Heartwarming + Action

I’ve no doubt on Jackie Chan movies, most of his being the best in the industry…but acting with the horse almost the main lead here I was doubtful at first if he managed to pull it thru and yes again he didn’t fail us audience!

Watched it just two days ago in the cinema and ended up using my serviette tissue for my popcorn (luckily I ate 2/3 of it while waiting for screening to begin, else too busy focusing to eat!) eating to wipe my tears and blow my nose (okay I did it discreetly…lol) it’s really touching and didn’t expect it to be so touching.

Jackie’s fighting styles are my all-time favorite and together with the horse (I must admit I’ve seen some hard kick-ass scenes are done with CGI which anyone will notice if they stayed behind for credit roll—Jackie’s way of production to share BTS clips—it will show but it doesn’t stop me from being amaze with the choreography of the fights) it was superbly done and the bonding between him and the horse is strongly portrayed. Many moments whereby his closeness with his horse and unwillingness to give him away seems so real that makes my heart cry.

Jackie’s character as a father with his daugther was wonderful…at first it doesn’t occur to me it will have such good fatherly chemistry (probably bcos knowing his real life story of estrange relationship with his real son) but he did nail the character well and to some extent his determination and relentless professionalism to make his stuntman career work for himself & his stunt team and also hoping to concurrently make his family ties work does seem to be his real life story (yea and after watching only I read somewhere some content it’s about his life story as well).

Appreciate how the editing includes some of Jackie’s other great movie production works clips and BTS into this movie…(some may say it’s just reproductions of his past works to insert into here but hey how many actors who have such strong foundation in stuntmanship yet also having so much great movie clips to share…hence such good works should really share) and watching it again (yes i rewatch many times during his many interviews last time) does makes me teary how a person can challenge his own limits to this extent, enduring the pain and yet still carrying on.

Jackie Chan isn’t any younger (I’ve watched him since I was a kid as he was my late father’s favourite actor) and reckon if possible it’s best to watch this in cinema as a form of support to the diminishing production of action movie in the industry…and it’s much better audio and focus in dark cinema to get into the atmosphere as not to waste the opportunity to see and feel how good this movie is… : ))

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A tale of Love and Despair

Step into the shadows of this poignant film, where you'll meet a ruthless mother, a well-intentioned but flawed father, a vulnerable girl navigating a world of heartache, and a kind but impoverished disabled man.

In the realm of Taiwanese cinema, it's a familiar landscape—a tale painted with shades of darkness yet harboring a glimmer of hope. Your interpretation may vary, but for those who venture into this cinematic journey, I recommend a quiet night or a rainy afternoon. Let the unhurried pace of your surroundings mirror the deliberate cadence of the film.

At the end of the movie, it has a simple yet deep meaning of questioning what’s the meaning of life. The narrator’s words sums it up as 3 reasons of life: dependency, anticipation and for tomorrow…

Be forewarned it contains some sexual content explicitly to showcase the deepening of both leads and how their lives intertwine with each other. Hence, it’s best to be watched with anyone with maturity of age.

I would not recommend this movie to be repeatedly watched again as once you’ve seen the plot, it’s not something you can easily forget as the message is clear and punches into the heart.

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Deeply moved by this heartfelt movie, a testament to love's timeless strength.

Rarely have I been so touched by a film, as this masterpiece beautifully evokes the tender and resonant emotions of the human experience. Set against the backdrop of wisdom-filled years, this cinematic treasure showcases the magnificence of love's enduring journey, proving that age is no barrier to the boundless power of the heart. Nevertheless, the remarkable casting of three main actors and actresses, each crowned with multiple HK movie awards for Best Actor and Best Actress in their other film performances, converges in a symphony of new combined performances that breathe life into a narrative of unwavering love and human resilience.

After watching, I find myself facing current life challenges that aren’t as challenging to the extent of how the main characters are facing. Of course, the characters in the movie don’t represent every person’s life, but it does address concerns that, at some point in time, anyone will encounter and need to face.

The inclusion of one couple’s offspring and their younger generations further underscores the gap difference that is a common concern in today’s society. Being blood-related may seem more distant than neighborhood friends.

Life may take a different route for many of us—far beyond what we thought ourselves capable of—hence, this film provides a profound reflection of life from many angles, aiming to shed light on blind spots we may be unaware of.

It’s a rewarding watch, either with someone we love or by ourselves, for thought-provoking exploration.

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Remarkable True Story Brought to Life on the Big Screen

I'm surprised that many didn't realize this is a true real-life story, prompting me to share my thoughts on it. Personally to me, movies adapted from real-life stories are always worth watching due to the tales they tell, information they share, or awareness they raise. Consider, for instance, the Korean movie shedding light on issues like exploited disabled children that stirred public attention for justice. So the essence lies in understanding the core of movie adaptations. Without further ado, the real-life story of this movie revolves around a successful young woman who encounters a suitor.

He gave her all affections possible for the likes of the stars and promising the moon for her attention and they entered into a relationship. As their romance blossoms, culminating in marriage. Yet, she discovers her husband isn't who she thought he was. He becomes a freeloader, a reckless spender, and a swindler of her hard-earned wealth. She did tried to share her wealth (yes she’s a successful self-made career woman) with him as she appointed him as the top management of one of her companies but later she realized he’s been swindling her money when her staffs informs her there’s a large sum of money no longer in company funding and once she tried looking for him, he went missing for many days until he came back one day and admitted of having financial difficulties and confessed of having huge gambling debts. He again promised moons and stars to her that’s he will change his habitual gambling and turn into a new leaf. She believe him blindly for the love she still had for him but later after not long, he resumed to his old self. Then she thought of getting a divorce but realized she’s already pregnant and was contemplating to tell him and give him a last chance to repent and be a good person again…hoping the news towards fatherhood will cure him but alas he didn’t! He planned a ‘good trip’ to bring her for mountaineering as it’s her passion and she trusted him. But the most scariest part was when he went with her to the top of the mountain (I forgot which place it was) and he lovingly hold her in his arms from behind hug and whispered into her ears asking if she have any regrets in life. She blurted out there isn’t any regrets as this is all I want in life (she’s a successful career lady making lotsa money, parents well and healthy, and now her husband seems to turn into a new leaf and they are having a baby together!) but the next second right after she said that answer, he whispered (as though it’s sweet nothing into her ears) ‘Then you may go to die’ and he just pushed her down the mountain!!! (note: he’s the husband and will be the main beneficiary of all her entire wealth including assets, companies, etc!) But thankfully life works miracles when least expected, although she fell down the mountain below but her gravity drop was greatly reduced by the leafy tree and she managed to land down although very much injured (she had broken about 17 pieces of bones all over her body) but still having breath and a lost mountain climbing tourist saved her!!! It was totally a nightmare when she was sent to the hospital but yet the authorities called her husband because not knowing he’s the culprit to her fall (she was unconscious) and he begun to act out his concern as a caring husband (disgusting right??!!) and she was unable to tell the truth of her fall as he looks after her 24/7 in the hospital…thankfully at one point (finally an opportunity timing!) she managed to pretend to her husband she forgave him and convinced him to let her contact her very best friend and from thereon she managed to speak to her best friend with somewhat underlying message (guess only best friend can tell when saying coded words etc hints) to rescue her. It wasn’t mentioned in her real life documentary what exactly did her friend did but managed to bring the bad murderous husband to jail! But bad news is supposedly 33years of jail term was subsequently reduced to less than 10 years as he appealed and won it. Now it’s almost time for his release… and I think probably that’s why this movie adaption is made, to bring into public’s attention of this real life story.

It’s very disheartening to know someone closest such as husband role in life is the person who is plotting for a murder! Worst of, for he knew she’s pregnant (in this movie it was slightly tweaked to be more touching that ML didn’t know FL was pregnant…and I cried at the last scene) but in reality story the husband knew it!!! Such a cruel man to kill off own child…mother + child!

One important point to share, the real life lady told during the interview that later in life only she realize her husband actually why wasn’t the person she thought she knew before marrying, bcos he researched on her via social media and knew everything about her likes and dislikes which is how he plot out a character to be her exact love match! This is also a good warning for us not to keep posting our inner most thoughts as we wouldn’t know who’s lurking outside seeing our daily lives and plotting against us…to kill us or whatever bad intentions!

The film is an exploration of the human psyche and a testament to resilience—crucial lessons that extend far beyond entertainment. The heart-wrenching tale of a husband's betrayal reveals the darkness that can lurk in those closest to us, delivering an emotional punch that lingers long after the credits roll. With powerful performances and haunting realism, this adaptation stands as a chilling portrayal of twisted intentions. It's not just a movie—it's a wake-up call to the unsuspecting, a reminder that even the closest relationships can harbor the most sinister motives.

Hope I could share more such as the interview story link but I’ve watched in on YT many mths ago…however, it gave me a very deep impression as I cried when hearing her words and life story so much that I begin searching to validate if it’s a true story and now I can only penned down what I remembered from it.

As the director masterfully delves into the psychological intricacies of human nature, the film succeeds in its mission to unmask the hidden faces of deception. While this genre might not suit everyone's tastes, the film stands as a poignant reminder that some stories demand sharing, serving as a stark warning against the unexpected hazards that life can bring.

P.S. Nini is also one of my favourite actress and again she nailed the best friend character well…and even the ML acting is good here.

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Happen to chance upon this movie and got captivated with the word ‘timeless’ which I’m a fanatic for time traveling & fantasy genres and best of all it was categorized as ‘comedy’. Tried to search for details but isn’t any review in here so decided to share some after watching.

**NOTE: There’s always some spoilers in my review, please stop reading from here onwards if u happen to be someone who don’t like spoilers yea!

Yes it is a comedic way (had some laughs in between the movie, simple slapsticks but good enough to make audience chuckle at bit) of bringing out a good message in the end of the story. All is good ending (yea I’m a sucker for good endings, at least NOT hanging endings or guessing game for viewers).

Romance part, not exactly romantic (oh well, how romantic can comedies be, given this is not Korean movie...Chinese comedy movie rarely can achieve romantic level that gives us mushy and clouds-in-the-air-feel) but enough scenes to give some goosebumps for us to laugh on!

Special credit to these bunch of actors and actresses as this seems like a low budget production to me (u can take notice at how the manager’s office room is decorated with bare minimals and some scenes and their attire does reveal what’s their budget, but yet it seems that they have tried their best...I’ve only checked the main casting after watching, as to my amaze their acting isn’t that bad (something I can accept for a low budget comedy). And apparently the main actress all having at least acted in two productions (some even more) prior to this movie. No wonder their acting isn’t all bad, however given this movie plotline involves changing of multiple roles, their acting seems to be overlapping and for each of them is not easy to stand out among all.

Plotline is simple with some twist at the end, but I find the characters could have better outlines if this is a drama version (it is quite usual for movies with such plotline had to be in a rush to bring out the entire story). Some audience could probably not follow what is happening if they aren’t time travelling/ fantasy movie fanatics like me.

Music nothing memorable, just something audible in between the storyline is presented.

In a nutshell, this movie is worth watching for those who enjoy simple & short romcom with familiar slapstick jokes and silly scenes to squeeze some giggles for us to escape reality for a while. Nothing serious, but there’s a well meaning about life that the director did bring out in the ending.

Enjoy the show everyone! ^v^

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Unraveling Charm of A Wacky Medical Drama

This drama instantly immerses me in the world of Japanese dramas vibes, evident right from the beginning with its catchy opening song and playful cartoonish clips, setting the stage for an exciting journey! The plot beautifully delves into the dilemmas faced by medical professionals, skillfully portraying the challenges of balancing work and personal life. The main female lead, flawed like any real person, keeps her secrets close, often misunderstood due to her reserved nature resembling social phobia.

Then, we have Dr. Fang, whose face remains a mystery throughout, reminiscent of the style seen in Japanese manga. As a past enthusiast of J-dramas and manga before the K-Pop wave, this brought back delightful memories of anticipation and surprise.

The romance between the male and female leads felt natural, with their substantial age gap not hindering the authenticity of their relationship. The editing was commendable, showcasing intimate moments only when necessary, maintaining a fine balance and avoiding unnecessary explicitness (revealing yet not nudity). Feeling especially comedic in one scene whereby FL she was French kissing with ML but suddenly she wanted to puke (she was drunk!) and he just accepts all that she gives out…voila, that was really OMG for me…I was like, how did they acted this part out! But it is an important scene to show how high the level of acceptance (or endurance) ML has for FL regardless whatever crazy things she does! Sidetrack a bit, at some point, the ML does reminds me of Taiwanese-Chen Bolin & Wang Da Lu’s aura mixed with HK’s Aarif Lee’s jawline…and FL has the Taiwanese-Megan Lai chuckle smile mixed with China’s Nini’s eye gazes…wondering if anyone who might feel the same?

The array of other supporting characters was well portrayed, each contributing to the comedic and vibrant atmosphere. Taiwanese productions often carry profound moral messages, and this drama is no exception. The depiction of the hospital's struggle to balance economic interests with their true mission was executed beautifully, emphasizing the importance of staying true to one's profession and life purpose.

As a fan of Hollywood's classic ER and Hong Kong's diverse medical dramas, I highly recommend this series. It's concise, to the point, and thoroughly entertaining, making it a worthwhile watch.

I also find the efforts behind the scenes (BTS) commendable, especially this particular small scene..just a few seconds. Despite can go for CGI, the production crew used real props to create it with the supporting actors, as seen in this link (https://youtu.be/2AN9_ENTl7U?si=P2RzRINY2fzB6o06). Also, the musical parts which matches well with the scene to boost the feeling were really played out by many musicians with their instruments and isn’t electronically mashed up, as seen in this BTS link (https://youtu.be/uMfvFOrzYwo?si=elQuDl4eQPet_DT9). IMHO, this level of authenticity in production deserves our support, and it's one of the reasons I've chosen to share a positive review here : )

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A Rare Gem

This drama one of the few storyline that’s so complete for main leads and also second leads (step sis & her bf) & third leads (e.g. father of ML and parents of FL and even parents of 2ML!) Cannot imagine how other drama can’t have such good & complete production like this! ?

The chemistry of main leads and second leads and even third leads (bestie + coach pairing) is good…such a surprise that every of their micro expressions are well portraying their characters and good captures into the drama! Even when taking screenshots during drama watching, the well done cinematography makes it perfect shot.

Feeling connected in every episodes (regardless on the romance, life, family parts) and myself being a non tennis player (TBH am non athlete of any category!) is totally glued to all the parts with competition (good directing & editing!). It’s really hardwork & team effort as after checking the behind-the-scenes (BTS) clips, ML was sweating so much during the tennis playing that at some point he didn’t even have his makeup put on (too much sweat cannot even keep it on!) Imagine the amount of real exercise involved to produce this drama!?

The romance of main leads have many depths along the episodes as FL let down her guard when with ML (she was skeptical at first due to their age and positioning at work) and having trust in their relationship, also their age gap doesn’t pose major threats (also appreciate how the script did include some challenges arc for them to overcome!) and plenty of good kisses. It’s very realistic when FL is in love with ML, her portraying of the character when totally in love will sometimes be childish (yes, it’s true!) and at some point be afraid of losing each other but her growth of letting him personal space shows her maturity as well. Like how some parts both main leads were teasing each other abt FL being elder sister while ML is being younger bro…(in the night scene after ML practiced tennis while FL waited on at the snack bar) truly only when a couple doesn’t care about all those labeling can jokingly say it out aloud…kudos for main leads having done this impromptu (yes it’s done without any script and BTS capturing their good chemistry whereby they just thought about adding it for more feel, indeed it works so naturally!)

A rare gem as not often seeing drama with each characters (including side characters) showing development along the episodes and in here they’re not just taken as sidekicks to be fillers of the main leads! Most importantly, also good ending for main leads and other second, third leads! Worth the watch ^U^

And ofc bcos of the drama feel good, I can’t help checking out the OST songs after watching..

P.S. Be forewarned of FL & ML’s bed scene…just in case if many could be thinking this is a family drama and watching with family…lol…anyways, it’s a sweet moments and the aftermath of the scene is totally not the usual storyline in most scripts! Watch it to know why ya…

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Everyone needs love…

Experiencing a whirlwind of emotions while watching this unique love story, I delved into the director's perspective through behind-the-scenes YT clips, revealing that the movie centers around an extraordinary love tale involving two individuals with differing abilities-ML being mentally slow, while FL grapples with restricted movements, struggling to express her emotions and thoughts conventionally, making it a challenge for others to comprehend her fully.

FL's exceptional performance showcases a level of authenticity that mirrors the experiences of disabled individuals. Drawing from my visits to the orphanage and disabled children homes and noticed how their expression are, hence seeing FL acting it out here was surprised it looks very much similar.

At various points, the movie storyline does evoked a sense of helplessness, offering a glimpse into the immense challenges main leads face in seeking love, whether from family or in finding a life partner. While some might perceive ML as an aggressive person or pervert due to an incident at the beginning, I see him as someone with a slower understanding of social norms, lacking proper guidance from his family. His actions could possibly stem from being disconnected with traditional societal standards. Although FL does seems to be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome as she takes a liking for ML despite he attempted to rape her…But then, it’s difficult to comprehend what’s FL thinking as she isn’t having the privilege to choose the partner of her choice, given the disability she’s having. Hence, the complex dynamics between the characters prompt us to put more thinking beyond the normal society acceptance level for disabled people.

The movie begins with a melancholy tone but in between there’s a message of perseverance of both party…(at least ML & FL didn’t commit suicide or given up living, unlike some movies) to stay alive and keeping their hopes high to meet up again one fine day. Watching this does make general public ponder the meaning of life and to be more appreciative to things and people around us…

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Great acting for a simple story abt marriage breaking down

Just chanced upon this short clip…was looking for something to past time.

This isn’t something exceptionally written script but the acting by both main leads were good, especially ML being a veteran together with FL they’re able to have great emotions transitions from deliriously happy to sudden skeptical of each other to anger and then return to emotionally in love. This emotion rollercoaster ride was unexpected as all taken place within just 30mins…as their stories and characters being revealed layers by layers…and at first I thot it’s one of the funniest thing (thief in their hse) didn’t appear to be funny in the end…guess the thief felt bad of causing havoc and wreaked their already-fragile-marriage…

I do feel the msg is quite good…tht in a marriage sometimes can be quite fragile and needs to handle with care, needs to continuously (probably at the beginning of the relationship something was built but along the years, with busyness of life, may have forgotten to maintain it!) build a stronger foundation of emotional supporting each other in order to withstand whatever that may come by unexpectedly such as this story…to some this story cld be exaggerating the outcome but thankfully that means it doesn’t happen within your household, but sadly this cld be happening in other people’s household for all we know marriage is a fragile thing after all!

Here goes for whoever who might wanna feel this emotionally rollercoaster for just 30mins+ to experience what’s it like:
https://youtu.be/fQ4i-a6lCmM

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Saucy Content 18+ and Unorthodox Love Views

Totally unexpected for a short drama (just 8 episodes of 30mins+ each) to include so many 18+ scenes but it’s done accordingly to the flow of the storyline…sorta combination of I Need Romance + Nevertheless kinda scenes.

The storyline revolving 2 completely different besties with different love & sex views as it interestingly unfolds…Like how the directing for a change is about female viewpoint of how sex is for them which is rare as generally most production works are all about what men thinks.

This drama shows how Korean production house is really moving ahead among most Asian countries with their western-worlds-style of explicit scenes in love making and open minded discussion of sex in an educational way. At one point, I thought i’ve clicked into American’s Sex & The City…pls be forewarned to ensure no one is peeping into your device screen and avoid open audio aloud as there’s quite some handful steamy scenes with heavy breathing implying what you might not want others to misunderstand it’s a porn…it’s NOT a porn really (okay selectively maybe a soft one…lol..but there’s proper meaningful story to it!)

Some may not like how love making is muddled together with pure FWB sex making but it just shows how this can cause people to be too involved until the extent of finding love when least expected to (okay…we aren’t encouraging anyone to jump into bed just to see if both is a good match in this area! But to a certain extent don’t you think if cannot find the urge to do *it with the other person, how’s the ‘love’ going to be? Ofc, this storyline isn’t focusing on the concept of being happy in sexless love yea…lol) So if this is the question in anyone’s mind, then this drama is a good watch! ^^ At some point I thot the sex toys thingy can be educational for society as well…I mean this isn’t in any school syllabus but it’s necessary for human needs to know right…

Acting isn’t all superb but it’s good enough to carry the storyline and shoutout to Bae Woo Hee as to me her acting is convincingly of the character and yet isn’t giving a feeling of slutty which isn’t easy bcos any slightest wrong micro expression can misled audience to dislike her character entirely. But ofc, the good background setting abt her ex-bf being a total jerk helps to craft her character into someone we can vouch for in hope for her to somehow get true love. Both guys main lead isn’t 100% eye candy, hence at some point their acting does takes the lead…and appreciate how the script isn’t throwing in standard bias of how people who sleeps around are only carefree and freeloaders hence one of the main male lead is a doctor and the other is a prominent author which is more realistic how society changes is happening nowadays.

Music wasn’t something that catches me in here…but it does play at the right time to keep up with the mood of the storyline. Won’t invest much thots on that though.

In a nutshell, this is a feel good and fun watch…

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