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Reviews
Seolganghwa (2021)
Not bad but not good
Let me preface this: I have watched the entire drama, so beware of spoilers, but I will try my best to generalise it. I have been following Blackpink and hence, Jisoo for quite some time, and was aware of her acting debut in Snowdrop.
Going into this drama, I will admit, I had high hopes since Jisoo would star as the female lead, but after hearing about the scandal it had involving the Korean Government, I put it on hiatus for a bit. I went back a few weeks later and kept up with the episodes, watching the finale a few days after it was released, and let me tell you, if you're watching it for Jisoo, then go ahead. But if you're watching it for the TV, then you might be a little disappointed.
Now, do I think the 1 star reviews are a bit exaggerated, sure.
Do I think the 10 star reviews are rating this high because of Jisoo? Absolutely yes.
The drama and use of political problems in the past society were a heavy topic that was kind of the plot pusher, where everything that happened revolved around the election and its outcome. This is where I found my first problem as a viewer. I get that they prefaced it it at the start with all the introductions to the parties, but overall it was VERY political, and it blocked out a lot of opportunity to develop some side character backstory or even romance between Young-ro and Soo-ho. The whole hostage thing also dragged on for a long time, just blabbering on about political garble and less on the actual hostage situation as time went on. I know a show like this is going to have a lot of political drama, but they heavily advertised the male and female lead's romance, and we didn't get to see a whole lot of that. Although it was entertaining, it didn't seem all that believable to me, and I can understand why it got into such hot water regarding the Korean Government. And don't get me started on the switching sides and working together. Half the time I couldn't even figure out which side everyone was on. Heck, I couldn't figure out the two sides themselves were.
Next are the side characters. When I first saw Young-ro's dorm mates, I was excited to see the backstory they were going to get, even if it didn't drive the plot forward. They just felt so vibrant and would've been a good break from all of the main plot line. However, there was hardly any backstory or fluff for any of her dorm mates. Apart from Seol-hui's family thing and Mi-soo's protesting business, everything else about these characters were forgettable. I even had trouble remembering the two instances above. If there was anything else to build their character, I've long forgotten it. Towards the end, they just blended in with the rest of the dorm students, and turned into forgettable characters.
Building on from that, I did enjoy how they were able to tie Seung-hee, Bun-ok and Man-dong etc. To the main plot line and how they all had something to do with North Korea or being a spy. What I didn't like however, was that their character development seemed very shallow, right until the end, where it felt very fast-tracked and rushed. It felt like a desperate attempt to close off every side character's story while trying to add twists that involved the main plotline. I feel like they could've used more of that time and devote it to writing more backstories or fluff for other characters. I will mention though, the open night scene was a good way to build characters while also not keeping it too political (but then again they had to throw a soldier in the mix). I wish we got to see more of those moments throughout the drama.
Now, I feel the need to mention Jisoo. I was really anticipating her doing super well in this drama, especially since she was cast as the main lead, but unfortunately, I think she fell flat of that mark. Her acting at times felt quite stiff and superficial, which I'd understand since it's her first gig, but I don't get why they'd cast her as the main when it's her first K-Drama. But oh well. Additionally, some of her lines sound poorly executed, like they're caught in her throat a bit, especially during those critical scenes towards the end of the series.
Rant time!
I found myself quite confused and frankly frustrated, that Bun-ok was not given very harsh punishments, and ended up with a happy ending. Throughout the series, she just felt like a really unlikeable character, and I wanted to see her to get a taste of her own medicine more. Also, how come all of the other agents get taken down with like one bullet, while Soo-ho tanked an entire magazine of bullets in the back and still had time for a spiel to Young-ro. Like main character luck much?
Before I end this, I'd still have to give this series some praise. I thought Jung Hae-in was terrific, and perfectly captured Soo-ho and brought him to life. The actors who played the political roles (Park Sung-woong, Joon-ho Huh, Lee Hwa-ryong) were also excellent, as well as Hye-yoon (Bun-ok). As they say, if you really loathe a character in a film or tv series, they've done their acting right. And as much as I've criticised Jisoo, I have to give her praise for taking on such a big role, and I definitely think she will improve in the future.
Overall, the drama was pretty meh. Not worth watching as a drama itself.
Mulan (2020)
Sacrilegious
The animated Mulan is a story of wit, intelligence, determination. This new remake shames on what is meant to be a meaningful and inspiring story to many young women.
The crew added a completely unnecessary character that somehow has superpowers. Instead of writing a rich method the Huns stood a chance against the Imperial Army, they added an OP character and called it a day. And can I mantine that Mushu has been turned into an awful CGI phoenix that is meant to portray the message of hope? Very cliche.
What annoys me the most is that in the original, Mulan uses her problem solving to conquer challenging tasks set by the guard camp. In the remake, Mulan just does the manly thing better than the men do.
After I watched the credits and researched this movie's crew, I realised that none of the crew, writers, directors, anything, are Asian, let alone Chinese. The cast isn't the worst in the world, but it could be better. The mechanics and CGI are very sacrilegious, to take a page out of TwoSetViolin's book.
Overall, this movie shames on the original and turns an inspirational story into a rehearsed, cliche, cringe movie. As a Chinese person, I heavily disapprove, and think you need to watch the original animation at least once to cleanse your eyes.
Zhong guo ji zhang (2019)
Great Movie; even for the English Speakers
This movie is amazing! The storyline is brilliant, and the director really made sure that this based on a true story movie would be perfect. The scenes perfectly depict the situation at hand, and you can watch behind the scenes of the movie, including the actual black box footage of the crash. However, I do feel it could be slightly improved. The windscreen smashing CGI could have been a bit better. But overall, great movie.
Doctor Who: The Timeless Children (2020)
An hour of GARBAGE
I hate it how when Moffat was the writer, he wanted to write on what the past writers had wanted to achieve, and he did, for a while. Then he left. Chibnall then comes in, writes around like he owns the place, and changes the WHOLE 50+ years of the plot in ONE HOUR. The episode was ok, but what Chibnall has done is ridiculous.
Doctor Who: Praxeus (2020)
Pretty good
This episode was amazing! I know a lot of people have differing opinions, put personally, this episode was just incredible. I loved the addition of the same-sex couple, and how this episode had plot twist after plot twist. I feel like there was a lot of characters, but overall, best episode this season.
Sherlock (2010)
Best Show Ever
This show is perfect. Benedict and Martin have really good on-screen chemistry, which makes this series all the better to watch. The humour and arrogance surrounding Sherlock is a pure delight to watch. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are amazing writers, bringing this arrogant character to life on screen in 21st century streets.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Disappointing
For a Marvel movie, this BLUNDERED. It's meant to be the Endgame! The ending everyone's been waiting for! Waiting for the writers to use their magic, but no. The writers got lazy. Time-travel? Are you serious? Time-travel? Despite this obvious critique, I enjoyed it, but it just lacked that typical Avengers magic.
Raising Expectations (2016)
Great for kids and adults
I love this tv show! I love the family dynamics, some of which I know too well, and the scenarios are super funny and a bit absurd. Like who has family court? But it adds a nice touch of humour. Speaking of humour, you can always count on This show giving you a good laugh, both adults and kids. Overall, awesome show that I will watch ten times over.
The InBESTigators (2019)
Very good tv series
This tv show is great if you want a kid-friendly "law and order" show. The cases are relevant to a normal kid's life (exaggerated slightly for TV's sake, of course) and have a solution that makes sense, unlike other law and order where the motive is some over exaggerated reason. I do think a few of the cases lack a tiny bit of creativity, and sometimes the humour can be a little dry.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)
Mediocre Movie
This is your average, plain Jane movie, where the good guys are actually bad and the bad guys are actually good. It contains one of those scenes where a clutch situation goes in favour of the main character just before the protagonist gets their way. And Clara and Captain Phillip don't kiss at their goodbye moment! 😤 Overall, mediocre at best.