Since I watch TV so much

The Stories We Tell: How TV and Movies Long For and Echo the Truth

by Mike Cosper

I have a confession to make. I am a TV addict! Or at least I think I am with the number of hours I spent watching TV. 

So when I saw this book in Amazon, I immediately bought a copy and started reading with the purpose of seeing if I can "theologize" this thing of me watching so much TV.

And it is also in very good timing because I have started thinking and reflecting on what I watch to find lessons and learnings through the vicarious experiences in what I watch. 

In this book, Cosper has reflected on quite a wide range from sitcoms to movies, and classics to even reality shows. And what he see is the creation story and redemption story being played over and over again. 

It is comforting to know that the stories we tell are stories of us seeking for love, for justice, for meaning, for hope and for life. Sure there are many un-Christian ways in the stories told but they still point to the ultimate human's sense of need and search for perfection and salvation. 

For example, even in dark series like Dexter, what the protagonists are looking for is meaning and purpose in life. It all reflects where we come from and where we hope we will go.

We have many stories to tell and many stories to listen to. I will be good not to just watch to pass time or to just watch to be entertained. Look into the heart of the stories and see the Gospel story time and again seeping through. 

Pearlie

Trying out Netflix but I can't cast it

I found out that Netflix has a new plan called Mobile for only RM17. I have used Netflix before and it cost RM35 for Basic, RM45 Standard and RM55 Premium a month. 

But now with the Mobile plan, it's only half the price of Basic but I can't cast it to the TV. And that's the only difference between Mobile and Basic. Other than that, it's exactly the same. 

My hubby wasn't keen on it and since I watch most of my shows on my Tablet anyway, I thought it would be worth a try. 

So I'm subscribing it for a month. Yeah, looks like I'm back to watching TV. 

Well...

pearlie

Human against machines

We've been watching a lot of YouTube videos especially in these few days being at home though it's my hubby who has control over it and he kept putting on the Covid-19 updates and his science and travel stuff. 

It was all meh for me until he started watching this:

AlphaGo - The Movie (Full Documentary)

Even though this happened back in 2016, the documentary was just posted by DeepMind a week ago in YouTube on 13 Mar 2020.

I don't know how to play Go but watching how the world champion Lee Sedol from South Korea played against AlphaGo was indeed very captivating. 

There were five games played over five days and most have expected Lee Sedol to win all games, or at worst four. Go is a game with too many moves and they felt that a computer programme will not be able to play it well, yet.

But Lee Sedol lost. He only won one game and that game was termed to be a masterpiece and probably the most famous game in the history of Go.

When watching the documentary, I got emotional when he won that one game, the 4th game. As much as I wanted technology to progress and become smart so that it can assist us, I didn't want it to win. 

I want us to win. 

You'd notice I used the word "us". It was the exact same sentiment in the tournament on that day. When Lee Sedol won, the other Go professional players also felt like they themselves have won. It was like a victory for mankind against machines. 

Though the DeepMind team who created AlphaGo did say that it was a victory for mankind as well since it was dreamt up and developed and created by people. 

But what will artificial intelligence or AI mean for us when it becomes better and smarter than us? What happens when it becomes creative and writes itself? The experts have commented that AI is still very nascent at this point of time but technology is progressing so fast that it will catch up in no time.

The documentary movie is a long one at one and a half hours but it's worth a watch. Quite a lot of Korean is being spoken too and so do switch on Captions for the English subtitles.

pearlie

Why I had to watch 1917

I don't do crazy things on a Monday but I just came back home late after watching the movie 1917.

It was such an experience that it will be worth a few blogposts.

For one, I only heard about it after it has been Oscar-nominated in the Best Movie category along with a few others, including Parasite. And as I took notice of the media after the nomination, it was touted to be the only strong competitor of Parasite.

I knew then I have to watch it. But I don't like war movies. 

About Parasite, I was expecting it to win. I felt that after all the attention it was getting, it has to win Best Movie or the Oscars will have a lot to answer to, for sidelining another excellent but non-English movie. 

Yes, I was expecting Parasite to win. But I was also afraid that it might not. 

It did!

It was then that, war movie or not, I really have to watch 1917 to now decide for myself if Parasite really deserve to win. 

Verdict?

Sorry it will have to wait. I will post a review--as soon as I can wrap my head around it.

pearlie

Have you heard of the Streisand Effect?

I was watching a TV show and was reminded of the Streisand effect.

Have you heard of it?

It's when you try to hide something but as a result you made it more visible, which not only the exact opposite of what you want, but you've made it even worse. 

This is attributed to Barbra Streisand when in 2003, she wanted to suppress photographs of her residence in Malibu, California but inadvertently she drew more public attention to it. 

For example, have you noticed that when a book or movie is banned, you then have to read it, you have to watch it. 

What happened in the TV show I watched though was interesting. 

There is this book the king wanted to destroy because it will completely wreck his reputaton.

So did he just ban it?

Yes but he did much more. 

He banned all books in that genre. He got them all burned at the stake. 

Because of that, no one knew any better. The actual book he wanted to ban just disappeared into oblivion.

If only we have that power though. 

pearlie

Swing Kids ★★★★★

I keep a movies-to-watch list and high on it is Kang Hyeong Cheol's Swing Kids.

It is a movie about prisoners of war in Geoje Prison during the 1951 Korean War.

I am not a fan of war movies but I'd watch anything with music and dance. I finally got to watch it. I really like it, though I did find it a tad too long.

Here's a trailer, which I found quite compelling. 

If you asked me how I find it, I would agree with this reviewer who said, "By the end, fancifully snappy dance numbers vie with grisly bullet ballet for top setpiece honors: Kang stages both with aplomb, leaving audiences caught between crying and cheering."

The final show dance was so well done I was tingling with goosebumps with the addictive beat and music and movements. 

But the ecstacy did not last. 

What I really love about the movie is the mixture of drama and wit, music and dance, but it also comes with propaganda and demagoguery, cruelty and violence, racism and discrimination, war and death. 

And one of my favorite is the rain scene where the protagonist was watching his two comrades at two sides of the prison camp "talking" to each other with dance moves, subtitles provided. 

It was bitter sweet but oh-so-amusing. 

I couldn't find that scene in YouTube, but you should check this one out. This I could watch over and over again. 

pearlie

Beautiful Accident ★★★☆☆ and Wonderful Nightmare ★★★★★

I was watching some music videos when I found this original sound track with some movie clips done for a Taiwanese movie, Beautiful Accident.

It looked interesting and so I watched it, the movie. 

It's about a lawyer who didn't have time in the world for anyone else but her own success and career. Until she got into an accident, accidentally died, and the heavens needed a week to get her life back. So in the meantime, she is required to fill in as a wife and mother of two.

Beautiful Accident (2017)

It was only later when I discovered that it was a remake of a Korean movie, Wonderful Nightmare. 

This is like when I discovered Miss Granny and 20 Once Again and watched both in sequence. I found their similarities and differences very interesting and wrote about it here. 

And obviously I watched Wonderful Nightmare too.

Wonderful Nightmare (2015)

My take? 

I find the Korean version very much better than the Taiwanese one. 

For one, when I was watching Beautiful Accident, I was griping on fact that with only 7 days it was too easy for the lawyer to get into her new life. I think it probably only took her 4 to 5 days and she was already comfortable in the role of a mother, caring and standing up for her kids. Impossible. And getting too comfortable with the husband in that short time.

The original Korean version is more realistic, albeit being a fantasy. She had one month and even at the tail end of the month, she didn't really settle into her new role and her reactions were more natural. 

And I prefer the Korean ending of the movie. 

I shan't give out any spoilers. 

If I got you interested, watch them. And I'd recommend the original one first, then the remake. Of course. 

pearlie

Godzilla: King of the Monsters ★★★☆☆

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

I am not really a Godzilla movie person but I remember back in those days when I watched and followed Ultraman and Godzilla shows on television with much fervor.

So when my good friend, Wee Yin suggested we watch the latest Godzilla movie, I said why not.

What can I say? The visual effects and the battle scenes are fantastic but the rest is meh.

Like what Wee Yin said: just have Godzilla and all the monsters and remove the people.

The only character I like was the daughter Madison, played by Millie Bobby Brown.



I felt she brought out the character quite well.

The rest? They kinda irritated me.

The mother especially. I don't how her brain works and her tirade how she can "save" the world made me roll my eyes goodness knows how many times. I was like, really?

The antagonist is none too antagonistic.

And the rest are all too bland for mention.

And I don't know about the physics of the scenes. I am horrible at physics in school but at the rate that the monsters dived in and out of the sea and smashed down every thing in the city, I wonder how the boats stayed where they are and the cast don't get hit by anything.

But all in all, it was fun watching just the monsters alone. 

pearlie

I Can Speak ★★★★★

I Can Speak (2017)

I found out about this movie quite awhile ago while it’s still in production and I have been looking forward to watching it for three reasons: the actress, the actor and the plot about one teaching the other the English language. 

The movie wasn’t available in the channels I subscribed to but I finally watched it today, not with English subtitles but Indonesian! It is indeed a blessing to know several languages and with the Malay language—that I grew up learning and using in school—being almost but not entirely similar to Indonesian, I was able to follow the plot quite easily until the end. 

It is a very good movie. 

It is placed under the comedy and drama genre. And as far as comedy is concerned, the actress Na Moon-Hee was just brilliant. I laughed so much there were two instances where I had to pause the movie so I can have a good laugh. 

And the drama is obviously good with the excellent acting, character and story. I was moved when Na Moon-Hee gave a heart rendering speech to seek the Japanese’s apology for the sake of the Comfort Women. 

I will watch it again when it comes with English subtitles. 

By the way, as it goes with the uniqueness of the Korean language, what you see in the poster above, other than 아이캔 스피크 (ai kaen seupikeu) for “I Can Speak”, you also see the words “하우 아유?” (ha u a yu) for “How are you?”, the key phrase in the movie from beginning to end.

That I find really amusing. 

pearlie

A streak of good movies until today

I was looking at the list of movies I watched lately and thought how nice it was to have watched a long streak of really good movies, until today. 

pearlie

Thor, Ragnarok ★★★★★

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

It's our time-out again, for my good friend Wee Yin and I, and we went to watch Thor: Ragnarok. 

I have not been following much on what's in the cinemas and just found out that Thor is on and when Wee Yin asked me, I was game. 

I liked it. It was quite fun to watch. 

However, I did wonder if Thor can break the chains that was wrapped around him and summon his hammer when he was on a one-on-one with Surtur, why didn't he do that when he was locked in a cage. 

I loved the skits with Doctor Strange and Hulk, especially when I adore both Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Cumberbatch. 

I only found Jeff Goldblum a tad irritating. But it's his character, which he played it extremely well. He'll crawl under your skin and just be careful of his Melting Stick. 

pearlie

I finally watched the movie version: Room (2015) ★★★★★

I read Room by Emma Donoghue back in 2014 and was so captivated with it that I set my mind to watch the movie version when I found out that it will be made into one. 

But I had forgotten about it and only watched it today, and it was just as awesome. 

Room (2015)

I am not going to give any spoilers because this movie is a must-watch as much as the book is a must-read. 

What I can say is that it is about a mother and her five-year old son who were incarcerated in a room, hence the title. And it's about the bond of love between mother and child, and family, about acceptance, and healing. 

Life can be tough. 

pearlie

Miss Granny (2014) and 20 Once Again (2015) ★★★★★

I was recommended the Korean movie Miss Granny and since I'm in a movie mood today, I decided to watch it. 

And I loved it! Very, very much.

Miss Granny 수상한그녀 (2014)

The movie touches on the theme of getting old and how the older generation is being usually treated by family and people at large. 

The story is about a 74-year old woman who magically finds herself in her 20-year old self after having her picture taken in a mysterious photo studio. It is comical and amusing to watch a 20-year old woman with the behaviour of a 74-year old. The actress Shim Eun-kyung brings it out very well. 

I loved the movie so much that when I found out that they remade it in a Taiwanese version, I watched it too! I loved the feeling of watching the same thing with a different "original" language if you know what I mean. 

Miss Granny / 20 Once Again 重返20岁 (2015)

It was also interesting to watch the small variances in the movies because of the different cultures in the two countries, albeit both being Asian. 

For example firstly, it goes without saying that there were more drinking scenes in the Korean one. 

Secondly, the protagonist had to sleep in the street in Taiwan whilst in Korea, she had the convenience of a 찜질방 jjimjilbang or spa. 

Thirdly, there were more hugging, kissing (on the forehead for this one) and butt-smacking(!) in the Korean version. 

And I may be wrong but from these movies, I may be able to conclude that the Chinese are more sensitive to the subject of death than the Korean. The Korean granny dreamt of her own funeral with her family rejoicing thinking she was dead whilst the Chinese granny dreamt of them fighting over her bedroom now that she is gone. 

Small differences but noticeable ones. 

And I found the cinematography in the Taiwanese version a much grander one. 

This is the Korean version when the grandmother was waiting at the bus stop. 

And here is the Taiwanese one. Doesn't it look richer in tone?

Look at also how it pays tribute to the original movie in the backdrop of the bus stop - 수상한그녀 or Miss Granny. 

The inside of the supposedly mysterious photo studio wasn't that impressive here...


...but look at how grand it was in the Mandarin version. Reminds me of Hogwarts!

And one more thing, I also noticed that in the Taiwanese version, which I also just realized in other Mandarin movies, the sound is different. I find that they seem to use a lot of "space" in the sound when they are speaking to create something like a 3D effect when you listen as you watch. I am not so sure how else to describe it. What do you think?

As for the acting, both the younger actresses brought out the character of an older lady quite well. 

The Taiwanese one is more refined in the older character, and so the younger version of her was quite normal in behaviour, except that I cannot accept how an older soul can pick up a modern tempo song so quickly, if you know how crazily syncopated modern songs are these days compared to older songs let alone golden oldies. 

The Korean older character was not as refined and it was certainly brought out very well by the younger actress where she does make you believe she is not 20 but 74 years old. I think Shim Eun-kyung portrayed it much better than Yang Zishan. As for singing modern songs, the same goes here except it's just the last song in this movie, it's so modern and syncopated it'd take an old soul forever to get into the groove. 

And maybe it's just me but I prefer the Korean song choices to the Mandarin ones. 

pearlie 

Battleship Island ★★★★☆

Battleship Island (2017)

I watched this with my good friend Wee Yin today and it was a good and rare movie treat, since I don't often go to the cinemas. 

It is a historical fiction about a forced labour camp in Hashima Island during the Japanese occupation period where Korean men were conscripted to work in a coal mine and women were used to "service" the Japanese men.  

The movie was about 2 hours in length and a star studded one as well with Hwang Jung Min, So Ji Sub and Song Joong Ki, not forgetting the excellent 11-year old Kim Soo An. She and Hwang Jung Min, I must say, stole the entire show. 

The movie was good but as how a reviewer has put it, which I totally agree, it is "technically accomplished, (but) narratively impoverished." (Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter)

There are parts where it is hard to watch but the scenes were very well done and executed. However, I find the plot a bit too choppy in the middle and the characters not well-developed enough. I suppose it would be hard to find enough time to develop three main characters from the three heavy weight actors. 

And about the heroes of the firm, what Wee Yin says about Korean movies was what the RogerEbert reviewer said very aptly, "The heroes of this film are, in other words, selfish, but never in a venal, or ugly way. They're human, and they do what they must to face each successive challenge they're confronted with...They are not heroes, just survivors."

The decisions and action of these characters are not what heroes are expected to do, and in this sense it does portray more a reality of what mankind really is, and it's not the ideal. 

The hardest scene for me to watch was the final part when the Japanese soldiers began to just fire to kill the Korean women, teenagers and injured men, who were merely just trying to escape. It was merciless. 

We all have our versions of dark history. It is necessary to tell them so that those who have not experienced it in their lifetime will still know it and learn from it not to repeat it. 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

~ Jeremiah 17:9

pearlie

Why am I drawn to sad things?

I don't know why I seem to like sad things: sad movies, sad songs, sad stories. And since I've started going Korean lately, there are many, many sad Korean movies and dramas to go round. 

They are so sad and yet I'm still consuming them. I managed to finish watching Train to Busan recently and I already told myself it's time I stop watching them. 

But I'm back to watching sad Korean dramas like Marriage Contract and Uncontrollably Fond. Why? And I knew they were sad to begin with.

And I'd feel so sad when I hear this song sung by Kim Woo Bin from the Uncontrollably Fond drama. But I find it an excellent song. Vocals wise, he does have a nice rich deep voice here now doesn't he?

Do You Know? - Kim Woo Bin

pearlie

Why I watch movies and TV series over and over again

I am one person who watches movies and TV series over and over again; selected ones of course. 

But why do I do that?

To me, it's like having an old friend around. It gives me comfort, there are no surprises and the expected good feelings are guaranteed. 

That is why I love watching them over and over again.

I may have watched this one movie more than 30 times!

I do this when I need a good old friend. There aren't many who can spare the time these days, unlike during my younger days when we are all more carefree. 

Life is tougher now and I don't feel like adding to the burdens of another, and so like any other introverted person would prefer, I'd recluse myself in my own world and find it in my favourite movies and TV series. 

It does sound sad now doesn't it?

pearlie

The Kid from the Big Apple ★★★★☆

The Kid from the Big Apple (2016)

I've always wanted to watch this movie. It was a Malaysian production released during Chinese New Year in 2016 and since I don't go to the cinema much these days, I missed it.

The movie won several awards in the 7th Macau International Movie Festival and the 28th Malaysian Film Festival. The boon of the movie came from good performances from the two lead actors: Ti Lung, a renowned actor in the golden age of Hong Kong cinema of the 80s and 90s, it is good to see him again, and the new child actress Sarah Tan Qin Lin, though I could not believe her characterization of a kid who spent all her 9-10 years growing up in New York because she does not sound like a New Yorker at all.

My favourite scene was the short fighting scene by both the grandfather and the grand daughter (0:00:31 of this clip). My apologies as I was not able to find clips with English subtitles. 

But what I like most is this performance by Jayson Tan, who is a natural. 

And you can see from these clips why I think the girl is definitely not from New York. 

pearlie

Fabricated City 조작된 도시 ★★★★☆

I have not gone to the cinema for quite awhile now and my good friend Wee Yin who recommends me loads of Korean movies to watch suggested we go to the cinema to watch one. 

And I immediately thought it was a splendid idea. 

But she said we will need to wait for a Korean movie festival. So I tried checking out what's in the cinemas, and there is indeed one Korean movie showing. 

Fabricated City (2017)

 

So we went and watched it today, and I must say, it was quite good. Predictable but good nonetheless. 

It was a tad too violent for me but I really love the action, the humour, the emotions, the car chase and especially this one drifting scene which was awesome. There is however, one ridiculous car scene that does not make sense. 

And I found this review of the movie by Rob Hunter very well written: 'Fabricated City' Livens Up a Familiar Plot With Stylish Action and Dramatic Brutality. Compared to another review I read, I find Hunter knows the Korean movie genre pretty well. 

The movie shows reality as it is, dark and real, very much like most good Korean movies do. Hunter says, the protagonist "Kwon Yu's time in prison is rough — he’s beaten on a regular basis, and after tangling with a resident gang leader named Ma he also finds himself sexually assaulted. This is no Tom Selleck in An Innocent Man where he comes close to being raped but narrowly avoids it — Kwon Yu is not so lucky — and his spiral of despair leads him to attempt suicide by chewing at his own wrists. It does not dodge the darkness."

Well, except that I found the level of technology portrayed in the movie a little too far fetched, or is it not?

pearlie

My Movie Binge

We have a declared public holiday today and I decided to stay home to catch up on some things. I also managed to catch up on some movies that I have missed. In fact, I actually kind of had a movie binge. 

Firstly, I watched La La Land. With it being so highly rated, and after winning so many awards, I was really looking forward to watch it. My verdict? A huge disappointment...big time. It started alright but by the time I got to the middle of the movie, it got so boring and so sluggish I couldn't finish it. I fast forwarded to the end, and I'm done with it. My good friend Wee Yin commented that in this epoch of superhero movies, the younger viewers may have found a musical refreshing. But we more senior ones who have watched much higher standard musicals like Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, or  even Fame, La La Land to us just do not make the cut. 

La La Land ★☆☆☆☆

Unsatisfied, I had to watch something good and decided on J.K. Rowling's Fanstastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I have not been very keen to watch Eddie Redmayne lately, probably because he is everywhere, appearing in so many movies in a such very short period of time. But this movie was so entertaining, I had so much fun watching it. I love the characters. It could have been much better if there were more character development of the beasts themselves. I am really looking forward to the next one with my all-time favourite actors: Jude Law and Johnny Depp.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ★★★★☆

Having found myself on the roll watching movies, I picked Deadpool as my next one. It was fun, though some of the jokes sounded kind of stale to me and I found the violence a bit too much. But it was nice to watch pretty boy Ryan Reynolds in this rough and tough character. 

Deadpool ★★★☆☆

I then finished it off with Kubo and the Two Strings, which turns out to be the best of the lot. It is an amazing stop-motion movie that took them two years of filming on a 12-foot table and 3D printers. I think they did use some form of CGI as well, and one huge giant monster that wouldn't have fit the table. The plot is good, acting voices excellent, dialogue homorous and deep at times. It's a must watch.

Kubo and the Two String ★★★★★

pearlie

Il Mare ★★★☆☆

Il Mare (2000)

Encouraged by my good friend Wee Yin to watch more Korean films, I watched Il Mare today. It is a film like The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock that I have watched a long time ago, which I did like. And so I thought it will be interesting to watch the Korean version. 

I find that it is a good film, though I think that logically, as far as time travel can logically go, The Lake House made more sense than Il Mare. At least the exchange of letters in The Lake House centers on the letterbox at the house as a portal. The method of letter exchange in Il Mare is a bit vague. It does converge on the letterbox but it implies that letters are also mailed but how are they mailed across different time continuum is unclear, and it bugs me. 

The funny thing though is that I thought Il Mare was a remake of The Lake House. But when I saw the year of release, I did a double take. 

Il Mare was released in 2000 and The Lake House in 2006. Wait, the two film share a letterbox portal as well? Only then did I realize that, The Lake House was a remake of Il Mare. 

This is not the first movie I know that sparked off remakes in Hollywood, and that speaks a lot for the quality of Korean movies, which I am beginning to see. 

pearlie