Janix Lo

The film just captured the rawness of being a musher in the 20s; and how dogs' loyalty are always incomparable - making me wish that some humans should take a page from a dog's book! I have never cried so hard watching a film since The Notebook, and Togo wasn't even a love story nor a Nicholas Sparks' novel. Kidding aside, Togo & Seppala's story shook me to the deepest core. It hit me hard when Seppala said "We need to keep moving or we die. You die." I just couldn't control the flow of heavy tears gushing down my cheeks. I sobbed and sighed wearily as I felt the level of trust that Seppala had with Togo; and how much pressure and confidence that Togo bore for his team/family. They made it. They were saved by Big Joe's roadhouse! From there, it was a series of more cries, especially when the townsfolk all paid their respects. It was a piece of humanity that many people would never understand nowadays. It made me wanna go back to the old days where compassion, integrity & respect are of highest value. Kudos to all the people involved in the making of this biopic! I hope that Togo is happily galloping in the Rainbow Bridge; and that he has finally met with his loving master at the end of the roadhouse, and lived peacefully ever after.

What a waste of time and energy! I wanted to watch something light and funny, and this was the exact opposite. Cringey acting, senseless lines, laughable New York accent and neurotic story! Oh wait, there's more! A disappointment portrayal of therapists - who dedicate their lives in helping out their patients to live a better life, yet depicted as more psychotic than her patients. I've never seen such a judgmental movie. This movie went down to the bottom list of worst movies of all time.

I've rewatched the SATC series as an adult - a 30 something single woman with the hope of falling in love (again) with the city of New York and with the story of inspiring & strong-willed characters created by a woman for women. I did fall in love with NYC again, same as the time 10 years ago when I first saw SATC and regarded it as my bible for living..but fell short with the characters whom I considered as role models during my pre-career confusions. Or rather, Carrie Bradshaw's character disappointed my present-day beliefs instead of reaffirming my adoration for her. Don't get me wrong, I still love the series and I still connect with the plot twists and all, but I just had too much of realizations that I never understood back then. Samantha Jones is still my career & style icon. But let's add another one - she is now my dating icon, period. Back then, I never publicly admitted that I relate to her more than anyone else in the series. I was too shy or too adamant to acknowledge that because of her openness in sleeping around & enjoying sex. It was a big no-no growing up from a family of conservative descent. I've used to identify with Charlotte & Carrie's (characters) orientation and considered Samantha's nature as promiscuous. Charlotte's hopeful longing to start and build a perfect, beautiful family..Carrie's journey to finding 'The One'. Fast forward to 2020, my entire perspective changed after binge-watching the series (because of the pandemic). I now find Carrie to be more cynical than Miranda, more neurotic than Charlotte, and more insecure than Stanford. There were moments in the series that it felt repulsive because of her lack of confidence and redundant pessimism. In these times where anxieties, stresses & despairs are not taboos anymore, I found Carrie's relentless immaturity offensive. It's not that I find it unrelateable, it just seemed a bit too much. What a wake-up call to truly understand Samantha's nature - empowered, bold, independent & contented, somehow. She has a lot of imperfections, but being single and alone at 40 doesn't seem to bother her. This is what I admire most. Another revelation is that I found myself leaning towards Miranda's identity too - her sarcastic yet witty views on men and relationships, her battles for being successful in the workplace dominated by men, and her ironies of staying-single-yet-the-first-one-to-get-pregnant and move-out-to-brooklyn-because-of-love persona. At 33, I may be relating to these personalities more but the true beauty of SATC lies beyond these colorful characters I envision myself with. The essence I found is ever-evolving and accepting, giving me a hopeful sense of liberation of society and culture. Another 10 years from now, I hope to rewatch this (again) and open another set of realizations; and make peace just like today. I'd recommend SATC not just to single women, but to everyone who needs to understand that love is never enough to make relationships work. It's between people and societies accepting both the good & the bad.