Showing posts with label Asia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asia. Show all posts

Review - Namaste Wahala (2020 Film)

Sunday, April 25, 2021 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

 Was fairly keen on watching this Nollywood meets Bollywood production! 


“Loose Translation = Hello Trouble!”


The Rundown

Behind the name: Hello Trouble!  

Country: Nigeria, 2020

Genre: Rom-Com

Production: Forever 7 Entertainment 

Distribution: Netflix

Director: Hamisha Daryani Ahuja

Cast: Ini Dima Okojie (as Didi), Ruslaan Mumtaz (as Raj), Richard Mofe-Damijo (as Earnest), Joke Silva (as Shola), Sujata Sehgal (as Meera), Ibrahim Suleiman (as Somto), Frodd (as Raymond)

Compare to: Chennai Express

Hate it or Love it?  Entertain it


Synopsis in a Sentence: A Nigerian girl and Indian guy literally collide on a beach and fall into instant love, and of course their families have no chill! 




On Writing: The Plot

The story is really, honestly corny. The concept is cool and could be fun, but somehow, doesn't quite land. Could it be the feigned depth? The premature sprint into love? The trite opposition of their families? Whether the culprit is one or all of these, the plot is quite unexceptionally delivered. 

For being the first of its kind though, and for reflecting the marriage of cultures that Nigerian-Indians have been able to create over time, it deserves recognition. 

(3/5)


On Acting: The Cast 

A fairly good cast, but overall, underwhelmingly delivered action. Because it is corny. But oh well! 

Ini Dima Okojie is Didi, and she’s believable as a love-interest, but hardly so as a lawyer. Is it her lines? The plot? The lack of depth of her character? What more can be said? Still, she is interesting to watch. 

Ruslaan Mumtaz is Raj, the male love interest and he’s alright, yet some delivery is… corny. Could it be the lines or the unbelievable jumps his character is forced to make into love? Who knows? Eye candy to watch though. 

Richard Mofe-Damijo is lawyer-father Ernest, and by now, he’s played this 100 times so… is it trite? Still, he is believable. 

Joke Silva is sophisticated mum, Shola and of course, she’s great. Could be the ace of the production. 

Sujata Sehgal makes her Nollywood debut as Meera, and she’s quite good as the Indian mother protecting her son from… the unknown… yet our introduction to her performance lacks the intensity it needed to be convincing. Otherwise, a good delivery overall. 

And 2019 Big Brother Nigeria contestant, Frodd, makes his big-screen debut as Raymond, a convincingly entitled loser-brat! 

Overall, a good cast who unfortunately falls victim to an undeveloped plot line… 

 (3/5) 



On Production: The Creativity

Production is fair. It’s quite alright and loses itself in some cases, but it’s certainly not all bad. Perhaps it’s the best thing the movie has offered yet.. but then it’s not. 

(3.5/5)                                              


On Resolution: The Conclusion

It ends with the expectation that there will be a part two, because there is hope that this movie can redeem itself with a sequel that captures the wahala, and fun, of a Nollywood-Bollywood-Indian-Nigerian wedding! 

(3/5)


The Verdict: A lukewarm, underwhelming, yet fairly light-hearted watch.  


Overall Score = 12/20








Posted In , , , , , , , , , | 1 comments |

Review - When the Weather is Fine (TV Series, 2020)

Monday, February 15, 2021 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

 It’s winter so I found this cozy little series to sink into!  


“Mok Hae-won: Trust is like glass; once it’s shattered, it can’t be returned to its original state.”


The Rundown

Behind the name: 날씨가 좋으면 찾아가겠어요. Based on the book: I'll Go to You When the Weather Is Fine by Lee Do-woo

Country: South Korea, 2020

Genre: Drama 

Production: Ace Factory

Network: JTBC

Director: Han Ji-seung

Cast: Park Min-young (as Mok Hae-won), Seo Kang-joon (as Im Eun-seob), Moon Jeong-hee (as Shim Myeong-yeo), Jin Hee-kyung (as Shim Myeong-joo), Kim Hwan-hee (as Im Hwi),Lee Jae-wook (as Lee Jang-woo), Im Se-mi (as Kim Bo-young)

Compare to: Forest

Hate it or Love it?  Appreciate it


Synopsis in a Sentence: A woman leaves the hustle and bustle of Seoul to spend some time in the countryside, and has to face the pain of her past...and as unsaid family secrets unravel, so does a frosty love prospect... 

 


On Writing: The Plot

Think understated, picturesque, and deliberate drama. 

As one viewer commented, “It’s like turning the page of a book” A well-read, intentional, leisurely read, but with the heaviness of an anvil released slowly into water. It’s a nuanced, gradual slow burn, with characters full of intentionality and perspective. 

It’s a good watch, but you have to be in the mood for this one. 

(3.5/5)

On Acting: The Cast 

The cast is quite well suited to this pictorial drama. 

Park Min-young is Mok Hae-won, the lead and center of the story, through whose life we see the drama, bitterness, simplicity and sweetness of country life.

Seo Kang-joon plays Im Eun-seob, the bookstore owner, and he relays the quiet understated nature of the character quite well. 

Moon Jeong-hee depicts Shim Myeong-yeo, the memorable, yet lovingly scathing aunt.

Kim Hwan-hee brings the colourful Im Hwi to life, and we’re glad for this spirited character of Eun-seob's little sister, as she lights up the screen. 

A good team and cast overall. 

 (4/5) 




On Production: The Creativity

Production is deliberately pretty, and muted, and made to capture the wonderfully mundane yet beautiful prosaic of life in the countryside to life. I’m not sure how they managed to do it, but production in fact succeeded in capturing a book in film form, and perhaps this makes the production the star of the show! 

(4/5)                                              


On Resolution: The Conclusion

It ends quite alright, despite the tough realities presented. Good job bringing a new story to life, only the slow-release story makes for a slightly unremarkable ending. 

(3/5)


The Verdict: A thoroughly slow, utterly deliberate production; watch when in the mood, on a snow day!  


Overall Score = 14.5/20








Posted In , , , , , , , , , , , , | 0 comments |

Review: Hello My Twenties, Season 2 (2017 TV Series)

Sunday, April 15, 2018 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek


I couldn't wait to finally see season two of this series! And I finally did, just a bit after seeing Ode to Joy season 2, because again, I wanted a light-hearted girly TV fix. And again, this series was so very well done, and certainly deeper than your usual chick flick series! Luv it!


“Miracles don’t happen to everyone who works hard.”

~ Yoon Jin-myung, Episode 9.


The Rundown

Behind the name: Also known as "Age of Youth"
Country: South Korea, 2017
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Coming of Age
Network: JTBC
Director: Lee Tae-Gon
Writer: Park Yeon-Sun
Cast: Han Ye-Ri (as Yoon Jin-Myung), Hwa Young (as Kang Yi-Na), Han Seung-Yeon (as (Jung Ye-Eun), Park Eun-Bin (as Song Ji-Won), Ji Woo (as Yoo Eun-Jae) and Jo-Eun (as Choi Ara)
                  Compare to: Age of Youth, Ode to Joy
                  Hate it or Love it?  Love it! Very Much!

Synopsis in a Sentence: Five girls share their lives in a house called “Belle Époque,” and they get even deeper into each other’s secrets—a reformed sugar baby works to straighten our her life and become independent, another girl tries to get over the trauma of abuse; one girl works to get over her first real breakup, another is working to live her dream after a hard life, while the perpetual liar gets caught up in her own web of lies—which one of their secrets will get the best of them?  

           
On Writing: The Plot
The plot is—again, amazing! From episode one we are re-introduced to the fun and depth and simple complexity of this extremely layered story that marries comedy with tragedy with the awkwardness of youth and growing up.
This season tackles the aftermath of suffering from emotional and physical abuse, the struggles of a newly divorced family and the abandonment of a father, the heartbreak of breakups, and the trials of being known as “the girl who cried wolf.”
The writing is so well done its enviable! The scriptwriters and story developers are truly, truly talented and the star of the entire production, really. It is very rare to see stories like this told almost so perfectly, it deserves all the accolades possible!
A very, very well done and written story! Kudos to the writers!
(4.5/5)

On Acting: The Cast
This season, we are introduced to a new character, Jo Eun, played by Choi Ara and honestly, for a bland, rude, character, Choi plays it quite well. The character seems to have been cast well; it might have been hard to infuse with a cast already so in-tune with their own chemistry, but Jo Eun plugs in quite well, so no complaints here!
It is so sad that Park Hye-Soo, no longer plays Yoo Eun-Jae in the series, because we miss her the entire season. This time, Ji-Woo plays Eun-Jae’s character, but just comes across as creepy and deranged—quite honestly, there seems to be a casting mismatch here. It’s amazing how an actor gives life to a character and we certainly appreciate Park’s work throughout the first season even more!  

Han Seung-Yeon, plays Jung Ye-Eun, the formerly “Boyfriend-Obsessed,” and had-it-all, lost-it-all girl working to recover from the abuse of her last relationship. We feel for her and can honestly say that Han is a fabulous actress with the range of character she displays through this character. She actually comes from the girl group, Kara, where she was the lead singer, and in this series, she proves she is a triple-threat star! A job well done!
We are so glad to see, Han Ye-Ri’s character overcome her struggles from the first season, and she defines Yoon Jin-Myung in the series. Her story inspires us not to give up on life! A fabulous, fabulous job!
We get to know Hwa Young’s character more deeply through Song Ji-Won’s portrayal of her in the series. Hwa is not “The Awkward Loner,” any more, but she is “The Girl Who Cried Wolf” in this series. We get to see more depth and complexity and even brilliance from Ji-Won, and Hwa plays it to the T! A fabulous job!
This season, we miss Kang Yi-Na, “The Hot One,” still played by Park Eun-Bin apparently, due to a “scandal” in Korea. We’re unsure of the fine details, but it seems quite evident that the producers want her on, because she makes quite a few appearances throughout the series, and she brings in a ray of sunshine with her unto the screen! Certainly hoping to see her in the next season!
Of course, the series is cast well, but honestly, there is an apparent fail in the casting of Yoo Eun-Jae’s character, unfortunately, and the new character doesn’t quite blend in. Other than that, a great cast!
(3.5/5)


On Production: The Creativity
The production will almost certainly always be the star of this series. The the script, cast and series play out in fabulous fashion through the production and it’s absolutely beautiful to watch!
The interplay between drama and comedy and real-life is artful and deep and enlightening. If you thought production couldn’t do that, you need to watch this series!
(4.5/5)                                             



On Resolution: The Conclusion
Since the first season, it’s always sad to reach the end, but this time, we get blessed with two additional episodes, so we have 14 in total! This is great, except that one of the final episodes seemed like a ”filler,” while the actual final episode seemed rushed—almost cut and edited to the end even. We experience some “jumps” in the story, which don’t quite flow together, and are left speculating whether this is due to production budgets or low viewer ratings. In any case, it could have been done better, but it doesn’t sully the overall delivery of the series, and we are certainly crossing our fingers for season 3!
(4/5)

The Verdict: A fun, meaningful watch! Even for the guys!  

Overall Score = 16.5/20




Watch Hello My Twenties, Season 2:

Hello, My Twenties! | Netflix Official Site 

Posted In , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 comments |

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)