Rushed Chinese Jurassic Park with a Volcano Instead

I'm a natural disasters nerd and have been for nearly 30 years; I've read and watched everything I could get my hands on when it came to tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, rogue waves, meteors, comets, asteroids, and occasionally hurricanes. Was just cruising Prime Video for any not so great natural disaster flicks and came across this one. Was very surprised that it was a Chinese film and found it here on MDL. It came out on prime two years after its initial release in China, so all of the actors voices were completely dubbed over but done well. I was familiar with only a handful of the actors; though the science wasn't there, this was like a rushed Chinese Jurassic Park with a volcano instead.

Pros: What I liked the most was the CGI which was top notch and all of the actors really played their parts well. Very typical of a state of the art hotel built on an active volcano; so greed over safety. It was entertaining to watch and I gave it the score I did for these pluses. The story needed to be longer and it would have been better if done so.

Cons: The total lack of science. First of all, an explosive eruption doesn't happen in just 20 minutes. This was a typical cone shaped volcano but both of its eruptions resembled those of Krakatoa, Tambora, and Vesuvius though on a much smaller scale. The fact that no one took the time to explain that those ash clouds racing down the mountain were pyroclastic flows that could reach up to 500 mph in speed and 1,000 degrees F, was ridiculous. ML aka dad survived not once but twice even though he was in the open where the flow reached him even if he hid in the hole in the ground; just look at the citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum for that explanation. It's literally impossible to survive at all with just minor burns; each person would be incinerated alive. The ejections out of the volcano are called lava bombs and not only do they explode but they create their own lava flows.

I wasn't looking for a whole lot of accuracy it being only 1.5 hours long but just some basic volcanology would have sufficed; something they teach you in elementary and middle school science class.

Would I recommend it? Yes; as just a natural disaster flick with special effects and good acting. Grab some popcorn and relax.

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60% Business to 40% Romance

This was good but it didn't rock my world. Elvis Han can handle being sexy for sure. I had dropped MMC for lack of chemistry and too much propaganda but this seemed like something easier. I lived for the leads interactions; flirting was actually a lot more subtle than what I'm used to or was expecting. And it was really 60% Business to 40% Romance. Will review this a bit differently than usual.

This was short; only 14 episodes but over an hour each. Really showed the lives of Asian cube monkeys working hard and overtime. Though many have said that it's only in Asia or China that this happens, it is often seen here in the states too. A lot of it reminded me of my time in the corporate world. The long hours, little to no positive reinforcement from your superiors, nasty coworkers, etc., one of the many reasons I left that world. I ffw'd a lot in the beginning because I didn't want to remember what that was like, plus there was very little actual interaction of the leads. And I didn't really pay much attention to the sister and her weird way of finding love getting stuck with a possessive stalker. Why didn't they go to the police after the spy camera was found? That's breaking a serious legal boundary. The regular Joe she ended up with was great but because of how little time they actually shared on screen and I think he was only introduced 3 episodes before the end, though they had chemistry, it did feel rushed.

I loved the FL's second supervisor! Now that's the type of manager you want to have; great mentor too. The 3 or 4 people in both of the leads lives that tried to harm them before and then apologized afterwards or thanked them, just seemed unrealistic because rarely if ever would that happen in the real world; those redemption arcs were unnecessary. The leads times together once they became an official couple in episode 8, was a time to treasure but I still felt like they were just not given enough screen time together to really work out their relationship properly. A lot was said or spoken of but not expressed. Could have been the time crunch of episodes and you never knew how much time passed as obviously there were time lapses. I'm glad the FL and ML finally decided to slow down work wise when something serious happened like her multiple health scares and him realizing he wasn't essentially a robot.

Their sexy times were great and so was the marriage proposal; it was different and fit who they both were. The OSTs were cute and fit them.

Would I recommend it? If you are looking for a business drama with romance as the secondary factor, then give it a go.

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After All It Was David Who Beat Goliath

Watching a 2019 show in 2023 just hits differently; especially with 55 episodes lol. I haven't watched a series with that many episodes since 2020. Only reason I watched it is because I wanted a series where Allen Ren actually was convincing in acting, because what I've seen of him thus far wasn't all that great. Other than looking constipated while saying his lines, I wanted more substance and a trusted source recommended this.

Pros: In the very beginning, I wasn't at all sure he could pull it off, but once he fell for FL, I was pleasantly surprised that he was able to emote and really give his all to his character. Seven Tan I really like and think she does a great job when it comes to strong feisty characters be they in costume or modern dramas; though here she too annoyed me a lot in the beginning. But I actually have to say that the character that caught my attention the most was the morally gray Zhan Lanye; many a time these kinds of characters are played by men but here though she was basically obsessed with the main antagonist, killed many people, but still had a soft spot for SX and helped her out as well as get one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to turn on big bad. It was good when all of the characters evolved because in the beginning you wanted to hit a few with bricks like Xie Xiao (I'll talk more about him below). All of the people the leads met along the way that became their friends or extended family were great. The big bad, Goliath aka Yan Shifan though a vicious, obsessed, greedy killer, was a good villain up until he crossed a few lines, then you just wanted to off him immediately. The storyline actually for the most part was decent until in the late 40s and early 50s of episodes; this series could have done much better with just 40 or 45 episodes. LY really was the David that brought down Goliath, I just wish it was more satisfying. Costumes especially for the embroidered guards were quite rich and beautiful.

Cons: The tired trope of "your father killed my family so I have to take revenge on you even though you were like 10" was first introduced in the late 40s and into the 50s and it was a mess then on out. Killing off a good character essentially without rhyme or reason in the last few episodes was just dumb. As mentioned up top the character XX was essentially a 12 year old in an adult's body. Some people called him comic relief, I considered him fast-forwardable. His crush on the FL going onwards past two rejections was pathetic. The love triangle or quad took like 40 episodes to resolve and had really blockheaded men I wanted to smack. It was just unnecessary from the main plot. The emperor was a very peculiar man; didn't trust anyone supposedly but really let himself be led by the nose by the Yan family for decades, killing innocent people just on words and false evidence. Ironically the actor looked older in this series then in The Blood of Youth where he too played the emperor which was filmed over a year after this was released. Maybe it was the wig.

One concern I had was how they threw rape around with the bad guys like it was nothing. Especially with that one who wanted SX and had 9 lives; stabbing didn't kill him, falling off a cliff didn't either, but some poison in some noodles in a jail cell and adios. Very unbelievable. Big bad was also pro rape and torture but his death was a total copout in the last episode. Beheading? Really? Y'all tortured smaller fries but the one who had orchestrated it all....nothing, zilch? Not to mention his nasty foot fetish and obsession with Dr. Ling plus what he did to Jinxia.

That last episode was taken from some LSD playbook and didn't make any sense. Why would LY act so rashly and out of character? I watched it being very confused. Many of the interior sets looked like they belonged in a carnival funhouse or a Bollywood musical. And lastly, why the closeups of the leads' eyes? That reoccurring theme looked ridiculous and had me laughing; the camera would be so close you could tell Allen Ren was wearing contacts and Seven Tan had an occasional pimple. No one needed that.

Would I recommend it? If you like the leads and good mysteries, then yes. But the fast forward button may be required especially with certain characters and when the plot took a downward turn in the late 40s.

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6 Piece X-Men

Was watching SOTM and the actor (Wang You Shou) who played He Na grabbed my attention, and though I ended up dropping that show, this one with him was recommended to me and I decided to give it a go. I loved the 6 piece version of X-Men just without the fantastical elements. This drama didn't disappoint me at all.

Pros: Loved the mystery and intrigue and how with the ML you never knew exactly what he was thinking and how many steps ahead he actually was. Also how even if he didn't have a plan, he could weasel himself or others out of nearly impossible situations under near death circumstances. There was a constant question of what was really going on but it never dragged until the end and nothing was what it seemed. My second favorite character was of course the reason I started watching or Wang Kuan played by WYS; man was like a walking Siri, encyclopedia Brittanica, and fortune teller wrapped up into one dude. He never told a lie, was loyal to a fault, and a wonderful friend and later on partner. Zhang Jian and Xue Ying were also great and I loved their strengths and weaknesses. Each character had flaws and that was very important.

I'd have to say my least favorite out of the 6 were Ya Nei because he was too flashy and though he did mature a bit as time went on, his arrogance just couldn't be tapered down. Also Ah Jing, she was the least qualified and though I felt that she did grow in strength as the series progressed, her outfits and the baby voice with which she talked made you constantly think you were leading a kid along on dangerous missions. It didn't make much sense. I wish they had evolved her more to fit a grown woman as the series continued. Even with WK by her side as protector and love interest, she still never came into her own. Hopefully that'll happen in part 2.

Other favorite characters from both the protagonists and antagonists side were Dean Lu, big bro of our Jack of all trades, old thief, instructor Liu, Old man minister of war, and even the creep Ding Er (I can't spell his other name). He really was the perfect antagonist and repulsively creepy at the same time. But it made him believable and therefore, he shall stay.

Loved the scenery, martial arts were awesome, OSTs, costumes, etc. just a nice round off of a lot of things.

Cons: With so much going on, many little variables were just left alone. Though the plot didn't drag until the end, it seemed many questions were left unanswered after each mission was completed. Like move on to the next one and the audience will forget. The last arc was an absolute mess. What was the point of any of it? To return Ding Er to annoy everyone and Dean Lu to have his final showdown, only to show YJX propose to ZJ and all be awesome and literally two scenes later in the same outfit and in the same location find out from the gang that the creep escaped from prison, kidnapped her, her father and sent a note to the team saying "he'll take good care of his wife and father" opening up the official season 2 approach. It was way too messy and could have been done way better.

All things considered a lot of the plots and subplots could have been executed tighter. That said, this is still pretty good for a lower budget 2019 drama.

Would I recommend it? If you like mystery, intrigue, light comedy, and great friendships, then yes I totally would. I'm very much looking forward to part 2 myself since they literally wrapped filming it a few days ago.

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CSI in Costume Drama

I watched this on the recommendation of two credible sources and am glad I did. It was witty, intelligent, and was a very serious whodunnit. What I liked about it was that all characters including the leads were very strong and equal to one another. I do wish there was at least one real kiss between the leads. Everyone had each other's backs and there was no jealousy or backstabbing amongst them. I enjoyed another drama without the cliche or tropes that these dramas are famous for. Very obvious the drama was lower budget but it really didn't need a large budget as it didn't have anything save martial arts which were done really well. Also obvious the main cast was compiled by new actors but they all held their own and were very convincing.

What I wished there was more or less of was more of our leads and their friends and less of the palace politics. The old evil eunuch guy looks like Grima Wormtongue and sounds like Gollum (for anyone who knows LOTR). I wish he was done away with sooner and the way he went was a total cop out considering this was a CSI crime solving story, not very convincing. The ending itself could have been done better and smoother for our two leads, especially since the literal last scene was of their marriage. Definitely some bumps and holes along the way but other then that, it was something that I'd recommend especially for crime drama loving people.

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An Honest Review

I watched this series for Dilraba and Ma Ke respectively as I'm a fan of both. I had read a lot of different reviews but I always like to watch and make up my mind myself. This drama is first and foremost about action, competition, and learning about teamwork. Romance is dead last. But I was expecting that. Ironically the most satisfying relationship was between the two instructors of LHSD. There was a romance triangle or quad. Two guys liked the same girl, and a 2nd girl all but stalked the main lead.

Cons: The title should have been LHSD not Hot Girl; didn't fit. The constant repetitive flashbacks weren't needed and were very annoying. Almost like the screenwriter thought the audience would forget who said what and when and to whom. What's the point of watching then? Least favorite character by far was Pink Panther aka Tianqi. She fell for the lead and literally stalked him; she had photos of him in her apartment everywhere. And in a secret box where she recorded every conversation they ever had. Yet when a celebrity entrusted their agency for the exact same purposes; she had a stalker, that person was considered psychologically unwell. He too had photos of her everywhere, followed her everywhere, and made constant phone calls. Yet Pink Panther's actions were considered normal even encouraged! It was mind boggling.

I felt bad for the male lead because his feelings towards the female lead were constantly trampled on by "but you can't hurt Pink Panther" or "you must be with her." Why should he be with a woman he doesn't care for in that way and a creeper to boot? It was a huge issue for many episodes. What compounded matters was the whole real probability of FL and ML actually being siblings after they fell in love. But even when that was cleared up, the FL was still pushing ML away towards the creepy Pink Panther; like girl are you really that dense or just dumb as nails? When first finding out that ML may be her brother, she turned cold and heartless towards him without any explanation. He was as much of a victim as she was. He meanwhile saved her life countless times and never gave up on her. What made it even more pathetic was that their "reunion" in the second to last episode was about as emotional as two old ladies playing cards. Very poorly written. She owed him an apology at the very least and a kiss would have been nice. As mentioned above the instructors relationship had more fireworks.

Sorry but Pink Panther is getting the punching bag here and it's because on top of being a creepy stalker that literally no one realized, she also spied on all of the people she supposedly cared for and worked for in order to help a competitor/misguided antagonist who hated the founder of LHSD. The SML was a dumb jock who couldn't take no for an answer, in love with FL and had the whole "if I can't have her, I'll just (try and) beat up everyone around me to show my manliness and endanger everyone's lives by joining the antagonist to show my jealousy." Very passive aggressive and just proved his uselessness.

Some scenes had me questioning the validity of anything they ever learned. In the second to last episode when SML holds FL hostage with first a gun, then a knife goading the ML to kill himself, the FL couldn't even subdue him? This entire time she was showing her almost gravity defying superiority in fighting and yet she can't get out of a hold? Probably the fakest scene out of the entire thing save for the paragliding experience which was obvious the production had a very low budget.

Next question, in 2015 or whenever this thing was filmed, was cancer the most popular thing people could come up with? Just about every other character had it. No variety or ingenuity whatsoever. Lastly the slow walking to music really brought back that Baywatch vibe and not in a good way.

After so many cons, how can this show possibly have any pros? But it does in fact.

Pros: I loved the idea of the show and the thing that made it more interesting is that they weren't just a group of bodyguards but also private investigators it seemed. Just about every client they had was shady or had additional problems that required further investigation. Nothing was ever cut and dry. I enjoyed the fact that they all started out as snotty, arrogant know it all's but learned how to work together and even appreciate the "she-monster" instructor who in fact just wanted them to succeed through hard work. FL and ML went from largest rivals, to friends, to falling in love though with a lot of hiccups. But in the entire time they each grew and matured.

Many side characters helped like the old man cafe owner; he was sort of like their shrink when they were stumped. The bullies got weeded out fairly quickly and were eliminated. For a good chunk of the episodes, it was all about their training which was more like boot camp for the military then bodyguards. Life and death situations brought people closer and helped them learn to rely on one another both at and outside of work. The synopsis talks about the FL becoming this legendary bodyguard. I wouldn't go that far because she wasn't alone. The final group all became great bodyguards, she just became a more responsible leader. So over all, I give this series a 7/10 because I knew I wasn't going to find a romance but more of an action drama and in that aspect, it didn't disappoint in the slightest. So watch for action, character growth, teamwork, friendships. If you're looking for romance, this isn't the drama for you.

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A Hot Mess

This is what happens when screenwriters use outlines to put together a script as opposed to a fully flushed out plot with character development and cohesion. This was a huge mess. I understand 24 episodes but they were all over the place. No proper introduction to them and on top of that what was originally believed to be 3 fictional characters out of a diary, ended up being crossed over from Babylonian/Akkadian history. The only reason I didn't drop this like the majority of people I spoke with was because WRC or Richards Wang's character essentially carried the entire show on his shoulders plus the historical and international locations were beautiful. He was the only not over the top personality that honestly played his character without screeching, squeaking, and not making sense. I liked him in The Long Ballad as King of Mobei and he was able to do the same here and believably. Wish he had more screen time in both and I look forward to better roles from him in the future. For all of the insanity during, only one couple had a semblance of a happy ending while the others just matured but had to be heartbroken and separated by thousands of years and a different dimension; a real let down if there wasn't enough. Truly wish I hadn't started watching it. This series is only good for people who like chaos and insanity without a straightforward plot. Otherwise, please avoid.

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Section 8 Overshadowed Section 7

I originally watched part 1 this year so it wasn't a 4 year wait for me like many others. Going from 40 episodes and mostly comedy with intelligence to 27 and a much darker tone, set part 2 apart greatly from part 1. That and the fact that we met 3 members of section 8 that were destined to die and to me at least, they completely took over the series in terms of both action and caring about them from our beloved 6 heroes.

Pros: I really liked section 8's 3 members and felt that when they were on screen, they were much more important to this part than our main leads. Though they still managed to grow and mature while away plus the really random three year time leap that was stuck in there for whatever reason. I'm very glad that Pei Jing grew up as her character was the deer in the headlights always, hiding behind Wang Kuan. The drama made me feel the saddest when section 8's members were killed because even in their small amount of screen time, they made us really care about them and their martial arts skills were pretty awesome; on par if not better then Xue Ying's. Also when WK lost his arm, he being my favorite character, was really a sad and hurtful time but at the same time, it was good to see that even the best and brightest were only human. We got one smooch finally from our second couple but both couples had a few sweet moments here and there. Wasn't sure how I'd feel about the new actor replacing Bruce He to play Ya Nei but he fit the part really well. I'd seen the actor before in a modern, so he impressed me with going from doofus with the facial expressions to serious and realistic.

Big man YH was a great antagonist; he was ruthless, a great strategist, and just freaking huge. It took a lot to put him down but I'm glad they finally did. Was really the only real antagonist that made sense, the others were just dumb ants between his feet. Other good characters were PJ's brother, the dude who thought PJ was a dragon God but was there for comic relief more then anything else, YN's dad, the girl leading the military who had a thing for XY but she disappeared from the scene without an explanation. Costumes were great as were some of the sets, though not all. OSTs were nice too.

Cons: More plot holes than you knew what to do with. What started out as a rescue mission for ZJ's father ended up being an assassination plot just to help NL? In reality, they just wanted to prevent a war. But to understand all that took many episodes then necessary. Why so many stupid characters; Ding'er or Ning Ling, his mom, the son of sections' Chief; that character was bipolar....he's evil but he's also there for comic relief? It didn't make sense and threw the scenes off. Glad when he was off'd, just a waste of time and space.

What was up with all of these fathers? Obviously there was a time jump in the beginning but the way it was shown and expressed made zero sense. One faked treason but we never saw what information he delivered, the other appeared out of nowhere to cripple his own son for 3 years that he didn't even consider a son? That guy was a bastard. He didn't even go after YH in the end but let S7 do it and then just left. Like what was his point? You have insane martial arts skills that you prance around for a few episodes here and there but when it really counted, you just took on a few guards? Useless!

Lord, those horse scenes. I have no words. Them faux horseback riding and it going on and on and on was like watching a 1940s Western with color. Yes, this had a larger budget than season 1 but where did it go? Because that's like sticking a human on a mechanical prop that you don't even show but they're making riding motions et voila!

The ending was so underwhelming plus the misplaced ending credits. The only way S7 brought down mountain man was because they had help from a solar eclipse and a sandstorm which was apparently calculated by the ML and told to us in the second to last scene but it was truly a ??‍♀️ finale fight sequence, can't even call it a battle. I only gave it an 8 because of the acting and music and the fact that it finished out a cliffhanger storyline, so watchable.

Would I recommend it? To finish out part one yes. But I definitely liked part one more because it made sense and was better written.

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Aviation Fail

What promised to be a show about the aviation industry and people working hard within it, devolved into toxic office politics, an equally toxic relationship quad, an FL that was bashed with everything humanly possible and an ML with the EQ of a human rock formation. This isn't to dissuade people to watch if they're enjoying it but for me the constant stream of negativity was too much. I put it on hold for a while and now after thinking carefully, have decided not to pick it up again. Hope for those eagerly waiting for the ML to thaw, to get their wish. But I absolutely do not recommend this one. Plenty of others to choose from.

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Not perfect but binge-worthy show.

First meeting these characters in TMPB, I actually liked them a lot more than the two leads there. But knowing this was a totally separate story, gave it a go once it was fully uploaded and translated here. What can I say, I like to binge watch. Though, absolutely beautiful costumes, CGI, and script. It got a 9 from me because it got off to (in my opinion) a slow start. I love the chemistry between the leads and the humor of practically every character. The main antagonist could have laid off on the “evil laughing” all the time as it was not convincing in the slightest. Wish there was a more rounded ending of our two leads as that seemed a bit rushed. But overall, I’m satisfied with this series and would recommend it to friends.

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Couldn't Do It

I'm glad many people like this drama but I just couldn't do it anymore. I got through half and really wanted to like it too, but when you're literally just watching for the SML's 5 minutes on screen and he's carrying the entire drama for you, it's not worth it. They really overdid it on the CGI; it was like if TBW and Aquaman had a kid, just too much. Making the most delusional character into the main antagonist was a mistake when there are so many really awesome options. No real chemistry between the leads, a plot that couldn't straighten itself out, and quite a few miscast (can't act the characters convincingly) actors. It's Xianxia which is supposed to be about misunderstandings and lots of angst plus the technicolor dream world and while it had a boatload of the first and last, I felt nothing in terms of it with the leads. Again, this is just my personal opinion and therefore for those continuing to watch, please do. But I'm not recommending it and the actor who plays He Na is the only real rockstar in this plus I'm enjoying him in the series "Young Blood". I look forward to better work for him in the future.

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Bless and honor all of frontline personnel fighting the pandemic!

Though not watching on CCTV and without subs, most of it is pretty common sense, I'll rewatch on the 23rd once the subs go up. The 8th episode with the doctor who got ill and the entire co-op was yelling "Jiayou" brought tears to my eyes. Not going to lie that I came to watch for Zhan and though he only had 5 minutes of the entire two episodes, his interaction with others were very cute. This mini-series is to honor all those on the frontlines fighting this pandemic. G-d bless them all. May all of their courage be a blessing to everyone because we have to remember we are one world, one people under one sky.

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Swamp Thing Meets Species w/Some Jurassic Park

Another prime video laughingstock about a lake monster or two in Thailand that kills people on land in a very disbelieving fashion while those trying to get away and screaming isn't at all believable. Cars supposedly driving fast are obviously going no faster than 10 mph. One dude becomes like of one mind with the smaller monster and sacrifices himself to get rid of both. No one is panicked ever. Just walk quickly, chant, and pretend the thing is horrifying which is the only thing CGI got right. Thailand definitely needs more money in their entertainment industry because this was sad. Not a recommendation.

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Amazingly Better Than the First

After watching the first one; I didn't want to watch this one because that one was a mess. I like Jason Statham so decided why not; I'm bored. I'll give a whirl. Other reason I didn't want to watch it was because though I'm a scuba diver, I have a phobia of octopi and knowing essentially I'd be looking at the kraken with huge tentacles gave me the jeebs. Thankfully, that part of the show was towards the end and minimal. But though things were messy and far from perfect (antagonists were subpar at best but thankfully most were eaten fairly quickly); the comedy and bantering between the characters was amusing even in dire strait situations. It's not a film for everyone but if you want to just relax with some popcorn and have a chill evening, go for it. It is actually amazingly better than the first. That said, I hope they don't make a 3rd lol.

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Moral of the Story: Love is a 2 Way Street & A Man Must Have Balls

Saw this after Wuliang and I liked that one way better. Though here everything was also very layered and complex, the ML was made quite dumb. He was suspicious of the kid they took in from nearly the get go but just forked over his heart like it was a casual thing in a deal with the devil. This ended up being a Romeo and Juliet deal with a demon for a 3rd wheel. A demon that learned how to love after a thousand years but never realized that something like that must be reciprocated or it was an unrequited love and unrealistic. So instead of gaining love, he lost everything and everyone due to his own selfish desires. ML should have told his wife right away, "Honey, that demon you are looking for is who you brought home!" She took him out and no sacrifice of any more innocence. But for a 30 minute film, it was very rich and beautiful.

Would I recommend it? If you like complex tragedies that make you think, go for it.

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