Reviews

A soft yet healing drama

If you're looking for a drama that has beautiful shots, soothes the viewer and is perfect with a hot cup of tea or coffee whilst crocheting/knitting, then this is it. A plotline that builds bit by bit and culminates in the end in a somewhat soothing fashion. You grieve as they grieve, cry as they cry, and rejoice in the scenery and moments of courage.

I enjoyed the character development and I definitely think it is the kind of drama you watch as you do something else, with a story prominent enough to stretch over a long period of time. While it might not hook you like it didn't hook me either, there's just something about its style that makes you not want to let go of it just yet.

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A superior Bodyguard

The Bodyguard from Beijing is a bit of lively, unpretentious fun that takes Mick Jackson's The Bodyguard but replaces Kevin Costner with Jet Li and the weird musical numbers with kung fu. Corey Yuen directs with a visceral energy that wouldn't be out of place in a Wong Jing movie and although, the writing is certainly a bit on the hokey side Li's charisma as a real man's man shines through. With plenty of high-energy and varied gunfights to keep you engrossed, a solid musical score and a fantastic final fight to boot elevate what could have otherwise ended up as a rather undercooked and stale riff, yes it's rather generic but there's a heart-beating somewhere underneath its surface.

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Is The Story of Park’s Marriage a time travel or a time slip Korean drama? I love this drama.

The Story of Park’s Marriage

The Story

The Story of Park’s Marriage begins in the later Joseon era. A complicated aristocratic young woman wants to be a fashion designer, an occupation shun for Aristocrats. Her parents arrange a marriage with another Aristocrat who has an undiscovered heart condition, which can take his life at any moment, especially if he is excited by love. She falls for him immediately, but he dies on their wedding night (action which takes place in the first episode, so this is not a spoiler). Through happenstance and a convenient body of water, the female lead finds herself time traveling to modern Korea. She is immediately confronted by her lost love, who is a Deputy CEO of a company. While this story may seem pretty bleak, her experiences and reactions to the modern world of “New Joseon” Korean is wholly hilarious and gives constant fodder for laughter, as she tries desperately to reclaim her lost love.

The Story of Park’s Marriage is well written. It is one of the most intricate meshing of what happened in the past with what is happening in the present. Like a top designer’s intricate threading of a garment, the scenes of the past are so tightly woven with the scenes of the present. The Story of Park’s Marriage is a bold mystery sewn into a RomCom. The story is a time travel Korean Drama, since there is a definite mode of time travel (a body of water). In time slips one accidentally travels through time by unknown means.

I really like The Story of Park’s Marriage. This drama gets better and better with each episode. At first, I thought that this drama would be an uncomplicated drama that would score in the high 8/10, but now for me, it is scoring 10/10. As dramatic actors are challenging themselves with RomComs of late, this is the first RomCom I have seen with Baeksang Arts Award winning dramatic actress Lee Se-young (The Red Sleeve and The Crown Clown). While actor Bae In-hyuk has played in RomComs like My Roommate Is a Gumiho, Bae In-hyuk (At a Distance, Spring Is Green and Why Her?) has been in challenging dramatic dramas as well. Bae In-hyuk is indeed a late bloomer in the acting business. His first Korean drama was only in 2019. Bae In-hyuk also has turned into a fine actor. And I must admit that the way he wears a suit is so reminiscent of Lee Jun Ho in King, The Land.

Chinese equivalent to The Story of Park’s Marriage is Miss Crow and Mr Lizard, because of the fact that falling in love could cause the death of the male lead who has a heart condition.

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IN. LOVE.

this is and probably will be one of my favourites in the BL competition.
i am absolutely in love and in awe about the story line. it´s something that is completely different than other series. it takes on serious matters and paints them how they really are. many of the scenes there touched me deeply.
the characters were so interesting and absolutely well portraited. actors did such a good job.
two songs from the OST remain in my playlist ever since i finished this series!
such good chemistry, storyline, directing, plot, cinematography.
i was in love then, im in love now and will probably be in love in the future.

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It is not the best out there but since it is just a web drama, I find it cute and worth my time - pretty much since it is only short. This drama revolving around revenge through a note or app is not a novel concept as I have heard it in a Japanese drama but have not seen it so I can't compare. Though it revolves around revenge, I like that it is not as heavy as I thought. Also revolves around high school students so pretty much a school drama, but I am fine with it. The acting are not really good, as it is compose of new actors and actresses. Since it is a school drama, I am not a fan of the romance part, as of course I am not so convinced with "children" falling in love, but that is just me being old. LOL.

Overall, I think the drama is good to pass the time.

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Rest in peace Kenpachiro Satsuma, your spirit will live eternally.

To say that Godzilla Minus One is my most anticipated movie of the year is a severe understatement. It currently holds the candle for my most anticipated movie ever. The wait has been agonising, less so for my brother who I brought along for what is our first experience seeing Godzilla on the big screen. For the better part of December seeing Letterboxd members gushing about it has been terrifying. But finally, I managed to catch a screening today, 2 days after its UK debut, by god, it was worth every minute, every second... this is the best Godzilla movie to date, bar none.

Feeling as if he unfairly cheated death too many times, Shikishima, a surviving Kamikaze pilot is attacked on Odo Island along with many war plane engineers by an enormous monster. After the engineers die due to Shikishima failing to distract the monster, an overwhelming amount of guilt weighs on him, especially after a homeless woman and a baby move into his home when he returns. Shikishima, now on a personal mission, teams up with a large group of veterans to finally take down the monster known only as Godzilla.

Having spent the better part of a week watching Takashi Yamazaki's other directorial efforts certainly didn't prepare me for what he would bring to the table with Minus One. Choosing a post-war setting for the movie invited some rather minor scepticism but the film ended up an extension and refinement of his earlier wartime epic, The Eternal Zero. Tension and redemption run high throughout this film, with everyone seeking a path forward in the face of utter destruction and hopelessness.

Yamazaki's proficiency for human drama was not in question, having watched his Always Sunset trilogy the other week, emotions run high and his characters inject so much life and soul into the picture. It's backed by an utterly terrific script, heartfelt and often awe-inspiring and his calling his direction anything less than superb feels wrong.

I still can't believe that Yamazaki and company pulled this off for the money they had, either Hollywood blows their film budgets in all the wrong places or Japanese VFX artists are severely underpaid for the job they do (maybe it's both). Godzilla is one scary-looking bastard, taking his main influence from the Heisei suits but blown up with scales and spikes added into places you didn't know he had, his presence throughout the film is one of constant overhanging dread, cropping up when the characters least expect him and terrifying all who see him. Seriously, the build-ups to his atomic breath gave me constant goosebumps and seeing him standing amongst the ruins of Ginza just sent shivers down my spine.

I could technically accuse Yamazaki of nepotism given how many of his regulars take on roles here but I'm not going to. Everyone gives it their all, especially given the immense weight they had to carry on their shoulders, everyone is incredible, I can't fault a single performance. Ryunosuke Kamiki especially did a stellar job, the emotional resonance of his dialogue leaves you hanging on every word, Minami Hamabe is the rock to his PTSD-ridded life and the two of them share beautiful chemistry.

Naoki Satō's music is just phenomenal, his music carries so much menace and unease but thoroughly compliments Yamazaki's incredible style, there's a beautiful use of pure silence (especially in the climax) to emphasise both creative forces. His utilisation of the classic Ifukube cues is hands down one of the best of the entire franchise, cropping up at just the right time to not feel out of place or irrelevant.

Godzilla Minus One is truly the first of the franchise to make me truly afraid, the Big G's villainous stance hangs over the picture with a looming dread that remains unshaken even when the credits roll. Putting the trauma of history at its core was an inspired creative choice, evoking the original film more than any other since GMK (which Yamazaki lists as his favourite, based). Everything about this film works and exceeds any expectations I had of it, with its emotional heart just as prevalent as its terror. I'm so glad my brother was along for the ride, no way I was experiencing this alone.

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Not what I expected!

Honestly?
I really didn´t think much about this drama when I started watching it. You know, expectations were mid. This series had proven me wrong right from the start.
I am a intro skipper - I don´t want to spoil things for my self just because I watch the intro. In this series I didn´t even notice that it was the intro from the start! Moving on: the story moved very nicely. I honestly can´t remember being bored while watching (that usually happens to me...). I was always eager to find out about what is going to happen, and I was super involved in watching the timeline move so naturally. It is an interesting concept with the timeline moving forward, but it made sense!
The relationship between the mains didn´t feel too forced or faked. I find them super cute together! All the little steps that they had to take while being together made the series exciting and kind of relatable in a way. Then the plot twist came and I was stunned! I haven´t seen a twist quite like this one. Although I was quite confused for a second as to what is the reason behind Akiras actions, but I quickly understood. One of the most interesting plots I´ve seen in a while!
Such a cute ending too!

Overall I´m a fan! I pretty much liked everything about this, even the soundtrack (which I don´t usually pay much attention to). The acting was natural and beliavable, characters and the story didn´t bore me one bit.
Definitelly might rewatch!

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The title should actually be "Kim Sejeong for President"

I am kidding. Or am I? I am, let's be honest it was a good romantic comedy. I laughed and I was moved and I have already rewatched it. It's a show that leaves you with a warm feeling at heart. Those of you searching for a smooth, happy and relaxing series should definitely watch this. It's a safe bet. Now if you want to dig deeper into it and in more detail read on.

Story:
Could have been better in the sense that I did not like how it at times diverged from the main couple Kang Tae-moo and Shin Ha-ri, to the side couple, Cha Sung-hoon and Jin Young-seo. Pick a story, and tell it well. Also I feel like the main characters' best friends were annoying at times in their perceptions of the main couple's relationship. Get a life. Actually get a seperate series for them if you must. They had great chemistry but it was really unnecessary for the main plot. The right way to integrate a second couple in the main story is how it was done with Gye-bin and Yeo Eui-ju. That relationship was fun and played a significant role in making social activities in the series more enjoyable. It also added to the comedy aspect. On the other hand Shin Ha-ri and Jin Young-seo had a beautiful friendship, that we keep. Their moments were soooooo cute. And last but not least they should have added a few more episodes because the bridge between episode 11 and 12 is weak. We needed a few more cute happy romantic moments after the 1 year trip.

Acting/Cast:
In my opinion there was a slight casting imbalance between the two lead performers, Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo-seop. Kim Se Jeong comes off as more experienced in acting. I felt at times that she "saved" the scenes with her charm. She is exceptionally versatile and floats smoothly from comedy, to romance and drama. There really isn't much to say. She did a great job in her role.

Ahn Hyo-seop was good but has a long way to go before becoming trully confident in his performance. He lacked a sense of fluidity, as if there were glitches in the rom-com Matrix, especially in intimate moments with his co-star. However he is extremely promising and I hope to see more of him in the future. He has a beautiful, kind and respectful presence/quality.

Exemplary Performances by: Kim Hyun-sook, Lim Ki-hong, Seo Hye-won.
Remember to always give credit were credit is due, especially when it comes to supporting actresses and actors. They bring any show together and build a wholesome atmosphere.

Music:

Nice music themes were added in funny moments but overall better songs should have been picked especially for the romantic scenes.

That's it people, over and out. <3

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A Refreshing Dive into Teen Romance

"Our Secret Diary" is an emotional rollercoaster that begins with a bit of a shaky start with too much music and an initial awkwardness in acting. However, once it hits its stride, it becomes a compelling journey. The characters feel remarkably genuine, breaking away from the cookie-cutter molds often seen in these films. The absence of prolonged tearful scenes and sudden villains is a welcome surprise, making the high school romance feel more authentic. The imperfect yet honest portrayal of the main character adds a layer of realism, and the evolution of the initially shy heroine is a standout aspect. Despite being rooted in the familiar, the film manages to keep viewers engaged for almost two hours, turning a basic romance into a captivating movie night experience.

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