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.