Tiny Times 3

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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Emotional to Comedic Absurdity

I thought the first movie was underwhelming, but I loved the sequel, and the trilogy is no different. While the conflicts peaked in the second installment, the third film engaged me by turning absurd and unrealistic scenarios into comedic moments. Despite the uptick in humor, there were still tragic and human moments that connected the characters and drew me into the storyline, allowing me to empathize with what was happening.

What I’ve noticed with Guo Jingming’s modern work is that he story tells in a compelling way that keeps me engaged, but it takes me time to get invested in the plot. As his characters evolve, I find myself gradually drawn into the story, and this has been my experience with his Tiny Times movies.

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