#park yong woo

[stuff-diary]

Decision To Leave

Movies watched in 2023

Decision To Leave (2022, South Korea)

Director: Park Chan Wook

Writers: Chung Seo Kyung & Park Chan Wook

Mini-review:

Park Chan Wook is probably my favorite director, so you can imagine how excited I was about Decision To Leave, with it being his first movie in 6 years. And, of course, he doesn't disappoint. Sure, it's definitely not at the level of his best movies, but it's still a great film in pretty much every way. It may take its time when setting up the story and the characters, but it's never boring because the acting, the directing and the writing are masterful. Tang Wei and Park Hae Il give spectacular performances, and it's obvious that Park Chan Wook had a lot of fun making this movie. I admit the storyline was much more simple and straightforward than I expected, but maybe that's what allowed the director to experiment and play around with the cinematography, the editing and the structure of the scenes. All this results in a visually fascinating movie.

I seriously hope it doesn't take 6 more years for Park Chan Wook to release another movie.

[watchingalotofmovies]

Decision to Leave

Decision to Leave    [trailer]

A detective investigating a man's death in the mountains meets the dead man's mysterious wife in the course of his dogged sleuthing.

Mysterious crime thriller that's also a great love story. It's also very stylish and wonderful to look at. As one would expect from a movie directed by Park Chan-wook.

It's such a joy to watch Hae-joon and Seo-rae interact, starting with the sushi lunch and how he gives her a toothbrush, and how she then starts to wrap him around her finger. Femme fatales have become rare these days.

And when you think the movie could be over, only the second half begins.

I wish the ending would've been less tragic. Just as I was wondering what she was digging for ... But maybe there was no other way.

I regret it that Tang Wei hasn't been in more readily available movies in the last decade or so.

Movie had one of the best trailers of last year. I could constantly watch it on a loop.

[junkobato]

BEST KDRAMA IN 2024✨ (pt 1)

Which one is your favorite so far? ☺️

[this-is-youniverse]

The Atypical Family (2024)

[kaipanzero]

Wonderland

원더랜드 (2024)

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[kdram-chjh]

Kmovie: Train to Busan (2016) | dir. by Yeon Sang Ho

Train to busan Gong Yoo and Ma dong seok 💔 sad status #shorts

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NH6XZQdjdOI

[toastinthegrass]

Well. Looks like you made a mistake. Now I`m the only one left.

[somanykdramas]

KNIGHT FLOWER

GENRES: Historical, Action, Romance

SUMMARY: A woman widowed before she even met her husband decides to take charge of her own fate as a nighttime Joseon Robin Hood.

THIS SHOW HAS EVERYTHING: Crude memorial engravings, hidden costumes, wall-jumping, rice distribution, filial piety, palace drama, bookstore meet-cutes, hunky Garrison Captains, lunchboxes, merchants, men’s handfans, tiger scrolls, and making sure you live every day helping those you can.

HOT TAKE: I love how this was one of the most evil Left State Ministers I've seen in a while. I love how tall and goofy Lee Ki Woo can be. I love the shy romances that run throughout the main cast. I love every facial expression of Lee Ha Nee and I love Lee Jong Won in his undergarments.

[kpoptimeout]

K-Pop Debuts and Comebacks for the Last Week of December and 2023 (Dec 25 - Dec 31 2023)

Dec 25

No releases.

Dec 26

TVXQ! - Rebel

2nd Gen Kings TVXQ! show they are still the monarchs of the genre 20 years after their debut in this powerful comeback!

Suitz - Kick ft. Velowci

Rappers Suitz and Velowci collab in this hard track!

Yoo Yong Min - Two of us

Underrated soloist and and Heart Signal OST singer Yoo Yong Min graces us with his honey vocals in this beautiful track!

Dec 27

Park Hye Kyung - Loving U

90s artist Park Hye Kyung brings back the retro pop ballad sound in this sweet song!

Dec 28

Ha Yea Song - Don't forget me

Balladist Ha Yea Song covers Baek Jiyoung's famous 2009 drama IRIS OST to end the year.

Woo Chan - Should I say it

Soloist Woo Chan softly croons this emotional track.

Dec 29

IMLAY - STARDUST ft. XIAOJUN of WayV

SM's EDM sub-label ScreaM Record's artist IMLAY drops a fun track collaborating with Xiaojun!

Dec 30

Son Tae Jin, Shin Seong and Enoch - IN MY LIFE

The three vocalists collab in this warm ballad!

Dec 31

No releases.

What is your favourite release of the last week of 2023?

[passionforfiction]

Arthdal Chronicles

The first season of this fantasy story hits close to home. It depicts the cruelty and greed of villages that have the resources, food and technology to take advantage of others. The story doesn't waist time, the first episode starts with the Arthdal leaders asking the Neanthals to become part of their power. The Arthdal are afraid of the peaceful but strong Neanthals and pretend to negotiate, knowing they are not interested. And what do they do? The Arthdal leaders trick their own people and kill the Neanthals in order to take their lands. Asa Hon learns this when she is in the middle of the attack, and in order to safe Neanthal children, she leaves with a child and Ragaz, with whom she later has children with.

Arthdal continues to annihilate weaker villages, taking them as slaves for hard labor. It is Tagon, an Itgu in hiding, that makes all this possible for Arthdal. And even though he is loved by the village as a hero, his father and other leaders are trying to find ways of killing him, including making Mihol's daughter, Teaelha, into a spy. Even though Tagon is cruel, there is an innocence to his longing to be loved and accepted by the people. His relationship with Teaelha is of a love stronger than their ties to their families and interests. And even though we don't like what he does, some times we do wish him success in his endeavors and fight against the Arthdal leaders for power.

But it is the story of the Wahan Tribe that reminds us that Tagon and all Arthdal are cruel and greedy people that have no respect for others. This is a peaceful tribe in a far away land. They are more like Neanthals in their believes but they are also prejudice against Itgus like Eunseom, whose mother leaves him there before she dies. Eunseom's only true friend is Tanya, the daughter of the priestess and scientist of the village.

It is almost impossible to reach the place but Tagon and the Arthdal leaders find the way to reach the land, it takes them 10 years to reach it and less time to destroy it and take its people as prisoners and slaves. Here we see the struggle of these people who get separated, sold into slavery and fight with each other and their enslavers in order to survive. But it also shows the Wahan people mesmerized by the innovations and way of life in this civilized village.

Tanya ties Eunseom to her by naming him her dream and he will do anything to save her, but destiny takes them into two different paths. These two characters are also very naive, their innocence and sense of justice is what makes others follow them. They both want to forge a world where everyone is equal, no prejudice against people that are different, everyone on equal standing.

Tanya's relationship with Saya is a sad one at best. She is using Saya while Saya genuinely likes her. And even though, at some point she sees him as a friend and cares about him, she still uses his affection towards her. But she is not the only one using Saya, so is Tagon who separated him from his mother when he was a child and Teaelha who became his caregiver for Tagon. Still, Saya is not stupid and he knows how to play the game.

This first half ends with the downfall of the rule of the Arthdal leaders: Daekan, White Mountain, and Hae tribes; giving way to Tagon's rule under the name of Aramun; which damages the relationship he had with Teaelha. Tanya is now the high priest while Eunseom becomes a god for the Ago tribe and starts unifying weak tribes to end fights among them and focus on fighting against their common oppressor.

The second season starts 8 years after the final events of the first one. And the fighting is no longer centered on colonialism, but on taking down a threatening force that is not letting them continue with their expansion of territories. I have heard of people wondering why the change of actors for critical characters. I wouldn't have minded seeing the same actors since they are excellent ones and we got used to them. But I didn't mind the changes, I think that these new actors, brought some darkness to the characters that had been innocent and naive in the first season. They have learned to play the game and they are using what they have learned for their gain.

Tagon and Teaelha are no longer the close couple they had been, but they still love each other and have a son that unites them. Theirs is a tragic and powerful love story, tainted by the struggle for power.

In this half, we see Tagon's fall, and the rise of the ideology that drove Tanya and Eunseom into battle. But we are left with an open ending that promises more blood and restlessness. Saya wants Arthdal for his own since he can't have Tanya's love; and Teaelha wants to take Arthdal back as she promised Tagon; while Eunseom struggles to make Arthdal the land he and Tanya had envisioned.

It is the bloody story of a civilization in this fantasy world that reflects the truth about the history of our world so full of tyranny, blood and inequality.

It is not a story with clear lines and we will switch sides as their goals become twisted, but so is the story of rulers in the past and the present. This is a fantasy story, but it also criticizes what makes a country a country - it's bloody history of greedy men.

[afza147]

Ep10 the atypical family(2)

🤭bumping into yi na

[cinemaloversworld]

Хотя я не герой | The Atypical Family (2024)

[stuff-diary]

Wedding Impossible

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2024

Wedding Impossible (2024, South Korea)

Director: Kwon Young Il

Writers: Oh Hye Won & Park Seul Ki (based on the webtoon by Song Jung Won)

Mini-review:

Well, this drama was entertaining, but nothing more. It was especially funny at the beginning, thanks to that sort of 'rivalry' between the leads. However, once they solved that and started moving into purely romantic territory, the story began to lose steam quickly. Tbh, I kept watching to the very end because of the sizzling chemistry between Jeon Jong Seo and Moon Sang Min. And I guess I wanted to see how in the world they were gonna clear up the mess created by the characters, which was pretty fascinating. I feel like the show would have been better if the director had put more thought into its style, cause the whole thing looked pretty cheap and bland. But still, Wedding Impossible is fun enough, and I can see fans of classic romcoms enjoying it a lot.

[kactors-kpop-kdrama]

[onenakedfarmer]

Currently Watching

SEOBOK: PROJECT CLONE Lee Yong-ju Korea, 2020