Showing posts with label 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2014. Show all posts

Review: Being Mary Jane Seasons 1-3

Monday, February 29, 2016 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek
For Black History Month this February and with Women’s Month in March, why don’t we merge both celebrations in one three-part TV series? So here’s Being Mary Jane, the Season 1-3 review!


“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” – Oscar Wilde on an MJ note

The Rundown
Behind the name: Original title—Single Black Female—to spotlight what it means to be a single black female in the USA
Country: USA, 2015
Genre: Drama, Romance
Network: BET
Director: Salim Akil (most episodes)
Cast: Gabrielle Union (as Mary Jane Paul/Pauletta Patterson), Lisa Vidal (as Kara Lynch), Margaret Avery (as Helen Patterson), Latarsha Rose (as Dr. Lisa Hudson), Aaron D. Spears (as Mark Bradley), Richard Brooks (as Patrick Patterson), B. J. Britt (as Paul Patterson, Jr.), Raven Goodwin (as Niecy Patterson), Richard Roundtree (as Paul Patterson, Sr.), Stephen Bishop (as David Paulk)
                  Compare to: Can’t think of anything right now or the more serious, older version of The Mindy Project
                  Hate it or Love it?  Love it

Synopsis in a Sentence: Mary-Jane, a television news anchor navigates social issues in America as she works to balance family, career racial, and social issues as a fabulous, endearing, and relatable Single Black Female—but she’s just being Mary-Jane.
           

On Writing: The Plot
The plot is interesting; it’s deep and hard-hitting, it touches on subjects from singlehood to marriage, to female and racial issues and even more. The writing is well done and very well executed. Since this review covers 3 seasons, here’s a very, very quick run-down of the general plot of each season:
Season 1: The Single Lady Story – Season one was all about the story of the single girl, our introduction to Mary Jane and here persistent balancing act between her single life—which can be both a blessing and a curse—her family drama, and her professional challenges.
Season 2: The Black Story – Although an ever-present theme in this series, season two delved deeper into the issues of being black in America, with of course, Mary-Jane’s singlehood and search for a baby, professional growth, and of course, all the juicy family drama.
Season 3: The Selfish Story – In the latest season, we see a more layered and compley plot, but overall a self-interested MJ. The plot focuses on her as an individual, and delves into LGBT issues, racial and inter-racial issues, and spotlights on various US, such as the “Black Lives Matter” movement, and even a small focus on international issues. But more generally we see a more selfish MJ. She’s mad at everyone, she seemingly doesn’t take time to mourn a best friend nor does she take any sliver of responsibility she may have played in her decision to commit suicide. Still, at the same time, Mary Jane is more centred and focused. We find a character who is determined to get what she wants and we can’t completely blame her for that!
This is a black show—more accurately—it is an African American show, which is fabulous, because there aren’t many shows at all that go this genuinely deep into Afro-American issues, especially from a female perspective. Very importantly, it highlights a good section of African-American experience that arguably has not been effectively covered in modern television. At the same time, from some perspectives, it seemingly unwittingly has done so at the expense of putting down another section of the black community—the African community—in America. More than once, and over more than one season, BMJ has, in reference, put down Africa not in an overt way, of course, but in a condescending way that is handed down so inadvertently it is simply insulting! And that is alienating. It’s great to celebrate brown people on television and in media, but that should not come at the expense of another set of brown people.
For a show that seeks to highlight issues faced by a minority in society, it’s slightly putting down another minority on the world stage. But this is a Single African-American’s story to tell. Africans will tell their own story, and Africans are rooting for you, Mary Jane Paul!
(4/5)

On Acting: The Cast
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union is Mary Jane Paul and there’s almost nothing more to say about that! Can you imagine if, one day, Production pulled a “Days of Our Lives” and switched the actress for Mary Jane with another actress? Would you care to watch? Union relays her characters assertive confidence and complexity with ease and intrigue!
Love watching Lisa Vidal as Kara Lynch in Being Mary
Lisa Vidal
Jane! Her drive and passion and expertise in her work is great! And Vidal does well to relay all of that!
Stephen Bishop is the on-again off-again
boyfriend so we have to keep him as a male rep on here. He plays his character so well I’m almost exasperated writing about it right now!
Our other male rep. is BJ Britt, MJ’s lil brother, and the smart young man. As the actor skilfully portrays, book smart, but I wouldn’t say life smart as I am sure his not-so smart decisions will come back to bite him. Just wait for season 4!

 (4/5)




On Production: The Creativity
Oh production is almost everything! The music is lit! The set design—MJ’s house is one fantasies are made of! #LifeGoals #ProductionKillsIt
(4.5/5)                                             


On Resolution: The Conclusion
Each season ends well, hinging on an incomplete story willing you to come back for more. Season three takes its newly found greater focus on social issues to the next level, daring you to come back for season four. Ratings show Being Mary Jane steadily dropping despite its previously earned accolades. Are shows like Empire proving more competition, or is Mary Jane as a personality becoming just too grating and overbearing? Will you watch to see more or will you, of whatever reason, ditch Being Mary Jane?
(3/5)

The Verdict: An interesting look into social issues in America, and an entertaining watch too.

Overall Score = 15.5/20





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My Love From Another Star (2014 Series)

Thursday, January 15, 2015 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek
Okay. So there comes a time in every girl’s life when she stops crushing on every TV series around and starts seriously considering her long-time K-cinema love prospects. That was my outlook on this series. I loved it. It was entertaining, and comical and addictive and oh-so-real; so what made me flip out on the underlying message this one was sending? And why had I never had any issue with it until now?


“Do Min Joon: There is a reason for everything.
There must be a reason for people around you to leave you, Miss Cheon Song Yi.
Cheon Song Yi: What? So are you saying that me being like this is my fault?
Do Min Joon: Before holding a grudge against the people around you for not taking on your side, think about why you haven't been able to make them stand on your side.
Perhaps, it's you that made you lonely.
Cheon Song Yi: I'm not lonely. Who said I'm lonely?
Do Min Joon: If not, why are you staying here? If you can't go to your friends or family, why are you at a strange man's house? What do you know about me? Why did you come to me? 
You are lonely, because you have no one or no place to go.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Literally —You Who Came from the Stars
— Because that special guy literally has to fall from the moon!
Country: South Korea, 2014
 Genre: Romantic Comedy, Sci-Fi
Distributed by: SBS
Director: Jang Tae-yoo
Cast: Jun Ji-hyun (as Cheon Song-yi), Kim Soo-hyun (as Do Min-joon), Park Hae-jin (as Lee Hwi-kyung), Yoo In-na (as Yoo Se-mi), Shin Sung-rok (as Lee Jae-kyung), Kim Chang-wan as (Jang Young-mok), Na Young-hee (as Yang Mi-yeon)
                  Compare to: The Little Mermaid in reverse… well, almost something like that
Hate it or Love it?  Love it

Synopsis in a Sentence: Superstar actress just happens to fall for the most perfect man alive—Turns out this “perfect guy” is an alien from the Joseon Dynasty who “fell from the stars” 400 years ago—Should he stay or should he go?
           
On Writing: The Plot
The story is interesting. It’s fun and new and so out there. Really!
(4/5)

On Acting: The Cast
The cast is, of course, talented. There’s Jun Ji-hyun, who plays Cheon Song-yi, the
Jun Ji-Hyun
superstar actress andmain character of the series. She’s fabulous and choses this role to relaunch her return to the small screen after a 14 year hiatus. She is rumoured to play herself in real life through this character. Jun relays her character’s boldness and fabulosity and quirkiness so well, that we fall in love with both her and her character! A job well done!

Kim Soo-Hyun
Kim Soo-hyun graces our screen as alien hunk, Do Min-joon. He delivers cool detachness and perfectness (whatever that means) through this character.

So many great actors, honourable mentions go to Kim Chang-wan, who plays Jang Young-mok, Doo Min-Joon’s kindly lawyer and friend. Also to Na Young-hee, as Yang Mi-yeon, Cheon Song-Yi’s mother a.k.a the stagemom, Korea style. Finally, Shin Sung-rok makes Lee Jae-kyung, the villain absolutely despicable.
A fab cast!
 (4.5/5)

On Production: The Creativity
Oh there are really pretty parts in production. The best thing about TV is that lots of unreasonable things—like defying gravity—can happen, production breaks almost everything logical. Forget all the rules of physics and chemistry and biology. This is fiction, and production plays it up!
(4.5/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
Alright. So. This is when I get on my soapbox and RANT.
I — almost — loved this series. It was fun, it was interesting, it was different. But. I have seen enough South Korean series—about five years worth—to question why a series that ends this way is heralded as one of the biggest and best series of 2014. Why?
Well, first of all, the basic message is that it sets unrealistic standards for both guys and girls.
This guy is so perfect—so intelligent that he’s a professor with the mind and knowledge of 400 years of scholarship in the body of a handsome, 20-something year old man. He’s so wealthy; he could own a few small countries. He’s so powerful; he literally has superpowers—he can fly, he can teleport, he can stop time, he possesses so much unnatural speed and strength, that he can stop a moving car. Wow! Whatta man! What a seriously unrealistic man!
How exactly is any living breathing man supposed to measure up to this? Are women around the world supposed to watch this character and look to find a man like this alien? And we know this is fiction, but fiction is, to a certain degree, a reflection of real life fantasies. And this just took it too far.
But that’s not all. How about the woman? The woman is successful, she’s talented, she’s… not so intelligent… but hey, she’s beautiful, what on earth does she need brains for? She also can’t cook, doesn’t have any practical life skills … buy hey, she’s beautiful, what does she need practical life skills for? She’s lucky! She’s even rich, most women will need a man to sustain her financially, but not Cheon Song-Yi! Her beauty and talent are all she needs and that’s what makes her an exceptional woman. The best! Because you know, she’s a woman, and you can only choose talent and beauty versus brains and aptitude. And the perfect woman should just be beautiful
And her man? Well he’s an exception because he’s just perfect! And she’s so lucky to be with him, this perfect man from the stars. She better thank her stars that he loves her because she’s so imperfect, she can never measure up to him. And he can do whatever he wants, you know, like disappear for an unlimited amount of time and maybe, perhaps, one day return… or never!
Because, you know, it’s her fault if he leaves.
What the hell!
I’m picking qualms with this particular series because I see this theme again and again in K-series but as much as I love them, there’s a greater issue here. And it’s not all right.
(0/5)

The Verdict: A fun watch, but what it implies is more negative than you’d want to admit.

Overall Score = 13/20








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