ScreenKorea
It is perfect just the way it is.
This 5-episode web series grew on me. It has an interesting and well-written plot. The cinematography is superb. I love the warm tones and minimal props. It's very appealing to me. The entire cast did well. This story of romance is a triumphant effort on Soo Not Sue’s part in making viewers weep with joy.And while most fans wanted a second season, it is perfect, and I would prefer to leave the ending that way. It gives a feeling of satisfaction, a refreshing feeling.
She Makes My Heart Flutter is definitely this year's best GL series, and I'd definitely watch it again.
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Another Beautiful Story from Writer Noh
'Dear My Friends' is another slice of life story from the celebrated screenwriter Noh Hee Kyung. Watching this reminds me of what I felt when I watched 'My Mister' - so beautiful that I don't want to miss a single episode. It's a story that features people who are in their twilight years, one that is rarely featured in today's Korean dramas. Props to Writer Noh for not making the story complicated, and for the wonderful ensemble of veteran actors. Surprisingly, the soundtrack is also worth listening to.It's a refreshing drama with a heartwarming take on friendship, love, and living your life until your final years.
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"Blood doesn't make you family, love does."
This is one of the many South Korean films that made me sob for a while. Maybe it's a grandmother-granddaughter story and watching it reminded me of my grandma whom I don't see very often.One of the things I adore about this film is that it was set in the beautiful Jeju Island, a place that I'd like to visit someday. It also featured the haenyeo, Jeju Island's celebrated female divers. The plot twist is something that could shock the viewers, but it was beautifully delivered by the cast. Smooth yet heartwrenching.
It's a bittersweet tale and is the perfect expression of a quote I've read somewhere: "Blood doesn't make you family, love does."
Would I recommend this movie? Absolutely.
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Not bad for South Korea's first space blockbuster
Regarded as SK's first space-themed movie, I had few expectations. But I was surprised at how it was executed with stunning visual effects and combined with a fantastic ensemble of actors. The story is not that bad, but what I like the most is the sequence of actions, from going after space junks to running away from the bad guys. The little humor in some scenes is not bad either.Space Sweepers is a breath of fresh air in the South Korean film industry. Rather than contemplating and reading the reviews, one should watch the movie right away; I can guarantee that it's a good one.
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Collectors is Indiana Jones meets Ocean's 11
An elite group of underground thieves gathers together to carry out a dangerous mission- grave robbing a royal tomb located in the bustling Gangnam area. I had mixed feelings about this film. It's not the tomb raider mission we know where they visit ancient places and sacred temples to steal an artifact. The mission is located right in one of Seoul's busiest districts which gives off a new and fresh vibe in the story. The story itself, however, is a bit lacking. Maybe I was expecting an action-packed movie, with lots of stimulating plots. While the film has an ensemble cast of great actors, including the Shin Hye Sun, it felt like the characters were a little restricted. It could be in the script, but nevertheless, these actors could have given more vibrance to the characters if these characters were written more dynamically. If you are someone who likes stories like Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, or Ocean's 11, Collectors would be a good film to watch.Was this review helpful to you?
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I had no regrets watching this drama
My Mister is not your typical Korean drama. If I were to describe it, the story is too beautiful and enthralling that you don't want to miss a single episode. But it's also a drama that makes you not watch it with a back-to-back episode. That is because you need a lot of time to absorb and digest every episode of it. The simple, pragmatic story, the dramatic urban location, the tender yet sensible portrayal of characters will immerse you deeply into the drama and makes it hard to recover quickly. To be honest, it took me almost a month to finish all 16 episodes. Even though I have time, I couldn't watch more than one episode. Well, I tried once, but it took me more than a week before I could watch again. This is what makes an outstanding drama.My Mister is not a typical Korean drama. It will not make you laugh. It won't make you cry either. Every episode leaves viewers a heavy feeling but makes them ponder more life and survival, and in the end, will give you the feeling of realization. One may find it depressing, but it's not. It's a healing drama and a good reminder of how one can still lead a good and happy life despite the hardships he endures.
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An fantastic yet underrated drama
Ho Goo's Love is based on the webtoon of the same title by Yoo Hyun-sook. A story that is solely built on misunderstandings and bemusement between all characters that ended really well. I find it odd that viewers are not really into it when it's one of the few Kdramas with a romantic yet quirky plot. Some scenes and sequences were outlandish, but it got me laughing throughout. And when you thought that Ho Goo's Love is a cute drama, it also tackles burning issues of today's society such as rape, unwanted pregnancy, suicide, plastic surgery, and sexuality. Props to the production team and the cast for delivering a wonderful, unique drama.It's a shame that this drama is underrated. But if you want to have a good laugh from the first episode to the last one, this drama is for you.
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A drama with a modern take on marriage and married life in general
Watching this was not as frustrating as other dramas with contract-marriage themes, mainly because the main characters were created as mature adults who are just at the right age to settle down. Contrary to the usually shy and innocent heroine, the drama featured a naive country guy named Jak Doo having to agree to a fake marriage to a materialistic Seoulite to save his cabin. It does have some twists, but as mentioned, it's not frustrating to watch. There are no cheesy moments. Heck, only four kiss scenes were done during the entire drama. There was no deep hatred between the main characters, unlike in some Korean rom-com and melodramas, partly because the characters were written as mature adults. It also featured women in today's era taking over their careers (and personal lives) without much help from men. Lastly, it gave viewers a glance at the ups and downs of long-distance relationships and compromise in marriage in terms of the career and personal lives of the two lovers. It's pretty much straight to the point, which makes it more interesting.Props to the production team for casting a team of actors to portray the characters in this project. This was not the first time for Uee to star in a contract marriage-themed drama, but compared to Hye Soo who made me cry a lot in 'Marriage Contract', Seung Joo reminded me of PD Tak Ye Jin in 'The Producers'- strong, stubborn, passionate woman. And Uee, as always did an astounding job. On the other hand, Jung Sang Hoon is quite a revelation to me. I've always seen him as a funny guy in SNL Korea, so seeing him in this drama was interesting. The character Eric Cho is a funny and genuine person, yet savage when it comes to his business dealings. Jung Sang Hoon did really well. I'm looking forward to seeing his other works.
Also, the songs are one of the very few drama OSTs that I really really love.
Overall, My Contracted Husband Mr. Oh is a drama with a modern take on marriage and married life in general. Their love story did not have a good start, but there are lots of heartwarming moments that will definitely make you smile until the end.
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A straightforward yet entertaining drama
A story about 3 women plotting revenge. Joined by a young man, they carry out their individual revenge to people who did them wrong. Lee Yo Won, Myung Se Bin, and Ra Mi Ran play lead characters in this 12-episode drama.It is pretty much straightforward- no intricate storylines, no dragging backstories, no complicated twists. 12 episodes might make someone think that the entire story was cut and compressed, but it's not. Aside from the fact that it was a female-led cast, the drama also deals with suicide, domestic violence, and sexual harassment against women.It is one of the few dramas I've seen where the majority of the main characters are women aside from "Night Light". And while Lee Jun Young also plays a main character, the storyline is focused on the 3 women. The production team did well on casting Myung Se Bin as a physically abused wife, Ra Mi Ran as a single mother, and Lee Yo Won as a rich young wife.
Avengers Social Club is recommended to watch if you're tired of watching the typical rom-com dramas. It may make you shed a tear at some point, but will definitely make you laugh.
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A promising drama with a refreshing feel
Stories of poor folks rising and becoming successful in their life appeals to me a lot, and it's one of the main reasons why I watched Birdie Buddy. It may not be the typical rags to riches story, but I like how the main character Mi Soo, became successful in the field of sports. The pacing was just right. Although there were parts where I find dragging, it was compensated immediately by succeeding episodes. There were also scenes that I find unnecessary, but still okay to show for the viewers to understand the other characters' backstories.I am a little disappointed with the antagonist's character and storyline. It felt weak; I was expecting that he has a grand scheme to hurt the protagonists. I never expected that his downfall would be that way, it was unsatisfactory. Hae Ryeong's character reminded me of Wang Bit Na's character Gyeong Hye in the drama 'Mysterious Personal Shopper'. They grew up rich and pampered, both have personal struggles which I thought were resolved during the mid part of the drama, but then towards their end they became hateful, but had their beautiful redemption at the last episode.
Finally, Mi Soo showed that the love she has for her coach was unconditional. Some folks who watched the drama were disappointed that Mi Soo and John didn't end up together, but honestly, there were moments/scenes in the entire drama that tells the viewers they won't get the happy ending they want. Yet, our heroine Mi Soo still got her happy ending in terms of her career.
The production team did a good job of selecting the actors for this drama. The surprising moment was when the gorgeous Julien Kang appeared in one episode as Mi Soo's golf rival. This drama was produced in 2010 and aired in 2011 because of several postponements. Also, since it was made a decade ago, I was not really expecting much in terms of technicals, but still, the majority of it was beautifully shot and edited. Most likely because the production team had enough time to edit the drama (more than a year).
This is also the second Yoon Sang Ho drama I have watched, the other one being 'Different Dreams'. I am looking to watch his other works in the future.
Birdie Buddy is based on the comic of the same title but focuses on one of the female protagonists rather than the coach. It is a promising drama with a refreshing feel to viewers who'd like to reel aways from the usual rom-com drama themes. It talks about family, friendship, first love, and passion. And to be honest, watching this drama also helped me learn more about the sport.
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This film will not disappoint you
Inspired by the novel Fingersmith by Welsh writer Sarah Waters, The Handmaiden tells the story of a young woman entangled in a grand conspiracy after being hired as a handmaiden for an heiress. The plot was beautifully written with surprising twists. As the sneaky plan of conning an old man is being executed, two women from the opposite sides of society fell in love, causing another twist in the story.Kim Min-Hee and Kim Tae-Ri did not disappoint either. Given that the film has erotic scenes, their chemistry and skills have made their characters instantly likable. Ha Jung-Woo, delivered an astounding performance as a con man trying to swindle a Japanese old man. Props to these stars for pulling off such wonderful acting.
I am not really someone who admires cinematography a lot, but I can say that the Handmaiden is one of the few films that made me say wow within the first few minutes of watching.
I've seen a few of Park Chan-Wook's films before (Thirst, Vengeance Trilogy, Joint Security Area), but this is probably one of his best works and the best one I've watched.
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If I'm not mistaken, Actresses is South Korea's first mockumentary film
Six of South Korea's beautiful actresses gather for a magazine photoshoot, resulting in conflict of individuals. At the time when I used to worship mockumentary television shows like 'The Office' and 'Parks and Recreation', South Korea also released their own mockumentary- in the form of film. The rare gathering of six of the country's top actresses, giving hem a specific scenario, and letting the camera roll as they improvise their own lines and have an honest dialogue with each other really appealed to me.Plus, let's not forget the real-life confrontation between Choi Jiwoo and Ko Hyunjung, which I thought at first was part of the scenario given to them.
As what Director E J-Young mentioned, he wanted to create a film that's unconventional, and so Actresses was born- a film without a script. He is known to create films with topic of scandals and affairs (The Bacchus Lady, 2016), and unconventional ones such as Behind the Camera (2013), another mockumentary style film.
Their emotions and thoughts not as actresses but as humans were beautifully captured, Actresses is a film that you'd likely want to watch again.
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Woman on the Beach deftly captures the subtle layers of monotony, humor and sadness
The film revolves around a movie director making a trip to the beach along with a friend and his girlfriend in the hopes of getting inspiration to finish his script. Soon after, the director and his friend's girlfriend developed an attraction with each other, sneaked out together at night and sleeping together. I've seen this film numerous times, and I'm always captivated by the fact that it doesn't have a lot of lines or fancy dialogues. It has humor and sadness at the same time. Those long shots of particular scenes were beautiful, it reminds me of Lav Diaz's style of filming.The film featured an ensemble cast, with Kim Seung Woo, Kim Tae Woo, and Go Hyun Jung as the main characters. This is also Go Hyun Jung's debut in film after starring in numerous high-rating TV dramas in the past. I don't have much to say with the acting; as expected with Hong Sang Soo, the characters were well-written so these veteran actors were able to deliver. In addition, the quiet and lonely beach greatly matches the film's conventional storytelling.
If you are a fan of Korean arthouse films, you might have seen Hong Sang Soo's other films as well. His originality is widely praised by both Korean and Western film critics and earned him several international awards. He also known for being spontaneous when shooting, highlighting realism in his films. It can also be seen in his other works such as 'Like You Know it All' and 'Right Now, Wrong Then'. A few months ago, Woman on the Beach had a limited screening at Film at Lincoln Center.
One of Hong Sang Soo's best films, Woman on the Beach is a film highly recommended to watch. If you have already seen it, go see it one more time.
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