Love At First Sight (2023)

Man, the beginning of the year is a bit of a bummer movie-wise. I want to be talking about the newest romcoms but there isn’t a lot that has come out yet. At least I have all of the 2023 movies to go through. Like Netflix’s Love At First Sight, which came out in September.

Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson) is a 20-year old woman traveling to London for her father’s wedding. When she misses her flight, she meets Oliver (Ben Hardy), a 22-year old British Yale student who is traveling to London for his mother’s memorial party. The two end up sitting next to each other for the six hour flight. They fall in love and try to reconnect once they have landed.

When I saw how slowly this movie began, I dreaded having to sit through it for 90 minutes. Thankfully, the pace does pick up once they get on the plane. This is based on a book, which I have not read, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that is where the slower pace comes from. In a book, you can go through a person’s history in a fascinating way. In a movie, when you have a third-party narrator telling you about a person’s history, it doesn’t have quite the same kick.

I am happy to say that once we got through the “who are these people” parts, Love At First Sight turned into a cute romcom. I liked watching Hadley and Oliver interacting with each other more than with other people. They seemed a little too self-centered when they weren’t together. And I would have liked it if the ending gave us more than just additional narration telling us what happens to them after the movie ends. A montage of pictures would have been nice. Despite all of that, the movie was decent. Probably not worth more than one watch though.

Rating: B

The Out-Laws (2023)

As a fan of The Vampire Diaries, I’m always interested when Nina Dobrev shows up in a movie. The last one I saw her in was 2021’s Christmas movie, Love Hard. And with Adam Devine and Pierce Brosnan in The Out-Laws, I was definitely interested in checking it out.

Bank manager Owen (Devine) and yoga instructor Parker (Dobrev) are about to get married. Parker’s parents, Billy (Brosnan) and Lilly (Ellen Barkin), have been absent from her life but they have finally emailed her to say they will be attending the wedding. Shortly after they arrive, Owen’s bank is robbed by the Ghost Bandits. Owen is pretty sure Parker’s parents are the Bandits but before he can completely confirm his suspicious, Parker is kidnapped by Billy and Lilly’s former bank robbing partner, Rehan (Poorna Jagannathan). Rehan demands five million dollars or she will kill Parker. Desperate to save his future wife, Owen helps Billy and Lilly rob banks to save her.

The plot of the movie was obvious from the title. As soon as I saw that Owen was a bank manager, I knew Parker’s parents were going to rob him. The only thing I didn’t know was that Parker wasn’t in on it. I expected there to be a twist that she had been setting him up the entire time but, no, she was actually completely innocent. Which was nice. I liked that they didn’t turn Owen’s pure love for her into something that would break his heart. No, this is just a story of a man who loves a woman so much that he would do anything for her. And parents who are kinda crappy.

I did enjoy The Out-Laws a lot. It helps that I don’t mind Adam Devine’s acting. I’m sure he gets on a lot of people’s nerves but I find him charming. And he is a really good comic actor. There isn’t a ton of comedy here but all of it does fall on Devine’s shoulders. And he handles it well. I would definitely say this is one to check out.

Rating: B

Jdorama review: Ranma 1/2

Title: Ranma 1/2 Broadcast date: 12/9/11 Genre: Romantic Comedy Cast: Aragaki Yui, Kaku Kento, Watanabe Natsuna What is good: Watanabe Natsuna was awesome as girl-type Ranma What is bad: Pretty much everything else. Letter rating: D

I love the Ranma 1/2 anime series. It is one of my favorite. When I heard about a live action special, I was excited yet hesitant at the same time. Live action adaptations could either be really awesome or really terrible. Unfortunately, this one ended up being terrible. While there are a few cool moments, a majority of the show is confusing and badly acted. I actually think this might have been better if they made it into a series instead of just a one-shot special. It felt like they tried to cram absolutely everything into 1 1/2 hours. Ah well. At least I still have my anime boxsets!

JDorama review: Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tatakai

Title: Sasaki Fusai no Jingi Naki Tataki Also known as: The Sasaki Couple's Merciless Battle Broadcast dates: 1/20/08 - 3/23/08 Number of episodes: 10 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Inagaki Goro, Koyuki Plot: Sasaki Norimichi (Inagaki) and his wife, Ritsuko (Koyuki), constantly battle each other. The two lawyers take their fight to court and put their marriage on the line. What is good: Some of the comedy bits are quite funny. What is bad: The character of Ritsuko is a bit too much. I don't think anyone could put up living with her. Letter rating: C

The only reason I watched this show is because I have never seen a drama starring Inagaki Goro and I wanted to see what his acting was like. Since this is a comedy, I can forgive the blatant over-acting. It actually goes with the theme of the show quite well. Sadly, it is my beloved Koyuki's character that is difficult to swallow. The writers tried to make the main characters very different people. Norimichi is a responsible clean freak while Ritsuko is an irresponsible slob. When I say slob, I don't mean she is a little messy. If Norimichi doesn't clean up, their apartment is almost floor-to-ceiling trash. While I understand that it is supposed to show how different they are, I really don't think anyone could put up with Ritsuko's sloppy ways. However, in the end, I was interested to see whether they would get divorced or stay together. I'm just glad there isn't a sequel.

Jdorama review: Shiawase ni Narou yo

Title: Shiawase ni Narou yo Also known as: Let's Be Happy Broadcast dates: 4/18/11 - 6/27/11 Number of episodes: 11 Genre: Romantic Comedy Cast: Katori Shingo, Kuroki Meisa, Fujiki Naohito Plot: Takakura Junpei (Katori) is one of the most successful advisors at a company that helps people find their marriage partners. Yanagisawa Haruna (Kuroki) is a beautiful yet heartbroken woman who suddenly decides to enter the company as a member. When Takakura falls in love with Yanagiawa, life turns topsy turvy. What is good: The path Takakura and Yanagisawa's relationship takes is slow but very realistic. What is bad: Some of the side characters were a little annoying. Letter rating: B

I am a big fan of Katori Shingo but I've never really watched any of his dramas. Luckily, I enjoyed it. I thought that all of the main actors did very well. Though, I have to admit that my favorite character was the bumbling Komatsubara Susumu played by Ohkura Koji. I almost wish he was the main characters of the series.

If you do decide to watch the show, keep in mind that it is about relationships. Therefore, the story doesn't progress particularly fast. Also, there are a few throwaway characters that are brought in to either cause problems or just fill some time. Neither of these problems are enough to keep the show from being entertaining.

Also, if you've watched Boss, keep an eye out for the cross-over collaboration. Boss will take over the drama world!

JDorama review: Manhattan Love Story

Title: Manhattan Love Story Broadcast dates: 10/9/03 - 12/18/03 Number of episodes: 11 Genre: Romantic Comedy Cast: Matsuoka Masahiro, Koizumi Kyoko, Oikawa Mitsuhiro, Morishita Aiko, Matsuo Suzuki, Sakai Wakana, Funakoshi Eiichiro, Tsukamoto Takashi Plot: A rag-tag group of customers that frequent a cafe called Manhattan fall in and out of love with each other. What is good: Matsuoka can be hysterical as Tencho, the owner of Manhattan. What is bad: The show doesn't really get good until about episode 4. Letter rating: C

This show both annoyed and amused me. Parts of it were absolutely awesome. Unfortunately, most of the beginning episodes are terrible. Also, the show could have ended at episode 7 with no problems. Instead, they dragged it on for another four episodes. The ending was still surprising and funny but it seemed tacked on. Would I watch it again? No. But I'm definitely going to try to track down more of Matsuoka's dramas!

Movie review: The Proposal

After a long day of running errands, my husband and I loaded up Netflix to see what looked interesting. Interestingly enough, they recently added The Proposal - a movie we both wanted to see but were too cheap to pay more than our monthly Netflix fee to see it - to the online streaming queue. So we snuggled up and clicked Play.

Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) is the young executive assistant to chief editor Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock). Tate is a hardworking, pushy woman that is the target of much of her office's hatred. When she finds out that her visa has expired and she is about to be deported back to Canada, she forces Paxton to marry her. Knowing that she needs him, Paxton agrees...as long as she gives him a promotion and promises to publish his manuscript. The pair take a trip to Paxton's hometown in Alaska to break the news to his family during his grandmother's (Betty White) birthday party. Tate, who had been orphaned at 16, finds the heart that she had deeply hidden from everyone.

Yes, it is pretty much your standard romantic comedy. However, I firmly believe that this genre is where Sandra Bullock excels. And besides, the term "romantic comedy" doesn't automatically mean the movie will suck. Both my husband and I enjoyed the movie a lot. I thought that the on-screen chemistry between Reynolds and Bullock was amazing. Not only were they able to fight well, but they were also able to show that sexual tension that can exist between a man and a woman that argue constantly. Meanwhile, Betty White was fabulous as Paxton's grandmother. There needs to be more roles written for this brilliant woman. On the down side, I wasn't particularly fond of Mary Steenburgen as Paxton's mother or of Craig T. Nelson as his father. Despite knowing what these two actors are capable of, both of their performances came off wooden and bland. They are seriously just there to round out the "perfect family." Luckily, Nelson's character is barely there and Steenburgen's gets overshadowed by White so it's rather easy to ignore them altogether.

If you have about an hour and a half to kill, The Proposal isn't a terrible way to spend your time. Just don't expect to come away with a whole new look on life or anything. Enjoy it for what it is - a really good romantic comedy.

JDorama review: Mei-chan no Shitsuji

Title: Mei-chan no Shitsuji Also known as: Mei-chan's Butler Broadcast dates: 1/13/09 - 3/17/09 Number of episodes: 10 Genre: Romantic Comedy Cast: Eikura Nana, Mizushima Hiro, Sato Takeru, Yamada Yu Plot: Shinonome Mei (Eikura) lived an ideal, if poor, life helping her parents run their udon shop in the countryside. After her parents sudden accidental death, it is revealed that Mei is the heir to a multibillionaire. Now she must attend a prestigious school in order to learn how to become a lady. However, at this school, every student has a handsome butler. Including Mei. What is good: Mizushima Hiro is wonderful as Mei's butler, Shibata Rihito What is bad: It plays out pretty much like any other "new girl in school" drama, except with butlers! Letter rating: B Overall: I made a decision to marathon this entire series in one day. Since it's only ten episodes, it wasn't a difficult task. As a whole, I found the series to be fairly decent. Nothing stood out as fabulous but nothing was particularly terrible either. The plot had an interesting take on the lady/butler relationship, even though it had a predictable ending. However, I was left feeling like there should have been a bit more meat on these bones.

JDorama review: Zettai Kareshi Special

Title: Zettai Kareshi Also Known As: Absolute Boyfriend Broadcast date: 3/24/09 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Hayami Mokomichi, Mizushima Hiro, Aibu Saki Plot: Shortly after Riiko (Aibu) and Soshi (Mizushima) get called back from Paris to open a new store, Riiko finds that Night has been resurrected by a new Kronos Heaven employee. Will Night destroy the couple's engagement? What is good: It's nice seeing these characters come to life again. What is bad: The story was completely unnecessary. Letter rating: B- Overall: When the series ended, I felt like I needed more closure to the story. This isn't what the audience needed. While it felt like Night's character had more to him, he was used throughout the entire special. It was wonderful seeing the characters on screen and interacting again. However, it's akin to taking that last extra bite of cake. Yeah, it was tasty but now you feel nauseous.

Jdorama review: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Special

Title: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Also known as: HanaKimi Translation: For You In Full Blossom Broadcast date: 10/12/08 Genre: Romantic comedy Cast: Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun, Ikuta Toma Plot: Six months have passed since Mizuki has left Japan. During a Valentine's Day contest, Nakatsu tries to figure out exactly when Sano fell in love with Mizuki. What is good: More HanaKimi! What is bad: This isn't the special episode that should have been filmed. Letter rating: C Overall: I really enjoyed the HanaKimi television series. So why did the producers decide to stick us with this? Instead of a special involving the boys' trip out to California to visit Mizuki, we get a slew of flashbacks. A majority of the special is supposed to take place between episodes 7 and 8. However, someone made a decision to introduce a new character, Julia, to try to get Sano to confess his love to Mizuki. Not only is Julia unnecessary but she is also annoying. I would have preferred a special dedicated to more of the hijinks of the various dorms instead of focusing on something that was already determined in the series - Sano loves Mizuki. There is no need to try to figure out the exact moment that it dawned on him.