"귀신보다 더 무서운 건 사람이에요."

What could be better than Kim Tae Ri fighting demons? Kim Tae Ri, Oh Jeong Se and Hong Gyeong fighting demons. A truly stellar invincible cast.

🔸I feel the beginning could be much more exciting. The story could play with the viewer's expectations regarding the existence of supernatural powers. You could throw in evidence for both humans' and spirits' involvement in a felony, and let the detectives battle with professor Yeom. The middle part is also pretty monotonous and doesn't bear much significance. There is no cat-and-mouse play, no riddles either.

🔸Yet I still appreciate the emotionally and visually beautiful ending. A sneak into the ancient Korean rituals and beliefs made me understand better why many elders believe in spirits and what traditions do they follow.

If you are about to watch Revenant, you might've picked it because of the cast, but be prepared for the thick layer of folklore and many grafic suicides as well.

Read More

"이 땅의 주인은 니들이 아니야!"

There is a lot more this prequel season could have told, but it certainly doesn't lack the style, passion, and its firecracker personality. I guess we don't have to argue that Kim Beom's undercut, inspired by Peaky Blinders, stole the show. I totally approve of it, I myself have been wearing such for years.

🔸A wild mix of fantasy, horror, action, noir, comedy, and period drama, a sneak into the culture, history facts, indigenous Korean spirits, zombies, martial arts, and time-traveling, - you can't pull that off flawlessly, but you can make it a passion project with fire in each and every actor's eyes, sparkling a fire in mine as well. How do actions in the past affect the future? How did Ki Yuri end up as a wild gumiho in Siberia if she was a Korean independence movement activist blowing up Japanese officers with regular non-magical TNT? Who the hell is the first mountain god? Even though we didn't get to learn any of that, it doesn't diminish the joy of watching the two reunited brothers trying to beat each other's arse, fooling around, fighting, learning to show their appreciation for each other, bonding, and parting to different centuries to never ever meet again.

🔸The magnificent instrumental scores of the composer Hong Dae Seong already deserved an Oscar in the first season. They are breathtaking masterpieces no less significant that those in Park Chan Wook's movies. You won't find such tremendous works in other K-dramas. I haven't heard anything like them. The Youth of the Mountain Gods, Parting at the River of Three Crossings, Sad Fate, The Brothers - these instrumentals won't leave my "On Repeat" Spotify playlist soon. Or ever.

Tale of the Nine Tailed is that type of drama that depends heavily on the actors charisma and unique production style. With a few writing improvements I will be happy to see the next season. I have a special thanks for making 1938 a separate show, now it won't get erased from Letterboxd.

Read More

"I am taxi driver, you are taxi 손님."

There are at least two countries that I have learned a lot about and admire: the United States and South Korea. The book Human Acts by Han Kang accidentally came into my posession two years ago, and it's extremely vivid and graphic depiction of Gwangju Uprising made me want to learn more and more about Korean history to find out what have this nation come through to become a leading democratic country that the world looks up to nowadays.

🔸️There were only several foreigners in Gwangju on the first days of the massacre, including 5 Peace Corps volunteers, and all of them chose not to abandon their Korean colleagues and friends despite the direct warnings from the American Ambassador. Later, when a few foreign reporters, including this movie's main character Jürgen Hinzpeter, arrived, they helped them by being their interpreters. If you have seen the movie you already know what happened to the fictional character Jae Shik. A few Koreans who did speak English would not desire that attention from the ubiquitous KCIA.

🔸️I love A Taxi Driver for its amazing execution, production design, and a pretty much historically accurate timeline. It succeeds in capturing the sense of confusion and danger coming from all the sides and making spectacular and tragic scenes like the taxi cars battle and the arrogant German reporter coping with shock and guilt by filming his dead companion and the bloody havoc around. No one in Gwangju knew what was going on, later hearing the infuriating official news that the upheaval was incited by "bandits" and "impure elements from outside the city".

From "Witnessing Gwangju" by Paul Courtright: "The [elderly Korean] halmeoni's grip tightened on my arm and she turned to face me. 'We have no voice. You have to be our voice. You have to tell people outside our country what they're doing to us'. She glanced around the street, then returned her fearless gaze to me. I was rooted to the spot. I was to be the "witness" and she had given me a clear task."

🔸️No country exists in a vacuum, and I find it fascinating how people from different provinces, from different nations can work together, bond, and help each other, i.e. Seoul and Gwangju taxi drivers, Gwangju people and foreign reporters, volunteers. Man Seop didn't choose between his daughter and a grown-ass foreigner reporter. He was choosing between what's best for his family and what's best for his country. Along with self-sacrifice this makes it a clear patriotic idea for the movie.

I've been learning about the Gwangju Uprising from the article of the witness Peace Corps volunteer Tim Warnberg "The Kwangju Uprising: An Inside View", 1987, and the memoir "Witnessing Gwangju", 2020, by Paul Courtright. I highly recommend to read them if you're interested, as the writing is highly detailed, captivating and visual.

Read More

What would you do in her shoes?

Although the drama provided us with decent entertainment, it failed for me to go into the very darkness of human desires, falling flat in it's execution.

🔸Through the whole story I wanted to see what made Seo Ari moving despite her unwillingness to step into the glamour world at first. She was born in a rich household, so it doesn't make her look "not like the other girls" when she says to her non-rich friend that "the (Burberry) backpack was made to be worn". There are 3 types of people in this drama: "good" rich who doesn't bargain over a ruined limited collection dress, "cheap" rich who charge for every scratch on their bag, and "cheap" non-rich who want to live the lives of celebrities. Seo Ari essentially is the only visible representative of the "non-cheap" non-rich group (later transferring to the "good" rich), and making her look better this way feels problematic.

🔸I wish the origins and implications of human greed and desire for money and power were researched, how would it sweep Seo Ari and what would be the outcomes. However we only see that the "bad" rich fail and the "good" rich win, and Seo Ari gaining power uses it to punish the guilty. It is a very predictable plot and doesn't challenge her internally.

🔸Another issue that I feel is important is the intro. It's just bad. It is long (1 min), repetitive, lacks distinct rhythm and design. I don't have to explain how important an intro is for a show, and this one is too similar to the infamous "corporate style". Just compare it to The Glory and Little Women.

The drama isn't bad. It has good actors, luxurious interiors, it receives a lot of love from the viewers, but there could be so much more than that, and it disappoints me.

Read More

"소에, 되지, 사람들까지, 계획대로 되는 게 하나도 없으니까."

I feel like the most appropriate time to watch this sunny K-drama is a leisurely summer breakfast with a cup of tea. The 30-mins episodes and an easy-to-follow story about two young people - former secret friends - will be able to provide enough warmth and comfort for the day.

🔸️The plot is entirely focused on the young veterinarian Ji Yool and a policewoman Ja Yeong slowly falling in love. By "entirely" I mean entirely. There are many authentic characters around them in the Huidong village but none of them have any influence on the main characters or an arc. That isolated romantic development falls flat leaving me indifferent to the ending. My favorite episode though was the 7th where Ji Yool and Ja Yeong give the opposite relationship advices to the kid, confusing him, therefore showcasing their differences.

However, I find the comedic beginning - how Ji Yool adapts to the village life and tries to treat big cattle - very enjoyable. Mostly thanks to the actor Choo Yeong Woo and his soft comedic style. He is never too much and has a perfect balance in his expressions. Basically, the whole show is his.

🔸️A K-drama in a rural setting with its beautiful landscapes and loud nosy ajummas is always going to be comforting despite its writing flaws. There are far better examples like Summer Strike, Hometown Cha-cha-vha, Our Blues, but if you look for a short sweet one with cute puppies and cute Choo Yeong Woo - this is it!

Read More

"나는 도망 대신 사랑을 선택할 거다."

🔸️The debut mini-drama of the director Lim Hyeon Hee is an incredibly lovely piece that made me smile all the way through it. It definitely doesn't fall into the category of "Competition for the most cringey skinship" but it feels that a lot of thought has been put into the making of the drama.

The metaphor and the premise - video game format to reimagine one's relationship + learning to not run away from your problems - make the drama stand out. But the viewers' love it earns thanks to the good chemistry between the actors and the gentle directing.

🔸️Originally, it was planned to be longer, and the director says in her interview that she has regrets about not being able to tell more about Wan and Ki Tae's past due to the nature of the short form. I personally think that the background could still be successfully incorporated, e.g. showing more by telling less, but what has been done is pretty solid already. Fun fact: Ki Tae only wears shorts because it matched the character so well.

I hope Lim Hyeon Hee will join Hwang Da Seul and other famous BL directors in this Korean BL Renaissance and bring more joy to the viewers, especially considering that her favorite genre is melodrama. 응원합니다, 감독님!

Read More

"나는 사랑하는 게 너무 어렵더라."

This nostalgic web-drama follows the lives of two best friends growing up together and going through the first love, first heartbreak, hurtful arguments, kidney transplanting and "cellular memory" that makes one of them adopt the traits of another.

🔸Although not the most coherent and too relying on the unnecessary "big reveal" in the end, the story is quite lovely to watch. My favorite scene is drinking home-brewed makkolli at school in the middle of the night and escaping security guards together. The biggest mistake is making the cellular memory responsible for the arguments between Joon Hwi and Yoo interrupting his personal development, not to mention that cellular memory is just a myth and you could use it more creatively.

Overall, it's still a good drama about navigating friendship, anger, sorrow, love and grief, and the performance from Se Hoon is worth a watch.

Read More

"하늘과 바람과 별과 시"

The movie has a feel of old black and white pictures coming to life. The camera is a careful observer and doesn't make unnecessary movements. It's a lot like a theater play that relies mostly on the actors performances, and those are amazing!

🔸️I feel like it's the right way to approach such complicated topic as Japanese rule and tragic life stories of people who lived in another century. We have to keep a respectful distance to remember that there is no going back, and therefore the history lessons have to be learned. This distance also makes the movie very lyrical, with poetry recited over the scenes, expressing Dong Joo's thoughts and feelings and creating the flow.

It was a bit hard to understand the potential goals and motivations of the characters, but now poetry makes sense to me.

Read More

'김영화'는 아니고 '김용화'란 다행이군. 영화는 너무 섭섭하겠다.

I haven't seen a director with such terrible sense of space as Kim Yong Hwa in a while. On the shelf of nauseous editing, ridiculous costumes and CGI, weak world building, non-existent emotional bond with characters, another one is Choi Dong Hoon with his Alienoid.

If you show me a dude who saves someone's life and then dies and acts dumb all along just because he's "saint", I will wish for him to die again. All the trials are so dumb, the Kings don't even follow their own rules skipping the defending part. And each time the trial ends with discovering a piece of information that makes an excuse for the main character's actions. Even if it's a murder attempt. Ridiculous.

Read More

나가 느편 해줄 테니 너는 느 원대로 살라! 할망이 모든 거 다 해줄 거야.

For starters, the translation of the title is "Grandma Gye Chun", not Canola. I guess because it might be hard to remember for foreign viewers.

🔸️The Jeju Island atmosphere of the drama Our Blues is one of my favorites in Korean cinema. This movie might have a messy screenplay, a couple of unfinished parts and some misleading unexplained moments, but it also has many beautifully shot scenes and heartwarming dialogues, e.g. Hye Ji going diving with her granny. Later she draws a picture of them holding hands underwater and floating in the deep ocean up to the light. It also reveals another person who was as close to them. Honestly, that picture got me crying. My big admiration for the artist who painted it. If you saw it you know what I'm talking about.

Another great part is acting. Kim Go Eun is incredible as always. She's incredible. That's it. I admire her. I do.

Read More

"Ones that take away and leave nothing."

영자의 전성시대 appears in the introduction episode of the drama Oasis, so while watching I tried to imagine I was a school student who sneaked through the back door with friends to watch the age restricted movie. Jeong Shin was crying at the scene of the kiss from the different sides of the bars, and here are my brief thoughts on her thoughts.

🔸️The movie was produced in 1974, the years of student and Christian protests against the Yushin Constitution that gave the president the unlimited power. There were 4 emergency decrees proclaimed that year that allowed to use the death penalty on student protesters. Many people were arrested and tortured in jails by Korean CIA. The visit of the president Ford in November didn't help any human rights although gave a little hope to the protesters. On January 22, 1975 the president Park announced a national referendum on February 22 to ask the citizens if they would safeguard the Yushin Constitution.

🔸️Yeong Ja's Heydays premiered on Feb. 11, 1975, and let's imagine Jeong Shin watched it that day. She definitely knows about the protests, and even if she may not really understand what is going on, Jeong Shin feels that something has to change. It's not extraordinary for a poor woman to end up like Yeong Ja. It's not only the increased prices and police raids all over the country, there are enough bad people around to ruin her life. The only person who cared about her, Chang Soo, was arrested for starting a fight, but he could've been arrested for any made up reason if he was unlucky. (That's literally the reference to the further imprisonment of Doo Hak in the drama Oasis)

What makes you a "plus one" in the Korean society in 1970s? And as a woman? Is that social norm going to make you feel better? Is sacrifice worth it? The movie explores these questions and themes leaving the weak hope by the end: things will probably get better in life, but not how you expected.

After all, the Yushin Constitution was supported again on the referendum on February 22, 1975. The Park Chung Hee's dictatorship continued until his assassination in 1979, and South Korea had many more years ahead before the establishment of the democracy.

Read More

이제 막 스무 살 된 애기... 혹시 집안에 러시아 사람 있니?

🔸️Another great discovery among the trash minidramas. Watched that somewhere in the backrooms of the internet. I've got many funny quotes written down. What is different in this drama, is that it doesn't reiterate how the naive robot is exploring the new environment but concentrates on the emotional attachment of people and existential crisis of the AI who doesn't even know it's not a human. The pace is gentle, and the soft sunny picture fits well the community atmosphere.

🔸️Now to the flaws. The acting of the loser guy is just disastrous. He's got the passion but not the balance. He either jumping around with inhuman expressions on his face or stands still like a statue from Rapa Nui. Special Korean slowmo makes it look even more ridiculous. Talking about GoBin, his role is just to be handsome in the frame, and he does it well.

The villain here is just helpless. It is a general K-drama key to write about rich evil guys with pocket gangs, and we know nothing about their goals.

🔸️I wish the storyline was exploring how the guys start to depend on the new generation of robots without even knowing it, or how the developer guy was feeling ownership over his newly created "nephew". However everything resolves in the exact way you expected, in the kdrama way. It ends up with nothing except for that humans took the benefit from machines again.

'로봇들은 보통 가장 약한 사람을 돕도록 프로그래밍 되어 있습니다. 독고빈은 현재 하덕호라는 인간을 가장 나약하다고 판단하고 친구라고 생각하는 것 같습니다.'

Read More

Terribly Overrated Misery P×rn

Let me say it straight: this drama is bad and doesn't deserve the overblown ratings. "What the hell, Tate? Are you even human? Do you have a heart? How can you say that about the sweetest little sob story of an elderly man pursuing ballet?!" Well, that's the thing. The writer took a tear-jerking concept and wrote a very lazy, sanitized, redundant, non-conflicted in of itself screenplay that relies completely on evoking the feeling of pity from the viewers. The cheesy mellow overbearing piano soundtracks make the impression twice worse. This K-drama is bordering with misery porn.

Everybody is trying to make it in this world. Everybody is fighting their own battles. In the beginning, it's fairly interesting to see how the 70 y.o. Deok Chul is maneuvering between his health issues and his disapproving family to learn ballet. But in the end we don't get a story of a resilient man, all we get is "look how much he loves ballet and how hard it must be for him, poor grandpa!" Lee Chae Rok is not an interesting character either. He is a kind boy who's always helping the grandpa out and waits for a breakthrough in ballet that doesn't seem to be his top priority. I'm especially disappointed in the supporting characters, the Deok Chul's granddaughter who leaves a job to seek her calling and Deok Chul's son who retires from medicine and wanders around town in his old Crocs. Neither of them get a satisfying ending because they both settle in a conventional place making the whole plot line feel like a teenage angst.

Not to mention that to prioritize the grandpa's safety while he's learning ballet there would have to be at least a physiotherapist in the room. Stretching can be traumatic even for young and healthy people. How can a literal boy make a training program for an elderly person when he has no qualifications in the medical field? In this case I would like the retired son to be involved, it would benefit the story.

I would not recommend the show to the fans of psychological dramas and to the fans of Song Kang because he doesn't seem as the main character here. All the complicated ballet dancing scenes are shot with a stunt double even though the actor was committed to learning ballet for 6 months prior. It's just not worth it.

Read More