爱

veryisabel

 

I’m an avid fan on most genres, I’d say i would watch majority of supernatural/sci-fi television shows, and movies mostly romance or action. Like many, I like mixing my genres, but romance movies is a genre that is always easy to watch. Whether it’s romance or Rom/Com, they are generally easy viewing. It’s what I would put on when I’m about to go to bed, ‘mush-brain’ viewing or sue me, a cheesy love story is sometimes just what you need. Love is a pretty universal concept, so I want to see how other cultures’ tackle the romance genre. Starting with China in a film called ‘The Stolen Years’

The Stolen Years:
“A woman waking up with memory loss after going through a car accident only to find out that she had been divorced with her husband”

It already sounds like a similar plotline to ‘The Vow’, An American romance based on a true story.

The Vow:                                                    “A car accident puts Paige in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo works to win her heart again.”

This may not be how I present this blog post in the end, but for now it is going to be a running commentary as I watch the movie:

1. Credits at the beginning of the film, not what i am used to with modern films
2. Lot of hand-held camera shots and movement, from the perspectives of the two main characters
3. I haven’t seen The Vow in years but this plot feels very familiar, even the characters seem familiar
4. Except the divorce, movie starts of with a ‘happy couple’ revealed after her accident she has been divorced for a long time and has memory loss. Her last memory before the accident is her honeymoon
5. this story is so predictable, I can miss reading the subtitles and still know what is going on in the story
6.  translation in subtitles arent great, many errors. poor form netflix
7. uh oh, she just found out Michael Jackson died
8. guys best friend thinks her amnesia is karmic retribution for their divorce. okay…
9. best friend is suggesting he use this to his advantage and make her obedient. uh oh….
10. Man’s new girlfriend framed as evil im getting. very annoying voice
11. wow crazy girlfriend vibes
12. main girl’s a harry potter fan, they are trying to decide on a movie to watch, called the hangover “vulgar”
13. Guy seems to be very succesful, clean cut business man
14. works for some global media company
15. oh, he’s the Director
16. best friend is pretending to be waiter and convince girl she used to love cleaning tiles and making things neat, wtf
17. she’s spying on the gur and his girlfriend now, theyre making out, she is awkwardly coughing to cockblock them…
18. why did she just move into his house? Like he has his own life now…
19. some kind of signficance on having the perfect, white, clean home?
20. the bestfriend is an asshole trying to convince her she is some kind of chinese homemaker
21. apparently they worked at the same company?
22. all she seems to care about is repairing her marriage, not repairing her friendships or own life despite turning into a bitch
23. Rank and worth is very important to them
24. she is back at work, creative director, guy is sales director
25. she has a framed cover of her on time magazine
26. she seems to be reverting back to her old bitch self she doesnt remember
27. Mann i think her name is Mann
28. lots of longing glances at guy and his girlfriend, she seems to be remembering stuff now
29. sad chinese pop song playing over montage
30. guy has shown one shade of emotion the entire movie
31. oh, make that two
32. omg why is he having an inner monologue?
33. this is a very abrupt change in style
34. Mann was the main protagonist everything was from her perspecive now suddenly his what
35. they have sideways traffic lights in china??
36. wow this music is overly dramatic
37. found out she had an affair with her therapist
38. she is being really dramatic
39. dear lord this is a long movie, just hit the hour mark
40. still an hour to go
41. i thought we were in the final act
42. wow Guy is actually crying now
43. didnt know he had that much emotion in him
44. they are such loud criers
45. im not entirely sure why they are crying
46. but it seems like happy crying
47. they are starting over again
48. happy chinese pop song
49. very bad slow mo kissing
50. there had definitely been some kind of switch over the guy is doing narration again
51. Mann is probably dying or something ans we dont know yet
52. they are celebrating christmas, turkey and all
53. mmmm yep she has something wrong with her brain again
54. a blod clot
55. what the
56. now theyre saying she has Alzheimer’s
57. does she have a blod clot or Alzeihmer’s???
58. the doctor is talking about surgery to remove the clot
59. does he know Alzeihmer’s is a genetic disease??
60. this has nothing to do with her car accident its like a whole new movie now
61. this plot is stretched so thing they’ve added another movie into it
62. this is why you don’t have 2hour long movies
63. 35 minutes left
64. getting bored
65. i really dont understand this plot
66. why does she suddenly have alzeihmers? and suddenly so advanced she buys 4 packs of toothpaste every week
67. he’s lost her in the shopping mall
68. she’s going to get hit by a car or something
69. oh no she went back home
70. this poor dude
71. he’s showing all the emotions now
72. asshole best friend just gave him a pamphlet for a sanitoriam
73. reaffirms his place as the asshole best friend
74. Guy wants to re-propose to Alzheimer suffering Mann
75. dude, this aint going to end well
76.  very happpy chinese pop song
77. theyre dancing along
78. down the street
79. her boss is a part of this ok
80. the boss’ name is Philip
81. idk if someone proposed to me with a dance number and gangnam style i’d seriously consider
82. this is all one-take though pretty impressive
83. well its a cute proposal
84. very cheesy
85. going to have this song stuck in my head for awhile
86. narration back to Mann
87. finally remembered the guy’s name
88. Yu
89. ooh she’s having the risky surgery and didnt tell him
90. I have no idea what is happening now
91. WHY IS SHE WEARING A NECK BRACE SHE HAD BRAIN SURGERY
92. SHE’S PARALYSED?
93. WHAT THE FUCK
94. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH THIS STORY
95. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CHANGES TO THS STORY
96. the medical inaccuracies are driving me insane
97. ok now theyre amputating her legs??
98. jesus christ
99. WHY???
100. “will you do anything for me?” lord here we go…
101. This is getting bad
102. they did not have to add all this into the story, they really didn’t
103. it’s like 4 Nicholas Sparks movies smashed together
104. yep she is asking him to turn off her ventilator because she can’t live without it
105. don’t they have DNR’s in China?
106. holy hell she just yanked the tube out herself
107.  now Yu is contemplating life while staring at wind generators
108. his inner monologue continues
109. 10 minutes left
110. yyyeeep he’s gonna unplug her
111. seriously just go sign a DNR and refuse extreme measures to sustain life?
112. reminiscent chinese pop song plays
113. characters are cute
114. they deserved a much better storyline
115. oh my god its over
116. finally