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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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Rabioso Sol, Rabioso Cielo (Spanish) [Raging Sun, Raging Sky]

By Golu
I am not sure why this film got such great reviews and press at the time when it came out. Agreed that it is an interesting mix of poetic and erotic cinema at the same time but with hardly any spoken dialogues, you really have to focus hard to understand what's actually going on, what the storyline is and what is it the are trying to actually say. Shot in black and white, I want to say that cinematography is excellent and there are plenty dreamlike sequences, but with a duration of over 3 hours, it tests your patience like no one has ever done it before. And I am not ashamed to say that I am definitely not one of those who was willing to venture into this 3 hour of sensory world. I have better things to do and I just had to fast forward at many places just to make sense of this film.

The official synopsis says this about the film "Youthful Kieri and Ryo share a deep and passionate love for each other. Kieri sets off in search of his soul mate after Ryo is kidnapped. A female spirit is with Kieri as he searches for Ryo. Ryo escapes and the pair will have to work hard to prove their love for each other as obstacles are placed in their path along the way". But I can guarantee you that while watching the film there is absolutely no way for you tell what is unfolding in front of you. No character is ever addressed by their name, so I don't know how the synopsis came into being. I was expecting at least a bit of sensual homo-erotic thriller. There is only so much that random nudity can take you in a film. Sure, one can appreciate naked male body and guys walking around, sitting around, but unless it all leads to something, what are you watching it for? It all went down the same pretentious and tedious drain. Sitting this one out felt like dragging myself through a muddy marsh. I would avoid this. Don't watch even if you think you will make it through with ample use of fast forward button. I cannot fathom how films like this end up getting all sorts of awards at International film festivals. (1/10)
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