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Daedosiui Sarangbeob (2024)
Raw. Real. Relatable.
This was a raw and realistic journey that has the characters plucking our emotional heartstrings. The tenderness of relationships, contrasted with the agony in lessons of self awareness breathes life into this series. I haven't read the original material and so I can only comment on the series itself. Our main lead did a beautiful job illustrating the cycle of growth within young love, attachment, ignorance, maturing and the painful art of reflection. The visceral nature of the content allows the viewer to reflect on their own life journey and relate to the characters - ah yes, I remember that stage of life. I loved the stationary thread of the group of friends that allowed us to weave in and out of the story of lovers, love, attachment and relationships - death, loss, regret and still come home to friendship. So many beautiful reflections that ultimately brings an appreciation back to how much we go through as humans exploring love, life and death. Wonderful acting, fantastic writing, beautiful story and well worth the watch.
A Family Affair (2024)
Trainwreck, Run, Don't Walk
I have not seen a movie this bad for a long time. Nothing about it works. It is not funny. It is not romantic. There is no character development. The movie makes no sense as there is no clear arc and it feels like Grandma's Quilt with random plot themes sewn together. At first it feels like the boss and employee plot, then moves to a non-romantic boss and mom plot, then a family Christmas drama, then a Fried Green Tomato moment heart to heart without the substance, then a best-friend breakup.. insert toxic behaviour and gaslighting...alas I tire myself. This is a terrible movie...aka a flop. It is too bad that KB and NK signed up for this one!
Gongjooeui namja (2011)
A Fierce & Enduring Love Story
I really enjoyed this raw, visceral story of love and power. The acting was absolutely amazing, and certainly kept me riveted. The historical aspects don't allow for a lot of wishful thinking, as the viewer is reminded often with regards to the realities of the times and since the characters were in alignment with how much power they held at the time it was more realistic than fantastical. There were many times where the plot was driven by silly behaviours of characters that didn't seem practical but overall the acting and story were fabulous. I would highly recommend as a through and through drama. This is not a light fluffy tale. We are truly shown the brutality of overtaking a throne and the emotional roller coasters the main characters experience. I really enjoyed the enduring love story despite the traumas faced and I am tempted to rate it a 10 but the immaculate pacing took a dive near the end, and that detracted enough from the overall experience that I brought it down to a 9. I binged this over a week and so I can't say it didn't have me hooked!
Shen Yin (2023)
Kindergarten Chaos
The foundation of this series is strong but there are severe cracks that begin to spread throughout. The characters and the backstory are intriguing and I enjoyed the development of the relationships of our main characters. I have watched many Xianxia dramas and this one is mid-level as it does not employ any deep plot themes and the character's actions do not support their supposed positions or status within their respective realms. It isn't necessarily a fluff piece, but it isn't of substance either. If you are looking for better writing, more intricate plots then I'd recommend something like Love & Redemption or The Mysterious Lotus Casebook. In Last Immortal there is only one strategist who is on the Devil side and all others are simply falling into line within this villain character. There is no counter to any ploys. There is no follow up to any mysteries/scheming, and they just confound to the point of chaos and confusion where I myself question if anyone has any wisdom at all. The elders don't even question anything - so there is no hierarchy within this show based on hierarchies of Immortal, Demon, Devil, True God. I say the writing is the culprit because we have all the ingredients for a 10/10 show but the infuriating way the writers took it detracts so much from the story. There are no character arcs that have any depth. So if you want a surface level Xianxia then this one has a good story line of friendship and the lessons seem to be about people pleasing and the costs of not listening to your own truth. There isn't really a lot of adventure, and so hopefully you enjoy a bit of politics. Overall good but could have been much better and the poor development made me write the review - not the enjoy-ability which speaks volumes.
I Became the Lead in a BL Drama: Crank up Edition (2023)
BL Chef's Kiss
This series is a breath of fresh air! It has all the key components with a dazzling and animated cast who have the perfect chemistry for this fun plot. The first episode was absolutely hilarious, and I found myself totally engrossed in the little details of the characters and their unfolding story. The wit of the script is palpable and there were a few times, I thought to myself that this writing was perfect. I really enjoyed each character, and although a very short series it managed to keep me fully invested until the end. This is now one of my favourites and I will definitely watch the Crank Out Edition as well as put this on my re-watch list! Highly recommend this feel good series! Enjoy!
Choeakui Ak (2023)
Edge of Your Seat Cat & Mouse Game
I am absolutely loving this series. In it's evolution it has challenged the good versus bad stereotype, and takes the viewer in with each thrilling twist and turn. You are drawn in, and engulfed in the life or death need to outwit the enemy which is revolving. What you may think is a plot that we have seen before, ends up turning down the dark alleys and corridors making us wonder where we are going to wind up. The actors are doing justice to each of their characters, and I am engrossed in the way they bring each character to life as I am on the edge of my seat with the suspense of the chase, or the hunt. The tables keep turning, and I am here for all of it. It is so nice to have a series like this with high caliber acting, story line, and let's not forget ACTION! The fight scenes are visceral and gruesome, yet it seems refreshing to see fight scenes that feel so raw and real. All 10 Stars for me.
Yeonmo (2021)
Strong Start, Slow Finish
This series had all the right ingredients but the writer's fell short in a few different areas. The actors were great, and the story was intriguing at first. However, the characters were not developed much past our initial introductions of them as children. Their bonds as adults were much based on the childhood bonds. We also have characters who were totally left out of speaking roles for the most part - the bodyguard mainly. I was intrigued to see his development and part to play but it was never there. I began to roll my eyes about half way through and started recognizing that the show was going downhill. I was still invested enough in the characters but I didn't fully enjoy completing the show. The obvious issues with a female in a male role being providing an heir, and dealing with the obvious of a female's monthly cycle etc. Never covered and the character never seemed to have any concerns about being discovered even with getting married etc. It was incredibly naive and unrealistic considering the "fear" the character had in the role to play the part. Also the 3 leads are portrayed as intelligent in the beginning with first hand experience of the dangers of the palace and yet none of them carry an heir of caution and just cruise around like they are in normal circumstances - also totally unbelievable portrayal for characters in their position. The female lead also starts to stall in her development and we get these cheesy hallmark moments with NO depth at all. The obvious identity issue regarding Dami is also ridiculous - in terms of a reveal... are we to believe that realization would not come even after the reveal in episode 12? So now are intelligent scholar is an idiot? Thus, I am so sad that this series wasn't better as it had me hooked in the beginning. I'd say honestly nothing special and there are much better period pieces like this one that are far more complex with their character development and realistic in their romantic connections etc.
Baekilui Nanggoonnim (2018)
A lovely Period Drama with Infuriatingly Slow Finale
I have recently began watching K-Dramas and I found this to be a lovely period drama with good acting and interesting story line for the most part. The finale few episodes were really botched and it felt like a waste of time and for a viewer, like the writers absolutely failed us. It could have been a home run ending out of the park but it was a pop fly. I was infuriated by the dense attitude of the main character at the end - which was a failure in the writing. The entire last episode was a fluff piece and offers some satisfaction but really more so just relief that the last episode which was dragging out to oblivion was over. The alternate ending should have included:
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD:
Our main lead should have met her nephew and had some closure that her brother's memory and his ultimate sacrifice to keep both her and his love safe was honoured.
We should have had a town gathering celebrating the final union of our two main leads including her pseudo father finally seeing his daughter married to the love of her life.
Our fav right hand man should have used the ploy of going to our female lead but instead went to find the young lady who fancied him OR she should have shown up in the courtyard to even the numbers.
Instead of wasting the entire final episode we could have had a wedding rather than some petals thrown from the roof. Was she even wearing the shoes he had bought for her? Perhaps we could have had the flower blossom shoes in the end made just for her like he promised.
We could have had the dresser he coveted in the palace at the end just to tie back his time with the villagers!
They missed so many opportunities.
We could have had a memorial for his bestie who died for him instead of a mere flashback for the man who saved his life and turned into a bloated corpse. No excuses for such a poorly delivered finale when for the most part it was well written and entertaining. It was like watching a skating routine and the couple falling in the final seconds of the routine.
The Batman (2022)
Gothic Monsoon that Doesn't Sweep You Away
I enjoyed the casting of this movie, and felt that Pattinson did a good job as a moody noir version of batman. Although the casting was good, the story line was mediocre. It didn't feel fast paced to me and was a drawn out and PNW style ride to the end with most scenes filmed in the rain. The setting was definitely gothic, dreary, dark, and wet. No one really stands out from the crowd and the riddler whilst entertaining...isn't anything special in terms of character development. The riddles are pretty basic and for a batman franchise movie it would have been more fun to be taken by surprise here and there. Everything moved along as I expected it too with no surprises. The romantic tension between cat woman and batman wasn't as engaging as it could have been. The films length wasn't justified. I did appreciate the small twist with the family revelation but overall underwhelmed. The Christopher Nolan trilogy far surpasses and exceeds this rendition IMHO. Also, the musical score was WAY over the top at times to the point where I laughed out loud and almost had a laughing attack in the theater due to the absurdity. There was a peekaboo moment in a climactic scene where I just thought - the director is having so much fun with this -sin city esque-version but this is too much. Interesting watch simply to see another version and director's creativity but lacks any innovation that would have me raving in my review.
The Expanse (2015)
The Expanse sets you on an epic trajectory!
I'm not a die hard Sci-Fi viewer but this amazing show had me waving my sci-fi "nerd alert" flag with pride. The story line is amazing, the writing is amazing, the effects are fantastic and of course the cast is perfect & feels like family. I found the first few episodes to be very convoluted but I was happy to unpack them by re-watching and making sure i had some of the lingo down so that I could better understand the political landscape. The first 3 seasons are action packed and kept me on the edge of my seat! Seasons 4-6 allowed for an excellent unfolding of character depth and development for those of us who haven't read the books...YET! I loved the show so much it has inspired me to go read the books and compare the tv series to the novels. I would highly recommend this series and would advise to stick with the first few episodes if you feel daunted at first. You can tell the cast are so invested and you can find after show videos to unpack each episode with one of the writers himself! I enjoyed this show so much, that I watched the entire series again after I finished S6 E6. What are you waiting for...go join the crew of the Roci! Season 6 shouldn't have been cut short and the viewer can feel the difference but all in all it's a good thing the show was saved for S4-6 as it's one of the best shows I've ever watched.
Reacher (2022)
REACHER isn't for those who desire complexity or depth
The show contains most of the pieces required to make a good show but in this case the pieces don't quite fit. The main actor is very rigid and at times you truly get the idea that he's a robot spouting lines. There are a lot of continuity errors and none of the characters have enough depth to be invested in thoroughly. It is a fluffy action show and will not entice those with a higher IQ for Season 2. I wouldn't watch this twice, and I won't watch a S2 if there is one. Subpar at best.