Movie Review: She's Dating the Gangster

Blog #4

Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla (from Vocal Media)

Released in 2014, “She’s Dating the Gangster” is a romantic comedy starring Philippine power couple Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla. The fake dating, young love, sacrifices and heartbreak are some of the aspects that make this film entertaining to watch. Padilla plays high school Kenji de los Reyes (a high school heartthrob that is hung over his ex-girlfriend) and Kenneth de los Reyes (the son of present Kenji), while Kathryne Bernardo plays Athena Dizon (a high school student) and Kelay Dizon (the niece of present Athena Dizon). The present Kenji is played by Richard Gomez and the present Athena Dizon is played by Dawn Zulueta. It may seem quite confusing as the movie switches from different time periods, however, viewers will get used to it as they keep watching. 

“She’s Dating the Gangster” begins in the present day after the wedding of Kenji’s friend. He expresses his anger at his son’s rebellious behaviour, so Kenneth says some things he regrets later on after hearing that his father was involved in a plane crash. Alarmed by the sudden news, Kenneth rushes to the airport from which the plane left and encounters Kelay Dizon, who is also looking for Kenji. Confused, he questions her motives and says that her aunt, Athena, was Kenji’s great love during high school. The two get into a few arguments about their priorities but eventually come to terms with each other, and focus on their mission to find Kenji. 

In the past, young Athena Dizon receives mysterious messages from an unknown person on her beeper (a messaging device). After investigating with her best friend, she discovers that the person behind the messages is (young) Kenji. She doesn’t know how he got hold of her beeper number but her best friend mentions that his ex-girlfriend’s name is also Athena (full name: Athena Abigail) and that he still hasn’t moved on from their recent break up. Kenji doesn’t understand why they parted ways, but it was because his ex-girlfriend didn’t want him to be burdened by her illness. Eventually, Kenji convinces Athena Dizon to fake date her in an attempt to make Athena Abigail jealous. Over time, the two fall in love and ditch the whole fake dating scheme. Athena Dizon is warned by her father and doctor to be diligent as she experiences a heart disease that cannot handle extreme emotions. One day, Athena Abigail’s mother calls Kenji to the hospital to ask him a very big favour. He then finds out about the illness she has been hiding and how she refuses to go for treatment. Her mother begs him to get back with her so that she has a reason to live longer. Since he has fallen in love with Athena Dizon, this is a hard pill to swallow. Both Athenas talk engage in an emotional conversation for a few moments, and Athena Dizon realizes that Athena Abigail needs Kenji. The couple makes the difficult decision to break up. 

Back to the present day, Kelay and Kenneth are still trying to find Kenneth’s father. Kelay receives a phone call that her aunt got a heart attack so she is forced to return home. Before she departs, Kenneth promises that his father and her aunt will reunite. Thankfully, Kenneth locates the hospital in which his father was recuperating and apologizes for his harsh words. He fulfils his promise at his father’s high school reunion. Kenji and Athena meet for the first and last time; while watching the sunset together, she dies in his arms

Personally, “She’s Dating the Gangster” is one of my all-time favourites. I’ve watched this movie multiple times and I never get tired of it; it’s safe to say it is one of my comfort movies. It was such a joy to see young Kenji and Athena Dizon’s relationship bloom over time and how they truly enjoyed being in each other’s presence. The numerous funny moments never failed to put a smile on my face!

I’d give this film a 9/10. It’s not a perfect score since it was a little too cheesy for my taste, however it was tolerable. Kathryne Bernardo and Daniel Padilla never disappoint with their movies, and I look forward to their future ones together. 

Fake News!

 Blog Post #1

With social media being a big part of many people's lives, it's easy to fall for and create fake news. Especially about big events, from celebrity scandals to large natural disasters. While some may seem like light-hearted jokes, others can be extremely disrespectful to victims and their families. There are many examples of fake news that can be found on social media. I will be sharing some examples of light-hearted fake news and fake news that have caused a lot of harm to others. 

I enjoy listening to and consuming K-Pop content, so many of the posts I see in my feed are related to that subject. Many fans online tend to post fake edits of their idols to get a laugh. One of the most memorable posts for me was about CIX member, Hyunsuk.  User mari4president posted on TikTok an image of Hyunsuk with a toddler claiming that it was his and that he is a single father. At first, I believed it. I could see the resemblance between the two, I did not find out until later that they were siblings. I got a good laugh out of it!

Some fake news can bring laughter because of the non-serious nature. However, that is not the case for most fake news posts. With big world events, like the current war in Ukraine, many people will talk about it on social media. Some information is formative on ways to help and others are just ways to get engagement on their accounts. For example, many organizations and companies are posting ways other people can donate to help people in Ukraine. Some people may use this as an opportunity to get engagement (shares, comments, etc). One account on Instagram claimed they would donate a dollar to Ukraine for every share, comment and like. However, this was a ploy to get engagement and never had a way to fund their post. Other than fake donation posts, other people are also posting videos and pictures of ruins claiming they're from Ukraine. When in reality, they are from the explosion in Lebanon in 2020. 

Photo of the Beirut Explosion (from BBC)

Fake news on social media is common, but can be avoided if we look for the signs, like checking the source. 

Safety Online

Blog Post #3

Social media has become a part of our everyday lives. So much so, that many people start off the day scrolling through their feed. 

Many of my peers have social media, many have started when they were in 3rd grade. So, when I heard about Instagram for kids I felt a little worried. The main reason is that I had a lot of self image issues due to my use of social media. I worry for the kid's safety, as a lot of information about people can be found on social media. 

(image from eLearning Industry)

I think that these apps do a lot more harm than good. A lot of the mental issues that youth face today are results of being on social media. There are a lot of good people out there, but there are also bad. People that post gore or cyberbullies are always on social media. It could cause a  lot of problems if kids were given unsupervised access to the internet.  

I had social media before I was 13, and many of my friends also had social media before they were 13. A lot of us have issues that have started with being on social media too much. My experience with social media was fine at first, but then it also introduced me to unhealthy ideologies, like ‘you’re only pretty if you’re skinny’, ‘*insert thing I have* isn’t feminine'. Posts like that have caused many of my insecurities, people push these ideas onto other people so much that it can cause a huge toll on someone’s mental health. 

Once something is on the internet, it is there forever. Things on the internet can spread like wildfire. Social media is not safe for kids under 13 to use. Even if it’s ‘for kids’. People can collect the child’s information without their knowledge. That is why COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, prevents people under 13 from joining social media, or even signing up for e-mails. I wonder if  it will work like Kids Messenger,  where parents approved their contacts. But even with that, they will still see random things in there feed or explore page. 

Honestly, the age limits do not prevent kids from signing up for these apps. They can fake their age and theirs not really any way to check. Even when reporting accounts, Instagram or any other social media does not really check. Whenever I report accounts, I feel like they are just dismissed. 

Next Level?

Blog Post #1

Celebrities are constantly under the ridicule of the public eye. So much so, that it makes me wonder: Do we hold celebrities to a higher standard than others?

Personally, I believe they are unfairly held to a higher standard. We expect them to be perfect and happy all the time. At times, we can forget that they are also human. I think that the higher expectations placed on celebrities put them under a lot of stress, and honestly, we shouldn't treat celebrities to such a standard. Yes, they are public figures that need to be held accountable, but they should also be able to live freely like the rest of us. Sometimes, celebrities would face backlash for unimportant things, like not liking another famous person, and some people make it into a big deal. It sounds exhausting. 

Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscar's (From New York Times)

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars for making a joke about Will's wife. I don't think that Chris Rock should've made that G.I. Jane 2 joke. It is known that Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia and suffers from hair loss. It was disrespectful. But, Will Smith shouldn't have slapped him, even if he deserved it. 

I can't think of an incident in real life where a celebrity behaved out of expectation, but I can think of an example that happened in a drama called "It's Okay to not be Okay". In episode 2 of the series, a popular children's book author, Ko Munyeong, swore and grabbed the hair of a man that was interrupting her signing event. Her actions resulted in her newly released book being recalled and heavy backlash from the public. 

Celebrities should be held accountable when they act poorly. Celebrities shouldn't be treated differently just because they are celebrities. They should be held accountable, just like regular people. For example, if a celebrity commits a crime, they shouldn't be pardoned because they are famous. 

Overall, I think that both parties were wrong in this situation. Chris Rock shouldn't have made that joke and Will Smith shouldn't have hit him. In my opinion, the Oscars this year were not that interesting for me. The award show is only interesting to watch when something unexpected happens.