CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS AND A DOG
Overall, a very smooth journey with only minor bumps. Good story, great acting -- RECOMMEND as a brief diversion between longer more intense series. Bullets --1. I don't know if its Chinese censors or Chinese sensibility, but I find so many of these C-Dramas set at a tone that's as intriguing as it's non-stressful. In American TV, we're assaulted with sex and violence to keep us awake, which if seen at night can make it harder to get to sleep. In China, even in a murder mystery, the settings are simply gentler, the people more normal than 'Norman Bates'. Can't deny I feel relaxed afterwards and ready for good sleep.
2. I know it's a translated title, but I just don't like it. Too technical for this piece. Something softer like DREAMS OF A GIFTED NOVELIST or THE WINDMILL MURDER. (We learn where this title comes from in the final episode, but the payoff isn't worth.)
3. It's hard to believe the female lead here is the same female lead from TO THE WONDER. (And I suspect I'll have the same reaction after BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI, which is next.) Here, Ma Yi Li's understated performance could be mistaken as phoned in, but instead is perfectly suited for her troubled home life.
4. Actress Lan Ying Ying was driving me crazy. She seemed so familiar, but in an American actress way. Each episode I could almost identify her. Then I was like, no -- she's very similar to Zhu Zhu from TALE OF ROSE. But then nope again -- until I realized Lan Ying Ying was in ROSE. Lan grows more and more interesting each time she returns. Such a great role for her. Also, a great ROSE reunion with her and --
5. Tong Da Wei. I forgot that I was introduced to Tong in THE DISAPPEARING CHILD, and so this is my third outing with him and now I'll watch anything he's in. Like Lan, just plain terrific.
6. Christine Zheng's performance is so... moving. It's not that her acting is exemplary. She just nails the role. She wouldn't hurt a fly, and we love her for this. To me, she's the Chinese answer to Elizabeth Hartman, an obscure but great actress from 1960's America. While we're on the look alike thing --
7. -- Liu Huan's portrayal of our FL's husband is great, but I'll be damned if he isn't the Chinese answer to Anthony Perkins. (That's the second reference to Norman Bates in one review.)
8. It's cool how there are two mysteries that divide the series in half EXACTLY at the halfway point of the middle episode. This makes this 15 episode series fly.
9. One picky note is that the series dispensed with characters or mentions of them a little too eagerly. The cop's husband falls out of the story completely in the second half, where a phone call between them could have reminded us of his persisting relevance. Similarly, the lady in the wheelchair had an arranged marriage fiance who disappeared from the story more out of convenience than much else. You'd think Wheelchair would be spend a lot more time complaining about his selfishness, but the story had a romance to tell and cleanly pushed this man out of the way.
This last note is a little spoilerish --
10. Again, this was an enjoyable diversion and frankly I'd like to see the 'Master' and her partner return for another mystery, joined by the separated husband, their daughter, and the cops good friend 'on wheels'. Plus we'd get to watch our FL's journey towards sensitivity and love.
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First time I've ever said this: the series is too SHORT!
Greetings,Daisy Li showed up midway in A DREAM OF SPLENDOR and stood out in an already fantastic female cast. Short, scrappy, moody, pretty with big ears -- what's not to love? That's why I decided to give this micro-series a roll.
This series is decent but it suffers from a bumpy premise device. A Book of Fate makes all the rules in this story, and we don't know why the book exists, what rules it must follow, what rules it can break -- and eventually -- it came off to me as a device making all sorts of twists possible instead of believable. The twists also came too many too fast.
Whereas most series seem to be longer than they need to be, this series was too short. I think somewhere between 12 - 20 full length episodes would have covered it. But I chose this series as a bit of bubblegum between more serious series and the sweet taste lasted the entire time, so maybe shorter was the right idea.
I can now say that Daisy Li should be getting more lead roles. She's looks 23, is actually 31, but whenever she lowered her voice in pain and sorrow you FELT her actual age and it was perfect. Yes, she's likely going to get impish roles for the next few years, but I hope they give the edge she sometimes had here.
Speaking of an edge, this series had a little too much choking and stabbing of women for my taste. I love many Chinese romantic dramas because they pull back some on violence, but in just the three years I've been enjoying the 'sex' and violence have been ramping up to Western media excess.
(I put 'sex' in quotes because actually the ramping up there is good. No, I haven't really seen many sex scenes. What I have seen is couples actually kissing instead of the story going out of it's way to removing kissing from romances. My favorite scene of this short series is a great kiss. Wife and I have rewatched it about 10 times, lol.)
The male lead here was generic during the first third of this series but came to life afterwards. I'll keep an eye on his career too.
All in all a satisfying tale, but I wish the entire book thing was simpler instead of jarring. (I would have gone with a lady that talks to her in her dreams and begins appearing as a ghost in real life.)
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REVENGE THRILLER BANKS INTO A FASCINATIONG WHODUNNIT
A young dude kills a young lady in a vicious way. Fisherman Dad is pissed and plans to avenge his daughter's death. This man doesn't care who knows his quest because he's willing to die as long as the killer dies first. Our ML is tearing the place to shreds in a really scary yet entertaining way because Daddy Don't Take Prisoners.But just before this long movie's middle it struck me -- wait -- they never showed us the killer killing the young lady. And all of a sudden we're inside a fascinating whodunnit. I won't drop any hints here but tell you the quest for the killer makes this a THUMBS UP to watch.
What I will say is the movie slightly fumbled the reveal of the executioner. We discover that someone inspired the killer to kill the young lady, but the inspiration was fumbled instead of compelling. Once you've seen this film -- and you should -- see my comment below that says REVEAL SPOILER and tell me if you agree.
I watched this because of ZHOU XUN (RUYI, IMPERFECT VICTIM, IMPERFECT LOVE, etc.) and ZHOU YI RAN (TO THE WONDER). They didn't disappoint.
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What is it with Zhou Xun starring with... Zhou Xun?
This is maybe the 4th time I've seen the amazing Zhou Xun co-starring with herself. I bet it's killing Meryl Streep it never occurred to her to do the same.This film is a watch if you enjoy Zhou Xun. It's not her best, it's not her worst. It's pretty good. She's a pleasure to watch and so YAY if she plays two characters even. The shortcoming here is the story.
This Courtroom drama has a rushed feeling to it and we learn why 2/3rds of the way through when it concludes: there's an extra 35 minutes which reveals a handful of secrets. It's a GOTCHA surprise TWIST that, like all such gotchas makes you first say HUH? and the re-examine everything you just saw to understand it a 2nd way.
I've frankly grown weary of these type of stories because it's so tedious to re-examine EVERYTHING and see how the hidden story may have been there all along. Usually these type of stories come off as more contrived than clever and this one is unnecessarily confusing as well.
The twist reveal eats up so much of this tale, wasting time I'd rather see with Zhou Xun fleshing out 3 other characters.
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This review may contain spoilers
PLEASE READ -- I'LL WARN YOU before I start SPOILING
This is my 5th Chinese series. RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE, MISSING PERSONS, REBEL PRINCESS and IMPERFECT LOVE preceded. This was my first 'junky' or 'bubblegummy' series, what we in America might call a 'CW' show aimed at teens or younger. I'm here to tell you it's far better than I expected -- a must watch if you want something lighter -- but they didn't quite stick the landing, as they say in Olympics.Okay. What is this show without spoilers? It's kind of like the 60's classic I DREAM OF JEANNIE... but they change so much it takes a few episodes to realize how similar it is. In many ways it is an improvement because JEANNIE lacked a compelling romantic story whereas MAKE A WISH is all about our two leads. Not to mention other couples in the story as well.
THE REASON TO WATCH THIS SERIES are the standout performances:
#4 is Chen Hao Lan who plays a more serious young lady in the series, but as the story progresses you see her art is subtly and nuance. They pulled her pretty back a few notches (as to not compete with the lead) but it eventually peeked thru.
#3 is Wang Tian Yu, the 'Roger Healey' of this series and comic relief. This kid is FUNNY.
#2 is Zhu Min Xin, whose small role in this series stood out anyway. He is lead material for future projects!
#1 is the WOW and WONDER that is Gia Ge. This young lady SPARKLES. Her beauty is beyond belief. Her energy and charm is why you finish watching this series. Producers must be fighting tooth and nail to get her right now. I'll watch anything she shows up in next. And she must have the best hair on TV. Check out when Chi Yan lifts and spins her in the closing credits. WOW.
That list leaves out the male lead. Ren You Lun was terrific. Yet his perfectly under-stated performance doesn't make me wonder what he'll be in next, if you know what I mean. So no slur against him. He's the 'straight man' that makes Gia Ge shine all the more. I think young ladies drawn to cats and bookstores will adore him.
When I watch any show I rarely notice the hairstylist. You're kinda not supposed to notice their work. But when I realized Gia has the best hair on TV -- I noticed each cast member has interesting hair as well. And so I guess the stylist was showing off a bit and hoping nobody noticed. (I did!)
So before I start spoiling, I'll say this series was likely 4 episodes too long. I sensed everyone on the production was younger and less experienced, and this became clear in the writing towards the end. Before I pick it apart know the series is worth watching, rewatching, and recommending anyways.
SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Around episode 20 we get an extremely dramatic twist: cat girl awakes on an Earth that doesn't remember her. Her relationship with Chi Yan is erased, as well as the love affairs of their mutual friends. This is really REALLY dramatic and fascinating at first. But then it sends the story into an unnecessary spiral of trying to repair all the damage. This repair job is compressed into the final episodes and I started to feel... the entire idea... was stupid.
Perhaps they were planning a 2nd series... or second 'arc' with 24 more episodes. That would have made the 'everyone forgot her' a fantastic cliffhanger at the end of Season 1. Right? It's as if the following episodes were really supposed to be much longer and season of their own. But then someone said that was a stupid idea.
I'll share with you now what I think is a better cleaner way to end the series.
1. Xiao Xiu gets hit on the head with the pipe. Falls down like we saw. Chi Yan runs over to comfort her.
2. As her friends gather around her, her ears emerge. She cries. Panics in front of Chi Yan. Her tail emerges. Her friends are all WTF.
3. She transforms into a cat. Chi Yan picks her up, holds her close, but she disappears into a portal. Gone.
4. Xiao awakes in Meow World, an animated cat. There she meets Lin Mo and his friend, who are confused as to why she is there. Eventually her Dad finds her and, despite being happy to see her, knows where she really belongs: alongside Chi Yan. The problem is Xiao has no way to return to Earth.
5. Her Dad takes her to a temple and ask the elders for help. They say there is nothing they can do.
6. Chi Yan on Earth is distraught. Ruined. The friends can't believe she was a cat. But find it magical.
7. On Meow Planet, in the temple, Xiao's Dad won't stand for this. Since Lin Mo has learned who killed his GF and Xiao's sister. Xiao prays at the Temple... and her Sister appears as a Goddess. (Instead of that other lady who they forced into the story.) Xiao is told she can make a wish to return to Earth, but this time -- she'll never leave it. Her father insists.
8. If you've seen this series notice what is now no longer necessary. What was with the new bookstore and the new apartment? A total waste of time. We loved the old ones. What was with Chi Yan's grandfather being connected to the cat world? I mean I get it but it wasn't really necessary. Which means neither was the goddess character. And why OH WHY destroy 3 love affairs only to quickly force them back into existence? No no no. All we needed --
9. -- was our 'Scooby Doo' club going back to Earth and finalizing the Doctor story. Oh, and his entire angle on why he did what he did wasn't the slickest. That needed some focusing. I got this weird VIBE that the Doctor was in love with Chi Yan and somehow this confused about everything. (Did you feel that too?)
I want to add the Gia Ge had to sell this bumpy ending -- and gave it her all. There was absolutely nothing more heartbreaking than watching this bubbly innocent soul LOSE EVERYTHING. Many dramas make 'the girl' cry here -- but she was beyond crying. It was like that look a kid gets when they first learn a loved one has passed on. Gia was a MARVEL here.
Anyway, if the story had ended more cleanly -- it would have been a 9.2 in my book. Still worth seeing at it is, though.
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This review may contain spoilers
IMPERFECT Approaching Perfect (Spoilers will be few and mild)
I was lucky enough to enter the world of Chinese dramas via RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE, a show that has compelled me to watch 12 more series. I was so impressed with Zhou Xun I'll watch anything with her in it, and she's here in IMPERFECT. (I even saw her IMPERFECT LOVE show as well.)This IMPERFECT also features another Ruyi alumni, Dong Jie -- who I'm beginning to respect as a truly great actress. In Ruyi she had to play a very cold and distant character, which she pulled off brilliantly, but was utterly unlikable. Here viewers might say she plays the same, but I found her far more sympathetic in this series. Her sad yet beautiful face constantly spoke to me of a woman that could have had lifelong love but instead made a very bad choice.
Frankly the entire cast is terrific, even amongst the smallest of roles. My only disappointment was with Police Captain Yan Ming, who wasn't convincing as a cop. She is very pretty and her that was kind of distracting. I've seen THE DISAPPEARING CHILD and that lady cop seemed so real that I was disappointed not to see her type cast here. Understand Elaine Zhong is otherwise fine here, and again she is in an otherwise perfect ensemble.
Our villain Cheng is portrayed beyond perfect by Liu Yi Jun. I'm new to this actor and his ability to make such a despicable person sympathetic goes football fields past Dong Jie. He is terrific in his completely lack of awareness of how horrible he is, which is why you can't help but feel for him a little now and again and kinda a little bit always.
Also new to me is lead actress Jelly Lin, who portrays the title of this series. Her character is as compelling as perplexing. Often you want to hug her but sometimes you want to slap her, which is painfully ironic considering the series them of appropriate actions upon a young lady like this. But despite the irony these feelings run real because her character Zhoa Xun makes you want to pull your hair out during the first two thirds of the series.
This paragraph will run mildly spoiler-ish in giving away the victim's main flaw. I'll talk around it by saying she behaves like almost all 'kids' her age. When you get them on a topic that makes them uncomfortable, they won't say it makes them uncomfortable. Instead they go silent, off topic, or just behave oddly. Because they're really still half children, aren't they? That is how a child reacts when you accuse them of having their fingers in the cookie jar.
The point of this series is to indicate that victims of rape and sexual harassment can't be expected to be perfect victims. The series plainly states that when you have an older man with power over a young person it is very difficult for the 'girl' to react and respond proactively enough to impress the Court system she wasn't complicit.
What drove me a little crazy is this discussion of the victim kind was always with respect to her adulthood. What I just did two paragraphs up I wish the series had said over and over again: the victim was so young she was basically still a child, and you can't expect adult behavior from a child. It's THAT simple. It is this innocence and lack of adult experience the likes of Cheng count on and prey upon.
That idea was never said in such words but hammered upon with Lin Kan's lawyer story. (By the way, who was the genius that cast Zhou Xun but named our victim Zhoa Xun? That would be like naming Harrison Ford's STAR WARS character 'Mark Hemill".) Anyway, as usual, Zhou Xun was TERRIFIC as our lawyer character. I love Zhou Xun only like one other legendary actress, Bette Davis. This means that no matter the age of either actress or the project -- it's must see.
I was, at first, a little surprised when this production didn't use Zhou Xun to play her younger self. They did so in RUYI and really pulled it off. Her size and figure can easily pass for a college kid. But I said at first because, at second glance, the face of Zhou Xun is evolving. Filmed in her late 40's there is nuisance of age. I'm not talking about wrinkles and such that special effects could hide in flashbacks. I'm talking about her lovely eyes that speak of this woman's journey.
It was for this reason I understood her central role in this series. Zhou Xun is what lives in between a Jelly Lin and and Dong Jie. (I just learned this statement doesn't make real sense since Dong Jie is 6 years younger than Zhou Xun, but it's Xun's youthful features the suggest the opposite.) Still -- our lawyer Lin Kan is attempting to rescue herself before it's too late and she turns into a Dong Jie, if you will.
Great credit needs to be given both to the female writers (Gao Xuan and Ren Bao Ru) for creating this vivid world where all these actors get to shine. Where the depressing subject matter dissuades viewership the writing and direction and cast DEMAND a viewing. This is probably the best series I've seen yet, tying with RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE in quality.
The series was not perfect, though. (Dare I say it was 'imperfect'?) Luckily the problems can be counted on one hand --
1. I found almost all the songs to be 'fake' somehow. As if someone insisted they be inserted and so they came off as an awkward after thought. Plus I've heard better songs. The closing credits song in Zhou Xun's IMPERFECT LOVE is incredible, if you need a point of comparison. (Go catch that on YouTube or wherever now.) I almost always listen to the opening and closing songs of these shows with a big smile, but for the first time every I found them skippable. This is extra weird since some even had my native language (English)in them.
2. I don't mind lighthearted funny scenes, but towards the end of the story they were no longer needed but inserted anyway. The inclusion of these overlong 'smirky' scenes took away desperately needed time to --
3. -- resolve a few more storylines. The boy that loved Jelly Lin? He was seen in the last episode but only as a prop. To have him there at the court but not let him speak to the victim or her parents was a missed opportunity. The same for the security guard, who not only should have said something after the trial but have his victim friend by his side. It honestly felt like the series was padding a little to get to the last two episodes, and once there, they realized they needed more time... but didn't have it.
4. Call me an Old Softie but I wanted Lin Kan's assistant (Zhou Cheng Ao) to be somehow back with Lin Kan at story's end. But not as her love interest or employee. Instead I wanted a scene where he was doting on the victim at Lin Kan's home, implying that at some point these two might be a couple. But no hurry.
I've come to learn no Chinese series is perfect. I had a string of series that were disappointing and one was so terrible it had to be abandoned. IMPERFECT VICTIM won me back over... because it is near perfect.
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Actors ages do not ruin this otherwise MUST SEE series
Hiya,My first C-Drama ever was RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE. I knew watching it that it was a masterpiece, because only a masterpiece would keep my attention that long on such a depressing series of events.
The problem became what in the world to watch afterwards? Since I was new to this world I tried MISSING PERSONS (Two Ruyi Co-stars featured) and that was fun but nowhere near as slick. I also watched a ton of Chinese films during Ruyi and some after. That's when I caught some Zhang Ziyi and felt, yeah, let's give REBEL PRINCESS a try.
Firstly, the jerks that call these 'costume dramas' need to be thrown into the Cold Palace and forced to watch Wonder Woman 1984. It's like calling Westerns 'saddle dramas'. Give me a break. This genre is Epic Imperial Romance, okay?
Secondly the title simply doesn't work. Or translate. I have a sublime title to offer but it would spoil to explain why I chose this.
Call it FOR THE LOVE OF AWU and you'll see why about halfway thru.
Unfortunately the series isn't as good as RUYI. That doesn't mean it isn't watchable and entertaining. And, in fact, for reasons I cannot divulge, it has a higher 'rewatch me' factor than RUYI. So it's better in a sense as well.
My personal big problem with this series is the initial ages of the actors. Where Zhou Xun completely tricked me into thinking a woman in her 40s is really a teenager, that didn't happen here. Many major players tried their best but simply looked old.
Deeper into the story we're introduced to a young woman that (we're told) is so like Zhang when she was young. SPOILER: she looks NOTHING like her. I was so confused I went to an eye doctor. (JK. NK.) And in THIS character SOMEONE should have realized lied a solution.
Rewind. You look for a young actress that looks a lot like a young Zhang. Then you shoot the first episodes using her. Then, and get this, when you need to introduce to the young woman who allegedly looks like Awu? Use the same actress, perhaps with a little rubber on her face to make her look a little different. Two problems solved.
The other unfortunate casting issue is Zhang Zi Yi herself. After having experienced the WOW that is Zhou Xun in RUYI, Zhang seemed a little... flat. It was like she was playing not only a noble Princess but a Goddess, who -- somehow -- is detached from reality. Often when Zhang is hearing something she doesn't like -- she starts staring off into an emotionless abyss. She looks catatonic even. This emotive distancing pushes the characters annoying her back a bit, but so too have we the viewers lost critical access into her thoughts and feelings. It took me halfway thru the series to get used to this.
With this out of the way, almost all of the other characters are terrific. Where Zhang is the blank canvas, everyone else is the paint. The series grows more and more endearing as each episode passes. Where RUYI slowly waterboards you into giving up all hope, REBEL offers hope.
Every great series has a breakaway character that you'll then want to see a LOT more of. In RUYI it was Princess Jia (Xin Zhi Lei) who is the most beautiful b!tch to hit TV or cinema. In REBEL it's Helan Zhun (Yuan Hong) who I called Aquaman the entire time because he looks (kinda) like the Chinese version of Jason Momoa. His character does some pretty awful things but MAGICALLY you hold some compassion for him too. He really made Tong Yang fight for screen time.
(By the way, in America, the CW took the world's largest POO on the classic Kung Fu series. I don't mind the remake as a show but recognize it's plainly not based on the original series at all. It's like renaming THE OFFICE as KUNG FU. But Tony Yang's intensity in the back half of the series tells me China should do an actual remake of KUNG FU, starting and spending a lot of time in China. Starring Tony Yang. He'd make a solid Caine.)
Now, of the romance. This story was a welcome soapy affair after RUYI. I don't want to spoil but I will say Awu attracts men the way an open KFC dumpster attracts flies. If you take this story literally you won't like it. If you accept its instead a feel good romantic fable -- and need that in your life before embarking -- this series will charm you SILLY.
FUN TRIVIAL FACT -- At the end of each episode is an absolutely beautiful duet between a man and a woman trying to find love inside the Kooky Backstabbing Kingdoms of C-Dramas. If you open your heart to it you'll watch the complete ending every time. The song is even featured within maybe 6 episodes.
But there is a BATTLESHIP sized detail about this song. The lovely woman who's singing? As Austin Powers once said, "She's a MAN, baby!" It may be worth watching this show just to experience that.
Oh and the production values are through the roof and puncture a hole right thru the Moon. But that can't carry you further than 3 episodes. This ensemble will. But know the series takes time to really grab you. Under 10 episodes for most.
Now, there was on character I felt was handled poorly. General Song started out great, but in the interests of romantic drama, took a series of turns that... well... I don't believe the audience appreciated. I've saved this last note for people who have seen the series, and so the next paragraph is SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER.
***************************** SPOILING BELOW *******************************
At the end of the story, Song watches his wife beg him to save himself (and his soul) and let Awu and Lord be. When he refuses to abide by her wishes, she does (something) that should have changed his mind. Minutes later, at the end of his sword, he does something that wasn't intended. The audience says YAY but then (the pig) grabs Awu's face and makes a play for her. That was done for drama but wasn't the least bit believable. If memory serves Helan never even pulled that stunt, was more of a gentleman.
Since I've written a handful of stories myself, I'll offer what I consider a cleaner (more appropriate) resolution of Song's arc.
Song witnesses his wife jump to her death. Later (before he confronts Awu) he looks down at his dead wife on the ground. He realizes his folly. He might even say to someone how she only lived for him. And how he didn't appreciate that.
When he's with Awu, her father explains that he will be emperor. And that nothing and no one can stop him. He stands close to his daughter when he says this, meaning even Awu. This threat is critical, and was missing from the story. And the fact it was missing kinda screwed up the ending. Because in the story she later talks to her father as if all the crap he's pulled was okay with her because of blood relation. Except we the audience know it wasn't.
So it's CRITICAL that Away abandon any love of her Dad she has upon being threatened. At this moment Awu should pull out the small knife the Lord handed her a long time ago in the story. I believe they intended to have her use it here but chickened out at the last moment. I wouldn't chicken out. I'd have Awu tell her father it's over. That's when he takes the knife and attempts to turn it on Awu herself. And it is at this point Song ends Wang Lin.
After doing so, Song looks completely broken. The Lord and his soldiers arrive, but it's clear from Awu's face it's already over. Song sees the Lord and Awu stand beside each other and wipes a tear away. He says words to the effect of, "I see what I always should have seen. That you two belong side by side. And that my place was always... elsewhere."
Song would leave the chamber. Moments later a servant would run in and tell the Lord Song will kill himself. They run out to and catch Song just as he jumps off the ledge his wife did. They look down and find him dead... beside his wife.
What I'm trying to suggest is that Song was more noble throughout the story. That he didn't need to become a 'demon' in the last moments of the series. Even Helan had this figured out.
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Perfect
There's nothing wrong with this film. It's only shortcoming is that the story was extremely simple, but each frame perfectly supported this masterpiece. It did spend maybe an extra two minutes showcasing the beautiful future star Zhang Ziyi, but otherwise was perfect. (If you know my reviews at all -- I'm merciless. So 'perfect' even shocks me.)Was this review helpful to you?
An Extraordinary Character Study by a World Class Director
I saw Shao Yi Hui's second film (HER STORY) first, and went backwards to see her only other film, B FOR BUSY.Let me warn anyone interested in seeing this it's merely a character study of love, divorce, and the character of cinema itself. There is no plot.
We simply watch an extremely well crafted study of all sorts of characters, each as fascinating as the next. I could spent 48 episodes watching these people, but unfortunately this is a film and so get about 10 episodes compressed into two hours.
Most directors cannot keep your attention in a story with no plot. Shao Yi Hui keeps everything interesting, the pace moves, but it's also relaxing somehow. No one will break a bottle and use it as a weapon on anyone. No drug use, fist fights, none of the vast array of cheap 'thrills' are here to dress up the mundane. Instead --
-- the mundane is presented to us as a lovely bouquet of flowers. No flower is perfect, and no two flowers are the same, but this director's ability to arrange 'flowers' is world class. Very few directors over the years have shown this skill. Shao Yi Hui loves people and their ability to be human on camera reassures us of our human experience.
When you're dealing with this gifted a writer/director, in the class of say Woody Allen -- inevitably the film becomes about film itself. There's a story told late in the film that is as fantastic as it is suspiciously fictitious. We believe it's both a lie and a truth, which is what all of cinema ultimately is: a fiction that rings truer than life itself.
As Shao Yi Hui's first film, seemingly a student film -- I can accept this otherwise pointless journey. This movie isn't about the story. It's about Shao Yi Hui's skill sets and her magic ability to generate great characters.
Don't believe me? Her next film HER STORY is all this but better. An auteur to both watch and be in awe of.
BY THE WAY -- If you don't do Mandarin, you won't understand the ending of this film -- because it's being 'texted' during the credits. If you are streaming this, pause the texting and you use Google Translate's 'Image' mode to translate.
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HERS STORIES is a more accurate title of this charming little film
Overall an extremely well made little film about a Mom, her daughter, and a young lady neighbor This should have been a 24 episode series, at least.1. The cast is excellent. SHE AND HER GIRL FANS will love seeing Song Jia playing her smart but emotionally stunted self, with her now classic hand gestures. IMPERFECT VICTIM fans will be amazed at how lovely and fragile Zhong Chu Xi is in comparison to her frustrated cop role in that series. And (apparently) newcomer Isabella Zeng is terrific as the young daughter trying to navigate her way in the adult world of patriarchy, demanding mothers, annoying Dads, Mom's new boyfriend, etc. Really all the men are just as great as the women -- KUDOS to the casting agent.
2. The story isn't really much but a slice of life of women in China. Like a quality Woody Allen story, the story relentlessly pursues social commentary on topic. Woody is obsessed with infidelity, whereas HER STORY focuses on feminism issues. I'll say if 7 dashes of a spice does it, this had 9. It didn't ruin the recipe, but two dashes could have been removed and only made the 'discussion' tastier. Again, that's why I say this should have been a series where all these interesting women topics didn't have to be crammed into two hours.
3. The costumes, sets, lighting, camera, music -- they were all top notch. When those are this good you don't really notice them at first. Halfway through the film I realized they were all perfect. Watch this filmmaker and her crew.
4. Both posters for this film are TERRIBLE. It's neither a bright Disney affair nor some exotic floral journey. The Mom, Daughter, and friend need to share a poster, that's it.
4. To talk more about this film makes it out to be more than it is. It's just a very good little film. You watch it to observe these characters bump into each other. I've seen many American arthouse films fill a movie with quirky weirdos and sh!t goes down when they get together and eat. It's a sort of tradition of these types of films. Well, it happens here too -- BUT -- it doesn't feel like a sitcom stuffed with weirdos but instead real people in real situations.
Makes a perfect matinee. Don't hesitate. See the comment fields to find a subbed version.
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The Many Loves of Dr. Qin Medicine Woman (9.3 out of 10)
1. I'm absolutely stunned by the green screen visuals. I mean I know it's 'fake' but it doesn't scream it. And since it's a fable it's okay if it looks storybook-ish. Obviously they're using some ginormous green screen action but sometimes I'm wondering if they're using that wall of TVs tech too. I normally don't care about visuals over story, but in this case it's worth mentioning.2. I also normally don't comment on the fight scenes either, since they can come off as so generic. There were not a lot of fights in this series but I really enjoyed each and every one of them. If I ever rewatched this series I'd look forward to them.
3. This is my fourth Li Qin drama. She was fantastic as the Han woman in RUYI, forgettable as chicken leg girl in JOY OF LIFE (Season 1), wonderful in YOUTH MEMORIES, but s-t-e-l-la-r here. Her always understated performances come to life here when extreme situations finally push out her emotions.
4. Our FL has a 'cold disease' and must stay out of the cold, yet her entire life is spent in cold, kneeling on the ice -- you name it. I'm amazed they don't show her eating ice cream inside a fridge. Viewers must ignore this extremely confusing element or risk losing their mind.
5. SNOWY NIGHTS is the definition of LESS IS MORE. It doesn't need 100 characters and as many plot twists. It's a clean perfect narrative with no clutter. It is aimed directly at people who cherish the journey instead of the destination. If you've ever once fast forwarded thru any C-Drama, feel free to skip this one and especially avoid reviewing it. That said --
6. -- in the last third of the series the show becomes obsessed with it's own songs. They're nice songs, don't get me wrong, but they plays them way too often towards the series finale, rendering minutes of each episode as 'music videos' filler.
Not to mention (but I will) it's INSANELY distracting/annoying to have vocalists singing while characters are speaking. I've seen many Broadway musicals and not once do they have characters speaking WHILE the chorus is singing. This one element took two tenths off of my review score alone. But I have to admit --
-- I loved the closing credits song. And like REBEL PRINCESS, I was once again stunned by who was actually singing this song.
7. So although the show slows down a little in the last third, at least this show doesn't commit the dreaded Chinese Drama Cliche: another ending. Most C-Dramas seem to end the story, and then -- end it a second time. I honestly can't figure out what so many of these series end twice, but SNOWY NIGHTS does what every drama should do and simply end ONCE.
8. The first shortcoming I can really name is our ML, Joseph Zeng. There's nothing really wrong with him, but he's just a little too boyish 'perfect' to resonate as real. I picture a warrior like this rougher around the edges, more like a cleaned up 'Eye'.
I don't hate our male lead, but I don't hang on his words like a Wallace Huo or Huang Xuan. I'd have loved a reunion with Xiao Zhan if they wanted such a boyish face. I will say Zeng ripens after the halfway mark. Perhaps he was trying to show that 8 years had passed on his journey from young man to man? I'll say this ladies: my wife thought he was super cute.
9. I'm hearing people here trash the villains. Hmm. I guess you could say they're not as villainous as you'd expect, but I kinda like that their leader looks like a college art teacher (lol), and one of his disciples is always eeriely smiling.
The weakest villain is the Lady in Red is not much more than... a stylish Lady in Red. (Her character rounds itself out towards the series end, but it's kinda late. We needed better hints about her past.)
Weak too is the comic relief fat dude doesn't seem like a believably evil member of this clan. It would only make sense if the gang resented him but kept him around because they loved his cooking. (Well they have to eat!)
Eye seems to be the only monster in the clan besides the leader. Every drama has a lesser known actor who steals the show. Eye is this character and I can't wait for the right lead role to come his way. I'm concerned that I recently learned his voice was dubbed, suggesting a pretty boy lacking proper vocal talent? I hope that dubbing goes away in time.
10. This is not a story set in realism, and so understand it's really a parable on the topic of sacrifice. If you don't accept this, our ML's heroic quest becomes impossible to understand. (Would you keep risking your life as he does for the reason he does?) The theme of sacrifice echoes in Li Qin as well, which produces not one -- not two -- but three examples of selfless love.
Cliche love is about marriage and children. Not everyone goes down that path, sorry. If your heart and soul need to be reminded of humanity now and again -- this series does it ---
SPOILERS below SPOILERS below SPOILERS
-- without one kiss.
And now some comments on some sloppiness by this series --
1. One reason I dislike fantasy stories (vs. science fiction) is that it can be license for LAAAAZZZZZYYYY writing. In Ep 26 our ML's bird flies into the valley and Granny needs to ask it a question. Up to this point it hasn't been established that our ML can truly converse with his bird, never mind a stranger that says 'chirp once' if you like potato chips and 'chirp twice' if you don't. WRONG, UNACCEPTABLE, I'm docking the series a tenth of a point just for this one moment.
2.. I gather the ML's Master was recast unless I missed something. Or written out. A bit awkward in such a short series.
3. . In the battle between Eye and his master, three golden needles are popped out. But certainly we just watched Dr. Qin Medicine Woman pull those same needles out some episodes back. WTH?
4. What happened to the bird?
5. Are you the type of reader who skips thru stories and skim's long reviews like this. If you are, you missed the hidden scene after the final credits in the final episode. If you've read these words and missed it, this is your reward for reading this far.
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The Film Devours Its Own Message for Tasty Visuals
Imagine a touching story about a farmer's daughter and her favorite goat. They're pals. But one day she learns her Dad sold this goat for money and she's angry. So she goes on a quest to the city to get her goat back.That's basically the story of this film, but this version of the story is injected with fantasy, fantastic CGI, animal rescue weirdos, corporate psychos, and frankly as many chase scenes as they could manage to infest what should have been a simple touching story.
I watch C-Dramas mostly. The main reason is that they understand LESS IS MORE. The Koreans have spent too much time watching our Western films and when they try to please us -- these lose me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Botched story structure damages potential masterpiece
I will warn you when any spoilers are offered, so feel free to read until then.1. The Western title of this would be, THE LIGHT BULB MAN
2. In general the entire production values are great. The first half of this piece borrows liberally from David Lynch, but in a good way.
3. I knew 3 people in this cast (the Mom, her daughter, and the light bulb man) and they were as good as ever. My only complaint is that the camera wouldn't leave the crying girl. You're not going to force me to cry because a girl is crying forever. That's cheap and it started to become an obvious ploy.
4. A major issue with the film is it changes genres midway -- which is a serious NO NO! You spend the first half of the film selling us on a dreamy Lynchian world only to flip it to a tearjerker melodrama? Nope. Both must be blended from frame one.
5. The major problem with this film was the story. Without spoiling, reveals needed to be re-arranged. And when 'reality' comes into the story, most of that should have been quick flashes, as to suggest we never should have left the dreamy world. And the Light Bulb Man deserved a more central role. And now, as warned, here come the STORY --
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6. In general there should have been a simple and crystal clear quest for our leading lady.
She, like her boyfriend and everyone else, should have 'been' in this weird alter-verse but started to suspect something was off. One by one the others would begin to recall a traffic accident, but never say 'bus'. They would start to recall they were all together, but something is wrong.
Our lead would say, wait, my boyfriend and I weren't in any accident. He'd be like, yes I guess so (for now), and they'd help the others find their bulbs and say their goodbyes. Our lead would help everyone get to that bulb store. She'd often have arguments with the man there, because she knew he was keeping a big picture secret from her.
When the lead and her BF helped the last person, she'd wonder why they were still stuck there. That they had no one to say goodbye too. Only then would the first flashbacks of the accident be seen in her memories, and she'd realized it was BUS ACCIDENT. She'd wonder if her BF was the driver, and he'd say it's time to say goodbye.
Then, and only then, would she wake up at the hospital.
If the above wasn't clear, I've un-divided the film. It's now a dreamy melodramatic tearjerker that still holds a big reveal for the end. This way it's very simple while maintaining a consistent tone.
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The Little Soap That Could!
This No-Budget Soap Opera starts in the 70s with a bunch of childhood friends who we follow thru the decades and their trials and tribulations. What grabbed my interest was how 'communist' it was compared to other C-Dramas I've watched. I really knew nothing about this time in China's history. The other interest here was, well, I was the age of these characters in the 70's in America. And so while I was listening to the Bee Gees, they were doing all sorts of different things.If you want to know if you should watch this show with as little spoilers as possible, I'll tell you this: I've watched better shows. So if you're new to C-Dramas, this won't disappoint because you have not seen better yet. What I will tell the experienced viewer is that this is a very calm show that doesn't put you to sleep. (I enjoyed THREE BODY but man was that sleepy!) So if you're even curious like I was -- skip the rest of this review and give 3 episodes a try to see if you want to see Ep 4, okay?
Here's some thoughts in no order of importance --
1. Damn this thing was shot on a piggy bank. Pocket change. That's what I mean by a 'little' soap, like a small bar of soap in a hotel room. Despite this the show was pretty good looking. The photography wasn't inspired as much as... urm... just nice to look. The sets were crazy cheap but not as distracting as one reviewer had said. Lots of scenes were reported in on the phone as to avoid having to stage them. You don't watch this series for amazing production values. You watch it for --
2. -- this TERRIFIC cast. I came here for the male and female lead. I frankly feel they're much better here than they were in JOY OF LIFE Season One.
Li Qin ran around JOY with a leg of chicken being cute until the writers gave up on her. Here her character starts a little interesting but simply gets more and more interesting as the show progresses, especially in the 2nd half. (Be patient!) And she's particularly deep inside her character in the remarkably intense final episode.
Xiao Zhan is tackling a very difficult role of being a great guy, a dreamboat, and yet humble, and yet magnanimous, everybody's friend but sometimes someone's enemy too. Several someones. To be honest there were times where the demands of this role exceeded his abilities. The thing is he's just a little too handsome and that can be rather distracting from his character's struggles. You're like, "How can this gorgeous youthfun hunk of man be suffering?!?" Yet he did a pretty good job and I'd bet this role has made him a better actor. Give him time and he'll be the new Wallace Huo.
Liu Rui Lin and Cao Fei Ran play the most important supporting roles. As our ML's main 'brother', this Chinese Richard Gere clone has a thankless job playing Guohua... but kinda nails it. His love interest Hongling plays an even trickier role where you want to slap her sometimes but she can't help every last decision destiny has dropped on her. This actress carries a lot of the show's weight in the first half.
So you think that's it for couples in this show? HARDLY.
Zhao Xin and Cui Hang also make the experience worthwhile. Xin's 'Ye Fang' gets more and more interesting as the show progresses, and this poor actress must restrain herself the entire time. Hang's Hongjun is all over the place in a role that shouldn't work but utterly makes sense.
And get this. There's one more pair to tune in for: Zhang Ling Xin' and Lenox Lu are terrific too in an unexpected way. When Qi Tian first shows up in his truly stupid hat -- I didn't expect much from him. But his low weird gutteral way of speaking made him very different than the rest -- and like I keep saying -- his character grows on you.
There's even one more pair of actors that were eeriely like the Chinese Ralph and Alice Kramden (You Xian Chao and Gao Yuan). No, seriously. Check The Honeymooners on YouTube if you have no idea what I'm talking about.
3. The songs and incidental music in this show are lovely. A good soap opera has themes the play over and over and over and over (Twin Peaks) and this soap has them too. Mostly gentle piano pieces, and the lyrics of the songs they play translate well.
4. This show has two sets of parents that are nearly identical to Western eyes. Prying pushy Momma and Pushover Papa. This was the only casting mistake I caught in the series. Or really a writing error where on couple should have been Pushy Papa and Caring Momma.
5. I don't know what the deal is with C-Dramas but several I've seen end early. There's an episode around 27 that gave me the impression the story was minutes from being over. It feels like the producers were only allowed to produce that many episodes but when the studio saw it they said 'add 10 more'. The good news is that the additional episodes work fine, except perhaps the final one.
6. So if the production values are good, the cast great -- the only way to make this thing watchable is STORY. This is a story that relies heavily upon soap opera melodramatic tropes, which can make it feel so generic as to be generated by AI. This sounds like a knock but, hey, it's fun to watch a soapy melodrama as long as it's not stupid. And the inclusion of the military episodes in the first half is more inventive than hospital scenes, although those eventually merge.
As a Westerner and America, I was fearful this story might be propaganda. For the story starts in heavy communism but ends in vibrant capitalism. So which 'team' is this show on. What makes THE YOUTHFUL MEMORIES interesting is that it's on both teams.
(From here on I might get mildly spoilish -- so stop reading now if you want to be surprised. I won't be offended.)
The show starts with the idea that although communism isn't the most lavish of lifestyles, and that in the 70s if felt like everyone was in the military one way or another, it presented these days with the idea that everyone could have a place. All for one, one for all. Yes, there were misfits who resorted to criminal behaviors, but overall the show suggests that there was a sense of law, order, family, community, propriety, brotherhood, sisterhood, and love. Perhaps thru rose tinted glasses, but you follow me.
By the time commerce smashed into China, and times had changed, a weird thing happens. Brothers turn against brothers. Love and family may not be as compelling as getting rich quick. The unfortunate reality that capitalism generates WINNERS and LOSERS, introducing the idea of MUSICAL CHAIRS to communism. The same misfits and criminals are around societies edges, but this time capitalism is their friend instead of communism their enemy.
The show isn't as political as I'm making it sound. It's really who loves who and when and who doesn't and why, like any good soap. But I will spoil that the show ends with a happy medium politically -- if we meld the brotherhood of communism with the profits of capitalism, maybe life can improve for all in China.
Like almost every C-Drama I've watched, the show's ending was slightly fumbled. Towards the end of the penultimate episode, a new plot is introduced. And it's a biggy. It' s SUPER melodramatic. The problem is it's not what the story was leading up to, it's not named as a specific historical event that happened, and I think was thrown in for sensationalism and nothing more.
Often in American TV shows after 9/11 they threw in a 9/11 like event to rip open the wound and horror, and I believe this show did the same on a different type of tragedy. That said, the show handles this 'big' weird finish well so it's not a failure as much as a fumble.
Hope this helps someone!
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Almost but not quite A MASTERPIECE
I have NO IDEA why users aren't AMAZED by this production. It's so close to PERFECT it's painful.The story, acting, filming, music -- are you kidding me? I've seen about 10 Chinese Dramas at this point and it shoved its way up to #2 under RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE.
The reason why this series didn't trounce RUYI is it didn't stick the landing. It appears to do so but once a day or so passes you realize there was something off about the end of the story.
About halfway into EP 11 the plot resolves itself. But for the story not only requires another 30 minutes to resolve itself but all of EP 12 to do so. Normally shows wrap up a little fast after the plot resolution and sometimes you feel ripped off because of how hurried the wrapup is. (I'm looking at you GREAT CRAFTSMAN.)
So why did THIS take so long. According to AvenueX on YouTube, the novel this story is based on ends with a dark tone. One of the characters has had a hidden agenda. This final episode looks like it was going to reveal it, since said character eluded to ALSO having secrets, but then -- no secrets revealed.
AvenueX implied that the real ending wouldn't get past the censors. As a writer myself I believe this production did shoot the dark ending and the censors said, nope -- too dark. And so they had to reshoot the ending to be less dark, which in turn makes the final episode seem a little aimless, long, and pointless.
Even if you're unaware of that angle or the book's ending, my wife said, "Wait. That girl was so perfect despite her parents not being so perfect. Really?!?" And therein lies the problem with the series is that the Tutor character simply isn't believable. Her acting is great but the writing is... undecided.
This knocks DISAPPEARING CHILD out of Masterpiece work into NEAR MISS and ALMOST territory. What a shame. That said, SEE IT ANYWAY you lazy couch dumpling!
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