Story: Still can't believe it was based on a real incident, just amazing, a miracle.
Cast: The cast was amazing, each and every one of them represented their character to the best ability. You could feel the emotion and feelings of the characters even over the screen. I watched the movie with a rollercoaster of emotions and even cried in the end.
Music: Intense background music which fit perfectly with the scenes.
Rewatch Value: 10 I really enjoyed this movie and would probably rewatch it again at some point, it is not too long which is perfect to watch when you're bored and don't want to start a whole drama series.
Overall I recommend that you watch this movie and get to know about the actual incident. (Sichuan Airlines 3U-8633 Incident)
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Most criticize the story line for the movie, and yes if you have seen the anime it is a watered down version of the original story. Look people they have to sell it to a general audience, so of course instead of seeing an awesome neon color, you are getting pastels. The ending was changed, parts are left out and a lot of it felt rushed. The characters are a watered down version from the original story as well, which kind of made me upset but I understand I guess. Miwako is not as colorful and child-like, Arashi is not as punk rockish or ecchi, and Isabella really looks like a dude playing a woman. They did get George's suave essence, but they missed how much of a jerk he was. Well I understand that you have to sell it, so it was ok.
They did leave out characters and story lines, so the story centered on George and Yukari, and her dreams which is cool, I would have wanted to see Miwako's sister though.
The only parts I really didn't like was the fashion (Where did they go to get all the clothes in the movie the 1980s?) and Yukari's model poses (she literally uses all the same ones!). Other than those, I loved seeing another interpretation of a great story that never quite felt completed. I loved the ending and seeing that many cute guys didn't hurt either.
p.s. Keiko can NOT cry. it was awful.
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STORY
Easily the weakest aspect of this show, the plot revolves around a perfect and adorable angel named Lee So Young, played by Jang Na Ra, and a sweet-but-dorky man named Choi Jin Wook, played by Daniel Choi, as they attempt to be normal nice people in a sea of selfish morons in the fashion industry. While these two start off their relationship like a cat and dog, they eventually grow closer to each other through your typical dramatic happenstance. While there are a handful of other likable and interesting characters, where the Story really struggles is with its villains, their motivations, the pacing, and the supporting characters.
The villains here are horrible, and not really in a good way. There's no dancing around it. They are evil just to be evil. If they had mustaches, they would twirl them in every single scene they're in. There's no deep exploration of the villain's motivations. In fact, the following is a paraphrase of a conversation with the villain toward the end of the show:
Good guy: "Why did you do all those horrible things?"
Villain: "I wanted to."
Good guy: "That's it?"
Villain: "Yep."
So expect to be furious and frustrated with all of the scheming going on in this story, especially when it's directed toward Lee So Young. While shallow villains can work, there need to be truly good characters there to balance it out and give the audience a break from the villainy. Unfortunately, this show's truly good and unselfish characters can be counted on one hand. Almost everyone does something stupid and/or mean at some point. And to make things worse, Lee So Young is constantly scolded, humiliated, and punished at every turn while the villains simply do not face any consequences for their actions whatsoever. While I can tell you that the payoff is nice, getting there is an exercise in self-control.
But the Story isn't all bad. Far from it. Enter: Ji Seung Il, played by Ryu Jin. His character absolutely shines here, and you could argue that his is the most interesting character to follow, since he exhibits some of the most growth. His character becomes embroiled in one of the most effective and interesting love triangles I have seen in kdrama. Even though you'll root for the OTP, you WILL be conflicted every time Ryu Jin is onscreen.
Cliché-wise, you'll also have a little bit of Noble Idiocy to torture you toward the climax of the show, but it won't come in a way you would expect. It's interesting and will keep you hooked.
But really what the story comes down to is two insanely adorable people growing into one of the most insanely adorable couples you're likely to see on television. If you like cute romance, ignore everything I typed above and make this your next drama.
ACTING/CAST
Believe all of the comments you've read about this show being worth watching just because of Jang Na Ra and Daniel Choi. Believe all of the hype. These two are not only precious together, they're hilarious. Daniel Choi brings a sense of humor and a childlike charm to the leading man role that I have never seen in a drama before. He is legitimately funny. Jang Na Ra, of course, exhibits everything that has made her famous: those emotional eyes, that sense of vulnerability, that unique face. You'll get all of it in spades. No Jang Na Ra fan should miss her performance here.
The rest of the cast works, although I insist that Kim Min Seo simply gets repeatedly miscast, as she is here. Ryu Jin is awesome, despite not needing to do much with the role. Ahn Seo Hyun will grow on you quickly. Kim Mi Kyung is a gravitational force all her own. And you'll really enjoy Hyeon Yong and Yoo Tae Woong, too.
MUSIC
Really, the music here is largely good enough to receive at least a 9/10. As with any good vocal tracks, you'll find yourself humming along to a lot of the songs, or singing them out loud to yourself at times while inventing your own lyrics. They're quite good. Not only that, but the incidental music stood out as well. Rather than being "mood noise", the incidental music had distinction and personality.
Special credit goes to Jang Na Ra for singing more than one of the songs on this OST. She actually sings a song in character in Episode 8 and it's one of the best scenes in the show. Obviously Na Ra herself has a lot to do with that, but the song stands on it's own merits. It's lovely and adorable and you'll want to hear it again and again. Although I can't link you to any of the exceptional incidental themes, a few of them will have you bobbing your head and feeling warm just at the sound of them.
However, I ended up docking BFB a half point here because some of the incidental music was misused. There were a handful of scenes where basically nothing of consequence happened, but the music was overly dramatic. Took me out of the moment. This was rare, though.
REWATCH VALUE
This is definitely the kind of drama that bears rewatching. When all you want to do is feel warm and fuzzy and see cuteness again, Baby-Faced Beauty has you covered. Whether it's going back to an early episode and seeing So Young and Jin Wook fighting comically or rewatching how they slowly become close, none of it is boring. The terrible villains and wildly overdone plot devices hurt it here, but ultimately there's going to be plenty here that you wouldn't mind seeing twice.
BOTTOM LINE
Baby-Faced Beauty gets an 8/10 from me, and 6 of those 8 points are for Jang Na Ra and Daniel Choi. For any fan of either, this is a must watch. For rom-com fans, this is a must watch. For anyone else, there's honestly not a lot here for you.
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So many outstanding characters portrayed as well as so many to hate.
I had two favorite characters throughout and will miss them now that it is over.
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This review may contain spoilers
This review contains spoilersI liked the premise and idea behind the whole story, but there seems to be many off-putting elements.
First, the main character isn't someone you can relate to - he is associated with a side plot about his parents'death that does not lead anywhere important. "This guy is accused of killing is parents. He is the main character." is all there is to his personality.
Secondly, the plot is bland and boring i.e. uninteresting. Furthermore, some parts (of the plot) are not grounded in reality. Too many over-the-top explanations exist that lead nowhere (see first paragraph again). The kidnapped situation is explained as an experiment, and apparently the werewolf characters are the way they are because of a virus; a virus that is sprinkled on the story in a 'matter-of-fact' manner. Also, the building that they are in is sealed off by 'lasers'.
At one point we (the audience) even saw the main characters put on headphones and get video input by closing their eyes.
The "werewolf" is/are also not well placed within the story. How the chosen "werewolf" managed to kill off the required one-per-night without getting by blood on (spoiler) his clothes is beyond any logical reason.
Overall, an okay movie. Did I like the premise? Yes. Would I recommend to my friends? No. Will watch it again? Please. Don't make me.
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This review may contain spoilers
"You live, I'll live. You die, I'll die."
The Lady Hermit is a rarity in the kung fu world. Its two main characters are both female fighters. In this movie, Cheng Pei Pei, much like she did in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", has to train a headstrong younger female. And also a rarity, even though Lo Lieh was a good guy and training with the two women, it was the women who faced down the Big Bad in the finale instead of leaving it to a man to handle. The main character throughout is actually the one in the title.This is a dream casting for me. I loved the chemistry between Cheng Pei Pei and Lo Lieh in 1968's Golden Sparrow. They still had a good chemistry in this one. Leng Yu Shuang, aka The Lady Hermit, has been recuperating in hiding after nearly dying from the wounds inflicted by The Black Demon (Wang Hsieh) three years earlier. She and Chang Chun have a friendly relationship but he clearly wants something more from the maid at the escort service. Along comes a hot-headed martial artist with a whip, Cui Ping (Shih Szu) who's looking to make a name for herself and also wants the legendary Lady Hermit to train her. The Lady Hermit has to rescue Cui when she ends up surrounded by a sea of sword carrying bad guys. The Black Demon likely had to put a help wanted sign out after Leng finished with them. Cui's actions lead to Leng's whereabouts being known and the two women go on the run. Leng relents and trains Cui and later Chang when he shows up. When Cui sees a close moment between Leng and Chang she storms off in a jealous fit to take on the Black Demon herself. Fortunately for her, Leng and Chang follow her as there are enough baddies for everyone to take on, in the race to reach the Black Demon's lair and the evil martial artist with the ugliest of rodent fingernails.
The Lady Hermit took its time developing the relationships between the three main characters. And though it's said there was a love triangle Chang only had eyes for Leng. Cheng Pei Pei had an intense and graceful charisma as the noble warrior for justice. Her expressive face draws you into her story and makes you believe her. At the ripe old age of twenty-five, Pei Pei was near the end of her tenure with Shaw Brothers, Shih Szu at eighteen was just rising in the ranks. Shih's performance depended on a lot of pouting which could wear thin at times. Lo Lieh was striking in one of his good guy roles before being relegated to villains. It wasn't often he played the romantic lead and was able to utter lines like, "You live, I'll live. You die, I'll die." Wang Hsieh as the Big Bad had little to do until the end when he had to wag his nasty fingernails and battle his fierce feminine rivals.
Though most of the fights were sword-fights or with a whip, people died in a variety of gruesome ways. When Lady Hermit said she wanted an arm, a leg, and a head, she was being literal. Objects like plates and chopsticks became imbedded in people's heads. You'll think about bamboo skewers differently after watching this as well. For 1971, the fights were decently fluid and dynamic.
The sets were top quality for SB, both on the sound stage and outdoor sets. Some SB movies had what were obviously disposable sets suitable for throwing opponents through, these sets were more substantial. A rope bridge was a nice touch especially when you knew someone was going to cut it. The dummies falling into the river below though obvious added depth to the scene. If the falling dummies added depth, a tall temple that had to be climbed added height. Some costumes were better than others. No gold or silver lamé, but the upper tier minions wore badly ornate gold headbands.
The Lady Hermit took the time to develop the three main characters enough for you to care about them and though there was a love interest, it wasn't the focal point of this movie. Like her male counterparts, The Lady Hermit was a lone warrior who liked to be alone. If you are a fan of old martial arts films this is definitely one to try. I enjoyed this film, as much for the chemistry between the characters as for the fighting and in these old films that is almost as rare as a female warrior who is able to fight her own battles and doesn't die a bitter death at the end for breaking with tradition.
3/7/23
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Best Republican Era Bromance and Crime fight drama
This drama is so Addictive and Underrated Bromance dramaIt's official channel on youtube didn't care much to promote it properly and it aired the same time as word of Honor drama with it's promotions and Multi lingual subbing ,,, it was foreshadowed by Word of Honor's popularity
they are Both amazing don't get me wrong but this drama really didn't get the same attention and fame and it really is a hidden gem
The drama has amazing cast that did an amazing performance
the two male leads are equally handsome and equally interesting in characters
you wouldn't notice that the first male lead the policeman is ten years older than his friend the doctor in real life
they looked the same age in the drama
the younger actor YBC is brilliant portraying his role with so much affection .intelligence and respect to his older colleague
also Mao Zi gin is a veteran actor who is brilliant portraying a psychologically hurt Cop whose actions sometimes extreme and unpredictable but cares so much about his city , duty and his best friend
Their Bromance or friendship is so strong that even when one hurt the other ,, the other one forgive him and understand his reasons without doubt
You will be shocked at the second half of the drama of how fast based it is and How the events rapidly went to extreme level of anxiety and destress to all the characters
It doesn't have one dull moment also it doesn't only revolves around the two male leads ,, it has another two with their own story that was unique as well and of course the supporting cast to complete the story really well
I highly recommend this drama if you want an exciting story with a lot of ups and downs and amazing Bromance and one of the most amazing friendship too much that it hurts
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Simple but interesting
It was a different series. It was more interesting than its counterparts. The mutation was not depicted as disgusting to humans, animals or creatures. It is made simpler and plainer without increasing the level of fear. A different fiction was tried, I liked the series as it was. Of course, I don't know if the development of events has anything to do with reality. However, some of the events such as changing shape, going to another dimension, or poisoning may occur due to radiation or another substance emitted by a meteorite. Some of it may be imaginary. That's how I evaluated it. I found it different and interesting. I liked it too.The actors were good too. I especially liked the performances of Huang Xiuan and Wu Yue. They suit the series and the characters attributed to them. I liked the child actors. A big Well done to them from me. Sandrina Pinna, on the other hand, was really a stranger to the series. A foreign actor was also a foreigner in the series. She was also a stranger to the series. I also liked the other character actors. It is recommended for those who want to watch a simple and different mutation series without expecting too much.
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Story : Was forced most of the times but the relationship between the children and the uncles/nephew was fun to watch. I couldn't understand Jae Young's stubbornness and actions and compared to her mother, I actually gave the last more credit. It's strange to say this but for me Pal Kang remained useless from beginning to end. My favourite character was of course Kang Ha who was very complex and offered great scenes. The sibling rivalry was well portrayed and intense.
Acting/cast : I felt that everyone played their roles well. I can't give it a 10 because there were a few flaws, not worth mentioning but still..Also this series lacked chemistry from the main actors, maybe I would've loved the series more if I saw some sparks flying.
Music : So many songs played in this series, a mix of global music. Older, newer, Korean, American, European..all good music.
Rewatch value : To be sincere, I don't plan on rewatching the entire series, maybe just the funny scenes.
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...
No one will give you the tune of despair like Jang Hyuk does. If you're expecting a father-daughter focused drama then don't even bother because that was less than 5% of the drama. Even the sport theme felt secondary. There need to be a supernatural tag/genre instead of adventure. It's about an evil pharmaceutical company making a drug that gives superpowers. Not even Jang Hyuk heavy lifting the entire drama on his back could've saved it. I wish this was only family/boxing themed, it would've been great.Was this review helpful to you?
Nothing memorable
I don't even know how to start this...Genuinely, I have no idea what the hell I just watched. There was barely a functioning plot, and a lot of the writing seemed like a half-assed attempt at depth. The actors were alright, but I hardly saw any chemistry between them so a lot of their scenes felt awkward to me. There have been other short series that I've watched and though the time restraints are there as far as for the storytelling, this one was just overall hard to connect to.
The story dragged out too much and when finally some things got "revealed" it turned out to be a very "Oh, that's it?" kind of moment for me. The only plus is that the episodes are short so I didn't have to spend too long watching this.
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Not Good Enough
Korean Drama " Crash Course in Romance " is a family drama with rom com vibes and some mystery to boot.The drama has an intense family story, with the dynamics between the family members being the center of the story. The relationship between mother and daughter was probably the best one of the drama actually.
The mystery case, in addition, offered some suspense to the plot and a few thrilling moments, when it got darker and more action forward. The game of guessing who was the one behind the murders was what kept things fresh for a while as well.
However, the romance was a let down. The leads didn't sell their chemistry and their romantic, sweet moments were too few to support a solid love story. In addition, they used many cliches, thus the story was predictable.
Finally, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.
So, overall, four out of ten.
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A MUST to your list!
❤️❤️❤️Still debating if you wanna watch this or not??? I feel you.... BUT after giving this movie a chance, I've never been so happy. Aside from watching versatile actors come together in a big screen, I was able to watch my favorite young actor- Yeo Jin-goo!Story- Wow!!!! It's dark, as it is supposed to be. He's a child kidnapped and raised by a bunch of killers and was able to adapt their skills in the process while growing up. He was betrayed by his own "family" and learned the truth and retaliates. From being an innocent child he turned into a monster overnight. Painful to watched as he slowly transform into their walking nightmare.
Acting/Casts- I have high expectations since all the veteran actors are together in this film, Yeo Jin-goo who's just 16 during this film /movie slayed his role. No wonder he gains the respect/recognition of his co-actors which is by the way the creme dela creme of kdrama world. He was a minor when they shoot this film, so when they were screening this movie he was asked to wait outside, he waited outside while eating hotdog. lmao. The veteran actors were skeptic at first since he was so young, they're worried if he can deliver the role well, since the story and his part is too dark. Surprise, surprise!!!! Yeo Jin-goo eventhough he's young, is considered as a veteran since he's been acting since he's 8. His co-actors said that all his scripts are clean, no notes or whatsoever, it means that he just read them, immersed himself to the role and BAM! He's youngest winner of Blue Dragon Film Awards... NEED I SAY MORE?❤️❤️❤️
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This review may contain spoilers
Only 12% Is Good
I came upon this drama by seeing a snippet of it posted on Instagram. That scene is arguably the sweetest and best part of the whole drama, the rest is a slow, repetitive slog that even the acting skills of Earth and Santa can't quite redeem. The story itself isn't bad despite the fact that it's entirely predictable. I wanted to like it and there were certainly aspects that I did like, but as a whole it just failed to engage. The lack of character development, the excessive crying, the slow pacing, and repetition, coupled with the final episodes being overly preachy and moving away from the romance of the rest of the drama resulted in a less than stellar product.Like I said, the story itself isn't bad even though it is predictable. The problem comes from the slow pacing and repetition. The first couple episodes were more of a slow burn that I didn't mind so much because characters and the background were still being established. But once that was established, it became frustrating that it felt like very little was happening or progressing a lot of the time. The repetition was throughout. Eiw would feel hurt because of something Cake did or feel neglected and would sulk until they finally made up or, mostly after the time jump, vice versa. Despite the pair constantly talking about how they'd known each other since they were babies and how much they cared about each other, their communication absolutely sucked and I didn't feel that was ever really addressed or resolved.
Another detractor was the constant water works from Eiw. I don't think there was a single episode where he didn't cry at least once and he spent the vast majority of the final two episodes in tears. On the one hand, kudos to Earth because that had to be exhausting, I hope they kept him well hydrated with the amount of water he was losing, and for the most he was believable, but it was another aspect that was very repetitive. I was truly hoping after the time jump and the changes that he made to himself, there would be less crying, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
The character development felt like it was lacking despite the number of years that go by. Yes, Eiw does make a change and come out of his shell and learn to socialize, but it feels superficial. Ultimately, he and Cake are still wrapped in their own little world where very little has changed. Even Cake coming out and saying that he would be gay with Eiw felt shallow. Maybe part of it is that while Eiw's feelings for Cake were developed and explored which was an aspect that I overall liked and felt was well done, we get none of that with Cake. He just comes back after 4 years and suddenly his love for Eiw has transformed from that of a brother to romantic. It felt far too abrupt and without reason. I wanted to see how Cake came to the realization that he loved Eiw romantically. The other characters felt equally stagnant. Again, despite the passing years, it didn't feel like there was much, if any, difference between them as high school and university students. Any changes were communicated verbally, not by actions.
The last two episodes were the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. We suddenly move from focusing on the romance between Eiw and Cake to Eiw's mom is dying and we're going on an anti-smoking campaign. It felt disjointed and like it didn't fit with the rest of the story. The vast majority of these final two episodes are spent with everyone crying, people constantly saying that his mom is going to be fine which was obviously a lie, Eiw blaming himself which while on the one hand was realistic to an extent, was again repetitive because we've gotten this from him several times previously. Not everything bad that happens is your fault, hon. But he's bound and determined to make it his fault. And then there's the anti-smoking PSA which just felt awkward and out of place. The doctor's explanation that the fact their father smoked was the cause of their mother's cancer was complete and total BS. Yes, third hand smoke is a real issue, but to so definitively say that was the cause of cancer was ridiculous. And then Eiw talks about how he asked his dad at every festival and holiday to stop smoking which I didn't find believable. I don't know many kids who would have enough of an understanding of the dangers of smoking to do something like that. Maybe once they were older, but I got the impression he'd been doing that since he was a little kid. Also, that's why he was mad at his dad? Not for abandoning their family which is also never explained why he did so, not for apparently failing to maintain contact, but because he smoked. That didn't seem realistic to me. And then there's the ending with Cake's friends suddenly deciding to throw out their packs of cigarettes and we're treated to a close up of them in the trash. None of it felt very cohesive with the rest of the story.
In terms of the characters themselves, I found them all to be a bit underwhelming. While I liked Cake for the most part, I found Eiw to be annoying and boring much of the time. Cake was much more nuanced with his emotions and reactions to things. He was interesting to watch. Eiw though spent 90% of the drama whining, crying and nagging. There was definitely an element of what on earth does Cake see in him. He got better after the time jump once he had more confidence, but the character was never my favorite. The other characters just kind of felt like they were there most of the time. The romance between Hom and Peak was lackluster and not believable to me. He stays hooked on this girl that he met a handful of times and doesn't really know for years? Also, timing, sir. His decision to pull her aside to talk about their relationship, or lack thereof, and ask her for another chance while her mother was dying was incredibly cringe inducing to watch.
The acting was a mixed bag. I liked Santa as Cake. For this being only his second drama in a main role, he did really well. He managed to convey a lot of emotion with just his eyes, but was equally good using facial expressions and body language. His acting made Cake the most interesting character to watch. Earth, Earth, Earth. He's a good actor, I know he is from other dramas I've seen him in, but I feel like he was so underutilized in this drama. His ability to realistically cry is impressive. Despite the amount of crying that he had to do in this drama, it rarely felt forced or fake. But he can do more than that, and I don't feel like he was really given a chance to shine. He was pigeonholed into this role of being weak, naggy, and overemotional and his character wasn't really allowed to develop beyond that. Prem was good as Eiw's older brother, Pao. Despite being a year younger than Earth, he was realistic as an older brother and I really liked him in a more mature role. I think this is actually my favorite role he's played.
The production was overall pretty good. I liked the way the changing technology was used to help show the passage of time. The cinematography was pretty good. There were a handful of shots that I really liked and the rest was decent. I can't say much for the music because I didn't notice it all that much, which can be seen as a positive since it wasn't distracting.
I didn't hate this drama, but I also didn't love it. Frankly, I found it to be pretty forgettable. It has some good moments, some sweet scenes, but I ultimately just found it to be lacking in almost every respect. Is it worth watching? Meh. You're not missing out if you choose not to watch it. Honestly, if you want to see the best part, just Google Cake's love confession from episode 12. It is truly the highlight of the drama, in my opinion, and one of the best confession scenes I've ever seen in a BL. Otherwise, the rest really isn't worth the time or effort to stay invested.
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i could just stare all day. ok back to the show. the acting was just ok i love go so ra coz i first saw her in i need romance and she was so cute. i dont mind the busan accent. for bok ja/yoom tae hee, they say u can take the woman out of the streets but u cant take the streets out of the woman, well this is exactly wot happened to her. for tae sang's wife, i loved her performance on 49 days coz of her big round eyes with really dark pupils, she just did ok in this show. the uncles were hilarious but the dad was just perfect. this 50 yr old man acting like a 6yr old was just awsome. anyway this is just one of those reg. dramas only theres a really really hot guy that u dont even care for the story
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