they tried too hard
The tight, compact story-telling of the first Enigma with its brilliant use of sound, lighting, well-contextualised props and acting was abandoned in this 'sequel.' Instead it takes on far too much and flops around from this to that to something else. Many of its half-hearted social critiques were superficial cliches and just a way to get around plot holes. Like all the events which really should have stopped the contest being ignored with a quick "the show must go on'. That's not commentary on the industry, that's lazy writing.And the amount of exposition? All of those long monologues may have been necessary to cram that much into five episodes, but it should have been an obvious signpost to the writers that they needed to drop some story lines and focus on one or two. They know how to do this, why didn't they here?
There were also several moments where it felt like they took violence and gore as an easy way out. It gets a reaction though, and that's popular.
Maybe the overload of things to react to is an attraction?
Acting was competent from the best known actors but not stellar; I've seen far better from all of them. JingJing nailed her late dramatic scene, but why her character was as she was? They didn't even try to explain that, let alone explore it (contrast Namsine in the first). Jew and MyDay were nothing more than cliches, chasing fame for I don't know, the sake of fame. They had specialisations in spell-casting rather than characterisation. I think Namtan was miscast, really rate her as an actress and this is the first I've seen her in where she didn't convince me - Anya had mood swings not nuance. That's on the writers and directors. Not sold on Toey's performance either. And they only played to Pompam's strengths briefly and late. (Also expected Anya to have a more substantial and interesting role. They obviously told a different story here than they were hinting at with the final scene of the first Enigma and that's fine, but they really dropped the ball with her character.)
Between the reality show framing and all of the jumping around from one thing to another, I found it difficult to stay immersed in the suspense and horror build-ups. That made it easy to notice the short-comings. Maybe it works better for those immersed in the broken attention and rapid focus changes of today's social media? I don't know. It didn't work for me.
Edit: The comparison to short form social media feels apt: a surfeit of small things formatted to grab attention and evoke big emotional reactions without taking time to explore and understand them. It's exciting on the surface. If that's what you're looking for, fill your boots. There's plenty of that here.
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Cute short movie featuring spicy chicken obsession
Overall: a 15 minute short movie about two friends who start living together. Bought/watched on Vimeo.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked
- the obsession with eating chicken was kind of funny
- the sweet moments including the subverted wipe mouth trope
- I appreciated the good continuity, a character said it was late and the clock was 10:10pm
Room For Improvement
- this really needed another minute or two at the end, it ended so abruptly. If the one guy had just passed out, but then they had a conversation in the morning when non-drunk, that would have been great.
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Surprisingly wholesome and not what I expected
I'm writing this as someone who hasn't read the manhwa and tbh I liked it a lot. I was afraid that they would make BDSM into something that's only funny and weird but I liked how there were characters who treated it normally and not just like it's a weird kink. I liked both leads a lot like how Jiwoo was a strong woman who won't take shit from anyone like her misogynistic boss also she was really sexy in the scenes where they did a play especially the one in the red room (I screamed lmao). Jihoo was really vulnerable and honest with his feelings which I really was touched by especially when he said that Jiwoo was the one and only sun to him (I may have cried a lil). It's refreshing to see how he also owned up to his preferences in front of the disciplinary board/bosses unlike others who usually would keep quiet and let the girl/their partner take all the blame because of their pride. It also showed the proper way of BDSM as well as the wrong way so people will be educated on the difference and the importance of consent. It also showed that not only men could be problematic but women (Jihoo's ex) could also be toxic and manipulative which is not shown a lot in media. The only thing that I have a complaint about is that I feel that the development of their feelings into love could have been shown more if this was a series but alas it's a movie (unless they have a part 2?). Anyways, it's worth the watch! Just don't watch this with your parents because it is really suggestive (though there was no nudity so incase they walk in you're safe on that aspect lol).Was this review helpful to you?
I have to admit, I watched it because Park Jin Young had a role in this and he was so so so good in this drama.
I even cried and whenever I cry, that's a good sign. :)
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The storyline of Roy Ruk Raeng Kaen is of two lovers separated by anger and plans of revenge - a typical lakorn plot. Unlike many other dramas, however, RRRK's storyline is really of one man trying - and failing miserably - to live with uncontrollable anger and how it destroys his life and all around him.
Hero (or lead, at least) Kimhan is driven by thoughts of revenge for the death of his sister and by what he views as his betrayal by the love of his life, Mook. Although Mook (played by the lovely Fonthip Watcharatraku, aka PookLook) is on the receiving end of his physical, verbal and emotional abuse, I think she comes out of this drama in the best shape. She learns from her experiences while the lead never does. This is the storyline in a nutshell, excluding manslaughter, crazy wives, earth-mother/folk singer/girlfriends on the side and suicide. The story is interesting and there are some great bits of dialogue musing on the meaning of life and love - but no resolution for Kim's anger.
An "A-Lead" that never learns from his mistake? How can this be, you ask? Easy - Kim may experience loneliness and sadness by the end of the drama but he NEVER stops trying to get his own way. It's really the driving fault of this show. I believe the writers were trying to give this show an open ending, leaving it up to us to decide if he's changed, but his smirks in the end scene showed me that he did not.
The cast was actually quite good - especially the veteran actor Leesuwan Watcharabul (aka Note) who plays Tada, the man behind all the drama. It is his wife that dies and predicates all the revenge action. He is a character that does learn from his mistakes! The second lead girl's father is also another tragic male character - I wish I knew this actor's name. It is largely his handling of "how to make his daughter happy" that leads to her mental illness and I think her father knew it. It broke my heart.
Lead actor Pataradet Sa-nguankwamdee Michael (also known as Michael Wu) has been criticized for being stiff but I think he's just a young actor. He certainly can do the "woo woo" scenes of extreme love, hate, sadness - but he doesn't show much for everyday thought or meaning. The script seemed to camouflage this by having him drink a lot but it didn't give him much of an acting range.
The music of this show was particularly nice. Each character had some sort of theme that clued you into their thoughts and there were no annoying "funny" soundtrack noises to get in the way of the story.
I think this show has some nice rewatch value - mostly so you can see the secondary characters (the brother, his girlfriend, the general, his daughter) do the heavy emotional lifting of this show. Several times, I've reflected on some of their lines and how they expressed feelings. Don't let "bad" hero Kim put you off this show - the real story is from the characters that swirl around in the wake of his bad decisions.
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goodish for what it was
Overall: this had only 14 minutes of total run time with a fairly confusing plot. However, I gave it a rating boost as they were open to feedback and it looked like a very indie production (plus they might have to deal with censorship rules). PPeach YouTube playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8QwMuXkPNuYrJwq3_Gh6rw4HxMkGaIZy&si=OQx5ByyeKA5DG8D9 (episodes 4-9 need channel Membership for $2.99USD (yellow peach or higher))Content Warnings: kidnapping/held against will, violence, manipulation
What I Liked
- clear premise at the beginning
- tension
- production value for what I assume was a very indie production
- listened to feedback such as adding subtitles in more languages, re-dubbed some episodes
Room For Improvement
- the episodes are extremely short, would have preferred a 15 minute short movie
- continuity error at the beginning of episode 2 with wearing a different outfit
- perhaps a translation error but he isn't a bodyguard he's a housekeeper
- confused about what the reveal in episode 4 meant, were they related? why were the guys trying to hurt him or where there 2 different set of guys wearing black?
- amnesia trope
- their relationship progression seemed very sudden, particularly with that ending, needed more build up to that and showing why they liked each other
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"We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An intellect which at a certain moment would know all forces that set nature in motion, and all positions of all items of which nature is composed, if this intellect were also vast enough to submit these data to analysis, it would embrace in a single formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the tiniest atom; for such an intellect nothing would be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes."
This is essentially the whole movie. Now that we have that out of the way, if you are looking for magical ladies and wands and pointed hats, that is definitely NOT this movie, and i think the misnomer brings the audience in with different expectation than what is delivered.
It is a lot of talking, sitting and talking, making paper airplanes and talking, the action is only about 10 minutes of this whole film. Very little emotion is invoked from the watcher, well this watcher at least. No bonds are formed during on screen time of this movie, but implied in a few minute flashbacks. No friendships, No enemies. and Certainly no romance.
It is not a bad movie, the acting was stable and YAY Lily Frankie, but the script was not memorable. Nothing comes out of this movie other than to google Pierre-Simon Laplace: ).
To sum it up If you love Sakurai Sho or Fukushi Sota or any of the other actors its an okay movie and you are probably going to watch it anyhow. If you are not a fan and are looking for a movie that is more than just a time killer, this is not for you
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A bit above average movie, with really disappointing ending. Watch it if you are Xiao Zhan Fan.
Story: ★★★I don’t know the movie or the novel so I don’t have any prejudices. A clumsy but kind-hearted boy who turned into a demon but still got the likings of all the pretty girls around him. We have seen these types of stories and they are nothing new. However, I believe the book or novel has a pretty complicated story and interesting character development. However, all these were rather difficult or impossible to pack into a 90min movie. There was just not enough time to develop any attachment to the characters and comprehend why they did the things they did or felt the emotions they try to display. Esp. the two main leads - you don’t really comprehend why they suddenly started loving each other. The final scenes supposed to evoke a lot of sadness with the audience but failed to do so. The sudden emotional changes in the main characters are just a key gap of the movie adaption (and all happened towards the end) which left a bad taste and many question marks for me.
Cast and acting: ★★★★
The movie has a great cast. The acting is pretty flawless most of the time. Xiao Zhan once again topped himself by successfully portraying the clumsy, unskilled but kind-hearted Xiao Fan. This goes for all the female leads. But I guess because it's difficult to understand characters’ motivation I also cannot appreciate their acting this much. The other problem I had was that all of them are so major that you do not know who is lead vs. supporting. I mean why is Tina Tian a supporting role vs. Li Qin? She has as many screen time or even more than Li Qin. But overall I have no complains about the acting. The fighting choreography is really beautiful and one of the best I have seen in Chinese movies.
Camera and post-production: ★★★★
The cinematography and the CGI are really nicely done. I have seen many low-quality CGIs in Chinese dramas that this one really comes refreshing. I think that it is the major watching point of this movie. However in order to show these beautiful choreographies (e.g from the female leads) one left out a quiet bit of zoom-ins to characters' faces which are a bit of shame given they are so good and beautiful actors.
A major turn off is the dubbing of the voices. The voices do not look like they are coming out of their mouth and is esp. bad for Xiao Fan. The voice does not match his mouth movement so many times. And what about this sudden lower voice at the end of the movie? Did they switch the voice actor? For me, voices are one major part of a good movie and the acting itself and that was a huge disappointment.
Summary: ★★★
Overall, I think you should watch the movie to see Xiao Zhan’s great acting (and to see some of the other female leads) cinematography, beautiful costumes and CGI. But if you want to enjoy a good movie that does not have a proper ending (that has a pretty weird cliffhanger) that’s probably not one you should go for.
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A confident woman in a Japanese drama ...finally!
I was thoroughly surprised by how fast I would go through this drama it was addicting. I admired how this showed a strong woman lead who knew how to not be talked down to at work, in most Japanese dramas I have seen the main lead just tough it out getting yelled or whatever circumstances but not this lead. So kudos to that! and the layers of both characters were shown the vulnerability of how even if one seems strong they still have that innocent side. I never felt like I wanted to skip ahead or that there were too many conflicts it was all in perfect measurement to me. The right amount of all those elements makes a great romance. The chemistry was Phenomenal! If you want something short, sweet and refreshing I recommend this one especially if you have just finished a hefty drama that was an upset let this one pick you up!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Eerie, scary, confusing but also a piece of art
Honestly, I am both satisfied and unsatisfied at once. Now, please excuse my oxymoronic statement and let me tell you that I absolutely love this series.It has components of BL, romance and also horror. But please don't come here for a lovey-dovey happily ever after BL series because you will be massively disappointed.
But all these aspects make it a one of a kind show that will leave it's mark in the Thai drama industry.
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD.
From my past experience, I love the films/drama which have confusing and ambiguous endings. I am fond of open endings where one has to use their heads to think what may have happened after that. If you did not know , now you know that I love to live in my head making up stories.
Speaking of stories, Shadow is an exceptional one.
The plot, the premise and the storytelling. The directors, the cinematographer, the screenwriters and the editor, need a standing ovation. The storytelling comprise of "show, don't tell" method and the script, cinematography, lighting , costume and music and is exceptionally well done.
Let's see the plot. Honestly, it is a lot.
Dan has a tragic past and tormented childhood. He lost his mother who committed suicide and for his abusive father, he has immense hatred in his heart.
One priest, brother Anurak, comes to his rescue as Dan starts to suffer from insomnia and sees a peculiar shadow figure constantly. Dan's father develop brain tumor and later cancer. Dan is taken under the wings of Brother Anurak in his school to take care of him and also treat him. But Dan's mental health starts to regress further as the shadow seem to have gotten stronger.
What is interesting about the plot is horror is used in many ways - it's trilling, it's supernatural, it is also psychological. And the audience also can't decipher between reality and dreaming.
The characters are very well portrayed along with their backstories. Dan, Trin, Anan and Brother Anurak have very very well developed backstories and character arcs.
Singto as Dan is brilliant. Fluke as Nai too. Poon stole the show as Josh. Fiat is one of the most well rounded actors of Thai BL industry and in a darker role he won my heart. Special mention to Yaimai as Chaim - her expressions and emotions are on display and she did her part very deftly.
Fun fact: Dan probably is bisexual in this drama. He did not recoil when Nai kissed him and he confessed that he liked Chaim but he chose neither.
There are many themes are going on together in this drama with the plot and the symbolism is one of them. The drama is also part dark academia with its symbol of Hamlet and Lord of the Flies. I mean dead father's ghost and children stranded in an uninhabited island aka the school premises guarded by a cursed lake? I see you Shadow the series team. I see you.
The complimentary colours throughout the series, the shots with symmetrical patterns, have given it a special edge. Each shot is an artistic expression. I love the angles to show various moods and emotions.
I would specifically mention how blue tint has been used - blue is associated with sadness. We see Dan's (the MC) mother almost bathed in soft blue after she thought she shot her son with the gun and had to put into mental health institution.
The blue also symbolise mystery. Dan's dorm room at school has the an eerie blue colour. There is also greys- in the smoke and in the shadow. We also see blacks.
The blue's complimentary colour orange/amber shows peace, happiness but in this case almost always we see a muted amber colour. To me it symbolises peace and normalcy but with a tinge of sadness flowing underneath.
The shot where Trin is sitting beside Master Joe in the drama class - Trin wears deep red while Master Joe wears dark blue. The stage is also draped in the two colours. The two are fond of each other but the two can't mix with each other. They are teacher and student. There is a huge difference in their probable relationship if that was to happen that we can't unsee.
Let me applause for the music. The theme music, the ending song by lazyloxy who also acted as Anan and all the background music are splendidly used.
What is that shadow anyway? As the last screen showed that Dan's father did the same ritual and passed and after that Dan was born. So in a way Dan belongs to the shadow spirit. He is probably the food that will keep the spirit go strong.
It became even stronger as he came to the school. As the power was lurking around the school premises due to Trin's mistake in ritual, the shadow spirit quickly takes an interest to Dan and does not let go. It is also a repressed form of sexual fantasy as we see the shadow molesting him when he was high on weeds and also in his dreams.
Nai can see spirits. He also has some natural protection against them, either gifted by the venerable monk or his own capabilities because the shadow usually never harms him nor Josh. But it did hurt Chaim because she did not live in close quarters with them so lacked the natural protection. But also the shadow was probably angry and hurt her as retaliation and she was a soft target.
Trin. Damn this guy. He was a rebel, a guy standing for justice and equality. But he was not above to do his own bids when threatened, even if the process is evil. He was not really a good guy and his spirit was malevolent in desperation to flee from the clutches of the shadow spirit.
The ending was confusing but as we see Trin's face grinning at Dan's, it is actually Trin in Dan's body. Nai failed to bring him back. But it may also be that Dan did not want to come back at all and let Trin come back instead as he wanted to live the life. The shadow spirit just wanted Dan and thus let Trin go.
This show was never meant to have a happy ending. Dan was supposed to be the sacrifice like Hamlet. Brother Anurak was supposed to be the tragic hero. Shadow the series is essentially a tragedy of an individual falling and failing at the end. This is not a story of win but to lose and that is okay because not all of us win. But Dan fought until the end. And he chose to stop fighting. The show succeeded.
Now, unless we have a season 2 or some special episodes, we can't say what exactly happened. Although the chances of getting season 2s are usually slim.
All in all, 2023 will end now with a bang.
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first vertical series I liked
this was the first vertical series I liked. not once did I get the “low production” vibes I get with most vertical series, instead I got really good quality, great acting and a really good storyline for it being so short.the chemistry was off the charts and the kisses were great. you never know how it’s gonna be, especially when it’s the vertical app ones but I was so surprised here and I highly recommend it. yeah some parts weren’t as fleshed out but when it came to the Mcs I feel like it did a really good job. I’d love to see more of them in the future
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The best thing about this drama is the cast, and I don't mean just the leads. The only thing that kept me watching towards the end were the ensemble of doctors, who I had grown to like a lot (especially super cute Kim Min Suk). There were also some good guest appearances, and some intense medical storylines, but as a non hospital drama fan, the stories started to wear thin after a while.
But back to the main couple... I am still not sure how I felt about them.
In the beginning Park Shin Hye's character is really interesting, a rebel with a high IQ seemed like a character I could root for. She is matched with Kim Rae Won who plays a beloved teacher and mentor, and that's when things get weird... chester the molester weird. The romance was hard for me to root for, because a teacher giving inappropriate attention to a student isn't very romantic to me, even if he is a nice guy. It didn't stop me from being curious however, so I kept watching to see how it would evolve. Although I loved the way they worked together in surgery (those scenes were intense), their love story was just frustrating, and often boring. I know the Hye Jung character was written to be difficult, with walled up emotions, but even the sociopath doctor in "Beautiful Mind" seemed to be better at romance than her. In spite of Ji Hong's cute devotion and patience with her, I never could did get excited about their romantic storyline. There are a few "cute" moments, but they often felt forced. For me, the chemistry just wasn't there.
Then there's Seo Woo, who I oddly thought was the most sympathetic in a weird way. I didn't like her, but I felt so bad for her throughout the show. Although her character was pretty much reduced to being jealous for 20 episodes, I still empathized with her. The friendship storyline was my favorite part of the drama, and she had the only scene that made me tear up.
Uhm Hyo Seop, who played her dad, was my least favorite. His character is a greedy villain, but also dumb and childish. I like to root for good villains, but I couldn't take him seriously. I don't know if that's bad acting, bad writing, or both. He had waaaaay too much screen time and importance.
Other characters like Yoon Do and BFF Soon Hee didn't have enough of a storyline. I wish more time was spent on developing that than on the boring revenge and hospital corruption plot that dominates the second half of the show. They did give the story a pretty good ending, but I already stopped caring by the final episode.
So would I watch this again? No. What about the soundtrack? I barely remember it.
Overall this started out as a potentially good drama that just couldn't keep up the momentum for 20 episodes. Of all the doctors shows that are out there now, I would say it's safe to skip this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
The story is a little confusing at first, and it took me some time to (kinda) realize what's going on between the characters though this could have been due to my own weakness at comprehending what is going on.What I figure is going on is that Ray breaks up with Don because he (Ray) is going overseas to study and he's trying to change Don for the better by pushing him to be more driven and independent so that his full potential will be unleashed. The couple work in the same advertising company, and Ray enlists the help of Lin (a colleague) to pretend to be his girlfriend and trigger Don's jealousy or something. (I'm not sure if I get the logic entirely because I don't know what breaking up with Don and pretending to have a girlfriend has got to do with changing Don for the better or Ray's plans to go overseas.)
If we see more background about Ray and Don's relationship from the start and if we know about Ray's motivations earlier, the story will be be more moving. Unfortunately, the focus at the start is on lighthearted and funny moments (or what I thought were meant to be funny moments) that don't end up being all that entertaining. I also wish that the characters were better developed--Don is supposed to be a somewhat childish but certainly talented person but we don't see this quite clearly. Neither do we see how the break-up with Ray has affected him. Similarly, there could have been more depth to Lin: she's in love with Ray, but when did she fall in love with him and why did she agree to pretend to be his girlfriend?
We can't ask for too much in 40 minutes, but it isn't impossible to have more. Nevertheless, it's still a fairly watchable short movie that probably won't get on anyone's nerves.
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