Reviews

Beautiful and real

To be honest most of this movie deserves a 7 or an 8 at most, some parts are just too predictable and you kind of get the feel of weightlifting fairy meets allot like love (but not in a good way) and yes you will find yourself screaming come on... no don't go there... wtf are you doing??? But then midway the realism breaks the predictable pattern and we are brought in to a story of struggle, regret, dealing with pain and some pretty deep issues. When are we good for each other, when should we let go and can we find our way back or is it better to move on? Is love enough? Being a movie and not a drama this is kind of rushed, I think this could make one h*** of a drama if prolonged but since it is a movie they did convey the important parts pretty well.

What got to me and that kicked up the score from an 8,5 midway to a 9,5 was the beautifully made emotional ending that i hope will touch you just as much as it touched me. But I will not spoil it for you just tell you that it is beautiful, what makes it beautiful is for me to know and for you to find out . if you do chose to watch this please tell me what you think of the ending (just don't forget the spoiler tag).

Leggi di Più

Oh those 90s doramas. Let me just say that I have this bias for them. They bring up in me such passion I don't often feel in today's Japanese dramas. This drama had enough passion for all, a well rounded cast and intriguing characters that develop well throughout the drama. One thing I didn't get throughout the drama is the reason of the title though :P

The story is set in a correction facility where teenagers are sent for a month until it's decided if they get released or sent to juveniles prison. We meet many troubled teens and their correction officers and we see how their interactions change one another and affect each other. The main focus is on one teenage girl who's as much full of torment as she is full of passion, and her relationship with her correction officer with tormented past. We also follow the fate of her 4 "cellmate" with their painful stories but somehow innocent outlook on life.

The story and it's character sort of engulfs you without you feeling it. The history and mystery of each character gets revealed eventually through hints and small revelations, keeping viewers on their toes throughout the whole drama not loosing interest even for one moment. I liked that even the officers weren't tossed to the side but were given real personalities, strength and growth to deal with troubled teens. For that reason, the drama and it's stories felt well balanced and none of the stories was left behind or forgotten about. Of the officers, we also visit Ariake's dark and unsettling backstory that is full of mysteries.

The acting is outstanding and compelling characters. Mikami Hiroshi's presence was charismatic, while Hirosue Ryoko was full of charm. Kubozuka Yosuke had an unforgettable appeal and the most unpredictable of the bunch. Everyone else's character's didn't lack any appeal and had a particular presence.

As an engulfing drama that overwhelms you with passion and charisma, with a satisfying romance and mystery, I'd say this drama truly is for all and to go for it!

Leggi di Più

I’ve been looking forward to watching this because the story really intrigued me. And now that I’ve finished it, I felt like a large boulder was lifted from my back. It was such a struggle for me to be able to finish this one. There were lots of dragging parts that I just wanted to skip, but it’s my golden rule to never skip any part of a drama no matter how badly I want to. The drama started out good until the second time leap happened. Thankfully, the drama redeemed itself during the last four episodes or else I would not have given this drama even a score of 7.

I really like this kind of stories: about revenge, betrayals, and such. So I was really surprised to find myself disappointed along the way. The revenge didn’t feel much like revenge at all until the last few episodes. The romance was cute during the first time leap. But during the second one, it felt like everything would have worked out just fine even without the presence of Ji Won. Her character became useless. I cursed Soo Mi to death, but I’ll have to admit that her character has way more substance than Jiwon’s. But the character who really helped me endure all of this was none other than Jang Il. Yup, it’s Jang Il and not Sun Woo. Whereas I’ve always anticipated watching the bad guys go down, I really felt sympathy towards Jang Il. This character left me this feeling which is kind of difficult to explain. Perhaps you’ll know this feeling once you finish watching this drama.

The acting was great. It was nice to see different sides of the characters. The bad ones were able to send tears to my eyes, and the good ones were able to make me curse at them. I never thought Uhm Tae Woong was this good. I’ve seen him in the past, and I think I might have underestimated him then. But the actor I’d like to praise more is Lee Joon Hyuk. I’m really impressed at how he was able to flawlessly portray such complicated character. I’d love to see more of his projects when he comes back from the army. Maybe another prosecutor role, no? But he does look good as a prosecutor. Overall, the casting was okay aside from the fact that I was bothered by the age difference between Joon Hyuk and Tae Woong. They were supposed to look like same-aged, but the age difference really showed in the drama. Oh and the kids were amazing too! I’m really looking forward to Lee Hyun Woo’s projects. At his age, I’m really fascinated at how good an actor he is.

Music. Okay I had a lot of issues with this one. I didn’t like the music. It was so plain and so boring. Also, the music kind of magically fades away during the key points in the drama. I don’t know about others, but I really want hearing thrilling music during climactic points in the drama so I was really disappointed.

There’ll be only two reasons why I would decide to rewatch this. Lee Hyun Woo and Lee Joon Hyuk. Their acting was superb (and they’re the good-looking ones, in my opinion).

The story was good, but I didn’t like how they executed some parts of the story which ended up being dragging. Nevertheless, this drama is worth the watch if you can endure watching some boring parts in exchange of witnessing a beautiful once-in-a-lifetime friendship cruelly tested by painful circumstances.

Leggi di Più

Not at all overrated

At first I was hesitant to watch this film because of it was based on a true story about the civil war that took place in Somalia; South Korea has had multiple issues with portraying foreign cultures after all. So hearing about this movie's plot taking place in a real historical event, though I am not part of that culture, made me uneasy. But because it got high ratings and awards, I gave in to my curiosity and gave it a go. From my observation, the film mainly focused on the 2 Korean embassies (as the title says) escaping from Mogadishu and barely touched on the details of the war going on around them.

Acting was SUPERB, as expected from top actors, Zo Insung, Kim Yoonseok, and Heo Joonho. I didn't know Koo Kyohwan was in this until I saw him in the film which was a pleasant surprise as he's becoming one of my new favorite actors after watching him in D.P.

Overall, it was a really touching story of how the 2 Koreas managed to put aside their political differences to survive together through the chaos. It actually reminded me of the movie Joint Security Area. Regardless of where you're from, this film will definitely make you strongly wish for reunification between North and South Korea.

I'm still curious, though, if they accurately presented the war. I kind of hoped that they showed more of the innocent Somali people who, like the Korean characters, were also victims and also desperately tried to escape. For those who know more about the real event and have seen the movie, please let me know in the comments if there were any inaccuracies. Thanks!

Leggi di Più

Well written script with lovely characters, great music, fun humor and awesome romance!

After rewatching "Her Private Life" multiple times, I finally decided to leave a short review highlighting why it remains one of my favourite dramas to watch over and over again.

1) Talented, gorgeous lead actors - not only are Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook are beautiful to look at, they also have the acting chops to elevate this rom-com to the next level. I cannot wait for their next movies and I wish Kim Jae Wook acted more in rom-coms.

2) Great acting all around - kudos to the casting director since everyone truly delivered!

3) Well-written script - The characters are nicely developed and being adults, actually behaved like adults. None of those childish drama that the writers usually throw in to create conflicts. Without the unnecessary drama, the show is a great stress-less option when you just want to relax and enjoy the sweetness of a non-cringey romance. Perhaps some more emotional scenes or side stories were watered down but the resolution or outcomes were still realistic and nicely played out.

4) Enjoyable music - seriously, the soundtrack is delightful! Each piece was fitting for the scene and added to the mood or emotion appropriately.

Overall, I do recommend this drama. Give it a try!

Leggi di Più

I was able to catch this in the theaters today and thought it was great.
The basic story is that Lu Ming is a guy from 1999 and Xiao Jiao is a girl from 2018. They live in the same apt, but in different timelines. Suddenly one day, that same apt from different timelines starts merging together. When XiaoJiao opens their front door, they can enter into 2018, when Lu Ming does, they can both enter into 1999. Then becomes a story of how they navigate having to be together while exploring their different timelines together. There's obviously a little more than that general synopsis, but I feel like I shouldn't spoil the story, it was much more fun and had good serious moments. The trailer does a good job of not spoiling the story, but does set the tone of the comedy of the movie.

The first thing that came to my mind after watching this movie was that it was similar to Your Name, but after sitting down to write this review, they're actually totally different movies. But their use of time travel was similar. As with all time travel movies, there are rules that are set in the movie, and sometimes they don't really make sense if you think about it too deeply. Seeing them try to abuse timetravel was very funny. Yet it doesn't distract from the movie as a whole because the characters and actors were great. They had good chemistry. It was also a lot more hilarious than I thought it would be. It may have helped that I watched it in a theater with other people, since laughter is contagious. All in all, a very solid story that made sense (since time travel movies can be confusing sometimes), and i would recommend it to anyone that likes romantic comedies with a very unique story.

Leggi di Più

How social pressure makes you do the wrong things in life...

Wow, this short does not have a review... I reluctantly write reviews for "old" series/movies but in this case I have to.

This short is an excellent example how social pressure leads to an unhappy life in Japan where it is expected to follow social conformity. And with this is brings a lot of pain and heartbreak and it's depicted in detail and nuances in everyones face.

"please be happy" and "love someone but me" are the central points in this short. Azusa (speak Az'sa) is selfish, he broke up because he wanted to show his children to his grandma. But even when his Grandma dies and he can*t fullfill her wish he is confined in his personal construct to conform. Yusuke (speak: Yus'ke) is still in love and can't move on. It culmulates when Azusa selfishly asks Yusuke to make wedding photos. And that's where we see that both are not happy.

This short is really depressing but it's also important to show it, especially considering the comments where you read that it is a thing that some people can't escape the social pressure. And it shows, that a lot of people surpress their real selves, which is really really sad. So for me, this is a recommandation. You can watch it on youtube: https://youtu.be/md47vntaqwU

Leggi di Più

A Hot Mess

This is a great drama to watch when you're in the mood for a classic cliche, trashy, garbage fire, trainwreck c-drama. Sometimes, after I watch a /really/ good drama, I have to watch a couple trash ones to bring my standards and expectations back down. This was a needed palette cleanser.

Here, every character has a room temperature IQ. Logic and reasoning are no where to be found. Not a single attempt was made to incorporate the PPL in a classy or subtle way. The subtitles are in shambles. I spent a significant amount of braincells trying to figure out if Zhang Tian Ai was wearing some sort of wig or not. It's a mess.

But I finished all 24 episodes, so I guess it's my type of mess.
And! Thanks to this drama, I get to say that Qu Chu Xiao has played both my favorite male lead, Zhang Wan Sen :'), and my least favorite male lead, Chen Yan >:(. Wonderful.

PLOT:
The story is told through Hai Tang's omniscient perspective - she's written a memoir/novel that recounts certain events in her life. Its title is "My Friend Miss Chen Bai Lu" (also this drama's native title). As such a title would suggest, the storyline here mostly focuses on Chen Bai Lu and Chen Yan. She is poor (but was once rich) and hardworking, while he's the rich playboy type. Normal stuff. Hai Tang has little narration monologues here and there, but they aren't subtitled on iQiyi so I'm not sure what kind of context they add.

I can't help but wonder if this was adapted from a webcomic or maybe a webnovel. How the scenes flow and the logic (or lack thereof) of storyline really give me this impression. The happenings in this drama are really quite divorced from reality, in that special kind of ridiculous way that you see in cheap c-webcomics/novels.
The basic "story loop" is like - misunderstanding -> fight and separate -> forgive and get back together OR fight some more -> repeat. It's Chen Yan's misunderstanding 99.9% of the time and neither of them will explain themselves properly. Many things just don't make sense - from the ways the characters react to things, to their general behavior, to every single plotline. The makjang/dog's blood levels are very high, but it gets pretty boring in the last few episodes.
There's plenty of kissing scenes though, if you like those.
The ending is.. open I guess. I suppose it's a sad one (nobody dies though...I think?), but I was kinda happy cause I really disliked Chen Yan by that point ahaha.

As far as characters go, Hai Teng is really your typical naive doormat c-drama heroine. Very kind but no backbone. She has an incredibly unbearable and shrill best friend who is an absolute crazy person and a total Karen.. is that redundant? Yang Ku An exists.
Chen Bai Lu is actually kinda refreshing; compared to Hai Tang, she's on the colder, mellower, and more mature side (relative to everyone else). For the most part, I liked her character, though she is just as dumb as the rest.
Chen Yan is a really...greasy, childish character. He's embarrassing and really pissed me off at some points (the sheer audacity this character has omg). He has some cute moments though, and his bulky old person phone amused me (idk why).

ACTING:
Acting is a solid OK from everyone, nothing too offensive aside from Zhang Tian Ai's dubbing.
I watched this because of Qu Chu Xiao. After being both emotionally victimized and impressed by his acting in Shining For One Thing, I wanted to see him in a lighter role. This was his first drama, so he is a bit green and a little uneven here. Likewise with Chen Ya An. Their acting is overall fine (some scenes are very good even), just a little green.

OST:
Bog-standard BGM stuff. Nothing noteworthy. There's just two OST tracks (I think???) and I don't remember how either of them go.

CONCLUSION:
This was a solid hate-watch. Despite the nonsense plot and the occasionally scuffed editing, this was surprisingly watchable for me (though the last couple episodes drag). I don't know how or why. I struggled to rate this because while it is very lacking on a technical level, I was pretty engaged and did have some fun watching.
Can't help but feel like the director was a bit of a perv though...

Leggi di Più

It’s really sloppy writing and directing in my opinion. I mean (you’ll see), just some things are so unrealistic it’s ridiculous. He’s about to look at marriage certificate when phone rings so he doesn’t. I mean you look at it while on phone is probably what ninety nine percent of humans would do. There’s no slow motion in opening a chinese certificate , come on. On and on he gets close to finding out just before something intercepts. I get they’re trying to build the suspense but by the second interruption, it’ll only build your bad vocabulary and brain spasms. Yes, nineteen episodes and she’s still at dodgeball full swing.

BUT, it’s not bad. As a commenter said in comments, watch with your smart cells off. It’s a sweet popcorn watch with whole kernels here and there. Leads are eye candy and seriously though, main guy really does have smoldering eyes that are too lovely to skip over. Lots of skinship that some see as aggressive. I know it’s fiction only in my sight so you can say it’s weird that I find it romantic pursuit.

So, don’t be turned off too quickly and give it a try if you’re looking for a fluffy sweet romance. If you’re serious minded and hate overloaded cliches and plot holes, it’s not for you.

Leggi di Più

Gorgeous Couple, Interesting Mystery, Cute Ending

This is a short drama (less than 4 hours total) with two gorgeous characters solving an interesting murder mystery in a detective game. The ending is cute and not cliche either (I will spoil it at the end of my review). I wish it would be subbed soon, but it seems like Tencent prioritizes subbing their romance and dynasty costume dramas over non-romance and Republican-era dramas, especially if the leading actor/actress is not popular. It will be subbed eventually, so you can enjoy it.

I would've rated it 8.5 if I completely understood the dialogue details (for me, the crime and Republican-era cultural word terminologies are rather difficult to understand).

STORY:

There is no synopsis on MDL at the moment I wrote this review. So here it is:
The Female Lead Nan Yu (Snow Kong) was originally a player in a matchmaking game to match as many couples to win the game. However, one day, because of a game glitch, she found herself in the Republic of China era, and her character is a forensic examiner. Nan Yu learned that she must solve a mysterious murder case to return to her world. Not only that, she also shared one body with the Male Lead Gao Han (Li Ge Yang), a player from another detective game, to solve the case. With different personalities and strengths/weaknesses, at first, they compete with each other to control the body. But then they work together as a team. But in the end, only one of the two can return to his/her own world.

The mystery murder case, although only one, ends up being interesting and quite complicated with several victims and several suspects, it's only solved in the final episode.

CHARACTER:

First, I thought that Nan Yu was a ditzy Female Lead when she played in the matchmaking game. But she was quite calm when seeing a dead body for the first time, lol, while being guided by Gao Han to do the autopsy. Her bickering with Gao Han is cute, too. I can say Nan Yu has a high EQ while Gao Han high IQ. Smart and mature Male Lead and Female Lead.

VISUAL:

With gorgeous Republican-era costumes, Snow Kong and Li Ge Yang really look good-looking together. Their visual is the reason for me to keep watching the drama. The costumes, props, and sets look well done considering this is a short-length series with a lower budget than mainstream dramas.

OST:

The ending theme is nice and catchy titled "Starlight Is In Your Hand" (星光在你手上) by Ye Xuan Qing (叶炫清)

SOME SPOILERS AND THE ENDING (Scroll down below if you're curious)















- The alternative title "Twins Detective" doesn't mean Nan Yu and Gao Han are twin siblings, but two people share one body.
- At first, Nan Yu and Gao Han share one body, but then Gao Han breaks the game system to enter the game with his own body. Thus, they become a detective couple.
- There is a slight romance blossoming between Nan Yu and Gao Han later in the drama. Cute, but doesn't take over the mystery plot.
- There is a SML (Second Male Lead) but he is a nice one. Unlike tropey jealous SMLs common in romance dramas, who are good first and then turn bad.
- Ending (scroll below):









A cute happy ending. In the beginning, since they shared one body, only one can return to his/her own world. Gao Han hacked the game system to enter the game. He also used a lot of his game energy to save Nan Yu's life. The game designer said only Nan Yu could return to her own world. He needed a lot of time to fix the game because Gao Han hacked the system. Since Nan Yu doesn't want to separate from Gao Han, they end up staying in the current Republican-era world while the designer fixes the game, and they open a detective agency together with homophone (same sound different meaning) of their combo names Yugao (that literally means "fish cake") Detective Agency. SML gave them a congratulatory gift, an item similar to the thing that they investigated before, lol!

Leggi di Più

A simple fun show about a family

I came into the show, knowing that it would be a silly little slice of life family drama with the added element of a spy thriller -and that is exactly what I got. I see that the other reviews have called the character interaction is a bit cringe and silly, but that is precisely what I liked about the show. I didn’t go into expecting the most amazing acting and writing, but I still enjoyed what I got. I actually quite liked the spy stuff and in particular I thought the actress for Ms Oh was amazing! I also wanted to appreciate how they handled the foreigners and the many languages spoken! Often I find in kdramas that foreigners are always handled a bit odd especially when you can tell they’re white but you can tell they speak Korean better than they can speak English but I didn’t get that here! Personally I loved the backstory between the husband and wife, and even though I thought the child was a tad annoying at times, I still thought she was adorable and I laughed at her storyline. The only aspect of the show I didn’t care about was the Grandfathers storyline especially since it didn’t have a pay off. Oh and warning it does end on somewhat of a cliffhanger but even if it doesn’t get a season two idk it’s such a small thing that I can pretend it didn’t happen 😌

Leggi di Più

The Scent was a really good movie. I'll start off by saying that, if you're someone that is normally concerned with how movies end (like me), don't worry with this one.

I didn't think I'd enjoy this movie as much as I did. I'm not usually a fan of movies with darker themes. This one, though, I really enjoyed. It wasn't too dark, but it certainly wasn't a lighthearted romp. Although comedy is listed under the genres, it's not all THAT funny. It has its moments. Some catch you off guard and may seem out of place while others break up the heaviness of the mood. They're there, but not overly frequent.

This movie isn't for kids. Or, if you're a kid and want to watch it, make sure you wear headphones and your parents don't walk in. There is nudity and there is sex. Each sex scene appropriately conveyed the feelings behind it. Passion and emotions drove one scene while crudeness and vileness drove others.

I would've given the movie a 9 overall, but throughout the movie, the main character annoyed me with the choices he made. I thought he was an idiot. Then again, without his choices there would be no story.

I think it's the mark of a good story when you find yourself, at times, cheering against the good guys, rooting for the bad guys, and having no sympathy for the deceased. The story, overall, isn't mind-blowing. There was also nothing too surprising, but it kept me intrigued.

I thought the acting was really good. I've never been a fan of Park Si Yeon, but her character was my favorite in this movie. Gi-Poong was a delightful addition to the movie. He provided some of the humor. Plus, I'm just a fan of Lee Kwang Soo. And, although the main character annoyed me, I was still rooting for him.

I don't remember music which is why I gave it a 5. I'm sure it was there somewhere, I just can't recall it.

I gave the re-watch value a six because I think I may eventually re-watch, but I'm not sure at the moment.

Leggi di Più

I'm a big fan of Family Dramas, and I have to said that I really like this drama. Even though this drama is not one of the best family drama I had watched, I highly recommended. For me, I feel like the drama was a bit slow in the beginning and rush toward the end, but to even it out, the story line was really good in my point view. Yes, the story line is simple/light and not that dramatic like how other "korean dramas", but there are some funny, cute, and sad moments that I love.

SPOILER: The only downside I have for this drama is there was no (romance*) between Moon Sik and Park Hyun Ha :(((

Leggi di Più

Having seen most of Bai Bai He's films (notably "A Wedding Invitation" and "Love is Not Blind"), I had expected a decent movie. Bai Bai He takes on another role as a sick person, similar to "A Wedding Invitation". She draws you in with her bubbly attitude at the beginning, only to suck you dry (of tears) at the end. Want to watch a movie that will drive you to tears at the end? This is the one you want to stick with throughout.
There were loopholes, like how some supporting characters were just pushed off the screen without much of a excuse. But without paying too much attention to these small details and just focus on the big picture, the story can be romantically heart-wrenching. It's almost like an adaptation of "A Wedding Invitation", which stars Bai Bai He and Eddie Peng. The story lines are very similar. The cast are both just as wonderful. Joseph Chang challenges the role of a man who very much loves his wife (ex-wife, etc) and tries to yield to her every demand. I can never get bored of Bai Bai He because she is simply amazing with her roles, always challenging the opposite sex with her prowess. This was a well directed film.

Leggi di Più

Great plot, average execution

What I like.
This drama has a great and convincing plot. I was not expecting the plotwist and it was a great surprise. Initially, I thought it was a cliche story about enemies turned lover however there is more to this story than that. It would be a great opportunity if the plot also evolved more around this but the drama focuses more on the romance so it kind-a fell flat.

What I don't like.
The acting and storyline does not live up to expectation. There are so many ways they can approach this movie but they choose to drag the romancy stuff. The banter couple plot was overused and it seemed redundant. If you need a good laugh on how cringy a drama can get, you can start with this one.

Verdict,
Its good entertainment if you have 90 minutes to spare.

Leggi di Più