Sometimes, getting into a drama takes precise timing, and I think that most tv show watching veterans, and especially Korean drama watching veterans will attest to this. It took me THREE attempts to watch “Tunnel”, with one attempt getting me as far as four episodes, but it was only now that I was able to… Read More TV Review: Tunnel (Spoilers!)
Insurance investigations, a crafty con artist, family, and a tragedy whose truth was yet to be exposed to the world, was the name of the game in KBS2’s 2017 drama “Mad Dog”. Jampacked with interesting insurance fraud cases that served the larger narrative, armed with unusually smart and perceptive villains, and a whole lot of heart that… Read More TV Review: Mad Dog (Spoilers!)
With Spider-Man now doing his own thing within the MARVEL Cinematic Universe, Sony is now trying its luck once again with their own version of a shared cinematic universe with the recent release of “Venom” and with the animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, which will be released later this year. And while some of us… Read More Movie Review: Venom (Spoilers!)
Western animated kids shows are sometimes hit or miss with me, but sometimes, there comes along a show that intriguing and just up my alley, that I can’t help but take note of it. And recently, I couldn’t help but notice that Netflix has been churning out some pretty interesting animated offerings for kids. “The Hollow” is… Read More Animation Break: The Hollow S1 (Spoilers!)
Good animated shows that appeal to both adults and kids are hard to find, so, when one comes that is very much up my alley, I immediately take a chance on it. Ever since “The Dragon Prince” was first announced, I was excited about it, especially as it’s creative team includes “Avatar: The Last Airbender” veterans Aaron Ehasz and… Read More Animation Break: The Dragon Prince S1 (Spoilers!)
The found footage concept has been done over and over again in many different genres. Because of this, it was interesting to see how this concept was revitalized in “Searching”, a thriller by director Aneesh Chaganty that transfers the video cam found footage concept to the laptop screen, keeping viewers engaged and invested in this story all… Read More Movie Review: Searching (Spoilers!)
Lately, Korean dramas have been pleasantly subverting old tropes by either flipping it on its head, or making them seem refreshing despite how many other times it has been used. It is also pretty refreshing when a Korean drama decides to focus and take its time on the development of its characters, while doling out… Read More TV Review: Thirty but Seventeen (Spoilers!)
Last year, when I was slowly but surely getting back into the Kdrama game, I decided to pick up “Voice” as I thought that the perfect way for me to ease back into it would to be to go for a genre that I am fond of, and“Voice” was definitely the perfect fit for me. So, when I… Read More TV Review: Voice 2 (Spoilers!)
Right now, Philippine cinema is in the middle of a very exciting phase in its history, with more and more independent films becoming more mainstream, and with the country’s Film Development Council working hard to bring Filipino films abroad and letting exposing local filmmakers to others in the industry. So, of course, as a fan… Read More Movie Review: Alimuom (Spoilers!)
When it comes to particular genres, one already has certain expectations about it. However, it becomes even more exciting and refreshing when those expectations are turned on its head, and what greets you is a premise and concept that you would have never have thought of before in that particular genre. Such as it was… Read More TV Review: Life (Spoilers!)
Anything that has a unique concept, whether it be science fiction or fantasy, is a soft spot of mine, especially as it is interesting to see how it will be executed as the show goes along. Sometimes, the main concept is just a convenient plot device or falls short of expectations, and sometimes, they manage… Read More TV Review: Chicago Typewriter (Spoilers!)
Finally, after three long years, the wait is over and local moviegoers can now head to the cinemas and watch the the sequel to “Heneral Luna”– “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral”. True to the first film, this one continues to criticize the bad habits and ways of thinking that still plague the Philippines today. While “Luna” serves to wake us… Read More Movie Review: Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (Spoilers!)
Finally after three years since “Heneral Luna” first graced the big screen in the Philippines, its sequel, “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (Goyo: The Young General)”, will finally be released. In order to get ready for it, I decided to revisit the first in director Jerrold Tarog’s planned historical epic trilogy, “Heneral Luna”, and watched the short film “Angelito”, which bridges the gap between… Read More Movie Review: Heneral Luna+Angelito (Spoilers!)
I admit, I have a soft-spot when it comes to slice of life stories that feel very grounded, has a lot of life lessons in it, and really uses the entire show to explore how our main characters grew throughout the show, even though it may get emotional at some point. That’s the reason I… Read More TV Review: Your House Helper (Spoilers!)
For some, the Korean drama romantic comedy is a genre they’d lap up the instant it arrives on the docket, but for some, like me, it takes some persuading, and the right timing. Thankfully, “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?” was a welcome sweet and light breather from my usual heavier fare, and it was worth… Read More TV Review: What’s Wrong w/Secretary Kim? (Spoilers!)
Unlike the previous years, I’m glad that I was able to get a chance to watch some films at this year’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) (Festival of Filipino Films). I decided to choose films that were a little bit different , and whose premises I found interesting. As you all know, the first PPP… Read More Movie Review: Pinay Beauty (Spoilers!)
Lately, Philippine action films have been serving up grit, grime, blood, and tough as nails action heroines. We had one in Anne Curtis’ Nina Manigan in “Buy Bust”, and here, in “We Will Not Die Tonight”, we have Erich Gonzales’ stuntwoman Kray. Shot in only eight days, this film has an interesting premise, a great… Read More Movie Review: We Will Not Die Tonight (Spoilers!)
Robot themed Korean dramas have been around for some time, but seem to have picked up steam last year, and it doesn’t seem to be losing steam yet. Earlier this year, we had MBC’s romantic-comedy “I’m Not A Robot”, which had a science fiction premise but didn’t really focus on it; and this time, we have KBS’ “Are… Read More TV Review: Are You Human Too? (Spoilers!)
August is the month in which the entire Philippines celebrates our national language, Filipino, and at the same time, the rich cultural heritage of the country is also celebrated. So, it is no wonder that I’ve been trying to put more emphasis on Filipino films this month, especially as two big local film festivals- Cinemalaya… Read More Movie Review: On the Job (Spoilers!)
In the past few years, there have been several Korean remakes of American and British television shows, but it looks like they are on a remake spree this year, and it doesn’t look like they’ll stop anytime soon. To be honest, I haven’t seen all the remakes, but from what I’ve seen with the Korean… Read More TV Review: Life on Mars (Korea) (Spoilers!)
The magic of childhood and nostalgia is very hard to beat, and sometimes comes in handy when remakes, reboots and revivals of childhood favorites are done well. This time around, instead of giving us a straight up adaptation of “Winnie the Pooh”, Disney decided to ask the question as to what would happen to Pooh… Read More Movie Review: Christopher Robin (Spoilers!)
Action is a film genre that comes in many forms, and every country has their own version of the action film, from fast car chase scenes to epic fight sequences. It can have a complex plot which sets up and whose narrative weaves through the action sequences; or the entire movie can just be about… Read More Movie Review: Buy Bust (Spoilers!)
In life, and nowadays, when it comes to choosing what to watch next, sometimes, taking that leap of faith and choosing something that you are not sure with is definitely worth the risk. As mentioned before, even though I’m a little bit of an old hand when it comes to watching Asian dramas, I still… Read More TV Review: Miss Hammurabi (Spoilers!)
Every year, I make it a point to attend at least one fan convention. This year, so far, Asia Pop Comic Con is the only one I have attended as of late. This year, aside from the usual Hall M (Marvel) and Hall N (Netflix booth), they upped the ante by bringing in Hall D… Read More The Kat’s Con Chronicles: Asia Pop Comic Con 2018
Starting today, dozens of fans of pop-culture are celebrating their favorite fandoms at Asia Pop Comic Con, one of the biggest pop-culture fan conventions that happens annually in Manila, Philippines. I have been attending Asia Pop Comic Con since it began, and since then I have eased my way into cosplaying. This time around, I… Read More The Kat’s Cosplay Chronicles: Ruby Rose (RWBY)
Dramas that talk about healing from one’s past, and that deal with facing particularly traumatic past events in order to move on with one’s life is definitely something that isn’t uncommon when it comes to Korean drama fare, as we’ve seen with dramas like “Just Between Lovers”. However, this time around, in MBC’s “Come Here… Read More TV Review: Come Here and Hug Me (Spoilers!)
Asian dramas that feature food prominently in their show (not counting the hearty or high class meals that are featured in almost every Asian drama) are not that uncommon, but having food based shows sometimes becomes a comforting calm in the midst of the usual tropes, while making you want to either make or… Read More TV Review: Wok of Love/Greasy Mello (Spoilers!)
Lawyers, gangsters, rogue agents, detectives and judges are several things that Korean dramas have been rife with recently. When it comes to the legal/thriller/crime genre, many times, we try to look for something new, whether it be a new concept or a tightly written plot that surprises the audience all the way until the end.… Read More TV Review: Lawless Lawyer (Spoilers!)
Aside from the “Ant-Man” films being interesting stand-alone films in their own little corner (pun intended) of the MARVEL Cinematic Universe (MCU), “Ant-Man and the Wasp” also has the distinction of being the first MARVEL movie to come right after “Avengers: Infinity War”. While the film is a great palate cleanser from “Avengers: Infinity War”,… Read More Movie Review: MARVEL’s Antman & the Wasp (Spoilers!)
More often than not, regardless of whether it is a Western or Asian movie or a Western or Asian television show, we viewers are often presented with premises or synopsis that, on paper, make you wonder if it’ll be any good or if they’ll be able to pull it off well. And sometimes, the title… Read More TV Review: I’m Not A Robot (Spoilers!)
Aside from original offerings and ideas, there have been a lot of remakes of American and British television shows hitting kdramaland as of late. Among those is the Korean version of the American television show “Suits”, which aired under the same title and ran for sixteen episodes on KBS. Now, many things can go wrong… Read More TV Review: Suits (Korea) (Spoilers!)
Move over, Danny Ocean, there’s a new crew in town, and headed, by no other than Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett! Fans of the “Ocean’s Trilogy” franchise had a field day when it was announced that these two A-list actresses would be headlining the sequel movie of sorts, with an all female powerhouse cast. While… Read More Movie Review: Ocean’s 8 (Spoilers!)
Before superheroes came into their own in the cultural zeitgeist of today, fourteen years ago, audiences were treated to a different kind of superhero movie with Disney Pixar’s “The Incredibles”. At the time, the notion of superheroes reigning supreme was just something that happened just once in a while, allowing us to be witness to… Read More Movie Review: The Incredibles 2 (Spoilers!)
Every now and then, amidst the myriad of Korean dramas that crop up every year, there are a handful that are good solid dramas that are not only timeless, but a precursor of things to come and that mark a milestone in the evolution of Korean dramas. tvN’s “Forest of Secrets/Stranger” was definitely one of… Read More TV Review: Signal (2016) (Spoilers!)
Ever since the last season’s finale, with the knowledge that the series was going to end with its third season, and with the announcement that “Trollhunters” was just the beginning of a three series shared universe, fans of “Trollhunters” have been wondering how the series would end, and what the future would be for this… Read More TV Review: Trollhunters S3 (Spoilers!)
Over the past few years, the independent local film scene has been booming with well made, well acted, and meaningful films. It has come to the point in which movies like “Birdshot” have become available for streaming on Netflix, and to the point in which smaller local film fests are attended by more and more… Read More Movie Review: Citizen Jake (Spoilers!)
People watch television shows and movies for different reasons, and sometimes, one does watch a mixture of things based on different reasons at a given point in time. Sometimes, we watch things to be entertained and to escape from reality, sometimes we crave more realism and would rather be confronted by the harsh realities of… Read More TV Review: Something in the Rain/Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food (Spoilers!)
Having the main saga stories come out every other year is a smart move as it allows them to explore parts of the galaxy that hasn’t been touched upon before, while it gives us a nice little break from everything happening with the Skywalker clan. In 2016, we had “Rogue One”, which nicely filled in… Read More Movie Review: Solo:A Star Wars Story (Spoilers!)
Whether it comes to the films or their tv shows, MARVEL is not only on everyone’s mind thanks to “Avengers: Infinity War”, but they are also doing well when it comes to their television shows. When it comes to MARVEL shows, many will no doubt mention their Netflix shows, which are on a league of… Read More TV Review: MARVEL’s Agents of SHIELD S5 (Spoilers!)
It takes a special kind of cast and crew to pull off a successful movie about a heist or a con, and it takes guts to be able to pull off an entire series based solely on the premise of different cons. In recent years, there has been USA’s “White Collar”, with an infamous white… Read More TV Review: Switch- Change the World (Spoilers!)
It didn’t take long for the first season of NBC’s “Timeless” to strike a chord in viewer’s hearts and minds, as it was the power of the fans (and social media) that enabled the show to come back for a second round of time traveling adventures after NBC decided to cancel the show after the… Read More TV Review: Timeless S2 (Spoilers!)
Recently, Netflix has been acquiring Korean dramas aggressively as of late, and interestingly enough, they now have several tvN dramas that aired in 2018. First up was the black comedy with heart “Prison Playbook”, then there was Lee Seung Gi’s fantasy romance “Hwayugi”, and now, the all to real human drama that is “Live”. “Live”… Read More TV Review: Live (Spoilers!)
When it comes to watching tv shows, whether it be a Western show or an Asian show, there are moments when one wants to see something and different, but there is also a slight comfort on falling back to shows with the usual tropes one expects from that particular genre. However, there is something immensely… Read More TV Review: Fight for My Way (Spoilers!)
In all my years of experience watching Korean dramas, I have never tried watching a weekend drama, let alone a family drama, as these usually tend to be over fifty episodes long. However, while I was looking for a fun drama to watch, I decided to try out a family drama that I have heard… Read More TV Review: My Father is Strange (Spoilers!)
To be honest, it has been quite some time since I’ve seen an Asian movie that wasn’t Filipino or an anime movie. In fact, the last time I watched a Korean movie was years ago, when I watched “The Thieves” at a local Korean film festival with a friend, and it still remains a favorite… Read More Movie Review: V.I.P. (Spoilers!)
Korean dramas usually don’t get second seasons. More often than not, most Asian dramas have one season. If they do get greenlit for a second season, they come in a variety of froms- a spiritual or anthology sequel with the same spirit as the original but with a completely different cast; or a sequel with… Read More TV Review: Queen of Mystery S2 (Spoilers!)
“Avengers: Infinity War” is probably one of the most anticipated films of the year, not just because of the sheer magnitude and ambition of this film, but because everything that MARVEL Studios has been working hard on for the past ten years now all comes to a head with this film. This film is also… Read More Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War (Spoilers!)
Relying on old formulas are always safe things to rely on, but they become refreshing when you put an interesting and unexpected twist to it. Such is the case with the KBS drama “Queen of Mystery”, as it takes the old tropes of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson and gives it a new spin.… Read More TV Review: Queen of Mystery S1 (Spoilers!)
As we are now ending the month of April, and with it, Autism Acceptance Month, this will be my last post for now in which I review a movie that deals with autism or characters with autism. And for this, I have decided to take a look at “My Name is Khan”, a Hindi film… Read More Movie Review: My Name Is Khan (Spoilers!)
Reboots of shows that have left a legacy and a fan base are quite hard to do as the reboot would have to live up to and go the extra mile to go above and beyond to be the best it can be. Aside from that, rebooting a science fiction show is hard because it… Read More TV Review: Lost in Space (2018) (Spoilers!)
