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Descendants of the Sun
★★★★½
Rewatched for the nth time.
A Hundred Memories
★★★★★
A Hundred Memories of Love, Friendship, Pain, Happiness, and Life What makes «A Hundred Memories» («백번의 추억») stand out is how unbothered it is by trends. It does not chase drama for the sake of it, nor rush to prove a point. It simply unfolds like life itself: unhurried, genuine, and quietly profound. Most series burn too bright too soon, rising fast by episode three, and scramble for closure in the last two. In this series, each episode adds a soft brushstroke—of love, pain, laughter, loss. It builds quietly, steadily, like memory itself—layer after layer until it feels too real to be fiction. The writing was sharp yet tender, the direction deliberate yet unpretentious. The cast delivered performances so grounded that it felt less like acting and more like remembering something long buried in the heart. There were no forced tears, no dramatic twists—only sincerity. It is one of those rare dramas that does not try to be deep. It just is. And the 1980s backdrop? It was captured with care—nostalgic without being indulgent. For its writing, direction, and the sheer honesty of its execution, «A Hundred Memories» («백번의 추억») deserves nothing less than 10 stars. A rare masterpiece that reminds us that stories do not always need twists to be unforgettable. Sometimes, they just need to be true.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood
★★
Dropped. Last episode watched: 6. I completely lost interest. It started great but halfway through it turned into an entirely different genre. Or, maybe, they set us (or I had) the wrong expectation.
The Kingdom
★★★★
«The Kingdom» (2024): A World Where the Philippines Never Existed «The Kingdom» (2024) is set in a world where the Republic of the Philippines was never conquered by Western imperialists. Instead, the archipelago stood united under a central monarchy—the "Kingdom of Kalayaan". ("Kalayaan" means freedom in Filipino.) It reimagines a version of history many Filipinos have long dreamed of—a world where our islands successfully repelled foreign invaders, preserving the values that once defined us: equality, equity, compassion, and respect for diversity and neurodiversity. A reality without anti-LGBT prejudice, without slavery, and where divorce is part of societal balance. Traditions and systems that Western colonisers erased or rewrote to fit their own narratives. Now, this is a review, not a spoiler so let’s get right into it. ## Fight Scenes Let's be honest: the fight scenes need serious improvement. Watching them felt like watching a slow-motion training reel rather than a life-or-death clash. Movements lacked weight, and the rhythm was too sluggish to sell the intensity of real combat. The overuse of zoom-in shots did not help either (a common trick to hide the lack of impact by diverting attention to movement instead of connection). This was especially noticeable in the final battle sequence (no spoilers, of course). That said, there is one exception. The second-to-the-last fight was slow for a reason and it worked. It carried a ceremonial tone, almost like a ritual dance between two warriors. That is where the pacing felt purposeful, not awkward. If only the same level of attention was given throughout. A bit more budget and choreography refinement could have turned those duels into something memorable. ## Spoken Language Now, this part deserves applause. The dialogues were clean, properly structured, and beautifully delivered. The actors used the right words in the right places, avoiding the exaggerated diction often heard in teleserye (Philippine TV series). As someone familiar with many of the older terms used, it was refreshing to hear those nearly forgotten words come alive again. It added authenticity, something rarely achieved in modern Filipino productions. ## Names and Written Language Here is where things start to so-so a bit. For a film set in a world untouched by Western colonisation, the names and scripts used felt oddly… foreign. Why is there a character named Felipe? Why Dayang _Lualhati_ instead of the native Dayang _Luwalhati_? And why is Latin script still the dominant writing system? Think of how Korea, Japan, and China maintained their native scripts as cultural anchors. Even Thailand—which was also colonised—still uses its native alphabet proudly. If «The Kingdom» truly envisioned an uncolonised Philippines, it would make sense for Baybayin, or perhaps a modernised 21st-century version of it, to be the national script. That detail alone could have elevated immersion tenfold. It would have grounded the Kingdom of Kalayaan as a civilisation distinctly its own, not just a Southeast Asian monarchy that "looks free" but still borrows its image from foreign cultures. Even the palace design leaned more Thai or Indian than Filipino. Beautiful, yes, but a little detached from what the film's premise promised. ## The Use of "Mabuhay" This one caught me off-guard. In our real-world Philippines, "Mabuhay" carries deep national sentiment. It is a rallying word born from post-colonial pride, meant to uplift and celebrate Filipino identity. But in a world where colonisation never happened, its symbolic weight would not have evolved in the same way. Hearing it used similarly in the film felt… out-of-place. It is a small detail, but a telling one. It hints at how even this alternate "Philippines" could not quite escape the shadow of our colonised history. ## Verdict Despite its flaws, «The Kingdom» remains an ambitious and heartfelt piece of alternate history. Its worldbuilding carries the kind of what-if many Filipinos quietly imagine: what if our history went differently? What if we never had to unlearn who we were? For all its imperfections, the film delivers that spark of imagination. 8⭐ out of 10 It is not perfect, but it is meaningful, and that is what makes it worth watching.
Secrets of the Silent Witch
★★★★
A good, fun, and lighthearted animēshon. I truly hope there will be sequels for there are more stories to be told.
Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy
★★★★★
The Korean film «Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy» («전지적 독자 시점») is an adaptation based on the still-ongoing Korean webtoon «Omniscient Reader» which itself is based on a Korean novel of the same name. (That was a long sentence!) While many gave it a low rating and were not satisfied, I was very satisfied and gave it a perfect 10 ⭐. Here's why: 1. It's an adaptation of a very long and still on-going serial novel and webtoon. 2. Adaptation writers have literary freedom on how to adapt a work of art in a differeet medium and target audience. 3. Like it or not: budget constraints. Most, if not all, who gave it a low score expected it will cover beyond the plot in the movie. It just is not possible. And if they dod that, they will have to skip a lot of critical moments of the story which will also earn far more negative reviews than what it received for this release. The acting were good. The choice of actors were generally who one would have imagined while reading the novel or the webtoon. I'm not saying I agreed with all the casting but they did well for their respective roles. The special effects and CG passed. It wasn't perfect, there were fight scenes were the different layers (real layer, green/digital layer) were not smooth nor clean, and were obvious. They need to improve their technique and technology if they plan on making a sequel. The chosen parts of the story, I approve of it as well. Last but one of the most complained about, I also approve of the obvious changes. It fits the film format, and the essence of this "chapter" of the story were maintained as it was in the original source material. That is the most important on adaptations. It is not about incorporating every scene, or having the exact likeness for the characters, or making sure the sequence of events remain exactly the same. No, that is just wrong in adaptations. What matters is keeping the essence of it. The feels. The aura. The message. What made the original material popular. That's what a real adaptation is. A perfect 10 ⭐. Now, where's the sequel? The next "chapter" is one of my favourites.
The Murky Stream
★½
I rarely drop shows because once I started something, I'll see through it even if I finish it years later; but when I do, it means it's boring and literally made me sleepy and think "Why am I watching this?" Apologies to the great talents in the show, I love watching your other projects, but this one failed to pique my interest. It was not the pacing, there just isn't anything in the first two critical episodes to glue an audience. Watching this felt like I time traveled while wearing an invisibility cloak and observing the people of the past go on with their natural daily lives. It's a wasteful use of time travel technology. I'm autistic, I love people-watching, and yet this one doesn't give me the same as what people-watching gives me: curiosity, logic, and satisfaction.
My Daughter is a Zombie
★★★★½
A fun and touching film about a father and daughter. 9 ⭐ from me!
Mantis
★★½
It tried to be «Wanted» + «Kill Bill» + «Kingsmen» + «John Wick» so it ended with a plot that was all over the place and very shallow. Barely halfway through, I was already asking what in the world I'm wasting my time on. Past the halfway point, I wanted to drop it but I want to rate it fairly by finishing it. So, 5 ⭐ out of 10 only. It would have been a 4 but it's +1 for the effort in trying to create a mashup of four Western films. 😁
Alice in Borderland
★★★★½
Season 1 to Season 3. Is there anything to say about this live-action adaptation other than “it is infinitely better than «Squid Games»”? And the S03 fan service, I love that one. Unfair but it was great. 😆
My Troublesome Star
★★★★½
What a very beautiful and inspiring story. «My Troublesome Star» («금쪽같은 내스타») is a rare gem in the K-drama industry. It is not your typical Korean TV series where they do every genre in a single show and end up with so many plots, no one can agree what it is mainly about, it's a well-written drama that fires up our feel-good emotions as well as inspire us to fight for our dreams. If you are feeling down and the future looks dark, give «My Troublesome Star» a try. You will laugh. You will cry. It will resonate. It will give you hope to once again shine.
It’s Okay!
★★★★
Reminded me of when I still believed on dreams. Once you are #Forever28 everything changes. You learn contentment. You discover that happiness lies with simply being alive. You stop believing in dreams. You just live and enjoy whatever comes to you. But when you're a teenager, the world is a mystery. You have very colourful and grand dreams. You have the drive to achieve those dreams. To fight for it no matter what. That was what IRe's character represented. A teenager whose dreams were almost destroyed after the universe threw forced her to become an adult early. She learned to be happy with what life throws at her. She learned that being alive is itself more than enough. But her close encounter with her mentor put a stop to it. She encouraged her to fulfill her dreams. To fight for it. And her mentor was right. Once you embrace adulthood, things will change. Dreams will no longer matter. If it doesn't work, the important thing is you tried instead of giving up because life wants you to become an adult already. No regrets. IRe's character is that person. No regrets. She almost embraced adulthood but she was protected by an adult who cares. I hope, like me, you saw these things as well, dear reader. If you're #Forever28 too, it also reminds us that we should help protect teenagers from facing adulthood earlier than they should. We all know how once we're adults, we will no longer be able to come back to the days when we were teenagers filled with dreams. Dreams. They are precious. It defines the rest of our mortal life. Protect it.
Twelve
★★★
6 ⭐
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
★★★★
S03 done
★★★½
The whole objective of the series is this: «Love is esquire» "Esquire" is used here in the context of young lawyers who are still learning the ropes. It is similar to old English "squire" (there's an etymology connection there). "Love is esquire" means that love is an endless process of learning, just like an esquire must always learn to become better lawyers. (Or a squire to become a knight.) No matter what form love takes, «love is esquire». --- The show also missed many opportunities. Some of these are: - developing the story of the FL's mother - a story about the FL's twin sister who is hard of hearing - a case related to PWD rights, especially one related to the FL's twin sister, and her aunt's PWD family - building more on animal rights - exploring deeply the various forms of marriages - how marriages are broken - the bond between a human and their pet There were a lot of relevant topics they could've delved on deeper instead of simply using them as a plot device. It was a waste, especially in the context or objective it set itself: Love is esquire.
City of Heavenly Fire
★★★★★
Wow. Beautiful ending. It's also sad to see the story end. Six books. So many years in the making. The tale of Jace and Clary, of Isabelle and Simon, of Alec and Magnus, is finally closed. Tears and joy. Sadness and laughter. Hatred and love. Angels and demons. A very touching saga.
What an adventure. What an adventure!!!
Timescape
★★★★
For an early 90s novel, I did not expect temporal science fiction was already this advanced. There are plenty of interesting thoughts and theories, some I've thought as well like the continuous loop, half way on/off switch, there's really no "past" and "future", just "now", etc.
However, I was saddened that the story ended up going the "split timeline" theory to solve paradoxes. It doesn't fit the whole plot and explanation presented. Somehow it was just patched.
For example, everything was good as far as the yellow paper experiment was concerned. Then at the end, we were presented with the split timeline theory, even explained how it works. If so, then why did Peterson received the yellow paper on the exact same timeline if it split?
Under the split timeline theory, Peterson shouldn't have received the yellow paper. But under the continuous loop theory it works. So, at the end, the novel created a paradox, the yellow paper paradox.
Other than that, it was a very good read. I enjoyed it and I'm glad to know my views of how time works is not new at all.
The Death Cure
★★★★
I would given this book 2 or 3 stars only if not for the ending, it saved itself.
It was long, and I think most of it can be removed and it won't change anything. The story is no longer "book 3" per se as it is already about the outside world. What happened to it, how the characters are doing, and so on.
But I like how our main character chose not to remember versus his supposed to be best/girl friend who chose to remember and ended up discovering the truth (or the lie). Our protagonist showed that he doesn't need to remember to know that WICKED is wicked.
Then at the end, his best/girl friend died to save him. It was sudden. It shows how the reality of life and teaches us that we should never ever take for granted the people that matters to us. But what saddened me was our dear protagonist was numb at most.
He did not even realised the sacrifice she did. How much she loves him. And all the effort she did to be forgiven! No, regardless of what she did, what she explained, he never forgave her. It's annoying but again, it happens in real life.
So overall, yeah, it was the ending that saved this book. The ending was the peak. The ending was the meat of it. The ending was where all roads lead to and melded everything in a very chaotic way (characters clashing; beliefs being tested; friendships shaken), to end up in a very bitter sweet way.
Full Circle
★★★★
A bit confusing. The time gap are so great. Understandably, it's because it spans before the Borg invasion and after it. Then it has too many flashbacks added to it.
Good nonetheless. A great comeback for Voyager for a new series.
Children of the Storm
★★★★
Amazing story and lessons to be learned here. Though I'd say it's a bit of dragging in some places but still it's deserving of 5 out of 5 stars.
