That Winter, The Wind Blows: Episodes 1-3 Thoughts

I'm feeling really great about this show so far. It's beautiful and thoughtful, with a stunning cast and a lovely soundtrack. Having seen the movie-version of the story, Love Me Not, my verdict so far is that this is definitely the stronger and more picturesque telling. For one, we actually get the time to flesh out the backgrounds and motivations for our two leads, so it's not quite a random "I'm your brother" appearance. And two, Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo have far better chemistry and are completely age-appropriate compared to Moon Geun Young and Kim Joo Hyuk (who had a squicky 15-year age gap that sold the siblings part but not the romance). The visuals are amazing in this drama, which completely enrobes itself in the winter theme, and seriously I would kill for some of Song Hye Kyo's coordinated outfits.

The Carrie Diaries: Episodes 1-3 Thoughts

Even though I'm not the biggest fan of high school dramas, I was sucked in by The Carrie Diaries' pretty, colorful previews and blatant tie-in with Sex and the City. Somewhat embarassingly, I've also listened to the audiobook (one of those sporadic in-car book choices), so had an idea of what was coming. The novel was all sorts of juvenile and silly, but the show luckily has a bit more character sensibility and fanciful fun to it. It's not great, but it's amusing enough that I feel inclined to continue tuning in.

Silver Linings Playbook Review

There's been a ton of buzz recently for this movie, as it's scooped up 8 Oscar nominations and Jennifer Lawrence has been on a winning streak in the award shows so far. This was probably the movie I most wanted to see this winter, as I have a soft spot for shows concerning mental illness, and heard this had some good laughs. After finally seeing it, I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed. While I enjoyed it and smiled through certain parts, I don't think it warrants all the critical (or even comedic) hype. At the end of the day, it followed and went the traditional romantic-comedy path, with a few dressed up issues that ultimately got thrown by the wayside to make way for a happy ending.