Reviews

Pinocchio is definitely a slow burn. I liked Dal Po's conflicted and complicated character right off the bat. For me, more than anything, the intriguing story kept me more engaged than the romance, especially in the beginning-middle.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show's demonstration of how media and news really are. Fact is fact. You can't warp it into a distorted version of the fact. The show explores the consequences of media impact and the individualized sacrifices made along the way because of it. Pinocchio really pulled on those ideas and created a well-rounded world that was compelling to the viewer. If there was one sentence I could give Pinocchio, it would be: the truth always comes out. The theme of retribution keeps coming around throughout the drama. 'What comes around, goes around.' The audience also feels a sense of deja vu when past words comes back to haunt other characters.

Now, the main plot and dilemma. I liked how it played out. The brotherly relationship was poignant but also an explosive bomb waiting to happen because of all that has happened between them. However, although the plot is mostly pretty solid and concise, there were some aspects that felt rushed. I really wish they explored that plot line longer. The bromance and the strong sense of family got to me more than the romance which is surprising since I usually like romance dramas. Nevertheless, I appreciated that every decision, every word, said by characters had meaning; in other words, everything, for the most part, happened for a reason so there seemed to be little to no dragging.

I'm not sure why but In Na and Dal Po's chemistry just didn't click for me until around the 8th episode. I think their almost sibling-like relationship deterred me from completely falling for their chemistry.

I came in never seeing any dramas from Lee Jong Suk nor Park Shin Hye so I didn't have any bias. Shocker, I know. Lee Jong Suk's portrayal of emotions was raw and completely real. Shin Hye's character was blunt-loved her. Shin Hye made her hiccups so realistic that I almost believed Pinocchio was a real thing! Neither character outshone the other. In that respect, In Na and Dal Po complemented one another well, creating a more comfortable, rather than passionate chemistry. Because of that comfortable chemistry, their characters are always honest with each other and have complete trust in one another- it's great to watch! However, I didn't unequivocally trust their trust in each other until the 12th episode. It was then that I seriously respected In Ha and her love and trust in Dal Po.

I really liked the side characters, for the most part. In some dramas, the main couple is what keeps the drama alive. Here, the supporting cast makes the drama better, and more hilarious. I loved Cap and even the guy with the weird hair from YGN- Lee Pil Mo and Min Seung Wook respectively. I liked Jin Kyung in It's Okay that's Love but dang did she pull out acting chops here-completely amazing. Props to hyung as well, Yoon Gyun Sang; I'll definitely be on the lookout for your future works. I honestly didn't hate anyone since nearly everyone had their chance at redemption, which I wholeheartedly appreciated.

Music, unfortunately, was pretty mediocre, and forgettable.

I must say this though. I liked Pinocchio but I didn't fall in love with it. At the end of the day,though, Pinocchio is a great drama with lots of heart that explores morals, and has sincere relatable characters.

(8.5/9.5)

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Overall [9] - I started this series specifically because of Oguri Shun but I ended up really enjoying the whole thing. This series has a light feel to it, despite the subject matter, so it won't depress you if you are looking for something happy. I'd recommend this series to anyone looking for something just a little more "grown-up" than your average high school drama.

Story [10] - While a bit ridiculous at times, the story in this series was one of hard times, failures, and successes. It's not exactly a deep story, yet it still manages to cover some important lessons while progressing at a nice pace. The common theme in this story is one I feel many people can relate to in our times.

Acting/Cast [9] - To start, Shun was absolutely adorable in this series! I enjoyed seeing him in a role very different from what I've seen of him thus far. His ever positive attitude kept this series alive. There were a few characters I didn't care for personally yet they all fit together well and balanced one another.

Music [8] - I can't comment much on the music, as nothing really stood out in a way to make me remember it specifically. Though I can say what I do remember of it, the music was well placed and fitting of the scenes.

Rewatch Value [9] - I'll definitely be watching this series again. I loved the never-depressing feel of this drama. Shun was able to make every part of this drama enjoyable.

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A picture is worth a thousand words, or is it?

If you are not old enough to remember rolls of film, one of the commonly used rolls had 36 shots on it. This film was told in 36 segments based largely on camera shots or the memories from those shots as if labeling a picture or a memory. The film leisurely and gently explored the relevancy between photos and memories and the malleability and impermanence of both.

Sai is a film location scout and Oom is the art director. They meet scouting out an abandoned love hotel from the Vietnam War era that Sai has memories of being in her old neighborhood. Sai uses a digital camera, taking many pictures that she will later store and keep. Oom still uses a film camera and often takes pictures of people when they aren't looking even though he refuses to have his picture taken. Though he says he will send them a copy, he rarely does. The two spend a lot of time discovering the nooks and crannies of the possible set and also negotiate with the landlady over room prices for the cast and crew. Oom takes a picture of Gita, the landlady's 12-year-old daughter that later may prove important. Afterwards, Sai and Oom enjoy an evening breeze from the roof and take their picture with her camera in front of the beautiful sky. Soon the "end credits" appear after the 11th shot.

The film jumps into the future 2 years. Sai and Oom have gone their separate ways. When the director she is currently working for discovers the building he built his new script around has been leveled, Sai mentions the other building. She attempts to recover the photos but even after a friend works to restore them, only a few survived and not the one of her and Oom on the rooftop. She returns to the building and talks to the landlady. It turns out Gita died and the landlady would love to have the picture Oom took of her. During the process of trying to find Oom and restore the pictures, she realizes her feelings for him were stronger than she had known. As the film closes in on the 36th segment, Oom looks at the picture of them on the roof faraway on his computer (unknown to her he had copied her images from the shoot long ago), Sai smiles as she remembers the special moment they shared.

36 was shot in an artful way that could also distance the viewer from the characters. Oom is never seen face on, and often shots of other characters were in profile or from behind or even half hidden by architecture. I liked the labeled 36 bits of the story, like looking at a picture album where the photo had been annotated and saved. The OST was also lovely, I especially enjoyed the piano music.

Just as film cameras have mostly transitioned over to digital cameras so are most movies now shot with digital film. The danger of digital film was also addressed in that backups are necessary, because once a disk or other device has been damaged the pictures are likely lost for good. Her friend Kai mentioned how many people brought hard drives to be fixed saying they needed them immediately, but instead never returned for them. A drawerful of memories lay untouched. For one reluctant woman who came to pick hers up, he offered to erase those memories.

Which is more important? To see a bird or to take a picture of it? To experience the person you are with, or only the relative engagement of photos? The argument is made for both the value of the human experience and memory as well as the memories that are brought back by glancing at a photo. For the director whose childhood building was destroyed a picture is all that is left of it and his memories. Ironically, at the end of the movie, Oom who always valued the human experience more is found looking at Sai's picture and reminiscing. Conversely, Sai goes back to the place they shared and the memory floods her mind as she gazes fondly to where they had been together. Memory is a fragile, fading construct of the mind, subject to change. While memories are important, photos help to shore up the time and events. Buildings crumble, people die, digital photos can be erased, photos fade and relationships shatter, 36 touched on the concept of impermanence as well. There comes a time when no one remembers the people or places in the pictures.

While I enjoyed this film, it also failed to emotionally capture me with the relationships involved. The ending was meaningful to the arguments of photo or memory, but it left a hole in the picture I had hoped to find. I was hoping for a 37th epilogue image or a new roll of film to begin. This is a very slow, artful movie, more philosophical than touching. Yet for its shortcomings I did find it engaging. If this genre is of interest to you, it would be well worth trying.

5/23/23

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AEAWOW, this BL series was an absolute trip!

Seriously, I can’t recall ever watching anything quite like it- even beyond the Boyslove universe.
It all kicked off with a sports racing star and a groupie fanboy sexy story. The vibe was all about that, you know? But then, out of nowhere, it took a wild spin into… (You need to watch it yourselves, really—NO spoilers). And guess what? I managed to dodge all spoilers, so I could savor every twist and turn to the fullest.

What did I like about it?
-This BL was so incredibly sexy and Engaging!
-I adored Pit’s character, and honestly, all the actors nailed it—perfect job, in my humble opinion.
-Tony’s Charm: That freakin’ (and devilishly handsome) guy named Tony.
-The intriguing originality of the BL and its unexpected plot twists (though some were quite predictable )

Now, let’s dive into some points for improvement:
Omegaverse Explanation: Yeah, it would’ve been nice if they’d thrown us a bone on the whole omegaverse thing.
Where Are the Ladies? I’m scratching my head here. Aren’t there any girls in this omegaverse universe? Seriously, this series won’t even pass the Bechdel test. It’s like all the girls vanished into thin air.
Tears, Tears Everywhere: I get it—emotions run high. But maybe—just maybe—a tad less crying would’ve been easier on us.
❤️ life’s too short for boring series! Keep up the good work!

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One word: AMAZING

Just the opening scene was a work of art and they kept this up until the very last minute. The cinematography is no joke! You can tell how much everybody values the details. This goes for both the crew and the cast.

To be honest, I've never been a fan of live-action. But this series had me captivated from the start. Satoh Takeru was a big reason for this because I think he's a very charismatic actor and became the embodiment of Himura Kenshin. The rest of the cast is truly amazing as well.

But what really had me hooked were the fight scenes. O.M.G... the pacing, the choreography, the angles... They had my mind reeling and I was constantly in awe.

Also the music was constantly ON POINT. It amplified the tension and emotions of the scenes on a way that made you experience them, like a truly good movie is supposed to do.

I really loved this. I love that we already knew so much but still everything felt new to me because of the emotions and the way the movie was set up. I also love this final glimpse into Himura's character and motivation. Seeing him through the eyes of Tomoe was very meaningful.

Tomoe was amazing! To me it's a sign of true talent if someone can portray so much in such a soft-spoken character.

A crown on the unrivaled and incredible saga that is Rurouni Kenshin.

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The Episode 5 We Were Waiting For

Rather than a special episode, this episode plays out more like a continuation of the original series and provides closure for the couple.

If you've been following the rest of the series (which you should be, considering you're reading a review for the special episode), the relationship between the two main characters is ambiguous at best by the end of it. The last episode of the main series ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, which would have been strange had this episode not been planned. This episode provides more context to the beach trip and brings back the other characters from the series.

Although the other characters don't provide a lot of substance for this episode, it was cute to see the interactions between them. That being said, this episode is quite fluffy and only minutely contributes to the actual story line. Despite that, I wouldn't really consider this series complete without this special and view this more as an episode 5 to the main series.

Overall, this is an integral addition to Roommate The Series and personally, I have a better appreciation for the main series now that this has been released and the cliffhanger has been cleared up.

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Start UP is excellently done, contemporary, and the second male lead nearly steals the show.

Start UP is a recent addition to Netflix originals and has some interesting twists with Bae Suzy and Nam Joo-Hyuk. It is excellently done, contemporary, and Kim Seon-Ho, the second male lead nearly steals the show. He is so expressive that it is impossible to not watch him: this time will he be a helper, a jerk, or the disengaged business guru? Some of the fans wish he had has been ML #1. The main actors are all terrific and their characters are very engaging. I've known people just like them in my thirty-five+ years in American business: the good, the great, the thieves, abusers, and slackers with the side note of many relationships or marriages formed and some broken due to the closeness and/or the pressure.

I loved the storyline, having worked in a couple of start-ups, so I found it both exciting to watch their progress and exciting as the made and lost progress as real businesses do. It has a satisfying, yet poignant conclusion. I found it very easy to become involved with the main cast and several of the secondary actors who were solid frames around the series. Shout outs to Kim Hae-sook - always a standout performer - and Seo Yi-Sook, leader of the SandBox. I love these two ladies are always the epitome of the individuals they engender, and whom we can recognize in our lives at home or in business. Wonderful acting all around!!

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A remotely intersting continuation of Oh, My General

This is an ok movie. The storyline is a continuation of “Oh, My General” where “Liu Xi Yin” (the generals female cousin) is transported 1.000 years into the future instead of dying from the poison she drank. Here she meets a male version of the General whom she loved so much. That is actually an interesting plot and I was looking forward to watching this because I absolutely loved “Oh, My General” (still one of my favorite shows).
Sadly this movie doesn’t live up to the show and even if I was entertained, there is nothing about it that stands out or is worth remembering. It’s just an ordinary movie.
Maybe it’s because I really disliked “Liu Xi Yin” in the original show and moreover I couldn’t feel the chemistry between the leads in this movie. Not even a kiss did we get let alone any kind of passion. We did get a lot of swirling and dancing but that isn’t all that interesting.
So, if you loved the original show, this might be worth watching, but don’t expect too much.

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I went into this show with no expectations, didn’t even read the description based on recommendation and honestly this show surprised the hell out of me. I was in love with it from start to finish and could not stop watching. The concept in so unique and bring new life and energy to style of drama that I feel has gotten stale and overdone recently. The direction and the turn the story takes genuinely surprised me and I could not wait to see where it went. Yes, there are aspects of this show to nitpick the overacting in some parts can be annoying for some. However, like any amazing show I was so engrossed with the story and in love with the characters I didn’t care about the nitpick flaws. You feel such empathy with these characters that you just can’t help but want them to succeed and live free lives. This is one of the stand out drama’s of 2019 and a new favorite of mine.

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Growing Pains.

The Young Ones is an unexpectedly addictive crime thriller. After missteps in a case, Lei Xu gets appointed as the Director of the Juvenile Prosecution Department, a new department responsible for prosecuting juvenile cases. It is an effective demotion that sees him back in his hometown, leading an all-female team. It is an awkward transition for Lei Xu, who is more accustomed to dealing with hard core criminals than with sensitive, angsty, hormonal and mendacious teenagers. He also finds himself stepping on all kinds of toes dealing with some of the more prickly members of his team. Fortunately for him he has an interesting history with his high school classmate Du Ziyu, who smooths the way for him.

The plot is not special and the villains are not smart and are known early on. By pulling together threads of a few seemingly unrelated juvenile cases, Lei Xu stumbles onto an old nemesis that enables them to bring down a much larger criminal network. What makes this drama riveting, horrifying and addictive are the teen stories. Their growing pains, their vulnerability and the way they respond to trauma is scary and moving at the same time. I am not a binger but I couldn't stop watching just one more episode well past my bedtime. The teen actors absolutely stole the show, notably Jia Xiaohan's portrayal of the layer upon layer that peels away to reveal what happened to Jiang Xiaojie. The way Jiang Xiaojie, Zhang Yunyun and Zhou Qiao, lie over and over again so convincingly and ingeniously to protect each other moved me more than anything else. These kids only have and trust each other; they really don't have any faith in adults and they are too smart; they ran circles around the prosecutors! Bravo to all the child actors, they were truly phenomenal!

The rest of the cast is solid overall. It is anchored by Zhang Yi, who is in his element in this kind of slightly flawed but dedicated good guy, slightly awkward around women cop. I enjoyed the hint of romance and how the team comes to work together seamlessly. The only thing that surprised me is Qin Lan's lines; they were simply dreadful and she seemed uncomfortable in her role. Overall this is just another one of many decent police procedurals that is elevated by outstanding teen related sub-plots and performances. Its a good watch to pass time during a drama drought. I rate it 7/10.

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I've been searching for just a word...a word not 2 words to sum up this movie, but I have not been able to come across any. Just to let you know, it's beyond words....... It sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I'm not at all, you will have to watch it, before you can understand what I mean.

Sunny merges the 70's with the 21st century PERFECTLY, the blend was flawless. Sunny is all about the reunion of 7 best friends. They were friends in high school, but an accident happened, which led them to disband, but they promised to meet each other in the nearest future.

I couldn't hold back my tears while watching this. It's a wonderful movie. It actually got me thinking of how it would look like for me to meet my friends from playgroup or to meet my current friends 25 years later.

The OST is the DAEBAK.

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This movie overall was pretty much your standard fair for a horse movie and if you're an admirer of horses, horse racing, or a touching story you'll enjoy it. I also thought that this movie portrayed some of the struggles of being a female jockey pretty accurately. The movie also shows how the bond between a girl and her horse can last. The thrills and dangers that go along with horse racing are highlighted as well. -if you know or knew nothing about horse racing this movie is sort of like a basic intro to the "dark side" of racing per say.

The plot had both strong and weak points, but they averaged out into an okay movie. The first 20 or so minutes was excellent and so adorable that I thought 'so far this is a 10'. However it was followed by some nasty turns of events that made me drop it down to an 7-8. Then it got better again with a turn of events that brought it back up to an 8. Yet at the very end I just couldn't quite justify the 8, yet again due to a turn of events, and dropped it back to a 7. -That probably wasn't very helpful, but if I gave you details it would spoil the movie. Just so you know this movie has it's tear jerking moments as well, and while it didn't have me crying it gave me a mild case of the sniffles.

Music was fine and the rewatch value is pretty low because although I would rewatch it, it would not take a high spot in priority. There are movies I would much rather rewatch first.

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I've personally been a fan of Tiny Times since the beginning. As a young adult, the glamour of the scenes is appealing to the eyes and of course, the eye candy can't be left out. In the third movie of this "trilogy" (there will be a fourth movie coming out Spring 2015), the cg effects continue along with new eye candy. However, it must be pointed out that Tiny Times 3.0 does bring us valuable perspectives into the lives of teens entering adulthood. A glamorous movie that makes you laugh and cry, envy the lives of the characters, drama-packed, but not too in-depth about certain things (which annoys me but I looked up those certain things afterwards). I wouldn't recommend this as a good movie that would provide you a lot of substance but it is a movie that allows you to dream and fantasize about.
Although trailers bring a lot of attention to Lin Xiao, there's a lot of focus on Gu Li as well. Gu Li's family members come back after her father's death. Finding out more information about her father's assets, it begins the adventure of unraveling more secrets whether it's about the company M.G., or about each person they call a friend or family. Although a bit messy with the story line, they broadly wrap up situations that can happen in a life that is not impossible, just highly unlikely. Loan sharks chasing after debts, girlfriends stealing boyfriends, boyfriends faking deaths, parents forcing their children to do whatever is told, and ultimately, friends keeping secrets from each other to protect each other. Looking aside from the cg effects and the slow motion scenes (in my opinion, were too much), director Guo Jing MIng incorporates life lessons and shows us that you can't judge situations just from one perspective. Seeing one situation from all the characters make you realize that a lot of problems in life have multiple sides and you have to think from another person's shoes. Once again, a bit messy and alternates between different scenes. It also didn't go as much in-depth as I would have liked about the new characters introduced.
There's really not much to say about the acting but Yang Mi's stomach really shows. If you didn't know, Yang Mi was still carrying her child during filming, and thankfully her baby is now born and really healthy, despite the cold scenes! I'm satisfied that she came back to film Lin Xiao though because as Guo Jing Ming once stated in an interview, Tiny Times isn't the same without the four girls. Vivian Dawson wasn't bad as Gong Ming so kudos to him! Chen Xue Dong as an M.G. model is a nice change. You can see his character conflicting between Zhou Chong Guang and Lu Shao (his new identity) and I personally don't feel good when I see his face scrunched up in pain, especially when he can't confront Lin Xiao and tell her everything. Bea as Nan Xiang has more scenes this time around and definitely shows us infinitely more sides to her innocent, goddess-like aura. Even Xie Yi Lin as Tang Wan Ru brings more to the table than being a happy simpleton.
Also, Chen Xue Dong's "Never or Ever" (lit. translation "No Goodbye") and Sodagreen's "Glimmer" are amazing additions to the Tiny Times OST. Overall, a wonderful movie to pass time and reminisce about certain relationships.

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