our times movie review

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Movie Review: 5 Reasons Why You Should Watch Taiwanese Film “Our Times”

Taiwanese film, Our Times is one of the must-watch in every Asian junkie’s movie list!

The film tells a story of Truly Lin, who lives her life being an average girl . One day she goes to a trip back to memory lane reminiscing her high school days when she worked with a friend to get the attention of their respective crushes. The film is directed by Frankie Chien and released last 2015.

You can check out the trailer here:

With its amazing storyline and amazing casts, here are 5 reasons on why you should watch or rewatch it!

1. The Plot is 11/10.

[P.S I’ll try to refrain including spoilers but you can read at your own risk!] The film takes us back in the early 90s, wherein students back then are easily scared by chain letters. Truly (portrayed by Vivian Sung, grown up as Joe Chen) can be described as a nerdy girl who would do anything to get noticed by her crush, Ouyang (portrayed by Dino Lee).

Truly received a chain letter that she needs to pass on, naively, she sends it to one of their teacher, the campus girl-crush, Min-min (portrayed by Dewi Chien), and the campus bully, Taiyu (portrayed by Darren Wang, grown up as Jerry Yan).

Unfortunately, Taiyu has encountered an accident while reading the chain letter. When he found out that it was Truly, he made her as his errands-girl giving her a lot of things to do.

Throughout the film, you’ll get to learn how these two developed their friendship into a blossoming romance!

2. It will take you back in time.

We all know how the media and the internet has become a big part of the current trends today. You can easily a date or break up with the help of social media making almost everything as accessible as they can.

In this film, you’ll get to learn how people back then find happiness over little things. Be it a simple sports game, or hanging out around the comic stores. You’ll get to appreciate the different forms of entertainment around you without the use of internet and social media.

3. Love story? Or a Coming-of-age story?

At first, I was convinced that this is a love story! When both Truly and Taiyu found out that the ones they were crushing – Min-min and Ouyang are actually secretly dating, you’ll get a hint on how these two will team up to break them apart.

But the thing is, *spoiler alert* both Truly and Taiyu became comfortable with each other’s presence and would prefer being with each other than be with their crushes.

The film emphasizes on how these high-school students can understand love be it in terms of romantic, friendship, family, and self. Which makes it also a coming-of-age story as both of the lead stars realized that being romantically together doesn’t mean you’ll be together until the end.

Throughout the film, you’ll also get to see how Taiyu transformed as a bully into a responsible and good student with Truly’s help.

4. Truly is a fangirl!

Truly can be described as a simple girl but one thing that can make people relate to her until today would her being a fangirl! Yes! Truly is a big fan of Andy Lau! Truly casually shares her interest and dream of attending one of Andy’s concert to Taiyu as she doesn’t have enough money to attend yet.

I just love how Taiyu exerted an effort to give truly an Andy keychain, making him an attentive friend as he listens to Truly whenever she shares her stories.

Another scene that stole my heart would be the moment Taiyu got Truly a life-size standee of Andy Lau for her birthday! Talk about being #goals right?

This scene made me also convinced that the two are into each other without knowing it too!

5. Joe Chen, Jerry Yan and Andy Lau!

Back in the present, we were already introduced with Joe Chen taking a role in the film as she is now the present-day Truly.

Truly finally came out of her comfort zone to follow her heart. She tries to score an Andy Lau concert ticket only to win nothing in the end.

One day, she accidentally drops her Andy Lau keychain to be returned by Andy himself! Revealing an Andy fan, Truly was even given the opportunity to take a photo with him!

And yes, our most beloved Dao Ming Si, Jerry Yan, makes a surprise appearance as the grown up Taiyu! The two were reunited being apart for a long time. And yes, he kept his promise!

Final Thoughts

At first, you will take this film as one of the cliche love stories out there. I also love how the actors and actresses portrayed their roles very well. The cameo of the popular stars was just a bonus!

I am impressed on how this film played with my emotions and later on, I even found myself in tears sharing the happiness for both Truly and Taiyu!

The film teaches us life lessons on how growing up can sometimes lead us into wishing to turn back time when were young and carefree. Even though it gave us satisfaction when we become established or working adults, the memories and the people we’ve met back in time helped us in making our decisions today.

Like how Taiyu taught Truly on how to believe in herself!

Film rating: 10/10

Featured Image Credit: Strait times

GIF Source: Giphy, Google

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‘our times’ (‘wo de shaonu shidai’): film review.

Spot-on casting, weak storytelling.

By Piera Chen

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'Our Times' ('Wo De Shaonu Shidai'): Film Review

The big-screen debut of veteran Taiwanese TV drama producer Frankie Chen Yu-shan is a smartly cast, sweetly nostalgic teen romance with juvenile storytelling. Described as the woman’s version of You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011), the semi-autobiographical Asian blockbuster about the first love of author-helmer Giddens Ko , Our Times manages to portray young romance in all its awkward splendor but fails to live up to the narrative sophistication and emotional persuasiveness of the earlier film. Yet just when you prepare to down the last of the popcorn, screenwriter Sabrina Tseng springs a surprise or two that sets this romantic comedy apart from other syrupy boy-meets-girl numbers.

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The Fangirl Verdict

Completely biased reviews and fangirling.

Flash Review: Our Times [TW Movie]

You know a movie’s making a real splash when someone like me, who doesn’t have a clue (yet? I know I’m starting to pay more attention now) about TW entertainment has heard raves about this show.

From happy spazzy mentions on Twitter, to real-life enthusiastic recommendations from friends, I’d heard only good things about this movie. Considering how I don’t even generally pay all that much attention to movies except for Korean ones (and I’m not that thorough, even then), that’s no small deal.

I finally managed to watch this recently on a flight, and I must say, all those happy tweets and enthusiastic endorsements were so right. This one does get you right in the feels. <3

Just to be clear, this movie is far from perfect. It’s clumsy in spots, and you could even say that the story leans predictable.

But, there’s so much that this show gets right, that I can’t help spazzing anyway.

STUFF I LOVED

1. The Retro Awesome

There’s something about shows recreating retro worlds that gets to me and makes me feel all nostalgic and sentimental. That’s partly why I love the Answer Me series (reviews here: 1997 , 1994 & 1988 ), and that’s partly why I enjoy this story world too.

This movie brings back all the retro awesome of the 1990s, from cassette tapes, to center-parted hair, to high-waisted loose-fitting pants.

Pretty much everywhere you look, our story world is littered with memorabilia from the 90s. It’s matter-of-fact, yet at the same time, gloriously kitschy, and I loves it.

2. The universal relatability

Our protagonist

The thing that I love most about our protagonist Zhenxin (a name which translates directly to mean Sincere – which is so apt for her character, and which also explains why the subs translate her name as Truly), is that she is such an everygirl.

Rather than the pretty girl at school, she’s the plain one who often gets ignored and overlooked. Seriously, how many of us can relate to just how ordinary she is?

I freaking love Vivian Sung’s delivery of Zhenxin, coz she’s completely gung-ho about getting uglified for the role, and embraces Zhenxin’s gangly awkwardness without a shred of vanity. I love-love- love how realistically, wonderfully, endearingly ungainly she is. <3

I found it easy to relate to Zhenxin’s mortified, self-conscious chagrin every time something embarrassed her, and it brought back all kinds of growing-up memories of my own. Good times, all (not that I’d actually want to go back to live ’em again, heh).

The teen angst

Celebrity crushes, real-person crushes, friend zones and how to cope in them as well as how to get out of them, getting into trouble in school, growing up, and all the awkwardness and uncertainty that goes with it – all of these are brought to delightful, palpable life in the movie.

Even if you weren’t a teen in Taiwan in the 90s (like I wasn’t), these teen experiences are universal enough to feel familiar and relatable. I found it easy to engage with and relate to Zhenxin, as well as empathize with her – which effectively sucked me into her world. Really nice.

3. Darren Wang as Tsu Taiyu

Much as I love Vivian Sung as Zhenxin, I hafta say that Darren Wang capably steals the show, as male lead Tsu Taiyu.

As the school’s resident bad boy, Darren rocks the confident swagger and slightly slurry, lazy drawl. From the way he capably holds his own in fights, to how he struts the halls, every fiber of his being screams teen rebel.

Yet, as Show peels back the layers to reveal Taiyu’s emotional wounds, Darren’s delivery takes on a lovely depth that I found very appealing.

Beneath the bluster and bravado, Taiyu’s sensitivity, loyalty and vulnerability shines through beautifully, and I couldn’t help but feel for him, and root for him, and want all kinds of good things for him.

Add on Darren’s strong brows and his charming crooked grin, and I was very thoroughly mesmerized by Taiyu indeed. <3

4. The growing bond between Taiyu and Zhenxin

I find that there is something particularly satisfying about watching two very different people come to understand and care for each other. I loved the set-up, of a bewildered Zhenxin finding herself in bad boy Taiyu’s circle.

From the enforced “friendship” which had Zhenxin running all kinds of errands for Taiyu in exchange for the safety of her crush Ouyang Feifan (Dino Lee), we see this unlikely pair graduate to becoming comrades, then friends who truly care about each other.

The movie does a fantastic job teasing out their growing connection and relationship. I love that through it all, their feelings for each other – which evolve from tolerance, to loyalty, to genuine care, to romantic interest – feel consistently authentic and sincere.

Although their growing hyper-awareness around each other is all kinds of adorable and squee-worthy, at the heart of it all, it is their intense care for and loyalty towards each other that I found most profound. I love-love- loved these two together, So, SO Much. <3

5. The Feels

Even though my teenhood wasn’t exactly like Zhenxin’s, so many elements of her life felt familiar and true to life.

In some ways, watching these unfold on my screen made me feel like I was time-traveling back to my own teenhood, and feeling many of the feelings that I’d had, way back when.

Add on the very believable burgeoning feelings on both Zhenxin’s and Taiyu’s sides, and all the obstacles they faced while grappling with their conflicted teenaged hearts, and you get one very immersive watch experience indeed.

These characters and their story stole my heart good and proper. And that’s not even counting how charmed I was by Taiyu himself.

In a word, feels all over the place, y’all. Flail.

STUFF I DIDN’T LOVE

So I understand that in putting in a present-day timeline, Show was working to set a present-day context for our teenaged protagonists.

I also get that having a present-day timeline gave the production the opportunity to include more big names on its cast list, and that probably helped to increase this movie’s general presence.

In spite of all that, I personally feel that the present-day timeline didn’t add much to the story.

The movie begins in the present-day timeline, with Adult Zhenxin (Joe Chen) feeling like a loser at work as well as a loser in life, in general, and then transitions into a very long flashback, which is where our main story happens with our younger cast.

First of all, the transition between timelines felt rather clumsy to me.

[MILD SPOILER]

Going into the flashback, the camera focuses on the cassette player, thunder and lightning happens, and the buttons on the cassette player pop up and down randomly, before the camera pans out again in our flashback timeline.

I thought this was a rather odd choice, since all that drama around the cassette player almost had me wondering if I was watching a time travel sort of movie instead.

[END SPOILER]

Secondly, I never felt connected with the adult versions of our characters.

It’s largely because we spent so much of the movie bonding with the younger characters, that when the characters showed up onscreen played by completely different people, it felt dissonant and foreign to me.

I couldn’t, for the life of me, buy that Joe Chen and Jerry Yan were the same characters that I’d grown to love, and that affected my ability to appreciate the ending, in particular.

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

OMG people. SO MUCH CHEESE. 😛

From Andy Lau appearing at a coffee kiosk and inviting Zhenxin to his concert, to Taiyu turning out to be the contact that Andy had instructed Zhenxin to call, to Andy’s recorded speech outside the concert venue about his friend (Taiyu) making efforts to make the concert happen, in order to fulfill a promise to his first love, to Taiyu having christened the concert 真心愛你 (which can be translated to mean Zhenxin, love you), it’s all cheesy to the extreme.

I confess that I cringed through it all, the first time I watched the ending. On subsequent viewings, I’ve cringed less, but that doesn’t change my opinion that this ending could’ve been stronger.

Partly, I didn’t think that it was all that necessary to have Andy show up, really.

Mostly, though, I would’ve much preferred if Present Day Zhenxin and Taiyu had been played by Vivian Sung and Darren Wang.

I know it requires both actors to play much older, but to me, that’s not something that wardrobe and makeup can’t fix. Just take a look at them here:

With a bit more adjustment, I’d totally buy them as Present Day Zhenxin and Taiyu, wouldn’t you? This way, I would’ve felt as connected to their characters at the end of the movie, as I did during the 90s timeline.

Failing that, I would’ve liked to see Present Day Zhenxin and Taiyu look at each other, but see Teenaged Zhenxin and Taiyu instead, if you know what I mean.

Then we could’ve seen Teenaged Zhenxin and Taiyu deliver those reunion lines, before we watched them walk away from the camera, towards the concert venue. That would’ve definitely helped.

Essentially, in order to appreciate the movie’s ending, cheese and all, I needed to feel more connected to the characters, and the best way to achieve that, would’ve been to see Teenaged Zhenxin and Taiyu in the present day, somehow.

I know we got a bit of that via intercutting flashbacks, but it just wasn’t the same, for me.

Unfortunately, as it stood, Show’s treatment of the ending left me feeling rather deflated and disconnected.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Flaws notwithstanding, Our Times stands out to me as a wonderfully engaging watch that grabs the heart, brings back memories, and ignites ( all of) the feels.

Sure, there are things that I wish Show would’ve done differently, but it’s ok. We’ll always have the memories. And in my heart, I’ll always have these two, happy and content, together. <3

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Warm, universally feel-good and full of heart. Definitely recommend.

FINAL GRADE: A-

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Cast & crew
User reviews

Love grows where it isn't expected in this endearing romantic comedy coming of age movie. Love grows where it isn't expected in this endearing romantic comedy coming of age movie. Love grows where it isn't expected in this endearing romantic comedy coming of age movie.

Yu Shan Chen
Yung-Ting Tseng
Vivian Sung
17 User reviews
5 wins & 10 nominations

Truly Lin (younger)

TaiYu (Younger)
(as Ta-Lu Wang)

Chao Hsiao-Chih

(as Bernice Tsai)

Shen Chia-Yi

(as Ho-Hsuan Lin)

Chang Chang-Tao

Teacher Chen

Lin's mother

(as Jeffery Hsu)

Wang Bai-Dan
(as Jack Na)

Chuan Chih-Hsien

Truly's Boyfriend
(as Sean Lee)

Truly Lin (elder)
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia This movie is said to be the female lead version of You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011) since the lead character of this movie is a girl while the lead character of You Are the Apple of My Eye is a boy.
Soundtracks A Little Happiness Music by JerryC Lyrics by Shi-Chen Hsu & Hui-Fu Wu Performed by Hebe Tien

User reviews 17

May 2, 2021
How long is Our Times? Powered by Alexa
November 20, 2015 (United States)
Focus Films
Huace Pictures
Hualien Media International
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$83,933,510

Technical specs

Runtime 2 hours 14 minutes
Dolby Digital

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Taiwan News
Bilingual Pages

All Front Page Taiwan News Business Editorials Sports World News Features Bilingual Pages

Fri, Aug 14, 2015 page12

Movie review: our times 我的少女時代, the teenage romantic comedy should prove a hit at the summer box-office.

By Ho Yi / Staff reporter

Adolescent love and the 1990s come under the microscope in Our Times (我的少女時代), an ambitious movie that could become a summer blockbuster.

Frankie Chen (陳玉珊), in her directorial debut, revises the “ordinary girl meets Prince Charming” tale, injecting a welcome dose of feminine perspective into the overused genre to touch upon the life experience of a girl becoming a woman in 1990s Taiwan. The comedy is supported by an appealing cast of novices, veterans and big-name stars.

It’s present-day Taipei, Truly Lin (Joe Chen, 陳喬恩) is in her thirties and stuck in a dead-end job. One night Lin suddenly recalls her first love, a high school romance that took place in 1994. The younger Lin, played by Vivian Sung (宋芸樺), is a plain, clumsy girl who spends her high-school days goofing around with friends and fawning over the most popular boy in school, Ouyang (Dino Lee, 李玉璽). An unfortunate incident leads Lin to become an errand girl for the school’s much-feared troublemaker Taiyu (Darren Wang, 王大陸).

Darren Wang makes a handsome troublemaker at school.

Photo courtesy of Hualien Media International

It doesn’t take long, however, before Lin sees Taiyu for who he really is: a kind, smart young man. As their friendship evolves, they agree to help each other attract the people they are interested in and in the process Lin and Taiyu soon fall in love.

Meanwhile, Taiyu’s tough behavior results in a clash with school authorities and several street fights. Concerned, his parents send him to the US before he has a chance to say goodbye to Lin.

Fast forward two decades, Lin quits her job and breaks up with her boyfriend. Across town, a sold-out Andy Lau (劉德華) concert is set to take place at the Taipei Arena, where two surprises await our heroine.

Vivian Sung grows from an ugly duckling into a swan in Our Times.

The light-hearted, briskly-paced film is a collaboration between Chen, a seasoned producer of soap operas and top-notch film producer Yeh Ju-fen (葉如芬). The experiences of these two veteran producers show in how well they can pick their cast, which, not to give the film away, include two Asian heartthrobs.

Another pleasant surprise is up-and-coming actress Sung, who captured the public’s attention with her performance the romantic comedy Cafe. Waiting. Love (等一個人咖啡) last year. Sung comes off as a lovable ugly duckling growing to become a strong, attractive girl, while playing well with the comic effect without caricaturing her role.

Chen and her crew have also done a fine job with their attention to detail of the era. Hairstyles, pop songs, sports drinks, tea houses, scary chain letters circulated in school and teenage obsessions with pop stars Lau and Aaron Kwok (郭富城) all create the right 1990s vibe. But the movie isn’t set in the 1990s simply for fun and decoration. It recalls a society that has just emerged from almost 40 years of martial law, an experience that makes the heroine who she is today.

With the screening time exceeding two hours, however, the movie could have used some pruning to keep its structure tighter and story snappier. Plotlines revolving around the two protagonists become repetitive at times, adding no new meaning to the narrative.

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Directed by Frankie Chen

Back to the youthful days!

Office worker Truly Lin goes on a journey through her memories. 20 years ago, she had a crush on the most popular guy in school. Taiyu, a ruffian and a bully, is in love with the campus belle. Truly teams up with Taiyu to tear the golden couple apart and help each other to get the ones they love.

Vivian Sung Darren Wang Dino Lee Dewi Chien Andy Lau Joe Chen Jerry Yan Berry Wen-i Kuo Yi-Chen Tsai Alina Cheng Ian Chen Li-Tung Chang Kristy Cha Ray Chu Hsin-Ling Chung Chieh-Hui Hsu Wei-hsun Na Chu Chung-heng Lee Shao Xiang He-Hsuan Lin Shih Chih Tian Zhang Hang

Director Director

Frankie Chen

Producers Producers

Yu-Shiuan Liu Sam Tzu-Hsiang Yuan Yeh Jufeng Binxing Fu

Writer Writer

Yung-Ting Tseng

Editors Editors

Ku Cheng-yen Wenders Li Tung-Chuen

Cinematography Cinematography

Chen Kuo-Lung Chiang Min-chung

Composer Composer

Chih-chien Hou

Costume Design Costume Design

Hualien Media International Focus Features Huace Pictures

Releases by Date

13 aug 2015, 15 oct 2015, 22 oct 2015, 20 nov 2015, 11 may 2016, 19 aug 2020, releases by country, south korea.

Theatrical 15
Theatrical 15 Re-release

134 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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Home » Entertainment » [REVIEW] Our Times Movie Review [我的少女时代]: More than just a high school love story

[REVIEW] Our Times Movie Review [我的少女时代]: More than just a high school love story

By Beatrice Ng
November 10, 2015
Entertainment

Everyone’s raving about the new age Taiwan campus love story movie called Our Times (我的少女时代) . I got the chance to catch the movie and I finally understood why everyone is going head over heels for this film.

Directed by Frankie Chen, the story follows Lin Zhen Xin’s (林真心 played by Vivian Sung 宋芸華) who has a crush on the captain of the basketball team in high school Ouyang Feifan (欧阳非凡 played by Dino Lee 李玉玺) . Knowing that Ouyang Feifan will only fall for the school’s belle Tao Minmin (淘敏敏 played by Dewi Chien 简廷芮 ) , Lin Zhen Xin was about to give up when she meets Hsu Taiyu (徐太宇 played by Wang Da Lu王大陆) , who turns her life around when he tries to help her win Ouyang Feifan and unexpectedly falls in love with her.

More than just a movie with scenes straight out of a typical idol drama, Our Times made me realise things I didn’t notice before.

I realised that innocence is not a bad thing. Being innocent doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be taken seriously, or that you’re stupid or should be trampled on. Being innocent means that life is so much simpler and that something very small can make you happy. Being innocent means that you deserve people who won’t take advantage of you.

The most important thing I’ve realised is that you shouldn’t be afraid to express yourself freely. All of us feel trapped by something or someone and they stop from us truly being ourselves. But we need to learn to love ourselves more and it is okay if we are a little selfish once in a while. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re losing if you don’t express yourself.

Image Credits: http://hpility.blogspot.com/2015/10/top-5-must-listen-our-times-movie-theme-song.html

This movie is definitely highly recommended for people of all ages. As someone who has watched the movie twice and going for a third, it is more than just a love story between two people, rather, the movie touches your heart because it is relatable. You can find yourself drowned in the casts’ acting, putting yourself in their shoes, laughing and crying whole-heartedly as we reminisce about our own stories.

They’re many takeaways from watching this film, be it a good laugh or life values, it is definitely a must-watch film.

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Tiffanyyong.com

Our Times (我的少女时代) Movie Review

Our Times (我的少女时代) Movie Review | by tiffanyyong.com

Recommended audience: fans of vivian sung 宋芸桦, wang da lu 王大陆, jerry yan, joe chen qiao en, andy lau, dino lee 李玉玺, dewi chien 简廷芮, frankie chen 陈玉珊, and romantic comedy movie fans.

Our Times (我的少女时代) Movie Synopsis

Our Times (我的少女时代) Viewer Rating: 4.75/5 *****

Our times (我的少女时代) movie review:.

I guess many people will be waiting for me to mention this film. Despite the fame and popularity, I wasn’t really a fan of Gidden Ko’s You Are The Apple Of My Eye. Maybe because I wasn’t really able to relate to many of the plots as it was from a guy’s point of view. Plus, I’m still a sucker for happy endings. So “Our Times” is one coming from the girl’s point of view.

Do You Know?

Behind The Scenes and Interviews

Check out Our Times (我的少女时代) Facebook Page ! Our Times (我的少女时代) is out in cinemas on 22 October 2015.

1/2 of #TheEpiphanyDuplet, Tiffany Yong juggles her ABCs – Acting, Blogging and Coaching/Consulting as she is fuelled by passion and drive to succeed.

It is not easy to make a living in Singapore just purely based on Acting, so with Blogging to help her with her online presence, and Coaching kids drama, private tutoring and freelance social media consulting to finance her life, she is currently leading the life most people hope to have: Living the Dream!

46 thoughts on “Our Times (我的少女时代) Movie Review”

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Im American living in China teaching and I saw this movie in the theaters. I enjoyed it, and I liked the Taiwanese pop songs from the 90s they used in a few scenes. Do you have any song titles that I could look for. They play a good song during the scene where the girl is trying on different clothes in the mirror right before she gives herself the makeover. If you have any ideas about song titles or artists names I’d appreciate it and add them to my music collection… Thanks

P.S. I have fallen in love with Darren. I think I’m going to watch this again.

P.P.S. Watch the korean drama Reply 1988, it was a similar, nostalgic vibe! 🙂

Thanks for recommending the Korean drama, shall catch it online if it’s still available!

P.S. There’s no alternate ending :/

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geeky naive girl gets into trouble by anonymously challenging school bad boy? check. bad boy finds out who she is and makes her his slave? check. the taller, calmer guy which the girl likes, is actually old friends with bad boy? check. bad boy became a bad boy after a traumatic event in the past with tall calm guy? check. bad boy believes he is the reason he and tall calm guy’s best friend drowned? check. best friend drowned in the sea because of a swim farthest challenge? check. geeky naive girl and bad boy bond over an animal? check. girl dresses in an outrageous outfit and goes out with bad boy? check. bad boy has a hidden health issue? check. bad boy disappears because of said hidden health issue? check. bad boy actually goes overseas? check. many years later they reunite because of a promise bad boy made? check.

this is the plot of 그 놈은 멋있었다 (geu nomeun moshissota/he was cool), a korean movie based on a korean novel in 2004.

i like 我的少女时代, but I saw this Korean movie when I was a child, and the similarities go on. Hopefully you can watch this Korean film, and maybe tell me if i’m just imagining the similarities haha. 🙂

Hahaha…what you said sound similar to Taiwan’s Meteor Garden out in 2001. And they reunite not exactly because of a promise, more like by fate. I think I’ve watched 그 놈은 멋있었다 before, but didn’t exactly remember the plot. Will check out the movie again!

I watched Our Times long time ago but suddenly this movie popped up in my mind & I wanted to read what others thing about the movie. And yeap, my first reaction after watching the movie was same as yours; IT FEELS SO SIMILAR WITH CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE! But I love this movie more, it hit me more at the feels. Anyway if you enjoy this movie, I guess you’ll also enjoy KDrama REPLY 1988 as it is also nostalgic and the love story line is really good too:)

Hey Mawar, thanks for sharing! I’m glad you think so too~ I will go check out the KDrama as the name coincides with my birth year!

Hi Tiffany! Do u know the song in intro ?

Hi, not really sure which song you are referring to. But the theme song of this movie is 小幸运 (A Little Happiness) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sQSXwdtxlY . The other featured songs are: 妳說他 All about him https://youtu.be/g3bWcxrlICQ 我們青春 We Are Young https://youtu.be/TK7XIgszMNE 失戀陣線聯盟 Club Broken Heart https://youtu.be/x5R5LGEPnWI

Hope this helps!

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Hi, im a guy. I enjoyed the great acting and chemistry in the movie.But im disturbed that girls love it so much without mentioning about the extreme bullying of Taiyu on Zhen Xin. Its like he owned her. Do girls really accept this as a normal part of growing up? All the more disturbing that he was excused becos it turns out hisbguilt turned him bad, and that he did all those bullying only cos he liked her. Sounds like lazy characterization used to normalizing bullying to me.

Haha. I’m not a supporter of his actions, but just like how people like Dao Mingsi from Meteor Garden who was possessive, many girls like Taiyu too.

Hi Tiffany! I just finished watching this movie when I stumbled upon your review! I found some interesting facts here thank you very much! Although I really commented because I LOVE JIMMY LIN TOO! He’s my idol and I’ve watched all movies and music videos and reality shows with him in it that I can find in our country. I’m rambling lol I’m sorry I’m just happy to find another fan of Jimmy Lin’s and read thru a review of my fave taiwanese movie!

Hi Princess Lin, thanks for commenting! Glad that you are a Jimmy Lin fan too! Try watching the Thai film “Crazy Little Things Called Love” if you haven’t!

I couldn’t agree more with the comparisons that you made about how the plot of 那些年was some how ridiculous as it was from a guy’s point of view, and that 少女时代 was much more relatable for girls!

The first part did reminded me of “Little Things Called Love” also, but luckily this movie has it own charm. I really love the 90s’ decorations and clothings are really cool. And Ouyang’s middle-split hair is right on!

@HADIWIDJADJA – That’s the song from “A Moment of Romance” (袁鳳瑛 – 天若有情)

I’ve just watched this movie and I absolutely loved it! It has Andy Lau in it! I like him a lot. The show is very touching. Ya, I agree I didn’t have that emotional connection to the older versions as much as the younger ones.

Anyone knows old song title when Tao min-min suddenly was circles by Hsu Tai-yu gang after school hour ? thx’s

I just found your web and immediately looked for this movie’s review! At last someone else realised wang da lu resembles wang da dong in that very scene!!!!!!!!

Hahaha… I’m glad you agree! 🙂 It’s totally KO One right?

I cried so hard while watching this movie. What I really like about this movie is I find it hard to predict what is gonna happen to Lin Truly and Hsu Taiyu. Such a tragic love/friendship story yet with a happy ending. Love it!

where do you watch it?

I watched it in the cinema! Don’t think it’s available online yet!

I literally watched this film 4 times and i am still going for the 5th even 10th. I cried like a bitch 4 times too you guys should watch this!!!!! Its a must!!!!! Must must must!!!!!

Awww… Have you watched the Thai version before? Do you like it?

This movie is not showing in Australia and i really want to cry because of that. Can someone give me a hint of what the ending is like? Or can u at least give me the name of the thai version one? Plsssssss i’m begging you. There’s no way for me to see this movie

be patient for the 3hrs dvd,48min longer than the cinema’s version

Maybe I will go watch too~ haha~

Regards, Lonely reload

A must-watch-movie!..At first i watched it because of joe chen and jerry yan.. but i end up falling for hsu taiyu..i think im gonna have to watch it again..love your review on this film..**thumbs up**

Thank you! haha… Love the story too!

I think I would totally relate as well! I love the effort they made to make the scenes look authentic. I’m excited for this Taiwanese version of my beloved Thai movie!!

Our Times seems to be quite fun and entertaining to watch. The only concern again is that i am not sure it will be screen in my country or not.

Sounds like an interesting movie. I am sure all high school-ers can relate to the movie.

OMG it’s Jerry Yan 🙂 That lady looks familiar. just like my high school classmate

Ooo now this is a film that is right up my street! I’ve added that to my list

Lovely review and Our times seems to be a fun movie which i can surely enjoy with my family.

High School is such an awkward phase and it’s the time we start to blossom as a person. I’ve watched crazy little thing called love and it was a great feel good movie. I’ll check this one out too.

Wow! Just 0.25 from being perfect for a highschool type romantic comedy! You got me curious even if I do not like romcoms too much. Jerry Yan and Andy Lau playing smaller roles, interesting.

Our Times seems like a fun film to watch. It does bring you back to the 90s, and the awkward stage we all went through back in high school. Traveling back in time through watching a movie can be refreshing.

Wow Jerry Yan! I wanna watch this. I haven’t heard about this movie here, though. I hope this will be available in local cinemas here too.

Your reviews always make me so curious about Asian films. I’ve seen a bunch of classics that I really like and really enjoyed in the past!

This sounds like a fun movie that will give you nostalgia. I have a lot of fun memories in High School as well as memories I’d rather forget. Thanks for sharing this movie.

wynnesworld

Our times: movie review.

Synopsis: Lin Cheng Shin (Vivian Sung) finds herself as a target for the school’s resident tough guy Hsu Tai Yu (Darren Wang) when he discovers that she sent him the chain letter that caused him to get hit by a van. As penance, he orders Cheng Shin to be friends with him and basically takes her everywhere to tease her and order her around. When they discover that they both have crushes on the school’s most popular students, they form a bond to nip the possible romance in the bud so they would get their crushes for themselves.

I watched “Our Times” on Fox + and thought it was awesome. I loved the chemistry between Vivian Sung and Darren Wang and especially loved how Darren portrayed Tai Yu’s evolution as he began to fall for his friend. I loved how they really formed a friendship and stuck up for each other.

Case in point, Cheng Shin learning about why Tai Yu became a tough guy and helping him move on from his guilt, or the time that she stood up for his integrity even in the face of challenging the school director. For his part, Tai Yu’s not so subtle ways about showing he cared for Cheng Shin was adorable and quite obvious if they were not inexperienced kids who lack the maturity to see through each other’s ruse. I just loved how their feelings were so obvious to everyone but themselves.

The plot was quite simple but very relatable because the characters were well developed throughout the film. They remind people of themselves and their first experience of love and heartbreak. The young cast was simply amazing. Vivian Sung was the epitome of innocence and kindness while Darren Wang embodied a reliable mate who will go the extra mile for the one he loved. Insert hearts emoji here.

The cameos from Jerry Yan and Joe Chen (two of my favorite actors) as the adult versions of the Cheng Shin and Tai Yu was just cherry on top of the cake and only served to make me want to see them in a full-length drama. Of course, Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau’s cameo was equally memorable. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Jerry and Joe collab soon.

All in all, “Our Times” was a heartwarming love story that viewers would want to see over and over again even despite hard to read subtitles. It was well worth the sacrifice to experience the sweetness and innocence of true love and I for one, have seen the flick multiple times before I typed this review. How’s that for a recommendation?

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Our Times Reviews

A personal and informative time capsule of a crucial moment revealing the ongoing cultural tensions in Iran between conservatism and progress.

Full Review | Mar 22, 2006

'If' movie review: Ryan Reynolds' imaginary friend fantasy might go over your kids' heads

Even with likable youngsters, a vast array of cartoonish characters, various pratfalls and shenanigans, and Ryan Reynolds in non- Deadpool mode, the family comedy “IF” isn’t really a "kids movie" – at least not in a conventional sense.

There’s a refreshing whiff of whimsy and playful originality to writer/director John Krasinski’s bighearted fantasy (★★½ out of four; rated PG; in theaters Friday), which centers on a young girl who discovers a secret world of imaginary friends (aka IFs). What it can’t find is the common thread of universal appeal. Yeah, children are geared to like any movie with a cheery unicorn, superhero dog, flaming marshmallow with melting eye and assorted furry monsters. But “IF” features heady themes of parental loss and reconnecting with one’s youth, plus boasts a showstopping dance set to Tina Turner , and that all leans fairly adult. Mash those together and the result is akin to a live-action Pixar movie without the nuanced execution.

Twelve-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) doesn’t really think of herself as a kid anymore. Her mom died of a terminal illness, and now her dad (Krasinski) is going into the hospital for surgery to fix his “broken heart,” so she’s staying with her grandma (Fiona Shaw) in New York City.

When poking around her new environment, Bea learns she has the ability to see imaginary friends. And she’s not the only one: Bea meets charmingly crusty upstairs neighbor Cal (Reynolds) as well as his IF pals, like spritely Blossom (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and overly sensitive purple furry monster named Blue (Steve Carell). They run a sort of matchmaking agency to connect forgotten IFs whose kids have outgrown them with new children in need of their companionship, and Bea volunteers to help out.

'Welcome to Wrexham': Ryan Reynolds talks triumph, joy and loss of new season

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Bea is introduced to an IF retirement community located under a Coney Island carousel with a bevy of oddball personalities in the very kid-friendly middle section of the movie. “IF” low-key has the most starry supporting cast of any movie this summer because of all the A-listers voicing imaginary friends, an impressive list that includes Emily Blunt and Sam Rockwell as the aforementioned unicorn and superdog, Matt Damon as a helpful sunflower, George Clooney as a spaceman, Amy Schumer as a gummy bear and Bradley Cooper as an ice cube in a glass. (It's no talking raccoon, but it works.)

One of the movie's most poignant roles is a wise bear played by Louis Gossett Jr. in one of his final roles. Rather than just being a cameo, he’s nicely central to a key emotional scene.

While the best family flicks win over kids of all ages, “IF” is a film for grown-ups in PG dressing. The movie is amusing but safe in its humor, the overt earnestness overshadows some great bits of subversive silliness, and the thoughtful larger narrative, which reveals itself by the end to be much more than a story about a girl befriending a bunch of make-believe misfits, will go over some little ones’ heads. Tweens and teens, though, will likely engage with or feel seen by Bea’s character arc, struggling to move into a new phase of life while being tied to her younger years – not to mention worrying about her dad, who tries to make light of his medical situation for Bea.

Reynolds does his part enchanting all ages in this tale of two movies: He’s always got that irascible “fun uncle” vibe for kids, and he strikes a fun chemistry opposite Fleming that belies the serious stuff “IF” digs into frequently. But unless your child is into old movies, they probably won’t get why “Harvey” is playing in the background in a scene. And when “IF” reaches its cathartic finale, some kiddos might be wondering why their parents are sniffling and tearing up – if they're still paying attention and not off playing with their own imaginary friend by then.

Shane Gillis Netflix Sitcom ‘Tires’ Is a Self-Funded Showcase That Spins Its Wheels: TV Review

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TIRES. Shane Gillis as Shane in Episode 101 of TIRES. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

At this month’s Cannes Film Festival, Francis Ford Coppola and Kevin Costner each unveiled passion projects they opted to finance themselves after institutional backers initially passed. This week, three auteurs make a trend — except instead of putting his own funds toward a deeply personal, sweeping epic, comedian Shane Gillis has made a lewd, bro-y workplace comedy set at a Pennsylvania tire shop.

Popular on Variety

The “Tires” setup recalls a version of “The Bear” stripped of racial diversity and any shred of romanticism. Two cousins, hapless manager Will (co-creator Steven Gerben) and gleeful shit-stirrer Shane (Gillis), struggle to keep the family blue-collar business afloat. Entrusted by his father, a looming offscreen presence, with a location of his local chain of Valley Forge auto shops, Will runs through a succession of harebrained schemes designed to boost sales. Like Gillis’ stage act, “Tires” indulges the fratty, puerile humor of bored young men while also making it the butt of the joke. The season starts with Will launching a cringey initiative aimed at empowering female customers — “You’ll go, girl!” — and ends with Shane strong-arming him into hosting a bikini carwash.

“Tires” keeps Gillis’ longtime crew of collaborators intact. “Gilly and Keeves” partner John McKeever, credited only by his surname, directs all six episodes and serves as Gerben and Gillis’ third co-creator. The cast remains unchanged from the original pilot, casting fellow veterans of the Philadelphia comedy scene Chris O’Connor and Kilah Fox as Will and Shane’s coworkers. Besides Gillis, the best-known series regular is likely stand-up Stavros Halkias, who plays district manager Dave and rose to prominence on the now-defunct podcast Cum Town. The origins of “Tires” may recall “Horace and Pete,” the grim drama Louis CK bankrolled himself prior to his own exile from the spotlight, but it lacks that show’s highbrow cachet of having an Edie Falco or a Jessica Lange in its cast.

In both locations and length — or rather, lack of either — “Tires” shows its bootstrapped roots. Gillis’ pockets may be deep, but it’s still clear less than two hours of total material taking place in a handful of rooms didn’t arise from a Netflix level of resources, even if that’s where viewers can find the finished product. The style isn’t full mockumentary, but McKeever favors hand-held camerawork and close-up shots that (accurately) invoke the wince factor of early episodes of “The Office.” The stakes are microscopic: Will’s big, potentially business-saving idea is offering a discount on tires to upsell customers on other services after they’ve agreed to the lower price. The wistful piano theme music hints at a sentimentality that largely isn’t there, and indeed falls flat when it arrives. We’re here to watch these people dunk on each other, not because we care about how many brake pads they need to move until Will’s dad approves of him.

But when refracted through an ensemble and a fictional narrative, Gillis can’t be as precise in toying with the line between offensive and insightful as he is onstage. The classic Gillis joke deploys his meathead energy — his favorite filler word is “dude” — to toy with audience expectations about his beliefs. (He opens “Beautiful Dogs” by turning an applause line about American exceptionalism into a bit about mass shootings.) “Tires” is less adroit and more straightforward. If anything, the blink-and-it’s-over season is an audition for a second, Netflix-funded round of episodes — and, sure enough, the company announced a renewal before the first had even aired. Perhaps an extended run could develop the rhythms of a long-running sitcom, be more artful in its risk-taking and more fully differentiate the characters beyond Shane and Will. For now, “Tires” is a step forward, but not a full one.

All six episodes of “Tires” are now streaming on Netflix.

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The Best Films of 2024, So Far

Our critics pick nine films that they think are worth your time on this long holiday weekend.

In a movie scene, a nerdy looking man in glasses and shirt sleeves stands in front of a green chalkboard with words like “subjectivity” and “knowledge” written on it.

By The New York Times

Looking for a good movie to pass the time this Memorial Day weekend? The New York Times’s chief film critic, Manohla Dargis, and movie critic, Alissa Wilkinson, have you covered. Here are their top picks for the year so far. All are in theaters or available on demand.

In theaters; June 7 on Netflix .

The story: Glen Powell is a philosophy professor who moonlights for the police in New Orleans when he finds himself undercover posing as a hit man in this Richard Linklater movie. An encounter with Madison (Adria Arjona), a housewife looking to hire him, raises the stakes, comedically and romantically.

Alissa Wilkinson’s take: “If I see a movie more delightful than “Hit Man” this year, I’ll be surprised. It’s the kind of romp people are talking about when they say that “they don’t make them like they used to”: It’s romantic, sexy, hilarious, satisfying and a genuine star-clinching turn for Glen Powell, who’s been having a moment for about two years now.” Read the review.

‘Civil War’

In theaters.

The story: Set in the near future, “Civil War” depicts a United States that has devolved into conflict between the Western Forces of California and Texas (yeah, yeah, we know) and the federal government. As photojournalists played by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny make their way to Washington, D.C., they encounter dangerous and unsettling scenes, painting a disturbing portrait of America in this Alex Garland drama.

Manohla Dargis’s take: “Hollywood’s longstanding, deeply American imperative for happy endings maintains an iron grip on movies, even in ostensibly independent productions. There’s no such possibility for that in ‘Civil War.’ The very premise of Garland’s movie means that … a happy ending is impossible, which makes this very tough going. Rarely have I seen a movie that made me so acutely uncomfortable or watched an actor’s face that, like Dunst’s, expressed a nation’s soul-sickness so vividly that it felt like an X-ray.” Read the review.

‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’

The story: Picking up generations after the last trilogy ended, Wes Ball’s action-adventure follows Noa (Owen Teague) after his clan has been attacked. On his own now, he meets up with Raka, a disciple of Caesar, the leader in the earlier movies, as well as a mute human (Freya Allen).

Alissa Wilkinson’s take: “‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ is set in the future, but like a lot of science fiction … there’s a knowing sense that all this has happened before, and all this will happen again. That’s what makes ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ powerful, in the end. It probes how the act of co-opting idealisms and converting them to dogmas has occurred many times over.” Read the review.

‘Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World’

Stream it on Mubi ; rent or buy it on most major platforms .

The story: In Radu Jude’s scathing comedy, a foulmouthed production assistant named Angela (Ilinca Manolache) drives around Bucharest, Romania, looking for injured workers to interview for a workplace safety video.

Manohla Dargis’s take: “As she changes gears, and the movie switches between black-and-white film and color video, Angela flips off other drivers, acidly critiques all that she encounters, creates TikTok videos and effectively maps the geopolitical landscape of contemporary Romania.” Read the review.

‘Late Night With the Devil’

Stream it on Shudder ; also rent or buy it on most major platforms .

The story: In this horror show from the brothers Cameron and Colin Cairnes, David Dastmalchian is a Johnny Carson-like late-night host desperate for ratings and awards. The film purports to be the footage of the episode that “shocked a nation.”

Alissa Wilkinson’s take: People watch late-night TV “to laugh, to be entertained and to feel some kind of companionship when the rest of the world goes to bed. ‘Late Night With the Devil’ twists that camaraderie around on itself, layering in familiar 1970s horror tropes about demonic possession, Satanism and the occult. The result is a nasty and delicious, unapologetic pastiche with a flair for menace. I had a blast.” Read the review.

‘Evil Does Not Exist’

The story: In a rural hamlet outside Tokyo, a developer tries to sell skeptical locals on the benefits of a glamping resort. As the residents push back against the prospect of tourism upending their quiet rhythms, the developer’s representatives come to see their point of view in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s deceptive drama.

Manohla Dargis’s take: “I have watched ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ twice, and each time the stealthy power of Hamaguchi’s filmmaking has startled me anew. Some of my reaction has to do with how he uses fragments from everyday life to build a world that is so intimate and recognizable — filled with faces, homes and lives as familiar as your own — that the movie’s artistry almost comes as a shock.” Read the review.

‘Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus’

The story: In this documentary from Neo Sora, the influential Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto plays his entire final concert. It was filmed in a studio with only the crew watching.

Alissa Wilkinson’s take: “Even for the viewer without much knowledge of Sakamoto’s work, ‘Opus’ holds its own as the rare cinematic space for contemplation. There’s no context given, no attempt to create a narrative. Instead, the visual space is carefully filmed and the lighting manipulated to subtly shift the mood.” Read the review.

‘Io Capitano’

Rent or buy it on most major platforms .

The story: Matteo Garrone’s drama tracks Seydou and Moussa, two Senegalese cousins (Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall), as they try to reach the West on a journey that takes them through the Sahara to a brutal stay in Libya, and then eventually to the edge of the Mediterranean.

Manohla Dargis’s take: “Garrone doesn’t spare you much, but if the movie never turns into an exercise in art-house sadism, it’s because his focus remains unwaveringly fixed on his characters who, from the start, are fully rounded people, not props, symbols or object lessons. … His great strength here is the tenderness of his touch.” Read the review.

‘La Chimera’

Rent on most major platforms .

The story: In Alice Rohrwacher’s 1980s-set tale, Josh O’Connor is Arthur, a tomb raider in rural Italy who pines for his missing lover. Through her mother, Flora (Isabella Rossellini), he meets a music student, Italia (Carol Duarte).

Manohla Dargis’s take: “‘La Chimera’ sneaks up on you. Rohrwacher is a discreet virtuoso with a visual style that is appealing and demonstrably unshowy. She likes to crowd the frame, yet does so coherently, and while she uses different film formats throughout to indicate distinct moments and spaces, she doesn’t make a fuss about it. She reveals beauty rather than pummels you with it.” Read the review.

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Mattituck summer concert and movie series announced.

By Nicholas Grasso

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Kevin Byrne is ready to rock this summer.

In 2021, before he was elected a commissioner of the Mattituck Park District , Mr. Byrne wanted to take to the stage with his Eagles tribute group, The Eagle River Band. The COVID-19 pandemic made live entertainment all but impossible, but the guitarist and vocalist was determined to reunite local musicians and audiences, even if he had to make his own venue. He worked with the park district, volunteers and sponsors to kickstart the Mattituck Park District’s annual free summer concert series at Veterans Park, which returns June 8 for its fourth season.

This year’s performances — free and open to the general public — will take place on five Saturdays from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Music lovers can catch Four Way Street, a tribute to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, on June 8, followed by popular country and rockabilly act Gene Casey & the Lone Sharks on July 6, The Eagle River Band on July 20, classic rockers Who Are Those Guys on Aug. 10 and Beatles tribute act Liverpool Shuffle to complete the season on Aug. 31.

During each concert, food, beer and wine will be available for purchase in the “biergarten” inside the park’s community room.

“It’s a big part of the fun of it, I think,” Mr. Byrne said. “We have Eastern Front [Brewing Co.] returning again this year. They’re a sponsor and they will also do the beer for all of the shows. We have Borghese, Sannino and Pindar [Vineyards] lined up to do wine pouring at the various events and we have a couple of different food trucks coming … This year we hope will be the best yet.”

Last summer, for the first time, the park district also offered a free family movie night, during which residents gathered for a projected screening of the “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” This year, the park district will host two free movie nights, on Aug. 17 and Sept. 7. Members of the public can catch a first-run family friendly movie at 7:45 p.m. both nights on the big screen and nosh on popcorn and ice cream from Magic Fountain.

Mr. Byrne estimates that last year’s concerts and family movie night drew 2,000 music and movie fans to Veterans Beach.

“The people love it,” Mr. Byrne said. “We’ve gotten very good feedback on it, and it seems like it’s grown every year.”

The park district commissioner said he recently secured the Suffolk County Department of Parks and Recreation’s showmobile for the event. Booking the mobile stage and hosting the event is costly, but Mr. Byrne said he does not think it is “necessary” to charge any admission or seek donations from the taxpayers who fund the park district. Instead, he relies on — and is currently seeking — sponsors.

“I’m happy to say that most of those sponsors continue to come back every year,” Mr. Byrne said. “Every year we try and give the sponsors a little bit more value for helping us, so this year, on top of the normal posters and promotions, we’re going to give [sponsors] the option for a 30-second video commercial as a preview before the movie starts on both movie nights.”

Like many sponsors, audience members can expect Mr. Byrne and his Eagle River Band bandmates to return year after year for as long as the Veterans Park concert series runs.

“They’ll be wheeling me out in a wheelchair before I stop doing that,” he said. “I love it so much.”

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Entertainment

‘Back to Black’ review: Amy Winehouse biopic captures joy and tragedy

Movie review.

There’s a moment from the 2008 Grammy Awards that gives me chills every time I see it. “Rehab” by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse had just been announced as record of the year. Winehouse, with her signature beehive and thick winged eyeliner, stares like a deer in headlights for about five seconds processing what she just heard in a moment of disbelief, before celebrating with her band and family. It’s genuine and joyful.

That moment is just one snapshot of her career depicted in the biographical drama “Back to Black,” directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and starring Marisa Abela.

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As its name suggests, “Back to Black” is dark. With Winehouse’s great talent also came struggles with addiction, mental illness and bulimia. The movie doesn’t shy away from depicting the artist at her lowest lows: throwing up in the toilet; physically fighting with her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O’Connell); stumbling drunk through rainy London. This isn’t a bright tale of Winehouse’s rise to stardom. It’s a tragic story of a once-in-a-generation talent gone too soon.

As a big fan of Winehouse, my reaction to Abela’s performance was complicated. She did a good job of bringing Winehouse’s spunk, vulnerability and big-as-her-hair personality to the screen; a scene of her getting emotional in the studio while recording the song “Back to Black” was particularly moving. But my favorite thing about Winehouse was her voice, so I found Abela’s own singing voice to be a bit distracting. She matched Winehouse’s signature jazzy tone, but doesn’t have the low register rasp that made Winehouse’s voice unique.

Some of the movie’s best scenes focus on the relationship Winehouse had with her beloved nan, Cynthia Winehouse (Lesley Manville), who deeply influenced Winehouse. Her grandmother’s death is something Winehouse’s family believes was a factor in the singer’s spiral into addiction.

In the film, when the two are looking at old photos together or when Cynthia styles Winehouse’s hair into that unmistakable beehive, Abela and Manville make you forget you’re watching a movie. The love and care the characters have for each other feel visceral through the screen, like you’re watching yourself interact with any older woman in your life that you would do anything for. Through these humanizing moments, the film shows another side of the usually frank, tough Winehouse, as someone who loved passionately.

In an odd way, the movie acts as a semblance of Winehouse to cling on to, even if her family wasn’t involved in the making of it. (Her estate did approve of making a film about her.) She only left us with two studio albums and had a public career of less than 10 years. Abela is not Winehouse, but she brought a silhouette of her into 2024.

At the end of the film, we’re reminded that Winehouse was only 27 when she died, a fact that brought up winged eyeliner-smudging tears. I was happy to be snapped back with the last scene, one of Abela replicating one of Winehouse’s performances. It felt like a nod to how we should remember Winehouse: as an artist who loved music and wanted people to hear her voice and “forget their troubles for five minutes.”

With Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, from a screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh. 123 minutes. Rated R for language throughout, drug use, nudity and sexual content. Opens May 16 at multiple theaters.

‘Jelly’s Last Jam,’ an expert’s guide to the Getty and the L.A. culture kicking off Memorial Day weekend

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A black hand reaches out against a wood grain backdrop, the arm draped in a collage of colors and images.

Can you feel that? It’s the warm, electric vibes of L.A. culture waking up for a first taste of summer weather, and preparing for a season of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, museum visits and random calls from family and friends out-of-state who are inviting themselves to head west and couch surf at your place “for a few days.” Luckily you’ll know where to go to show ‘em a good time and hopefully have one yourself with this week’s guide to the best culture L.A. has to offer along with some updates from the arts scene.

Best bets: What’s on our radar this week

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Exhibition view of "Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky's Back Door" at Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College.

1. California African American Art reopens After a long, long closure for deferred maintenance and storm-related building repairs , CAAM is welcoming visitors again this week. You can see the Simone Leigh show that we touted last week , as well as “Paula Wilson: Toward the Sky’s Back Door” (and hear that artist speak June 13). CAAM’s reopening adds to the energy of Exposition Park, where the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is taking shape , the Space Shuttle Endeavour is getting its new home at the California Science Center, and Frederick Fisher & Partners is giving the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County a facelift. If you haven’t been in a while, CAAM’s return is a great motivator to get back. Also, it’s free. Open Tuesdays-Sundays. Parking entrance at 39th and Figueroa streets, L.A. caamuseum.org — Craig Nakano

2. ‘Ipsa Dixit’ “What is art?” That impossible question is the opening line of Kate Soper’s 2016 philosophical opera, “Ipsa Dixit.” She answers it with a brilliantly stupefying libretto gleaned from the likes of Aristotle, Lydia Davis Robert Duncan, Jenny Holtzer and others, along with a quicksilver fanciful score that might be the soundtrack of neurons giving life to ideas. Long Beach Opera has already presented two Soper triumphs with “Voices From the Killing Jar” and “The Romance of the Rose.” For “Ipsa Dixit,” Artistic Director James Darrah gets an assist from the Martha Graham Dance Company, Graham having had her own bold ideas about what art is. June 1, 8 and 9. Long Beach Opera, Art Theatre, 2025 E 4th St., Long Beach. longbeachopera.org — Mark Swed

3. “Jelly’s Last Jam” As someone who generally enjoys bio-musicals about musicians (think “Jersey Boys,” “Tina,” “Beautiful” and “Ain’t Too Proud”), I’m excited to finally see this bold, rarely staged spectacle about Jelly Roll Morton, the self-proclaimed “inventor of jazz” who, amid his early 20th century musical accomplishments, had a complicated relationship with his heritage. Written by George C. Wolfe, the tap-driven piece originally debuted at the Mark Taper Forum in 1991 before transferring to Broadway and winning three Tony Awards, including for Gregory Hines’ lead performance. The Playhouse production stars John Clarence Stewart (“P-Valley,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”) and is directed by Kent Gash. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Starts Wednesday, runs through June 23 Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena — Ashley Lee

4. Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival “In the Summers,” director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s semi-autobiographical drama that won the U.S. grand jury prize in the dramatic competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, kicks off LALIFF on Wednesday. The movie follows two sisters across the years as they navigate summer trips to visit their father in New Mexico. This year’s festival pays tribute to female filmmakers and below-the-line talent. Before you go, check out our conversation with Erika Sabel Flores, vice president of programs and innovation at the Latino Film Institute, the nonprofit organization that hosts LALIFF, Wednesday-June 2. TCL Chinese Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.; Regal LA Live, 1000 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. laliff.org — Angie Orellana Hernandez

5. Kraftwerk, Disney Concert Hall

We live in an era full of AI code pretending to be human and spitting out garbage. Kraftwerk, the incomparably influential German electronic group, were men pretending to be machines, and made some of the visionary music of the 20th century.

Formed in postwar Düsseldorf’s art scene in the ‘60s, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider’s band were among the first to build pop music around synthesizers and drum machines, with a German precision and melancholy that inspired generations of rappers, DJs and producers (Afrika Bambaataa sampled them on 1982’s “Planet Rock;” house music producer Carl Craig summed up their appeal to Black artists: “so stiff, they were funky.”)

The band (now performing as a four-piece with Hütter, Henning Schmitz, Fritz Hilpert and Falk Grieffenhagen; Schneider died in 2020) is taking a full sweep of its catalog timed to the 50th anniversary of its 1974 debut “Autobahn.” The band’s been playing each of its albums in full, this week you can catch the back half of its catalog with “Computer World” on Saturday, “Techno Pop” on Sunday, “The Mix” on Tuesday, “Tour de France” on Wednesday and a career-spanning finale on Thursday. Their live shows are AV spectacles of remove and artifice, integral to a total project that gave machines life. Sam Altman never could.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Tickets $69-$109. Laphil.com Laphil.com —August Brown

The week head: A curated calendar

Sarah McLachlan in a black suit sitting at a piano with her hands on the keys. She smiles out to an audience

“My American Dream: City of Angels” Painter Keith Mayerson explores California mythology and the changing landscape of the American West; includes a conversation with the artist, 6 p.m. Thursday, May 30. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, through July 20. Karma, 7351 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. karmakarma.org

“Funny Girl” If you missed a dazzling Katerina McCrimmon as Fanny Brice at the Ahmanson in April, or want to see the show again, the national tour returns for a two-week run in Orange County. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, through June 9. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org

“On Thin Ice: Dutch Depictions of Extreme Weather” Just in time for summer, this exhibition brings a wintry blast of drawings and paintings by Hendrick Avercamp and other 17th century Dutch artists illustrating an unusual era of persistent global cooling. Tuesday–Sept. 1. The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. getty.edu

Girl in Red The Norwegian indie-pop singer-songwriter plays a two-night stand after opening multiple shows on Taylor Swift’s Eras tour last year. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday. Greek Theatre. 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. lagreektheatre.com

Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “In the Summers” opens LALIFF’s 23rd edition celebrating movies, television and music. Wednesday-June 2. TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. laliff.org

Get Lit — Words Ignite The youth poetry troupe, featured in the recent documentary “Our Words Collide,” delivers interpretations of classic and contemporary works with original spoken-word responses. 8 p.m. Friday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood. getlit.org

Sarah McLachlan The Canadian singer-songwriter marks the 30th anniversary of her album “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” with guest Feist. 8 p.m. Friday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. hollywoodbowl.com

“Solo” A Montréal drag star enters into a toxic romance with another performer while attempting to reconnect with his mother in writer-director Sophie Dupuis’ drama, which won best Canadian feature at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Starts Friday. Laemmle Glendale, 207 N. Maryland Ave., Glendale. laemmle.com

“Songs of Earth” Filmmaker Margreth Olin’s 85-year-old father guides us on a four-season tour of Norway’s Oldedalen river valley in this meditative documentary. Starts Friday. Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. laemmle.com

Bleak Week — Cinema of Despair Filmmakers including Jerry Schatzberg, Al Pacino, Lynne Ramsay, Karyn Kusama, Kenneth Lonergan, Allen Hughes and Charlie Kaufman screen and discuss films depicting humanity’s dark side. Saturday-June 7. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. americancinematheque.com

Long Beach Symphony music director Eckart Preu faces the audience with an orchestra behind him

Long Beach Symphony The ensemble closes its season with Anton Bruckner’s “Romantic” Symphony and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, along with a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. 8 p.m. Saturday. Long Beach Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. longbeachsymphony.org

Natalie Merchant The passionate singer-songwriter, who last year released “Keep Your Courage,” her first full-length studio album of new material in nearly a decade, performs in a concert rescheduled from September. 8 p.m. Saturday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

The Offspring The O.C. punk band celebrates the 30th anniversary of the venue as well as its album “Smash,” with guests Save Ferris! 8 p.m. Saturday. Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. hondacenter.com

Zach Bryan The War and Treaty (Sun.-Mon.), Sierra Ferrell (Tue.) and Levi Turner join the “I Remember Everything” singer on the Quittin’ Time Tour. 7 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday. Crypto.com Arena, 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A. cryptoarena.com

L.A.’s biggest culture news

A visitor looks out to a maze of hedges, part of Robert Irwin's epic "Central Garden" at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Art critic Christopher Knight started the week by reviewing the new documentary “Taking Venice,” which holds a magnifying glass up to the Venice Biennale. When 38-year-old Robert Rauschenberg was named grand prize winner at the esteemed art festival, a furor erupted — and the conspiracy theories took flight.

Staff writer Ashley Lee talks to Tony nominee Leslie Odom Jr. , who explains why the production “Purlie Victorious,” premiering Friday on PBS’ Great Performances series, isn’t a musical — and why it’s all the better for it.

The Getty , L.A.’s most popular art museum can be overwhelming. Knight offers you a list of his favorites : must-see paintings, sculptures and more, and what to know about each.

An installation resembling an Egyptian temple features a sphinx with a Black woman's face and walls laced with graffiti

Staff writer Jessica Gelt has the first look at the renderings for artist Lauren Halsey’s “sister dreamer” monument and sculpture park, built for and about the neighborhood she has long called home.

Knight also draws our attention to Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio ‘s sculpture, which will forever change how you see L.A.’s sidewalk ficus trees. Rubber casts of trees and volcanic flows of amber mark the L.A. artist’s solo museum debut at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.

Theater critic Charles McNulty has a glowing review of Guillermo Cienfuego ‘s version of George Bernard Shaw ‘s cunning sociopolitical drama “Misalliance” at Pasadena’s A Noise Within .

More culture news, briefly ...

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Legendary record producer Berry Gordy has donated $5 million to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center , which will serve as a key cornerstone of the university’s Herb Alpert School of Music’s new industry music program.

Off the 405 — Getty’s free annual outdoor concert series — is scheduled to launch on June 1 with Ethiopian musician and composer Hailu Mergia. The series continues every Saturday, from 6 to 9 p.m., through Aug. 24. A live DJ set precedes every show.

The nonprofit Ebell of Los Angeles , which works with women to build community through arts and education, received a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts in support of the creation of “All About Rose,” which was composed by Brooke deRosa and written by Velina Hasu Houstona and explores the famous story of World War II’s crucial Rosie the Riveters.

LAXART, which was founded in 2005, has renamed itself the Brick and plans to open in a permanent home at 518 N. Western Ave. The alternative art space’s new name pays homage to its exposed red-brick walls. The organization’s mission remains unchanged: using contemporary art as a prism through which to view and understand pressing world issues.

Contemporary visual artist and muralist Richard Wyatt Jr. has died. He was 69. Wyatt was celebrated for his public art in L.A., including at sites such as the Watts Towers, the Capitol Records building and the Wilshire/Western Metro Station. He was also commissioned to complete a freeway mural for the 1984 L.A. Olympics. Watts was born in Lynwood and grew up in Compton before moving to Baldwin Hills. He earned a fine arts degree from UCLA. He later taught drawing and painting at UC Irvine; the Otis/Parsons Art Institute; and the Watts Towers Art Center.

Contemporary music ensemble Wild Up has announced the June 21 release of an album titled “Julius Eastman Vol. 4: The Holy Presence ,” on New Amsterdam Records, which celebrates the music of the (underappreciated in his time) queer Black composer known for shaking up the straight, white world of classical music before his death in 1990.

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles has announced a massive renovation of its headquarters in downtown L.A. Plans call for the creation of a 299-seat, multimedia and live performing arts and community center. Groundbreaking is scheduled to take place on May 25 at 2 p.m. The lead architect for the project is Zoltan E. Pali, founder of SPF:architects, who also worked on the expansion of the Getty Villa Museum.

Pasadena Symphony has announced its 2024-25 season — the first to be programmed by its newly appointed music director, Brett Mitchell. The season features six programs and includes seminal works such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan”; Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”; Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral.” Pasadena Symphony is on a roll — last season marked its highest-grossing slate of shows in nearly a century with more than $700,000 in ticket sales.

After closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnsdall Art Park’s popular wine tasting series is returning every Friday from May 31-Aug. 30, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. This will be the event’s 15th season. Visitors can experience the COLA exhibition through July 20 at DCA’s Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery; they can also tour the interior of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House for an additional fee.

And last but not least

In a city where celebrity sightings are commonplace, we may be able to ignore the parade of fancy movie stars appearing and premiering on red carpets in France the last couple weeks. But when it comes to stories about them showcasing their precious dogs, oui Cannes-not help but click!

The biggest entertainment stories

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Jessica Gelt is an arts and culture writer for the Los Angeles Times.

Craig Nakano is the assistant managing editor for Entertainment and Arts. He joined The Times as an assistant travel editor, later served as home editor and most recently was the fine arts editor, leading a team whose accolades included a Pulitzer Prize and an Online Journalism Award. A California native, he worked at the Desert Sun of Palm Springs and at the San Francisco Chronicle after graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He lives in Long Beach with his husband and son.

Mark Swed has been the classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times since 1996.

August Brown covers pop music, the music industry and nightlife policy at the Los Angeles Times.

Ashley Lee is a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes about theater, movies, television and the bustling intersection of the stage and the screen. An alum of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute and Poynter’s Power of Diverse Voices, she leads workshops on arts journalism at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She was previously a New York-based editor at the Hollywood Reporter and has written for the Washington Post, Backstage and American Theatre, among others. She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver.

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IMAGES

‎Our Times (2015) directed by Frankie Chen • Reviews, film + cast
[REVIEW] Our Times Movie Review [我的少女时代]: More than just a high school
Our Times (2015)
√ Our Times, Film Komedi Romantis yang Bikin Gemas dan Menghibur
Film Review: Our Times
Our Times (2015)

VIDEO

திக் திக் நிமிடங்கள்
This women slapped her daughter four times #shorts
妳說他
மிஸ் பண்ண கூடாதா தரமான சீரிஸ்
Our Times
தாய்லாந்து பேய் படம் பாகம் 2

COMMENTS

Our Times (2015)
8/10. A Simple Story of First Love, Poison Chain Letters and Teenage Idols That is Well-Cast, Well-Acted, Well-Written and Thoughtfully Made. ctowyi 26 October 2015. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) is untouchable. Back in 1987 I first saw it with a guy and both of us loved it tremendously, but hated the fact that we had seen it with each other.
Movie Review: 5 Reasons Why You Should Watch Taiwanese Film "Our Times
With its amazing storyline and amazing casts, here are 5 reasons on why you should watch or rewatch it! 1. The Plot is 11/10. [P.S I'll try to refrain including spoilers but you can read at your own risk!] The film takes us back in the early 90s, wherein students back then are easily scared by chain letters.
'Our Times' ('Wo De Shaonu Shidai'): Film Review
Taiwan's best box-office performer in 2015 so far, it has grossed $12.6 million since mid-August (half a million shy of You Are the Apple of My Eye) and topped the chart in Hong Kong, beating ...
Our Times (2015)
Jerry Yan. TaiYu. Dino Lee. Ou Yan Fei Fan. In Theaters At Home TV Shows. Advertise With Us. Office worker Truly Lin goes on a journey through her memories. Flashing back 20 years to her time in ...
Our Times (2021) Reviews
Our Times (2021) Our Times. (2021) Fascinating, riveting, inspiring, and poignant. In my humble opinion, Our Times truly is a remarkably compelling and vividly presented drama that is very much deserving of attention and praise. It isn't without flaws but it is still a worthwhile viewing experience as far as C-dramas are concerned.
Our Times
Our Times (Chinese: 我的少女時代; pinyin: Wǒ De Shàonǚ Shídài, literally "The Time of My Maiden Years") is a 2015 Taiwanese teen romantic comedy-drama film directed by Frankie Chen. It is the directorial debut of Chen, who previously directed television dramas. The film stars Vivian Sung as Lin Cheng-hsin, an ordinary school-girl, Darren Wang as Hsu Tai-yu, the school's notorious ...
Film review: Our Times
Film review: Our Times - Taiwanese teen romance has a new winner. Like huge Taiwanese hit You Are The Apple of My Eye, this film is a romantic comedy, set in Taipei and made by a first-time ...
Flash Review: Our Times [TW Movie]
This movie brings back all the retro awesome of the 1990s, from cassette tapes, to center-parted hair, to high-waisted loose-fitting pants. Pretty much everywhere you look, our story world is littered with memorabilia from the 90s. It's matter-of-fact, yet at the same time, gloriously kitschy, and I loves it. 2. The universal relatability.
Our Times (2015)
Our Times: Directed by Yu Shan Chen. With Vivian Sung, Talu Wang, Dino Lee, Dewi Chien. Love grows where it isn't expected in this endearing romantic comedy coming of age movie.
Our Times (2015)
Love grows where it isn't expected in this endearing romantic comedy coming of age movie. ... Film Movie Reviews Our Times — 2015. Our Times. 2015. 2h 14m.
Our Times
The viewer is advised to simply surrender to the wave of sentimentality. Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 2, 2016. Heartfelt, tender, engaging and relatable with a charismatic performance ...
Movie review: Our Times 我的少女時代
The teenage romantic comedy should prove a hit at the summer box-office. Adolescent love and the 1990s come under the microscope in Our Times (我的少女時代), an ambitious movie that could become a summer blockbuster. Frankie Chen (陳玉珊), in her directorial debut, revises the "ordinary girl meets Prince Charming" tale, injecting a ...
‎Our Times (2015) directed by Frankie Chen • Reviews, film
Synopsis. Back to the youthful days! Office worker Truly Lin goes on a journey through her memories. 20 years ago, she had a crush on the most popular guy in school. Taiyu, a ruffian and a bully, is in love with the campus belle. Truly teams up with Taiyu to tear the golden couple apart and help each other to get the ones they love.
Our Times (2015)
Lin Zhen Xin is an ordinary office worker who gets ridiculed by her subordinates. Dejected, she listens to a cassette recording of an old Andy Lau song. This brings her back to her high school days, where she was an ordinary high school girl. She has a crush on Ouyang Fei Fan, the school's most popular male student.
[REVIEW] Our Times Movie Review [我的少女时代]: More than just a high school
Everyone's raving about the new age Taiwan campus love story movie called Our Times (我的少女时代) . I got the chance to catch the movie and I finally understood why everyone is going head over heels for this film. Directed by Frankie Chen, the story follows Lin Zhen Xin's (林真心 played by Vivian Sung 宋芸華) who has a crush on ...
Our Times (2015) Reviews
Overall 9.5. Story 9.0. Acting/Cast 10. Music 10. Rewatch Value 8.0. Ahhh such a feel good movie! The plot isn't anything new but the execution was done extremely well. This movie is such a roller coaster of emotions. I definitely think many girls can relate to this movie and reminisce about their past.
Our Times (我的少女时代) Movie Review
Our Times (我的少女时代) Movie Review: If you are a fan of Mario Maurer's Crazy Little Things Called Love (aka First Love สิ่งเล็กเล็ก ที่เรียกว่า…รัก, Sing lek lek thi riak wa… rak, lit. "A Little Thing Called Love"), you will definitely find many similar scenes in the trailer.
Our Times: Movie Review
Our Times: Movie Review I'm pretty much a sucker for a good coming of age movie (no matter what language) so it was only a matter of time before I discovered "Our Times," a Taiwanese film that chronicled the blossoming of young love between an unlikely pair. ... All in all, "Our Times" was a heartwarming love story that viewers would ...
Our Times
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Recently I watched a movie called "Our Times". I really enjoyed it
Read our extensive list of rules for more information on other types of posts like fan-art and self-promotion, or message the moderators if you have any questions. Members Online Does anyone have any suggestions for movies with emotionless characters, Movies similar to 'Thoroughbreds' or 'Demolition'
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