a hit and a miss

somebody (2022) instantly intrigued me the minute i read its synopsis. personally, i love crime thrillers, especially when done correctly, however, i felt like somebody was not in that case, to me it felt rushed, confusing and disappointing as a viewer.

the general storyline is very hooking, the concept we are introduced to is one about a creepy yet charming serial killer that uses an app to find his victims. similar to a concept i've seen in webtoons like 'killstagram' for example which is about a killer that uses social media. we are also introduced early on to the character dynamics between our female lead and the killer, her friends, and her enemies as one could say. this story though doesn't really follow very easily, as there are loose ends left and parts unexplained to the audience. it also moves very quickly during the start but slowly during the middle, making it harder to complete. the ending was well-- boring and expected. also the app aspect?? what happened to it?? our fl leads passions??? idkkk

my main grief is probably the characters, specifically our main female lead kim sum. for one, it's rare for a character to be both female and on the spectrum, which as someone on the spectrum myself, i was happy to see it, but in the case of somebody, i found it to be super lazy writing. obviously yes, autistic people can be killers but with the little to no rep in sk, and the rep there usually being stereotypes and very ableist representation i found it be a letdown because it did nothing to outstand those stereotypes. there was absolutely no reason to make her autistic, especially to 'make' her a psychopath.
the other characters were just okay, the male lead was obviously disturbing but nothing outstanding to be nor shocking. i expected him to be the way he ended up being at the end. the side characters were probably my favorite, i love seeing other reps for disabilities and wlw reps as well. i love that they showed those with those impediments can still have love and desire it just like anyone else.

visually though, somebody is a hit. as someone who studied video composition, wow, these shots are amazing, and it sent chills through my spine during some scenes just by visuals alone. the lighting is cool as well, with blue lighting for distress and more warm for comfort which I enjoyed. the acting was also a hit, it was greattt, ml was so creepy and made me very uncomfortable, but the facial expressions were always on point and the fl also did a good job with what she was assigned.

one thing i will note is on it's portrayal of sexuality. it's uncommon for shows in south korea to show skin so graphically and i was shocked by it's portrayal here, also rarely do you see women talking about this stuff! somebody did do a good job of making it uncomfortable.

so in the end, this show is a hit in an artistic standpoint, the creative directors, set designers and cameramen did well. but god, i could not get over the poor directing and writing, stop making autistic people villains as a way out and goddd find a way to keep the hook going throughout the story, don't ditch it immediately.

Read More

An okay attempt at something bigger

This film has a-lot A-LOT of potential. On the surface it's quite cheesy, I think it's something that anyone could make if I'm being honest. The concept itself, I think is very relevant and if thought about more could've turned out to be a great social commentary on the use of cell phones and our privacy, but it falls short. Parts of the story are often rushed, characters like more than one trait, and overall not really add much to the film (I hate the detective) The videography does carry the film, it's very beautiful and at times is the main thing that turns up the eeriness of scenes. (Editing was 10/10) I think that tied with our ML's acting, which was pulled off great as he really does do a good job of creating an uncomfortable environment with his two-sidedness. However, that is just not enough to make this film good, and I don't have any urge to rewatch it.

Read More

Vagabond has something missing

I preface, I first watched this drama years ago and recently rewatched it as before I loved it but found it aged terribly.

I'll start with the pros, it's visually well done and the shots are some of the best seen in an action drama. It starts with a very promising premise and the first set of episodes, and for a while the acting is great.

The cons are that it goes downhill and lacks something that makes it unique and a good watch. I find the story quite erratic and hard to follow at times, and I feel like there are too many plot holes for me. I also wish the dynamics of the main leads were better because they do improve and it's frustrating. Also, the ending is well, not the best in my opinion and a season 2 is definitely needed for it to work,

Overall, I think it is an entertaining drama though and is showing promising talent within the film but not enough for it to be well, considered good, so I would simply consider it average.

Read More