What’s Up 2019 – Week 31: Going Back to Normal Routine

Another week has gone by! The last remaining bits of Fantasia finally ended and well, I’m still recuperating from it hence why some of the reviews are being worked on backwards now. There’s really only one more reviews and two Fantasia shorts compilation pieces to work on. Either way, we’re not here to only talk about movies but that part of my life is done for now so things are slowly getting back to normal, which means we’re back to a lot of TV? Yay! And reading is also back. A few reviews to get out on all fronts in the coming days and weeks, whichever and whenever my brain decides it wants to write daily again. For now, its going to be a tad sporadic.

With that said, lets check it out (before I ramble about everything before we get there)…

READING

Within

Currently reading: Within

Within should be done by next week as I’m back to the reading on the bus. Currently about almost half way through. Its a pretty good one and has a decent shift in scenarios between chapters and such. It’ll be interesting to see how it all wraps up.

PLAYING

Bonza

  • Bonza

Gaming on the go lately and its been very much the same games over and over again between Bonza mostly and Rullo. Word and math puzzle games seem to be the way to go for me when I’m bored or need a change in pace from writing and everything else.

Gaming is going to get back on track as soon as I get back into the gaming bits which I probably will go back to some Linelight that I started in July and return soon with another Mobile Games Roundup.

WATCHING

Aquaslash

  • Aquaslash (review)
  •  The Fable (review)
  • One Smile is Very Alluring
  • Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (LAMBCAST #491)

Technically speaking, I’d have use Hobbs and Shaw as the highlight and it is because I went to go see it so that I could be on the show for Lambcast as a guest. Its my first time and just coming out of festival season, I was a bit rusty on the whole podcasting thing. Either way, I linked it above because the whole crew is super fun and was incredibly great to record with.

However, as for my highlight, I’d like to once again give it to Aquaslash, for which I think might take a while to get to a big screen seeing as its still in post-production editing however, the experience of watching something in the process of being complete and then seeing the whole majority of cast and crew at this unique world premiere for Fantasia was a pretty awesome experience plus, the concept is there.

Movies might slow down a little since I still have a few reviews to write from Fantasia and then some double features from before the festival started.

BINGING

Go Go Squid

  • Sugar Rush (Season 2)
  • Queer Eye (Season 4)
  • Go Go Squid (2019)
  • Orange is the New Black (Season 7)

Currently binging: We Grew Up (2019), Love Signal 2, The Coming One 3, Dream Space 2, River Flows To You

Film Festival ending means TV watching especially since a ton of the Netflix Originals decided to release in July so I ended up burning through Sugar Rush, Queer Eye and Orange is the New Black’s final season. Its not too crazy to think about considering the first two is only 8 episodes per season which is easy to get through. Aside from that, Go Go Squid also wrapped up and it was such a complete experience that I can’t wait to rewatch and write up the TV binge for that. Lots of TV binges in the works to be honest for a ton of series.

Currently binging is mostly things in progress except for River Flows To You which I got back to since everything else has pretty much ended. Its really good but a bit more on the emotional type of series. I started a new reality show called We Grew Up which is on one hand super cute but perhaps also one that might feel a bit odd to watch about kid siblings.

That’s it for this What’s Up!
What have you been reading/watching/playing/binging?

Music Obsessions – August 2019

Music Obsessions (14)

A month has gone by in a flash! Its time for the next Music Obsessions. Due to not a whole lot of time this month to go through a lot of music and such, most of the music here is from Chinese dramas which I’ve really loved. Its still some good music since I’ve been listening to it on repeat.

Let’s check it out!

追尋年少的光 – Yoga Lin & Yisa Yu
(River Flows To You Main Theme)

I have to get back to River Flows to You next but the main theme is one that I love. The duet portions and the vocals of these two singers are really great. They work well together. Its a classy duet and there’s this whole waltz element to it that appeals me.

Nameless Generation 無名之輩 – Xueran Chen
(Go Go Squid Main Theme)

Motivating and positive, the main theme for Go Go Squid is all about the inspirational elements of the TV series about youth and fighting hard to get make your dreams come true hence why Nameless Generation. Both the lyrics and the tune is really great. This one has scenes from the show but its the official music video version.

Milk & Bread 牛奶麵包 – Andy Yang
(Go Go Squid End Theme)

The sweet song pick is the side theme of Go Go Squid. I already said that I’m obsessed with the show and this ending theme is so cute and fun. The lyrics are adorable and well, the romance in Go Go Squid is a ton of fun as well.

Aliens – Chenyu Hua

Chenyu Hua is a pretty big deal in China and while I’ve never really listened to a lot of his stuff until recently because of a reality TV show, I’m starting to see why he has so much success. A lot of it has to do with his more experimental ways to do music and trying to break out of norm. He has a pretty good style to go with it. Aliens is a really good song.

Don’t Wait Anymore – Justin Huang & Meiqi Meng

I’m a fan of the Step Up series no matter how stupid the whole franchise has gone. To my surprise when I was looking at some of the music videos newly released, I realized that Step Up 6 or as they call it a spinoff of Step Up has landed and its made in China and you can watch it on Tencent site for a little money. I haven’t looked further than that into it but maybe if it ever lands on some rental site, I’ll give it a go since I do like the girl in it who happens to be the singer in this song. At the same time, I’m a big fan of Justin who is part of Nine Percent and does some decent rapping.

That’s it for this Music Obsessions!
Lacks a bit of diversity but next month will change it a little when I have more time to look through some other songs and such!

What have you been listening to on repeat?

Whats Up – Week 29: Fantasia Takes Me On a World Tour

Tranquil Dreams (39)

Another week has passed by in 2019 and its been a crazy week. For this and next week, I’m going to promise that life is going to revolve a lot around Fantasia. I probably got through one of my more intense weeks as a lot of things contributed to trying to get as many films done as possible. We’ll talk more in depth in the Watching section. Let’s just get to it!

READING

Within

Currently reading: Within by Clare C. Marshall

Between constant movie review writing with any free time I have, reading is a bit slow. I’m only a quarter into Within and so far, I’m liking it quite a bit. Definitely looking forward to get finish this one.

PLAYING

rullo

  • Rullo
  • Bonza

I’m going back to some of the mobile games to clear my mind. Surprisingly, during these moments, what destresses are puzzles and number games. Hence why I’m back to Rullo to do some math. Its probably the contrast  between the writing and the gaming that makes it feel more like I can just let it all go as I get immersed into calculating and working out the logic and such.  The same applies to Bonza, which I play a little less mostly because its a very wordy new style of crossword puzzles.

WATCHING

The Wretched

Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Spain, USA, Cambodia, South Africa are all the countries that I’ve been through this week’s Fantasia screenings. Talk about travelling the world through movies, right? If you want to see the ratings, you can check out my Letterboxd account HERE.

I haven’t disliked any of the films that I’ve seen to be honest just like them on different degrees and some I acknowledge the flaws but then it really works in their unique way. Its what makes Fantasia so fun to cover. Hands down, the movie that adds a unique twist to an under-explored horror subgenre is The Wretched who had the world premiere at the festival.

BINGING

Go Go Squid

Currently binging: Go Go Squid, The Coming One III, Rivers Flows To You, Love Signal 2, Queer Eye Season 4

You all know that I can’t stay away from Queer Eye when it lands so I have already started Queer Eye Season 4 and am about 3 episodes in or so. However, I’m taking it easy because I also know that its my companion series as I write plus, I truly love binging it. The few episodes that I’ve seen, its still very great so I’ll probably finish that up before Sugar Rush Season 2 lands on Netflix. Plus, while I’d love to say its my series of the week, the obsession for Go Go Squid is legit right now. Its on the way to being Top 3 TV series of this year or at least in terms of Chinese drama. I actually saved up a few days of episodes just so that I can binge a few episodes as a reward after I catch up with the reviews that were backed up on the weekend.

That’s it for this week recap on What’s Up!
What have you been reading/watching/playing/binging?

What’s Up – Week 28: Fantasia Films Take Over!

Fantasia Festival has started at the tail end of the week. Other than the TV binge, everything else will progress slowly for the next three weeks as movies flourish. With that said, let’s see whats up!!

READING

The serpent-Bearer

  • The Serpent-Bearer and the Prince of Stars by C.S. Johnson

Currently reading: Within by Clare C. Marshall

Light reading is definitely in the picture. As I finished up The Serpent-Bearer graphic novel, the review only goes up later with the blog tour. After Montreal Comiccon, I decided its high time to get around to last year’s book purchases and make it to this year’s sometime this year preferably. Within is the first one to read, mostly because its a lighter book to carry around as I venture around long treks to the festival with my Chromebook.

PLAYING

Linelight

Currently playing: Linelight

Currently hooked on Linelight, a minimalist indie puzzle game that I picked up during the Steam Summer sale. It definitely lives up to expectations and has an amazing soundtrack. I’m still in the first world of puzzles so its going to be a while until I finish it but its a nice gaming dose everyday.

WATCHING

little monsters

  • The Hate U Give
  • Creed 2

Fantasia Festival movies

With Fantasia about, its hard to not pick one of the movies that I’ve seen at the festival and hope that it circulates soon to a big screen or digital or something or another. I can’t say that I’ve seen anything too horrible this week however my first movie at Fantasia definitely had the best balance, execution and pacing out of the all the movies in the first 4 days of the festival. Almost all the reviews should be up so you can check out the links above in case you missed any of them. I can’t not give a mention to The Hate U Give which was an amazing movie (and makes me want to read the book) while Creed 2 was a disappointment. As for Fantasia, other than Little Monsters winning my heart, Paradise Hills was also pretty neat with some fantastic ideas especially for the sci-fi fantasy fans out there.

BINGING

Your Highness Class Monitor

  • “Your Highness” The Class Monitor

Currently binging: Love Signal 2, River Flows to You, Go Go Squid!, The Coming One III

Your Highness Class Monitor ended early in the week. I have some thoughts about this one and it had a lot to do with a change in perspective in how I felt about the characters and a bit of disjointedness in the series. I have a huge delay in TV binge right now that I’m working hard to catch up on but I might get this one done before, if I find time. However, in the currently binging is mostly new shows as I start River Flows to You and Go Go Squid!, the latter definitely winning my heart so far.

That’s it for this week’s What’s Up!
What’s are you reading/watching/playing/binging?