Jayde
Australia
The storyline of this drama was truly brilliant; when one problem was solved, another arose, all believable and suited to the drama as a whole. There is not a single thing that I would want changed. The ending, might I say without giving anything away, in my opinion, was perfect!
The acting/cast, I cannot fault them. I came to enjoy all of the characters, which is very rare for me in a drama - there's always someone you loathe and although there were those detestable characters in this drama - I understood why they were acted the way they did and that was refreshing. I loved the cast of this drama and believe they were all perfectly suited to their roles - I can't fault them. They all worked well together and made the story all that more believable and lovable. Also, I think it must be noted, if you're after eye-candy, this drama has SO much to offer - Song Joong Ki (if you haven't seen him in Werewolf Boy, I recommend that too), Yoo Ah In (I completely fell for his character, Moon Jae Shin), Park Yoo Chun and even Jun Tae Soo.
Music - loved it. The music... and I mean every piece of music, was well-suited to the drama and I strongly believe it not only complimented the drama but enhanced it.
Overall this drama quite obviously (from my hopefully glowing review) would receive a solid 10, in my opinion. I absolutely loved Sunkyunkwan Scandal, it surely is one of my favourites. I seriously recommend this drama! I'm not the biggest fan of historical dramas but this one was truly memorable - all for good reasons. If you begin watching it, do yourself a favour and stick around to see the very last episode - completely worth it, you won't be able to fight a smile.
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The story line itself, as I've come to discover through research, is fairly popular in the Korean film industry. That being said, I thought the story was good - although its a slightly typical character setting, I still found it enjoyable. I must admit that I never suspected the plot twist (the main reason I've scored the story line so high); it left me reeling - which I was pleasantly surprised by... after I got over the initial shock. Overall, the story is very good and presented effectively by a talented cast.
Ah... the cast... I must admit that I fell for Lee Byung Hun in his role as Stormshadow in GI Joe - he is brilliant in that role! Byung Hun's performance in 'Addicted' was commendable. His character was, shall we say, complex? It requires a talented actor to perform this role and pull it off, Lee Byung Hun succeeded. As for the female lead, Lee Min Yeon, this is the first I've seen of her and I loved her performance. The two leads were very strong in this film and I have great respect for their professionalism (i.e. steamy bed scene) and talent.
I can't say much of the music in this film... some of the music I didn't believe was suited, notably the opening piece but as for the majority... it didn't really enhance the film but more rather compliment it.
I've rated the rewatch value as 'very good' because I honestly believe I would watch this movie again... it was a well executed film with a great cast. I haven't rated the rewatch value as higher simply because I think it'd be difficult to watch the film in the same way after seeing that plot twist (a brilliant one at that).Overall, 'Addicted' is a good movie that is well worth your time.
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Believe it or not, the story lacked originality, it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. To quote 'About Adam', "He came. He saw. He conquered. One sister at a time", it sums up this movie to a T. The player played and he (well, you'll have to watch the movie to know what happens from there).
I must admit, I was fairly set on dropping this movie after the first 40 minutes because of the poor acting. I only held on to see how everything would be resolved. I was unable to connect with any of the leading ladies... I didn't believe their characters nor did I care for them. Lee Byung Hun was convincing in his role, I believed his character and I understood him but this certainly wasn't his best work.
As for the music, the live shows from character Mi Young were respectable, that girl has a nice singing voice.
Honestly, I wouldn't watch this movie again. Naturally, as the title suggests, the movie teaches the audience about what secrets can bring people... I simply don't agree with the stance the movie takes (the lesson is given at the end through a voice over of Lee Byung Hun.
'Everybody Has Secrets' isn't necessarily a bad movie, it's the kind of movie you'd watch if you have nothing else to do... or you just want to see a half-naked Byung Hun but if that's what you're after, go for 'Addicted' or even 'GI Joe: Retaliation', they have better stories.
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'Boys Before Flowers' or "Boys Over Flowers' was my very first K-Drama. My friend and I watched 20 of the 25 episodes in one full sitting - dedication right there. I must admit, I was not disappointed (evident by the various dramas I have watched since).
The storyline of 'Boys Over Flowers' provides moments of tears (I cried like a baby), joy (grinned like a fool and laughed very often), pure annoyance and hatred toward certain 'evil' characters (we experienced much of this), it is certainly a drama that can leave people shouting at their screens. I thought the storyline was great, it always had me at the edge of my seat, enthralled in the events that were unraveling in front of me. However, it has been noted by many other people that the last story plot (I won't state what it is) was unnecessary, and I agree, to a point. I can understand the need for such a plot as it signified the strength of Gu Jun Pyo's love for Geum Jan Di and vise-versa. Overall, the storyline was very good/great, in my opinion - as infuriating as it was brilliant.
The acting/cast... The supporting cast were convincing in their roles, especially Gu Jun Pyo's mother... horrendous woman - she performed her role very well. I ADORED the main leads - Koo Hee Sun (Jan Di) and the F4 members... I must admit, this is the only role of Hee Sun that I have liked (please don't hate me). The actors who played the members of F4 (in my opinion) suited their roles perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them interact and slowly reveal their inner character. Their performances were commendable.
The music... what can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed it. I downloaded the various soundtracks to my phone if that says anything. The music in this drama was outstanding. I believe it was well suited to the drama and the events which were occurring.
Re-watch value... considering that I and a group of my friends have each re-watched this drama on multiple occasions... I would say its pretty high.
Overall, I would say this is a great drama. It is enjoyable and successfully and skillfully manipulates the audiences emotions. I found myself caring for each character (minus the obviously detestable characters... I would definitely recommend watching this drama if you haven't already, the cute moments are well worth it.
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Story: The story in itself was something I have partially seen before but it was unique in its own way. It reminded me slightly of 'Total Recall'. The story was good, confusing at times but enough so to keep you hooked until the end. Naturally, as it is B-grade sci-fi, aspects of the storyline and fight scenes (which are good by the way) were highly unrealistic but that is to be expected in this kind of film. Also, if you're offended by 'low key shots of scantily clad women', steer clear of this movie... It is very much 'a man's movie' in regard to this though, I must admit, I'd love to have a figure like theirs! Moving on...
The acting, was fair. I would firstly like to mention the stunt doubles who were involved in this film, I have great respect for each and every one - those fight scenes would have hurt. Onto the cast... I found that I respected the acting of the lead female Nagasawa Nao (Ai) and also Kinoshita Ayumi (Yui) and Takayama Yuko (Haruka). I've read reviews saying that their acting was 'over the top' but I think it was just right for the concept of this movie. Kenji Ebisawa (Yui's brother) was great in this film. I can't really tell you the downfall of the acting without giving away the storyline... so I'll leave it there.
As for the music, I really don't have much to say. It was fair. The only music I truly noticed was when the credits were rolling. I found that the music neither enhanced or negatively impacted the movie, rather than just went by unnoticed.
I'd rate the rewatch value at a 6. I'd probably watch this again, just to see if there was anything I missed the first time around.
Overall, as in alignment with the rest of the scores, a solid 6. Don't get me wrong, the movie was interesting and is worth watching, it simply wasn't brilliant.
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