Reviews

This is the current king in the Chinese box office, and is one of four major films that were released on Chinese New Year's. It's a sequel to the surprise box office hit Detective Chinatown back in 2015, and I have to say I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. It was still enjoyable though, and is a perfect holiday movie to watch with friends and family, especially since it has some very distinct Chinese elements. (Yes, I've been on a total Liu Hao Ran kick since NiF2 and have chased down almost all of his projects accordingly).

Set in New York, the story continues to follow the unusual pairing of young genius Qin Feng (played by Liu Hao Ran) and his crazy distant uncle Tang Ren (played by Wang Bao Qiang)  as they try to crack a serial murder case. As you can imagine, it's hijinks and antics galore as they cause mayhem all around NYC. I'm a little disappointed with Tang Ren's characterization in the film - sometimes his shrillness and unneccessary comments get a little too grating. Hopefuly this is something that director/screenwriter Chen Si Chen will consider when he writes the screenplay for the third film - given that actor Wang Bao Qiang is his close friend, I doubt that he wants to short change him.

The director clearly wanted to create more of a "detective world" in the film, and we are introduced to several international detectives that we will surely see again soon. It's also becoming clearer that Qin Feng is the real star of the story as the young prodigy detective, but they also need Tang Ren's contribution to the comedy side, and I feel like that's going to be harder and harder to balance for future installations.

Still, this was a fun movie and if you enjoyed the ridiculousness of the first I think you'll like this one as well.

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This was an...interesting movie, to say the least. The set design and costumes are probably the biggest selling points - the film is visually gorgeous (director Chen Kaige clearly put a lot of thought in his vision of what the Tang Dynasty and the imperial palace looked like). The narrative is where the film struggled. It's important to remember that this is a Chinese/Japanese collaboration that is based on a Japanese novel that is based on speculation of real historical events in China (that's a mouthful). Thus, there's historical inaccuracies and artistic liberties taken all over the place, but if you treat it as purely fictional, it might be a lot easier to digest.

Huang Xuan and and Japanese actor Shota Sometani star as the leads - but really they are merely tools for the narration of this story, which honestly kind of took me out of the core story at times. I get that the original novel used this element as well, but I do think it felt a little extra at times - that we were sacrificing the meat of the story to give the two stars more screentime. Huang Xuan plays Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi, and it was kind of a weird performance from him. I think part of that is the director's fault, but the character was just a bit all over the place. Shota Sometani's Kukai was much better, and he gave a pretty good performance as the somewhat mysterious monk (yes, all the Japanese actors have their voices dubbed - though they do have some lines where they speak Japanese). The two pair up to find out why a demon cat has been haunting the capital.

The real story revolves around the famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) Yang Guifei, the imperial consort of the Emperor Xuanzong - and the circumstances surrounding her death. This is the part of the story where it becomes purely fictional and speculative - but it was definitely the most interesting part of the film. I don't know where I read this, but apparently in the novel, the author had described her being of mixed blood, so the casting of Sandrine Pinna makes a little bit more sense (as you can imagine, mainland audiences were not impressed by a Taiwanese/French Yang Guifei).

Sandrine is gorgeous in her role (seriously, she looks absolutely stunning in ancient costume) and had a dignity and loneliness to her that suited the character well - the only thing that kind of throws you off is that Yang Guifei has been known historically as having a very voluptuous figure (Sandrine is on the slender side). Yang Guifei is so famous for this in China that it has become part of her characterization - and it was more noticeable because actress Kitty Zhang, who plays another character in the film, does have that kind of figure. I imagine they wanted Sandrine more for her face and overall presence so it's not a huge deal - just an interesting note.

I would have liked to seen more of Zhang Luyi's Emperor Xuanzong and gotten a glimpse of what exactly he was thinking throughout the film, but I guess it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. The love that they had for each other could have also done better - I think I got a pretty good hint of what their relationship looked like, but I do think it could have been explored more since it was such a crucial part of the story. Hiroshi Abe's character was also an interesting foil to the Emperor.

Liu Haoran and Ou Hao are the two youngsters in the cast and let's just say I was quite surprised by their importance to the story, especially Liu Haoran's Bai Long. I've seen the BTS clips of the way they're styled for the film and wasn't sure how I felt about it, but it's pretty stunning once you see them in motion. Liu Haoran famously lost 20 pounds for the role after Chen Kaige looked at him and said he was a little too chubby (which I think is ridiculous because the boy is already built like a stick), but it worked well for the role visually. The two's characters also added a dimension to the story that I wasn't expecting, but welcomed as it actually made the story come alive for me.

I think I've used the word "visually" probably at least six times already - and that kind of goes to show where most of the thought went into for this film. The core storyline was interesting, but screentime was limited - Huang Xuan and Shota Sometani probably had triple the amount of appearances than anyone else. Considering that they aren't directly involved, it just slows the pace down significantly and makes the transitions seem a bit choppy (it also disturbs your emotional attachment to the characters). But if you cast stars, you've got to give them screentime, right?

This was an ambitious attempt by the director, and the film covered a wild variety of themes and motifs, but probably bit off more than they could chew. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was a - a treat for the eyes and an explorative look at a well known story and characters.

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As someone who truly enjoyed HIStory season 1-Specially Obsessed, I was on the edge of my seat biting my finger nails when the second season was announced; partly because I was afraid that it would not hold up to the hype of the original story. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the first of the two series- Right or Wrong was truly enjoyable from beginning  to end, mostly because the cast had great chemistry, the drama was enough to keep you engage and the ending was absolutely realistic.

Lets talk about the couple! Can we get an -AMEN! Finally a top/lead who is straight (no pun intended) forward about his feelings, his actions and doesn't give two Fs about society or what others think? Like seriously, this was a total turn on! Finally, someone who understands the pressure society can have on your choice of partner, but who was willing to say "screw you society and your societal norms, I love this man and I want him!" Often I watch BLs where the so called straight person who suddenly turns gay is not willing to admit their feelings much less fight for their relationship and wants to keep it a secret.  However, in this series we have the opposite and it was refreshing to say the least.

Love the second lead (I'm horrible with names, I'll come back to edit this later when I finally learn them all) specially when he declared to the ex-wife that Shi Jie(??) was his and that Yo Yo though technically hers, was still his too. I liked that he had doubts about his relationship because we got to see a more complex character. Usually characters like him in BLs are depicted as one-dimensional and I'm glad we got to see more about his motives for what he does or say!

Also, supporting characters-the friends. They were what you hope real friends are. Supportive, understanding, knock you on the head when you need it, give you advice you may not want to hear but really need to know...Etc. Best friend was amazingly supportive and no longer the side-girl who somehow in most BL dramas end up being the "other love interest" or the one plotting to sabotage the relationship. She was refreshing and sweet and cheered on her friend from a place of true support for him.

The ex-wife--The trope of all tropes when it comes to Straight men falling for gay men, and their straight female exes being the crutch to their happiness. Loved that her role was brief and that her own brother called her out on how manipulative she was being and unfair to her child and herself. As fast as she came, she was gone and that made me give this drama higher points, because I'm truly sick of dramas where they drag this scene out.

Music--Top notch, but I didn't find myself liking the choices as much as I did for the first season. Easy Chen truly ruined it for me because now I expect him to sing for every BL Taiwanese drama (LOL)

Setting/Directing/etc...everything was actually good

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Method is one of the best BL movies I have seen. The story is about veteran actor who has to work with an young and bored idol. The characters they have to play are complicated, obsessed and lustful, in the end character emotions becomes their own and the things get complicated.

Soundtrack for the movie is really good and it sets a specific mood prefect for the plot.

Park Seong Ung was perfect for the role, I really enjoyed how he presented the inner battle and the forbidden lust for a married man.
O Seung Hun performance was above my expectations. I can't wait to see him glow more.
I would say  Yun Seung A had more of supporting role.

Directing was awesome!
Almost everything in this move was 5 stars.
The only think I didn't enjoy was the screaming and the Shakespeare like moments during the play.

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I found my way to this show by flipping through Netflix desperate for something to watch.  

I committed myself to watch all of the episodes (Netflix has this for 34).  It seemed a bit long to me but I wanted to hang in there.   I wanted to play detective and find out who his father and what happened to Chen Che's mom just as bad as he did.

I am sorry to say that I failed in my quest.  At about episode 20, I gave up.  I couldn't pull myself to continue to watch this show.  So I cheated and watched the last episode.  It really didn't reveal much.  The mom looks happier and she got her happy ending with her first love.  Chen Che at first I though his love died but only to see at the end she miraculously appears in 2016.  Part of me wanted to know what the hell?  I thought because it was time travel there would be no way they would end up together.  

Their relationship seemed a bit weird to me because that was his mom's best friend and practically god mother type relationship.  Never mind the twenty year difference in age.  I wasn't really buying this relationship and although at times I do like happy endings this was one of those times that I wanted to see them fail.  Horrible of me right?  I guess I wasn't in a happily ever after mood at that point.

Anyway....being that I went straight to the end without watching in between...I still do not know who his father is (although I have a guess).  By reading some of the earlier reviews I think I have an idea of how she got pregnant but not 100%.  Although I want to know....I have no motivation to go back and watch the episodes I skipped.

Acting wise....they were ok.  Nothing to write home about.  I wasn't really invested in any of the characters.  Chen Che was ok but way too stiff for my likening.  The Guitar 5 (or whatever they called themselves) was not a group that I think I would like to hang out with.

Music:  I liked the intro song...it was nice and sounded like an oldie but goodie.
 
Not worth watching the first time let alone a 2nd.  Just my opinion.

So I guess the fat lady has sung for this drama for me.

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like this story Line but ending episode is too childish..
I already starys missing min suk.. he is soooo romantic & funny.. I can give 10/10 for acting for all other actors Except lead actress. She Cant do anything and she looks like mentally ill person.. Actually I wanted to dropped this drama 10 or 20 times because  of her. I really feel tired while watching her acting .. but story line & other actors r 100% good soo thtz d reason I keep watching it... I enjoyed drama & I must say i love SIG's acting.. He really do control me i smile & cry with him.. i recommended this because of him..  if you love him you can watch this drama while ignoring tht ahjumma.

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The story was good at first, very good actually. Then they decided to make it like how a usual Pinoy series would be like. They added a third party which really is not necessary. Actually 2 third parties. Talk about over kill.

I am a fan of the tandem, they're collectively called ALDUB, and they were supposed to be the leads of this series. But when the female third party was added it felt like she was the lead of the series. Imagine an episode where you do not see the leads interacting at all? Yeah, such happened a lot with this series.


So, am I disappointed as to how something really good turned out to be so bad? Hell yeah, super disappointed, hence the rating.

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well this is still better than the western ver because they seemed to have fun a lot on some point (like in the 5th eps). but still  i hope they would make the judgement sound nicer, since some of the judges's judgements sounded lit bit harsh. i know that's needed so the kids could improve their skill better than before yet they're just a kid, and they would take the comment deeply. good if they can take it in positive way, but if not it will lead to negative way. and it will be the worst thing could ever happen in this show.
but i really like to watch it in my free time. made me realize that i'm very lacking in many ways. they really are talented kids, and i can't be like them. so inspiring. #BTW_RIP_My_English

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As expected, I only watched it for Chanyeol. Plot was bad and predictable. Also, it was so obvious that Chanyeol was not speaking Chinese in real-time, they could have done better with that.

I did not like the female lead at all just because of the character's personality, but her acting was actually quite good. Chanyeol did better than he did in Exo next door so it's good to see some improvement. It's always nice to see him doing something on his own, I'm tempted to watch Missing 9 to see if he's improved.

I liked how vivid the colours in the movie were.

The OST is not too bad too, I guess.

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I wouldn't be surprised if the writers stole the idea off of the first fan fiction listed on wattpad. Only watch exo next door if you've seen every possible exo content online and need to feed your hunger, because everything else out there is better than this. I would never re-watch this piece of shit, I just gave 1.0 for rewatch value because that's the lowest that we're allowed to give.

I know this show is meant to cater to exo-l's but I am disappointed in the production for thinking that exo-l's would enjoy this joke of a show, It is an insult to us. Sure, if you're looking for something short, light-hearted and silly to occupy your time with, then this might be for you but you would get annoyed too many times because of the stupidity of the plot. Chanyeol's acting was below average, the other members didn't do much better either, but I would commend D.O. Also, the whole situation between Suho and Chanyeol was just so unrealistic. Most times, you will find it impossible to sympathise with any of the characters. The female lead was purely annoying, irrational and her mannerisms were not cute at all, I feel bad that the actress (Moon Ga-young) had to go through that.

Now one thing I did like about it was the OST- beautiful, Baekhyun did a great job, it's still one of my favourite songs out there.

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Overall “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” is a good movie and it’s easy to imagine why so many love it. Unfortunately the great concept they had going was lost in a so-so story and a main character that you, as a viewer, don’t really get to know.

But even though it has some major flaws, I kind of like it, I would be lying if I told you otherwise. So here’s some reasons why it isn’t an amazing movie, but why it’s still worth the watch.

The first half of the movie feels a bit flat in my opinion. The main character is put through these trials that are somewhat repetitive and don’t really engage you since he feels like a stranger, empty and lacking a clear personality. A problem that persists throughout the whole movie. It’s hard to care about the outcome of the judgments when you can’t really connect with the characters.

Another thing that is off putting with the trials, is the fact that they never get exciting or serious. You never feel nervous for the outcome because of how predictable and silly they are. I still, as I wrote previously, love the concept though.

In the second half of the movie you get to know all the characters a little better, better but not well enough to make them feel like 3-dimensional, full characters. Even though it’s still very predictable, you want to see how the story unfolds and if you are a crier like me, you might even cry a little. I must say though, that the comedy and the tragedy in this movie isn’t that great. They play on your emotions in the most typical ways and often fail.

What I really like about the movie is the CGI. Almost every setting and fight was nicely done, something that is rare for these kinds of movies. The great surroundings truly make the movie come alive.

So all in all, I think that they could’ve made the movie a lot better and way more interesting if they wanted to, but at the same time it is an enjoyable movie and totally worth the watch. At least if you are into things like the afterlife, reincarnation, angels and Gods. I know I am, but are you?

Just because a movie isn’t amazing or flawless, doesn’t mean it’s not worth the ride, so don’t let all the not-so-great stuff prevent you from watching this nice movie.

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The last drama that moved me so much was bridal mask. This drama started out slow but goddamn after 4eps it was like a rollercoaster ride. It was the most thrilling drama ever for me. As it was a thriller and suspense drama so logically rewatch value is low but it can be rewatched. Sadly i'm not a fan of rewatching thrillers.I think this drama should be way up on the list at least in top 10. It had dark comedy, crime, light politics,suspence. Romance was not that much but deep enough. It is a must-watch drama and high recommended to any dramalover. The main male lead was badass.Overall this drama is a masterpiece.

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This show is based around the establishment of a joint police/prosecutor task force. The main prosecutor is a vampire who uses his skills to solve crimes, which he then never prosecutes. So, there's that.

Derivative with a cinematography that borders on pretentious, this id one of the few Korean procedurals I've seen. This has some positives as each episode brings a new case but it also has some negatives, especially around the lack of establishing mythology and a weak overarching plotline. At its best, it's campy noir fun. At its worst, it's confusing and a bit silly.

One of the biggest draws is the smart, capable, badass female lead, a fellow prosecutor. She may have very bad hair but she's a total boss and that alone deserves an extra rating point. Romance is not a big part of the show but the two prosecutors have a nice dynamic of attraction and mutual respect that hints at more.

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From the onset (episode 1), the drama was really interesting, it was really funny and I was always motivated to keep watching but I'm not gonna lie, I found Bong-soon kind of annoying in the beginning. I didn't understand how a twenty-something year old spoke like she was 5, don't even get me started on how she always said "guk-doo ya", oh my. But as the show progressed, I began to like her more and more and eventually loved her.

Even though I have given a very high rating, there were still some faults;
- Why did Guk-doo always seem to be in a bad mood? And come on, how can he say that he didn't realise Bong-soon was head over heels for him, now that's just ridiculous. Also, why were we never shown an interaction of he and his mother? Why did a mother and son who were recurring exist as completely separate entities? I always looked forward to their interaction (for some reason) but it never came. I know that Guk-doo was not written to be a character that we would obsess over anyway, so I would forgive his 24/7 straight/angry/confused face.
- Bong soon's superpower was over-exploited, she did some things that they weren't even able to explain e.g. we were never shown how she saved those women even though the place had been set on fire. Just a tad bit toooo unrealistic at times.
- I wasn't a hundred percent convinced with Ahn Woo-yeon's (Bong-ki) acting. A lot of the times he just had a confused expression, as did his to-be girlfriend Hee-ji, I guess they fit perfectly, two confused characters. I also have questions regarding how she so easily fell for him after one interaction but I don't want to be too fussy.
- Why was Bong-soon's mother's treatment toward the father tolerated? It was funny in the first few episodes but it got worse and worse and just became... abusive. I did not enjoy watching those scenes at all. Also her (Bong-soon's mum) and her posse were overdone, they became boring and were just a filler (I skipped a lot of their scenes)
- The comedy around the gang members (the ones she beat up in episode 1) was also overdid to the point that it became annoying and had me skipping scenes.
- The comedy around the police was also a bit overplayed, however, I liked how Guk-doo's personality contrasted his work colleagues, it helped him shine more as a main because a lot of the time, I forgot that he was a main; to me, he merely existed in Bong-soon and Min-hyuk's shadow.

Notwithstanding all the points aforementioned, I would still rate this drama a 9.5/10, I wish I could give it a 9.75/10 as that would be more true to my feelings but MyDramList does not provide/allow that option so what can we do. Again, the things I didn't like about it were merely small issues, they do not heavily influence my decision.

One thing that was portrayed EXCELLENTLY though was Bong-soon and Min-hyuk's relationship and both their individual character developments. Although I have one little complaint; how is it possible that he fell so deeply and easily for her? But you know, never try to see the logic in dramas or else you will have a million questions. Anyway, I found myself always anticipating their scenes together, they MADE the show and they also fit so well together.

Lastly, a lot of people did not like the mix of genres but I think that brought the show to life and was executed quite impressively.

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