Reviews

Oh, the Boredom!



This was a very popular drama at the time of its airing. The cast is top-notch, the plot has all the premises for a funny, romantic and passionate love story.

Unfortunately though, the viewer is forced to an extremely long wait for something that never happens, or happens on a very low scale in the last 5 minutes of the show.



The rest of it is a sequel of silly quarrels, food preparing and cleaning. I'd say the cleaning is the main character of the show, to the point you start looking around your house thinking that dusting once a week cannot possibly be enough. Yes, because these two, in turn, dust the huge house once a day, and the director saw it fit to show it to the viewer every single time, just in case one might forget how it is done.



The chemistry between the 2 leads is there, and it's powerful. Ironically though, this alchemy becomes the biggest flaw of the show, because it's like a big amount of electricity never conveyed into anything. One waits... and waits... and waits.



Since watching Full House I'm invariably sceptical about any drama portraying two lovers forced in the confines of a house.

Yawn.

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I'm a huge fan of Wong Kar-Wai. He's not a simple story teller, but a director capable of using the cinematographic media to its fullest. His movies are estetically beautiful, their silences as poignant and thought-provoking as the often minimal lines.



Hong Kong Express is no exception. The acting is, not surprisingly, brilliant. Tony Leung in particular delivers his nonchalant, ironical and obsessed cop to perfection. To Kaneshiro the honour of the best line in the movie.

The director often uses a tecnique called step-framing, in which a character is frozen in time while the world around him or her moves at incredible speed. The viewer is therefore often deceived as to the real chronology of events.



So, this is a movie about love, but it's most of all a story of solitude, like those frozen characters, who are as lonely in a metropole as little ants in a moltitude of insects.



I gave it a 8 because I need to spare the 10 for "In the Mood for Love", possibly Kar-Wai's masterpiece so far.

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I was really excited about this drama. So much so that I resisted the urge to watch it until it was completed. I wanted to be swept away, to get the full effect. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations, which admittedly were quite high.It isn't bad per say, just not as amaizing as it could have been.I am usually a sucker for such concepts.Conceptually it was brilliant, it that light and entertaining category but in terms of execution it failed to met its potential. That is the major problem with this drama, it promised so much that when it failed to deliver on all of it , you are left with this empty,unfinished feeling. Major plot points were missed in the middle and gaps tried to be filled in the end when it was just to late.The result is that,as a viewer it became slightly disjointed and you lost your emotional connection. Having said all that, I would still recommend this drama. The acting is good and the cast beautiful enough that you are willing to forgive. It is light, funny and entertaining.It could have been amazing, but ended up being good...which when you think about it isn't bad! Recommended for easy laughs and a comforting, sweet distraction.

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I can be as passionate in love with a drama as I am in hate with another.

My Princess falls in the second category.

It has all the premises for a light romantic, easy and funny watch but it fulfills none to the fullest.



The plot is a silly one, but I can forgive it since it never advertised as anything else than the usual "normal" girl becoming royal overnight and facing the changes.

When a plot has nothing big to offer, I expect at least great acting and, most of all, something original or beautiful in terms of direction/screenplay/music/visuals.

The direction of this drama is, at best, average, at worst atrocious.

The acting is nothing great either. The female lead does her best, but the rest of the cast is better displayed in a wax museum.



The music is the biggest put off. It does nothing to enhance the feelings portayed; on the contrary, it kills them. It seems like whoever had to chose the soundtrack did a hasty job, putting this or that song at random on random scenes.



Although I usually force myself to watch a drama to the end, I dropped this one, since I found that fast-forwarding 80% of an episode is a waste of time and finger-mobility.

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I usually am not a fan of musicals. There are a few instances, though, in which the story told is so beautiful and the acting so engrossing, I forget the genre and let myself be absorbed in the story told via music.



Perhaps love is one of those instances. The movie by Peter Chan has been compared to Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" and indeed it shares with this last the same theatrical flavour, between reality and dream. One can't help be reminded of classical operas such as La Traviata or Tosca, with elements of melodrama and tragic mingled with grand musical pieces and modern settings.



With the help of the music, this movie could be watched without subtitles and still be understood by those who don't know Mandarin. This goes to the director and the actors credit.



The plot is simple and very classical, but the style is new and the music original. Not an everyday movie by all means, but one which will linger in your memory.

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The story is very, very unique and interesting. It ties together at the end so perfectly that it can't be put in words(Ok, well it can, but I don't want to!) Takeshi Kaneshiro and the rest of the cast performed brilliantly. The music was alright, nothing spectacular, but it did serve its purpose well. As for rewatch value, i'm not one to rewatch movies and dramas, and I wouldn't really rewatch this one either, unless it's been several years since I first watched it. Overall though, this is one of my favorite movies and I really believe that more people should watch it. So if you haven't seen it yet, go watch it now &_&

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This movie is 10 minutes of sweetness. I stumbled upon it while searching for something new to watch, and I was happily surprised. For being a movie where the actors don't say a word, I understood everything completely. The looks, the small movements and the light explains everything and I recall myself just sitting there squeaking. It is an incredible cute story and the actors are doing great. I have already watched it several times.

The only thing I dislike with this movie is the 3 minutes long song in the middle. It is dull, annoying and does not have anything to do with the story. Otherwise the soundtrack is as sweet as the story itself.

I highly recommend you watching this and I would, at the same time, like to mention that the director of "Boy meets boy" has made a 30 minutes long movie in the same spirit, "Just friends?". A movie just as delightful as this one.

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This is one of my favourite dramas ever and believe me when I say I have seen quite a few..it was also my first, so slightly biased. In all fairness it is a slow start, but once you get into the thick of things it is one of those compeling, addictive dramas.I lost alot of sleep over this one..just couldn't stop watching. It is funny , dramatic(duh), has a bit of suspense and romatic. Not just romantic for romance sake, but that sweet organic, naturally occuring, out of nowhere, this is amazing kind of romance, with some heartwarming swoon worthy moments.

The characters, at first may seem a bit tiresome, but they have this uncanny knack of growing on you, until you genuinely care for them and wish to see them happy, successful or in some cases burn in hell. It will make you laugh and cry, which is what all good dramas should invoke. Throw into the mix a nice, non annoying soundtrack and some pretty good cinematography and you get a seriously a good watch. Strong recommended, not just for viewing but repeated viewings as well.

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I began watching this movie because of Okada Masaki, an actor whom caught my attention by being brilliant in most of his roles (He has a minor role in this movie but still managed to get an acting nominee for best supporting role). What made me keep watching was the thrilling story, something I did not expect (I didn't even read the synopsis before I began watching), the dark feeling and the overall fantastic actors. One would not think that 37 middle school students can create such an atmosphere. The woman who played the main character, Takako Matsu, was amazing in her role. But, let me quote "let's not forget the amazing ensemble cast of young Japanese actors who ultimately steal the show from Matsu's cold as ice teacher with their riveting performances as existential youth gone wrong".

This masterpiece was completed by their use of Radiohead's Last Flowers.

All I can say is: "Watch and be amazed" because this will mess with you.

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