Skip to main content

Journey With You (Chinese Series)

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...

Mary Lou (Hebrew)

I have time and again said that I am not a big fan of musicals. Its even harder when the language is not your first language because the subtitles really don't translate that well. But there are movies at time which make you sit and take notice of them. You might not understand the language but the music and the acting are so engaging that you, for a change, dont mind of the subtitles are not doing complete justice to the film as such. This film, was originally a 4 part TV mini series but it fits perfectly well as a movie.

The story is based on songs of Israeli pop legend Svika Pick. Miriam is an adoring fan of Svika Pick. She dreams of being a famous singer. She calles herself Mary Lou based on famous song of Svika Pick. Following her dreams of singing for the legend, she mysteriously abandons her son Meir on his tenth birthday. Meir starts making stories about her mother. Only Shuli, a girl from his school believes in him and they become best of buddies. Time passes and before their graduation in school, they both fall for the same guy Gabi. When Gabi publicly humiliates Meri for his unwanted public display of love for Gabi, he leaves for Tel Aviv in search of his mother. He meets Ori there who falls in love with Meir but Meri is not. He joins a club of drag queens and slowly himself becomes a very famous singer all along continuing his search for his mother. Along the journey, we witness what happens to Shuli, Gabi, Ori and other drag queens in the club with enchanting music backing the excellent story. When finally Mier thinks he knows what happened to his mother, he gets a shock from his father who then finally decides to tell the entire truth to Meir. But it helps Meir finding himself and becoming a grown up better person.

The film is backed up by excellent singers and performers as actors. The film has pop music and good picturization but it also encompasses sorrow, pain and longing. Meir not only carries the entire film on his shoulder but he also brings an emotional resonance to all of his scenes. He is ably supported by the entire cast. You actually feel for all the characters. I think they were all developed with just the right information and to a certain extent, they were all given a proper ending too. I felt really bad for Ori. I loved the line "We all want what we can't get". Isin't that so true? The singing in the film is passionate though at time I wished that there wasn't a song and the film would just proceed faster.

Apart from a little drag towards the end of the film, I completely enjoyed the film. It was still an engaging, damn near irresistible flick. (7.5/10)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...

Heartstopper: Season 2 (Web Series) (UK)

Heartstopper Season 1 was a universal hit. You could not have read one bad review or heard from anyone who has seen the show not liking it. It was the kind of series that is easy to love, with sweetness exploding out of every scene without overwhelming you. So naturally, when Netflix greenly Season 2, expectations were naturally high and the same happened with me. I didn't know what to expect, but I had high expectations of this very very sweet teenage love story. And with eagerness and being a little late to the game by a few days, here I am, pouring my t thoughts down having just finished one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The second season also has 10 episodes and has all of our loved ones from the original season. The show continues from where it had left off in Season 1. Charlie and Nick are a couple and only their very close circle of friends know about it. This includes Charlie's best friend Tao and his trans best friend Elle. The center of the show is still ...

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...