jamesdmac.bsky.social
right now mostly cdramas and kdramas
he/him
6,226 posts
369 followers
434 following
Active Commenter
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Beautiful Dilraba! š Audrey would approve!
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Oh yes, I liked all of these! Another recent historical drama I recommend is #BlossomsinAdversity (& of course #NewLifeBegins, if you didnāt see that one)
There are so many good dramas out there though - & too little time to watch them in!
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Hereās a link to the article itself:
www.anothergaze.com/review-the-h...
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ā[The novel]Ā was about finding space for women to be with each other away from prying eyes. Though ironically the film is a story told by a man, itās still very faithful to the idea that the women are appropriating a very male pornographic tradition to find their own way of exploring their desires.ā
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āWhen asked if she thought the sex scenes reproduced tired, cishet fantasies of girl-on-girl action, Waters [the author of the original novel] offered a considered counterpoint:
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āThe HandmaidenāsĀ sex scenes have divided critics since it toured the film festival circuit last year. Like The Duke of Burgundy and Blue Is The Warmest Colour before it this is, after all, another graphic lesbian love story mediated through a straight male directorās gaze.
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For a counter-point though - in case youāre interested - I found a pretty even-handed article that touches on the āgazeā aspect, & includes a reflection from the lesbian author of the novel the film is based on (Iāll share the relevant passage here):
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I agree - one of the upsides of the smaller Bluesky community is that itās possible to have these kinds of gentle but stimulating drama discussions. I very much appreciate your reflections/responses š
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A modern drama Iād recommend if you havenāt already seen it, involves the FL from #NothingbutYou Zhou Yutong, called #WillLoveinSpring (with Li Xian). Itās unconventional but very good, thoughtful & interesting to watch
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#TheDouble was so good!
I liked the first half of AaSoL (not the nicest acronym I must say š
), as there is literally lots of snow āļø (I think itās set in Finland, though they may have filmed it in Eastern Europe). Wang Xingyue plays a support character, but very well of course.
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I watched it years before I discovered kdramas, so I donāt know what my view of it would be now. But I remember it was very well crafted as a piece of visual theatre, & the performances were strong - although it was undoubtedly twisted (the male characters were grotesque).
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Iāve subsequently read different accounts by male & female critics about it, with some very critical & others appreciative & affirming (I shared one of the articles with @firesky1118.bsky.social ); but I would have to go back & properly watch the film again now to make a current judgement.
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However, I do recall being quite struck by the film at the end, & came away feeling it was a powerful film. I remember the explicit scenes, but I donāt remember them being the focus of the film - but rather the power dynamics between the men & the women (who eventually work together to get revenge).
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lol this is what @firesky1118.bsky.social & I were discussing the other day. I only mentioned the film in passing as it was an answer to a question posed by Alisa (aka Daebak) about which important films & dramas came out in 2016. I watched it when it came out, so my memory of it is vague.
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I think I watched past the kiss scene without thinking about it too much. Iāve heard others talk about it, but I honestly canāt recollect it - though heās clearly changed that clause since then because his modern dramas #NothingbutYou & #AmidstaSnowstormofLove are full of smooching (too much! š)
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Lovely picture š„°
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Yes - sheās like a cross between Audrey Hepburn & Greta Garbo (except ethnically Chinese-Uyghur)
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Yes, come to think of it there was actually something a little bit early/classic Hollywood about it - the way the whole first third of the drama was basically set in her plush apartment, & they had to invent strategies to keep out of the limelight. Dilraba has something of that Hollywood mystique.
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Oh yes, I recognise her! š Sheās been a support actress in a bunch of excellent dramas Iāve enjoyed.
I havenāt seen this particular drama though
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Ang Lee is a legend, I agreeā¦ oh, what? š
š
I didnāt see #TheLegendofAnle, but I loved her in #EternalLoveofDream (the 2020 drama, not the earlier one) & #TheLongBallad
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Yes - she was actually very good in this, playing a believable role as a famous actress trying to balance her work life with a private romance
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If you turn your brain off itās quite a relaxing drama, with lovely visual atmospheres to take in. But for sure, you have to wear your āI know this is propagandaā cap š§¢ to enjoy it (esp the last 10 eps which are full of it)
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Ha! - I actually quite enjoyed #YouAreMyGlory š. The Mars Rover propaganda & video game product placement was obvious, but it provided an unusual backdrop for a relationship themed drama. Also - Yang Yang was in my first ever cdrama #WhoRulestheWorld, so I tend to be a little biased with him!
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I found it sweet - but it takes on real pathos when you realise who she really is, & the power that she has. Sheās so independent, that this was the first time she became so vulnerable (which for her is a tribulation - & one that would repeated later onā¦)
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Hehe š
- maybe try starting from ep 19 like I did!
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I agree he was very acted - as I said, I even became quite sympathetic towards him. He was brutal, but not completely wicked (if you see what I mean): he had his own reasons for doing the things he did, if you take on his warrior psychology
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Yes I know š
(though my trust has been tested in other dramas, so I have my own reasons to be cautious!)
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Oh cool, thereās a whole backstory to the Queen of Dongxia - & some sanity returning to ZH
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Iāve heard some people say they found the opening episodes too slow (when theyāre in the mortal world & heās looking after her; & later when she goes into the demonic desert area)
Though I found it both whimsical & interesting, because it hints at their true identities without revealing everything
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Yes, šÆ %
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Yes! š
- though breaking into a love triangle, let alone a quadrangle, was never going to be easy!
youtube.com/shorts/5ZZzM...
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lol š
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I watched up to ep 4, & Iām not sold on it yet. However, itās very pretty to look at, & I will continue watching when Iām back in the mood for fantasy drama (Iām still catching up with various historical dramas for the time being š)
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š
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I didnāt realise there was a theme - my quote was just about the significance of dramas. But itās also true that the conflict we see in the dramas we watch are only mirroring the conflict we see outwardly too
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He ended up being warrior-bad (bad largely because itās his destiny to kill people as a warrior) rather than psychopath-bad (like the eunuch) - so I found Zang Haiās relish in his misfortune bad taste. Perhaps weāre supposed to notice that Zang Hai is in danger of turning into a malicious person too
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Iām catching up on this now. Iām a bit disappointed in how heās treated Antu & how sheās been relegated to the background for the last few episodes. I hoped she would play a more central role & team up with him. I also dislike how revenge is his only motive. I actually felt sympathy for Duke Pingjin
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After watching all 70 odd episodes, it became my favourite Chinese drama (& is definitely in my top 3 all time faves) - so I learned that sometimes dropping a drama is not the end of the story š
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But I think I remember reading on Reddit that it picks up around episode 18, so I tried starting from ep 18 or 19, & then got totally hooked!
So I actually went back to watch it again from episode 6 or 7, just to catch up on what I missed. But I promise you that from ep 19 itās very dynamic.
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Iāve mentioned this before, but I also dropped #Minglan several times because of the slow start, & because I couldnāt immediately adjust to their teenage transition.
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Completely agree. It was a great xianxia (with a lovely ending), & as you say Lin Gengxin was perfect as the ālast of the ancient godsā.
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Sheās also excellent in #FlourishedPeony š
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I hope you enjoy #PrincessAgents though š
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While #WildBloom was too much on the gritty side for me as a drama (for my preferences), she was excellent in that too
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š± Zhao Liying is one of my absolute favourites!
Sheās been in some dramas I canāt finish - like #LegendofFei & #BossandMe
But she was perfect in #TheStoryofMinglan, & very good in dramas like #TheLegendofShenLi & #LegendofLuZhen
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Ah, I see. I vaguely recall hearing about that afterwards, but at the time I was in shock for a couple of days!!!
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Oh gosh, that was so tragic - I donāt know the whole story, but the way he was bullied & harassed by the media for his private indiscretions (whatever his faults) was inexcusable. If he was European or American he may have gone to rehab or been divorced - so to feel that death is the only way outā¦ š„²