Because Empty Fame Is Evil. That's Why.

A Dream of Splendor

A 40-episode historical drama from 2022.

The premise

Pan'er (played by Liu Yifei) is a woman in her mid-20s who owns a teashop she co-runs with her friend Sanniang (played by Liu Yan). Pan'er prepares and serves the tea, Sanniang bakes all of the yummy pastries.

One day, some bandits show up at the teashop and start up some trouble. Pan'er and Sanniang defend themselves. Also present is Gu Qianfan (played by Chen Xiao) who is the commander of a kind of elite force that only answers to the emperor. He's been ordered to find an item that's supposedly in the village Pan'er's teashop is at. They make a really bad impression on each other.

A short time later, Qianfan asks Pan'er for her help as the two head off to the Eastern Capital...


This is a pretty cool story (for the most part. I'll try to be vague when I mention what didn't work me) It's v. different in a lot of aspects.

Liu Yifei is amazing as Pan'er. This is a character who is warm, compassionate, clever without being too precious abt it, and has a mature personality that I thought was neat to see onscreen. Fun fact: Liu Yifei also goes by Crystal Liu. She snagged the role of Mulan for the live action version of the animated film. I don't remember much of the movie, but there we are.

So Pan'er's background is quite dark. (Because this is discussed front and center in Episode 1, I don't consider this next thing a spoiler.)

OK so, when she was 9 y.o., her father had (allegedly) incurred some heavy debts and so he sold her to a brothel. (I say "allegedly" because things are a bit more complicated.) While there, she was trained alongside other little girls to dance, sing, and have other skills (of the non-sexual variety) in order to entertain the male patrons. The emperor granted a general amnesty to folks under the "pariah" status (such as sex workers and folks adjascent to sex work) when Pan'er turned 16. She was then able to leave the brothel, get her name taken off the national register of sex workers, and try to find a way to live.

Per the drama, Pan'er never engaged in actual sex work during those 7 yrs she lived and worked at the brothel. Personally, I find it quite unbelievable given the environment she was at for almost a decade. Both her and Song Yinzhang (played by Lin Yun) state time and time again that they are (or were in Pan'er's case) registered musicians ONLY. Per the cultural norms of the time (I've heard this drama's set during the Song dynasty), they're both considered at a similar lower class like that of merchants.

Anyways, early in the show, there's a moment where (for plot reasons), Pan'er HAS to slip into her musician/entertainer role to set someone up. The scene continues all the way to the aftermath. Where she's shown frantically rubbing her hands and face, disgusted at having to pretend to be a sex worker. IDK, I thought it is a really interesting moment that says a lot abt her and her inner world without using much dialogue.

Chen Xiao is really good. In the show, Gu Qianfan is nicknamed the Living Devil for a good reason. As the show progresses, though, he does softens up whenever he's around Pan'er, heheh.

As for the CP…hmm. I love that they have an actual Meet Ugly. And then, as the episodes continue, the bluntness with which they interact with each other not only makes a lot of sense BUT it's kinda cute? IDK.

Once they get into the romantic mode… OOOOOH, I WAS ON THE FLOOR AND SWOONING!

Both actors have an exquisite kind of chemistry. They're two ppl who are adults, have complicated backgrounds, and respect each other. For him, it's abt being able to unwind while for her it's abt finding someone she can trust. When they're together, they don't quite achieve Power Couple status, but they get quite close. (I do have a :| abt the CP that I'll mention in my criticisms.)

Chi Pan (played by Dai Xu) is my Chaotic Baby. I adored his OTTness. He made me cackle whenever he threw yet one more tantrum. I loved him from the first scene where he had a nasty fight with Pan'er all the way to the end of the drama.

ANOTHER THING THAT KEPT ME WATCHING is that I like how the focus is ALSO on female friendships. Both within the main trio AND each female character's relationships with other women. There are moments when one of them will meet another female who, in another drama, would be an enemy and yet they become friends too.

Speaking of, one thing that legit SHOCKED ME was a moment that I've NEVER SEEN in any Chinese drama before. At some point, a female character is searching for Pan'er. Suddenly, she doubles up in pain right in front of Pan'er's home. Pan'er happens to be leaving, she sees the female character practically on hands and knees, and so she asks her to come into her home. Neither character knows who the other one is, btw.

The female character mentions that she's got really bad cramps.

Me: DID SHE JUST SAY CRAMPS? DID SHE MEAN THE KIND PPL GET WHEN THEY'RE ON THEIR PERIOD?

The scene continues with the two of them talking abt PERIODS. Pan'er asks the female character which day is she on. The female character replies that it's the first day and how that's the worst one. Pan'er then makes her a PERIOD TEA!!!!

And before that convo, the female character is shown walking out of Pan'er's bedroom wearing Pan'er's clothes…which IMPLIES THAT THE FEMALE CHARACTER HAD STAINED HER DRESS.

ME: 😲😲😲 but also \o\ \o/ /o/!!!

Not only cuz they were talking abt People Getting Their Period, how much it sucked, etc WITHOUT using any euphemisms, but also because the TONE (from the beginning of their meeting to the end) was v. "this is a NORMAL thing."

Which made me curious abt the production team…

It turns out that Yang Yang (the drama's director) and Zhang Wei (the screenwriter) are both women who are in their v. late 40s. And THAT explains why this show has a different, women-first kind of vibe that aaaalmost toes the line into preachy but doesn't overwhelm either.

The cinematography is SUPERB, bTW. The costume and set designs are excellent as well.


Do I have any criticisms?

I do. 😥

- Some of the humor really doesn't work for me. Especially cuz there are moments featuring two characters (a woman who shows up in two episodes and a recurring male character) who are fat. The "jokes" abt the man have to do with his body size. As for the woman, it's all centered on how gluttonous she is.

- There's a character who is set up to be a villain and I just never cared for them even as an evil character. Especially toward the end where the character goes off the rails. The actor (and the role) reminded me a ton of Shen Yurong (the husband and one of the main villains of The Double.)

- I have a v. strong criticism abt the CP (I know. I KNOW!) in something of a spoiler (I'll TRY to not be super specific) but let me go

what upset me abt the CP

As per the Drama Gods, they have a temporary breakup right before the last 10 episodes of the show. Up until then, I was a giggly mess whenever they appeared together onscreen.

HOWEVER, I 🙄 at the reason why they separated had to do with one character GHOSTING the other for a truly stupid reason. It leaves the relationship in limbo cuz then one character is trying to do a noble sacrifice (that made ZERO SENSE) while the other character is truly hurting and wanting to know WHAT HAPPENED.

The entire breakup goes on for abt EIGHT episodes. Before they make up for good, the character who is hurting does get caught up on everything that the other character has been doing. The character also gets actual, solid proof that the character who disappeared had tried their best even at the risk of their literal life.

Anyway, when they finally get back together, the character who ghosted NEVER APOLOGIZES. Rather than remorseful, that character CONTINUES TO TRY TO DO THE NOBLE SACRIFICE THING. Which was annoying the first time around and INFURIATING during that scene.

It's not until the Character who got ghosted pretty much SHOCKS the other character that they make up. IMO, all of that could've been handled way, way better.

- Consequently, I was disappointed with the way that the last 4-5 eps turned away from the romance and the female friendships to address the whole imperial court stuff. Even though I was Muppet Facing one half of the CP, I wanted some more syrupy, ridic lovey-dovey moments between them and the show instead focused on everything and everyone BUT the CP.

- Then there's the ending. *sigh*.

FTR, it's a happy one for sure. During the LAST episode and now that everything had been solved, I was like

Me: OKAY, SHOW, YOU PULLED MY LEG THAT ONE TIME A COUPLE OF EPS AGO AND DIDN'T SHOW ME A LOT OF THE CP. BUT YOU'RE GONNA GIVE ME ALL OF THE ROMANCE YOU OWE ME, RIGHT? I WANNA SEE THE CP IN THEIR NEW HOME BEING ALL RIDIC WITH EACH OTHER.

At this point, I think there were, like, 3 minutes to go. I was SEATED for the CP's wedding and/or seeing them married in the future with lots of kids....

The Drama

HOW ABT I USE THESE LAST THREE MINUTES TO GIVE YOU A 3-MINUTE MONTAGE OF ALL OF THE CUTE CP MOMENTS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY WATCHED?

THE END

🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️ TO THE MAX


What's the FMC's plot armor level?

Low.

Not only did she spend part of her childhood and most of her teenage years working at a brothel (again, allegedly NOT involved in actual!sex work but still!), she has to deal with a lot of misogyny. I mean, all of the female characters do, but y'all know what I mean.

She also goes thru some true financial hardships, homelessness, and (at one point) she tries to endure corporal punishment that almost leaves her in a coma. So she does suffer a ton. There's a moment she tells another character that she's so sad that she can't even cry. FTR, she does bounces back and her ending is a happy one.


How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?

It's presented in an interest way than I'd expected it to be.

The emperor (played by Bao Jianfeng) has an unspecified chronic illness that leads him to have really bad migraines. Funnily enough, Bao Jianfeng had also played the emperor role in Love Like the Galaxy. This time around, he's playing the emperor with a more serious angle vs. LLTG where he was goofy for the most part.


Do I recommend it?

Yes.

SO, taking into account everything good AND bad (the CP before the last 10 eps, Chi Pan (who brought in the laughs when they were most needed), the many female friendships and mutual support, the bullshittery abt the court thing taking over the ending, certain plot holes not being tied up, and that FUCKING FINALE), I give this drama a 3.5 out of 5. All of the eps are on YouTube.


Queerness level

Lowish.

There's a secondary male character who, due to plot reasons, does drag. It's not explained why, but everyone (in the show) is A-OK with that.


Le Trailer

Watch on YouTube

It's pretty solid AND pushes the romance to the forefront.

Love Like The Galaxy

A 56-episode, v. popular period drama from 2022.


The premise

When Niaoniao (played by Zhao Lusi)'s a baby, her parents leave her with her paternal grandmother and aunt. Her parents are generals who have been ordered by the emperor to go fight elsewhere. FIFTEEN YEARS GO BY before they return. In all this time, Niaoniao has not only been neglected by her parents (who never visited her), but her grandmother and aunt mistreated her, and she doesn't have a real education.

Now that they're back, her parents try to help Niaoniao become a more socially acceptable person. The reunion doesn't go as smoothly as either party hoped it'd be.

Niaoniao keeps running into Ling Buyi | Zisheng (played by Wu Lei), the emperor's foster son AND one of the most powerful generals in the entire nation despite his youth. He's cold yet fair.

All the while, there's a growing conspiracy brewing…


The acting is pretty good. Zhao Lusi is v. expressive (from her voice to her body). She has a playfulness that has an undercurrent of manipulation. I like that she's not a bookworm BUT she does have smarts. Particularly when it comes to construction, woodworking, solving puzzles, and general creativity. She's curious abt all kinds of things DESPITE her mother wanting to crush all of Niaoniao's wonderment.

Wu Lei's Zisheng is handsome and has a definite PRESENCE. At times, he's a bit stiff while possibly trying to project the aloof vibe.

Another good thing is that the show gives both MCs the space they need to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Other shows would've probably rushed to get them to the next stage of the drama.

Good costuming and set design. Speaking of, kudos on how the good job the show does with using Niaoniao's style is used to show the passage of time. The bits abt domestic life are fun.

I gotta tip my hat at the many different kinds of women in this drama. There's a gamut from warrior/soldier women, to silly women who love all of the frippery, scheming female characters, and soft ones (who know how to navigate society) too. Extra yays to Consort Yue (played by Cao Xiwen); she's my fave female character in the show. Kudos to the dynamic between consort Yue and the empress. What an unexpected but comforting bond!




Do I have any criticisms?

DO I? BEHOLD MY COMPLAINT-A-THON. XD

* Old Madame Cheng (Xu Di) as the grandmother is a character that irritated me for the first 5 eps. I'm aware that this actor is v. popular. In this show, she plays an OTT, slightly crass character who tends to scream a lot and play the DRAMATIQUE card to the point that my eyes almost rolled out of their sockets. She yells a lot while pretending to be crying. I get that it's meant to be comedic,but I kept getting more and more upset at her antics.

Just as bad is Lady Ge (Chen Sisi), Niaoniao's aunt, who encourages that kind of behavior.


* Speaking of family, I'm v. much on the fence abt Niaoniao's relationship with her mom, Xiao Yuanyi (played by Zeng Li). It's a super antagonistic series of interactions that will piss you offf. What made it super erratic is that the show tries to reassure the audience abt Yuanyi truly loving her daughter. Whenever the two of them are in the same room, though, they react in a combative way that EVERY CHARACTER REMARKED ABT. In part, it's cuz they have similar personalities. The problem is that the mom would dole out punishments until she almost crosses the line in a bad way. Things do get smoother in the last third of the drama, but I wasn't convinced abt their reconciliation.


* Another negative is that the editing is off. Per what I know, the show had filmed around 60-65 eps but, per present time guidelines, the production team edited it down to 56 eps. This means that the storytelling suffered cuz things that would be important end up only being show. IIRC, I first noticed this around eps 45-47.

* The show does tries to smooth out the shift from the domestic stories (at Niaoniao's family home) to the Imperial Court. With the focus moving to the Imperial Family, specifically the emperor's offspring. Niaoniao ends up getting immersed in their lives due to her connection to Zisheng.

OTOH, I got why that had to happen as some of their minor plotlines tie directly to the fight for the throne thing. OTOH, a LOT of it felt like filler to me. I truly didn't care abt, like, 97% of the royals, LOL. One consequence of the royals taking up screentime is that the characters from the domestic plotline, i.e. Niaoniao's family and friends, are pretty much not shown for large swaths of time. To the point that important stuff (like weddings and pregnancies) are barely mentioned. I WANT TO SEE MORE ABT THE HOUSEHOLD, Niaoniao's families, ANYTHING BUT THE FUCKING ROYALS!

Adding to this is that there are 2 instances of different royals characters having the SAME STORYLINE beat by beat pretty much back-to-back. With the storylines being "character hates Niaoniao for no reason, so they try to get her in real trouble (if not kill her)".


* One thing I picked up on and ended up lessening my enjoyment of the drama was how EVERY. MALE. CHARACTER who is single and not related to NiaoNiao either has a crush on her OR wants to marry her.

Consequently, nearly EVERY. FEMALE. CHARACTER who is single and not related to NiaoNiao* automatically hates her. Like, Niaoniao walks into a room and every female character present wants to scratch her eyes out/tries to humiliate her/tries to 'put her in her place'. It's so fucking weird; I'm talking abt 6 different characters who wish the worst on Niaoniao ON SIGHT for no reason other than Buyi being openly interested in Niaoniao. IDEK.
(NB: * there is one (1) female character (who is single for most of the story and isn't a family member) who is a Ride or Die for Niaoniao.)


* I wanted to move past my overall cool feelings abt the CP, but that became an impossibility for me.

Zisheng and Niaoniao are deffo, 100% FREAK4FREAK. Like, that's not even up for argument. It is because they see and accept each other for who they are. They had a great simpatico going on. Had certain things been different, I'd have LOVED this CP head to toe.

The problem is that Niaoniao is 15 years old for abt TWO-THIRDS of the drama. Meanwhile, Zisheng is around 21. Not a terrible age gap (6 yrs), but her age is something that the drama brings up A LOT. Making it virtually impossible to forget it. 😬

I was v. uncomfortable with the show's insistence that this couple deserved a grand romance and whatever. Especially when it came to Zisheng. He makes it v. fucking clear that, if he doesn't marry her, he'll remain single for the rest of his life. From the SECOND he sees her from afar, he's like "omg, that's the woman I'm gonna marry! She's so beautiful!!"

Me watching this: SHE'S 15, WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?! (I know that this was considered marriageable age back in the day. However, I live in 2025 and I just don't roll with the idea of a grown adult romancing a teenager. IJS.)

I kept watching in the hopes that the show would jump forward (which it did at some point) so that Niaoniao would be a little bit older. Unfortch, that didn't happen until the last third of the drama. FML.

Nevermind the fact that both characters have some deep emotional and psychological traumas (for different reasons). Thankfully, both characters get the chance to (separately) work their own shit out before getting together for good. Small mercies, I guess.

ON TOP OF THAT, there's something that Zisheng does which leads to a betrayal (NOT CHEATING) that hurts Niaoniao to the point that she swears she'll never forgive him. Because I knew this was gonna have an HEA, I did wondered how things were gonna get resolved.

SADLY, he didn't do nearly enough groveling as he should've.

Le Spoiler Abt This

The show works super hard to get them back together (probably due to there are under 10 eps left.) Rather than having the two characters hash it out and Zisheng GROVEL, the drama drops a loophole into the story that automatically gets her to forgive him. I really didn't like that. IJS.

.


* Lou Yao (played by Yu Cheng'en) who is a sweet but v. naive male character whose raging crush on Niaoniao rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. He tells her that he wants them to get married. She turns him down. He decides to woo her all the same?


* For whatever reason, the show has 3 characters doing heel turns wayyy late in the story. It was all so random, NGL.


What's the FMC's plot armor level?

HIGH.

Niaoniao will always come on top SOMEHOW. It's not as blatant as with The Double, but it's close.


How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?

It's the same story (ppl want to take over the throne) with a slight twist. That whole fight for the crown begins roughly 15 yrs before the show begins. So I found it interesting on how the show keeps the animosity going on for almost 20 yrs between the factions.

I'm of 2 minds when it comes to emperor Wen (played by Bao Jianfeng). He's the founding emperor of his dynasty (I've heard it's one of the Han ones; don't ask me cuz IDK a lot of history and even less abt Chinese history.) We know this dynasty is young cuz, per the show itself, the emperor has been ruling for a little over 10 yrs when the drama kicks off. He's a fair ruler who believes in keeping things balanced; v. likable too. HOWEVAH, he's kind of too benevolent (and that's something his enemies are v. aware of.) Him being merciful makes things a bit weird when he tries to pull rank since he IS soft-hearted.

The OTHER ??? is that he's way too concerned in getting Zisheng and Niaoniao together. It's played for laughs, I guess, but I was thrown off by his interest or the emperor being THE shipper of all shippers, hahaha.


How does it address/works with the trope?

So-so.

Unlike Fangfei (The Double) and Dou Zhao (Blossom), the wrongs done to Niaoniao are less specific. Yes, she was done dirty by her parents, but the drama shows plenty of scenes where the parents make amends. Her revenge plots are mostly abt Niaoniao getting back at present time!bullies. Also, and despite being smart and v. observant, she's not as savvy as the other two characters I mentioned. Not only is she a 15-y.o., but she also lacks life experience. This last thing meant I couldn't believe the scenes in which adult characters would seek Niaoniao's counsel.

Meanwhile, Zisheng is a GOAT in the Cold General department. He's imposing and fierce both in the field (the action scenes are really good) and in civilian life. In a scale of Somewhat Threatening (1) to Having MURDER FACE 24/7/365 (10), I'm giving a 9.5, i.e. HE'S V. STABBITY (in the Touch Her and DIE way when it comes to anyone doing Niaoniao wrong) and a SCARY MOTHERFUCKER (in general) who is also a total goober with Niaoniao, her family, and some of his relatives. I want to see other stuff he's done after this show.


Do I recommend it?

I kinda do DESPITE ALL OF MY BITCHING, hahah. It was quite the fun drama (ort least the first half had a couple of ongoing plotlines that I was v. interested in. I liked some of the characters and Niaoniao is quite charming.

OTOH, the romance was NOT it for me and I
😒 how the royals overtook the plot. Settling in giving it a 2 out of 5. Watched this on YT, but I know it's also on Viki.


Queerness level

It's low-to-moderate. I can see Niaoniao/Wan Qiqi as a cute F/F ship. Also Zisheng/Yuan Shen (as enemies to lovers) and a surprise Zisheng/Male character I can't reveal cuz that's a big spoiler. Oh, and also Niaoniao/Zisheng/Yuan Shen for funsies, heheh.


Le Trailer

Watch on YouTube

Which emphasizes the romance, downplays the fact that they are both freaks (of different kinds), and doesn't even bring up the imperial family stuff. IDEK, y'all.

Imperial Coroner (YouTube)

The premise

First airing in 2021, this is abt Chu Chu (played by Su Xiaotong), who comes from a family of coroners in her small hometown. She wants to be a coroner. In order to do that, she's got to take an exam so that she can secure a license to practice alongside her father and older brother. From what I can remember (it's been some 3 yrs since I watched this?), it wasn't exactly forbidden for women to want to be a coroner, but it's deffo looked down upon. Chu Chu doesn't care, though. She's READY.

On her way to take the exam, something happens that has her meeting Prince Xiao (played by Wang Ziqi), who is the head of a criminal investigation department within the Imperial Court. Unfortch for the prince, his unit is way understaffed (in part cuz it's considered lesser than other investigative departments.) Regardless, Prince Xiao picks up on Chu Chu's smarts, so he strikes a bargain. He hires her to help him investigate some odd cases and she will get more experience AND some backing to help her become a true/officiall coroner. From there, they team up and investigate all kinds of cases (usually murders).

Along the way, there are two larger storyarcs: one focusing on Chu Chu's background and one abt the Prince's history…


I have to admit that I almost gave on this show after the first 2 episodes, LOL. The way I go abt watching shows is to give the first three eps a chance JUST IN CASE. Sometimes, the pilot might not be good enough, the second episode might be wobbly, etc. USUALLY, by ep 3, I've made up my mind as to how I'm clicking with whatever's on the screen.

Two episodes in, I did find a lot of things I liked BUT there were other things that really, really annoyed me. Regarding the first, I liked the cinematography, most of the characters, and the acting. Unfortch, the one (1) character that kept annoying me was Chu Chu herself. :(

IMO, Su Xiaotong was playing her a little too peppy for my taste. On top of that, her outfits in the first 5 or so eps skew toward a younger (think pre-teen girl) look that was discordant with the whole murder cases thing. IJS.

ANYWAYS, I was abt to DNF the show when I said "well, let me sit thru one more ep just for completion's sake"...and I ENDED UP FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE DRAMA, HAHAHAH. JOKE'S ON ME!!! FWIW, I've got zero idea as to shifted for me to go 😍 and yet!

I kinda feel like Chu Chu, as a character, DID calmed down a little bit w/r/t some of the OTT quirkiness that was rubbing me off so wrongly in the first two episodes? As the show went on, I appreciated her dedication to her work and how much she loved her family. It was ALSO neat to see her world expand as she met more ppl and… (THIS IS NOT A SPOILER, Y'ALL), eventually having a romance with Prince Xiao.

Meanwhile, Wang Ziqi's approach to Prince Xiao was really interesting. He's considered to be aloof..but not in the usual OMG, HE'S SO SWOOONY type of way that Chinese historical dramas tend to do. He's much more of a cerebral character (although he can deffo fight when necessary).

As a couple, the two of them are ADORABLE. They're one of my fave types of couples: FREAK4FREAK. Both are v. unconventional people (Chu Chu is not grossed out by gore (having grown up in a coroner family) and Prince Xiao tends to suss out people and situations (but he's a bit of a socially awkward failboat at times). I love their vibe because they see each other for who they ARE and fully accept each other. So, when he starts to woo her, he does it in a totally unexpected way and she does the same.

SPOILER

there's a handkerchief Chu Chu embroidered a v. specific rib bone cuz it's the rib that's anatomically closest to the heart

ON TOP OF THAT, there are two other AWESOMECAKES characters that I LURVE. One is Len Yue (played by Zhao Yaoke) who is a badass lady that Chu Chu proposes to when they first meet and Jing Yi (played by Yang Tingdong), Prince Xiao's bestie and a bit of a brawler AND a goofball.

Had this been another kind of drama, there would've been some messy stuff happening of Chu Chu being jealous or Len Yue OR Jing Yi and Prince Xiao fighting for Chu Chu's heart. Instead of that BULLSHIT, WE GET EVERYONE CONNECTING WITH EVERYONE TO THE POINT THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT GO OT4. All four have amazing chemistry with each other (and, IMO, I feel like the show DOES PUSH for OT4 in every which way?) This deffo elevated the delightful experience that it's watching this show.

Most of the cases are pretty cool and interesting in terms of the crimes and how the team went abt solving them. I remember being kinda eh abt two cases, but I also didn't mind them much cuz I was having a good time watching Chu Chu, the Prince, and everyone else doing their thing.

ANOTHER COOL THING is that, if you're squeamish, all of the autopsies and the crimes are depicted via animation. So, even though Chu Chu and co deal with a lot of death, there's v. little actual gore onscreen. IJS

Sometimes, though, the way that Chu Chu and Prince Xiao discuss the cases can be a bit too much? (which includes the level of decomposition of the bodies, how deep/bad injuries were, etc.)


Do I have any criticisms?

I didn't care abt the whole drama with the emperor, LOL. IMO, things got unnecessarily convoluted, YMMV.


What's the FMC's plot armor level?

MEDIUM

Chu Chu's bad experiences in the show have to do with past emotional trauma and moments of grief (regarding her mother, who passed on before the show began.) By ep. 10, I knew that she was gonna make it out okay out of dangerous situations. Which was fine with me cuz I didn't need that stress, really.


How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?

It's a plot that began in a clever manner, but then it got dull as the show went on. I was not into it at all. *Hands*


Do I recommend it?

HELL YEAH! You get (mostly) intricate cases featuring two people who are FREAK4FREAK, their besties/paramours, and a whole lotta fun stuff in 36 episodes! I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. Watched it on YouTube; I know it's also on Viki.

Even better was hearing the news (late last year) that filming's already started for SEASON TWO featuring with the ENTIRE CREW AND ACTORS FROM SEASON 1!!!

(So now I'm thinking of rewatching it later this year, i.e. before Season 2 drops.)

Queerness level

HIGH.

You've got F/F, M/M, F/F/M/M, M/M/F, etc. The OT4 works in every. single. way. There are a lot of shippy moments for every combo. If you like polyam ships, this might be the C drama for you! (You'd think I'm overselling, but nope, I'm truly not.)

Le Trailer

Watch on YouTube

FWIW, I feel that this trailer makes the drama look goofier than it actually is. Even though I understand it as a way for ppl to tune in, it does miss the mark when it comes to encapsulating what this drama is really like. IJS.

I wrote a a Charli XCX rec post for last year's Fannish 50 that focused on her latest music (instead of being a full retrospective.)

In the time since then, she's released a deluxe version of brat AND a remix album as well. This post is abt the latter, but more abt the way that there's always a bloody and beating heart within even the seemingly cold and vapid melodies of hyperpop. The best example of this is the evolution of "Girl, so confusing" from Charli's 2024 album.

Some context first. Back in late 2014, an interviewer confused Charli with Lorde. Asking her abt what her inspiration of "Royals" was. Charli was game enough to reply while pretending to be Lorde. Fast forward to May 2024 when, during an interview, Charli mentions that she'd had some moments of intense jealousy toward Lorde, that she resented Lorde's popularity. It's important to note that a lot of that was also fueled by the media comparing the two (since there can only be one (1) quirky/alternative/cool white female artist at a time./s).

A month later, Charli releases brat.

The song (original version)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VIDEO BELOW HAS INTENSE FLASHING LIGHTS EFFECT. DON'T WATCH IT IF YOU'RE PHOTOSENSITIVE AS IT CAN LEGIT TRIGGER SEIZURES..

Watch on YouTube

Charli's extremely candid abt her insecurities (just like many of the songs in the album). Only this time it's mostly provoked by someone in particular. Ppl begin to SPECULATE abt the identity of that person. Lorde is the main female artist that ppl keep bringing up (alongside other artists like Marina and Rina Sawayama.)

Two weeks go by.

The song (remix version)

NO F/W warning for this video. The song does touches on disordered eating, tho.

Watch on YouTube

And here's Lorde verse:

Well honestly I was speechless
When I woke up to your voice note
You tell me how you’ve been feeling
Let’s work it out on the remix

You always say let’s go out
But then I cancel last minute
I was so lost in my head
And scared to be in your pictures

Cause for the last couple years
I’ve been at war in my body
I tried to starve myself thinner
And then I gained all the weight back

I was trapped in a hatred
And your life seemed so awesome
I never thought for a second
My voice was in your head

Girl, you walk like a bitch
When I was ten someone said that
And it’s just self defense
Until you’re building a weapon

She believed my projection
And now I totally get it
Forgot that inside the icon
There’s still a young girl from Essex

[N/B: These next two verses have Charli and Lorde singing it together. *clutches heart*]

People say we’re alike
They say we’ve got the same hair
It’s you and me on the coin
The industry loves to spend

And when we put this to bed
The internet will go crazy
I’m glad I know how you feel
Cause I’d ride for you, Charli

(the song fades with Charli saying "You know I'll ride for you too")

WOW! I just get chills whenever I listen to this amazing tune.

FTR, they've performed this song live a few times. My fave performance was this surprise one during Weekend 1 of this year's Coachella.

TRIGGER WARNING FOR A LOT OF STROBE LIGHTS, INTENSE BACKGROUND GRAPHICS, AND V. DYNAMIC CAMERAWORK. DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF PHOTOSENSITIVITY.

Watch on YouTube

IIRC, it was close to midnight and I jumped up and began dancing cuz it felt like a v. magical performance, NGL. 😅 I also LOL'd a little whenever Charli's AutoTune'd voice went on before and after the song. It was an extremely happy-making moment for sure!


Bonus performance!

Charli ended her set with a DELIGHTFUL rendition of "I Love It" (which she wrote, then gave it to Icona Pop.) And that in itself is greatness. BUT, the reason why I'm including this person's fancam here is cuz I went quite @ __________________ @ over the Brat Summer outro.

The moment right around 3:55 made me get even more starry-eyed but, like, on a visceral level. The onscreen text questions her abt whether or not brat and/or brat summer is really over. The video intercuts with Charli dancing against a vivid red-almost-fire orange background. Her image gets more and more distorted until riiiiight around the 4:00 mark when a slight delay is added. I love how it all works together to give an added layer of EMOTIONS to experience.

FINAL TIME I'M ADDING A V. SEVERE WARNING FOR HELLA INTENSE FLASHING LIGHTS. DON'T WATCH THIS IF YOU'RE EVEN SLIGHTLY PHOTOSENSITIVE. I'M 100% SERIOUS HERE. I usually okay with strobe effects and the like. However, even watching this on my TV was quite O__o.

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TBH, IHNI how I stumbled on Jane Mulcahy's YT channel, but what I do know is that I always have a great time whenever I watch any of them. Even if IHNI who the subject is. Although her content is smaller than not, you can tell that she's worked hard on creating videos that are watchable AND fun. There are several videos abt Teen Wolf, some Bollywood song, Halloween Disney movies, a bunch of Degrassi ones, etc.

These two next videos are among the longest ones, but they're super entertaining.

Watch on YouTube

Self-explanatory title is self-explanatory. :P

Watch on YouTube

Yes, this video is an hour and 26 mins. It's a rollercoaster of LULZ and 🙃🙃🙃 due to the plots and the tagline using "wrong" (and almost always being said by Vivica A. Fox.). Although it's unlikely I'll ever watch any of these movies, I deffo enjoyed hearing abt them. ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) ☜(⌒▽⌒)☞ (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

Expectations had been HIGH ever since it was announced that Coldplay would perform in Seoul for 6 sold out shows. They had TWICE during the first show (and then dropped an annoucement of a collabo they're doing with them.)

PPL were like OJO to the max cuz it was a fact that Jin was gonna show up. After all, he'd released "The Astronaut", a pop rock "I'm going into the military, but I'll be back" song that featured Coldplay. AND, shortly before enlisting, he'd flown something like 40 hrs from SK to perform the song live at what ARMYs affectionately call ArJINtina back in 2022.

The reunion happened this past Saturday and everyone was floating on cloud nine...

NB: these two videos (though filmed in HD) are fancams. As such, there's a lot of v. happy screaming, plenty of flashing lights from the stage, etc. BigHit will most deffo release a couple of Bangtan Bombs abt these two performances at some point in the future. But this is what we've got right now, so that's what I'm sharing with y'all. :DDD

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Two years ago (WHAt iS TIMe?), I did a post abt the Fact in Fiction YouTube channel's ranking of 3 of HYBE boy groups' dancing (which included BTS, TXT, and Enhypen).

Since then, two more ranking videos have been uploaded. This time PER GENERATION (oooh!)

First up is the 3RD GEN ranking. This one includes BTS, Seventeen, EXO, and a ton of other new-to-me groups.Overall, I do agree with the top 3. And, though the video is from 2023, I think the rankings remain steady two years later.

Watch on YouTube

Then there's this video abt 4TH GEN ranking. Tons of groups IHNI who they are (aside from, like, TXT) Or, better said, I might've heard of some of these groups BUT I can't recognize a single member (again, aside from TXT).

Watch on YouTube

Both videos are almost an hour long, BTW.

This post happened cuz the YT algorithm showed me that there was a "modern" retelling of A Letter to Three Wives. I had to watch it, BUT I also wanted to compare it to the original and so here we are! :P


A Letter to Three Wives (1949) (I own this movie on DVD and digital formats)

Based on a short story by John Klempner called A Letter to Five Wives that had originally been published on Cosmopolitan back in 1945, this movie was adapted for the screen by Vera Caspary and based on a script by Joseph L. Mankowitz (who was also the movie's director.)

This is the perfect example of what ppl talk abt when they mention "women's films". Obvs, 'women's films' exist today, but I'm specifically talking abt those movies that dropped in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. It's a melodrama that, on the surface level, centers around the romantic entanglements of a group of women. However, it also tackles some aspects of post-WWII life for (white) women. In regards to how they re-establish their place in society, what the expectations are for them, and the way women compromise their dreams vs. societal pressures.

The movie begins with three women heading out to run an all-day picnic at a small island that close to their town as part of their women's club activities. There's a 4th women named Addie Ross (the only single member in the group) that's supposed to participate. However, she sends a letter to them in which she says good-bye AND lets them know that she's left town with one of their husbands. She doesn't say whom, but does mention that the woman who's now single will know cuz her husband won't be home to greet her. By the time they finish the letter, the boat has already left the pier and the women can't do anything abt the news.

From there, the majority of the movie is a series of flashbacks where each woman reflects on their marriages, what issues each marriage has, and what level of involvement does Addie Ross has in each of their lives (as far as their husbands are concerned.)

The first marriage is that of Deborah (Jeanne Crain) and Brad (Jeffrey Lynn). They met during WW2, she's basically the 'new kid in town' (because everyone else has lived in the same town forever). A lot of Deborah's insecurities w/r/t her marriage bubble up because of that and due to everyone else being at a higher socio-economic strata than her. Frex, her husband and his circle of friends are members of the country club and attend a lot of galas. Meanwhile, Deborah's background is much more modest (she's a farmgirl who joined the army with the hope of seeing more of the world). ANOTHER insecurity is based on her comparing herself to the wonderful, beautiful, and elegant Addie Ross. One thing that doesn't help is that Brad (just like the other husbands) tends to talk Addie Ross up. It's clear that all three male protagonists not only have individual backstories with Addie, but also appear to have some type of crush on her.

Theirs is the one couple that has the friendliest vibes, tho. Deborah's really in love with Brad. I'm still on the fence as to how Brad feels abt his wife. Especially since afterhe and Addie had dated then broken up, he enlisted and married Deborah rather quickly…

The second couple is Rita (Ann Sothern) and George (Kirk Douglas). She's a successful scriptwriter for radio dramas, he is a high school teacher. They're childhood sweethearts. The issue between them is that Rita's ambition + her workaholic tendencies has put a heavy strain on their marriage. George is A-OK with Rita pursuing her dreams, but he also chafes at how much time Rita puts in her work. It's messing up with their home life. The Addie - George connection is that Addie tends to talk abt literature and other arts related things with George to the point that it's become one of the things that irritates Rita. On top of that, Rita is the main breadwinner and, though he claims to be fine with that, George does snark at Rita abt her position in the family…

The third couple is Lora Mae (Linda Darnell) and Porter (Paul Douglas--no relation to Kirk). Lora Mae lives in the literal wrong side of the tracks and she's also extremely beautiful. Her dream is to be rich. Meanwhile, Porter is not only older than Lora Mae, but has already gone thru a divorce. So he's jaded abt the entire marriage thing. ON TOP OF THAT, he owns the department stores chain that Lora Mae works at. The topic of boss/employee dynamic IS something they talk abt. I liked that the film didn't romanticize it.

Out of the three marriages, Lora Mae/Porter is the most fascinating one to me. They've got this delicious push-and-pull thing going on in which she's trying to land a husband and he's trying to figure out how to avoid getting into another marriage. Their mutual cynicism continues even AFTER they get married, LOL. Their two main problems have to do with Porter's attraction to Addie Ross (it's v. implied that she rejected his advances) AND that, during one nasty fight, Porter throws it in Lora Mae face that he basically bought her affections. Watching a marriage that has such a blatant transactional aspect was kinda !!!, NGL. Thing is both of them are still ppl seeking affection, so the gist of their character arcs is abt both of them being willing to show their vulnerability to each other.

The cast is pretty solid. Jeanne Crain is ridic talented in everything she appears. Unfortch, I don't recall seeing Jeffrey Lynn in anything else (but he does seem to have a reputation for playing "good guy" roles.) Ann Sothern was fine. She's one of those classic actors who has never left me with any kind of impression. Unfortunately for me (because he was a rather terrible person IRL), Kirk Douglas during his B&W era was AMAZING in every movie he appeared in circa my ult fave Out of the Past. I really like him in this movie. Linda Darnell is FANTASTIC as Lora Mae. I'm deffo game for watching more of her movies. Paul Douglas is really good too.

I LOVED the scenes between Connie Gilchrist (Lora Mae's mother) and Thelma Ritter (as Sadie, Lora Mae's mother and also a maid-for-hire).

Speaking of, the DIALOGUE, Y'ALL! It's snappy and funny but can turn sharp and vicious.Good pacing and camerawork. Oh, and there are some audio cues that were v. cool too.

One thing I keep changing my mind is the dang ending. There are two ways of interpreting what really happened. IMO, the ambiguity is nice and doesn't take anything away from the movie. If anything, it makes it a lot more interesting.


Do I have any criticisms?

I'd say that Jeffey Lynn's role as Brad has the least amount of screentime out of everyone in the main cast. So I didn't see that much character development there.


Do I recommend it?

100%. Everything abt this movie works. I know it's available to rent everywhere (there might also be copies uploaded to YT?) I own both a DVD and a digital copy of this movie, so I just cast the movie to my TV.

I'm giving it a 4 out of 5


Queerness level
Nonexistent.



A Letter to Three Wives (1985) (YouTube)

This time around Debra and Brad are played by Stephanie Zimbalist and Charles Frank; Lora Mae and Porter are played by Loni Anderson and Ben Gazzara; Rita and George are played by Michelle Lee and Michael Gross. The movie first aired on NBC.

Since this is set in the 80s, there are certain things that have been added to the film in order to "modernize" it. There's a lot more kissing and more sexy innuendos. Frex, in Debora and Brad's segment, there's a longish sequence of the two of them (fully clothed) making out in bed.

Another thing is that, in the 1949 version, they'd met while they'd both been part of the military. In this version, Brad had a skiing accident that resulted in a broken leg. Debra was one of the nurses at the hospital he was at. They fell in love and now they're living in his giant mansion.

The cast is so-so. The only two actors who stand out are Stephanie Zimbalist (who was, by the time this movie aired, a fairly popular actor due to her starring role in Remington Steele.) Her portrayal of Debra's insecurity is convincing.

Loni Anderson's take on Lora Mae doesn't make the best first impression. However, she does a really good job with the role. When the movie goes into her backstory and how her relationship with Porter came to be, acting-wise, Anderson is the most interesting wife to follow. Her version of Lora Mae is someone who is genuinely scared of showing her feelings. She's grown up protecting herself from being hurt by others. Sure, she's pretty and she's aware of how desirable she is, but she's still a person with thoughts and feelings. Anderson manages to show all sides of a character in a way that registers as real. And that is what makes watching her story so deeply satisfying.

A small tip of the hat goes to Michael Gross' George. By the time this movie aired, he'd been portraying Steve Keaton in Family Ties for a couple of years. Although I wasn't a fan of the show, I did feel like some of that character's personality influenced his portrayal of George in this movie. His George is given to speechifying in a way that gave me serious deja vu, YMMV.

Oh, and the voice of Addie Ross is Kate Mulgrew! (In the 1949 version, it was Celeste Holm). I did chuckle once I recognized her, NGL. A final cute tidbit: Ann Sothern (who played Rita in the 1949 version) portrays Lora Mae's mother.


Do I have any criticisms?

Well, the movie is NOT good, LOL.

To me, the least interesting couple was Rita/George. A big part of it was what I feel was the suggestions that the director gave Michelle Lee. My best guess is that a lot of the directions were "JUST YELL YOUR LINES!". Whether she's on the phone or having a conversation that escalates to a full-blown argument, Lee's Rita has to say everything at the highest volume ever. It doesn't help that she's so busy all the time that she comes across as extremely frazzled. So there's an additional layer of tension to her marital problems that I found unnecessary. I also don't like the couple cuz they're too talky for my taste.

Which leads me to one of the biggest problems I had with this version. A good 70% of the dialogue was a c&p of the 1949 movie (that wasn't the problem.) Instead of coming up with new dialogue for the remaining 30%, what the script did was add SIXTY PERCENT new dialogue. This meant that every character has more lines and THAT leads to an overexplanation of everything and anything that happens onscreen.

And, like, this movie does not have a complicated plot. It's not a heist, a mystery or spy thriller. So there's zero need for every character to be so fucking chatty. It read to me as the production team didn't trust the audience to understand a v. straightforward plot. IJS.

I totes cringed at the additional dialogue. Especially the bits that were meant to be 'funny' banter. Like in a scene between Brad and George where they're discussing Deborah and what marriage life is like… I was internally facepalming all through it.

Do I recommend it?

LOL, no! Watching this to the end was a STRUGGLE AND A HALF. This movie was a HUGE waste of time. Stick to the 1949 version. I'm giving it a 1 out of 5 (and that was only based on Loni Anderson.)

The video quality is really, really bad. Think a copy of a copy of someone's VHS tape. It's BELOW standard definition, LOL. I mean, you CAN see their faces and whatnot, but it was far from enjoyable.


Queerness level

There's absolutely nothing here and that's a true blessing!


And with this, I'm (temporarily) closing the book on adaptation comparisons, LOL. There deffo are other movies I've got my eye on, but I want to move onto something new for next month. ;)

Behold a rare 2-4-1 post abt two movies I watched three years ago and have just revisited this past January. This was largely thanks to my cousin gifting me a 2-yr subscription to MAX last December. I happen to find out that both The Matrix: Resurrections AND The Batman are available for streaming over there. I figured "why not watch both again?" So I did exactly that, hahah.

Although i won't write abt their respective endings, I will be spoiling some plot points here and there. SO, EXPECT MEDIUM-LEVEL SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT.

The Matrix: Resurrections.


I might be misremembering, but a lot of folks (myself included) were v. hyped abt this return of Neo, Trinity, and co. When a photo of Trinity driving a bike with Neo behind her was released, ppl went WILD. Everyone was THIRSTING AND READY.

Then the first trailer dropped and the buzz was moderate-to-positive. Once the movie came out, though, the overall reaction was 😒.

My Matrix credentials: have watched the first movie a ton (even bought it on DVD), bought the soundtrack, bought (and played) the Enter the Matrix game, generally loved the 'verse. Wasn't interested in fic or the fandom (so IHNI what any of that was like.) The second movie was okay. I liked where it was taking the main storyline. Sadly, I didn't vibe with the 3rd movie at all. It felt like the team had run out of ideas and so they patched up whatever was at hand, YMMV.

The movie premiered late 2021. I watched it for the first time sometime during the first two weeks in 2022. My overall feeling when I finished it was "well, that was a movie, I guess." Keep in mind that this film came out 22 yrs after the first movie premiered.

The Matrix: Resurrections finds Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) as a famous (if lonely) game developer. He's dissatisfied with his life; it seems he went thru some kind of episode that resulted in a mental breakdown. Now he's on meds, getting therapy, etc. One day, his boss tells him that the company is going to reboot The Matrix, i.e. the game that Anderson created. While in the midst of trying to figure out what to do abt that, Anderson begins to realize that everything he'd thought as delusions were actually real.

That coincides with some folks coming in to confirm AND remind him of who he really is...

As I said, the hype was thru the roof. It made sense since the first movie had resonated so much with its audience given its themes of alienation, technology becoming more insidious (lorde, we had NO idea what was to come), etc. It would ping with movies that also premiered in 1999 and touched on those same themes (American Beauty, Fight Club, and Office Space. The fact all 3 of those movies centered white cis dudes is not lost on me. BUT I DIGRESS.) So much time had gone since the last movie in the franchise and ppl were eager to see how the most recent entry would reflect the current (2020s) sentiment.

It WAS awesome to see Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves. Their chemistry remains top notch. You WANT to see them TOGETHER all the time. They remain v. charismatic.

I also liked the intro to the next generation of characters. Particularly Jessica Henwick as Bugs (she's the character with the bright blue hair). She was badass and likable. Seeing Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus was neat! Especially since, in the movie's timeline, Morpheus would've been either really old or dead. The movie reworked a loophole of sorts to bring him back into the story that I ultimately found clever.

Adding to that was finding out how the humans in the real world had evolved as well. Their lives had changed so much in the 20-odd years since Neo's sacrifice. The same goes for the exploration of how would the Matrix evolve in order to create a better cage to keep humanity shackled. The action scenes were fine; nothing that made me * _______ * , but I didn't mind them.


Do I have any criticisms?

🙃🙃🙃

I'll start by saying that movie was too long.

The main problem is that this film had two v. strong and different storylines vying for A-Plot status (one being Neo realizing Thomas Anderson is a false persona & reintegrating himself as a human being; the other one is abt how Neo and co. were gonna defeat the Matrix. Again. ) Not to mention all the side storylines.

And, since the movie tried to focus on all of that, none of stories got the level of attention they should've gotten.

I also felt the movie wasted the opportunity to have Trinity and Neo together a lot more BEFORE they team up for realsies after realizing who they are. I wanted additional insight into what Trinity's Matrix life was like aside from the two glimpses (at the cafe) of her husband and their kids. Yes, there's a scene of her at her workplace (a garage cuz she's a female mechanic. HOT!!!), but it's only to put her in danger.

In the movie, Neo looked at Trinity while at a cafe. It's clear this wasn't the first time he'd seen her. However, he didn't know her (or, better said, didn't remember her.) Then he met her again thanks to a cowoker only to find out that she's not only married but also had three kids. O___o?! .

The third time happened they met for a coffee date in the "friendship only" sense. For ~reasons, the movie never showed them talking on the phone or texting or whatever, so it was v. abrupt. Then more plot occurred until they finally recognize who they were and what they meant to each other. I really wish we'd seen MORE of the two of them getting closer since they are the heart of the movie. It felt like the movie took shortcuts to get them back together without showing much abt her life in the Matrix or, again, Neo and Trinity starting to become friends.

Perhaps the movie would've worked better if either the movie had been abt Neo reconciling with himself AND reconnecting with Trinity OR it'd been split into two movies so that there would've been enough space for each main storyline to develop properly.

They should've also turned the callbacks and Easter Eggs to earlier movies wayyyy down. Like to 10%.

The big bads were ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Neil Patrick Harris (as the Analyst) was totally miscast. Between him and Jonathan Groff (Smith), Groff was a way better villain. He did menacing and playful really well. Patrick Harris was a facsimile that didn't work. Perhaps the fact that they're both white, cis, and gay dudes who both chose to be v. nasty in how they reacted to each other AND to Neo (once Neo remembered who he was) , it almost felt like watching the SAME character, IDK.

ANOTHER THING was the styling. The first three movies had a latex, leather, and vinyl look that was a nice treat for the eyes. But this movie paired everything down and it was the SADDEST OF ALL SAD TROMBONES. They kept the sunglasses thing and that was abt it.

OH, and I haaaaaaaaaaaaated what they did to the Merovingian. He was a cheesy villain the 2nd and 3rd movies, but this 4th movie brought him back for nothing. >:(

Finally, I have to give a Content Warning for one particular sequence in the last third of the movie.

Trinity and Neo are driving to a safe place to leave the Matrix from. Hordes of people are chasing them. Suddenly, the Matrix takes over people's minds in surrounding high rises and prompts them to jump out their windows. It's an EXTREMELY DISTURBING moment due to the sounds and images of bodies hitting the ground as Trinity does her best to dodge them. I genuinely HATED that moment, would've cut it completely from the film, NGL.


Do I recommend it?

I actually don't, LOL. Felt unnecessary, had a bloated plot, and was unsatisfying. I'm giving it a 2 out of 5. And that's only cuz of the older!Trinity and Neo being awesome together and certain moments.


Queerness level

It's there? I think Bugs reads queer to me the same way other background characters do like Eréndira Ibarra as Lexy. IMO, Lexy's admiration of Trinity is more like a raging crush, YMMV.



The Batman (2022)


This movie dropped Spring 2022 and I'm pretty sure I watched it sometime in late May. BUT THEN, FESTA 2022 (BTS' yearly anniversary celebration that goes on for 2 weeks in June) happened. BTS had a family dinner where they talked abt many things as a wrapping up of all the FESTA celebrations. The dinner ended with the announcement that BTS was taking a hiatus from group activities. Back then, folks outside the fandom were ringing the alarm with 'OMG, BTS IS BREAKING UP" announcements. THIS WASN'T THE CASE AT. ALL.

[The hiatus had to happen because it was time for their mandatory enlistment process in the Korean military. What ARMYs didn't know then (that we know now), is that FESTA 2022 was the ending of Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2. The latter had each of the member's solo works and content dropping for the duration of the enlistment (which would be almost 3 yrs). ARMYs had no idea of how busy we were going to be (and best trust and believe that BTS hasn't given us a SECOND to rest! It's been greatness cuz it's made thie enlistment era go by faster than expected.)

My point is that the 2022 FESTA dinner was so traumatic that I haven't been able to watch it more than once. I do plan to rewatch it this year, though, since this year's FESTA will be the COMPLETE OPPOSITE given that 6 out of the 7 will be back to civilian life (Yoongi's military discharge is on June 21st). BTS' Anniversary is June 13th.

A lot of the late May-entire month of June 2022 period is a bit of blur cuz I was so psychologically and emotionally shaken up post 2022 FESTA family dinner.]


MOVING THE FUCK ON (SORRY, NOT SORRY. ALL ROADS LEAD TO BTS IN MY HEAD. 😅)


Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisten, I'll be the first one to say that have been too many Batman movies made. When I heard abt this movie and watched some pics of Robert Pattison as Batman, my reaction was "This is not my jam." BUT THEN, I saw some stills of Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman and I was vibing with her.

IIRC, I skipped watching the trailer. For me, the movie kinda came and went? I didn't hear a lot of ~discourse abt it before it faded into the general fandom and pop culture background. When I watched it, my initial reaction was "you know what? That was a pretty good film"...and then I got distracted by 2022 FESTA and Chapter 2, etc. SO I HAVE WHAT I FEEL IS A SOLID DEFENSE FOR (TEMPORARILY) MOVING ON. XD

After watching it a 2nd (and 3rd) time last month, the first thing I thought was "OMG, why have ppl slept on this?!?!1111"

The movie takes place 2 yrs into Batman's vigilante career in the forever rainy, always corrupt city of Gotham. He's got a colleague, sorta friend, in Lt. Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). They team up to suss out the identity of a serial killer who is getting rid of prominent Gotham ppl. While investigating, he meets Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) and is intrigued by her and her connection to the case he's working on...

I'm shocked abt how much I like this movie.

Pattinson is an actor who has a fascinating career. For this movie, he brought a lot of the sensitivity and acting style he uses in the indie movies he's worked on (such as Good Times and The Lighthouse). There's a lot of internal work that he does as Bruce Wayne and lets free in a way that left me OJOing. Pattinson's Bruce is an emo loner and an insomniac who gives into becoming ultra-violent (toward criminals only). Despite everything he's doing in combating crime in Gotham, he's so disconnected from everyone that he's not even aware of the consequences from him being a vigilante. The film pushes Bruce to face himself, dragging him to a mirror kicking and screaming, in a way that I really pinged to, NGL.

In any case, Pattison's great when he's all suited up, he's equally great when he's Bruce Wayne. Thumbs up all the way.

Zoë Kravitz's Selina Kyle is interesting. Like Bruce, she's her own kind of freak and has a really good backstory. I really, really liked her.

Kravitz and Pattison have GALACTIC LEVELS of chemistry. There's an ongoing tension between them that's exquisite (even if the story's not abt their relationship.)

The rest of the cast is chef's kiss. Everyone showed up to do what they had to do and all of them excelled at it. Hat tip to Colin Farrell as Oz/the Penguin. Honestly, I kept forgetting it was him under that makeup and with that voice. I'm deffo gonna check out the series.

NOW LET ME TALK ABT THE CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SEC.

Greig Fraser's talent as a cinematographer has already been shown in movies such as Snow White and the Huntsman, Daniel Villeneuve's Dune movies, and Rogue One.

This movie has a ton of beautiful shots, filters, color grading, etc. Everything looks gritty and real and beautiful. There are a lot of reds, blues, blacks, and muted greens. I also dug how characters would be in focus and everything else would be blurry but not in a distracting way. One day, I'll watch the movie without sound cuz it's THAT visually soothing and exciting to watch.

Some of the themes (politicians being corrupt, a young grassroots Black woman fighting against several local government systems that are rotten, the general masses being super unhappy abt their living situations, etc.) cut a bit too close to home in 2022 and 2025, NGL. BUT, at the same time, I do like the idea of folks teaming up to protect each other.


Do I have any criticisms?

I didn't care for Paul Dano as the Riddler. To me, he was generic incel dude. Though I'd admit that, just like Black Panther's Kilmonger, he did bring up some good points to the table.

Also, I think they could've taken 10 seconds here and 5 seconds there to trim a bit of the movie. You WILL feel them 3 hrs for sure, LOLsob. Oh, and argument could be made that this movie borrowed a substantial amount of look and vibes from David Fincher's SE7EN. I don't mind it, tho.

Throwing in a Content Warning for a scene in the last third of the movie where armed white incels take a crowd hostage. The movie shows they've got tons of ammo; their intent to have a massacre is v. clear. One of them does shoot a Black woman (who was just elected as Gotham's new mayor.) She's injured but doesn't die.

The movie ends in a way that sets things up for the sequel (the next movie's due to drop in 2027), but it's a bit cheesy? IJS


Do I recommend it?

I do! It's a great Batman movie. Especially for ppl like me who are sick and fucking tired of yet one more Batman movie. I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5.

FTR, my fave Batman is Michael Keaton in Batman Returns (which is also my fave Batman movie). Pattison's interpretation of the role is my second fave (same for The Batman.) I don't really have third since I feel the same way abt Keaton in the first Batman movie (1989), Adam West in the TV show and his own movie, Will Arnett in The Lego Movie, and Val Kilmer in Batman Returns.

My 2 least fave Batmans are Christian Bale and George Clooney. Confession time: I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate the first and third Nolan movies. And I really struggle to enjoy Joel Schumacher's campiness in Batman and Robin. Oh, and I'm meh abt Ben Affleck too, hahah.


Queerness level

Low-medium.

Nothing queer happens onscreen. However, Kravitz has gone on record that she played Selina as a bisexual character since that's canon in the comics. In the film, she's got a connection with a female friend of hers that gives v. WLW vibes.


Final thoughts

One thing that surprised me abt watching both movies again was that, even though The Matrix: Resurrections had a v. clean/smooth look AND it tried to point at the idea that ppl are too hooked to their tech devices, there was no actual emotional anchor. The movie and the filmmaker tried to push viewers into feeling something. Which explains the reasoning for the glut of callbacks to the previous movies. The end result is an ouroboros cuz the bulk of the heavy lifting (emotions wise) comes from the nostalgia that ideally ppl would connect to.

I know it might sound wild to anyone who was born in 1999 (or after), but the first Matrix movie impacted EVERYTHING when it dropped. This movie tried to recapture this, but it was an empty, repetitive, and frustrating movie.

Whereas with The Batman, the look is borderline chaotic yet beautiful and never overwhelming. The story does bring up some points that ppl will most deffo have opinions abt in 2025 because everyone's living thru those themes at a global level right now. And I like that it doesn't offer an easy solution.

Watching The Matrix: Resurrections and how it didn't even reach my expectations kinda made me think like it's the equivalent of ordering a pair of socks from a really cool company. They're handmade socks that are in your fave color and this is a company you've ordered from before so you KNOW the socks will be comfortable and long-lasting. It's been a while since you last ordered something, so you're (v. unhappily) surprised when you open the package and now there's confetti all over the floor. You gotta clean all of that stuff up which leads you to reconsider ordering anything from that company ever again.

Following that example, my approach to The Batman was muted at best. Like many, I've felt tired of the (seemingly) endless remakes and reboots of that character in film only to find something that got me to sit up and PAY ATTENTION.

With The Batman, it was like needing to get regular socks, walking into a random store and finding a pair that you really like for cheap!

It was interesting that my initial "it was a good movie" feeling for The Batman went UP while The Matrix: Resurrections' initial meh went DOWN, go figure!

My one gripe abt liking The Batman was that, upon rewatching, I was REALLY FEELING the Batman/Catwoman dynamic and headed over to AO3 for some good stuff to get lost in. UNFORTCH FOR ME, the majority of the stuff published for this specific movie is Batman/The Riddler, Batman/Reader, and The Riddler/Reader. WHY must the fandom gods forsake me?!

HARDCORE MUPPET FACE AT ALL OF THAT. (Feel free to give me recs for Batman/Catwoman that are specifically set in The Batman 'verse. 😥)

Psycho (1960) (YouTube)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on a novel of the same name by Robert Bloch.

I'm preeeetty sure that most ppl have either watched this movie or know abt it. JUST IN CASE, here's the non-spoiler premise:

Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) is a woman who is in love and eager to marry her boyfriend Sam Loomis (played by John Gavin.) Unfortch, though, Sam's financial situation isn't great due to debts connected to his late father AND alimony payments to his ex-wife. Despite wanting to get married to Marion, Sam's not down to put her in a situation where they'd both be struggling to make ends meet. After an afternoon tryst, Marion and Sam have a mild argument.

By chance, later that day, Marion's employer gives her $40k to deposit in the bank.She gives into the temptation of stealing the money and driving over to the city Sam lives at. Maybe now they'll have a chance at a better life together.

All the driving tires her. She pulls over on the side of the road. The next morning, a cop wakes her up. He warns her to not do that again. As she heads to Sam's, a sudden heavy rain leads her to stop at the Bates Motel…

I mean, what is there to say abt this movie that no one has ever said before? This is one of the most popular and well-known movies of all time. Even if someone has never watched it (which I'm not saying is impossible, but IDK how ppl wouldn't have sit thru it at least once?), the movie is so deeply entrenched in popular culture that some key pieces of it (Norman Bates, the soundtrack, certain scenes) will be familiar in some shape or form. That's how big this movie is.

Still, it's not one of my fave Hitchcock movies? My guess is cuz it lacks the balance between the suspense and the humor that tends to pepper a lot of his films. The tension builds up from the start and never really stops. There aren't a lot of moments of release, no soft landing for viewers.

THAT SAID, I recognize the genius that's on display here. Also, everything from the plot, the direction, the cinematography, the acting, and the casting is PERFECTION.

This was the first movie I ever watched Janet Leigh in and WOW! She's so good at conveying Marion's frustration. She's TIRED of having to go thru life snatching brief moments of true happiness with Sam. Even more interesting is that she's not a terrible person either. Leigh brings out a vulnerability that makes her story arc that much poignant.

I also liked Martin Balsam as Arbogast (the P.I.). He's a low-key, average dude who is v. friendly. Underneath that, he's got a skillset (especially when it comes to interviewing ppl) to the point that he's able to corner folks and catch their lies super quickly.

Anthony Perkins is fantastic as Norman Bates. IIRC, at this point in his career, Perkins was known for romantic/cute roles. And so he was going against his public persona. However, he was soooo good that it typecasted him for the rest of his life. I'm not sure he was able to move past it before he died. I do know he acted in the subsequent sequels (and even directed Psycho III), but I wonder how his career would've gone had he had the chance to work in other roles.


Do I have any criticisms?

None, actually.


Do I recommend it?

YES! It's deffo worth watching. Prior to this weekend, I think it'd been abt 8-10 yrs ago since the last time I did and I still got super immersed. FTR, this movie happens to be available for free on YouTube as of right now. It's available for renting everywhere and it does tend to air on TV every so often. I'm giving this one a 4.6 out of 5.


Queerness level

It's…a little complicated.

OTOH, I'd say that there's nothing IN the movie that would register to viewers as queer. OTOH, Anthony Perkins did have a few long term relationships with men throughout his life. Including actors such as Tab Hunter. That said, he was also married at times and had kids. Some people have stated that he was gay, others have said he was bisexual. In truth, we'll never know. Maybe he didn't believe in labels. AFAIK, he never came out, but (again) his M/M relationships are well-documented.

Fun fact: One of his two sons is Oz Perkins (an actor-director.) I know him from Legally Blonde where he played David, the geeky dude that Elle Woods was nice to. He wore a heavy blue parka? Before I knew of his parentage, I did think he looked a lot like Anthony Perkins. Go figure!




Psycho (1998) (YouTube)

Directed by Gus Van Sant and based on Robert Bloch's novel & Joseph Stefano's script (of the 1960 movie).

*Deep sigh*

The movie is a shot-by-shot remake of the 1960 film. It's literally the same plot and dialogue.

I distinctly remember going to the theater the weekend it premiered back in 1998. Wasn't super impressed back then. Hadn't watched it until this past weekend and my opinion hasn't improved, hahahah.

Although I don't think anyone deserves the title of MVP, I do have to tip my hat to William H. Macy as Arbogast. He's not as good as Martin Balsam was in 1960, but he did the everyday, plain vibe that the character needed.

One thing I liked was the sound editing. There are moments during which Marion's daydreaming how some people are reacting to her theft and the voices started to get distorted and echo-y until it all overlapped in a cool way.


Do I have any criticisms?

I've got A TON! XD

Starting with the only reason why this movie was made was just cuz Gus Van Sant could do it. Well, and he'd also heard that Universal was ready to remake it, so he sneaked in that deal. But there's NO improvement in the final movie. It doesn't even get to a tenth of the level of the original version. Mind you, there have been many movies with 2 or more remakes and they've been well-received because they've brought up their own spark. Frex, all of the Jane Austen adaptations, the A Star is Born films, the Evil Dead reboots, etc. All of them do tend to bring some new flavor that ppl have gravitated to.

What makes this an interesting failure (rest assured, this movie is TERRIBLE) is that it could've been good.

Gus Van Sant (a director whose body of work I've mostly enjoyed) is pretty solid but I can't see his work in this film.

The cast is hella talented too…but EVERYONE IS MISCAST.

Even worse, they're all in different movies. Anne Heche is in a quirky comedy; Julianne Moore is the angry lesbian that's fighting against the system; Vince Vaughn and William H. Macy are in a kind of noir parody; Viggo Mortensen is in a kinda 1970s cowboy porno? Like, some of his costuming is odd in how flashy it is given that it's meant to be a regular dude's wardrobe in the late 1990s.

I…truly don't know WHAT Viggo Mortensen was trying to do with Sam. He has a v. thick Southern accent AND also mumbles some of his dialogue which… CHOICES. His version of Sam appears to be more himbo than anything else? And there are also weird moments where he keeps coming onto Lila EVEN THOUGH HIS GF IS MISSING and yet he doesn't seem anywhere near as worried as John Galvin appeared to be in the 1960s movie.

Anne Heche is so bad as Marion, y'all. She's peppy and sassy in a way that makes her character react cutely at the weirdest times.

Case in poin: there's a scene w/o dialogue in the 1960 movie where Janet Leigh (as Marion) keeps projecting her character's inner conflict even after she's stolen the money. She's able to convey so much with her facial expressions: her worries and anxieties, trying to figure out if it's too late while also stubbornly sticking to her plan, etc. Even though she's committing a crime, Leigh's Marion does elicit sympathy.

Meanwhile, Heche (in the same scene) tries to present the same kind of reactions. But she doesn't look THAT concerned abt what she's doing. There's NO ambivalence in her movements. On top of that, she moves around the scene in a kind of quiet celebration? It's v. odd.

Another big disappointment has to do with Vince Vaughn. At this point in his career, he'd broken out of indie movies and was starting to snag bigger roles across different genres. I get why he'd have appealed to the producers of this movie…up to a point. Thing is he's not creepy enough to make anyone (let alone viewers) feel unsettled. And he lacks the awkwardness that he'd need to convince folks of Norman Bates' "innocence". His delivery of some important monologues was flat.

My final gripe is a little bit petty, but whatevs. This movie IS set in 1998. HOWEVAH, everything from costumes to the set decorations screams late 1960s aesthetics. It was v. disorienting to see Marion wearing a really bright, almost neon orange A-line dress that has gold and green leaf details and her Twiggy-esque mod haircut…driving a 1990s Volvo.

Differences between the 1960 and 1998 versions

Please note that this will be the only section with FULL SPOILERS FOR BOTH FILMS, so consider y'all forewarned.

Spoilers begin here

* The opening shot

1960 - Marion and Sam are already getting dressed up. The room they've rented is plain.

1998 - They're in bed post-coitus. Sam's COMPLETELY NAKED--which viewers know cuz there are a few shots of Viggo Mortensen's butt. This turns awkward at the end of the scene when Marion (just like in the 1960 version) tells him they can't leave together because she's "already late and you (Sam) are missing your shoes". The joke does not land.

The room is v. seedy, gives a "by-the-hour" kinda run down motel.


* The office scene

1998 - The house buyer (who, again, is a sleazy oil magnate of sorts) and Marion have a few more lines that were part of the original 1960 version (but were cut for ? reasons). The dialogue is pretty off-color, but it doesn't add anything to the story.


* The amount of money Marion stole

1960 - It's 40k.

1998 - It's 400k (they adjusted it for inflation.)

In 2025, it'd be around $426k.


* The Voyeur scene

1960 - After Marion goes to her room, Norman take a painting off the wall, looks at Marion getting undressed thru a peephole, and then replaces the painting back before heading to his house.

1998 - Same thing EXCEPT there are close-ups of his eye and profile. The sound is isolated and the volume's raised to make it v. clear that he's masturbating to completion. O___o.



* Violence during the murders

1960 - A lot of it is auditory and fast cuts. One person is shown with a slash across their face.

1998 - There are shots of the wounds. During Marion's death scene, there's a butt shut that's kinda :|

Also, when the murders occur, there are weird inserts of things that have nothing to do with what's going onscreen which include a cloudy & thunderous sky, a bird of pray taking off, and a woman reclining while looking at the camera. IHNI what this is other than bad artsy shit.


* The ending

1960 - LIla finds Mrs. Bates in a plain root cellar. Norman attacks LIla but is overpowered by Sam.

1998- The root cellar has been expanded until there's a second room that contains a huge glass birdcare filled with all kinds of birds. Norman attacks Lila and is momentarily subdued by Sam. He struggles while trying to pick up a big knife. Just as he breaks free, LIla runs up to him and gives him a hard kick with her thick-soled boot.

IDEK what to say abt that last thing, LOLsob. It was so fucking TACKY!

Do I recommend it?

No! It's an officially BAD movie. It's available for free on YT, but it'll be a WASTE OF TIME. Go watch the original instead. I'm giving it a 0.10 out 5 and that's only cuz of the sound editing.


Queerness level

Let's go with messy. *nervous laughter* These two thing are gonna sound wild to those who are 30 and under. Hell, it sounds unreal to me in 2025 where there's more representation in the media.

For starters, this movie came out a year into Anne Heche's 3-year relationship with Ellen DeGeneres. They were one of the v., v. few mega WLW celeb couples at the time (off the top of my head, the only other I can think of is Melissa Ethridge and Julie Cypher.) My impression of the press at the time was more on Heche recreating the role that Leigh had done instead of Heche being gal pals with DeGeneres. OBVIOUSLY, the tabloids did printed articles abt them and all, but I do think that Universal's PR team kept a lid on the reality that Heche was in a committed relationship with DeGeneres.

And then, there's Julianne Moore as Lila

🙄🙄🙄

OK, so, in the 1960s movie, Lila is somewhat more passive and the way Vera Miles plays her is LIla having a simpatico with Sam. In the sequels it's even implied that they eventually got married.

For reasons I still don't understand in 2025, Julianne Moore's Lila was subtextually a lesbian. She was the only woman wearing pants in the movie, wore nothing but shirts with funky prints OR a t-shirt and a hoodie, jeans, thick boots, and had a wallet chain. Oh, and instead of a purse, she had a leather backpack. She was also obsessed with her yellow walkman*. In addition, unlike the rest of the women in the movie, she appears to wear no make-up or style her hair in any specific way. There's nothing femme abt her

* Re the walkman: she's got the headphones wrapped around her neck for abt 50% of her scenes. There's even one moment when she's going to talk to a deputy sheriff alongside Sam and, just as they're leaving, she stops and says something like 'wait! Let me grab my walkman." She's then shown at the sheriff's living room alongside Sam with them damn yellow headphones hanging on her neck. I just... OKAY, THEN! laksjdflkasjdfkl

At NO point in the movie does the character say anything that would imply she's a lesbian/queer/bi nor are there scenes of her with other women she might be romantically and/or sexually attracted to.

BUT she does constantly rebuff Sam's attempts at flirting with her (including one random moment when he kisses her cheek and she gives him a Muppet Face) or when she shrugs off his hug while trying to 'pass' as a married couple.

All that to say that, PER WHAT I REMEMBER, Julianne Moore was the actor who appeared in all of the lesbian and queer media of the time. There were many printed interviews where she repeated how her version of Lila was that of "soft butch lesbian". And that just rubbed at me the wrongest of ways back in 1998 and still does today.

Mainly cuz Van Sant and co chose to keep everything buried so deep that Moore ends up coming across as uncomfortable. Down to the way she walks: it's meant to be purposeful, but I got the impression her shoes were a size or two too big. Most of the time, it looked like she was trying to keep her hips from wiggling; maybe her center of gravity was askew. Her version of Lila is combative for no reason other than the director told her to behave that way. She won't be pushed around and will get in ppl's faces in order to make her point…and yet she'll wink at Norman and give him a flirty smile cuz ????

It was true queerbaiting with ZERO payoff.

Especially since this movie came out the same year as Gia and High Art. Meanwhile, Bound, All Over Me, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, and Go Fish had dropped in earlier years. Plus all of the indie movies that you had to search for online or via catalogues.

I can only imagine all of the lesbians and other queer women who went to the theater in hopes to see Moore be queer only to end up being disappointed abt it.