#weekly watchlist

[qlforlovers]

Watchlist (Week of July 20)

Currently Airing:

A Dog and a Plane [9/10] - This show is a 10/10 for me so far. Jojo has proven that you can make a show about normal adults doing normal adult things and make it highly entertaining.

AI Girl [4/7] - Welp! She fucked the robot. Where do we go from here?

Don't Be Too Emotional [5/12] - Jane Patrick continues to be terrifying, Jane Jennalee continues to care about him.

The Edge of Horizon [6/10] - I missed my lesbian side couple this week, but Phob and Tin U-Hauled on their second date, so I guess we did get some lesbian representation.

Lost to Light [5/5] - A very silly show. I enjoyed the satire and the slapstick of it all. The story itself, however, felt underdeveloped. I wanted this show to succeed more than I think it did.

Love Destiny [2/10] - I'm entertained.

Knot [4/12] - I am not the target audience for this show, and that's ok. I'm delighted by how delighted so many people are by it and will continue watching out of a sense of morbid curiosity, a deep love of unhinged pulp, and a general interest in the ongoing themes around loss of bodily autonomy.

Payback [still 8/10] - Based on the posts I've seen alluding to a cliffhanger ending, for my own health and wellbeing I have decided to take a pause on this and watch episodes 9 and 10 together next week.

Peach and Me [3/4] - I fear Khun Thee has acquired too much sati, taking away much of the magic of the original.

The Fire [2/8] - I think I need to drop this one. I hate everyone in this show except for Kaphrao, and I still find her annoying.

When Oranges Fall [11/12]- Cute! This is cute. A little tooooo wholesome for me, but I get the appeal. And I did binge 11 episodes in 1 week, so obviously I liked something about it.

Your Third [1/12]- I've been burned by Cheewin too many times, but this at least seems like a promising start. Max has good comedic timing! I also love how saturated the colors are.

Also watching:

Reset [10/10] - a.k.a. Armin vs. The League of Legendary Demon Twinks a.k.a. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Stalker. I finished it. Is this a safe space to say I thought this show was... fine? I don't 100% understand why it's on so many people's best of lists.

[nichester]

The Story of Minglan (episodes 1-4):  I’m slowly (soooo sloooowly) working my way through this show, and I LOVE it so far.  It’s rich, it’s thoughtful, it’s focused in exactly the place I would want a period show to focus and where they so rarely do, ie, on the women.  I’m gonna keep watching but it’s going to take forever.

I want to shout out to two sequences in particular that I thought were really well done.  The first is in episode one, where Minglan’s brother is gambling with his sister’s betrothal geese.  I thought that it was such a cleverly constructed scene, particularly for an opening episode, because it is used to introduce the characters so neatly and because it represents the show as a whole.  This is a story about the behind-the-scenes politics and maneuvering that happens in the world of the women, and the cuts between the boys gambling out in the yard and the strained conversations managing the fallout inside the house, really effectively demonstrates what to expect from the show going forward.  It also introduces the characters, their skill sets, and their relationships, as they worry and negotiate and plan with varying degrees of success.  And of course, Minglan’s big moment, which shows us both how she has the ability to disrupt the status quo, and also how precarious her position is because of that ability.

The second sequence that really made me pay attention was the one where Minglan’s mother is dying in childbirth.  The pacing of the scene, the grim resignation on her face as she labors alone, the children running frantically through the empty halls past uncaring or powerless adults... it all adds up to an absolutely chilling sequence.  You can really feel the inevitability of it, as each person’s dismissal is another nail in this woman’s coffin.  While a lot of the show is lighter in tone, this scene serves as a warning going into the next few episodes: there’s real blood here, and real stakes, and no matter how much teenage Minglan might joke around, there’s no way that she, or the viewer, can forget it.

[deathrock]

Weekly Horror Watch List (Week #1)

(Originally posted in r/horror)

The Monster Club (1981) - I'm not sure how this one managed to fly under my radar. It's a brilliant anthology film starring Vincent Price. Between stories there's live music and entertainment for a punk/post-punk crowd. 9/10

Cat People (1982) - Granted, I never did see the original. But I thought this was excellent! Despite the long runtime, it was very well paced. Felt like the retelling of a classic novel. Great acting, obviously great Bowie song. Kinda fell in love with it. 9/10

Gremlins (1984) - I watched this in theaters for the promo going on last weekend. I realized while watching that I'd never actually seen more than the first half before! I absolutely loved it, great Christmas movie. My only complaint is that we don't get to see enough of the Gremlins when they're cute and fluffy. 8/10

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) - Obviously the Gremlins didn't look as good as they did in the original, but I thought this was an excellent follow-up. It was fun as hell. 8/10

Body Parts (1991) - A family man gets into a car accident and loses an arm, luckily they can do arm transplants. But the arm used to belong to a serial killer so it's evil! Cheesy in all the right early 90s ways. This one's underrated. 8/10

The People Under The Stairs (1991) - I recall being disappointed when I saw this for the first time 5 years ago, perhaps because I was expecting more screen time for the "people under the stairs", but upon second viewing, I fucking love this movie. It's heartwarming, yet so goddamn weird. 8/10

Species (1995) - First time seeing this since its original release on VHS and it still holds up despite the bad CGI. 8/10

Demon (2015) - Parts of this dragged on a bit too long, but I'm glad it exists. I think it brings something refreshing to the horror genre. I would have appreciated it far more if I were more familiar with Polish/Jewish history. It kinda felt like whatever the subgenre for I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House is, but definitely far more suspense/thriller elements. It was somewhat of a comedy too. This sub would appreciate it. 7/10

Minutes Past Midnight (2016) - I appreciate this anthology for what it is, but it's very similar to ABCs of Death, meaning it's hit or miss. Kind of a lot of misses. I think it's still worth checking out. 6/10

Boys In The Trees (2016) - I love that it takes place in the late 90s, I wasn't quite a teenager back then but I think they created an accurate portrayal. Great music and imagery. There's so much to love about this movie. Unfortunately, the characters fall completely flat. It's pretty bad when you don't give a shit about any of the main characters. I appreciated so much about it, but it felt soulless. 7/10

Killing Ground (2016) - A fucked up "killers in the wilderness" story. One of the victims is a baby. Several parts were difficult to watch so I don't recommend it for everybody, but I liked it. Probably wouldn't watch it again though. 7/10

Split (2016) - I finally watched this on my free HBO trial through Amazon. I loved it, especially compared to Shyamalan's found footage film that came out a few years back. I thought it was a great take on the abduction genre. Perfectly suspenseful with next-level acting. 8/10

Hounds of Love (2016) - One of the best thrillers I've seen in a long time. Just after the viewing I read an article about how the film steals particular details from a true crime case that the victim doesn't want to be broadcast. It's unfortunate the director denies that the film is based on the case and therefore responsibility, but at the very least, we did get a good horror movie inspired by this real life tragedy. Also, Joy Division at the end. 9/10

Non-horror:

The Cheshire Murders (2013) - True crime documentary on HBO about a 2007 family murder in Connecticut. Fucking heartbreaking. This was recommended on the My Favorite Murder podcast semi-recently. The small town kind of reminds me of Pawnee, IN with all its quirks. 8/10

Why Him? (2016) - Stupid comedy starring James Franco where the joke goes on way too long for it to actually stay funny. It's basically a modern take on that Pauly Shore movie Son In Law. It had some good jokes here and there, so I guess it's worth watching once. Just don't expect anything great. 6/10

[wonder-fx]

Dramas & Anime: 8/7 - 8/13

Sat: Boku no Hero Academia S2 #19 Sat-Sun: Father is Strange #47-48, Save Me #3-4 On the Side: Secret Forest #5-

[qlforlovers]

Watchlist (Week of July 13)

Currently Airing:

A Dog and a Plane [8/10] - This show continues to be extremely charming and the stakes are staying low, which is something I am very grateful for. I need a comfort show in my life.

AI Girl [3/7] - Mildly surprised by how close Gen got to fucking a robot, but after that final shot of Irene/Gen/Ai, my guess is we're moving away from that direction next week.

Don't Be Too Emotional [4/12] - Big Jane continues to demonstrate a truly psychopathic lack of empathy. Like Little Jane, I find him terrifying and compelling. That poor little fly is caught in a spider's web.

The Edge of Horizon [5/10] - A compelling mix of swoony romance and political intrigue. Poor Chat. He's mean and a dumbass of epic proportions but good lord his dad is cruel.

Lost to Light [4/?] - This is a very campy, silly satire of the Thai BL and idol industry. I'm a little confused by who the target audience for this show is, but I'm enjoying it.

Knot [3/12] - As expected, Boat and Oat are both bringing a real earnest commitment to this, for which I congratulate them. I'm impressed by the sheer amount of chemistry Boat has had with a coffee cup and now a button-down shirt.

Payback [8/10] - blah blah plot blah blah character development... in terms of nudity, anatomical specificity, and believability, this was possibly the most explicit sex scene I've seen in a Thai BL, including those from Be On Cloud. To their credit, it felt completely interwoven with (and even inextricable from) the plot and character development.

Peach and Me [2/4] - This week felt like a series of fan service vignettes.

The Fire [1/8] - I did not enjoy an hour of watching Fai being cruel and unpleasant. It also seems very out of character for the Fai that I've come to know over the past 3 series. If we don't get past this unpleasantness soon, I might need to drop this show.

Also watching:

Reset [8/10] - a.k.a. Armin vs. The League of Legendary Demon Twinks a.k.a. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Stalker. Genuinely enjoying the histrionic lakorn acting of the villains in this show. Not particularly invested in the Tada/Armin love story. It's a little too saccharine for me.

[qlforlovers]

Watchlist (Week of July 6)

Currently Airing:

A Dog and a Plane [7/10] - I continue to love this show- another incredibly sweet episode. But I want to shake Akki - just tell the boy specifically what you like about him other than his looks and he'll be yours. Enough of this vague "I like you inside and out" bullshit.

AI Girl [2/7] - Oh noooooo I want to like this show so bad, but robot girl is such a brain-dead, annoying toddler I find it frankly unsettling to watch hot, cool, smart, adult Gen falling for her. GenAI is objectively the funniest ship name, though.

Crazy Love, Moo-Moo! [10/10] - I hope this show gets international distribution at some point. Not exactly groundbreaking cinema, but a silly, cozy show that I think a lot of people would enjoy.

Don't Be Too Emotional [3/12] - I thought we were going to get a much longer honeymoon than we did, but they've already broken up and it's only episode 3 - this show is going to have a very different narrative arc than I was expecting.

Edge of Horizon [4/10] - A compelling mix of swoony romance and political intrigue. I have the feeling Ongsa could really make a name for himself in this industry.

Knot [2/12] - As expected, Boat and Oat are both bringing a real earnest commitment to this, for which I congratulate them.

Payback [7/10] - This is an absolute bonkers, unhinged clusterfuck with 10 thousand plot holes and I can't stop watching it.

Peach and Me [1/4] - Happy to have all of these lovable weirdos back on my screen. I was worried that Khun Thee would actually mee sati, but luckily he appears to continue to have zero chill.

The Air [8/8] - By far my favorite of the Elements series. However, the idea of Lom being a blushing virgin on her wedding night required more suspension of disbelief than I was able to muster. And WTF was the point of those 4 creepy children in the final episode?

Also watching:

Together with Me [13/13] - I am really enjoying watching some early BLs lately as part of my Queer Specificity watchlist. This was very different from most contemporary BL I've watched (raunchy, pulpy, funny, full of realistically messy relationships) and it's evoking a lot of questions for me about how and why the industry developed in the direction it has.

To Sir With Love [3/17] - I am very, very slowly watching this with some friends (like 1 episode every week or so) and it's a long series, so it will likely take months to get through it. It's really fun to watch this at the same time as The Edge of Horizon - they have a lot of overlapping themes so far.

[qlforlovers]

Watchlist (Week of June 29)

Currently Airing:

A Dog and a Plane [6/10] - Cute! This week was cute. A little too sweet for a 6th episode... girding my loins for the inevitable cursed episodes coming our way.

AI Girl [1/7] - I have high hopes for this absolutely unhinged concept of a show.

Don't Be Too Emotional [2/12] - Ok, I'm invested. This is darker in tone than what I usually watch, but there's something so over-the-top and campy/goofy about the premise that I'm still able to enjoy it. I love how fucking ominous Big Jane is as soon as Little Jane turns his back, but I also like that he isn't the polar opposite of himself with Little Jane - he's still controlling and manipulative, and Little Jane knows it but is kind of consciously choosing to ignore it.

Edge of Horizon [3/10] - This is the most direct critique of the Thai monarchy I've ever seen in a BL. I love it - let's plot to overthrow the government and try not to fall in love even though we've never really fallen out of love. And now I'm excited to learn about the Siamese Revolution of 1932!

Enemies With Benefits [10/10] - I was watching this as my fun little romcom, and then there was way more sexual harassment, manipulation, lying, and crying in episodes 7-10 than I was ready for, tbh. Still a strong show, just took a direction that wasn't matching the escapist vibes I was there for.

Knot [1/12] - This show isn't exactly my thing. If it weren't having so much of a moment I might not be watching it- I just don't want to be left out of the conversation! And honestly I was pretty entertained by episode 1.

Love of Silom [12/12] - I was kind of hoping Krit's dad was an evil mastermind, but it turns out he's just an asshole who became much more ok with having a gay son when he realized his son's boyfriend was an award-winning interior designer (and therefore a human deserving respect) and not a bar host (and thus a sub-human not deserving common decency). Honestly, my favorite part of the final episode was Krit's dad doing the bar host dance.

The Air [6/8] - I'm enjoying this wayyyyy more than The Water (and more than The Earth, for that matter). I appreciate a Lesbian Lothario, and Lom is very Shane coded. I'm halfway through episode 7 and we haven't even had a real (sober, intentional) kiss yet, but I don't care because the plot is plotting.

Ticket to Heaven [6/6] - Love Auntie Lek. In the end, this show was significantly less tortured than I was expecting. Western films about wrestling with Christian faith and queerness (Latter Days, Priest, Save Me) go to some very dark places. The darkest parts of this series for me were about being parentless and feeling alone in the world more than about religious homophobia or even internalized homophobia.

Wu [9/9] - Not a BL but full of subtext. In the end, the real evil lies not in the supernatural, which is just nature, but in people who have sold their humanity for power.

Also watching:

He's Coming to Me [8/8] - A strange little show that I'm glad I watched.

[qlforlovers]

Watchlist (Week of June 22)

Currently Airing:

A Dog and a Plane [5/10] - Still the show I look forward to the most every week. I'm usually annoyed by a full episode of will they/won't they almost kisses, but for some reason I found it charming, maybe because it was more of a cat and mouse game than a fake-out situation. I also was entertained by the way Toto pursued Kanit the whole episode but as soon as Kanit kissed him he became a tame, nervous little puppy. Much more bark than bite on that guy.

Crazy Love, Moo-Moo! [8/10] - I know I'm going to be in the minority with this, but I found the surprisingly graphic NC scene this week to be a little out of place. This show has otherwise been very silly and PG and their chemistry has felt more cute than steamy. LITA and BNW slowly built up to high heat episodes, but this felt like being thrown into the deep end of the pool with no warning. Relatedly, I'm a Mame apologist and think she knows exactly what to do with BossNoeul.

Don't Be Too Emotional [1/12] - I'm intrigued and a little confused. I desperately want Big Jane to be an actual demon but think I may be setting myself up for disappointment.

Enemies With Benefits [6/10] - I love a romcom and this is a great romcom! I also love a rule-follower/chaos-monkey trope.

Ticket to Heaven [5/6] - I just keep thinking about how profoundly alone in the world these boys are and it breaks my heart, maybe even more than the religious reckoning that Tanrak is going through.

Wu [8/9] - Not a BL but full of subtext. One of my favorite things about this series is how morally gray it is - there are no clear good guys or bad guys. Everyone has understandable but far from pristine motivations.

Your Dear Daddy [8/8] - This show was different from what I was expecting, but in a good way. The plot started fluffy but took a real dark turn in the middle. SaengNuea really held his own with veteran actor Fluke and they had great chemistry. I also enjoyed the elements of northern culture that were woven into the show.

Also watching:

He's Coming to Me [6/8] - Part of my Queer Specificity watchlist (I think next up will be City of Stars). What a strange little show! Truly an unusual and unique story. I am finding myself a little distracted by the metaphysical discontinuities but am trying to ignore them and focus on the general plot, which is compelling. Baby Ohm was adorable and I am struck by what a good actor he is, which is making me even sadder that he's been so plagued by fan drama.

Laws of Attraction [8/8] - This was unhinged, but I like unhinged. Not my favorite lakorn, but an entertaining ride. I thought the marriage equality mini-monologue in episode 8 was interesting - it sped right past the romantic aspect of marriage to the question of legal protections. Particularly interesting in light of this being a One31 lakorn - it would have had more widespread reach than many (most? all?) other BLs airing in 2023. Maybe it's time to read Baudinette and see what he has to say about marriage equality themes in Thai BL.

The Water [8/8] - Episode 7 was a fun ride. I was very aware of not being the target audience for Episode 8 - I was bored to tears for the majority of what absolutely did not need to be a 1.5 hr long final episode.