more evolved and able to overcome prejudice, a truly incredible character in it's own rite. And Elodie was so badass I just immediately wanted her and the dragon to become bff's.
I also loved how Elodie became a princess version of Sarah Conner. Plus, I'm a big fan of the usage of bugs as a night light, reminiscent of the film Pitch Black, which also had a badass leading lady at its center.
I'll put this film up there with Hulu's The Princess, which yes, I also enjoyed. How wonderful is it to think that this young generation of females growing up is being given princesses that don't need to be saved, but instead do the saving. I'm truly jealous and awed. Lucky them.
Last Twilight (2023)
So far, so good... kinda actually pretty great.
I'm four episodes into this series at the time of this review, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm also very much looking forward to the next episode.
This show just makes me smile. Sometimes I catch myself smiling with the characters, and at other times I'm smiling because of them. And I really like to smile. Which has given me a lot of appreciation for Last Twilight. It's just been really enjoyable so far, and well executed.
I'm hoping the story unfolds well because it's already set up to be something special. The romantic tension is top notch and keeps me craving more while also feeding me morsels aplenty. I'm using all my wishes that this story keeps giving me the delightful, happy feelings it's given me so far.
Edit: I enjoyed Last Twilight all the way through. Definitely worth the watch. I'm going to miss looking forward to a new episode each week. I'm sure I'll find myself rewatching this series time and again.
Pit Babe (2023)
Shaping up to possibly be a really great show...
I've only watched the first three episodes at the time of this review, but I have to admit. This is shaping up to be a possibly really great show.
When it comes to Thai BLs, I have watched many of them, and they can be hit or miss. Like most dramas, they can become a bit formulaic and, in my experience, that's been no exception for Thai BLs, but Pit Babe has got me hooked and eagerly awaiting the next episode each week. It has that feel of what's expected and comfortable, but also gives a breath of something fresh and new.
There's a lot to be appreciated about the show in just the first three episodes, although that Thai BL angsty drama is ever-present, the storyline and execution of the premise has thus far been really well played out.
Storylines set in the omegaverse have always been only a fictional premise that I have read about, but never seen in a show. Pit Babe is actually delving into this incredible fictional universe, even though it's only just dipped its toes into it so far, it's still really fun to see this fantasy idea played out on screen.
I've found myself interested in the side characters and their arcs just as mush as that of the leads, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes. Great job so far with the acting and writing, I really am enjoying it.
It's yet to be seen if the rigors of the Thai BL storyline conformity will set in, but so far, I'm liking it and looking forward to more.
Edit: now that the show is done and over, I am left wanting a bit. I will say the show was good, but not necessarily great. However, it kept me tuned in every week, so for that I will give Pit Babe my respect and love. Regardless of what it was lacking, it still kept me entertained.
Gangnam Zombie (2023)
Not great or even really good, but if you've got nothing better going on this evening...
I will admit that I actually paid money to rent this movie, but I also don't totally regret it. I like Korean zombies and I also had nothing else to watch tonight. So I splurged. And I really don't feel that bad about it. I honestly felt like the movie just flew by, which says something about the fact that it didn't bore me. And when it came to the fight scenes, I liked all them kicks. A great way to social distance a zombie is to keep that sucker at least arm's length away, or even better, leg's length away. So okay no, this isn't a great movie, but it is a movie, and it has zombies in it, and it is somewhat fun. Take it or leave it.
Shang Yin (2016)
The only Chinese BL I'll ever watch, but I've got no regrets
An absolute beautiful story of friendship, romance, family, and love and how you can find that one person that can become and give you all of the above.
I don't watch Chinese BL, but Addicted is my one exception. It harnesses a story that is so deep and so real, but also so very magical. I just so happen to enjoy a love story that involves at least a passionate kiss, which is why I avoid Chinese BL, because most often, due to rigid standards, that is not included in the packaging. But Addicted is a stand-out in the fact that it portrayed a very real concept of a blooming love with its own interesting concept of family intercepting with romance and how love can find that crack in the cement to grow from. Addicted is, in and of itself, that tiny sprout that found the sun to grow in even the darkest and harshest of environments.
Bravo to every single person who made this show and didn't hold back to let viewers behold such a passionate love. It's honestly a travesty that a season 2 of this series, with the same cast, will never see the light of day. But it's also a frickin incredible feat that this series even aired as many episodes as it did before it had the plug pulled. Even still, here we are, seven years later, and China disallows same-sex kissing on screen. But no matter any of that, Addicted exists and is loved by so many, including me, because it spits in the eye of every dinosaur out there that would prefer to pretend that love has to be held within certain gender specifics.
This is a beautifully acted, well-done, incredibly wonderful story of two Chinese men who found love, regardless of familial and societal standards, and overcame their hardships, misunderstandings, and seemingly insurmountable odds to give the care and adoration that they so greatly needed, and receive the love that only the other can give, in a setting that made it all feel so very natural and real.
Banggwa Hoo Jeonjaenghwaldong (2023)
So much better than it's being given credit for...
This show should get so much more love than it does. Literally, every episode is done on a grand, epic scale where you would think you're watching a movie. Seriously, pick any episode, watch it from beginning to end, and you'll see that each an every episode is done so greatly that it is on par of any action, adventure, alien butt-kicking movie level. There is not a single moment of this show that doesn't keep you involved in the army style action of a group of rag-tag teens working as a team to eradicate an alien foe, and a group of characters that you'll love and also hate, but will still root for. Yes, this doesn't have the "Hollywood ending" that you may hope for. But you also have to remember, this ain't Hollywood, if you're going to get yourself involved in a kdrama, you better expect the unexpected.
Love Class (2022)
Season 1 was fun, but season 2 just has my heart...
It feels like the two seasons of Love Class should be listed completely separate. There are underlying themes that are similar in both seasons, for instance, the relationship class some of the characters attend at the college. But where season one was good, season two is absolutely great!
My rating for season one was actually 7/10, but after just completing the second season, I changed my rating to 10/10. I just really loved following along on each of the couples' relationship journeys. And what I absolutely adored the most about the second season, was that there was no forced conflict. The story arcs for each of the couples just felt organically laid out and they built together into this culmination of sweetness.
All of the actors did a great job, they felt sincere to their characters in the story as a whole. I definitely recommend checking out both seasons, but you don't need to watch one to understand the other. And I definitely recommend season two, it's just a light, sweet, and refreshing story to watch.
Busanhaeng 2: Bando (2020)
I guess I'll be one of the few to say I actually enjoyed this movie?...
I was hoping and expecting this to be fun, and guess what, I thought it was. This is not a Train to Busan sequel, it is in essence set in the same universe. And as sequels go, wow must it suck to have to try to live up to Train to Busan. This isn't that. And it was still, in my opinion, a good movie.
I thought it had a great pace and it kept me interested in this apocalyptic slice of the world. The rest of the world goes on after a zombie outbreak, except for those left behind in quarantined Korea. And the ones left behind have either become bad ass, awesome survivors, or have gone insane crazy, or maybe even just become a little bit of both. This whole movie is a fight for survival, whether as a survivor in a zombie zone or a refugee cast into an uncaring world.
I'll admit that Korean zombies are pretty much my favorite versions of fast zombies. And the zombies in this movie were not at all a let down. They were scary without being overly gory, and the way they moved was just really cool, contorting and flipping and running over anything in front of them, including each other. But the way the zombies were used time and again as an effective weapon against the fighting survivors was just excellent. And not to mention the awesome "Mad Max" style apocalyptic car chases where a drifting car can take out zombies by the dozens.
This is not a waste of time to watch. It's a cool and fun zombie movie that actually made me feel pretty okay at the end (heart not completely broken, my hope intact).
HIStory (2017)
Enjoyable...
What I've enjoyed about this series is that you can watch any season in any order, as they are all independent stories (with some character overlap in seasons 4 & 5). But admittedly, at the time of writing this review, I haven't yet watched season 2.
I began watching with HIStory 3: Trapped, which was a fun enough story. It was acted well and made me definitely want to check out more of the show.
I then watched HIStory 5: Love in the Future and followed it up with HIStory 4: Close to You, which I wish I would have watched season 4 before watching season 5, as there is a storyline that plays through both. I enjoyed both seasons a lot though, maybe ranking season 5 over season 4, mostly because I enjoyed the fantasy/sci-fi aspect of the time travel.
I figured at this point I should really check out season 1, which was just meh to me. But I give it credit for being the jumping off point for where all the later seasons have come from.
I just recently finished History 3: Make Our Days Count, and this season is why I'm giving HIStory only 6 stars and not more. The story was so likable, until the curveball of an ending. Looking back on it, of course now I see why it's titled as it is, but that last episode just ruined it all. I couldn't even cry because I was confused for ninety percent of it, and wondering if there was some kind of big reveal waiting to happen. But no. So instead of being sad, I'm just mad. It could have been done so much better, instead of trying to be ambiguous about what exactly happened until over half way through the final episode. If you're going to make me love a character and then completely pull the rug out from under me, at least make it worth it. Give me the closure, don't make me feel like I was robbed of getting to say good-bye.
I will say though, for anything this series may lack, the talented acting is not one of them. I've really liked the actors so much throughout all of the seasons, there is some wonderful talent to be found. So all in all, it's worth checking out, but maybe stop watching Season 3: Make Our Days Count about 5 minutes before the end of the penultimate episode of the season and just pretend that's where it ends.
Edit: I've decided to let it go, let it flow. After watching the Season 2 storylines and enjoying them, I've raised my rating to 8 stars. This is definitely a series to watch and among my favorite Taiwan BLs.
His (2020)
I thought this was wonderful, and really pretty great.
I thought this was wonderful, and really pretty great. Definitely worth the watch (and your time). There's a lot of ways to love in this grand world. And this movie beautifully shows that love is everywhere. How love can have so many shapes and forms. Romantic love is great, to be sure, but it's not really any greater than the love for an elder, a friend, a child, and so on and so forth. Love is love is love. Love can be taken for granted, it can consume your whole existence, it can be given a cold shoulder, it can be realized, and it can be denied, but all in all... Love is love is love. There was a whole lot of beauty in this movie. Superbly acted and a delightful treat for your heart to feast.
After (2019)
Not as bad as the reviews might leave you to think...
If you've read the synopsis of this movie and then decided to watch it, you should already have an idea in regards to what you're in for. I have not yet read the books, but I still loved the movie. No movie will ever be as good as the book! And that's the understanding anyone has to have before watching a film based on a book series.
The lead roles were acted well and I understood and felt the story of the main characters, no matter how rushed they felt. The film is filled with romance and Hero and Josephine, as Hardin and Tessa, respectfully, had great chemistry and are beautiful together.
I'm just saying, regardless that the movie couldn't cover every facet of the book, it's still fun and beautiful and not a waste of time at all for anyone who loves watching movies about love and all it's dark, dramatic, silly and sometimes dumb sides. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Btw, anyone who has ever loved the movie Flashdance will enjoy the cameo by the actress who plays the character Karen.
Love After Love (2017)
Too slow, maybe I'm just not a big "artsy" film fan?
Too slow, maybe I'm just not a big "artsy" film fan? Couldn't really feel for any of the characters.
When I read the synopsis before renting, I read the words "Chris O'Dowd" and "funny", so thought about giving it a try. It's not all that funny. I just wasn't into it.