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Reviews
Oldeuboi (2003)
Gobsmacking
I watched this expecting to see something like Taken or the Equalizer so you can imagine how shocked I was within the first few minutes. The first stage of the movie is AMAZING. The bit where he is looking at the painting and smiling- my mouth dropped open. The director had my full attention. And it just went on like that until the end.
It was not a nice movie. I didn't enjoy it. But it was so well done. The acting was top notch, from the male and female leads, the antagonist, even the gangsters. And the cinematography was perfect for the subject matter. I was taken on a very disturbing ride by people who really knew what they were doing. 10/10.
My Heart Is Beating (2023)
Fun, but Surprising ending
I watched this for Ok Taecyeon and loved the idea of him playing a vampire. I really wasn't expecting the series to be what it was, and I really enjoyed the humour. Some scenes are so funny and the mood is quite light for the subject matter much of the time. I didn't mind the female lead - she was convincing as a fairly embittered young woman determined to fight for herself with a lot of walls. I also really liked her sunbae.
The ending was unexpected and none of the main characters seemed to get what they had been striving for. I felt they could have done a lot more with the ending, whichever way it went. It did seem to suffer from that rushed thing that happens at the end of many dramas, but without any resolutions - but again, I guess that's close to life.
One thing this really needed was more vampire fights. After seeing this I agree with Taecyeon that he needs to be in some more action based flicks. He was pretty scary when he needed to be-the most scary of all the vampires for sure. Of course, he looks handsome throughout and I loved all the suits. 2PM really has talented members.
Hwarang (2016)
Handsome leads, handsome supporting actors too
Hwarang is strong on the visuals and quickly becomes addictive when the hwarang are formed. It is a story of hidden kings, corruption and class and also bromance. Go Ara's character really is annoying but you can just overlook that because the other performances are so strong. Park Seojoon is riveting in this. He grows more manly and beautiful with every scene until it's hard to see anyone else, which is exactly what the plot demands. Park Hyung-sik is beautiful and deadly but trapped in his position as hidden king and riddled with doubt. These two make the entire series, and could do so by themselves, but luckily they also have a great supporting cast. Is there anything Choi Minho can't do? What a beautiful young man, fantastic in this role of the cocky and daring noble youth. Another idol, V, takes a gentler role as the non violent young heir forced into hwarang and protected by his capable, tortured half brother. V does a great job but it's hard to really shine beside such bright stars. Solid performances are also delivered by Do Ji-Han, Kim Hyun-jun, Yoo Jae-kyung and Kim Ji-Soo. The enemy king was also good.
Overall, very enjoyable with some really stand out episodes. It had a bit of a slow start but I'm glad I persevered. Great performances.
Sseul-sseul-ha-go cha-ran-ha-sin-do-ggae-bi (2016)
Didn't quite live up to the hype but good
Everyone raved about this show so I was really looking forward to it, but I almost stopped watching because I just couldn't believe in the relationship between the Goblin and his wife. I loved the first episode but it then got frustrating as the Goblins wife vacillated between being with the goblin and then insisting he bring her a boyfriend until I had no idea what she was doing. That whole relationship was tedious for ages!
However, the bromance, the nephew, the deities, were all interesting so I did come back to give it another go.
Some of the scenes were really beautiful. The best by far was the first meeting between the Grim Reaper and Sunny. That was so high impact - a tear ran down my face too. I got chills. I loved that relationship much more than the Goblin relationship. A lot of the most moving scenes happened away from the main leads, though they also delivered some powerful moments.
I'm glad I persisted. The annoying relationship greatly improved later and so many scenes were beautiful and moving. I didn't really understand the whole Goblin thing at the end - I thought that would be over- but its fantasy so whatever.
I'm glad I finally saw Goblin but I probably won't watch it again.
King Deo Raendeu (2023)
Heartwarming and fun
Another person surprised by the low rating. I believe this was voted down in response to the depiction of one hyper-rich character drinking and womanising while living large away from home. Apparently this would never happen. Ok - it's a viewpoint but has nothing to do with the majority of this modern fairy tale so don't let the rating put you off if you generally like k-drama.
A young, handsome and fair-minded chaebol heir struggles to find his place within his cold family and their hotel business and meets a determined, hard working woman who catches his attention with her inner strength and beautiful smile. He falls hard for her and must work through his own resistance and hers to find a way into her heart.
In the meantime, he faces a power struggle with his ruthless sister and must decide whether he values his place within his family or not.
Lee Junho plays this role so well it's like he isn't even acting, but this role is unlike anything he has done previously and he is right on point. He delivers a modern, Korean version of Mr Darcy. This series actually introduced me to Lee Junho, and through him, his k-pop band 2PM, so I'm always going to love King the Land. I have enjoyed so many hours listening to and learning about Lee Junho, 2PM and all the band members.
This series also features the charming Yoona, and in many ways it is Yoona and her group of friends and grandmother who really bring a lot of the warmth and magic to this show. I will always love the market scene with the golden carp prize and the scenes at the grandmothers shop. It was Yoona and her friends who first hooked me in as Gu Won's first parachute scene was on the too silly side, but you quickly learn there is more to him than his money, despite his privileged behaviours.
While this series has some more serious themes in parts, it is predominantly an enjoyable feel-good series that brings a smile. I've watched it twice and enjoyed it both times.
Doctor Who (2023)
Just not good at all
I can't believe how bad Dr Who has gotten since Matt Smith/David Tennant. I tried watching Whittaker but great actor and awful script. Then I tried the most recent series. What happened? I thought the Whittaker writing was bad, but this season is like 'hold my beer'. It was like watching the very worst bits of Star Wars. The doctor was fine in a couple of scenes but the poor actors were given the most terrible drivel to work with. Ruby in particular suffered. I can't tell whether she can't actually act or is just bad at delivering totally hammy embarrassing scripts. At least she can sing in tune, I guess? I watched the appalling goblin one with budget Jabba and then the equally cruddy space babies and had to turn it off when the evil devil person showed up in ep. 3. It's just awful. Another season I won't be watching.
Gireumjin Mello (2018)
Great leads, a lot of heart
There is no world in which I would not watch a drama, starring both Jang Hyuk, and Lee Junho. I was not disappointed. The opening scenes of Hyuk falling for the female lead are heart warming and left me hoping for his character's happiness for the entire series. He is a wonderful actor and I enjoyed every performance in this series.
This was the first time Lee Junho really impressed me with his acting. I had watched King the Land and enjoyed his performance but Gu Won seemed like a fairy tale character, as perfect as Lee Junho's cheekbones and eye smiles. Here I saw Lee Junho's ability to convey difficult emotions convincingly. I loved his portrayal of this fiery tempered ambitious but thwarted chef.
I also loved the teams in this series-the gangsters and the female leads family members and the chefs former colleagues.
I got pulled in in particular by the opening scenes of this great chef cooking delectable meals for his fiancé and team and finding them thrown in the bin with no appreciation. That got my sympathy for the chef fired up and after that I wanted nothing more than to see him succeed. Highly recommend this entertaining show. It has a lot of heart.
Otsomae Bolkeun Kkeutdong (2021)
Slow paced but beautiful
I liked the first half of this drama better than the second and I found the portrayal of the time very interesting and sobering. The Prince in the rice casket! The dying for stepping on the kings path. The dying for so many small reasons. In the midst of this harshness, the morally strict crown Prince falls for a woman who doesn't want to be his concubine, regardless of her genuine feelings for him. His struggle to understand and her struggle to make him understand form a large part of the plot. Sometimes this is frustrating, sometimes it is everything.
Lee Junho delivers a strong performance. One of his major strengths as an actor is conveying frustration and anger, probably built from his personal experiences. As a big fan of 2pm, his band, I've watched this fiery young man try and succeed (and fail) at numerous activities and he brings all those experiences with him. He is a powerhouse and it makes him a wonderful actor to watch in any of his performances. He is perfect for this rigid but bending frustrated King with a challenging upbringing (though he seems perfect in pretty much any role).
As usual, the entire cast is good.
The final episodes are moving. I expected to cry and I did. It wasn't quite as good as I'd heard but it was very close. 9/10.
Choeakui Ak (2023)
Could not stop watching
I am a fan of Ji Chang Wook's acting and this drama did nothing to lessen my admiration. I first saw him in Healer, which was awesome, and have watched most of what he has done since. He is great, and in this series he really brings it. It is funny to think of him appearing in this and Welcome to Samdal Ri in the same year as the roles are widely different. I am glad he is working hard though, as that's two more opportunities to enjoy his performances.
I also like Wi Ha-joon and think he does a good job of playing Jung Gi-Cheoul as a sympathetic character, despite his ruthlessness.
I am not at all familiar with Bibi but she is a scene-stealer, as is her near silent bodyguard.
As usual, the side characters are immensely talented and do not detract from the overall production. Choi Jeong-bea, Yoo Eui-jung's mother, the Japanese bodyguard, and the guy on the bike (Yankees?) caught my attention, but they're all very good.
There are some rather unbelievable bits (JCW has superhuman healing abilities) but overall it is forgiveable because the pace is somewhat relentless and you've already moved on to enjoying the next scene.
I'm giving this 10 out of 10 for the acting and the pure entertainment value.
Taekbaegisa (2023)
Watchable but turn off your logic
I'm giving this 7 out of 10 as it loses 3 points for the plot holes and somewhat silly bits.
However, the look of the show is great, and I really liked the characters. I do like Kim Woo Bin but the show wasted him to some extent. That said, he was fine as a mostly masked tough guy, though I would have liked to see more of him from his pre-delivery man days.
I really like Esom too. She was competent in this but it would have been nice to see her character be something other than grim a few times.
I really liked Ya-sol, his three friends and grandfather, and also Esom's sister.
Overall, I felt like the series was too short and things happened too quickly but the actors, acting and cinematography were all good.
This Is Us (2016)
Too much Jack
I really love this series when it first, when I first started watching it. The characters are wonderful and warmly, drawn. For a long time I loved learning more about Jack and the mystery surrounding his death.
And finally, I learned what happened and I was satisfied. I thought okay next season we can get on with the kids lives. But no suddenly we have to have a whole bunch of new drama around Jack. Jack's army life. Oh god, I'm so bored of Jack. As much as I loved the other characters I could not keep watching. I like the actor who plays Jack but I am totally over the character. So I was forced to tune out. I just couldn't handle how much air time was given to a character who was going nowhere.
Ki Hwanghoo (2013)
Rivetting!
I loved all 51 episodes of this show. I even slowed down my watching at about ep. 35 because I didn't ever want it to end. The main actors in this series are so wonderful, but the whole supporting cast is great. I loved so many characters - General Tal Tal, Choi Moo-song, Golta, Park Bul-hwa, Yeon Bisu, Bang Shin Woo. And then there were the people I loved to hate, Tanashiri, the Empress Dowager, Yeon chul, Dang Kise, Beakan, Yeon-hwa, Yeom Byung Soo, Court Lady Seo and Bayan Khutugh.
Of course, the three leads were amazing. I hadn't seen Ha Ji-won before but she was rivetting as Yang/Empress Ki. The weakest part of the show was when she acted as a man, mostly because it was hard to believe anyone thought she was a man because of how she looked - her mannerisms were reasonably convincing. But once she becomes a tribute woman, she puts in a solid performance, growing from strength to strength as her character navigates the twisted politics of the court. Excellent performance.
I had not seen Joo Jin-mo either but loved his understated, very manly portrayal of Wang Yoo - in many ways the biggest victim in this drama but accepting everything with stoic grace. A worthy king figure.
I have seen Ji Chang-wook before and already think he is a great actor and he did not disappoint here, though his character was quite disappointing. However, because he was played by Ji Chang-wook, the emperor was beautiful and that made him a little easier to bear. Another solid performance from this actor.
This is a beautiful production. The costumes. The cinematography. The people. The story. I really enjoyed every episode of this drama. It flew by and I was sad when it had ended.
The Tank (2023)
Just lazy
There are some good things about this movie - I don't mind the creatures and there were some creepy bits, but this is overshadowed by the ridiculous bits. Like pouring your super irritating chemicals into the water of a massive tank as if they won't just dilute immediately. Or wandering around in the dark wondering if something is out there while something out in the forest makes prehistoric noises that would scare the hell out of anyone. The most puzzling bit is the disappearing windows of cars. These disappear to let beasties in but then reappear when the danger is over. It is amazingly lazy filmmaking. I'm prepared to suspend logic for a horror but the disappearing window glass took it that step too far.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Not as good as it should've been
This is a weird one because I read the book before watching the movie. Part of me wishes that I didn't because I wonder if knowing what was coming spoiled the movie for me. But then, part of me is glad I read it first as I doubt I'd have bothered reading it after watching the movie. The book was more shocking and had a way better ending. This ending was Hollywood cliche - and why do a horror if you shy away from horror?
I like the director but he does this a lot. In this movie it was to the point of an almost total declawing.
It was decent to watch in terms of cinematography and acting but it didn't build interest in the characters and took a quite shocking scenario to a mildly interesting one.
Barry (2018)
Binge watched four great seasons
I'd heard about this show but didn't watch it until recently and before long I'd binge watched the lot. It was hard to resist letting each episode start because I always wanted to find out what happened next.
Barry is full of great characters, from Bill Hader's Barry to his self-obsessed girlfriend to vain, narcissistic Cousineau and the always delightful Noho Hank. There is an amazing episode with a taekwondo expert and his daughter - both parts played perfectly. So many great scenes and bit parts.
Some episodes I would be in awe, sometimes I'd laugh out loud, sometimes I'd be scared or tense and sometimes I'd be crying for the terrible grief and desperation of the characters. Definitely give it a go.
65 (2023)
More Dinosaurs, less asteroids
I was always going to watch this movie. Adam Driver. Dinosaurs. Those two elements are enough in themselves. But pretty soon I realised I was watching After Earth, except that After Earth is better. Why? Because that side story about the fear monster is actually pretty interesting.
There is no interesting side story here. Yeah, there is a diversion to explain why Adam Driver's character has little reason to live, but it's a very standard story without a lot of punch. There's also a bit of a Last of Us vibe when he finds a little girl has survived as well and he decides to save her. But again, it lacks lustre. Koa is fine, it's just that the plot is so done over and over again. I do think it would have been good if it was a bit more Pitch Black, with more survivors who can then get picked off. At least would have generated some more tension.
The planet alternates between being super dangerous and not dangerous at all. One minute you can't sit on the beach for a second and the next you can walk across massive open fields with pterodactyls flying overhead and be totally fine. There is a lot of focus on asteroids and such when the focus should really be on dinosaurs. But I did like the dinosaurs and Adam Driver so I'm giving it seven.
Smile (2022)
Smile becomes a frown
I really liked a lot of this movie. I found the premise interesting and hoped like hell they weren't going to try for tracing origin and all of that. But they did.
Still not too bad but you quickly figure out they're going to make out the psychologist is not smart enough to understand what she has to do and it quickly becomes a less interesting version of Fallen.
But, unlike Fallen, the last fifteen minutes or so are really really stupid. We see the monster and it is sooo who cares. Really? That is what scared me for the first half of the movie. Boring. It's like yet another stretchy Gumby monster. I'm so sick of them now. This monster was done well in IT Follows and parts of IT but because it is well done in other movies, it's totally boring in this one. The smile was way way scarier. Way scarier. I was so disappointed at the end I had to look up what happened later because my brain couldn't be bothered remembering it.
Pahanhautoja (2022)
Another mother monster
I really enjoyed this movie. It didn't really scare me but it was quite chilling.
Tinja's demanding mother makes her character known in the first scene of the movie and should be ample foreshadowing of where this story is going. She kills a bird Tinja has become concerned for and this bird leads Tinja to an egg. I think the bird may be a cuckoo, as this is a cuckoo trope.
The cuckoo hatches and immediately seeks to fool the 'mother' that it is one of them, and in so doing, progressively ruins Tinja's already deteriorating life.
The mother is the monster of this movie. She cares nothing for the feelings of those around her, is hyper competitive and will throw anyone under the bus. It's a great performance, by both mother and daughter.
At the end, Tinja's mother reveals exactly how much of a monster she is, and is rewarded with exactly the kind of gift such a monster would wish for. Chilling.
Barbarian (2022)
More sad than scary
I had high hopes for this movie but it did disappoint. I've given it 6 out of 10 because its still better than most horror movies, but it's not a gem or anything.
The movie is in 3-4 segments. The first is the best. Good tension, a prevailing sense of unease, some really horrifying propositions. It's one of those - no don't do that!! Kind of movies.
The second section was about a grubby tv star and was less enjoyable. I wasn't even interested enough in him to see him get his come tuppence. So what. He made the whole section irritating.
The third section was some pre-history. Wasn't scary.
In the fourth section, one character has told another that the old dear in the house is not the worst thing in it. So, I start waiting for this worse thing to appear. Turns out to be a weak old man dying in a bed. Oooh. Yes, he was a serial killer/rapist but he's not scary anymore. Disappointment. Movie plays out to the end which is just really sad. Really really sad. I mean, genuinely evoking sadness.
I don't know who needs to hear this but, old people aren't scary. They just aren't. Neither are saggy boobs, or falling out teeth or a few wrinkles. If an old person starts coming at me, I'm going to be pretty happy they're old. Not that I'm sure the woman was old - maybe she was only forty or so. But you know, that whole concept, the old sad mother thing, was zero scary. It just made me feel sad. For her. I have seen way too many movies lately where I'm meant to be terrified by the spectacle of some skinny old person filling doorways or hallways. Sometimes this is done effectively but quite often I'm just waiting for the scary bit to begin. Do people really find skinny old people that terrifying? They're just old people.
The Predator (2018)
Atrocious
This is not a good movie. I don't even know what audience it is intended for. Obviously previous predator fans, but only if you expect previous Predator fans to still only be 12.
Why, oh why, was there a child in this? Bad, bad, bad decision. As soon as I saw the kid I was thinking 'this is going to be bad' and nothing ever proved me wrong.
The predator dogs! They were so bad. I know they had dog things in Predators but that was a bad decision too. You know when you watch a movie and think 'wow, a cool alien creature comes to earth to hunt with its way superior tech and senses' and then suddenly it turns out to be basically human? Yeah. Boring.
Lastly, the giant predator was awful.
Prey (2022)
Best Predator Movie since the Original
It took me a while to watch this as I didn't realise it was a Predator movie. Even then I was wary, because the last movie called The Predator might be one of the most disappointingly bad movies I've ever watched. But I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I hadn't read anything about it so went in without preconceptions, basically expecting another awful Predator movie.
I do have criticisms of the movie, like, why would the Predator be killing animals. If nails and teeth are weapons, why not kill unarmed humans? Also, it was cold. Why did the Predator come in cold weather? Is the hot weather a regional based thing? And why the bone mask? Silly.
But anyway, I did like the main character and the other actors and the predator. I think taking it back 300 years and making out the predator tech changed a lot in such a short time was weird, given how much tech the predator already had. Look, the movie does require some serious suspension of belief. But so did the first one. There was no way Arnie was really going to kill that thing. It really needed to go back way further, but they wouldn't have then had the opportunity to introduce that location, the Commanche and the French hunters as the real bad guys.
And on that, why has nobody figured out in any of the movies that if you just put down your weapons and go about your daily life, the Predator won't even notice you and is rendered completely harmless. That's what I would do if I saw a predator - drop any weapons I might be holding and give it a wave. Why does everyone insist on fighting it? It'll get bored after a while and go home.
The Northman (2022)
Somehow didn't cut it
Loved the cast, location, concept, but somehow was just pretty boring. I did watch the whole thing, so that is something, but it never really convinced me. I think it was mostly the writing of the main character. He just seemed rather dull, from boyhood all the way through to the finale and quite one dimensional. I never cared about him. I actually found his uncle more personable and his uncle was pretty awful.
On the whole, I think this could have been a really good movie. I would watch it again, as a background movie, because the scenery was so beautiful and it's sort of quiet most of the time.
Animal Kingdom (2016)
Loses points for season five
This is a brilliant show for 4 season, and then it loses something. Smurf is the obvious loss (young Smurf and her boring stories are not a plus) but also the momentum. I want to see what happens with the boys. There was only one Smurf and they decided to write her out - so leave her out!!
Look forward, not backward. And if there are to be flashbacks, let's see Ellen Barkin in the boys memories, not some long ago who cares Smurf that has no relationship to anything now. Half the show is boring now. Used to be a solid 10/10.
Eden (2021)
More like purgatory than Eden
I watched every episode of this and as a whole, it struck me as being presented from the viewpoint of someone with a terrible, pointless crush on a girl named Hedwig - crushing to the point where Hedwig could be devoid of anything at all and it made no difference because it was all about how she looked anyway. A statue would have done.
Hedwig is boring. There's just no other word for her. But we are expected to believe she is beautiful, smart, talented, a great friend, interesting, captivating etc, all because other characters say she is. Other than being beautiful, there is no evidence of these qualities. She is antisocial, jaded, desultory, disillusioned, lifeless...boring. Almost all camera shots are like model shots. I can hear them telling the actress 'just look really passive - no, more passive...okay that's perfect'. This does kind of fit in with the story as she's pretty much the victim of being everyone's fantasy (for some unspecified reason) and fantasies work heaps better if the subject is passive.
I feel a bit sorry for Bebe Bettencourt. She was in The Dry in essentially the same role. I hope she hasn't been typecast already.
It's a shame as this could have been way better. It wasn't just the characterisation of Hedwig that was an issue - a fair bit of stuff wasn't particularly believable.