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Journey With You (Chinese Series)

By Golu
I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
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Saturday Night at the Baths

By Golu
As interesting as the title sounds, how I wished the movie was half as interesting. It had a weak plot, strictly okay performances and uninteresting going on.

Set in 70s the movie starts with a musician Michael who has just moved to NY with his girlfriend Tracy from Montana. After seeing various ads in he newspaper and after his initial inhibitions he decided to interview in a bathhouse for playing piano. He gets the job but makes very clear to his manager Scotti that he is straight and he is fine with it. Michael is shown overwhelmed with the whole bath house environment. He comes back home and tells Tracy how Scotti tried to hit on him. Tracy did not find anything odd. In fact they both later in the day go to party where Scotti had invited them. She likes him and they hit off instantly. The friendship of all 3 starts growing but Michael is somewhere just uncomfortable with the whole thing. Maybe because he is closeted. Who knows!! Anyways, finally its time for Michael's first performance for audience on a saturday night and it goes very well. After a heavy night , Michael ends up going with Scotti to his place and they end up kissing. Michael comes back home and on Tracy's asking tells her everything. The movie then just abruptly ends with Tracy saying that whether this changes anything between them and Michael says He hopes not. Thats it. And I was like, What the f***?

Like I said, the story and the plot were half baked. I still don't know what was the whole idea. It was as if they just wanted a slice of someone's life but even then there has to be a start and an end to any slice. That was completely missing. There were forced scenes from the whole Saturday night at baths celebration.

Not my cup of tea. (3.5/10)
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Pitbullshark said…
This movie is about the cusp of gay liberation and, as such, is almost like a documentary of life in the 70s as homosexuality was coming out of the closet of the dark, hidden, shameful back alley bars where there was danger of raids and arrests for simply being there. The baths where there was entertainment (I understand that Bette Midler began her career entertaining at a famous New York bathhouse), was a keystone in that new-found openness, and the jubilant sounds of disco music was gay liberation's sound track.

So, in order to understand and appreciate this movie, just think of it as actually a documentary of, unfortunately, a very fleeting time. The 70s was gay liberation and a feeling of the potential of infinite hope, all of which came crashing down one decade later, as it was in the 80s where AIDS reared its ugly head.
July 17, 2011 at 8:16 AM
Golu said…
It makes so much more sense after reading your comments. Having not ben in US in 70s, 80s or in fact 90s leaves a lot of things to either my limited knowledge or just my perception of it strictly as a film
July 17, 2011 at 9:53 PM
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