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mibean
Reviews
NCIS: Hawai'i (2021)
Goofy and heartwarming
Summary: goofy, wholesome and overall a good watch!
(this review was written half way through S3; which is being cut short and is clearly suffering from the strikes)
Room for improvements:
Overall, I wish there was more about the different characters' personal life. Those parts are what makes the show different. (e.g. What about Jesse? Ernie?).
Episodes are sometimes jumpy. There are often gaps in the plot. You can tell they filmed something and then cut the scene out.
After a while the way the team handles the case gets kind of predictable.
Special effects/Makeup could benefit from some extra budget. Some scenes are also overexposed.
HiGHLIGHTS:
Background noise/soundtracks are always on point.
Lots of clever parallels across the different seasons/episodes that show character development and depth. This is reflected in the cinematography as well.
Women are all-around stars! It is a celebration of women across all fronts. Their humanity comes across as much as their strength in the field. They are the true stars of the show.
Queer representation seems to have angered a lot of NCIS fans for some reason but that is genuinely the more wholesome part. It is not a fully stereotypical representation of queer love and that is just so needed and worth celebrating. The relationship between agent Tara and agent Whistler is tender and goofy (okay at times cringy too), and deserving of more screen time. As you go through the episodes you witness their relationship grow and their unconditional support for each other's career. A lot is unsaid, and each little eye contact /hug is worth unpacking. The awkwardness is part of it too. It shows superb acting skills from both of them.
Overall heartwarming for a crime show. Great cast and humorous script. A lot of messages about team spirit, trust and loyalty. Plus Hawaii: love the seaside vibes and cultural insights!
Rookie (2023)
wholesome story perhaps cut too short
With sports at the forefront, this movies is a wholesome coming of age story where different themes are subtly interwoven (e.g. Religion, sexual harassment, family dynamics, pressure for aspiring athletes, etc.).
Music is on point and so is colour. The cinematography all throughout makes the movie feel timeless. It could have been set yesterday or 30 years ago..the nostalgic effect is there.
If anything, I wish the movie had been longer. I understand the choice to leave the story open-ended but there were quite a few jumps in the relationship between the leads than I wish had been explored a little more. For example, the last 20ish minutes are pretty much all about the volleyball tournament. I wish there had been more hints showing character development or just the context of their relationship as teammates/friends/lovers (e.g. Did the other teammates knew?). It felt slightly rushed in the end.
That said, the two main leads have great chemistry with each other and are both very expressive, which adds incredible value to each individual scene. Secret looks and gazes were carefully portrayed (especially during games) and so was intimacy. Hand holding and little touches were incredibly delicate in their build up too.
Thoroughly enjoyed! Another solid production from director Lee!
Bottoms (2023)
good premise but bad script
Let's start off by saying that the premise of the movies comes across as a fun and relaxed watch; your typical high school rom-com with the bonus points of having female queers as protagonists. The final result however is not..
The casting is outstanding. Surprisingly good match between actors and characters. They also seem to vibe quite well with each other but that's about it.. Half way through the movie, things really stop making sense. Special effects are quite good for such a genre but script is just not fun to the point you're just laughing and forget about everything else. The violence is comical but at times feels unnecessary. The plot, simply put, ceases to make sense and so is the purpose of the movie and its relation to patriarchy.
Sure, you can say the story is all made up and that humour is subjective and all but I had much higher expectations for this.
Algoissjiman (2021)
dull interactions between leads but totally worth for the side stories
Storyline is nothing outstanding but - let's be honest - that's often the case for korean romantic drama. What stands out however is the depiction of the life of "average" college students which, excluding a few dramatic exception, comes across as quite realistic... Everyone is navigating school work, stress and romantic pursuits and it all blends it together quite nicely. The pace is sensible.
While dramas like this usually capture the audience's attention through a main love story, this is the total opposite. More often than not, I felt the urge to fast-forward the interaction of the main couple as no romance was there; it was awkward at best. If anything, it just felt like the main guy was crossing boundaries all the time - and not in a good way.
Apart from the main leads - whose development was again very questionable - all other characters have multiple layers. Their stories are nicely interlinked and the actors all do an outstanding jobs in showing the different emotions, especially as they develop feelings for each other.
Cinematography and music are of very high quality and so is the attention to detail. As many dramas on Netflix, it is obviously more liberal (e.g. More sex positive, with lgbt elements) than other k-dramas. This flips around the traditional expectations of where the episodes might go in direction. While oftentimes the timing of these more intimate scene felt grossly misplaced, I find the addition of these shots to generally add value.
Overall, a show worth watching (if you can bear the lead characters)... You might even shed a few tears (i did and i usually don't!).
Show Me Love (2023)
tender adaptation with a slightly messy editing
Started watching with no expectations, no background context, and ended up being positively impressed by the chemistry of the main cast (not just the two main leads, which are, by the way, quite something!), and the subtlety through which different societal issues are explored all throughout.
Whilst being a very tender and - at times cringey - adaptation, the sexual tension is very much there and the cinematography supports it well; even though, to some extent, it almost starts to feel intrusive as it gets more intimate.
The drama unfortunately loses itself towards the end (last three episodes) where the editing becomes jumpy and it is hard to distinguish dreams from reality. Peripheral stories are of no help either. At this point, it also becomes clear that some scenes were likely shot in different order.
Overall, the show is a novel representation of being lgbtq+ in a field that is not usually regarded as particularly friendly or supportive of queer women. As such, it could definitely benefit from being screened on different platforms - either for free or through bigger streaming services.