MastAmma
Bengaluru
Average Thai Rom-Com set in an Indian wedding
This is my first non-horror Thai content I watched as I was intrigued by the Indian wedding setup shown in the trailer. Being an Indian, I wanted to see what are they going to show in the rom-com.OVERALL REVIEW:-
It's an average nothing special rom-com which fails to hit the mark in both the romance and comedy departments. It does not mean it is unwatchable or cringe and considering the short runtime of 1.5 hrs, I didn't expect much from it in the first place. Comedy seldom lands and chemistry between the leads is just Meh! There is no place where we can breathe and absorb what happened as it is very fast-paced, moving from one comedic scene to another emotional scene within seconds.
LANGUAGE ISSUES:-
There is a hotchpotch of different languages being spoken with not-so-on-point accents which I can understand as people are not speaking their dialogues in their primary language. Nevertheless, both the Indian characters as well as Thai characters look unnatural and uncomfortable when speaking English which breaks the flow and kills the vibe of the movie. I would have preferred the Indian characters to have at least converse in Punjabi or Hindi when they were talking to each other.
THE LEADS:-
Let's not talk about the Indian supporting cast as they were neither the focus nor did they act naturally as a bunch of Punjabis speaking English sounds very cringe to me.
Vachirawit Chivaaree the ML looked very bright and handsome straight out of a K-Pop band and his acting was decent.
Ranee Campen the FL looked so gorgeous and beautiful throughout the movie which I can not deny. But her character was written very clumsily and her acting was very over the top in a few scenes which I didn't like.
PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN CULTURE:-
This is the aspect in which the movie gets full marks in making sure they showed Indian culture appropriately and with respect. All the ceremonies (Mehendi, Sangeet & Phere) which are essential parts of Indian wedding were at least shown correctly and briefly explained.. The song featured in the movie gave good Bollywood vibes with all the background dancers and our couple looked really good doing the dance movies in traditional Indian clothes. Definitely the highlight of the movie for me.
NOTE: I want to clear the misconception for anyone watching this movie and they must know that only a minority of Indians consume alcohol during weddings and in general alcohol is not allowed.
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Heartwarming story about the homeless finding their home of hope
Such a cute and heartwarming movie. It has its flaws and drawbacks but the emotion it wanted to convey touched me. For a sports film, the screenplay was written in a very non-cinematic manner but everything conveyed was very real.The pacing of the movie was a little slow and overall the entire screenplay has some issues. It's not as entertaining as the director's last film "Extreme Job" but the reality of homelessness and the backstories of each of the homeless people were decent. I hoped IU got a bigger role as she is such a fine actress but nevertheless, I can never find any flaws in her, just keep doing as many films and dramas as possible for your fans.
PSJ on the other hand displayed good football skills but his acting was a little hammy and lacking. But he is indeed the focal point of the story and did a decent job in some emotional scenes but the film can't redeem itself based on him and IU.
I watched it only for IU, she has some really funny lines between her and PSJ. Overall a good one-time watch but nothing special.
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Darker, Edgier and Twistier than your Average KDrama!
First things first, these 4 eps are not the entire show and the last concluding part will come early next year which will finish the story. We should keep our expectations in check knowing fully that this is only half of the show and MY GOD ITS SHOCKING! to say the least.The last time I experienced something like this was when I watched "Extracurricular" (2020) on Netflix which was as darker and grittier as this show apart from some dark humour. This show although having the trope of dying again and again and realizing the meaning of life and death which has been explored excruciatingly a large number of times in Western media but still seems like a fresh premise in the currently cliched webtoon KDrama adaptation market we have been getting lately.
The story has vibes of famous Final Destination movies and will keep you on the edge as to how the heck our protagonist is going to kiss death each time in either a shocking or a dark way. For the second half of the story, the stage is set for even more dramatic storytelling which I can't wait for anymore.
Coming to the action (which has been choreographed like big budget high-octane thriller movie) and production scale of this drama, you can very well see that it's a big project having several A-Listers in small and supporting roles. Seo In Guk as the main character is impressive in emotional scenes and on the other hand though briefly but Park So Dam looks perfect as the personification of "Death" itself. Go Youn Jung looks stunningly beautiful as always but the scene-stealer performance was given by my one and only current favourite actor Lee Do Hyun. This guy can do nothing wrong nailing every character in every drama ever! (Note: I could be a little biased for him so please my apologies for overhyping in advance!)
The twists and turns of the story in which there is a subtle connection between each reincarnation make it very fascinating and unique! Although, short the 4 eps of the show have captivated my mind like no other KDrama this year and eagerly waiting for the remaining part next year.
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Now, lets come to the crux of this drama, Itaewon Class is a beast of a drama when it comes to detailed description of the wonderful Itaewon region which itself plays a character and even drives the plot forward. The dramas shows the class division between the meglomaniac rich and the hard working class using food & restaurant industry as backdrop. It really sets itself apart from other dramas on how all the characters main as well side are crucial for moving the story forward and each one of them reaches a statisfying conclusion in the end with good enough character development.As I can assure you that some of the MDL reviews here are thinking too much critically of the plot which I think is due to most Kdrama watchers being casual viewer who love more good feel and unrealistic dramas but IMAO this drama is too realistic for their taste.Its a motivational revenge story with hint of revenge & social commentary.
Romance is there in this drama but not too much but , its unique in the sense that instead of displaying affection in crude and cringe ways as most of us are used to watching in other KDramas like forced flirting, stalking, kissing, one sided love of second male lead and stupid love triangle to take revenge from each other exes, this dramas portrays love in a different manner.Here, people who care for each other don't run behind each other carelessly and cringing the F out of the situation, instead they support each other and try their level best to make each other's dream come true so quite maturity is shown when it comes to potray how ambitious people pursue their love in contrast to teenagers & adolescents who are more emotional & impulsive.
This is a pitch perfect dramas for business aspirants and shows how greed can never replace loyalty and human friendship. DanBam team shows how with dedication & hardwork one can achieve success without compromising one own morals & principles and the bromance & sismance as well as the general camaraderie between the characters was funny as well as touching to watch.
Both the female leads were great Kwon Nara looked beautiful through out the drama and her character 's relationship with Jo Yi Seo who plays the lead character of DanBam manager is specially one of a kind as I have said before you may have never seen before in a Kdrama that girls who are love rivals are not pulling each other hair apart but helping each other grow! PSJ equation with both of the girls was refreshing to see and you will keep guessing who he will end up with till a certain episode. Both the villain characters were fabulous on making us hate them and it was always a balanced battle between PSJ & villain CEO which was entertaining and unpredictable to watch.
Rest of the supporting cast got good meaty roles and through them writer nim brought some attention to Koreans bias towards transgender, foreigners & ex-convicts who want to start fresh.Kim Dong Hee of ATeen was good at his role and I am looking forward to watch him in more mature roles as he seems like a good actor but not getting roles that he deserve so far in his career. At the end, I would like to say that Itaewon Class was robbed 'Drama of the year' nom at Baeksang Awards as it deserved so but none the less its OST 'Start over' sang by Gaho will be my OST for motivating me for rest of the year.Hope for more Webtoons getting Itaewon Class like adaptations.
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Now what makes this show so enjoying to watch:-
The hilarious scenes hold each and every episode together moulded efficiently with the seriousness of the plot.I laughed so much in all the scenes almost equivalent to Eulachacha Waikiki (the best korean sitcom ever).
The use of M.I. theme and one time the Matrix theme caused my stomach to ache due to laughter really.
The KIS vs NIS comparison is hilarious as hell and almost all the supporting characters will do something silly or smart that you could not stop laughing ,even a kidnapping scene was so hilarious that sometimes you will smile even in serious situations.
KUDOS to the screenwriter for such smartass interweaving of comedy in seriousness.
The cute scenes of So Ji Sub babysitting the 2 naughty kids are a delight to watch, some people can watch this drama for this only but beware in the last 4-5 episodes our beloved Joon-Joon duo is absent for most part.
Story:-Its fine and has enough suspense to keep you hooked though this show is not on Stranger level when it comes to the thrill part nor the action can be compared to The K2 despite it being a spy drama.But still So Ji Sub has definitely the physique of a NIS agent and the hand-to-hand combat scenes were okayish.Clearly the comedy rather than action is the strong pursuit of this drama.The characters were not layered as such mostly black or white except Jin Young Tae but that caused no harm as it was not a serious drama.
Music:- Good and apt soundtrack is used at right situations but the OSTs are not that addictive.(depends on you taste though)
Cast:- So Ji Sub slays his role of a badass handsome spy disguised as a babysitter and every moment with him shines!
Son Ho Jun despite playing a bad boy is the scene stealer as he is downright hilarious whenever he calls Terius "Brother" resulting in great bromance and he simply delivers the best punchlines.
Jung In Sun had great chemistry with both the guys but unfortunately we don't get any kissing scenes :-( but still it was refreshing to see .Also her comic timing is pretty cool and she is not annoying at all and is shown as a smart & strong woman actively moving the plot forward.
Kang Ki Young just had a spectacular 2018 cementing him as a dependable supporting character and as expected he is hilarious.
Sung Joo along with Im Se Mi were pretty decent as well. Shoutout to all the ahjummas in KIS which were the sole reason for me to look forward to every episode.
Rewatch Value:- Hell yeah! I m going to watch again especially for the comedy bits which were freaking hilarious.
Overall Verdict: Its the best comedy that I have seen after Waikiki and as a light hearted family drama its a fun bandwagon to be a part of.PEACE OUT
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