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...

Mailman

I wouldn't really call this a gay film. I know many folks would argue, but then sexuality is not the point of this film at all. Sexual fluidity is repeated across the film and yes, the character happens to be gay, but even if you left those things out the film, absolutely nothing changes at all. At its heart, its a musical and maybe queer coming out at the end. Thankfully, its not a C-grade horror film, as the title like this would suggest otherwise.

A young chirpy mailman Phil is happy with his job but he also wants and dreams of becoming a writer. An eccentric old lady on his route, who eventually becomes his friend is the only one who knows about this dream besides his colleague and another friend Ronnie. One day when the older lady gets mysteriously murdered, Phil suspects foul play by her son and daughter-in-law and sees this as an opportunity to investigate and write his book. The reasons behind the disappearance and the eventual reveal is all pretty random and yawn. In all this, he also finds love with Ronnie.

It’s a silly little plot and like you would expect from a musical, the characters bursts into songs literally every 5 minutes. There is a lot of talk about Phil’s sexuality, again for no apparent reason (probably just to please and cater to the gay audience) with everyone thinking he is into men,  but he refuses to be pinned down by old labels which is an excuse for one of his best songs in the film I’M Not Gay. He keeps reminding that his generation people are not into labels, they are all fluid and do not believe in gay, straight constructs. Other actors/characters are decent in their job. Its no surprise that the actor playing Phil also happens to be the director of the film. Made probably with all its heart, sadly the film lacks depth of any kind and is not even good enough to watch If you are looking for something silly, easy going time. I wouldn't recommend wasting time on this one: not for songs or for the story. (3.5/10)

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...