#korean movie review

[thekatea]

Unlocked

Watched: 20.02.2023

Whatever cautionary tale it tries to present, you cannot focus on that aspect - you keep getting distracted with how dumb the characters are. Not to mention, the lack of realism completely ruined the poor attempt of “social commentary”.

Female lead was dumb, the police were dumb, the friend was dumb, even the villain was dumb - don’t let people fool you into thinking it’s some tight cat and mouse chase with a brilliant killer who outsmarts everyone. It’s not hard to outsmart idiots. It does not make him a genius.

What’s good? Acting and editing, some directing choices. I liked the shots presenting the world from the eyes of the phone user, and then from the angle of the camera. We never really think about how much our phones see, as we assume the camera is off. So it’s creepy to see how much one could spy on us, if they had the access to the camera itself. Overall, there were many pretty shots, they knew how to make it visually interesting.

As a side note about the “social commentary” - I am so tired of this “phones are dangerous, be careful how you use them” topics. How about showing what the true issue is: lack of laws and procedures when the cyber crime happens, lack of police involvement when the crime is being reported, worst case - ignoring the reported crime because “nothing can be done”. Criticizing the government and police for the lack of protection of the citizens should be the focus, not “people use phones in irresponsible ways and depend on them too much”.

Overall, what a waste of time, even for Im Si Wan fans.

[kpopscatterbrain]

Kdramas/Movies with strong female characters

Dramas

Eve (2022): Lee La-El (Seo Yea-Ji) When Lee La-El was little, her father died unexpectedly. Powerful people were responsible for his death. After her family was destroyed, Lee La-El prepared for the next 13 years to take revenge. Starting by targeting Kang Yoon-gyeom, one of the main culprits who orchestrated the death of her father. Along the way she becomes torn between her desire for revenge and her feelings for Yoon-gyeom.

It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020): Ko Moon-Young (Seo Yea-Ji) Ko Moon-Young is a popular children's book author with antisocial personality disorder. She had a troubled childhood and a turbulent relationship with her parents. She develops romantic feelings for a psychiatric caregiver after a coincidental encounter and often goes to extreme lengths to get his attention.

Hotel Del Luna (2019): Jang Man-Wol (IU) Jang Man-Wol is the moody owner of Hotel del Luna. The hotel catering to the dead has been bound to her soul in order to atone for the sins she committed 1,300 years ago. Through the new manager Gu Chan-sung, the mysteries and the secrets behind the hotel and its owner are revealed

My Name (2021): Yoon Ji-Woo (Han So-Hee) Yoon Ji-Woo’s father gets murdered suddenly. She wants to desperately take revenge on whoever is responsible for her father's death. She starts working for a drug crime ring that her father was a part of. Ji-Woo joins the police department as a mole for the drug ring.

Vagabond (2019): Go Hae-Ri (Bae Suzy) Go Hae-Ri is an NIS agent and is currently working undercover at the Korean embassy in Morocco. She is tasked to help the bereaved families of a fatal flight. She helps Cha Dal-Geon whose nephew was on the flight uncover a darker and more sinister conspiracy than they expected.

Sisyphus: The Myth (2021): Gang Seo-Hae (Park Shin-Hye) Gang Seo-Hae is an elite warrior. She can take down the biggest men with just her bare hands. She is a sharpshooter and a bombmaker. She learned these skills to survive in a world that is dominated by gangsters and military cliques. One day she time travels to save a genius engineer.

Mr. Sunshine (2018): Go Ae-Shin (Kim Tae-Ri) Go Ae-Shin is an orphaned noblewoman and a member of the Righteous Army. Her parents were independence fighters who died in Japan due to their colleague's betrayal. She trains as a sniper. An american soldier Eugene meets and falls in love with Go Ae-shin. 

The Glory (2022): Moon Dong-Eun (Song Hye-Kyo) Moon Dong-Eun was a victim of high school violence. She waited for the bully ring leader get married and have a child. Now she is the homeroom teacher of her tormentor's child. Her cruel revenge plot begins.

Tomorrow (2022): Koo Ryeon (Kim Hee-Seon) Grim reaper Koo Ryeon is the leader of a crisis management team. The teams objective is to save suicidal people. Choi Jun-Woong (Ro Woon) is a young job seeker who is unable to secure a job. One night, he accidentally becomes a new member of the crisis management team.

Remarriage & Desires (2022): Seo Hye-Seung (Kim Hee-Seon) Seo Hye-seung who lost everything in an instant after her husbands affair and su*cide. She signs up to a matchmaking company Rex for the upper class, and participates in the race of her desires for her revenge.

Under The Queen's Umbrella (2022): Queen Hwaryeong (Kim Hye-Soo) Queen Hwaryeong is supposed to act with grace and dignity, but she has troublemaker sons. The queen decides to abandon strict protocols to transform her sons into deserving princes through education and personal growth, all while navigating the complexities of motherhood and royal life.

Juvenile Justice (2022): Sim Eun-Seok (Kim Hye-Soo) Sim Eun-Seok is an elite judge with a personality that seems unfriendly to others. She hates juvenile criminals and gets assigned to a local juvenile court. There, she breaks custom and administers her own ways of punishing the offenders.

K-Movies

Kill Boksoon (2023): Gil Bok-Soon (Jeon Do-Yeon) Gil Bok-Soon is a single mother and a contract killer working for M. K. Ent. Highly regarded by her peers, she has a 100% success rate and is one of a few killers rated "A" by her company. Right before Gil Bok-Soon is set to renew her contract, she gets involved in a kill or be killed confrontation.

Ballerina (2023): Jang Ok-Ju (Jun Jong-Seo) Ok-Ju used to work as a bodyguard. Ok-Ju is friends with Min-Hee, who is a ballerina. Min-Hee asks Ok-Ju for a favor. She wants Ok-Ju to take revenge.

The Witch: Subversion (2018): Ja-Yoon (Kim Da-Mi) A young girl escapes from a mysterious laboratory where she was trained to become a murder weapon. 10 years later, the girl, named Ja-yoon, is living a normal life, apparently without any memory of her past, she becomes involved in a crime.

Special Delivery (2022): Eun-Ha (Park So-Dam) Eun-Ha is a special driver for deliveries. She delivers anything or anyone for the right price. Her success rate is 100%, but she gets involved in an unexpected delivery accident.

Brave Citizen (2023): So Shi-Min (Shin Hae-Sun) So Shi-Min used to be a boxer in her student days. She now works as a contract teacher at a high school. She confronts a school bully, who frequently torments other students.

[soul-from-another-era]

Are you okay? no mf i just finished 25 21 series.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - It’s My Birthday!

April 2023 Wk 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Step By Step (Thai Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 2 of 10 (MDL says 12, but Gaga says 10) - Baby made a friend! Yay. I hope they stay friends. Up looks so good. Also, drama with exes! Excellent. This is awful grown up for a BL, esp a pulp. I think it may be more just a gay office romance than BL, but I love it no matter what. 

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - I love it. Strange premise to get at the fated mates trope but it stars one of my top picks to get his own BL. Been waiting since TT2 for this boy to feature. Tai is cute. It’s good. Except the singing. But we can’t have it all. 

Our Skyy 2 (Star in My Mind) eps 3-4 - Dao is THE MOST SPOILED. But clearly Kluen prefers it that way. This was cute, but frankly a little bit boring. Kluen is clearly Thai for whipped. 8/10 

Future (Thai Sun YouTube & Gaga) ep 5 of 6 - they added an additional ep because, why not? It’s a soap not a story, it doesn’t matter. MOAR softness for usssss! Drama llama boys continue to be overdramatic to the point of melodramatic to the point of ludicrous-dramatic. 

Pastsenger (Thai Weds Gaga) ep 8 of 12 eps - This is not as good as My Engineer but Marc makes for a much better pair with Cooper. It’s still not great but hey… and then HE PICKED UP A GUITAR. NOOOOOO!!!!!

A Boss and a Babe (Fri YouTube) ep 9 of 12 - Is that a character in a GMMTV show actually trying to communicate? Say it isn’t so! Did you notice in order to calm Cher down Gun dropped to pom to put them on a more equal footing? Sweet. Cher is a tiny idiot for taking the blame for some random other coworker. Why? Omg this show. 

The Promise (Thai Weds YT & WeTV) ep 6 of 10 - So it was a real serious total kiss kiss with both very drunk. And that’s why he ran? Sigh. This show sucks. How can we root for this couple especially when the faen fatal (Boss) is THAT HOT and so sweet. (To be fair I can’t decide if I want Boss or his outfits more). Phu should just not come back, who needs him? So they really are going to just keep drawing this one premise out the whole show? 

Tin Tam Jai (Tues Gaga & iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - yawn 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - They are cutest EVER - charming and awkward and sweet. I love the way the state of the food is used as an illustration for the state of the emotions of the characters. The loneliness of heating up a solitary meal bought from a convenience store in the microwave. The joy of memory of shared meals. What a lovely show.  

The Eighth Sense (Korea Weds Viki) eps 9-10fin - To be honest, I was dreading this one. JH is such a first-time love bebe. I liked how realistic everybody’s behavior was to the university age bracket. We even got some proper boyfriends phase which is too damn cute for words. I do not think that JW should have made up with his evil friend. I love the way JW’s shoulders relax the moment he sees JH. This was really good show... 

One of the longest BLs Korea has given us and (like Blueming) it feels more atmospheric gay coming of age romance than strictly BL. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with good chemistry and tension. It’s a bit chewy and sticky and less perfect than most KBLs (do I detect a touch of Taiwan?). This one deployed BL tropes (messy eater, shoulder sleep, protective seme, there’s even some hyung-slinging) but front loaded them, with tons angst driving the 2nd half. This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a BL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled but it did have a glorious ending and that counts for a lot. 9/10 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Happy Merry Ending (Korea Thurs Gaga) eps 1-2 of 8 - No shade (ha!) but I do think Leo would have been better in the role of the singer (SJ) but I’m okay with Dongwon. JH is a nice flirty bit of sunshine. SJ is clearly the most anxiety-riddled socially awkward broken baby evers. I’m not sure about this kinda angst, it’s not really my thing especially on the back of The Eighth Sense. Look, I’ve never been one for a fixer-upper. We shall see, I guess? This is the beauty of KBL, so short most of the time that it’s low commitment no matter my reservations. 

My Story (Pinoy Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 10 - it’s fine I guess? 

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 12 - I guess the fetish matches are finding each other? How v Japan. Of course I like the conversation about names and protocols. 

It’s Airing But ...

Love Syndrome (Thai Sat WeTV) stopped at ep 2 of 12 - I’m just not into any aspect of it (except Lee Long Shi and I can watch him in Tin Tem Jai) - saving to binge if the end is solid.

Venus in the Sky (Sat YouTube) pilot/tester?) 0 of 10 - not entirely sure what’s up with this one distribution-wise, but the pilot was classic university-set pulp. I hope it happens because the leads are cute with good chemsitry and I thought it was fun. However, this pilot holds together as its own little short too.

Make a Wish (Thai Weds ?) stars Fluke Natouch (OhmFluke UWMA etc...) & Judo (The Miracle Of Teddy Bear) in a medical-fantasy. About a doctor who sees ghosts and a deity who resides in a Bodhi tree that earns merits whenever he fulfills a wish, based on a y-novel by Sammon (Manner of Death, Triage). Same as above.

Stormy Honeymoon (Vietnam) - I’m tired of these characters 

In Case You Missed It

Star Hunter dropped all their trailers for 2023 on their YT channel. Bit late in the year IMHO. Nothing really stuck out.

Big Dragon the movie = more of the same

True Moon = yet another loosely disguised attempt at the 2 Moons franchise?

Flirt Milk = standard pulp fodder, but they are cute

Acadex = The Eclipse + Destiny Seeker + Harry Potter 4 + The CW, as a movie that may not be BL 

Sunset Vibes = Big Dragon pair as a one night stand but “uh-oh he’s my boss!” I’m game. Maybe it’ll have a better story? Maybe it will have a plot? Maybe... oh who am I kidding. It’ll be high heat and that’s about all we can hope for. 

City of Stars AKA Fueangnakorn = An actor falls in love with a programmer and the narrative intends to “explore the ramifications of being public figure in the social network era who must endure critics, bullying, and defamation.” Looks like another Lovely Writer/Call It What You Want sort of thing.

The biggest shocker is how few they fielded of their original BL stable.

ALSO:

Love Senior = SOTUS but make it GL (I’m not mad about this one, it’s about flipping time. But it’s GL so I won’t track it, although I will watch it.)

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming in May 2023:

5/1 House of Stars (Thai iQIYI) - An LGBTQ actor in love with an actor from another company, plus other wanna be stars all trapped in a doom house together. 

5/4 Love Mate (Korea Viki) 8 eps- Office romance between a team leader and a new employee who agree to date for 3 months to find true love, from the makers of Our Dating Sim.

5/18 - Starstruck (Korea ????) - A boy has had a crush on his childhood friend for a long time. Stars Zuho (Kpop SF9 - noted Good Egg) opposite rookie actor Kim In Sung (as the one with the crush). 

5/27 The Luminous Solution (Thai ????) 10 eps - Thana is having trouble at work and in his relationship. He can't seem to catch a break. So he makes a wish to change everything. But every wish has a price.

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I do like a tie (or nametag) grab kiss. (Boss & Babe) 

Our Skyy 2 SIMM ep summing it all up and reviewing itself.

Future the series, I like this reverse claiming thing. So cute. 

The boyfriends eps are the BEST eps. The Eighth Sense. 

I WANT BOSS’S OUTFITS. 

My favorite, “there is only one bed but we slept together on the floor anyway.” (The Promise) 

Now that is a claim that MUST be proved. 

Loves the little babies with their killer communication style. 

What do I always say about a BL that reviews itself? All from Destiny Seeker. (I’m getting caught up, I’ll post a review of the series when I’m done.)

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? UO’s Restart 

[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. 

[somanykdramas]

THE DIVINE FURY

GENRES: Horror, Drama

SUMMARY: A man who has no reason to love God finds himself filled to the brim with the power to defeat Seoul’s demons.

THIS MOVIE HAS EVERYTHING: MMA perfect scores, fast cars, crows, priest fanboys, stigmata, serpent demons, Brutalist nightclubs, possessed kids, fangs, immortality, demons, vampires (maybe?), and thankful nuns.

HOT TAKE: Personally I find K-SciFi to be a bit lacking in the CG department, but this movie does a great job balancing practical effects with the weird and over the top supernatural creations. I was suitably creeped out and awed and none of the effects took me out of those moments.

Very nearly everyone you've ever seen in a Kdrama in the past 10 years had a role in this movie. It would have been an excellent reunion without all of that pesky demonic possession!

Also, come on. Park Seo Jun AND Woo Do Hwan fighting like the world depends on it? A+ casting choices, A+ fight choreography.

[jimsmovieworld]

LADY VENGEANCE- 2005 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A woman is framed for murdering a six-year-old boy and is imprisoned for 13 years. After releasing from jail, she seeks revenge on the man responsible for committing the crime and framing her.

This was really enjoyable from start to finish. Respect to Geum-Ja. The story went in such an unexpected direction which I found really pleasing. Stylish shots. Great eye shadows. Lady Vengeance.

Directed by Park Chan Wook.

[raving-raven-writing]

Love and Leashes--Review and Thoughts

So I am still on my Asian films/shows kick and I recently watched a Korean film that has been on my to watch list for awhile.

It is on Netflix, titled "Love and Leashes". About two colleagues Jung Jihoo and Jung Jiwoo, who initially have a D/S relationship, but eventually it turns out that they also have romantic feelings for one another as well. On a bit of a deeper surface, they both struggle in love. Her with the fact that she has a "resting bitch face" and if she wants a man, she needs to stop glaring and frowning. Him with the fact that the person he dated before was highly unwelcoming to his BDSM side and doesn't want to be in another relationship lest he get hurt the same way.

I have never personally experienced a D/S relationship. I only know from what I have read online, but I like the way they approached this relationship. It seemed very healthy. Compared to something like 50 Shades of Grey, I never once got any uncomfortable/cringe vibes from any of the "play scenes" they had.

It was something that was new to each of them. Jiwoo did her research before she tried anything on Jihoo and the agreement they made with one another was for a trial period, terms were made clear, and both agreed to them. They came up with a safe word in case something went wrong and there was aftercare after everything. Initially, they were to keep things as just a D/S relationship...but obviously, both of them end up catching feelings for the other. Also, all the different kinks shown in the film had me squealing in excitement--rarely do you ever see movies (excluding porno) that have anything like that. To list some of the kinks; -Dog/pet play -Feet/Heels---being stepped on -Whips/Impact play -Wax play -Bondage -Verbal Degradation/Dirty Talking -Shibari (Japanese Rope Bondage)

But there were moments in this movie that made me just go "Aww". Like when Jiwoo found Jihoo crying bc he thought that she was referring to him when she was muttering about "He's disgusting" but was referring to their boss. (And idk why, but I enjoy seeing men cry, it always gives me "Aww, let me hug you" urge). Or when they had gone out on a date, and she had handcuffed them together and was feeding him while they had lunch (depending on the situation, feeding another person is just so sweet and endearing to me). And at the end, when they were in a disciplinary meeting, Jihoo stands up to the HR and is defending Jiwoo and how she did nothing wrong---this was also where he confessed his attraction to her and no longer seems to care as much if other people think of him as a freak or pervert.

There were also moments of humor too. Like when they had their first session at a love motel and were trying pet play, and they can hear the couples on either side moaning, so Jihoo starts barking at them to try and drown out the noise (or to tell them off via dog speak?). And this resulted in them they get kicked out because of a noise complaint! Not to mention when he was being punished and asked for her to at least curse at him. And she's calling him a "stupid dumbass" and he cheerfully agrees with "Yes, I'm a stupid dumbass!".

I also liked the ending, of how the message was that there is someone out there for you, who will accept and love you as you are, "without the mask on". And, coming from someone who is chronically single, this is a nice message and is somewhat hopeful.

If you're comfortable with watching a bit of kinky content, with humor, romance, and fluff, I would highly recommend this movie! It was really good; made my night!

[offbeatcappuccino]

nothing is more serious in life than female friendships ~ soulmate movie analysis (not spoiler free)

The first scene of Soulmate opens up with an early thirties something Ahn Mi So (Kim Da Mi) carefully observing a hyperrealistic portrait of her. She is informed by the curator of the art gallery that the piece was submitted by an artist named "Ha-Eun" for a contest but they have been unable to track her. Despite the evidence that is provided to suggest that Mi So and the artist are close friends, she denies this claim and states that she can be of no help.

We are then transported to Mi So's childhood and her first day at an elementary school in Jeju. Mi So has a dysfunctional relationship with her mother and is tired of having to constantly move from one place to another due to her mother's financial woes. It is on this day that the young Mi So meets Ko Ha Eun ( Jeon So-Nee) for the first time. After an eventful day of rescuing a kitten from the pouring rain and having dinner with Ha Eun's family, both girls embark on a lifelong friendship.

The two girls grow up together and bond over their mutual dream of painting and traveling the world. However, Mi So and Ha Eun are poles apart from each other. Ha-Eun is reserved and proper and grows up in a stable loving two parent childhood. She aspires to attend college and her father wishes her to become a painter. On the other hand, Mi So is extroverted and wild. She's a free spirit with an estranged mother. She dislikes school and unlike her peers, she attends a trade school by day and works an assortment of part time jobs to support herself. The idyllic friendship and inseparable bond of both girls is disrupted when Ham Jin Woo (played by the ever so handsome Byeon Woo Soek) enters their lives.

As teenagers, Ha Eun develops romantic feelings for Jin Woo. During a soirée, she and Jin Woo confess their attraction for each other during a game of "Go Stop" and they both end up dating. The dynamics between the three individuals is complex and a significant turning point in their relationship is when the three go on a forest hike to a wishing well. Ha Eun bruises her feet during the hike and stays behind as Jin Woo and Mi So continue their journey. At the well, the two unexpectedly share a brief kiss and Jin Woo ends up giving Mi So the necklace he was wearing, which is really an amulet to protect the wearer against misfortune.

Shortly after this trip, Mi So abruptly leaves Jeju for Seoul, leaving Ha Eun heartbroken. As the two girls wave their final farewells, Ha Eun is stunned to find her best friend wearing her boyfriend's necklace. Her grief of Mi So's sudden departure is overcome by a strong sense of betrayal. The rest of the film is a non-linear and sometimes alternate timeline depiction of the two friends as they navigate their relationship with each other and adulthood.

At its core, the relationship between Mi So, Ha Eun, and Jin Woo is essentially a love triangle, but its far more complicated than the two girls both being in love with same guy. I believe that both girls are physically attracted to Jin Woo, but they are actually truly in love with each other. What drives the conflict in their relationship is not only how far they drift from each other when their realities do not align with their ideals, but also the mutual possessiveness for each other. One scene that strongly propels this narrative is when the two reunite in their mid-late twenties. During a coincidental run-in with Jin Woo, Mi So discovers that her boyfriend/boss unalived himself and wasted all of their money before his death. Heartbroken and bankrupt, Mi So ends up living with Jin Woo and the two rekindle their "attraction" for each other. When Ha-Eun catches them living together, she angrily locks Jin Woo out of his apartment and confronts a drunken Mi Soo in the bathroom. Initially, it seems like Ha Eun is upset that her best friend and lover are having an affair. But, we realize that its so much more than that when Ha Eun emotionally confesses that before any men came into their lives, she was the one who loved Ha Eun. Ha Eun loves Mi So so much that it was absolutely devastating for her that she was kept in the dark and replaced by Jin Woo during a critical period of Mi So's life.

Though Soulmate has a fairly simple premise and short runtime , analyzing and discussing the film can be an arduous task because of its unconventional approach to storytelling and the many layers that are interspersed within it. However, if there was something that captivated my attention, it was the role of art in the film and the larger role it plays in shaping the protagonists' behavior. Both women are artists, but their styles are vastly different. Ha Eun relishes in hyperrealism and looks at it as a form of emotional truth seeking. We see this first during her first date with Jin Woo when she tells him that she has to draw him in order to confirm her feelings. Additionally, when she discovers that Jin Woo does not view her artistic passions as more than a hobby, she realizes that marrying him will also result in her being detached from reality, particularly her true identity. It was perhaps the first wake up call of many that ultimately led her to leaving him at the altar later in the movie.

On the other hand, like Mi So, her artistic style is eccentric and fantastical. Her work is more abstract and likened to that of Picasso with her often opting to offer more distorted versions of her subjects instead of making them appear as real as possible. Mi So adopts a similar approach to life as we see her often resorting to fabricating her life rather than telling those around her what her true circumstances her. As a young adult, Mi So sends optimistic and exciting life updates to Ha Eun in the form of letters but fails to include the mundanity and difficulty of her working an assortment of part time jobs or that the boyfriend she left to Seoul with ended up cheating on her. For me, it was even questionable if she truly traveled to Europe and that the gifts she brought were from there ( but I could have truly misunderstood this). Mi So's fabrications take a life of their own after she adopts Ha-Eun and Jin Woo's daughter after Ha-Eun's death from childbirth. This is seen in not only how the screenplay shifts from alternate timelines- one that is fake and one that is real, but also in how Mi Soo hides Ha Eun's death from the rest of the world not only by hiding the fact that she died but also by completing Ha-Eun's half finished portrait and submitting the very work she was questioned about in the first scene under her friend's name.

I don't think its far to brand Mi So as a liar and a con-artist, but I think her actions reflect her desperately clinging to and nurturing the existence of Ha-Eun even if she may no longer be physically present. It made me really think about who a soulmate really is and how the souls are always interconnected even when their bodies may not- much like the reference made in the film to how a shadow is always present when the sun is around.

Soulmate is one of those films that feels like art that needs to be treasured in a museum. It's meant to move its viewers rather than entertain them.

[seonpremacy]

The Childe (Movie Review)

hi omg. so i just recently watched the latest korean film from dir. park hoon jung, the creator of the witch film series, which is called "the childe". i am not a movie expert or anything so take my advice with a grain of salt. let's talk about the cons first. the pacing of the first 30 minutes of the movie, wherein the characters are slowly being introduced. it was a bit slow and unorganized. there were some scenes in the beginning that can be considered as filler scenes, which adds to the slowness of the pacing of the film, and the character of go ara was not really fleshed out well, which is a missed opportunity. now the pros. okay, the plot is simple with a few plot twists and there, pretty much john wick vibes except it's asian LMAO because of the main conflict of the show. i was a bit confused in one of the revelations of the show but caught up quickly anyway. next is the comedy. actually, this was one of my fears to this film. comedy being used in action films are usually forced, and a bit cringeworthy, but SURPRISINGLY, seonho did it naturally. the comedic timing was so smooth and i genuinely laughed. it's like the icebreaker for the seriousness of the film. no forced jokes. there could be some lines that are cheesy for other people, but it's still tolerable. and i think the what excelled the most in the film is the line delivery of each character, and how they contributed to the overall ambiance of the film. Each of the major characters had contributed enough in their delivery of their dialogues. However, i would like to emphasize two actors: kang tae ju and kim seonho.

kang tae-ju really did an amazing job for his character. the desperation and the fear of the character were obviously portrayed accurately by him, and he had such a good chemistry with seonho. his english accent is topnotch ofc. he has the potential to become the next thing. and now of course, kim seonho. the kim seonho. oh my god. never have i ever thought, that he would also be fitting in the action genre. throughout the film, i tried to observe if there are resemblance of any past characters that he did e.g. han ji pyeong from start-up and hong du sik from hometown cha-cha-cha, and guess what? there was no resemblance AT ALL. i mean why am i surprised he studied theater acting for 10 fucking years before debuting in a small screen. of course, micro-expressions were obviously visible throughout the film i mean come on IT'S GIVEN already. next is his American English accent. oh. my. god. i truly lost it when he delivered his english lines in the movie. he literally has the potential to become really proficient in english. god he was so hot. the thought that he probably only took english classes for a short period of time... oh my god. again, the way he delivered his comedic lines throughout the film was just *chef's kiss, no more further explanation on that. of course, that popular filipino line that he said on the film, i mean, as a filo, it wasn't that bad actually, particularly the first filipino line, the filipino accent was present. and lastly, the fact that he filmed this, only weeks or months after that unfortunate controversy, blows my mind. dealing with that kind of stuff is so mentally draining and could obviously affect one's mental health but no, he insisted. he needed to continue what he's good at, which is acting. his passion to his craft is honestly one of the reasons why i just fall in love with this korean actor everyday. he had to act like the RENT WAS DUE.

now, is the childe a MINDBLOWING korean film? obviously not. but this just paved the way for seonho's comeback, and the exposure for his versatile acting. he should, at least be nominated honestly. the childe rating: 8.0 of 10.

[the-story-dragon]

Badland Hunters (2024)

I was looking to relax after a stressful week of exams and I was browsing Netflix for something to watch. I wanted to watch something in Korean but did not have the energy to commit to a series. So movies it was. Badland Hunters caught my eye because the thumbnail/poster of the movie on Netflix had a young man with a bow on it. And anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for protagonists using a bow and arrows. Thus, the decision was made.

The movie started off interestingly, with the frazzled doctor vowing to do anything to save his daughter. Then, the introduction of the dystopian world and the protagonists. I realized that Ma Dong-Seok was starring in this and was looking forward to the action scenes. In the beginning, I was really intrigued by the plot. It was a new take on the whole zombie apocalypse plotline and I was genuinely expecting a lot more than what the movie delivered. The plot being different from the typical zombie apocalypse movies, I was expecting that the plot would thicken. It did not. The movie ended up being your usual action film with a touch of crazy-doctor-gone-wild. I was expecting so much more, but the plot ended up being nothing new. The buildup to something mind-blowing only led to an epic letdown. The movie was no different from the thousands of zombie apocalypse stories out there.

That being said, the action scenes were amazing. They were really well choreographed and carried out. Of course Ma Dong-Seok was portrayed as the undefeatable hero, which got kinda tiring after a point. I mean, I knew that he was gonna come out of that fight alive. There was nothing that kept me at the edge of my seat. Ahn Ji-Hye and Lee Jun-Young also did their action scenes really well. I was especially impressed by Ahn Ji-Hye's scenes and found myself in awe at her 'fighting' skills.

On the whole, not a bad watch nor a boring one. It will definitely keep your attention for the entire duration but will leave you feeling......meh.

Overall, 5.4/10.

Would recommend. Would not watch again.

[chillinaris]

Lindungi keluargamu dari PREDATOR ANAK!

🎬 Hope (Hangul: 소원; RR: Sowon), atau dikenal pula dengan judul Wish, adalah film Korea Selatan produksi tahun 2013.

Film ini memenangi penghargaan untuk kategori Film Terbaik dan sembilan kategori lainnya, dalam 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Hope diangkat dari kisah nyata dalam Kasus Nayoung yang terjadi pada tahun 2008, di mana seorang gadis berusia 8 tahun bernama Na-young di Korea Selatan telah diperkosa dan disiksa oleh seorang laki-laki berusia 57 tahun di sebuah toilet umum. Namun sayangnya, pengadilan justru hanya menghukum dengan 12 tahun kurungan penjara yang berujung kepada kemarahan publik karena ini tergolong peristiwa kejahatan dan kekerasan seksual yang tak terampuni.

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[daebakreviews]

The Moon

After a mission to the moon goes wrong, the last surviving astronaut must find a way back home before it's too late. For astronaut Hwang Sun-Woo, getting home from the moon will prove a greater challenge than expected.

One of the things that makes The Moon effective is the storytelling. The script is perfectly written to create tension and anxiety. I was so stressed out while watching The Moon that I had to pause a few times to breathe and walk around.

Combined with the great script, the sound design is also top-notch. The effects and visuals are amazing, helping you become immersed in the experience. I can only imagine what it would have been like to watch this in a theater.

Doh Kyung-Soo plays the stranded astronaut perfectly, displaying all the emotions one would expect from someone struggling to survive an accident in space. He continues to prove that he is not only a vocal powerhouse as a member of EXO but also an acting powerhouse.

Overall, I highly recommend The Moon to anyone. It is a well-crafted movie with stunning visuals and performances from all involved. You can catch The Moon on @viki.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - When good chemistry goes bad

May 2023 Wk 3 

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - yes it jumped to the top of the standings, the kiss was THAT good, best of the year so far. So soft and yet so sweet and yearning and with a proper chemistry - body, breath, everything. Also... there was plot happening this ep, but who cares about that? Some additional thoughts, now my brain has rebooted from that kiss. I do suspect Pat of still being a player: he is awful smooth, and he may want revenge for being jacked along for 2 years (I would). Ep 4 is early for a kiss like that, which means pacing-wise we may be in for a separation/break up around ep 8. 

Step By Step (Thai Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 5 of 10 (MDL still says 12, but Gaga still says 10) - Pat, dear, your gay is squirting all over our screens. Meanwhile… That is the smallest presidential suite bed I’ve ever seen. Lucky for us of course. And lucky for Jeng. Me with the side dishes = UH OH. 

Our Skyy 2 (My School President) eps 9-10 - Alt reality where Tinn is in charge of the music club and Gun is the school president with the crush. Basically, it’s an excuse for them to play each others’ parts (which just highlighted how well they were cast, originally). Ultimately, Gemini is a better piner, and Fourth is a better tsundere. Although the reversed “holding it over his head” was v funny & Fourth IS a decent seme. (I also realized what I like so much about Fourth, like Saint he’s one of those rare full body actors.) Sound was a great uke and I loved how they changed his makeup for the role (did you notice?). TiwPor were as adorably ridiculous as ever. I liked the minor baby pairing for Aun, too. Still my NO SIGNING holds (although there was lots of dancing to counterbalance). In the end, all this really did was make me wanna rewatch the original. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. FYI The MV was a parody of HCTM, BB, 1k*. 8/10 

A Boss and a Babe (Fri YouTube) ep 12fin - It was a cute sappy ending for a cute-ish sappy-ish show. I cannot abide that the mom who condoned the rape of her daughter got forgiven. No. Stop it GMMTV. Review below. 

The Promise (Thai Weds YT & WeTV) ep 9 of 10 - I'm in trouble when I'm rooting for everybody BUT the main couple. I guess Nan doesn’t have a NO SINGING policy. Also I guess Nan was waiting for Phu all along? This show. ALSO could we not have just ended it here? 

Past-senger (Thai Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 eps - I don’t understand. What? Where did all these new characters come from? Do we care about the hets? Not even slightly. What is anyone doing? What’s going on? do I care abotu anyone anymore? No. Please make it stop. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - OMG so adorable, so repressed, so reserved, so soft, so awkward, so special. Heart melting. Also. Hungry. The WAY Minoru looks at Yutaka when he’s eating (now that he knows the history). The way we got to see the exact moment that Minoru realizes he is in love. Perfection. 

Star Struck (Korea iQIYI & Gaga) ep 1-2 of 8 - Zuho (Kpop SF9 - noted good egg) opposite rookie actor Kim In Sung (the one with the crush). icky is being weird about it but it looks like Gaga also picked it up? Depends on your territory I suppose. Anygay: Friends since childhood, jock/nerd, puppy/cat and I sense bi-himbo confusion and pining introvert gay. There’s family strife plus class issues and it has some interesting things to say already about the nature of friendship, romance, and jealousy. I like it, weirdly reminds me of something that might have come out of China. Not early CBL, but some of the later stuff that was censored but hearkened to Addicted. This has the feel of what China could have made now (were things politically different). Because of this feel, I’m not confident in this being an HEA or even a true BL but it is interesting enough for me to bump it way up the ranks. 

Happy Merry Ending (Korea Thurs Gaga) eps 7-8fin - I get why SJ pushed JH away, but I kinda agree that SJ is too much work. Abused or not, I wouldn’t put in the damn effort - so I guess I’m glad SJ took a year off to figure his shizz out? Far be it from me to agree with a year break in a Kdrama, tho. I didn’t even mind that they were separated most of these 2 eps: it was nice to see a Seme told no, who actually backed off and did as he was told. Plus the running of the gays (how Japan of you SK). I’m assuming that this was the final episode and that Viki thinking that there are 2 more is bonkers? Because this felt like a finale. For me this one had a stronger finish than any other aspect of the show (odd when the couple spent the bulk of it apart). Oh! And someone give Shin Myung Sung (the surfer bestie) his own damn BL, m’kay? Review below.

Love Mate (Korea Thurs Viki) eps 5-6 of 8 - Longest elevator ride in the world. Honorifics discussion! My favorite! And, “there is only one bed but they slept together on the floor anyway” trope. A BL staple. Also the tie/lanyard grab. Another fav. Still pushy puppy stalker remains creepy manipulative obsessive warped hotness. Basically KBL version of trash and… I’m into it. We all got our kinks, I guess. 

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) - Such a cat. I’m reminded of Milk. It’s cute. They cute. I like it.

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - So is the nude dining meant to be some kind of weird allegory for repressed gayness? 

It’s Airing But ...

My Story (Pinoy Sat YouTube) 10 eps - I bounced at ep 4. Someone will tell me if I should bother with the rest. 

House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end. 

The Day I Loved You (Pinoy YouTube) eps 6-7 of 10 - Terminal illness for the sunshine. I bounced at ep 6. DNF. 

Ended this week

Love Syndrome finished its run on WeTV (I stopped at ep 2) - anyone wanna weight in with thoughts on the ending and whether I should binge or not? I do love Lee Long Shi.

Happy Merry Ending - Stars Lee Dong Won (KNK) as an ex-idol turned wedding singer with an abusive ex and a panic disorder + the sunshine pianist who falls in love with him. Timid tsundere & sweetheart gay is an interesting match. They’re gentle together, almost kindly and there is a calm ache to their pairing. However, it lost its way as a BL, being more about the main character’s struggle than the romance. It had a strong finish but ultimately the premise & characters meant this was never going to be one of my favorites. 8/10  

A Boss and a Babe - With an inconsistent narrative and self-sabotaging characters this was not the Thai BL office romance I was hoping for. I spent most if it feeling manipulated without good reason and sorry for ForceBook. They did their best with a shoddy script (AGAIN!) and none of its flaws were their fault. This show was all over the place and so am I about it. It’s better than Enchanté but that’s not really saying much. 7/10 I guess

In Case You Missed It 

BL Express reported that Taiwanese production companies have announced 7 new BLs (4 of these from Vidol.) Stories range from office romance to crime drama. 

Someone did a survey on KBL watchers. 

Build Jakapan has been cleared of all charges. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting this week: 

5/26 Be My Favorite prev title: You Are My Favorite (Thai YouTube) Adapted JittiRain y-novel (2gether, FUTS, ToL, Vice Versa) one of those “rewrite the past to change the future.” Stars Krist (SOTUS) + Fluke Gawin (DBK, Not Me). Expect this to be v low heat, full of LIES and manipulation.

5/27 The Luminous Solution (Thai ????) 10 eps - Thana is having trouble at work and in his relationship. He can't seem to catch a break. So he makes a wish to change everything. The wish has a price.

5/27 Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa (Japan) - NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS (but that has never stopped Japan before) and no, I have no idea where to get it, why would I ?????  (Say it with me everyone: Oh Japan, must you?*)

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

This Week’s Meta Moments 

naturellement (Step By Step naming its trope.)

The Promise calling out the uke archetype, Mary Sue much? 

ALL THE DANCING. Live the dream! Live the trend! Live the trope! 

4 tropes in one! Drinking, piggyback, feed him, product placement. Very nice GMMTV & GeminiFourth. I’m impressed.  

nash

(all My School President’s Our Skyy - kinda a masterclass in using ALL THE TROPES and ALL THE BL references.) 

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

The unmitigated irony of so-called fans of ZeeNunew coming after this show for this moment (not to mention the self sabotage). Truly mind boggling. (Step by Step)

The two boys who didn’t win the boy but totally should have. This show makes me wanna drink too. Next week... soju! (The Promise)

Yes please and thank you GMMTV. (My School President) 

I do love the kinkification of Phi. (Boss & Babe) 

These tiny idiots it turns out are, in fact, totally hilarious. La Pulie (side dish friendship group)

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Key & Taeyeon’s Hate that... (which if it wasn’t an OST SHOULD have been)

[tinyreviews]

After so many movies reviewed, this one really leapt at me. I think because I can’t really tell what it is. A lot of it is subtext and open to interpretation. Is it cathartic? Is it allegorical to being stuck in society? Did the characters have arcs or did they remain true to who they were all along?

The violent scenes are really violent, but seldom shown outright on camera. Watch only if you can tolerate violence(against children, self-harm, non-cathartic violence).

Hopeless (Korean: 화란; Hanja: 禍亂; RR: Hwaran) is a 2023 South Korean neo-noir thriller film directed by Kim Chang-hoon and starring Hong Xa-bin, Song Joong-ki and Bibi. 

[somanykdramas]

THE NIGHT OWL

GENRES: Historical, Drama

SUMMARY: An adept, blind acupuncturist must balance his family’s livelihood, the health of the royal family, and his personal secret.

THIS MOVIE HAS EVERYTHING: Poison, needles, palace politics, Ming vs Qing, heirs to the throne, night watches, workplace courtships, royal tyrants, magnifying glasses, and lots of medicine.

HOT TAKE: I don't really have any complaints about this one. It's a good what-if historical take on real palace tragedies, it uses cinematic light and day to its advantage, and the stakes are worthy of an edge of your seat position!