| KDRAMA - Blade Man |

SYNOPSIS: Blades started coming out of the back of a man.

RATING: 5/10

NUMBER OF EPISODES: 18

STATUS: COMPLETED

REVIEW: 

I really had a lot of trouble writing a synopsis for this because the story was all over the place. It had so much potential but it wasn't delivered well. The main reason why I watched this was because of Lee Dong Wook. Maybe if he wasn't the lead character, I would not be able to finish this.

The story was not bad. It was actually pretty okay. It had the typical bad boy-ish character who is going to be cured or helped by a kind and sweet lead girl plot. However, it had a very slow pacing. I actually watched this with 4x speed (the playback function in vlc) just to get through. A lot of other subplot were opened but they weren't really pushed. A lot of confusing details were mentioned but not explained. A lot of random scenes that didn't make sense. A character made an appearance which ruined things for everyone. No justice for the characters and punishment for the villains. More importantly, the blades coming out of Hong Bin made no sense at all. It wasn't explained. It was just there.

The cast and characters were alright. Lee Dong Wook was able to portray Hong Bin really well. Honestly, Hong Bin was adorable but I really wanted to kick him a lot. He had many issues in life, so mean to others, and acted childish a lot. I didn't feel like he had much character development except the parts concerning Chang. He was adorable to Chang and that was one of the parts I liked. I am amazed though that Lee Dong Wook looked much younger in Goblin than in this kdrama even though this was showed in 2014. Shin Se Kyung as Se Dong was alright. She reminded me a lot of Jan Di's bestfriend in Boys Over Flowers. Se Dong was an alright character. She was annoying sometimes though. She acted really sweet and kind and so concerned of others I wanted to kick her sometimes too. I know she had her own backstory and shit it was heartbreaking but ugh. I like her friendship with her friends though. The character I loved the most here is Secretary Ko. He was very loyal, supportive, and caring towards Hong Bin. I loved watching him especially during the parts where he teases Hong Bin. He took care of Hong Bin a lot and was really concerned about his well being.

• Se Dong had a really sad life. She had no money. Her aunt and uncle were bitches. Her mother died while she was ignoring her. Her father died because of work. You feel so much heartbreak for her in the first half. Sadly, as the series progresses, she bores you. She was just there. I didn't feel that much for her after the first half.
• I really didn't feel much for Se Dong and Hong Bin. They were cute together at some points but at some I felt 'meh'. Especially since I watched Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na in Goblin. Those two were perfect together.
• There are so many flashback scenes and it felt kind of annoying because if I remember correctly they weren't explained much. Ugh.
• I thought the head maid was pretty fun in the beginning. Little did I know that she was the main cause for everything. She had Tae Hee beaten up for Hong Bin's father even if that wasn't what he meant. I just hate that nobody knew (except Hong Bin's father) who was really at fault and Tae Hee didn't get any justice at all.
• I liked seeing the character development of Hong Bin's father. He grew from a prickly bastard to someone decent enough to apologize to Tae Hee before she died. I don't really know why he thought that Tae Hee took Hong Bin away from him. It was really his fault for trying to separate those two but this is kdrama land and things make no sense at some point. Plus, I liked his relationship with Chang. It was slow but pretty cute.
• I love the relationship between Chang and Hong Bin. They were cute together especially after Hong Bin realized what he was doing wrong. I love seeing that Hong Bin moved Chang to his room.
• I love Seung-Hwan (Se Dong's bestfriend). He took care of her so much before Hong Bin came. I love the fact that they did try to go out and it wasn't just a one-sided love anymore. It was genuine care at that point. I love that he got his happy ending in the end.
• I really didn't like the ending. Sure, they all got their happy ending but everything felt rushed and patched up together. There wasn't even a timeskip. Nobody knew how much time elapsed before they finally came together. 
• I felt conflicted about Tae Hee's character. Sure, she was an obstacle in Se Dong and Hong Bin's relationship but her backstory was really sad. Her only crime was loving Hong Bin. It was heartbreaking watching her get beaten up and see her protect her stomach because she was pregnant. I hate what she did - leaving Chang and confusing Hong Bin but it was reasonable enough for me. I was happy that she got to spend time with them before she died. Plus, I was amazed to Han Eun Jung. The last time I saw her was in Full House which was years ago.
• Seeing Tae Hee's parents broke my heart. They loved their daughter so much and they lost her. I was happy that even though Hong Bin was partially at fault, they didn't treat him badly. I loved seeing Chang with them.
• The bromance between Secretary Ko and Hong Bin was something I liked. I love watching Secretary Ko take care of Hong Bin a lot. I loved watching Ko tease Hong Bin whenever he wanted to be alone with Se Dong. I felt sad for him whenever he got beaten up by Hong Bin. I loved that he got a girlfriend in the end.

| MOVIES - JUNE PART 2 |

This list includes: The Lego Batman Movie, Bad Moms, The Boss, How to be Single, Fist Fight, Why Him, Atonement, The Swan Princess.

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (18)

'Sometimes, losing people is part of life. But that doesn't mean you stop letting them in.'

RATING: 8.5/10

SUMMARY: Batman must fight the villains who are trying to take over Gotham City.
REVIEW: I actually don't like batman but I really love this movie. It was a fun watch. It had action, adventure, and a heartfelt storyline. I love the humor and the way it makes fun of batman. Batman rapping/beatboxing is a bit weird. I love that even though it had some wild assortments of characters at some point it wasn't confusing. It had a real story and the animation was fun. The batman here had more character development than the actual batman films. He was able to change his ways and learn what's truly important. I really love the end credits too because the song and the dance number was really fun to watch. This movie made me really happy.

BAD MOMS (18)

'Remember when I said that all marriage are savable? Well, it ain't gonna happen for you guys.'

RATING: 7.3/10

SUMMARY: Three moms decided to stop overworking themselves.
REVIEW: This movie was really fun to watch. It will make you realize how hard a mother works for her children. Even though they really did some bad things, you can feel the love they have for their children. They just want some break sometimes. Make sure you appreciate your parents for how they raised and took care of you. I love the end credits when the cast's mothers came to discuss some of the things they did when their children was young. Plus, I just found out that there is a sequel and I'm so excited!

THE BOSS (18)

RATING: 2.5/10

SUMMARY: A woman lost her wealth after she was imprisoned and she tried to look for a way to get back on the top.
REVIEW: Even though I like the cast, I did not like this movie. I found it quite weird for my taste. It was on a level of weird that bordered on bad for me. There were some scenes that were cringe-worthy (most are of Peter Dinklage). I did not feel anything for the characters and the plot. I was really disappointed since two of my favorite actors are here (Kristen Bell and Peter Dinklage).

HOW TO BE SINGLE (18)

RATING: 6/10

SUMMARY: A couple of single people tried to look for love, relationships and what it meant to be single.
REVIEW: It was a pretty decent film. Not much happened except for Alice's search for someone to love and her partying with Robin. I think this is the first time that I enjoyed a movie with Rebel Wilson in it. It was pretty simple but enjoyable to watch. I love Meg's subplot. I love Leslie Mann. She's so cute as Alice's sister and her relationship with the guy (I forgot his name) was pretty adorable.

FIST FIGHT (18)

RATING: 5.8/10

SUMMARY: A teacher plans to have a fist fight with another teacher for telling on him to the principal.
REVIEW: I was reluctant to watch this but my bestfriend kept telling me to. I admit it was a pretty nice film. However, I don't like this type of movie so I'm a bit low on the rating. I like that Andy was able to face his fears. I love that he allowed his daughter to do what she wanted. That was a pretty hilarious scene. Plus, Sean's dad in Psych is here! It was funny watching him be chased by a mariachi band all day because of the senior prank day.

WHY HIM (18)

RATING: 5.9/10

SUMMARY: A girl introduces her boyfriend to her family and her dad doesn't like him.
REVIEW: There were some funny scenes but I was kind of disappointed because I didn't find it hilarious enough. I love the fact that Key is there and Kaley Cuoco's voice. There were so many random things that happened between the Fleming's and Laird that I found it too weird sometimes. And even though I have nothing against profanities, Laird used too much of them. The ending was pretty cute though.

ATONEMENT (18)

'I love you. I'll wait for you. Come back. Come back to me.'

RATING: 7.5/10

SUMMARY: A girl ruined someone's life and happiness because of a lie.
REVIEW: I found the film amazing but it caused me so much pain. I shipped Robbie and Cecilia so much and I just ugh. James McAvoy as Robbie looked so much precious here. Keira Knightley is love. I still hate Briony for what she did. She never redeemed herself for me. I also hate that Briony deprived Lola of justice too. She ruined so many lives with the lie she told just because she's jealous/bitter.

THE SWAN PRINCESS

'You should write a book: How To Offend Women In Five Syllables or Less.'

RATING: 6.5/10

SUMMARY: An evil sorcerer cursed a princess into transforming to a swan every night.
REVIEW: This is one of my childhood memories. I remember loving it so much when I was young but when I watched it recently I wasn't that amazed. It was still fun. There were hilarious scenes and lines. The prince was kind of an idiot in the beginning but redeems himself throughout the movie. I kept pointing out plot holes when I watched it recently that's why I wasn't as amazed as I used to. Maybe it was because I wasn't able to appreciate the songs since the people I watched it with don't really enjoy musicals who knows. I love Speed though. He was a fun character.

| #T5W - Books Without Romance |

Top 5 Wednesday is group that was created by Lainey and is currently hosted by Samantha. A topic is posted every month wherein if you want to, you can post about your top 5 picks for said topics.

The topic for July 5th is "Books Without Romance" which may refer to a book with little or no romantic subplot.

OTHER JULY TOPICS 

I rarely read books without romance so there might still be some romance in some of these books but they're not the main plot.

     

1. MISFIT BY JON SKOVRON

Jael is the daughter of an ex-priest and a demon. She discovers that she has powers and some demons are after her. I actually forgot what happened in this book but I do remember that it was awesome. I think there was little or no romance here because all I remember is action. I loved this book and I still wish it had a sequel.

     

2. SLASHER GIRLS & MONSTER BOYS BY VARIOUS AUTHORS

This is a collection of mystery, suspense, and/or thriller short stories. I really love this collection. Some of the stories had an amazing mixture of creepiness and awesomeness. There may be stories that had romance but the main point is: CREEPINESS.

     

3. THE GREEN MILE BY
STEPHEN KING

This is the book of the movie 'The Green Mile' starring Tom Hanks. It's about the lives of the guards at a Death Row cell block. Since this is a thick book, I suggest you watch the movie first. It is an amazing adaptation that may motivate you to read the book (just like me). I don't remember much romance here. It is a serious book with a wonderful but kind of dark story.

     

4. FAR FAR AWAY BY TOM MCNEAL

I remember that this book had a slow pacing but it was really interesting. The book is in the point of view of Jacob Grimm, one of the members of The Brothers Grimm. He is a ghost that watched over a boy in a town where weird things were happening. It was beautifully written and interesting to read.

     

5. THIS SAVAGE SONG BY VICTORIA SCHWAB

I couldn't resist not putting it in this list. This book is amazing. I love the plot wherein the hideous acts that humans do produce monsters. There was a blooming romance but it was not the point. The characters were badass and they really had to fight for their lives. It was very interesting and fun to read.

     

BONUS: ARTEMIS FOWL BY EOIN COLFER

I didn't continue this series after the first book because of the lack of romance (I got kind of bored and it had a lot of books) but from what I remember from what I read, it had an amazing plot about a boy and a fairy. They had a lot of interesting adventures together.

| TV SERIES - Confess |

"I'll love you forever. Even when I can't. 
I'll love you forever. Even when I shouldn't."

SYNOPSIS: Auburn works hard so that she can have custody of her son. In her search for a job, she meets Owen, a local artist who use confessions as inspirations for his art.

RATING: 8.5/10
NUMBER OF EPISODES: 7 (1 Season only (?))
STATUS: Completed (?)

I did not know that Confess had a TV Series adaptation and I was really excited to watch it when I found out. I love the book so much (it's my favorite of all Colleen Hoover's books) and the series did not disappoint. I watched all episodes in one sitting. Although there were some scenes from the book that I loved that were changed or wasn't part of the series, they still followed the storyline and did an amazing job.

The cinematography was really beautiful to look at. Even though it was a non-fantasy setting, the scenes were really beautiful. Auburn and Emory's house and the confess slot in Owen's house was beautiful. The paintings that were used during Owen's exhibit was amazing. Though I preferred some of the art in the book, it was still pretty awesome seeing the art as a real thing. Plus, the confessions. Although they had little appearance, the thing about the confessions made me really love the book.



The cast were able to portray their roles properly. Even though Katie Leclarc looked kind of old for me as Auburn, I still loved her. Ryan Cooper was hot as Owen. Although I can't get it out of my head that he kind of looks like Jamie Dornan. I loved Amy Pham as Emory! She was so adorable and fun to watch.

AUBURN REED

They changed many things about Auburn's background in this series. She works at a salon in the book while she works in a retirement home here. The reason why she gave custody to Lydia was changed too. I liked both the Auburn here and the Auburn in the book. Although I don't remember Auburn being that whiny in the book. She really had a hard time in life and I was happy that she got what she wanted in the end.

OWEN MASON GENTRY

Ryan Cooper was not how I imagined Owen in my mind. He was hot though. I love Owen. He was a very adorable character in the book and the series. I love how protective and supportive he is toward Auburn. I love how he made her realize that she was doing a good job with AJ. I was sad though that we didn't get to see much from his perspective.

EMORY LE

She had the biggest character change. I think the Emory in the book was kind of weird and loved being by herself. The change here was major but it didn't ruin her character. Sure, I wanted the book Emory (she was a badass) but I did love series Emory. She urged Auburn a lot to get what she wanted. I just love Emory in the book because she was fierce and protective of Auburn (she made sure that Auburn called her during midnight when she was with Owen). I was devastated though that they removed the fact that she saved Auburn from Trey. That was the second most badass scene in the book (next to Auburn revealing her recording).

TREY TAYLOR

Ugh. Since I know what would happen with Trey, I was disgusted whenever he touched Auburn. I knew he was a sick bastard and I didn't want him touching precious Auburn. They made him a little less psycho in this series (given that he stopped when Auburn screamed during the almost-rape scene) but he still was. Ugh, plus stalking Auburn was really creepy. He also told Lydia about Auburn filing for sole custody. That asshole.

LYDIA TAYLOR

I think she was less of a bitch here but she is still a bitch (then again I remember the scene where she did not take AJ to Auburn on her birthday). I'm glad that they made her realize that she was treating AJ like he was Adam. Even making her call him Adam just to prove that point. She really loves AJ but she was just so selfish keeping him to herself and she's not even the mother.

CALLAHAN GENTRY

I don't remember Callahan running in the election in the book? I think he barely managed to live there and was really addicted to the pills? It was a nice though so that Owen would have a lot more reason to cover up for him. I really glad that he decided to go to rehab and help Auburn during the ending.

OLD WOMAN IN THE RETIREMENT HOME

She was an adorable woman who had a lot of fun lines. She pushed Auburn with Owen and it was cute to see.

AUBURN and OWEN

I love the relationship between Auburn and Owen. Although in the series, it felt somewhat fast since they removed many lines from the book. In the book, Auburn and Owen had a lot of banter together. It was fun reading about them. Still, they were cute in the series. Owen had a lot of support for Auburn and you could see Auburn light up whenever they were together. Owen was willing to sacrifice himself in the end just so Auburn and AJ could be together. I was really glad that Auburn got smart and tricked Trey. It was annoying though that when they first got together they didn't even stay together for a whole episode. Trey ruined things so fast.

AUBURN and AJ

They were adorable together. You could see that AJ loved being with her and talking to her. I'm glad to see that they were together in the end.

AUBURN and EMORY (Plus, the other one)

They had more of a sister relationship here which was beautiful and fun to watch. Emory was a lot more supportive towards Auburn and I love it. I love how she comforts Auburn and that they spent a lot of screentime together. They even took her out during her birthday.

AUBURN and TREY

Ugh. So. Much. Disgust. I hated every minute they were together since I knew that Trey is a creepy asshole. You could really see that if they did end up together, Auburn would end up being abused a lot. The only part in the book I did not love was the fact that there was no justice for Trey. He still had a job and a life just far away from Auburn. It was the same here.

OWEN and CALLAHAN

Their relationship was so complicated. Although it was not seen much in the series since they didn't talk much except for arguing and walking out from each other. It was heartbreaking to see know that Owen sacrificed his relationship in the beginning with Auburn for his father.

AUBURN and ADAM

It was really heartbreaking to see them. They had little screen together but you could feel that they did love each other so much.

SOME MINOR ISSUES:

• There were so many scenes that were cut or changed. I loved many wondeful scenes in the book that did not make it into the series. Some changes on a character's background or personality was kind of annoying but did not ruin the tv series. I was just sad that they changed it into something else. The change was not bad, I still loved it. 
• Harrison, Owen's friend, was removed from this series which was sad. Although they did put in more friends for Auburn to help her.
• No Owen hitting Trey in the hospital so that Adam and Auburn can talk again. I love that because Trey got hit!

Owen the Cat!!! Oh my god i checked many times to confirm that Owen was a real cat in the book. I was devastated that they changed her into a stuffed toy (even if the stuffed toy was cute).

They changed the Auburn-cutting-Owen's-hair-part to Auburn-painting-and-ruining-her-hair which was sad because that was the most fun scene in the book. I wanted to see that in the series but I did love watching Owen was Auburn's hair.

REACTIONS ON SOME SCENES:

I actually squealed when I saw this scene. This was a beginning of a wonderful relationship. I love Auburn's thoughts during this scene in the book and I'm kind of sad they didn't make it into the series.

Look! It's Colleen Hoover! HEHEHEH

• Ugh the Lawyer was an annoying bitch. I felt so much sadness for Auburn whenever she had problems with money just so she could pay the lawyer because she wanted her son back. I was really annoyed that after she paid the lawyer, the lawyer started saying shitty things that made me really mad.
• Damnnnn adding drama in the beginning by introducing Hannah and letting Auburn see her in the apartment on the night that Owen did not show up for their date.
• Ugh I was really disgusted when Auburn considered Trey's proposal. I knew it was the most logical though but I really hate Trey.
• I loved the scene where Lydia caught Owen in the bathroom talking to AJ and he had to pretend that he was Emory's boyfriend! HAAHHAAH. I love Emory's reaction and actions afterwards.
• Ugh. I was really mad when Lydia warned Auburn what would happen if she stayed with Owen (though I did like that she didn't prevent AJ from staying with her that day even though she knew).

I love the way that Owen and AJ connected. They even got to spend a happy day together.

I love the painting of Auburn that Owen did. It was really beautiful oh my god.

• Omg the ending escalated so fast. I was really scared when Trey broke inside the studio and stole Auburn's confession because you know that shit was about to go down. The fact that Trey put drugs in Owen's studio and the lie that he wanted Auburn to tell about what really happened made me really angry.
• I still love the way that Auburn recorded their conversation (it was much more amazing in the book because you didn't see or know that she was recording the conversation). In the series, you can see that her phone was on her knees and she was recording.
• It was really amazing seeing Lydia sign the custody papers. Finally!!

I like the shot of this I love you.

Aw. Owen didn't tell Auburn that he drew the hands. She thinks about did it. I love that he made Auburn something to remind her of Adam.

Owen: This is awkward because I already have Ed Sheeran upstairs.
Auburn: He's not from Portland!
Owen: No but he's a really good singer.

Adam: I'll love you forever. Even when I can't.
Auburn: I'll love you forever. Even when I shouldn't.

What if were only meant to have one great love in our lives and I had mine at 16?

Auburn: I can't fall in love. I can't make a mistake.
Emory: How is love a mistake?

You're a good mother. You don't need someone to let you do that. Saw the way you looked at AJ. Saw the way you smiled at him. You smiled at him the same way that my mother used to smile at me and he smiled at you like I smiled at her. And I loved her more than anything in this world.

Owen: Owen. I'm Emory's boyfriend.
Emory: Hello lover.

Tell me if you're happy with that guy and I'll walk away right now.

Do you want AJ to see him hit you?