#it definitely won’t give him super powers bong

[cheapcheapfaker]

[wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey]

Kdrama recs Part 1

Hullo and welcome to the kdrama life @camsthisky​! The following list is not in any particular order, other than the fact that I start with a more rom/com vibe and head toward more romantic/action or action. All the following kdramas are set in the modern day, and part 2 of my recs for you will be either darker kdramas set in present day or historical dramas.

Let the list begin!

1. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: 

Do Bong Soon is a v smol woman who has super strength and who wants 1. To create her own video game 2. Get her police officer crush to return her affections. Which like, police officer is kinda cute but he ain’t that special. Bong Soon winds up becoming a bodyguard to Ahn Min Hyuk, the extremely rich, kinda spoiled, ridiculously extra CEO of a gaming company who does not like the police for secret reasons, and sadly does not have a good relationship with his family. (He a lonely boy underneath everything.) Min Hyuk finds out about Bong Soon’s powers, is in TOTAL awe of her, offers to train her in fighting, and literally falls head over heels for her.

The caveat with this show is there is a subplot or two that annoy me, BUT I just use the 10 second skip button and it is totally worth it because the romance is super cute—SUPER CUTE (also I have a list of favorite actors and Park Hyung Sik is def on it—one minute he is an adorkable, blushing bby the next he can be intense and sad)

He cute

2. Her Private Life: 

Hello fake-dating!! Ryan Gold (an adoptee who didn’t live in Korea for a while) is a former artist who stopped painting because he couldn’t deal with his Stendhol (?) syndrome (among other traumas). Deok Mi is the classy art curator of a famous museum who definitely does not have any secrets she wants to keep from the world—well, other than the fact that she is the number one fangirl of kpop idol, Cha Shi-an (who also appreciates art) and has a major crush on him. Ryan becomes director of the art museum and there is a whole thing with getting Shi-an involved in an art show.

Following this and a series of unfortunate events a false rumor starts that Deok Mi and and Shi-an ARE dating. It’s a little complicated to summarize, but basically what you need to know is that Ryan and Deok Mi become a fake couple so there won’t be a scandal for Shi-an or violence done to Deok Mi by rabid fangirls. I enjoy the fake-dating trope a lot, and how it becomes real for both of them! The leads are played by Kim Jae Wook and Park Min Young, who both have incredible range. Lots of soft moments in this one! Good kisses, a scene where the faves bake together, and also Ryan wears a lot of deep v-neck shirts and jackets which is an attack on me personally.

The show also contains a bit of angst, which I LOVE. Hand-holding becomes an important theme 😊

RYAN NO

3. Crash Landing on You: Rich South Korean heiress/fashion designer Se-ri accidentally winds up in a North Korean village, and really REALLY wants to go home. Mostly because there are no scented candles or spa-like bathtubs in the vicinity, but also because she could easily disappear into a NK jail and never return. A North Korean captain named Ri Jeong Hyeok finds her and decides not to turn her because, one, he’s a good guy who doesn’t want to turn an innocent person over to what might be her death, and two, turning her over might get his four underlings in trouble for reasons. Said underlings are his family, basically, and they are a deLIGHT. One is an argumentative proud sort who likes to drink and to feel important and who tries to provoke (and gets provoked by) Se-ri at every opportunity, one is a lover of banned South Korean dramas, one is a 17 year old bby who misses his mom, and one is the silent but most loyal follower of the captain. 

Besides all these people, there are two other characters (including a surprisingly wise conman) who become faves and major players in the plot.

There is a great mix of humor, romance, found family, and angst, and I love it very much. A few things don’t go the way I want them to near the end, but a bit of imagination and fanfic can fix anything 

ALSO I FORGOT THE CAPTAIN GETS SUPER SULKY FROM TIME TO TIME AND IT IS HILARIOUS

Show of hands, who thinks they will meet again

4. Are You Human Too: A FAVORITE SHOW OF ALL! TIME!

What do you do when your husband dies and your evil mega-rich father-in-law takes your son away from you and keeps you from seeing him ever? Well, if you are scientist with more genius than positive coping methods, you build yourself a robot son who looks exactly like your real son. Great solution, am I right?

Nam Shin III is the name of my favorite robot son, played by the inestimable Seo Kang Joon. He is the purest bby you will ever meet, being designed so that he never lies and so that he will immediately go to hug anyone who cries. He seems quite a contrast to the bitter human Nam Shin, who hates his gilded prison life, hates his Grandpa, and tries to sneak away from his right hand man, Secretary Ji Young Hoon, his only friend in the world. The girl in the show is Kang So Bong, an ex-UFC fighter who was so badly injured she had to quit. She is at first a bit jaded and mercenary because of her past, but she has a golden heart that just needs to be reminded of its existence.

Not going into details to avoid spoilers, but everything upends when the robot Nam Shin has to take the place of the human Nam Shin. The show is a soft, funny, angsty exploration of what it means to be human, with some good found family throughout. The character development is phenomenal, and the connection between So Bong and Nam Shin III is *chef’s kiss*. I just want to give a shout out to Seo Kang Joon who plays a duel role like you wouldn’t believe, to SKJ’s smile, to the soundtrack, and to the character of Young Hoon, a loyal, steady, and self-sacrificing secretary that we do not deserve  (gosh tho he looks good in blue!)

Look at my robot son getting a long-looked for affirmation! (his lil smile!!!

5. W: Two Worlds: 

This show unique because it  meta as HELL! Oh Yeon Joo is a junior doctor and the daughter of a webtoon artist whose big hit, W, is coming to a close. Much to her surprise, she gets pulled into the world of the comic where she encounters and saves the main character, Kang Chul, a former Olympic shooting champion who was blamed for the murder of his entire family, and whose sole desire is to find the real killer. It’s a good romance between them, and I also love Kang Chul’s relationship with his hyung, which, tho it is not always a main focus, is present and wonderful. Kang Chul himself is both intelligent and adorably bratty, charismatic and angsty, soft and fierce, and he is one of my favorite kdrama characters for sure.

As for the meta, the show does a fantastic job exploring the rules of the comic world, of how one can enter and leave, the importance and power of main characters and supporting characters, and the purpose of an author. There is always another twist coming, and it is just so much fun!

UM SIR PLS POINT THAT ELSEWHERE

6. Healer: 

I watched half this show and never realized that the female lead is played by Park Min Young, same actress as in Her Private Life. Someone had to tell me lol! She’s just so good at playing different people. In this show, she is Chae Young Shin, a reporter for a celebrity tabloid who has big dreams of becoming a famous reporter who investigates stories that actually mean something. She is a bit quirky, very cute, very brave, and probably one of my favorite female leads. She lives with her dad above his coffee/teashop bakery and is friends with all the ex-cons he has defended while doing his other job of lawyering.

Anyway this show is more of a romantic/action drama. To get an idea of the titular Healer, picture what you would get if you took some of Batman and Nightwing’s aesthetics (wearing black, hanging out on rooftops, punching people, flipping around, etc) and put them into a night courier who likes to watch National Geographic and dream about one day going off to an island where he can live all by himself for the rest of his days because oh yeah he is a loner whose only friend is an older woman who sets up his jobs and whom he has never actually met.

There is also an older reporter that Young Shin looks up to, the fun tabloid office where she works, a heck lot of mystery surrounding some tragedy involving a group of reporter best friends/found family back in the 80’s/90’s, and of course both members of the OTP have childhood trauma that has made them who they are today. One of my favorite things that happens in the show is that Healer has to go undercover for a while, Clark Kenting it up in Young Shin’s tabloid office, which overnight becomes a real news agency for reasons.

The action is LOTS of fun, and the romance is really soft and cute, and better still, when there is a misunderstanding or something that gets in their way, they almost immediately talk about it and resolve issues. They TRUST each other and give the benefit of the doubt where many tv couples would break up or get in big fights. I find it (plus the character development) very refreshing.

I couldn’t find a gif of my favorite fight sadly. This will have to do

7. Lawless Lawyer: This has Lee Joon Gi. Watch it.

Just kidding, there are many other reasons to watch the show, but it is true that Lee Joon Gi is one of my favorite actors. The man has phoenix eyes, a jawline that could cut silk, diamonds, you name it, and such a deep well of emotional acting that it literally kills me when his characters rage/weep/love/etc.

Anyway, in this legal thriller/romance/action drama, LJG’s character Bong Sang Pil is a beautiful, very extra ex-gangster/now lawyer who opens his own office, ready to fight villainy and avenge his mom with the law or with his fists, whichever is more useful at the time. He has a right hand man named Manager Tae and recruits a bunch of thugs as his minions, and they all become a weird sort of family as the show goes on.

Ha Jae Yi is a quiet badass lawyer who has no time for sexist idiots and gets her license suspended for smacking one of said fools. She gets recruited to assist Sang Pil, and they find their goals align as both their mothers were destroyed by the villains.

Speaking of the villains? EXCELLENT acting by them all, like they need to go down obviously, but you can’t help but be in awe of a few of them or even get attached to one or two in a weird way. Props to the show for having one of the best female villains I have ever seen

What an icon

Here you get two gifs of him

Sorry I needed to make it a magical three lol

~~

Tune in next time for historical dramas and modern dramas that are a bit darker!

[domenicosalvaggio]

MY TOP 12 FILMS OF 2019!

Why 12? One great film for every month. You’ll find a large variation in the films I selected. From blockbusters to art house hits. It’s simple, the films on the list resonated deeply and stayed with me for weeks and months. Here we go:

1. JOKER

‪The film that stunned the world and became the billion dollar clown. The cinematography, the acting and the screenplay are all stellar. It’s no fluke that JOKER became a cultural phenomenon. It tapped into the seething cauldron of anger that exists between the haves and have-nots. It takes place in a nebulous version of the 80’s but it could be about the One Percenters of today who greedily take everything and leave scraps for the rest of society. The Joker is everything you heard & more. It’s an indictment of the mental health system in America & an argument for how your parents & environment can make or break you. Joaquin Phoenix is ASTONISHING & Oscar bound. Be forewarned, the violence is brutal & sudden. This is the best film of the year‬. Would love to see this version of Joker go up against the next iteration of Batman. It would be the Atomic Bomb of superhero vs supervillain confrontations.

2. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

‪Brad Pitt is a magnificent unstoppable beast in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. He is the quintessential laid back California dude. His performance can only be described as effortless. Oscar will recognize him. Leo is poignant as the eternally optimistic fading star. I could’ve spent 10 hrs luxuriating in the world of this film. A wonderful look back at a bygone era. That ending was a total WOWZA. Very moving. Adore this film‬ so damn much.

3. STAR WARS THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

‪I grew up with this Saga. It’s hugely influential and I will always have a soft spot for the adventures that take place in Galaxy far, far away. Don’t listen to the naysayers and go in with childlike wonder and you’ll realize StarWars The Rise of Skywalker is Babu Frik-en Awesome! It’s everything you want from the end of the entire series. Hugely satisfying & emotional with non-stop action. Wept openly when a familiar hero showed up. Palpatine was a pure horror movie monster. Loved the culmination of the Rey/Kylo dyad. I want to say more but won’t get into spoiler territory. This is a great Christmas film to see with family on the biggest screen possible. Wowza!‬

4. PARASITE

‪Bong Joon Ho’s PARASITE is stunning and absolutely bonkers. I don’t want to spoil to much but this is one of the most original films of the year. Layered storytelling with compelling characters who insinuate themselves into others lives to a frightening degree. I’ve already said too much. See it! This film is definitely Oscar bound.

5. KNIVES OUT

‪KNIVES OUT is damn spectacular! The film is an extraordinary modern take on the whodunit genre. It’s CLUE for the new generation. It’s also a biting satire of the upper class. I didn’t want it to end. One of the year’s very best. What a fantastic megastar cast. Daniel Craig is sensational. Ana De Armas is tremendous. Captain America is the ultimate lovable douchebag. The film is both hilarious and suspenseful. It’s so well-written with plenty of twists. Stay away from spoilers. This is pure entertainment!

6. AVENGERS ENDGAME

‪Avengers Endgame is a satisfying, epic finale to the most ambitious movie series ever made. Way more somber & morose than anticipated. Reminded me very much of a DCEU film in many ways. Epic in both scale and emotion. Tony’s final words will echo through eternity in the world of comic book films. It broke every record imaginable and deserves all the accolades. Deserves a best picture nomination but I won’t hold my breath.

7. MIDSOMMAR

‪Midsommar is Nick Cage’s Wicker Man on meth with a steroid chaser. And yes, both films have someone wearing a bear costume. The craft on display is next level; shots, editing, cinematography are all top notch. Such a disturbing film. Florence Pugh gives a powerful performance. ‬This film stayed with me for weeks after I saw it. It does what all great films do: It casts a spell and bewitches you.

8. THE IRISHMAN

‪The Irishmen is Scorsese making the anti-Scorsese film. This is the ugly, seedy, quietly decrepit side of the Mafia. Gone is the thrill of being a MobStar. Replaced by old guys who are falling apart & willing to turn on each other on a dime. Pacino is glorious as Hoffa. Deniro is stellar.‬ This genuinely feels like the end of an era. Grew up watching these guys take over the world and now they’re feeble powerless men with broken souls. A tragic tale and Scorsese’s final word on the underworld universe that made him and his crew famous.

9. SHAZAM

Shazam is pure joy injected straight into your heartmeat. An ode to 80’s films like Goonies, Monster Squad, Big & The Golden Child. Zachary Levi delivers a delightful performance as do the kids & family. Fantastic action, great villain. Top notch VFX and heart. This film has so much damn heart. The Foster family and the message about how a good family gives you strength, confidence and morality is spot on and perfect for the times. It’s the quintessential family film of the year. The post credit scene is “super” AWESOME.‬

10. 1917

‪I implore you to see 1917 on the biggest screen possible & eschew the screeners. You will be dropped into a harrowing, hellish warzone. This film makes you feel like you were there. They should just give the cinematography Oscar to Deakins now. The one takes will go down as legend (I know it’s supposed to be one continuous take but I spotted at least 3 digital cuts. Still an impressive feat). Such a High-anxiety Wowza film. ‪We are inundated with explosions in movies but 1917 has an explosion that’s absolutely terrifying in its realism and verisimilitude. Made me jump out of my seat. This is one of the best films of the year. Filled with Indelible images. What an achievement by Sam Mendes.‬

11. DR SLEEP

Doctor Sleep is an audacious, sparawling horror film with multiple storylines that payed great homage to both the Shining & its sequel. One of the best & scariest films you’ll see this year. It had a scene that pushed the envelope of child violence that had me squirming in my seat. Ewan is stellar as adult Danny Torrance & newcomer Keliegh Currran gives one of the great child performances of all time. There’s a flying sequence that may be the most original moment of flight ever committed on film. Outdoes any Superman flight scene. This is one of the most terrifying films I’ve seen this year. A great time at the movies. Highly recommended.

12. JOJO RABBIT

‪I was profoundly moved by JOJO RABBIT a beautiful, bittersweet comedy about love, empathy and overcoming hate that is driven by fear and lies. Scarlett Johansson is positively luminous in the film. The boy is incredible. This film should not work & yet it had me in tears. A beautifully directed film and one of the best of the year.

Special mention to GLASS, ROCKETMAN, AD ASTRA, HUSTLERS, READY OR NOT, CRAWL, ESCAPE ROOM & BATTLE ANGEL ALITA. All hugely entertaining big screen experiences.

Happy 2020 Folks!

Be good to one another. Be kind. Be driven.

Your Friend, D.

[agentnico]

Okja (2017) Review

So this film talks to us about how bad it is to eat these genetically modified and created super-pigs. But hasn’t anyone thought about the natural pigs, the cows, the sheep... Who’s going to fight on their behalf? But no, let’s just protect this one weird dog-like pig because its adorably cute. Well okay then! I guess I’ll just continue on eating my normal meat!

Plot: Meet Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend - a massive animal named Okja.

The controversial film that got booed at the Cannes Film Festival for being produced by Netflix, since apparently that takes away the people’s chance to experience this film at the cinema in it’s full glory. Well maybe that’s true, but have you considered that this film might have not been made in the first place if Netflix didn’t give it it’s money? I think Netflix actually should be thanked here, as they’ve now given the director Bong Joon-ho enough money (around $50 million) to make the best film he could, without much studio interference, and now more people are going to experience it than ever, since with it being available on Netflix means anyone can access it from the comfort of their home without much effort. Well, that’s a lie, first you have to go out, get a job and make money so that then you can go back home, get a Netflix subscription and only then watch ‘Okja’ in the comfort of you homely abode. But you get my point. Bong Joon-ho’s last film ‘Snowpiercer’ had many difficulties when it came to its worldwide distribution. I mean, it’s still yet to be released in the UK in any kind of shape or form. Though I do agree, ‘Okja’ would look and sound great in the cinema, as visually and technologically speaking this film is stunning.

Is this film any good? Well, it’s definitely an interesting film that’s for sure. It starts out very sweet, and sort of playing along a bit like a comedy with surprisingly a lot of jokes thrown here and there (even a poop joke is included), and I was really enjoying the film and having a good time, but then when the second half came the movie suddenly out of nowhere had a massive shift in tone and became this dark depressing emotional drama which at times was really difficult to watch. Did I like this tonal shift? The thing is, I really liked the first part for its enjoy-ability factor, and I really liked the second half for its message, I’m not sure if I liked these two parts as one whole film. It just felt like two different films merged together. And that probably is my main complaint. Obviously this is just my opinion so take that any way you want to.

But that being said, I still really liked this film. Bong Joon-Ho directs the hell out of this film, from the cinematography to the story and substance to the visuals (all filmed using Dolby Atmos), this is one of Joon-Ho’s best, alongside ‘Snowpiercer’ and ‘The Host’. What also helps is that the whole cast here give it there all. Tilda Swinton pulls another ‘Hail Caesar!’ by playing twin sisters once again, and the first one we meet seems like this wicked sleazy CEO who you just hate, but let me tell you, wait till you meet the other twin. Now she was a monster! And all of that given to us by a great performance of Tilda Swinton! Seo-Hyun Ahn plays the main girl and Okja’s best friend, and I really bought the relationship between her and the creature, and what’s more impressive is the fact that you have to think that when she was being filmed, there was no actual Okja (that’s right kids, Okja doesn’t actually exist, sorry to ruin that for you) there to act off, so she had to show that through her performance as well. And she definitely gives the strongest emotional punch to the film. Then there is this animal rights group called the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), and I would have loved to see a spin-off film with just these guys, as there banter between these guys was amazing, but there was also a great sense of togetherness and all of them being willing to fight all the way for what they believe in. Paul Dano played their excessively earnest leader, and he was simply great. This guy keeps impressing me more and more the more I see him in different films. From BBC’s ‘War and Peace’ to last year’s ‘Swiss Army Man’ to now this, this guy can give one hell of an emotional performance. Another member of the animals rights group worth mentioning is K, played by Steven Yeun (that’s right, ‘The Walking Dead�� fans rejoice, Glenn is back!), and he was a simple joy to watch on screen. He had perfect comedic timing, but also when the emotional parts hit, he embraced them without a sweat. There’s also Lily Collins as another member of the animal rights group, but she sadly was quite under-used. Last but not least we have Jake Gyllenhaal in his most eccentric role yet as this TV presenter, and I don’t really want to spoil anything about his character, but all I’ll say is that it’s Gyllenhaal like you’ve never seen him before (I know that sounds like a cliche but trust me), and that it makes me wonder how Gyllenhaal would have made a great Joker for the DC Cinematic Universe (Sorry Jared Leto.).

‘Okja’ is definitely worth a watch. I mean, it most definitely is the best Netflix original film thus far, and as generally an original piece of film-making it’s definitely powerful. It is a hard watch, but I have to give credit where credit is worth giving and ‘Okja’ is definitely one damn fine film!

Overall score: 8/10

TOP MOVIE QUOTE: Jay (in English): “If our mission succeeds, we’ll be able to shut down Mirando’s super pig project completely. But we need Okja for this. But we won’t do it without your approval.” (K translates in Korean to Mijo.) Mijo (in Korean): “No! Take Okja back to the mountains!” K (in English): “She agrees to the mission!”