What’s Up 2020: Week 6

In a blink of eye (or at least it feels that way), we’re looking at Week 6 that has passed us by. As we get into February and things are still quite busy and probably won’t stop for the rest of this month at least, other things are moving along fairly okay. Let’s see whats up.

READING

Currently reading: When Stars Are Bright by Amber R. Duell

Nearing the halfway point with this current read, When Stars Are Bright is a rather interesting novel set in the 1930s. It says that its a Thumbelina retelling but I don’t really know since I don’t quite know that fairy tale in the first place. Probably should do some research at some point on that. However, I can say that this book is a decent read and it’ll be interesting to see where the character will go from this point.

PLAYING

• Life is Strange 2

Currently playing: Overcooked 2, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

As we get back into gear for Game Warp Podcast, the next game is Life is Strange 2 on our list of games to review. Life is Strange and games from Dontnod Entertainment has been a staple in the podcast gaming roster so the episode should come out soon-ish so I won’t talk too much about it. This is a different game from its previous games set in the same universe, some things done better and some things not quite at par.

With that said, I’ve been on a gaming kick as I picked up the deal for $1 Game Pass for 3 months for PC and am getting ready to look at some of those games. Before that, this weekend, I finally decided to start up Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which has some unique mechanics that needs some getting used to. I literally started the game not too long but I don’t think its a long game so will have to find time to wrap that up at some point.

WATCHING

• La La Land (2016, Review)
• Bumblebee (2018)
• In My Dreams (2014, Review)

A quiet week of movie watching as I got caught up in having a hard time to decide what romance to watch for Valentine’s Day marathon as romance in movies just wasn’t really feeling it. Landed on La La Land, which was a surprisingly fun movie for  Oscar fodder and then the husband chose Bumblebee as the weekend movie (along with a few other ones on Shudder that I fell asleep so I’m not including it here), which was a ton of fun as well.

BINGING

Currently binging: Who’s The Murderer 5, Eternal Love of Dream, Where Are We Going Dad? 5, The Singer 2020, Find Yourself, The Little One 2

I’m watching and started watching too many things that I’m starting to forget things here and there. Luckily, one of them will be ending next week and I have a few that is just updating on weekly basis and then, one for viewing in between as its an older season. Ending series which will wrap up in a week is Who’s The Murderer 5 which has been a fun and wild ride with some nice boosts in the quality of their cases. Eternal Love of Dream and Find Yourself is currently dramas that are playing that I’m watching via Youtube and Netflix respectively. They are updated weekly about 6 episodes or something. As for variety shows, The Little One 2 and The Singer 2020 literally just started with one new episode a week. Finally, Where Are We Going Dad? 5 is the older variety show that I’m watching just because its cute and fun. I’m not going to lie that everything I’m watching right now is pretty decent. My fave does go to Find Yourself which has started off really strong, but I’m a bit worried might lose its steam a little if the main couple has the fate that I’m thinking they will have. Hoping really hard that it doesn’t get frustrating…

That’s it for the Week 6 recap!
What have you been watching/reading/playing/binging?

Double Feature: La La Land (2016) & In My Dreams (2014)

Welcome to the next double feature! Its also the second (and probably last) Valentine’s romance film double feature. This time, we’re looking at romantic musical drama La La Land and then, pairing with it romantic drama In My Dreams. Let’s it check!

La La Land (2016)

Director (and writer): Damien Chazelle

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Finn Wittrock, John Legend, Callie Hernandez, Jessica Rothe, Sonoya Mizuno, J.K. Simmons

While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future. – IMDB

Its taken a few years to catch up with La La Land and with Oscar-nominated films, I always hesitate to believe all the hype, especially when it comes to musical and romantic drama type of films. La La Land is a fun little movie. Its not completely about romance but its definitely present throughout as these two find being with each other to find the courage to be themselves and pursue their own dreams. At the same time, its fun because it has a lot of the right elements lined up, whether its Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling being cast as the two main leads and deliver some charismatic performances, a lot of great choreography for their dance numbers and a beautiful soundtrack as well as how the whole film has some wonderful cinematography. It all adds to the whole viewing experience.

If I had to be a little picky, because I do watch a lot of these types of things, albeit lower budget and not with all the other elements, the story of inspiration and romance and succeeding in your dream and the whole journey sort of story line is always rather similar and the same applies to La La Land. The script is absolutely not the standout point here. What helps a familiar script, because I think being familiar isn’t always a problem, is that the other elements done well above, makes the script find its unique elements. Perhaps the best thing about the script is the beautiful bittersweet ending add-in that actually rounds up the film so well.

In My Dreams (2014)

Director: Kenny Leon

Cast: Katharine McPhee, Mike Vogel, JoBeth Williams, Joe Massingill, Rachel Skarsten, Antonio Cupo, Jessalyn Wanlim

Natalie and Nick are frustrated with their luck in romance. After tossing coins into a fountain, the two then begin dreaming about each other. But, according to fountain mythology, they only have a week to turn those dreams into reality. – IMDB

I think the best way to describe In My Dreams is that it has its heart in the right place. The story itself is not a bad one at all. We have movies like In Your Eyes which is about two people seeing through each other’s eyes (review) and then we have movies like The Lake House which is two people at different times, just as examples. In My Dreams success would lie heavily on the mechanics of how these two manage to meet in their dreams and then afterwards, how they end up realizing that they are actual people and not figments of their imagination and end up connecting in real life. For this point, it works and then it doesn’t.

In My Dreams is a TV movie so right away, the quality is probably more along the Hallmark movies kind of deal. And it does have that feel-good and inevitable happy ending. Its an okay movie in terms of those little elements of character building and making Nick and Natalie, played by Mike Vogel and Katharine McPhee respectively, rather decent characters. They don’t have a huge amount of depths, just like they only had a few conversations about not a lot that makes them feel like they would work with each other. However, they do have some fun supporting characters that make for some nice moments as these two characters work towards their own dreams.

Where this falls apart is in letting Nick and Natalie have this frustratingly slow way of connecting the dots of their little details in the conversations in their dreams to the events of themselves in reality as they had those missing each other moments (which is also rather expected in romance films). Those little cues that weren’t connected actually felt like it was ignored deliberately, making the script slightly inconsistent with these two characters who aren’t dumb especially as their conversations together is about deeper feelings and such.

In My Dreams is probably one that is okay for a rainy day but there are some plot holes and then its still a rather predictable movie.

That’s it for this double feature!
Have you seen either of these movies?