BOOK REVIEW: ROSIE MEADOW REGRETS ... BY CATHERINE ALLIOTT

With its lovely, girly cover of neutrals and a cosy fireplace, it’s quite obviously this book was targeted at women. Rosie Meadow Regrets… is a wonderful read, yet it is not the quintessential ‘chick lit’ novel. It’s a bit more sophisticated, thoughtful, well-written and a little less cheesy and straight forward. We are plunged straight into the meatier stuff, and by this I don’t mean gore. Rosie’s story begins with her lingering doubts about her marriage and wants to divorce her husband (ugh). Plagued by an incessant mother who harps on about prestige and marrying the wealthy, a sister who is immaculately ‘perfect’ and an unlucky love life; she married her husband but she never truly loved him. Conveniently, he dies. 


From there, we witness Rosie settling down by the countryside, living a simple life in ‘recovery’. There is no real mourning as such; she’s on her journey of self discovery and understanding her life, her choices and who she is. It is nice to see her bond with the little kids, and her landlord’s helpers. It carves a story of friendship in a small town and shows that we don’t need an awful lot of flashy friends or a metropolitan lifestyle to be happy. She’s content, yet she’s still figuring out a lot of things. Like many women, she meets a man who seems convincingly promising, yet turns out to be another rat. Then, true to formula, there is another man. There always is. But this one is solid, dependable, all the gentleman and is really very likeable. There is no ‘sweeping her off her feet” or sweet summer fling, you kind of just watch their romance happen on a day to day basis. It’s a nice change because sometimes all those romantic cliches don’t truly capture the essence of love, because those whirlwind romances are fleeting and so very complicated. I’m at a point where I can appreciate the divorcee making peace with herself, with a guy in the background, then being ready for another relationship. Granted I’m not that old myself, but it’s a nice sentiment that when we make mistakes in love, it is not the end of the world, and we can still be happy in many other ways. 


Towards the end, there was a lot more action with Rosie being under investigation for her husband’s convenient demise. A lot of mystery surrounds his death and events are events disrupt Rosie’s momentary peace. Admittedly, it was up to this point that I actually read the book ‘faster’ due to the pace itself. I read the first 2/3 on and off because it was easy to pick up where it left off, because it’s a slow leisurely read. Just what I needed to get back into reading. Verdict: Simple, lighthearted and enjoyable. Great for a pre-sleep read.

INITIAL THOUGHTS: BU BU JING XIN (STARTLING BY EACH STEP)

As I mentioned briefly in another post, I started watching Bu Bu Jing Xin (to which I will refer to as BBJX because it sounds better than it's English title) and it is indeed a compelling watch as many may have recommended. 

To quickly recap, Ruo Xi (Liu Shi Shi) is a heroine from the 21st century who somehow travels back into time, to the Qing dynasty where she is the younger sister of Ruo Lan (Annie Liu), the concubine of the 8th prince (Kevin Cheng). However, she later becomes friends with the 10th prince (Ye Zu Xin), the 13th prince (Yuan Hong) and the 14th prince (Lin Geng Xin). Year passed and as all royal ladies are to be recruited to become concubines or maidens. Despite the 13th and 8th prince asking their brothers (and their 'allies' so to speak) the 4th and 14th prince respectively for a favour: to remove Ruo Xi's name from the list of prospective concubines for Kang Xi Emperor (Damien Lau); she ends up being the tea maiden by the emperor's side instead. There, she witnesses the many power struggles to inherit the throne. 

On the romantic side of things, during the time she was living at her sister's household (therefore, the 8th prince's residence), the 8th prince falls for her and their feelings develop. Over the years, they keep in contact and their feelings grow. It isn't until their stay in Mongolia, where their relationship blossoms. In the background, the 4th prince has shown interest in  Ruo Xi, despite her nervousness around him - probably because of his aura and her knowledge that he will become emperor. However, she is in love with 8th prince, and tries to persuade him to give up the fight for the throne if he wants to marry her. This is due to her understanding of their outcomes in the battle for the throne. 

{And this is where I've left off, until around Episode 10}

THOUGHTS

The cinematography of this drama is visually stunning. It is remarkably beautiful, from the costumes to the make up and the actors, till the backdrop and setting. As a Mainland Chinese series I've watched in a long while, I'm definitely impressed. The storyline thus far is interesting and exciting, spurring me to continue watching. There is definitely a lot of eye candy, and by this I mean the 13th and 14th prince even though the 8th and 4th prince sets hearts a fluttering with their endeavours to win Ruo Xi's heart. 

I've always loved learning about history or watch versions of history through ancient dramas, and this is especially interesting with the time travel twist. However, I love watching the subtleties and the strategies that play out. The performances so far have been equally impressive, and the chemistry of the brothers and their chemistry with Ruo Xi is fun to watch. I love how she introduces the whole idea of equality and freedom to love and marry to the brothers. However, I don't know whether it's the time or her cultural understanding but to me, it appears as if she adapts a little too well, that she doesn't really seem to be a time travel heroine. 

Regardless, I'm glad to have found this little gem and am eager to finish this series. Stay tuned!

MOVIE: THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

An intricate, well-directed and insightful look at the complexities of being an introvert. Exhilarating, moving and so thoroughly enjoyable. The soundtrack to this film is spot on, with music playing such a starring role in binding these guys together.

I have yet to read the novel, thus base my opinions solely on my viewing of the film. I walked in without much expectations and limited knowledge about the movie, other than that Harry Potter graduate Emma Watson was part of the cast. However, I walked out of the cinemas ... enlightened.


The movie sets out, like many movies revolving American teens and high school. We see this boy, Charlie (Logan Lerman) dreading high school because he keeps to himself and essentially, does not fit in with the 'mainstream'. He writes to his nameless friend, as a means of expression, to keep sane so to speak. Eventually, he gathers the courage to talk to Patrick (Ezra Miller), a senior who had to repeat and thus was in one of his classes. Sam (Emma Watson) comes along, and in time, they all become friends thanks to a dance, a great song and some killer dance moves. The mantra of the film is unveiled with the discovering of David Bowie's Heroes (if I recall correctly), as they drive through a tunnel and Sam stands up from the car, the wind blowing against her in what is to be the image of youth, of freedom and of happiness in the moment.


As the movie progresses, we delve into the lives and pasts, the troubles and demons of these teenagers. Sam is the girl with the reputation because she used to get drunk at parties, and dates the wrong guys. Patrick is the jokester who masks his insecurities by acting like he doesn't care about other, and keeps his homosexual relationship with the school jock a secret. Charlie is the introvert who keeps to himself, so others don't realise all the things going on in his head, to suppress his social anxiety.


The movie explores the relationships and friendships Charlie builds - with Sam and Patrick, with his family, with his Aunt and, to a lesser extent, his English teacher. Sam and Patrick are in many ways Charlie's gateway to the world, through their friendship he learns how to express himself, how to value himself and be happy (albeit temporarily, in lapses).  Flashbacks are intertwined throughout the movie, where we see Charlie as a young boy and his memories of his Aunt who went through hard times with domestic abuse and mental illness. His family, though seemingly disconnected, truly care about Charlie and want to be there for him despite not really understanding how to deal with his psychological issues or the extent of his troubles. His mutual understanding developed with his English teacher (Paul Rudd) inspires him to set his dream on becoming a writer, and fosters his love for literature; whom  I think will  remain as a pillar for him during the rest of his high school years as the others move onto college.



THOUGHTS: 

I'm glad I watched this with friends, because it made me realise the importance of friendship in life, and having people there for you. The friends I went to watch it with are some of my most supportive, and understanding; people who've been a shoulder for me to cry on, confide in and muck around with. None of us have had such tragic or crazy experiences, yet I'm sure we will still be able to share and be there for each other in tough times.

I feel the most enlightening aspect of this movie was how different my high school experience was, in Australia, compared to America. I do feel that high school in America, in many ways, is much more challenging and complicated than my high school experience was. I feel that there is much more cliques, hierarchy and bullying that goes on in American schools than my experience. The insight that the movie provided in regards to adolescence, social anxiety and one's identity is invaluable. I think I've truly gained some understanding into the suffocation that comes along with the haunting thoughts; the fear that comes with losing control and the confusion of having to find yourself among all the chaos. Even though this is rampant during our adolescence and high school years, I'm sure the unsettling feeling of not knowing our future plagues many beyond those years.

In regards to the cinematography and direction, I must say there are some outstanding moments, yet there are some underwhelming scenes. The editing of the sequences are interesting, though can be somewhat confusing, yet effectively builds suspense and engages throughout. I particularly love the tunnel scenes, because of how stunning and symbolically appropriate it was.

Performances wise, Emma Watson was quirky and cute as Sam yet her accent was mediocre, and her acting slightly inconsistent though she excelled in the important scenes. Logan Lerman was impeccable as Charlie, from his narration through to his scenes towards the end where he suffers a mental breakdown. Ezra Miller was delightful as Patrick, so carefree and cool yet vulnerable, I think he had it down pat. His appearance really seems in line with his character too. Paul Rudd was a nice touch, though he was overused, his appearances as the caring English teacher was somewhat heartwarming.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I LOVE LEE TAE RI

Being the wise lady that I am, I found myself starting Bu Bu Jing Xin (Startling By Each Step) in the midst of watching this drama, whilst waiting on King of Dramas to be subbed. This posed a bit of a dilemma. Why, you ask? Well, King of Dramas is incredibly paced - fast and suspenseful at all the right places. Bu Bu Jing Xin is set in the era of the Qing Dynasty and wrought with palace alliances and fighting for the throne, admirable bromances and an overload of yearning. But that's all for another post. Anyways, being caught between then two compelling dramas, sometimes I had to pace myself in order to get back into the fluffier moments of ILLTR.

I found that the storyline and wrapping up of the series was really well executed, without any grating loopholes. That being said, I did find it a tad draggy towards the 13-14th episode mark, with all the additional tangents to the love triangles. One thing I've always found ... ridiculous about Korean dramas is how the female love rival (who somehow is romantically related to the male lead) will go for one guy (usually the ex or guy pining for the female lead) then turn around and fall for the male lead - or vice versa. Whenever that happens I feel as though the female love rival is just used as a plot device to move ruin things. I honestly feel as though the writers sometimes don't even bother to develop the story, but shove random love triangles in for the sake of it. I will never understand why some Kdrama inhabitants are so adamant on "making the boy mine" when he has displayed obvious disinterest and rejected them outright. Seriously, it just gets on my nerves. What do they expect to come out of it? Relationships like that never work, and if anything, it's just the workings of a wounded ego. Doesn't it hurt your pride more if you do manage force someone to love you? The fact that it was emotional duress? I can never wrap my head around it - there is persistence, and then there is desperation. Remember how I called her a nuisance at the start? Yeah, she became even more annoying with her antics and attempts at manipulation.

The scenes where the two are falling in love and are blissful were cute, however, I don't think Park Ye Jin was very convincing in pulling that off. It just felt off, because she seemed to feel the need to constantly have a smile plastered on her face. Yet, that's just what it was - plastered. It didn't feel happy. I honestly feel that Ki Bum was able to portray the young boy in love with a noona much better than Ye Jin was able to portray being in love. I don't know why, he just seemed more immersed and the affection was just pouring out of it eyes. On another note, I was (abnormally) envious at a particular scene, where she didn't get any work done the previous done because of Min Soo, then she starts and everything is 'okay'. No, that does not happen in real life! My pile of work never depletes like that in just a couple of minutes. Oh Kdramaland, why do you tease me so? I must say another letdown was when Min Soo and Tae Ri was kissing at the soju stall. I mean, why aren't they moving?! Come on Ye Jin, Ki Bum's not really 14, you don't have to worry about being a pedo! You can kiss him for real! Isn't that the whole perk of being an actress? Kissing all these droolworthy, fine actors?! (Okay, I need to control myself *fans self*)

 I feel as though the way the story moves along is believable enough, with Min Soo actually changing back into Eun Dong though I was a little distraught for our torn lovers. Oh, star crossed lovers. Looking at the circumstances, I should feel sorry for Tae Ri more because she's the older woman  and all those stereotypes about woman being past their prime and having to date guys older than them comes into play; whilst Eun Dong can y'know, just date girls his age. However, Ki Bum just emotes love, like sometimes I wonder why does he even love her that much? Anyways, moving on. I was slightly confused with the 'Wish' phone application, because I didn't see the purpose of that - was it just a decoy or for us be tricked by, or did it actually have a function in the whole transformation? Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but I don't think that was answered.

The whole tangent about Seung Jae's dad being the truck driver that killed Tae Ri's parents and how he was forced to leave her in Milan, only to work for her uncle to bring her down so he can somehow get back together with her was seriously flawed, in that it just sounds so illogical.

As I am a kind lady, I shall warn you in advanced that the next paragraph contains SPOILERS. Yes, SPOILERS so don't read if you don't want to be SPOILED. One more time, SPOILERS GUYS.

Now onto the ending, which I so adore. A few years later, we see Eun Dong growing up as Ki Bum - you know, mighty fine and so so cute. He's now a renowned swimmer, representing Korea. He has to go overseas and at the airport.... where his heart (or is it the necklace?) alerts him that Tae Ri is nearby. Cue, running out of the airport in search for his loved one, and finding her amongst all the cars lined up. Knock knock on the window, and the tinted windows are lowered to reveal a familiar face. No, I will not reveal who that familiar face is, but I'm sure everyone is smart enough to figure it out hehe.

I adore this ending because it's so ... satisfying. It's not entirely unrealistic and yet, it's so heartwarming, like the drama itself. Actually, leading up to the ending, I was mentally calculating the age difference, and the appropriate ages that will allow them to be together. I'm not sure if the drama specified, but I went with him being around 20 and Tae Ri being 34. Hey, if they made 14 and 28 work, they can definitely make 20 and 34 work. I'm also glad that they didn't overdo the summary on the two love rivals, because I felt it appropriate that Seung Jae gave it his last shot and moved on, and Heart just staying the idol she is.


PERFORMANCES EVALUATED

Park Ye Jin as Lee Tae Ri: Apart from Family Outing and Running Man, I've never actually seen any of Ye Jin's acting chops. So, I was inclined to check ILLTR out. To be fair, I think she portrayed Lee Tae Ri quite well as a standalone. Conversely, when she was acting opposite Ki Bum, I think he stole her thunder a bit. I think the fact that Tae Ri is not the most interesting of female protagonists is also to blame for that though. I find her quite cute when she was being concerned about her appearance because she was dating a guy younger than her, regardless of how ... troublesome that notion is. Not that appearances don't matter, but once you're in love, I think it's more beneficial to have a bit more confidence and less insecurity. Ye Jin is able to display Tae Ri's vulnerabilities and I simply can't fault her acting in the scene with Yang Jin Woo (aka Seung Jae) where he finally spills the beans about her parents' death. I felt so much sadness mixed with the disbelief at his reasons.

Kim Ki Bum as Geum Eun Dong/Hwang Min Soo: I really adored Ki Bum in this role, though sometimes his reactions are rather comic but I attribute that to the role of a 14 year old. His scenes where he was conflicted with his secret and being torn with his love and desire to protect Tae Ri and his guilty conscience towards his family. I feel for the man-boy. Obviously he's not a seasoned actor, but I do think he has the charisma to pull off the role, which is frankly within his range. I know he's a child actor, though I've never really noticed his roles or remember them clearly. However, I do feel that he's definitely a promising actor.

Yang Jin Woo as Choi Seung Jae: I kind of feel sorry for Yang Jin Woo here because there doesn't seem to be much substance to his character other than to be the hateful-with-an-excuse ex. I do think he does well in some parts to bring  something to his character despite the fact that his character and actions are perplexedly irrational.

JUB/Jubi as Ha Soon Shim aka Heart: I don't think the role required too much from the actress, because essentially she's just a brat here. Or maybe that's just how JUB portrayed the role. However, she was given quite a bit more material to work with than Jin Woo, with her suicidal past and the tug of war to win Min Soo's love. However, her flaws and inexperience is rather obvious whenever she is required to depict an emotional scene that requires a bit more depth. It'd be nice if we could see her as a young lady with real feelings rather than a spoilt child who just always wants what she can't have.

Just some short notes on the performances of the supporting cast: I really enjoyed Jang Seo Won as the Hwang Min Gook, he has pretty great comic timing and I really felt for him when Ki Bum confronts him about his brother's existence; as well as his little side story with Hong Shil. The parents are also cute, especially when Eun Dong's father kept getting jealous over the mother fawning over 'Min Soo'.

PS. I'm finding it confusing trying to refer to the characters myself with all the different identities and bodies.


OVERALL RATING: 

Enjoyment: 8/10
Substance: 7/10


{Side note: I just saw these snaps of Park Ye Jin and Kim Ki Bum in InStyle, and damn they sizzle} 

UNFINISHED: OH LA LA COUPLE

I gave up on this drama quite early on - around 2 episodes in. I know that may sound hasty, but hear me out. There were a few things I really liked about the drama: Yeo Ok was an interesting character... Ok, make that one thing. I think the premise of the past life and the fantasy sides were alright, nothing too spectacular. However, the main problem for me is the husband. I personally watch romance comedies to root for the couple and watch their cute interaction scenes, which means it is so very important to have two intricately portrayed characters who I can support. On the other hand, the husband is so very ... despicable. He encompasses all the traits you don't want a husband to have: rude, loud, sexist and unfaithful. As a female, I can't see how Yeo Ok would ever take him back (and I'm pretty sure that's what the rest of the series would be leading up to though). I mean, she herself says that she can never take him back as she witnessed him cheating on her. So, due to the fact that I cannot support this couple, I see no point in wasting my time watching it in frustration. I've heard that the ending has been disappointing, as well as the lead up to that so I'm not regretting anything yet.

For anyone interested, the premise of this drama is that Yeo Ok finds out her husband has been unfaithful and goes on to divorce him. However, the love gods (one of whom I presume was a lover in one of her past lives, when she was a renowned geisha) decide to switch their souls so they can understand each other by living their lives.

INITIAL THOUGHTS: I LOVE LEE TAE RI

If you're looking for a lighthearted and heartwarming romantic comedy, then this is shaping up to be quite the drama. Starring Park Ye Jin as Lee Tae Ri (of Family Outing fame) and Kim Ki Bum as Geum Eun Dong aka Hwang Min Soo (probably best known as being a member of Super Junior), this cable drama revolves around the premise of a fourteen year old boy's wish to protect his love. Ultimately, this leads to his transformation from his fourteen year old body to that of an adult. With the sundial being an instrumental part of his change, he stays by the side of Lee Tae Ri - the curator of the museum, believing that he needs to hug her in front of the sundial (in repetition of an earlier incident when he was fourteen).

With that as the foundation of the story, there are other side plots and obstacles, in the form of an annoying ex-boyfriend who works for Tae Ri's uncle who is scheming to ruin the museum. In the land of K-dramas, this is somewhat expected; you can hardly trust anyone outside of your immediate family, especially if you are rich. Also, there is Heart who is Eun Dong's noona fiance, who doesn't even like him (he's 7 years younger than her and well, fourteen) and is instead lusting after the annoying ex-boyfriend (Seung Jae). Honestly though, she's a bit of an afterthought because she's more of an annoyance than anything else really.

Onto the performances and impressions thus far, I'm really excited to see how this drama unfolds. I've already read that the ending is better than Big and deals with the whole age-transformation thing better so thumbs up for that, in advanced. Currently, I feel that drama is moving along steadily not too fast nor too slow. I'm really enjoying the build up and chemistry between Tae Ri and Min Soo, regardless of the supposed age gap considering that he is meant to be a fourteen year old spiritually. However, I do think that it's naive to think that being in the body of an adult hasn't changed his mentality one bit, because he has had to adopt to being a normal adult. Even the way he faced Soon Sim after 'forgetting' his feelings for her, he acted like an oppa. Actually, maybe he was always a bit mature for a teenager, with his determination to marry and protect her, and now Tae Ri. I love how his purity and goodness is able to comfort her and reveal her vulnerabilities. It's interesting to read that many people find Park Ye Jin to look much older than Ki Bum, whereas I find that there was still amazing chemistry despite their real life age gap. I personally find that while Ye Jin doesn't have a 'baby face', she doesn't look much older than her age; not to mention, Ki Bum has such a baby face. Thus, being able to make this work, I commend the two lead actors. They are cute together in my books. Ok, so I squealing at the computer for them to kiss already and they will if the preview is not trolling me.