Reviews

"The best fights are the ones we avoid"

How you feel about The Karate Kid remake may largely depend on how old you were when you first watched it and how old you were when you watched the original. Despite the title, in the remake they practiced kung fu, not karate, and Xiao Dre was quite a bit younger than Daniel-san had been. Other than those elements and the Chinese travelogue inserted, the basic storyline was the same.

Twelve-year-old Dre has to leave everything behind when his mom is transferred to Beijing, China. While his mom looks at it as an opportunity, Dre feels left adrift. On his first day in his new home, he runs afoul of the local kung fu bullies and is beaten. He also meets sweet Mei Ying who is a classmate and violinist. After the maintenance man saves him during a vicious beating, the story is set up for Mr. Han to train Dre in kung fu.

Jaden Smith’s size made him a perfect target for bullies and it was easy to see why Dre would be afraid of Cheng and the pack he ran with. The Kick Them in the Dragon Balls School of Kung Fu mantra of “No Weakness! No Pain! No Mercy!” didn’t leave a lot of room for negotiation, especially with its abusive and sadistic master. Taraji P. Henson was gorgeous and tenacious as the over-protective mom. Jackie Chan gave a subdued performance as the mentor, Mr. Han. He only had one fight and it was with the prepubescent bullies. The kids who played Cheng and Mei Ying were adequate.

The cinematography and scenery were beautiful. There were trips to the Forbidden City, a kung fu monastery on a mountaintop, and training on the Great Wall of China. I suspect the last one is a big no-no in real life. The strange new home upped the ante on the fish out of water trope, especially when Dre didn’t speak any Mandarin. The travelogue elements while stunning, also hampered the movie as the pace was already doggedly slow. No kung fu movie needs to be 2 ½ hours long. There was also the change to the kids’ ages that I found troubling. In the original, Daniel, Ali, and Johnny, were on the verge of becoming adults. They were high schoolers where the romance seemed more natural and the fighting more acceptable. In the 2010 Karate Kid, these were 12-year-olds beating each other senseless. No wonder Mei Ying’s parents didn’t want her seeing Dre.

The original film wasn’t great but it was a touchstone for kids during that simpler time period just as this one may have been for its generation. Both Karate Kids showed that there are jerks and good people everywhere. Xiao Dre learned to show respect for his mom, his sifu, his new home, and himself. He also discovered that success required focus and dedication. The 2010 film was a fine addition to the Karate Kid family, if only they’d changed the name to correctly reflect the skill being taught. RIP Mr. Miyagi. No one can take your place in my heart.

8 March 2024

Read More

First review! I love this drama! It is my go to drama. I really wish the Korean version, Playful Kiss, had a second season. As a continuation of ISWAT, we get to explore Zhi Shu and Xiang Qin's marriage. Xiang Qin is her typical headstrong Zhi Shu minded self, but begins to find a path toward a career. Where Xiang Qin is making head way with her major, Zhi Shu is making strides in his emotional development. This is a big part of the appeal of the second season. Zhi Shu has learned how to express himself more toward Xiang Qin.

Old characters from season one are here, but new ones are also introduced. What would the series be without A-jin or Yu Shu? Mrs. Jiang isn't the normal mother, who is crazy about status, but supports her daughter in law fully. It is a refreshing changed from the usual mother in law drama. Xiang Qin's new friends add comedy to her antics.

The writers did a great job of advancing both characters. Their relationship has the obstacles, but in true romance fashion, their love conquers all. This series is light, fun, and a wonderful way to spend your weekend.

Read More

Game over... Best short drama during the first three weeks of 2024

If you go to this drama thinking that it will be like other death game series, such as Squid Game and Night Has Come, then you are wrong, and you will not find what you expect if you are a fan of this genre. However, this show will attract you because it stays in the genre of games with many genres mixed together in a perfect way, it is a mixture of school drama that sharpens its plot with bullying scenes intersected in the style of a drama (2019's Class of Lies) and follows the atmosphere and direction of 2023 Bitch X Rich and Weak. Hero Class 2022.
But the basic premise of this game is out of the ordinary and does not place itself in those dramatic circles because of its depth, and each episode contains a new discovery and battles of intelligence provoked by some games for social survival that quickly escalate into an intense psychological war.

It is a 10-hour lesson for all bullies and bystanders that looks at the hierarchy of societies in a school setting as a microcosm, noting in this triangle that exists in all societies that it is the provocation of the upper classes that creates class conflict, and the existence of bullying between classes is nothing but a reflection of slavery.
I also appreciate the way they cast a ray of hope. Not only is it a dark or painful story, but its poignancy is softened as camaraderie blossoms between the girls, meaning “friendships can be made that transcend the boundaries of class and status.”

Aside from the content, the best thing about this drama is the cast. Every actress was amazing and every character made it exciting and unpredictable. Although there are many, each one contributes to advancing the plot and raising the level of tension by depicting the nature of the relationships between them. It keeps viewers guessing not only how the game will be destroyed but also the nature, background and behavior of each one.
The music is also one of the drama's best points and the OST in particular is great, making every moment intense as if sending the message, "A dangerous battle of wits will take place."
Summary of the statement...
The drama (Pyramid Game) is wonderful and entertaining from beginning to end. It was a tightly directed story whose facts and characters were unpredictable and ended satisfactorily. It was also characterized by an ideal crew and excellent acting with a perfect rhythm.
Therefore, as a high-level production, it succeeded in arousing global interest
As the only Korean content among the selections of the Series Mania 2024 festival, which is the largest event in Europe dedicated to TV series to recognize the best works.
Therefore, add the pyramid game to your list, but do not play it in your social life. Rather, try to break it whenever you find yourself trapped in such a situation, because what is certain is that this hierarchy will remain in place as long as human society continues, and this is relatively what the conclusion represents.

Read More

Absolutely Binge worthy

Solid performance from entire cast, I was pleasantly surprised with how amazing the cinematography was the scene where cut befittingly to suit the storyline. Although it may not look like the two are suited the level of chemistry that developed between the lead characters was amazing they invoked great passion, desire and sadness at the prefect time. Personally feel that it’s worthy of being right up there with the greats deserving its accolades. The storyline takes you on an emotional rollercoaster all sub-stories intertwine with the main core storyline each cast member provides high level performance, leaving you in great admiration. Highly recommend and stick it out after a couple episodes you will be glued to the screen.

Read More

This is literally the first time that a slow burn really did it for me in a drama. Usually I feel like they could put people together a lot faster. Sure, that could have happened here too, but I'm not sure I would have been so in their corner otherwise. The two characters turn into a married couple completely without realizing it, piece by piece, and I was totally here for it.

Our hero is not an alpha, and I love alphas. That being said, our dear hero isn't a pushover either. And as competent as our heroine was in the office, at home she was a complete disaster, which I appreciated. They really shined in their respective roles as boss/employee and then flipped with housekeeper/housekept (is that a word? It should be).

That being said, there were parts that kept this from being perfect. I wasn't a fan of the secondary couples' screen time. There's a problem that gets resolved a little too handily, in my opinion, but overall? You will not regret watching.

Read More

Bride for Rent drags out a number of tropes and scatters them about the drama. If you don’t look too deeply it’s a sweet romcom. Dig a little deeper and it unearths one of the more dangerous romantic tropes.

Rocco is turning 25 and under the impression he will receive his trust from his grandmother. He’s a jerk to the women he dates and dictatorial to his buddies whom he has gone into business with. Grandma has been watching and throws a marriage clause into the trust. Regardless of the money he will come into none of his ex-girlfriends will marry him because of the way he had treated them. Along comes impoverished actress Rocky and he hires her to pretend to be married to him.

There’s a reason Rocky doesn’t make much money acting, she’s simply not very good. I’m not sure if that was in the script or a flaw on the real actress’ part. Grandma insists on a church wedding and Rocky balks. Grandma takes her aside and tells her it will be a fake church wedding but she needs Rocco to grow up and learn to love and trust again and be kind again and Rocky is just the person to teach him. At this point the forced cohabitation high jinks begin.

I was able to play along with the jerky playboy wanting to put one over on grandma so that he’d get his money. I had a harder time with the concept of a man being completely changed by a woman. Too many women believe that tired trope and have butted their bloody head against a wall trying to make an unkind man kind.

Most of the cast were capable enough actors with the exception of the female lead. When she was calm she was a pleasure to watch. Too often she came across like she’d had too much coffee with too much sugar and artificial colors.

As long as you don’t fall like Rocky did for the “you can fix a jerky playboy” trope and can look over her overly enthusiastic performance it’s almost watchable. Even the actor who played Rocco looked liked he would rather be somewhere else on several occasions.

12/8/22

Read More

In my opinion, this is one of the most meaningful tv shows that have aired this year because of the impactful storyline. The acting felt real and each character impacted the overall delivery of the story. There were no unnecessary distractions and the show kept close to the storyline. “The Comments” is a story about the impact of various people on Papang (played by Aye Sarunchana Apisamaimongkol), a high school student’s life ultimately leading to her death.

Although it sounds gruesome, there is no gore or explicit details about her death. This way, the audience picture it themselves without going through the pain of watching the deed happen. The story deals more with the emotional stress and depression faced by Papang rather than her end. I liked this aspect of the story that makes it more interesting and relatable. In each episode, the show deals with a different character’s impact. Although it seems very similar to the US tv show '13 Reasons Why, it is different in terms of character development and the setting, as it is set in an Asian setting.

Papang is the top student of her school. She is considered good looking, has a caring personality and is excellent in sports and academics. This is why her brother, Khan (Played by New Thitipoom Tacha-Apaikun) could not understand why she chose to commit suicide. Since he lived in Bangkok, he had no idea about his younger sister’s life at home, and even when they visited each other, she never showed signs of distress. The police shut the case after the first investigation since everyone’s alibi checked out, and the only reason they could deduce was that it was a copycat suicide committed since Papang’s idol, Gina had done the same two weeks earlier.

Although it seems like a plausible reason, Khan does not believe that his sister would do so just because of a celebrity, so he tries to investigate further. He later finds out from a male student that Papang was actually cyberbullied by a group of people on Twitter. Whenever the school Twitter account posts about Papang’s achievements, a mysterious account would heckle the post and try to worsen her reputation. Slowly many of Papang’s classmates followed in the account’s footsteps and turned against her. They hated her for being a good person and the top scorer.

The show tackles the most important issue in today's world, which is abuse in social media. That each comment has a consequence and a psychological impact. (Spoiler) It is later revealed that Papang’s best friend, Theerata (played by Film Rachanun Mahawan) was actually behind the accounts and caused her this pain due to her jealousy. Moreover, Papang’s other best friend, Nan (played by Ciize Apichaya Saejung) used Papang’s identity to catfish boys on a dating app to feel validated .

When Papang found out that those closest to her ruined her image and worsened her mental health, she turned to her favourite celebrity, Gina (Played by Jennie Panhan). Gina is a transgender stand-up comedian, who faced a lot of hatred for dating a famous celebrity. She was also cyber-bullied and treated as an outcast. Since she couldn’t handle it any longer, she held a silent Instagram Livestream before taking her life.

Papang felt hit from different sides all at once and started to shut people off. She was removed from her position as student council leader and class representative as her peers were envious and loathed her. As she did not have her friends by her side any longer, she gave up her positions voluntarily and Theerata was appointed in her place. Finally, as she returned home one day, she saw her mother with a junior’s father. Due to her mother’s affair, she had already lost respect in school, and the junior fought with her on many occasions. Her mother was seen as a mistress but that did not stop her, which only worsened her state.

Although all these reasons felt like valid ones, the real reason was that Papang felt as if it was her fault. In the last episode, Khan receives a letter from Gina's agency. It was the letter Papang left to Gina before passing away. As Khan read the note, he understood that the reason why she committed such a deed was that she felt she had caused problems to each and every character in her life. That she was the reason everyone else suffered and she was guilty.

The story ends here but the problem doesn’t. Many students go through this every year and there are stories from everywhere in the world. It's not just students, it's celebrities, adults, children and all because people don’t control what they say on social media. I would like to end my review with something I heard ‘Don’t comment on something you cannot change in the next five minutes.

Thank you for reading!

Read More

aoki and ida BEST BOYS

This was one of those dramas that you simply want to enjoy watching for the acting and cuteness and the feeling of happiness that the plot changes bring about. I absolutely enjoyed watching this and fell in love with the entire cast. every character was so precious and the cast was exactly what this drama needed. Michieda was PHENOMENAL and arguably the life of this show. Meguro Ren gave exactly what was required of him and made all his scenes with aoki look so swoon-worthy! along with stunning visuals from both the main leads, aoki's hilarious and on-point facial expressions, and the comedic timing of literally every character, this was THE perfect drama I needed to binge-watch. sometimes you just want pure fluff and humor like this and kieta hatsukoi gave EXACTLY that. my favorite character has got to be aoki, the precious precious little silly bean.

some of the things i loved about this show aside from the main leads whom i ADORE:
- HASHIMOTO!! she was an amazing friend to aoki and a cute character who was sometimes silly and all the time adorable. loved the scene where she slapped aida because he was badmouthing aoki. WE LOVE A TRUE FRIEND! Her story arc with aida was cute too.
- Ida's friend circle! That scene in episode 10 where they were celebrating ida's and aoki's relationship? wholesome. also the way ida's friend advised him? when will i get a friend a like that damn.
- the tackling of some irl situations done in the later episodes. very sensibly and smartly done. especially liked the way the different preferences of ramen were used to talk about how every preference when it comes to love is valid. very well explained.

all in all, this is def one of those dramas i will rewatch whenever i miss these characters. It's so easy to fall in love with them and their relationships with each other!

Read More

Giving it 1* because I cant give 0. Not all webtoons need to be adapted

I read the webtoon. It was okay. Not good, but not bad either..... just, okay. Then came the news of it's adaptation. Some stories translate well into live-action, some dont. This one doesn't. The basic premise of the webtoon is that an ero-mangaka (a guy who draws 18+ comics) and suffers from erectile dysfunction because of his job, starts getting hard-ons and wet dreams because of his assistant (an openly gay man who happens to be his fan).

Because this is a 15+ live-action, some things were toned down, other things were changed outright. And that didnt make sense to the story.

It also didn't help that the leads had zero chemistry and were generally uncomfortable during physical scenes, like hugging, let alone dead-fish-lip-touching, coz I can't, in all honesty, call it "kissing".

Honestly, KBL has gone the ThaiBL with quantity taking away from quality, and every tom dick and harry actor jumping onto the BL train
because it's easy to succeed, without realising that acting in BL means that they have to, at least passably, fake being in love with another man. If you are uncomfortable "acting gay", please dont accept the role.

Read More

Second half better than the first

When I first started watching Unlock My Boss, I was slightly disappointed because it wasn't as interesting as the promos made it seem. It has some comedy elements but not much. It's more of a mystery revolving around what happened to CEO Kim Sun Joo and how did he get stuck in the phone. If you can speed through the earlier parts of series at 1.25x, you'll start to really enjoy the latter half of the show. But because of the slow nature, I am not giving it more than an 8. That's the criticism, now onto the stuff I enjoyed.

Loved the male lead, Park In Sung, right from the start. He's a good guy and he certainly charms you as the series progresses. Same goes for the female lead, Jung Se Yeon. She has a tough exterior due to the nature of her work but isn't a bad person and we see that right from the beginning when she exchanges shirts with the male lead after she spills coffee on it accidentally. They make a good team. They have good chemistry too but the romance is hardly there, if at all. Mostly towards the end because rest of the time, it is too intense for anything to happen.

Then there is a 3rd character, Ma Pi, who was an interesting addition. We delve a bit into his background and his interactions with the male lead brings out a new side to him as the story progresses. He is also involved in several action sequences which were fun to watch and at times a little hard as well.

There is also a cute girl, Kim Min A, who is the young daughter of CEO Kim. Scenes involving her were sweet and tugged at your heart strings.

Of course our CEO in the phone is pretty cool too. And it's nice to see some comical moments involving him.

Coming to the main plot, I loved that our heroes were clever and their work towards the answer was bearing fruit step by step. To be real, the conspiracy was fairly obvious as you get to know the characters. But it was still enjoyable to see how the leads slowly unpack everything with limited resources. The show, unlike other kdramas, doesn't leave everything for the very end.

I loved the little things too:
- The way each episode is "unlocked".
- The integration of AI and VR tech especially Baro the robot.
- The little jokes and moments of positivity. This show is not a depressing one even though there are some sad moments.
- The interactions of every cast whether good, bad or grey really made this show a good watch.

I know a few people were upset with the way the show was ended but if we're honest with ourselves, that was the best way it could have concluded. There was no need to draw things out and we can imagine how things could have gone further. All the important aspects were shown.

If you can be a little patient with it, you'll have fun!

Read More

I loved-hated the drama. The acting especially the early epis left a lot to be desired from most of the cast. Shota was awesome as always (no I'm not being biased he really was the best actor) and he has the sexiest hair in this drama. Shota's character Noato was probably the most complex character in this drama. Although the acting could have been better the overall story saved this drama and kept me marathoning through the episodes.



This drama also gave me some insight into Japanese night life. It taught me that host clubs are like reverse escort services. Escorts go to the customers to entertain them but at host clubs the customers come to the host for the same type of entertainment and this big business and a lot of money. It is also the selling of the human body. And if the host does not know what he or she is doing it can mean a lot of trouble like the main character Ayaka-chan learns.



The lead actress Kato Rosa is gorgeous. I really was interested in every obstacle that came Ayaka-chan's way and how she was able to over come everything and keep going. The relationship between Ayaka-chan and Naoto-kun is not the typical romance story and it was part of what made this drama unique. This drama is a tragedy about triumph. It is a mature drama that probably won't appeal to some people who don't like adult themes such as violence, sexual abuse and prostition.



My main gripe as I mentioned was the acting. The horrible villainous laugh of Hojo Rina-san was too much to bear at times and the actress's acting was equally as terrible and disappointing. Most of the bad girls were just horribly played. Some parts of the story were not very believable either especially the initial interactions (epis 1 and 2) between the lead love interests but I was able to quickly put that aside to follow the rest of the story which flowed well.



This is also not a typical drama that takes place over a few weeks. this story encompasses many years of these characters lives to show the struggle they go through to achieve their ambitions. The jumps through time are done well and the characters all seem to mature and age in their looks as well as demeanor appropriately. I did not want it to end the way it did but it's kinda fitting ending to everything.

Read More

Plot:
Bosco is a Witness Protection Unit (WPU) officer assigned to protect Linda, the daughter of a rich businessman (Paul Chun). Linda has depression but she slowly opens up as she falls in love with Bosco. Paul Chun conducts business in questionable ways and has something to hide about his past. He will stop at nothing to protect this secret…

Review:
Hurrah, a new police show! Wrong. It is a family drama disguised as a police drama. I should have gotten the hint because the producer is Lau Ka Ho, aka Mr. Family Drama specialist. Now someone correct me if I’m wrong: Promotional clips showed two witnesses being killed shortly before a trial – one run over by a car and one thrown off a building. I never saw these scenes, or anything resembling it, in the entire series. False advertising? Yeah. Like I said, this is hardly a police drama. If you signed up for one, just watch the first and last five episodes and skip everything in between.

Well, at least those wishing to see romantic sparks between Bosco and Linda can rejoice? Err… First of all, they were never officially together. Second, I’m not sure if they were even that in love with each other. Linda has been isolated all her life until Bosco appears and he bears resemblance to her dead elder brother. She’s just channeling her emotions for her brother towards Bosco. As for Bosco, he didn’t have feelings for her at the beginning. I’m not sure how he realizes he loves her all of a sudden. If these two were truly in love with each other, Bosco’s struggle between love and righteousness (of bringing her father to justice) would have been much more intriguing. But here, there was never wasn’t difficulty in choosing.

So failed police show and failed romance story. What’s good? Ram Chiang was definitely a highlight. He was hilarious every time he appeared. The investigation into Paul Chun’s past was also very interesting. They should have made that part longer. Maybe more people involved, more action of him trying to kill Bosco, or even how he tries to fight off the charges instead of meekly giving in to his conscience (because the shady businessman is not supposed to be like that). Just please don’t give me more Linda crying/agonzing scenes.

Linda has been in 5 recent series, so some people complained about being tired of seeing her. Yes, especially when she is crying all the time. Seriously, she needs a different role, like evil or something, and not always playing the weak girl. Bosco makes me laugh whenever he stands politely holding his hands in front of him. It makes him look like a servant instead of a respectable police officer.

The ending… watch it yourself, I don’t want to spoil it. Don’t understand how they would let him walk away like that. And there was no reason for them to do that either.

Read More