5 Old High School Teen Movies I Rewatched (again)

Was in a mood in the past week so I watched these 5 movies again for the umpteenth time. They’re all pretty short, simple and sweet. If you need a short movie to get away from life and are into romantic storylines, these are great!

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

This is probably my third or fourth time watching 10 Things I Hate About You.

It’s typical, it’s funny, I like that Kat Stratford has an attitude and she behaves just like herself without caring what other people think of her. Her comebacks are great, too!

Basically, Patrick Verona was on a mission to win Kat’s heart, not because he likes her but because of money. And as the story goes on, he slowly falls in love with her.

Overall, this is your typical high school teen movie with lots of heart-melting moments. I’m a sucker for these movies.

Apart from Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona, I felt like I wasn’t so into the other characters.

Heath. Heath Ledger. This is probably the only movie of him I have watched and I don’t think I want to venture to the dark side. I’ll never be ready to see him as The Joker.

Freaky Friday (2003)

“YEAH! YEAH!”

I tell you, every time I see the sight of the Freaky Friday movie or think about it, I hear the song, “Take Me Away” going on in my head! But, it’s a good reminder.

I love how cool Lindsay Lohan is in here, and my, so hot! Love love love.

A high school teenager who loves her music (and looks so cool playing it), at the same time loves her family. This show talks about communication between a mother and her teenager, which is a common issue in many real-life parent-teen relationships out there.

Only through a soul switch that they start to understand what it’s like being one another.

It made me laugh and smile throughout. I will never get bored of watching this over and over again.

A Walk To Remember (2002)

THIS. THIS is my seventh or eighth time watching it since 10 years ago.

It didn’t hit me as hard this time now, thank goodness.

Landon Carter is a bad boy whose life took a turn when he met plain Jane and religious Jamie Sullivan. Jamie is another character whom I like because she sticks to her own beliefs, her own life, without behaving in a way just so that she fits into a certain category in society. Her replies and comebacks to Landon are kick-ass too!

Jamie turns out to be sick and does not have a long time to live, so you’ll see how Landon treasures every second of it with Jamie and does everything he can for her.

A sad one, this one.

Mean Girls (2004)

“On Wednesdays we wear pink.”

A classic line in Mean Girls.

Cady Heron joins high school for the first time after being home-schooled for years and she learns how to navigate her way in there. Originally a plan to get close to the most popular girls in school called “The Plastics”, Cady ends up being one of them. See how she realises what is truly important to her at the end of the day.

It’s still a good movie to watch but I think I’m getting bored because of the comedy that was a little too much but not funny enough.

Pretty In Pink (1986)

“Hey, it’s the girl from The Breakfast Club!” was my first thought.

I’ve never watched this before, and after reading the synopsis I gave it a try.

Well, can’t say I love it, it’s just OK for me. Not sure it’s because it’s too old or the storyline didn’t attract me that much. Great performances from the casts though.

It’s basically a love triangle between Andie Walsh, her best friend, Duckie and one of the rich and popular kids in school, Blane McDonough. See how the story blossoms when these two try to make it work due to the difference in their social and economic backgrounds.

This has been my mood last week. I get sudden urges to watch certain kind of movies depending on how I feel, so we’ll see what I feel like next.

Toodles!

Thoughts on: 姉ちゃんの恋人 / Our Sister’s Soulmate (Japanese Drama)

Just finished Our Sister’s Soulmate and I enjoyed the simplicity of it.

Two people who have very normal jobs meet each other because of a project, but due to the man’s past, it becomes something that he personally has to overcome and it’s also another thing to be accepted by the woman if they were to pursue a relationship together.

It was so touching!

It highlighted a lot about friendships, family, being able to look past a person’s background and focus on the present…a realistic view of what a normal life is about.

Plus, because we’re all staying home a lot of the time, the bright tones of the movie made it nice to watch. And my, these kids have such an awesome array of food for breakfast in the morning that I wish I was there too!

The only weird thing I found about the drama was the way it incorporated the scenes about the pandemic in there. It was, like, a random scene, probably to show the relevance and also to tie the script and narration together. I thought they could, perhaps, eliminate it or added it in in a less-awkward way.

Overall, it’s easy and quick to watch and you wouldn’t have that “I wasted my time on this” after it ends.

Toodles!

P.S. After Nevertheless, I got university vibes so I watched Cheese In The Trap and it was alright at the beginning, but as it reached the ending I was like, what? What did I watch all that for? And I really didn’t feel anything for the characters. But, oh well, no ragrets. I got the vibe I was looking for.

Thoughts On: 알고있지만 / Nevertheless (Korean drama)

Nevertheless is not the usual K-drama I would go for because I would think that it’s too cheesy, but, there was Song Kang in it and only released 1 episode per week so I gave it a try.

The story was alright, in my opinion. It depicts the lives of university students, Park Jae Eon(Song Kang) who is the bad boy/ player character in here and Yu Na Bi(Han So Hwee), the sincere, good girl. It so happens that they get tangled up in a complicated relationship.

What I like is how the scenes were filmed so beautifully. And although it is a pretty slow-paced drama, I think I enjoyed each moment of it. You’ve got beautiful people, scenery, colours, background and the camerawork. I think that would be the strong point of the drama. It’s something to enjoy slowly without rushing through the episodes.

Well, that’s all I’ve got to say. Tata!

Thoughts On: 보스를 지켜라 / Protect The Boss (Korean drama)

This is such a feel-good drama for me!

I like tough and strong female leads, and Noh Eun Seol (played by Choi Kang Hee) here is perfect! If you switch her with another actress with a more girly persona, I don’t think I would have loved this drama so much.

I also love almost all the characters in here, whether they’re good or bad because of its comedic element. Just when I thought things were gonna get serious in some scenes, something funny happens and then it gets a little comedic again.

The characters

Noh Eun Seol – rough, tough, determined, cannot stand injustice, but has a gentle and kind side

Cha Ji Heon – a needy coward with a psychological disorder, but we’ll see him transform with time and I’ve actually come to like him a lot

BY THE WAY, the kissing scenes between Eun Seol and Ji Heon are like, perfect. The timing, the moment, the mood. It’s wasn’t cringey at all for me. This probably shows that I was very invested in the characters.

Cha Mu Won – a charming gentleman with very good brains and skills for work (my type LMAO) but I don’t find myself having second-lead syndrome

Seo Na Yoon – she tries to get the man she wants but does not use any dirty tactics, at the same time is always going to Eun Seol for help. She always had me laughing when she was crying hahaha.

A supporting role I would like to mention is Ji Heon’s father, Cha Bong Man. Bong Man might not be the most honest businessman and the best dad, but I can’t deny his love for his son. It resembles how a lot of parents in the world would behave to protect their child. 🥺

Also would like to mention about Eun Seol’s bestie, Myeong Ran. She’s such a good friend and support to Eun Seol. I’d like to keep a friend like her forever.

To watch or not to watch?

I’d say go for it!

When I saw that there were 18 episodes, I was wondering if I’d be able to make it to the end but surprisingly, the whole drama was easy to watch from beginning even until the last few episodes.

You know those dramas that drag out so much in the end? Yeah, a total buzzkill.

It’s happy, funny and a good show where you can just take it easy and laugh along. Plus, I think you would develop some feels for the characters in no time.

Toodles!

Thoughts On: コード・ブルードクターヘリ緊急救命 Code Blue (Japanese Drama)

Have you ever started a drama that makes you go like, “I’m loving it, I just wanna stay home and watch it and not go anywhere”?

Not like we can go anywhere right now, but, Code Blue just made me feel like I want to stay home and watch every minute of it.

The story is pretty much based on the lives of emergency doctors and nurses, so most part of the drama is intense, it’s all about life or death in that moment where the doctors are using their medical knowledge to try to save the patient but with every step they take, there’s going to be a risk.

I’m not someone in this field but their scenes and cases seem so real that I can’t help but think that every case is actually based on a true story that happened to someone out there and it got me tearing up for a lot of the patients in here.

There is Season 1, Special (almost 2 hour-long), Season 2, Season 3 and a movie for Code Blue. I just started Season 3 and so far, there’s almost zero romance going on, which is great! But, I wonder if there’s going to be some sort of spark between….😏

Actors

I’m biased because I love Tomohisa Yamashita. I’ve been watching several of his dramas and he really becomes whatever character he plays.

As for the other casts, I’ve seen them playing smaller roles in other dramas but they are ALL. REALLY. GOOD. Even the patients made such a good impression, including kids who can cry and then smile right after with tears in their eyes 🥺

To watch or not to watch?

I say, give it a try. If you have ~~a lot of~~ free time like me, want a fast-paced drama with no draggy scenes yet makes your emotions go:

It’s worth it.

I’d say prepare some tissues if you’re in for the long run.

[Update]

I watched all 5 of it, but I think the best are Season 1, Special and Season 2. Season 3 and the movie were just OK for me but it was nice to see their transformation. I think you can stop at Season 2 to keep that yearning for medical dramas going, but if you decide to watch everything, I think you need to take a break from med dramas for a bit.

Alright, that’s a wrap!

Thoughts On: 화유기 / A Korean Odyssey (Korean Drama) – Part 2

Fashion – Son O-gong

The costumes worn by Son O-gong in the first few episodes have loud, animal prints and lots of fur, which helps in introducing him as “Monkey God”. I gotta say I love how playful the layers are, especially with the prints and that red jacket which absolutely fit Son O-gong’s personality. Apparently, the fur coats are also for the cold weather which Son O-gong hates because he’s a monkey who came from a volcano. [Source: Naver]

Moving forward, there’s less prints with more solid colours on the inner layers. Once you remove the fur coat, the outfits look like what fashionable people would normally wear in winter. Nevertheless, I love how they look expensive and chic at the same time.

Aha! Here comes some very gentlemanly outfits. According to Lee Seunggi’s stylist for this drama, Son O-gong possesses the characteristics of a prince, therefore he has chosen to style him this way. On top of that, there’s also something sexy and decadently beautiful about him, thus the jackets and long coats donned by Son O-gong.

By the way, what Monkey God wears a Versace bathrobe at home?

A number of his clothes are actually from Versace and other luxury brands.

So, in Episode 8 is where I realised Son O-gong’s shirt is somewhat similar to Jin Seon Mi’s – they both are wearing white shirts with the pussy bow. It’s so cute that his outfit is starting to resemble hers. This is where they’ll kiss as well –

And the V-shaped haircut? It’s a little naughty and an unconventional hairstyle, but again, matches the character well.

I realise I had so much fun writing this piece, so I think I’ll keep writing about other characters’ costumes in the next few posts.

Thanks for reading and toodles!

Thoughts On: 화유기 / A Korean Odyssey (Korean Drama)

Sorry this post took a while to come up because I decided to watch it again and understand it better. Plus, I actually enjoyed it the second time too. Am planning to watch it for the third time…?

Hwayugi is such a good ‘welcome back’ K-drama for someone who has stopped for quite some time.

Dove in without expectations and I found myself getting hooked to the story.

Why?

(Spoiler alert)

What caught my attention

While I was doubting whether to really watch this or move on to another show on Netflix in the first episode, there were a few comical scenes that kept me going:

When Jin Seon-mi, an owner of a real estate company went to visit a building that she was about to purchase, her encounter with the spirit turned into something funny when Seon-mi exclaimed, “Is it necessary for you to crawl out with your hair like that?” to the long-haired ghost who came crawling towards her. When Seon-mi threw what I assume to be red beans(?) at the ghost, she actually shouted “Ow, ow, that hurts!”. The short fight ended with Seon-mi helping the ghost to tie up her hair in a pink cord.

Next, the scene where Son O-gong pretends to be a priest was another factor that retained me from returning to Netflix’s home screen. After successfully performing the exorcism, the real priest arrived and asked which parish is Son O-gong from. With a face full of confidence and a finger pointing towards the sky, he said, “I am…directly from up there”.

I’m able to understand and read Korean (although not well), but hearing the word “direct” (다이렉트) (a direct translation from English to Hangul, pronounced as indeed, dai-rek-teu), just made me laugh. I like funny elements in a show and usually these are able to capture my attention.

And before I knew it I was already at the last episode.

What kept me hooked

Very clever storyline with a smooth flow
Unexpected events happening one after another without any foreshadowing before. When they revealed it, I was like, “Whaaaat? This was planned?”
One example would be the part where Ma Wang drinks the wine containing Samjang’s blood. From the scented candles to the part where O-gong welcomed Ma Wang, the story just flowed naturally and it happened before I even realised that something is going to happen. Once again, kudos to the Hong Sisters (screenwriters) who have written many popular dramas in the past (several which I really enjoyed).

Copied from Wikipedia:
The Hong sisters have become known for mixing broad, somewhat juvenile comedy with elements of romance, then transitioning to heartbreak in the drama’s second half. They’ve created a trademark style with their fast, fun narratives, hilarious situations, love of puns and meta references, and memorable and quirky characters, and their name has become a recognizable brand in the Korean drama industry.^[26]

And that’s what I love about the Hong sisters’ production so far.

How fast and fun the dramas are is a huge factor for me. No draggy storylines and cringeworthy scenes. Yaaas.

I also like how the ending went, a little sad but not exactly a sad ending. To be honest, I think I quite like this kind of ending, similar to how Someday Or One Day did.

Characters and casts
This is probably my third time watching Lee Seunggi in a drama and I did not realise he is so good! He plays the imprudent, rude, mischievous, powerful, yet sweet as heaven Son O-gong from a hugely popular Chinese novel Journey To The West that’s based on a mythology about the Monkey King, a story that I had come across and a number of Hong Kong drama adaptations watched when I was really young. I like how Son O-gong is given a more modern outlook that fits in the current world – driving a Mercedes, loves drinking (yeah you heard that right), has Kakaotalk on his smartphone and so, so fashionable (more, I mean, more more on that later). My main point is, whenever I think of Monkey King now, it’s definitely going to be Lee Seunggi and nobody else.

And dude, his transformation after his military enlistment is just, WOW. Umm, that defined jawline and bawh-dyyyy.

I don’t remember watching any dramas that Oh Yeon Seo played but her face just gives me a sense of familiarity. And, I think she’s really pretty! Her eyes are a light shade of brown and she’s really tall with a bigger build, which I think I can resemble compared to a lot of other actresses. Performance? On point! I love it when actors’ tears appear in droplets at the rim of their eyes, then proceeds to flow down their faces. Oh gosh I sound like a psycho.

Furthermore, she also has very good albeit short performance-within-performance in Episode 15. Her acting as an evil priestess, Asanyeo (after they switched souls), who’s completely different from the usual Jin Seon-mi, had me convinced that that was completely Asanyeo and never Jin Seon-mi. Just then, she wanted to play along with O-gong’s pretend game, so as Asanyeo, she provided facial expressions and emotions of Jin Seon-mi, which is a 180-degree change but very well-played.

Devil King/ Ma Wang is over-the-top dramatic and so weird! This character was there to confuse me and it kept me thinking whether he’s actually good or bad. And bam! Plot twist. Kka-kkung!

Did you see how he was crying terribly and then a minute later starts laughing? He’s so quick in changing his expressions and I’m just so amazed. This drama led me to The Greatest Love though and it actually is a pretty nice drama, again by the Hong sisters. And Cha Seung Won’s character is just always, so weird.

There are too many characters to talk about but I love them all! Richie makes such a cute zombie, Summer Fairy and General Winter (Sung Hyuk, you’re the best of both worlds), Secretary Ma and Sa O-Jeong. Made the story really fun and interesting to watch. However, have to say, PK can be so annoying at times when he helps Asanyeo with her bad deeds.

Presence of LGBTIQ
The drama included characters like Summer Fairy and Jade Dragon, which I don’t often see in other K-dramas that I have watched so far. Summer Fairy is actually General Winter’s sister, who shares the same body as him. And, Jade Dragon turned out to be in love with PK in Alice’s body? So cute. Although there weren’t any topics highlighting LGBTIQ, but I feel like the drama kind of portrayed this group of people in a positive light – accepted, loved and they love back.

Not sure which topic this falls under but I also liked the part in Episode 5 where Ma Wang and Secretary Ma briefly mentioned that historically, some women were heroes of the country yet people believed that they were men. Empowering women!

Cinematography and mise-en-scène
Cinematic instead of (conventional) drama-like, with a lot of close-up shots of characters’ faces and background blurring, which puts the focus entirely on their acting. The lighting and colours throughout the movie are a little dark to suit the tone of the drama, which is just perfect.

On to the mise-en-scène, even in the first episode I was mesmerised by the interior of the Marble Mountains where Son O-gong is trapped. Love the extensive use of mirrors and candles here and also in a few other parts of this drama, such as Ma Wang’s house that was set up so well to suit the story and both Ma Wang and Son O-gong’s characters. The mirrors always makes me anticipate the characters’ reflection to appear different or spot a subtle expression that wasn’t meant to be revealed to other characters. Gotta say that the sets in this show are really beautiful!

And, the fashionable costumes.
My favourite part! Love the outfits, love the styling and with main casts that are tall, these outfits fit them ever so nicely while adding more to the essence of the characters. Okay, I think this part will be really long and I feel like I have a lot to say, so, I will be back in the next post!

Remember to come back for more!

Thoughts On: 想见你 / Someday Or One Day (Taiwanese Drama)

This is not just another romance drama, but it incorporates characteristics found in other genres like thriller, mystery, time travel and suspense.

There are a few reviews where this drama has been said to “burn your brains” if it’s directly translated （烧脑）, which I think is pretty true for my case.

As I followed each episode, the story reveals more events (whether it’s in the present, the past or the time between 1998 and 2019), yet it also hides the answers for those events. While my brain was already burning with questions and possible outcomes, they provide a clue to another linked event.

Every time they do this, I’m like:

Okay, it’s opinion time!

^{Spoiler alert (proceed at your own risk):}

First things first, I have forgotten when was the last time I was so emotionally invested in a drama. Someday Or One Day has really put me in the characters’ shoes and I started to watch each scene from each character’s standpoint.

When Huang Yu Xuan asks Wang Quan Sheng why he likes her and Quan Sheng really hoped to tell her that it’s because he knew her in another time.

When Huang Yu Xuan meets her boyfriend 2 years after his death and when she wakes up not seeing him next to her…this part hit me so hard. Even I, as an audience, didn’t know if her reality in 2019 was even reality anymore. Was it a dream? I mean, to lose someone you love twice in your life, that’s…I don’t even know how to put it in words.

Here comes my praise for the scriptwriter, author, director, producer and the whole production team:

Writing this whole story is just, wow. Like, you gotta know your timeline really well. As if going back and forth between different times are not enough, there are overlaps where important events occur too. Then, there’s the filming…oh gosh, editing? Can’t even…

From the beginning till the end of the drama, the scenes never fail to give me suspense and surprise. One of them is the example I mentioned above where Yu Xuan woke up without Zi Wei by her side.

Another scene that put me in confused mode once again is near the end where I thought Yu Xuan successfully returned to 1998 at a very crucial time. So, ‘she’ had Yu Xuan’s hair and that bubbly personality, but there’s also something off about this Yu Xuan. So, is she Yu Xuan or Yun Ru? Aha! It’s as if the director wants to let you know, at the same time he doesn’t want to let you know. At this point my mind is already crippled.

Characters are very well played

Alice Ko plays two very different characters, but it was top-notch. As I mentioned, she made me confused about the character she’s playing at the end of the drama. Without clearly revealing if the character is Huang Yu Xuan or Chen Yun Ru, we’re expected to think that she is Yu Xuan. The way ‘she’ looks at Zi Wei is a little different than how we expect Yu Xuan to look at him, yet she tries to convince everyone that she’s Huang Yu Xuan. At the same time, ‘she’ gives off a very forced effort to be someone else, seemingly unnatural.

Acting itself isn’t easy, let alone being two characters in the same drama and even more – to be acting as one when she’s actually the other. I think this is an awesome performance-within-performance.

*standing ovation*

There are also many comments about how at the age of 35, Alice Ko could still pass as a high schooler. I’m hoping that I could still look like 25 when I’m 35, that would be enough.

Chen Yun Ru in Someday Or One Day. — *Source*：256影视

Greg Hsu, on the other hand, plays a cheeky high school boy, a hopeless romantic university student and then a mature man in his 30s that has gone through so much, so so much in Someday Or One Day. I have to say, that smile is KILLA! I’m trying to be really objective here *contains the fangirl inside*. Although he has starred in multiple films and dramas, it’s his second time playing the main character of a drama after Q Series: Love Of Sandstorm (2016) and this really is a job well done!

From the Li Zi Wei in 1998, we saw a playful, yet kind and caring 17-year-old boy in his carefree high school days, a true ‘sunshine boy’ （阳光男孩）. Moving along the episodes, there are many scenes of him as a university student who fell for Yu Xuan again in a different life. This tender and loving student named Wang Quan Sheng loved Yu Xuan in the past as Li Zi Wei and still loves her in the present. This side of him wasn’t shown before but you will see that he has a little of that when Yu Xuan left him in 1998 and never went back. Or so he thought…

HAH! I’m already feeling confused myself at this point but I’m pretty sure I’m moving in the right direction.

When Li Zi Wei hit his 30s, with the right outfit, glasses and hair, Greg Hsu did convince me that he’s already a grown man who has had more than enough of experiences in his life (going back and forth, that is).

Li Zi Wei with a helmet in Someday Or One Day. — Source：知乎

Both actors cried ever so naturally and beautifully (watching actors and actresses cry are part of my enjoyment) in the sad scenes, I was moved.

Except the youngest one among the casts, Patrick Shih who plays Mo Jun Jie as he didn’t have much crying scenes. But, this 24-year-old actor played his role fairly well for a newbie. Being a sweet and quiet boy who’s a lot of times at the sideline, Jun Jie’s love for Yun Ru is mature though. Bravely confessing how he likes her for who she is and telling her that even if she doesn’t like him yet, that’s okay as he’ll give her time and see where their relationship goes.

Fast forward to 2008 when he is released from prison, the 27-year-old Mo Jun Jie seems to have a deeper sadness within him compared to 1998. I didn’t know this ex-convict would eventually end his life like how Chen Yun Ru did, but again, I guess it didn’t come out too much as a surprise either according to the transition.

But! The real Patrick Shih is actually a little playful, immature （小屁孩） and cries easily, according to the other casts. So, don’t get fooled!

Mo Jun Jie confesses in Someday Or One Day. — Source: qulishi

The ending, neither happy nor sad, is what I prefer nowadays than a happy ending. It gives you the freedom to think however you want it to be. But, holy, the part where they bid each other goodbye at the beach? It’s so sad. It somewhat reminds me of the dramas where they like to end it with a memory loss scenario, but what’s different is that this one has a purpose to save other people’s lives and I don’t feel like it’s cliché. Usually memory loss at the end of the show makes me feel like I’ve wasted my time watching the whole story between two characters and I get very annoyed, but this one gives me hope as he said “No matter what, I’ll find you.”

*cries under blanket*

The songs in the drama are really nice, including the old song “Last Dance” by Wu Bai, which is the key element here because without it, time travel isn’t possible.

After I finished the show and could properly listen to the lyrics to all the songs, they were just too relatable to the whole drama and I caught myself rethinking about the characters and their lives. Then, I felt sad all over again. Who knew the lyrics to “Last Dance” was so relevant? It’s like it was written for this movie to be produced 23 years later.

This drama definitely makes me want to return to the Taiwanese drama scene after so many years of hiatus!

Discussions and opinions are welcome because this is why I wrote this piece, right? Don’t be rude though! Only constructive feedback, aite?