Loved the cast! The actresses/actors were all cast well and they fit their characters perfectly. I especially loved Wang Da Lu. Wow, he's such a versatile actor, I feel heartbroken when he's crying and impressed by his fighting scenes. Of course, Vivian Sung portrayed the clumsy albeit a little awkward teenager very well. Dino Lee is cute too but his character was just kind of one-dimensional in my opinion. If you read my other reviews, you'll know I love Jerry Yan and I was elated to find out that he played the grown up Wang Da Lu. His scene with Joe Chen, although too short, was adorable and I wished it was longer! I admit I also screamed like a fan girl when I heard Andy Lau was playing a small role as a guest in this movie. He hasn't acted in a Taiwanese movie in ages! The star power of the three of them added to this movie too.
Music was fantastic and contributed to my roller coaster of emotions. My favorite song was of course the theme song, A Little Happiness, by Hebe Tien. I've been playing that song on repeat ever since.
Re-watch value is high! Once they come to the USA, I'm going to try and buy a HD quality version. Movies like this always give me a warm and fuzzy feeling, so if you guys are looking for that don't miss this! (10/9)
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This review may contain spoilers
A surprisingly wholesome movie
Coming it to think about it, I don't even know why I started this. It was just a whim of mood that I actually started this. I didn't know most of the cast (even if I had heard of them, I had never really watched any of their dramas or movies) and the plot seemed cliché and wasn't remotely tempting. But, now that I finished it, I totally don't regret starting it in the first place!Honestly, the story isn't anything new and one may come across tons of this kind of storylines in the dramaland, but you won't come across a movie with a better execution of such a storyline that this one. This movie has many of the most over used troups and tags in dramaland like 'first love', 'time skip', 'makeover', 'coming of age' etc. It even has a love square, but it's not frustrating at all! In fact, they make your heart flutter as these helps the leads to come closer to eachother and recognise their love for each other. The way in which Truly and Tsu Tai Yu fell for eachother without even realising it, and when they finially realised it everything was too late... I really loved such cliché parts of the plot! But, had this been a 20+ episode drama, it might have ruined everything. The pace of the story was perfect to evoke a kind of nostalgia in the audience. The story is extremely simple yet so good and this is one of the plus points of this movie!
As I said before, I was unfamiliar with the cast of the drama. The only person I had heard of was Darren Wang and I had watched Jerry Yan's Meteor Garden. That was all.
I rarely get impressed with actings in movies since they are short and don't explore wide varieties of emotions of the actors and actresses. Now, after watching this movies, I'm really tempted to watch other workes of Darren Wang and Vivan Sung! They were truly awesome here! Darren was amazing portraying the bad boy Tsu Tai Yu and Vivan Sung in portraying the clumsy Truy. There were rooms for improvement for Dino Lee and Dewi Chein, but the over all performance form the whole cast was great. Even if Joe Chen and Jerry Yan were just cameo of the adult version of Truly and Tai Yu, I could feel their dynamics with eachother in the last scenes. I really wish it were longer!
Music was great and apt for the scenes. The rewatch value's fairly high too, compared to the ones I have given to other movies.
I don't usually rate dramas or movies 9.5, let alone a movie with a cliché plot. But this somehow is an exception. I can't even explain why I rated in 9.5! It's just my mind and heart telling me to do it even if the brain's not.
Overall, this is a surprisingly wholesome movie with a roller coaster of emotions portrayed It's a highly recommended movie
if you are someone who is past his/her school life for this movie, I believe, would take you back to your childhood days, when you were crushing on a hansome popular boy.
P.S. Don't mind any typos. I tend to have many of them.
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I watched it because I was curious when all my friends were talking about how good it was.
It's a really cute rom-com movie. I find myself fan-girling over the Male MC whenever he smirks.
Lots of laughs throughout but there were really sad moments near the end of the movie. It's a fun watch!
I'd recommend this to everyone. xD
Story - A few clichés here and there, but overall it was good. It was a typical plot of how they wanted to break the relationship of their crush by working together.
Character development was well done and I liked how they slowly naturally became friends.
Acting - There was no awkward acting. I thought their heartbroken expressions was well executed.
Poor Vivian Sung had to fall multiple times in the movie since her character was a clumsy one, but all the falls was very natural I believe.
Music - Suitable inserts for scenes and the theme song by Hebe Tian is just awesome!
I'm definitely watching this again!
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Like normally these kind of movies are very cheesy and too predictable and frankly the acting usually aint that good either. But man this movie really blew my mind! Not to mention how hot Darren Wang is but his acting skills were BOSS! And his cute little smirks and face expressions literally took my breath away. The way Hsu tai-yu looks at Lin is probably how every girl dreams to be looked at by a boy even I found myself smiling whenever he looked at her with those dazzling eyes.
And yes this might seem like a cliche story which you have seen in other dramas but it really isn't and this one definetely takes home the first price. I'm not even joking!!!
Vivian Sung did quite a good job as well with her acting, unlike from other movies her awkwardness isn't too much and she isn't overly clingy with her emotions and shit or like over dramatic like most girls are when they have crushes!
I cried and laughed and cried and laughed through the whole movie it fckn touched my soul! I've always liked those kind of movies where the main character is some sort of bad boy but deep inside he's the sweetest guy ever. And it really got to my feels when he did all those cute little things for Lin in the movie. It made me want to have a guy friend like that too!! It didn't feel like a cliche love story, it went in its own pace and it felt like a real life love story. It didn't go too fast and it didn't feel fake at all. Their feelings towards each other felt very relateable so overall it was a FANTASTIC love story!
So if you like romantic/comedy/friendship stories then this is something you MUST watch! I'm gonna rewatch it 9848493 times cuz it's THAT awesome.
PS- this is my first review so don't judge XD thanks :*
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STORY: I have watched a lot of similar movies but I find Our Times to be the most relatable of all. Let's put it into a formula to make it easier: Ultimate fangirl having a crush on the most popular boy in school and having a not-so-good guy help her to get him? Seems so simple and overused but it just worked so well in this film. It also helped that it has so many funny scenes. There was a point in the movie that I didn't get what was happening and my overall rating was supposed to be around a score of 8 to 9 until the film has successfully delivered the whole story near the end and cleared all my doubts about it.
ACTING/CAST: It was my first time to watch all the main leads and all I can say is that, they are all such good actors! It was so refreshing to see Taiwan's young talents deliver so well in this movie. I'm pretty sure that they have a bright future ahead of them int he industry because of their spectacular performances here. I couldn't imagine anyone else portraying Vivian Sung's Lin Zheng Xin and Darren Wang's Xu Taiyu because they really owned their roles. The same thing could be said to Jerry Yan and Joe Chen here, I'm so glad that they were willing to appear in this movie because I felt that their roles were created for them as well and no other actors could portray their roles so perfectly.
MUSIC: Since this was a throwback to the 90's era, the music was perfectly placed in the movie. While writing this, I'm currently listening to Hebe Tian's Little Happiness which is the official OST of the film and it just keeps giving me feels.
REWATCH VALUE: I'm probably one of the biggest fans of Jerry Yan out there so it's not surprising that I have watched his scene here a lot of times already haha! Technically speaking, I have watched this movie twice already because the video player wasn't working well so I couldn't fast-forward it but needless to say, it wasn't a chore to watch at all and I'm willing to watch it again someday.
OVERALL: I highly recommend this movie especially if you love this kind of movies like I do! I have watched a lot of other Taiwanese and Chinese movies similar to this but Our Times stands out for me because of the story and acting. It has also pulled my heartstrings hard, so hard that I shed tears!
P.S. I don't think my review gave justice to the movie so I suggest that you watch it instead and see it for yourself :D
P.P.S. Jerry Yan and Joe Chen should seriously star in a Taiwanese drama to revive the old glory days of TW dramas and because they have chemistry here!
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A Nostalgia-Ridden Love Story To The 1990s …
When discussing about directors Frankie Chen and Chen Yu Shan’s ‘ Our Times’ , the movie is often directly attributed on a surface level as merely being a stereotypical and cutesy love story between its two main leads Lin and Taiyu . However is arguable that when you are able to delve further beneath the film’s surface ‘ Our Times’ isn’t just a literal romance, but a love story and homage by its creators to the nostalgic days of youth in 1990s Taiwan.
Original or replicated props,popular culture references to 90’s idols such as Aaron Kwok and Andy Lau, outfits and copied hairstyles from the era given to the drama’s cast animated scenes to life with euphoria as bubbly palettes and vivid hues onscreen attempted to perfectly capture the rose-tinted warmth and sweetness of adolescence throughout the movie.
However that isn’t to say that Chen and Shan entirely limit the nostalgia-ride with merely visuals. The reimbursed injection of the “ordinary girl meets her Prince Charming” trope admittedly did have its highs-and-lows throughout the movie.
An evident feminine-perspective to this cliche helped to add a breath of fresh air to an otherwise overused trope. Flashbacks and flash forwards throughout the drama’s non-linear storyline between Lin Zhen Xin’s dilemmas as a young woman in her thirties( Joe Chen) against Lin’s naive teen-self ( Vivian Sung) helped to present Lin Zhen Xin’s journey throughout the movie.
Nevertheless ‘ Our Time’ ‘s pragmatic focus upon Zhen Xin’s embroiled meeting with the seemingly fearsome delinquent Taiyu (Darren Wang) could admittedly sometimes feel shoehorned by cliches in an attempt to keep the drama’s plot-drive afloat throughout the movie’s duration. Considering that this is one of the focal drives of the storyline it wasn’t necessarily bad per say that the film attempted to offer opportunities to bring forward the two unlikely lovers together. On the other hand the movie could often feel as though it was trying to drive the series sometimes through enforced misunderstandings leading to further drama, rather than allowing coherent events to take place and then resolving problems throughout the film.
One of the most pleasant surprises of the film came through the movie’s lineup. Joe Chen played the older-self of the female lead; a woman in her thirties stuck in a deadbeat office non who begins to reminisce about her school days back in the 1990s. Despite Chen not having as many focused scenes as she should’ve done as the main character’s older-self in the film, the actress was able to interplay her character incredibly well with younger actress Vivian Sung.
Sung is arguably one of the main highlights of ‘ Our Time’. Whilst at times the actress could admittedly feel as though she was putting on a slight over-the-top ambience to her onscreen persona in order to sway audiences towards her image as the “ dorky teen and fan girl ”, Sung could also surprisingly captivate a loveable and down-to-earth charm to Zhen Xin’s teen-self for audiences.
Costarring alongside Joe Chen was Jerry Yan as main male lead Hsu Tai Yu’s older-self. The actor’s well-known performance as the main lead in the popular adaptation of the original ‘ Meteor Garden’ did carry through with a slight gruff charm onscreen. Nevertheless Yan’s appearance whilst necessary to wrap-up events was limited and brief to say the least.
The notable star-attraction of the series as the younger Hsu Tai Yu was Darren Wang. As the actor’s breakout role Wang portrayed troublemaker Taiyu with a few awkward line deliverances at times but quickly made up for this through surprising heart and soul in tour de force moments of the momvie, as well as wittiness when screen time called for it also.
On the other hand for a movie filled with easygoing nostalgia and sweet chemistry between the leads ‘ Our Time’ could often fall victim to pacing. For a film exceeding a two hour duration trying to captivate an audience is quintessential and dragged-out scenes and dialogue exchanges could often sometimes weigh heavily upon its paced-narrative. Plot points could sometimes feel slightly cyclical at times without adding anything new to the storyline; something that could’ve easily been fixed if the storyline had arguably kept its structure a little more rigid and succinct .
The ending admittedly on a crisp and sweet note for audiences- expected of the genre but fitting for the characters and events of the movie.
Frankie Chen and Chen Yu Shan is an expected love-story with cliches and shoehorning sometimes worming its way into the events of a laissez-faire paced plot. Nevertheless there’s no doubt that there’s something oddly endorsing about its cast, bright palettes and authentic set pieces as well as Chen and Shan’s homage not just to the 1990s, but an attempt to engage audiences through the universal experience of nostalgia also.
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My only dislike is not seeing more of the main characters as grown ups. Also would have been nice to see what happened to the other main classmates. Wanted to see more of them as far as what their experiences were and if any of them still remained friends. I really wanted to see more about the main guy; what were his experiences and even a sneak peak of the after, was it happily ever after like in my mind? lol
In all, still fun to watch and it happy I watched it. Two thumbs up. Good job.
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Story: 9/10 because despite of some the cliches, it was still very enjoyable & had so much heart to the movie. What started as bickering, misunderstood relationship; it became something more & I got to watch that on screen.
Acting: 10/10 because I love Zhen Xin & Tai Yu together. Their friendship & their budding romance was very believable & I enjoyed their journey. Wang Darren as Tai Yu was fantastic! He's funny, sweet & lovable despite his tough exterior because of his past. I also enjoyed Vivian as Zhen Xin as well. She took Zhen Xin and brought her to life from her acting to her appearance! I didn't recognize her at all(Vivian is the main lead in Taste of Love). Ouyang was nice & sweet, but felt very one dimensional. When Ouyang unintentionally hurt Zhen Xin, it hurt me too. The chemistry was there as well.
Music: 7/10: it was adorable, but barely remember it. Too invested in the story too listen to the music.
Rewatch value: 10/10 because the movie was adorable & easy to watch.
Overall, if you like the cast, typical mean guy, nice girl troupe, realistic character development & friendship dramas/movies. . . Then you should watch this movie.
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Onto the review, this movie is sweet and touching and just reminds you of what it's like being a teenager, high school and what it's like to like that one popular boy in school and thinking he does not see you at all. Main guy (as per usual) is a big bully but he isn't a rebel without a cause. He has a big heart and this movie left me in tears crying because the things our big bully does was sweet, but of course, that's what this sort of movie is meant to do, tug at your heart strings. Highly recommend.
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The story itself has been done many times over, but the execution was what really set this movie apart. Because it is mostly set in the 90s, the staff had to be extra careful not to let anything slip. It was done really wonderfully, however, because there were so many details that you could distinctly tell are not from our time. Although the story line is typical of a teen rom-com, this one was deep, thoughtful, and extremely nostalgic (at least I think because I haven't had a chance to look back on high school yet). The romance between the two were although cliche, was also very realistic at times. The characters' emotions are very easy to relate to, and the story builds up at a nicely paced speed. The problem I have with this movie is the ending. With such famous actors like Joe Chen and Jerry Yan, you would think they'd give them a bit more screen time. Although I did like the ending, I was very unhappy with the way many things went unexplained.
The main cast featured some newbies to acting. I thought they did a really great job though, and were thoroughly immersed into their roles. As said before Joe Chen and Jerry Yan, both very famous were cast as the older actors. Andy Lau made a cameo which was so so cool, but really though, Jerry Yan's role was so short it could be considered a cameo.
The music is awesome. "A Little Happiness" by Hebe Tian is one of the main songs in this movie and I love it so much. It's on repeat on my phone right now.
For final thoughts, the movie is hard to get into if you're unfamiliar to the culture especially since everything is deliberately made to look older, but definitely don't let that deter you from trying it! It was an awesome movie to curl up in bed and watch. I went through a whole roller coaster of emotions with this one, and although it's not perfect, it's definitely worth watching. I highly recommend it!! ^.^
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