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Reviews
Yi ai wei ying (2022)
Nah, it's boring...
Now, I'm a big fan of DW and think he's a very talented young actor (and very pretty to look at) and it's mostly true that you can't go wrong with anything he leads in but unfortunately with this you can go wrong, as much as it pains me to say this about a DW drama, this one is not his finest work. BL is equally great as an actor too, I like how she usually plays a strong character who takes no nonsense. However, even with these two great actors it didn't quite hit the mark due to the rather dull storyline and scripting.
When I eventually got to the end, the final maybe 8 episodes did become slightly more interesting with, I admit, some comedy moments, like the cold shower. But I did have to endure 28 episodes before there was any sort of passion and chemistry in the leads (possibly down to poor direction). This programme could've been wrapped up in about 15 episodes, it dragged on for too long, with too many scenarios drawn out to conclusion with no real character development. There was alot of time spent unnecessarily listening to a bunch of boys in suits talking about electronic chips, mergers, acquisitions....yawn! The ending was less obvious which I did like. There was also excessive filtering applied to the final production, if you watch any behind the scenes footage on YouTube they look so much better.
Zai Bao Xue Shi Fen (2024)
Nothing happens
This drama really went on for far too long, and nothing happens. It's really slow. You wait for something to happen and nothing really ever does. It might have been because of the subject of billiards being not very interesting. The main characters were sweet and I can see what they were trying to do in terms of girl comes along and wins the heart of troubled boy, but they didn't quite have the spark for me. It was way too low energy, too many awkward and cringe moments. The actors didn't quite have the chemistry, the most emotional bit was when their coach died which made me think maybe Wu Lei is a better actor than this drama was allowing him to be. The end was heartwarming and I'm glad they left China as they did look more comfortable together in the place they met.
I gave this some stars because the locations they shot this at were beautiful and I feel inspired to visit Finland.
One Day (2024)
What a let down, don't bother!
The book is one of my favourite books (and read multiple times) and I quite enjoyed the film, so I was quite excited when they turned it into a series as there were some elements of the book the film didn't fully explore, BUT, the series is really awful. Such a let down. The actor playing the female lead unfortunately fails to deliver. She always has a look of disdain and no real emotion. There's no chemistry or spark between the two main leads, when you read the book or watch the film you really want to champion for them to get together, however in the series you just want them to go their separate ways and just do their own thing. I've made it to episode 5 and can't progress anymore, it's boring and the scripting is dull! I am surprised David Nicholls (the author of the book) is the Executive Producer for this.
I recommend to anyone thinking about watching this to read the book and watch the film, and give this a miss!
My Life with the Walter Boys (2023)
Pretty average
This is pretty average, maybe even a bit below par. Gets some points because it has Sarah Rafferty in it, and she was great in Suits.
They all basically look the same age i.e. In their 20s! I can't work out the age gaps between the siblings, it's not really clear to me or maybe it was explained at the beginning but I wasn't paying attention.
The acting is pretty bad, the cast lacks any sort of charisma. The storyline is flat and scripting is poor. I'm only half way through but will see it to the end because it doesn't require much thinking as only 10 episodes. It's good background noise. I'm not expecting any major cliffhangers or anything big to happen.
Zhen ai chen xian zai (2012)
Sickeningly sweet...
Easy watch. Predictable. The two main characters are pretty nauseating, I think you can see them developing a real love for each other on screen, so lots of sparks and chemistry between them (I think they're married in real life now).
For me, the best character was Sun Qi-Ming who had a bit more of a back story and depth. He's funny too. He was also in the best and more interesting couple in the series. The bromance between him and Lan Shi-De was also my favourite. Their drunken shenanigans were pretty funny. I think George Hu acts better in English, the few English lines he speaks seem a bit more natural, maybe that just comes more naturally to him being from the States originally. 🤔
72 episodes was a bit long, for ages not much happens, I found myself having to watch it on fast forward sometimes, especially bits with the grandmother having a child tantrum (I found her a bit annoying!). And I didn't really find Lan Shi-Yun's relationships of interest or very convincing.
Overall, a nice bit of escapism. Some Taiwan dramas can get quite dark, but this sits firmly in the light, romantic comedy genre with some emotional bits. Translation is a bit ropey as with all the asian dramas.
Schitt$ Creek (2015)
Great character development
I came to this quite late, in fact, I watched the first episode a couple of times and gave up watching as couldn't get into it. And then a friend recommended I stick with it, so I went back to it after running out of things to watch. Admittedly, the first few episodes, I found it difficult to warm to the characters but by the end of season 1 I was hooked, I totally fell in love with the characters and felt so sad when it ended. It is wonderfully funny, and heartfelt. I felt like I went on a journey of growth with all the characters. David and Patrick are simply the best! It's so good I'm rewatching it. Daniel Levy did a great job!
Cang Lan jue (2022)
So good! Persevere...it's captivating!
It took me three tries to get into this as I found the female lead a bit annoying. Like other reviewers noted her pouty, baby voice is not great (I watched a live stream with the cast and I think this is a bit of characteristic of the actual actor Esther Yu...very offputting). Anyway, I only went back to it because I ran out of things to watch and had just finished watching Meteor Garden and wanted more Dylan to watch, as I persevered and more characters were introduced and developed it almost became irrelevant that the female lead was so annoying, and actually she does get less high pitched as she matures. I'm not usually a fan of c drama fantasy (grew up watching it and always found the CGI too fake!), but this had me hooked eventually, and the main cast were all amazing. Loved how the characters developed and how they all had their own stories to tell. My favourite was how they all bonded in the mortal world, great chemistry between the cast and some comedy moments. The Jedi-esque powers they had were also very cool! (Such a nerd)
I didn't give a full 10 because I felt the last few episodes dragged on a bit and the actual ending I couldn't work out if it was actually real. But other than that a fantastic watch and definitely worth persevering and ignore Esther's annoying voice. Everyone else was amazing in it! Dylan especially again pulling off another amazing performance. Nice work!
Emily in Paris (2020)
Paris looks beautiful but that's all
I'm not sure why I continued to watch this through to season 3 (although I had to stop at episode 3... it wasn't doing my brain any favours) it's like car crash TV - you know you shouldn't look but you can't help it. I first started watching this because it did make Paris look beautiful. The people are beautiful in this but Emily just became increasingly more annoying as the seasons went on. I think I continued to watch it because Gabriel and Alfie are nice to look at, and I liked Sylvie and her entourage, but then it just became a bit nauseating. There are a lot of stereotypes in this and I hope the new generation isn't looking at Emily as a role model. I agree with other reviewers it is a bit of French-American put down, with a random french hating Brit who refuses to assimilate and learn the language. I've given it 1 star as I liked the cinematography. Paris looks beautiful!
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Brilliantly nostalgic!
I loved the original which is one of my all time favourite films of the 80s so when I heard this was coming our way I was a bit sceptical as reboots often don't work imo! Top Gun: Maverick proved me wrong and I wished I watched this at the cinema. It really was quite epic. If you love a bit of nostalgia then this really does hit the spot. Nearly every scene was like the original but without it feeling like it was trying too hard to recreate the past, it had its own storyline. It was just good old fashioned 80s entertainment brought into modern times. There were cliches and corniness but that is why we all loved the original. It didn't even bother me that some of the original soundtrack was used because it just added to the drama and effect. Loved it. Good job!
Fan Qiang De Ji Yi (2018)
So good!
This was such a find on Netlfix! It had me hooked from the first episode. Like other reviewers have commented it really was a roller coaster with every episode, there was gripping drama with grit and comedy. And of course it wouldn't be a c-drama without the romance too. Amazing acting from the young actors. And well done to Peter Ho for the direction on this show. It was thoroughly enjoyable with a slightly unexpected ending.