#Sung Dong Il

[k-drama-thoughts]

If You Wish Upon Me

Synopsis:

Troubled convict Yun Gyeo Re (Ji Chang Wook) is ordered to do community service at an end-of-life care facility for the terminally ill. He must work with the tireless Kang Tae Sik (Sung Dong Il), the leader of the facility’s volunteer team. Tae Sik has launched a unit called Team Genie, which seeks to make the final wishes of dying patients come true, no matter what they ask for. Gyeo Re also meets Seo Yeon Ju (Choi Sooyoung), a young nurse who tries to keep her patients physically active and full of cheer. Will working with Team Genie and Yeon Ju help turn Gyeo Re’s life around or is it already too late for him?

The Best Things About This Drama:

Team Genie

Sung Dong Il

Sensitivity to the subject of death, mental illness, and the terminally ill

This one got a 4/5. What a beautiful celebration of the dignity of life and death! The entire story could have been nothing but addressing the many wishes made and the stories around the wishers, and it still would have been an incredible series. This is a drama, though, and so some was included.

Despite the incredible acting by the entire cast (Gil Hae Yeon as Choi Deok-ja was particularly moving), it felt like the story was written by one person and then an editor force-fed some conflict and turmoil in the second act to meet a quota. I don't object to the added suspense, it was just that this felt a little heavy-handed in a lot of ways.

The way that they handled all of the sensitive subjects was done thoughtfully. While there is a religious component to the setting, it isn't a story about faith - more about the indomitable human spirit and how our lived experiences can form our views of death, and the legacy that we leave behind us.

Add this to your watchlist if you need an emotional or thought-provoking story to occupy yourself with.

[somanykdramas]

MIDNIGHT RUNNERS

GENRES: Action, Comedy

SUMMARY: Two Police University cadet rivals-turned-bffs take it upon themselves to do some real-world justice over Winter break.

THIS MOVIE HAS EVERYTHING: Orphans, tteokbokki, family butcher shops, single moms, broken glasses, clubbing, 2PM’s Chan Sung, sweaty workout montages, tactical gear, calling in favors, fertility clinics, ear wax removal parlors, and fractured hands.

HOT TAKE: For as great as a buddy comedy as this is, it delves deep into some seedy issues like human trafficking, organ trafficking, and the upsettingly weighty backlogs of any large-city police department.

This movie is on every top-kmovie list out there, and it definitely earned its place. Its not going to get a Criterion edition, but its a great movie with some well-deserved shirtless montages of our main leads.

[tinyreviews]

Tiny Review: Hijack 1971. Character-driven disaster flick.

Popular reviews are mixed on this. But I enjoyed it. Drifting from beat to beat at times. Historical, allegorical, good contrasts, character-driven, hits a lot of the notes of a good story imo.

Hijack 1971 is a 2024 South Korean disaster film written by Kim Kyeong-chan and directed by Kim Seong-han, starring Ha Jung-woo, Yeo Jin-goo, Sung Dong-il and Chae Soo-bin. 

[passionforfiction]

If You Wish Upon Me

People have a right to a second chance, a rebirth of sorts. . .

People have a right to closure before the final goodbye. . .

This series is about those two things. Some get a second chance and other the final closure. It is heart felt and warm. The power of empathy is a magical thing. . .

I liked the series. It made me smile, it made me cry. Some things felt unrealistic but we forgive them as an audience captivated by the development of the characters that struggle to break from the darkness in their hearts and lives. . . Goodness outlives the darkness when people are surrounded by a caring support group, those that love you and you love back.

I really liked the story.

Poster from AsianWiki - https://asianwiki.com/If_You_Wish_Upon_Me

[toastinthegrass]

Take Off 국가대표 2009 dir. Kim Yong Hwa

[binging-asian-dramas]

Sisyphus the Myth. 7

Story: 7

Acting: 10

Chemistry: 10

Comparable to: Alice (kdrama) ; Alive (kmovie) ; Grid (kdrama); Train (kdrama)

The drama that that could’ve been. I know a lot of kdrama fans had so many problems with this one and yes there are many glaring problems with it, plot holes galore, inconsistencies all around, and a wtf type ending, but…..yes but despite all that if you’re a die hard sci-fi dystopian/time travel romance genre fan then you probably might still like this. I threw out all logic, all plot holes, and switched off my brain and enjoyed the cinematography, chemistry, and the acting which were done really well. It’s by far from perfect but still very watchable and enjoyable (*minus the ending* seriously were they hoping for a sequel)

[fansof-heo]

31.12.22: On this day, Heo Sung-tae won an award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Cho Won-pyo in Bloody Heart along with Sung Dong-il at the 2022 KBS Drama Awards! 🥳 This was a New Year's gift for all of us 🥰💖

Have a wonderful new year! 🥳💖

[reuels]

The Glory Episode. 11 (2023) dir. Ahn Gil-ho

[manawari]

Solo Leveling men + Flowers

Choi Jong-in / Red Rose

meaning: love, passion, pride, beauty, & victory.

Baek Yoon-ho / Tiger Lily

meaning: courage, strength, confidence, wealth, & prosperity.

Yoo Jin-ho / Sunflower

meaning: loyalty, happiness, positivity, & admiration.

Min Byung-gyu / Dandelion

meaning: hope, healing, resilience, innocence, & transformation.

Sung Jin-woo / Daffodil

meaning: rebirth, new beginnings, hope, joy, and good luck.

Woo Jin-chul / Hydrangea

meaning: perseverance, determination, gratitude, grace, & beauty.

Eun-seok / Delphinium

meaning: big hearted, dignity, grace, cheerfulness, & goodwill

Liu Zhigang / Gladiolus

meaning: strength, faithfulness, moral integrity, remembrance, & endurance.

Go Gun-hee / Poppy

meaning: sacrifice, remembrance, endurance, & peace.

Sung Il-hwan / Protea

meaning: strength, courage, resilience, encouragement, & power.

Ma Dong-wook / Iris

meaning: hope, wisdom, trust, & valour

Lennart Niemann / Mayflower

meaning: hope, fertility, new beginnings, & boundaries/protection.

Thomas Andre / Alstroemeria

meaning: friendship, love, strength & devotion.

Goto Ryuji / Purple Clematis

meaning: royalty, power, & luxury.

[bts-trans]

240323 V’s Instagram Stories

Stories 1 & 2: 충성! 🫡 Story 3: 우리 성동일삼촌💙 염정아누님💙 충성!🫡

Stories 1 & 2: Salute! 🫡

Story 3: My uncle Sung Dong-il 💙 Big sister* Yum Jung-ah💙 Salute!🫡

(T/N: *He used the term '누님/nunim', which is a polite way for men to address a woman older than them who they are on friendly terms with.)

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[goyangilin0]

Me about them:

[voidincinema]

The Glory (2023)

[thetzar]

The Proverb:

Manners Maketh Man. -William Horman

Came to mind when I saw this Scene from the Glory 1x9.

Ha Do Yeong - him taking off his shoe in her apartment.

The Proverb above means politeness, good manners and civility which are essential to humanity.

And he did showed her that in that moment!

[tinyreviews]

Tiny Review: Uprising 2024. Korean Historical Class Allegory.

Though the marketing is on the two main characters, their arcs did not feel compelling to me. Feels a lot like hitting the beats for the sake of hitting beats.

I found it interesting that it took a Japanese invasion to potentially, inadvertently improve the slavery situation. But this was never fully explored 😓

Uprising is a 2024 South Korean historical war action film directed by Kim Sang-man, written by Shin Cheol and Park Chan-wook, and starring Gang Dong-won, Park Jeong-min, Kim Shin-rok, Jin Seon-kyu, Jung Sung-il, and Cha Seung-won.

[i-have-so-many-qns]

I just found Bad & Crazy on Netflix!!

I'm going to make my whole family watch it with me...

This show is so fun!!

[somanykdramas]

UPRISING

GENRES: Historical, Action

SUMMARY: When you’re born into Joseon slavery, you’ll stop at nothing to find a way out.

THIS MOVIE HAS EVERYTHING: Switches, abhorrent paternity laws, sparring, branding, fog fighting, crow dinners, greed, royal insanity, hunters, rock-throwing, questionable friendships, true friendships, robes, invasions, and loyalty.

HOT TAKE: The plot of this movie was swift and succinct, perhaps to the detriment of its believability. The action scenes were excellent, the cinematography was epic, and the resolution of the third act big-boss fight was one of the best I've seen in a while. Also, some great long-overdue comeuppance for a King that should have just shut the hell up.

That being said, our main characters were a little unmotivated, there were more 'Monty Python-esque' limbs severed than I was expecting, and some real hard choices to be made--ones I'm not sure I would have been strong enough to execute.