An empowering, edgy period drama.

‘Bangkok Blossom’ is a raucous period drama that reinforces the reality that throughout history, prostitutes have been at the mercy of power and wealth. While this drama emphasizes depravity and lewd practices, and it reminds me a lot of the UK BBC drama 'Harlots', the main focus is on women fighting for freedom. It also touches on loyalty, trust, and the importance of friends and family.

This drama has a good story structure where tension never really lets up from start to finish. The plots really draw you in at once. There's always something to look forward to in each episode. There are also empowering moments, romance, and heartfelt actions. As the story revolves around a brothel and prostitution, there’s zero nudity. The depictions of sex are expected, but the scenes are done through good direction, great camera work, and acting. Please be aware of violence as well.

This drama also has good character development and growth. Engfa, Goy, and Aom Piyada did an amazing job with their respective roles, but in my opinion, Charlette Wasita deserves the most praise for her portrayal of Tianyod, a 17-year-old teenager trapped in the life of prostitution, desperate for freedom, and driven to get an education above all else. Despite being the youngest among the actors, I personally think she shines the most.

Although it's a good drama in many aspects, there are some flaws that I don't think make it worthy of a perfect 10. There are some predictable plots, the details of the props are not so good, and the boyfriends are not so useful. They may be attractive, kind guys, and heroic in their attempts, but their impact isn't that great.

With all the intense conflicts, the musical portions really help balance the intensity, adding more entertaining value to this drama. It’s nice to watch a period piece that can pull off modern music. Overall, this is a good period drama with well-established themes of patriarchy, survival, social status, and class. Bangkok Blossom is a solid recommendation and will have you totally addicted.

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A cute romance with no major conflict.

This is a type of GL series that you can watch again and again without skipping an episode, and still feel the same excitement.

Due to the office romance and boss-employee relationship, it’s understandable why this drama has drawn comparisons to the GAP series. But this series stands out in its own way. This drama is about searching for love and, by an odd chance, falling in love with someone you never expected. It captures the innocence emotions of young love.

The look and feel of this drama are light, fun, and pretty straightforward. Given that it’s just 5 episodes, it’s expected to be fast-paced, but I feel like the storyline is a bit rushed. I wish it could either stretch a little longer or written it more neatly, so that the plots could develop better, maybe by delving into why Khun Weala was afraid of love. That part seems to be hanging. The conflict is resolved too quickly, leaving no room for the audience to feel the tension. But nevertheless, each episode managed to make your heart flutter. Some romantic scenes are a bit cliché, but you kind of like them, especially in GL. Considering that this is Bmine and Near’s first series, I’d say it’s not bad at all. A lot can be improved, but there's nothing much to complain. They are a cute pairing on and off screen.

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More psychological than retributive.

The premise of ‘Master of the House’ is nothing original, but it's an intriguing watch with some psychological twists, which the plot centered around the rich family and their servants. Triggers warning: you need to have a tolerance for violence, substance, rape, and sexual content while watching this drama.

When it comes to revenge dramas, it’s crucial to have captivating, complex characters and a gripping storyline, and while this drama has all the elements, the execution is rather weak and lacks impact in some ways. The story moves at a decent pace, and it manages to blend all the lies, deception, psychological trauma, and bullying with the good performances of each character. The thriller is there, but when it focuses a lot on the inheritance war, it feels more psychological than retributive.

The only thing that really amazes me about this drama is the cinematography and the production quality. They are outstanding and powerful. It's an impressive improvement in the camerawork quality in Thai dramas. Overall, if you're looking for an escapist service of revenge, this drama is an option to consider.

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EngLot’s chemistry is overflowing.

Basically, ‘Love Bully’ is just another chaotic Club Friday installment. However, unlike most Club Friday series, the premise of this drama doesn’t involve affairs or cheating, which deserves a good point there. The storyline is not that bad, but it’s not the best either. Certainly, it focuses on the one who cares too much would be more hurt, while the one who cares less would be more frustrated at having to put up with all the crap all the time.

It's a Club Friday drama, so the conflicts are expected to be a little overdramatized. But despite that, good directions help convey the story well. In terms of acting, Charlotte deserves praise for her performance this time. She nailed it. The only thing about this drama that I personally like is the great chemistry between Engfa and Charlotte. The EngLot tandem makes the scenes they share look natural. Given that they are one of the most famous GL pairings in Thailand and also well-known internationally, it's not surprising that this series has become the most anticipated, most talked about, and most watched compared to other Club Friday series.

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An heartwarming teacher-student drama that’s full of positive messages.

'Khru Ma' is a hidden gem, an underrated drama. The premise of a new, fun, eccentric teacher from the city is not new, but this drama delivers the idea in a way that goes beyond the new teacher storyline. It has several themes, such as education, teacher-student relationships, friendships, and local community life. All these themes are conveyed in well-written plots and characters.

Wichai is a strong believer that knowledge is not fixed in textbooks and that education should benefit the students, not the teacher. As quoted by Wichai; “Students scoring higher marks in every subject is more of the teachers’ success measurement than the students.” Although the drama focused on his unconventional teaching style, it also objectively touched on the pros and cons of the common teaching methodology.

The time setting that takes place during the dispute between the Khmer and Vietnamese communist parties makes the conflict in this drama not only focused on the school but also revolves around the town, which is located at the Thai-Cambodian border, where the people are of diverse ethnicities and different backgrounds. It also touched on how the conflict has led to prejudice against other races within the community. However, the issue is skillfully conveyed without displaying bias.

One major thing that I like about this drama is the characters. Each character has its own significance - the teachers, the students, the headmaster, the parents, and even the small roles of the café owner and the librarian. If Wichai is the head of this drama, the students are the limbs. They carry out the plots effortlessly, making every episode enjoyable to watch. Although the issues created by the opposing characters seem repetitive, they’re just enough to create tension.

This drama does come with a few flaws, especially the repetitive displeasure among teachers about Wichai's teaching style, but overall, it does a good job at creating a balance between drama, comedy, romance, tension, family, and friendship without losing its main focus.

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Separation doesn't have to be a bad thing.

I found this drama by chance and decided to watch it, despite the fact that there were hardly any reviews about it online. I wonder if this series was either horrible or just didn't get much attention. If it was the former, I was ready to drop it any second. But surprisingly, it’s a damn good drama. I watched it through to the very end. I like how it’s different from the Filipino dramas I’ve watched.

It’s a light drama-comedy that delves into how a married couple fell out of love and how they took a different approach to separation, which is to ‘uncouple’ (but not officially divorce yet). Although they decided to separate as a couple, they remained in the same house for their son. Even though they live under the same roof, they are basically living their own lives separately. The theme of moving on from a failed marriage or long relationship is well executed. It’s not a typical romance drama, as it focuses more on separation and moving on from a relationship without having to lose anything but rather gain something from it. Separation isn’t always a bad thing if there’s a mutual understanding about it and if it’s done for the right reasons.

Despite being only about 20–30 minutes long, this drama has a good pace. It also has a very good story structure where each episode manages to tell the story of the ‘before and after’ of the uncoupling. The comedy is well-placed and blended well with the romance and emotional part of it. This drama has a lot of positive messages and lessons to learn about family, marriage, and divorce.

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A heartfelt bucket list movie.

After finding out the cancer has relapsed, Shane is totally aware of what she has to go through again if she were to get treatment. So, not wanting to face the same trouble, she decided not to get treatment but instead to live her life to the fullest in her final months. Shane, her husband Byran, and their childhood friend Kristoff embark on a journey to Tasmania, Australia, to accomplish the 'Magic List'.

The idea of a terminally sick patient crossing things off their bucket list is not new. But despite lacking novelty, there are a few things that make this movie something more than checking off a bucket list. The journey is filled with not only picturesque places, travelogue-ish moments, and activity; it also explores friendship and love in a simple way, focusing on reconnecting with lost relationships. While the main characters are childhood friends of two men and a woman, there’s no love triangle involved. It’s pure friendship. So the conflict isn't very complicated.

When it comes to movies about illnesses, the melancholic and tear-jerking parts are expected. This movie managed to deliver both the tonality of enjoyable trip and the bleak side of reality very well. Although this movie has a good story structure, the pacing seems pretty rushed. It seems like it wants the audience to feel the sentimentality, but there is not enough space to really feel it or drown in the emotions. It's like a knee-jerk reaction. However, the good storylines help in making the whole idea and emotions palpable. With an impactful plot twist and a positive message about life, genuine love, and undying friendship, this movie stands out on its own despite having the all bucket list movie tropes.

Overall, it’s a good movie. but it could've been done better. How sad this movie is may depend on the individual, but it’s a movie to watch if you need an emotional release. Get a box of tissues ready.

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A typical ‘the rise of the underdog’ sports movie, yet heartwarming and inspiring.

Rebound is based on the true story of Busan’s Jungang High School basketball team, which against all odds, managed to win the national championship with only six players.

Like other sports movies, Rebound offers nothing new in terms of concept and storylines. This movie is not far from the idea of capturing the essence of the human spirit and maintaining the storyline about overcoming setbacks. Although people can predict how the story is going to be, it’s worth anticipating and worth watching.

The cinematography effectively conveys the values of sportsmanship, teamwork, and fighting spirit. One strong point of this movie, in my opinion, is the realistic and convincing portrayal of the players. Each character manages to carry the story efficiently, even though some characters don’t have a prominent backstory. The combination of good character development, well-developed plotlines, and a positive message makes this movie a heartwarming and inspiring piece to watch. It’s an uplifting story of hope, dreams, and resilience.

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A slightly flawed remake.

‘The Betrayal’ basically follows the original plot template with a few tweaks, and it manages to give pretty much the same emotional rollercoaster of being betrayed and getting revenge, but the ride isn't crazy enough. I think it’s good that this remake makes them a family of four instead of three. Ploy, the daughter, adds a different feeling to the table. She gives a more vulnerable perspective, that of a little child trying to comprehend the entire betrayal and divorce situation. It hurts to see how it affects her. The good sibling relationship between Patch and Ploy also has a different emotional impact compared to other characters.

In this version, I think Jane displays more softness and poise. Her strong instinct helps her steer the emotional and dramatic plot better. Athin is meant to be hated throughout the series. Kate is unlikeable to begin with. Among the supporting characters, I don’t like Tul. I know he means well, but he seems unnaturally nice.

The first half of this series is good, but the second half is downhill. All episodes are over an hour long, and some scenes are unnecessary, making it slowly lose its grip. However, the finale has better characters’ resolution. Overall, it’s a slightly flawed remake. It didn’t exceed my expectations, but it’s still a good watch.

If you have ever watched the original or other version, you can expect how things are going to unfold. So, don’t expect too much. But if you haven’t seen any, you can give this drama a try, and who knows, you might love this version.

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An underrated, nostalgic movie.

This movie is so underrated that almost no one talks about it. But I'm glad I found this gem. A movie about a movie is something that has been done before, but ‘Once Upon a Star’ still manages to stand out in its own unique way. While this kind of movie (like Singin’ in the Rain or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) mostly focuses on the actor, actress, or director, this movie centers on the little people, which are traveling cinema troupes that roamed rural Thailand, bringing outdoor cinema and dubbed movies in the 1960s and 1970s.

This movie successfully takes the audience back to the 1960s-70s era with detailed settings and props. I like the fact that they took something from history that isn’t given as much attention in most movies, which is 16mm film live-dubbing. It’s something the younger generation might not have any clue about but is worth knowing and learn about. And it also highlighted Thailand’s most famous movie star at the time, Mitr Chaibancha. (Feel free to Google him)

The plots are well-stitched and developed neatly. The movie moves at quite a slow pace by showing them struggle to make a profit, taking any job possible even as far as outskirt area. But despite its slow pace, it doesn't feel too draggy. Thanks to the beauty shots. It also included a triangle love involving Manit, Kao, and Kae, which takes up just a nice portion of this movie in order to create an emotional conflict between the characters. Every character has a distinct personality and a story to tell, all of which blend together in one big narrative, but their characters are somewhat underexplored.

Although the main focus of the movie is the journey of the cinema troupes, it actually gives a glimpse at how Mitr Chaibancha’s popularity played a huge role in Thai culture, as well as Thai cinema and movie growth. His life adds more depth to this movie and makes the whole context of this movie reasonable. When he passed away during the peak of his career, it seemed like the cinema business died with him. His death pretty much brought an end to the 16mm era.

Overall, despite a few flaws, it’s a good movie that recounts a historical tale and have good messages within the storylines. It deserves as much attention as other period movies. In my personal opinion, it is a good and entertaining underrated movie.

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Mediocre movie with beautiful visuals.

If you have ever watched a Hallmark romance movie in your life, this movie follows the same template: a rural location, a farm, a deteriorating family business, a lovely and kind FL with a big dream, and a city-guy ML with an attitude. And this one is not far from predictable plots and conflicts as well.

This movie centers around a coffee farm; a remote and beautiful place that becomes the background of a bland love story. It’s basically romanticizing coffee by explaining the plots by the acidity, sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, and sourness of coffee and relating them to life situations. However, while the plots progress nicely, they lack anything outstanding or compelling. ML and FL do have their own backstories, but they aren’t strong enough, making their characters lack depth. Their romance felt rushed and dull as well. Although JC Santos and Barbie Imperial both performed well, their chemistry is just okay.

I felt like I’d been dragged till the end of the movie without any memorable plots other than the breathtaking backdrop of the mountains throughout the movie. Apparently, the beautiful visuals couldn’t save this movie. As a whole, this movie is not bad, but it’s not good either.

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This movie is many things, but it failed in whatever it intended to be.

I don’t know where to begin with this movie. The premise of a woman trying to break free from the life under her husband's oppression while dealing with issues like migration, domestic violence, and traumas of the past is interesting enough, but it doesn’t really offer anything new beyond what’s expected. At first, it seems like a neo-noir film with a touch of lesbian romanticism, which looks promising to me, but it slowly becomes bland. As the story unfolds, the plots start to get weak and weaker, to the point that it makes me lose interest in whatever is going to happen next. The plot twist is so ambiguous, leaving the ending/resolution so unsatisfying. I couldn’t pinpoint any compelling things about this movie, and I don’t even know where this movie even stands.

Fan Bingbing and Lee Joo Young both perform well, but their performances seem to be underutilized by the weak screenplay. Binbing’s character has very little development and lacks the depth to make her memorable. While Joo Young’s character has its own backstory, it’s not enough to further enhance her significance either.

While this movie delves into romance, incorporating the same-sex love scene, it's not about exploring or experimenting with sexuality in any way. And the scene doesn't significantly alter the plot and is unable to make an impact in any way other than simply establishing the sexual tension between the two women. So, is this an LGBT romance movie? No, it's not. It’s more of a vague approximation that is not truly grounded in the queer experience at all. 

This movie has an intriguing story and conflicts, but it failed to live up to its potential. The lack of finesse in storytelling and character growth and the failure to effectively communicate its intentions make it fall into the bad movie section.

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Bea Alonzo and JLC are indeed one true pair.

This short movie is about the on-screen love team who met again for a project after a long break due to the pandemic and did some catching up and reminiscing about life, love, and their past. The premise is simple, and the plots are nicely developed in just 36 minutes. It shows the dynamic of a love team. If we talk about a love team, people (mostly the fans) will be imploring them to become a couple and get married in real life because of how good they look together and how great their chemistry is on screen and off screen. But it doesn’t always happen in real life. This movie uses the ‘love team’ as the central characters, and not the main topic is a smart move. It gives it a more realistic vibe about their friendship in and out of work.

The story is so engaging from the beginning to the end, making me want for more. Undoubtedly, Bea Alonzo and JLC have an amazing chemistry. Their conversation looks very natural and relaxed, as if they aren’t really acting. I was smiling the whole time, my face hurt. Seeing the topic of life and love being discussed from the perspective of one of the iconic Filipino love teams gives an understanding that, as humans, regardless of our job, we can’t always control our emotions, especially when they involve someone we deeply care about. You know, feelings will grow, the line between professional and personal will get blurred, and it can sometimes have a positive or negative impact on our real-life relationship. But at the end of the day, people grow and move on, and the best of love remains.

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An okay movie to kill some free time

It's a sport-themed high school GL. The storyline is not really focused on sports, but it revolves around the friendship that is formed through sports and the romance that blossoms between two players. The character development is underwhelming, and the movie's climax is predictable.

It also explores sexual harassment in female sports team, which I think is something important to highlight. Even though the sexual harassment issue is not satisfactorily resolved, I think it's important to address this matter, especially in school-themed movies. Overall, it is a pleasant movie.

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Love goes beyond materialistic desires and possessions.

'Third World Romance' is not the typical romantic movie we’ve seen before. Everything about it is the complete opposite of the usual romance clichés. Through the lens of a romantic story, this film tackles important social issues that are prevalent in our society today. It doesn't shy away from portraying the harsh realities of poverty and the class gap, shedding light on the struggles faced by many individuals in the lower socio-economic group. By weaving these themes into a love story, focusing on the simplicity of nurturing love through small acts of kindness, understanding, and compassion, it also effectively brings attention to these pressing issues in a way that is both engaging and thought-provoking.

Apart from the love story between Bree and Alvin and the struggles they go through, this film also portrayed a healthy non-conformity to the traditional Filipino family. Alvin lives with his chosen family, consisting of his transwoman father and siblings who have diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. Credit to the director for showcasing queer family representation.

The outstanding portrayals by Charlie Dizon and Carlo Aquino maintain the authenticity of their characters' struggles while also conveying a sense of happiness in their love story. The only flaw about them is that, despite being a real-life couple, their chemistry on screen seems lacking. Their companionship feels more platonic than sweet. But Charlie Dizon did an excellent job here. She's remarkable at giving the character so much depth through her expressions. Her character is relatable and human, making the audience empathize with her journey throughout the film.

Overall, this movie is well-crafted and well-acted. It will make us take a moment to ponder and see beyond the love story and appreciate the deeper messages that it conveys. In a world where materialism reigns supreme, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that wealth is the key to happiness and fulfillment. But this film simply shows that love goes beyond materialistic desires and possessions.

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