Change Your Image
markapiec
Reviews
Run On (2020)
Sweet and slow burning romance
Another drama i kept avoiding because of the rather boring narrative but i was pleasantly surprised, Run on is a very sweet romance drama starring Siwan and Shin Se-kyung. Siwan portraying a national athlete Ki Seon-gyeom stands up to bullying and violent practices between athletes and for that he is suspended from the team. Shin Se-kyung as an interpreter Oh Mi-joo meets Seon-gyeom as she is hired to translate for him. If course, they fall for each other. There are number of things i would like to highlight on this drama. First the character of Ki Seon-gyeom, a perfect athlete, incredibly high sense for integrity and fair play, stands up and looks out for his younger fellows. Innocent and in a good way, dumb. Siwan's voice is incredibly sweet, its tone and cadence was very pleasant to listen to. Another thing worth mentioning was the love story of the supporting roles, Seo Dan-ah and Lee Young-hwa. I dare to say that the dynamic and chemistry between those 2 were stronger than betwen the main leads.. and finally, in this drama you wont need to watch the annoying bickering and ridiculous characters that are present in every single kdrama, in Run on they are all more less normal ;)
Overall very sweet slow burning romance, very good performance by all actors.
Saikojiman Gwaenchanha (2020)
A must watch for many reasons
I have been putting watching this drama off for quite some time, now i know why. I needed to learn that nothing will compare to it, and i am a big fan of CLOY and Vagabond. Strong plot, excellent acting performance, scripts, camera, soundrack..
What was interesting is that it made me watched it through the eyes of Moon Gang-tae, i felt what he felt, i laughed when he laughed and cried when he cried.
Seo yea-ji was absolutely stunning, her makeup, hair, attire.. i couldnt take my eyes of her. Although her characters started off as a cold and emotionless woman, her warm smile gave her soon away. I was very impressed with how well her character developed throughout the series. I was also pleased to see that her character was equally strong as the male lead. This doesnt often happen even if put in a position of power.
Kim Soo-hyun, what is left to say. He is a Mr. Actor. And who have thought that it will be Gang-tae who will have to let go, eh??
And of course, lets dont forget to mention Oh Jung-se as the lovable autistic Moon Sang-tae. Amazingly well portrayed.
The supporting roles were just as good, all very well complimented each other.
For me the best kdrama of all times, a must watch that opens eyes about lives of carers and how they often sacrifice their own lives and happiness for those they care for.
Zui Dong Ting De Shi (2019)
Painfully slow and childish
I am still deciding whether it was the casting or the scripting that failed this drama. The show makers created a very interesting charachter Ye Shuwei, a violin maker who, for reasons unknown to me, takes a part in a couple's reality show where he competes against other couples. They couple him with a friend of the show's producer, Bei Er Duo, who is an aspiring young voice actress. The problem is that they are the only fake couple in the show and you dont have to be a genious to see that. And just like the lack of the couple's chemistry in the reality show, the couple desperately lacks chemistry 'in real life', on the screen of i hear you, too. Why am i saying this? I hear you asking.. Er duo, while very sweet and kind, is way too childish, she is like 12 years old thrown in the world of adults. Shuwei on the other hand is too mature, almost oldfashioned, with an incredible ability to compose himself no matter the situation. There is nothing going on for Er Duo as a woman, the only thing i can thing of is her child like innocence and vulnerability. Is that enough for an adult man to fall in love??? You tell me...
The plot isnt strong enough, and although the episodes are on the shorter side of things, you will find yourself skipping a lot of interactions between uninteresting characters that do not help to develop the plot in any way and are just the fillers really.
There is a wcene that i particularly mind as out of order, that is where Shuwei gets drunk and Er Duo takes him home. She drops him in his bed and starts undressing, when he suddenly gets on top of Erd Duo wanting to kiss her, right... and here, instead of Er Duo being at least a little flustered she has a small fight with him, when she finally pushes him away with an anger and disgust in her face. Er duo demonstrated no feelings whatsover, if she did fancy him, this would have looked differently. And so on, and so on..
I actually enjoyed the supporting characters storyline more, more relatable, for an adult anyway.
All and all, i am giving 5 points, and just like the couple's relstionship in love in progress was fake, so was it in i hear you.
The Shack (2017)
Simplified story about dealing with a great loss
I started watching a thriller, only took 5min to buy some hoover bags online and someone must have switched the film i was watching! I must admit i thought there will be a twist, something like in Shutter Island, but no, this was indeed a spiritual film, a story about a greiving father who lost his little daughter to a gruesome crime, and finding his way back to God.
I think most of us would have a hard time forgiving and because of that for me the story or rather the feelings and emotions were too simplified. It opens up a lot of questions, dilemmas almost. Was God with the little girl when she was taken and painfully killed? Is God with children when they are abused, raped and killed? Where does the act of God end and the act of Evil starts? if the God is almighty and loves us all, why he/she allows this to happen?
The acting was ok,i was mostly pre-occupied by the story that i didnt like.
Jiltooui Hwashin (2016)
Love triangle and jealousy in the lead
Dare to dream is a drama about love triangle in which we find 2 male best friends falling in love with a weather girl. First of all, it has 24 episodes though the content could have easily been squeezed into the standard 16. During these 24 and at time incredibly long winded episodes we follow 3 - most of the time likeable - characters, a weather girl Pyo Na-Ri portrayed by beautiful Gong Hyo-jin, arrogant, selfish but very attractive Lee Hwa-sin by no one other than Jo Jung-suk and finally charismatic, rich and very kind Go Jung-won by Go Kyung-pyo. Na-ri has had a crush on Hwa-sin for the past 3 years, unfortunately her love was (or rather appeared to be) just one sided. On shooting an advert in thailand she meets Jung-won who turns out to be Hwa-sin's best friend. They seem to fancy each other and Jung-won starts courting Na-ri in a bid to win her heart. While Hwa-sin gives them his blessing, in reality he hates the idea them 2 dating, while he recognises that Jung-won is a great man for Na-ri, he also realizes he has feelings for her too. The love triangle is confirmed by Na-ri's inability to chose from those 2 guys forcing them to compete against each other. So thats the storyline. There's of course more to it, but lets not spoil it all.
Unfulfilled love doesnt fade away, and that is a truth. It is also a truth that unfulfilled love needs a closure, get over it, before one can move on. Slapping feelings over feelings never work and thats why this show has 24 episodes.
24 episodes is just way too much for me so towards the end i had to fast forward a lot. As mostly in all kdramas, main leads did a fantastic job, Jo Jung-suk is an actor with a big A who speaks with his eyes, he made me believe everything he was going through. The scene in the changing room is a classic.
Overall a good drama, i give 7 out of 10, too long.
Never Have I Ever (2020)
Ideal series to binge watch
Never have I ever is an ideal series to binge watch with each episode just under 30min.
While i somewhat liked Devi's character, i was a little disappointed the show followed stereotypes and was very predictable. When i learnt she was 15 and her main goal was to have sex, i became very uncomfortable. Some of her statements were very concerning borderline inappropriate. While Darren is a very handsome man, he is also almost 30 and hate me not, he looks 30, at least in the show, and that was another thing that made me very uncomfortable. He was just not casted well for college student and love interest of 15 year old..
From the beginning i knew there will be more to Devi's relationship with Ben (actually very well played), what is being teased is usully being liked... and while he was so much better choice for her on so many levels, let's be honest gals, none of us would choose Ben over Paxton.
Other than that, it was fun to watch. Except for the narrative. I didnt get that and would prefer without it.
Cheese in the Trap (2016)
Romdram with an enexpected ending
Everybody was talking about Park Hae jin's performance in Cheese in the trap so i finally gave it a go. From the beginning I felt sorry for the young people having to deal with such complex issues such as abuse, manipulation and bullying so early in their lives.
The acting was very good, Hae jin has an amazing face and facial expressions (or their lack of) to portray characters with a lack of empathy, he was very well casted for this role. i dont think that romdrams suit him the most though, he seems a little awkward in rom scenes, action is definitely a better genre for him. Kim Go eun was also very good.
In dramas we usually have 2 main leads, well here we had 3 because Baek In-ho role was certainly not just supporting. Watching this drama reminded me of my youth and Twillight dilemma (Edward or Jacob), i actually thought that In-ho would have been a better choice and fit for Seol. He trully loved her and would have made her happy. But humans are complicated by nature, what we think is right and what we feel are often 2 completely different things.
As to the ending many people moan about, well there was no other way than for Soel and Jeung to break up, let's be honest, he was a cruel man manipulating and destroying other peoples lives and the least he needed to do is to reflect on his actions. And secondly, we could probably count on fingers of one hand how many times he made her happy or at least smile. Lovely Soel certainly deserved so much more.. i was happy to see that at the end things worked out for the siblings, although In-ha was a very very annoying character (and the actress should cast as a witch), i really wished them to find hapiness.
Overall this was ok to watch, a long winded at places, things are a bit repetitive and dont move the story anywhere, but thats why Netflix has a functionality to fast forward, right?
Boiseu (2017)
Lots must be forgiven
I wonder whether they consulted someone from police before writting the script. A lot of things will stress you out and everyone who watched at least one series of CSI would be a better detective than those in Voice. On the other hand, the crimes are scary and very intense and I can only hope nothing like that actually goes on in Korea and if so, i hope those investigating them, are more competent..
What i liked.. hmm when it comes to Jang Hyuk i am a modest person, his martial arts skills made up for the lousy script and narrative. It isnt terrible, it is still watchable, but prepare to be forgiving ;-)
Gwaenchanhah, Sarangiya (2014)
A solid Korean drama with a sweet romantic story
This drama touches on very important topics of domestic violance, trauma and mental health, and while we still have the component of love and romance in it, this time or at least for me, it was not the main theme. I admit that until the 11th episode i wasnt very excited about the show, but that is when it starts to be very interesting. Episode 13, 14 and 15 i just cried my eyes out, these episodes were hard going. The viewers know that there is something wrong with Jae-Yeol but the extend of it starts to unfold only towards the end of the show. People, who have an experience with mental health issues will be able to relate to Jae-Yeol, which will make the watching even more heart breaking. Luckily, there's a happy ending, however let's dont get fooled thinking schizophrenia is so easily cured, it is a serious mental illness and requires life-long treatment..
Performances of both lead chracters were excellent, though i didnt think there was much chemistry between them 2.
I rate it at 8, because of the topic and because of 3 episodes. The rest was an average. Except for the soundtrack. Beautiful.
Good Girls (2018)
Female version of Breaking Bad
I enjoyed watching Good girls though i must admit that after the 1st series, the show did not really develop (except for Beth's affair). A lot of people say that the 3 women did not learn anything and were the most stupid criminals ever. Of course they were, they were like me or you. Ordinary (good) people, not experienced criminals, thieves or smugglers. They only managed to get 1 or 2 things right, the rest had to be clean up after them by others. And let's dont talk about how realistic or not some of their criminal actions were. It was a comedy. Mostly. On one side we had some very funny exchanges between the female chracters, especially Retta as Ruby Hill, she was hilarious, on the other there was Rio (Manny Montana), who was not funny at all.. the affair between Beth and Rio was expected, though it was not 'used' to its full potential, and clearly i didnt know how one felt about the other.. Beth keeps stealing or 'docking' money and other material from Rio and then she is surprised he sends her a dead man's finger via mail.. she could have had him wrapped around her finger, he literally served himself to her on a silver plate, but despite how hard she tried, she could not handle him. Shame. Could have been a good story twist. Instead, he was just coming and going, appearing and disappearing.. i just wished there was more to their relationship.
So in a nutshell, easy going series, nothing too complicated or demanding. A comedy with a few very good jokes and exchanges. I give 7, as the 2nd and 3rd series are same, just situations differ.
Twogether (2020)
Entertaining, sweet and sincere
I really enjoyed thid concept of comedy/travel documentary, paired with funny Lee Seung-gi and shy Yi Hao, it makes for a brilliant show. I dont know to what extend their exchanges were scripted, but they worked very well together, tolerant and accepting of each other, which, lets be honest isnt always easy when travelling. Lee Seung-gi can be a bit overhelming, he is a very confident, quick witted young man, but i liked that they let Jasper shine as well.
I was a little confused over all the languages they spoke, sometimes they understood each other, another time, there was no understanding at all. There were times they spoke very good English, another time, it was very poor. I am not sure whether it was intended and scripted that way, or they really just knew little bit of this and that..
And lastly, the idea behind it - meeting their fans - is very very sweet. I hope it was an eye opening for the 2 young lads as well, at the end of the day, they are who they they are and have what they have because of those people they met.
I recommend to watch Twogether to anyone who is either a fan og Seung-gi or Jasper or needs some cheering up!
Iriwa Anajwo (2018)
Very good crime drama with a hint of romance
I kept putting this one off just because of the title come and hug me. After watching the drama i understand why it is called like this, theres a lot of hugging!
The plot was very good though could have been better if Na-mu's character was further developed. That was a shame because we all know that Jang Ki-yong can easily portray someone with a nasty streak. I understand that they aimed to end on a happy note, but such twist would make the drama a completely different level. But of course, being a romantic soul, i am glad it ended the way it did.
Cast was extremely well selected and the supporting roles were excellent. Heo Joon-ho was terrifying, he played that role really really well. I slightly minded that Ki-yong's talent was almost wasted to just starring, hugging, apologising or asking if others were ok. His script improved towards the end of the series, though like i already said, the character slightly lacked a depth. Jin Ki-joo was sweet, kind and beautiful, but similarly as with Ki-yong, the constant 'are you ok, i am ok' was getting on my nerves, their verbal communication was very limited. Also, if i experienced what her role did, i would have some serious PTSD.. she wasnt always in best shape, but seemed to cope well considering..
Worth mentioning is Nam Da-reum potraining Do-jin's young himself. At 16, he flawlessy pulled it off. His performance was on par with the main adult leads, hats off to the young man.
My favourite character however was Yoon Hyun-moo as he developed from a bully to a criminal, fugitive and a humble and accepting human again.. played by handsome Kim Kyung-nam. His eyes are so far apart, one could fit a whole world in between.. :)
Overall, very good action, crime drama that will keep you in suspense, well casted, well played.
Widaehan Yuhokja (2018)
After 5 years, everyone is an artist..
This drama is a spin off of Cruel intentions or even Dangerous liaisons. It all starts with a pathetic bet and i say pathetic, because these 3 spoilt rich 'kids' are no longer kids, but in their early 20s, and should know better. But ok, they probably didnt. Choi Soo-ji was a horrible character, actually the worst out of them all. A bully and a manipulator. God knows why she turned out the way she did, but here we were, an evil woman and 2 idiots blindly following. Anyway, what they plotted together was cruel and made me resent them from episode 1. Of course it didnt go according to the plan, but it didnt somehow compensate for me. Maybe because i expect too much of morals and values from young people? Or maybe i just expect too much from movies. The storyline can be anything, but if there is a clear wrongdoing or injustice, there should always be a lesson learnt. Not here though, it just ended. Abruptly, with main leads meeting after 5 years and of course still having feelings for each other. Far fetched and nowhere near the reality. Or at least i would like to think people have some dignity.. in dangerous liaisons Valmont at least dies and de Merteuil gets humiliated, but in Tempted, nobody gets punished for their wrongdoings..
That being said, the acting wasnt as bad as the story, could have been better though if the characters were more developed as the actors are talented and would have pulled it off. As a woman i enjoyed watching Woo Do-hwan, until i got fed up of his inability to man up and either face his crazy friends or come clean to his girlfriend.
All and all, it is ok to watch, no real surprises there, not too bad but also not left with the 'i want more' feeling either.
Mile 22 (2018)
Chatterbox wahlberg
I saw worse movies with better reviews so i am somewhat confused why are people being so harsh.
Good parts - all those with Iko and one could only wish there was more than just those 2 fights..
Not so great parts - some characters were underdeveloped while 1 was overdeveloped, wahlberg's talking got really annoying after 15min of watching. For a tactical squad the team didnt get their act together and were all over the place. And also, why casting Ronda if you not gonna have her fight?? I was disappointed.
Overall it was a good movie to watch on saturday night on netflix. Although it tries to offer some level of complexity, the plot is rather simple and predictable. Dont exoext too much and you wont be too much disappointed.
Gooreumi Geurin Dalbit (2016)
Simply amazing
Love in the moonlight is a beautiful period drama with some amazing acting. For how young the 4 main leads were at the time of shooting (2016), i cannot do anything but to applaud every single one of them for a brilliant job. Park Bo gum carried himself like a proper royalty, he possesed grace, manners but also compassion. Kim Yoo jung was very cute and funny, very very young though. But lets just spare a moment to talk about Kwag Dong jeong's killer cheekbones, combat skills and ability to defy gravity!! I really enjoyed his character!
As to the plot, well, i must admit it was a little long winded and i had to fast forward a few times as it was getting a little boring at places.
I wanted to mention the belgian malinois that couldnt possibly be there at that time, but then again, there was a guy jumping 15meters high and slashing people off with a samurai sword without a single drop of blood, so probably not so much of an issue.. :)
Also worth mentioning is the absolutely stunning attire.
All and all, very well done to 4 young actors for putting an excellent show.
Hwayugi (2017)
A true oddysey that goes forever but it eventually ends
When you see Lee Seung-gi in the cast, you know you will not be disappointed. Yes, the episodes are little too long, yes the story drags a bit, ad yes the romance is thinly spread. But Seung-gi's character will keep you entertained from the beginning to the end.
That being said, it is very hard to cast Seung-gi, his personality takes all the spotlight, often overshadowing excellent performance of the supporting actors. However i must also say Cha Seung-won did extremely well and acting wise he was probably the best, though i bet he must have been sweating from all the effort he had to put in this show.
I expected a little more from the main female lead though. Considering she wasnt just an ordinary woman ( i mean how many of us can see dead people and build a profitable business on it) and possesed a God who through a magic was absolutely consumed by her, she lacked confidence and was constantly doubting herself. She redeemed herself a bit at the end when she accepted her fate. I must admit i didnt expect it to end the way it did, though the storyline kept hinting what was inevitable. Not even God as powerful as Son o-gong could change her fate and that was a heart breaking revelation. Until then, i thought it was just a romcom.
If there is a second series, i hope we see more magic and better cgi (as the dragon was rubbish).
Taeyangeui huye (2016)
The moral dilemmas that just werent strong enough
I enjoyed the show except i had a very hard time understanding what was the main female lead's problem. The moral dilemma she built her rejection on (he was a soldier who takes lives while she was a doctor who saves lives) was not depicted in the story at all, quite the opposite actually. He was portrayed as a man with integrity and discipline and not some sort of killing machine she believed he was.
The picture was amazing and i was extremely surprised with the quality of the cinematography.
A few things that were probably a little over the top, for example him tipping the car over the edge of the cliff - this should have come with a warning not to try this at home, considering the hight from which they fell to the sea as well as the direction of the car, they would have been both dead from the impact. But our male lead just got his hair wet ;)
Also the mission at the end that goes side ways and we are left believing both soldiers are dead only for them to reunite again after a year or so via a walkie talkie.. that seemed too far fetched. Big boss was also probably the first 'under 30' soldiers becoming a major ;) but then, in kdramas everything is possible.
Un-myeong-cheol-eom neol sa-rang-hae (2014)
My first k-drama!
Fated to love you was the first kdrama i watched and only because i saw somewhere the scene in the rain where Gun tells Sa-ra he married another woman. Jang Hyuk is phenomenal, but watching his other performances, i am not really surprised. This guy can act! Yes, as Gun he is a little over the top, and maybe there are times when you will cringe, but weirdly enough, you will get used to it! Worth mentioning is all the hairstyles he goes through the episodes! Nevertheless, he still looks million dollars ;) Jang Nara is beautiful. So innocent and pure. They both did an amazing job.
Now to the plot. I must say it left me with mixed feelings. Especially because of Sa-ra. I felt terribly sorry for her. She was a victim to a big misunderstanding where she was suddenly left with a broken heart. In the 'original' taiwanese' version of fated to love you (with ethan juan), the feelings between Ji Cun Xi and Anna were much stronger, his emotional struggle between his feelings for Anna and moral obligations toward Xin Ji was much more apparent. In the korean version, Sa-ra's feelings were neglected and i felt sad for her. Of course, they gave her long lost brother at the end, but that's a different kind of love and for me it did not compensate the heartache.
Overall i enjoyed the show very much, i laughed, i cried, i cringed, i hoped.. it was a rollercoaster of feelings and emotions and all actors did an amazing job to make me feel that way!
Baegabondeu (2019)
Yes yes yes!
Finally a real action drama! Lee seung-gi snapping out of romcoms finally portraying a role that suits him best. Theres probably very little he actually cannot do, him mourning after his nephew is absolutely heartbreaking, on the other hand his composure and determination to find the culprits behind his nephew's death is admiring. He has a real talent when it comes to expressing feelings and emotions.
Bae Suzy was a great counterpart to Seung-gi, she is much younger but no doubt also very talented actress. My experience is that the kdrama directors havent always casted female leads with Seung-gi well, his overpowering, overbearing personality is hard to match, but Suzy managed extremely well.
The plot is also very good and believable. Overall i really enjoyed watching the vagabond and i hope to see them both more often in action movies/series as opposed romcoms, and who know, maybe one day in hollywood?! :)
Sarangeui bulsachak (2019)
Beatiful story
Ok, let's dont mention how Yoon Se-ri got to North Korea.. they called it paragliding mishap, i call it a complete sci-fi. But i suppose they needed to get her in there somehow. Other than that, for me CLOY is a masterpiece. Beautiful story of a selfless love and fellow friendship. A lot of chemistry between main leads, sacrifising one to save the other, although they only knew each other for a couple of weeks. I was also overhelmed by the parents' love for their son, it was a very lovely touch to the story. What i specifically liked though is how they portrayed north koreans, as kind and caring people (set aside politics).
What i didnt like was Ri Jung Heuk pouting :) an adult man should never pout (and i would like to think would never as well).
I hope to see more of Lee Shing-young in the future, he was indeed the most handsome one ;)
The King 2 Hearts (2012)
Seung-gi the true king of Korea
I first saw Lee Seung-gi in Vagabond, that is why i also watched the king, and i was pleasantly surprised how good his acting was then (2012). He is an excellent actor, his facial and verbal expressions are absolutely spot on. He has however very overpowering personality and requires a very strong female lead or supporting act, neither of which was present in the king.. it could have worked though, the character of Kim Hang-ah started very well as a strong, confident and very competent military officer, but i felt like her script was written by 2 people with 2 different ideas of how she should develop throughout the episodes. Her confidence dissapeared as soon as they put her in south korean attire. As a trained special agent, she failed to recognise manipulation, not to mention hee poor handling of stressful situations.. i was disappointed, as a woman i expected a strong female lead that takes no s**t from anyone. She raised a little when she went on a mission to save him from the hostage situation, but again, fighting in a pencil skirt made the whole scene more humorous rather than dramatic. Nevertheless, she still did great with what she was given.
As to the rest, mixing it with bad english actors didnt quite work for me. But that seems to be the trend in kdramas, on one side we have A-listed korean actors and on the other, very poor english/foreign actors.
Overall, a very nice romcom, if you are Seung-gi's fan (or Jo Jung-sun's on that matter), it is so worth watching.
I just hope that next time when casting Seung-gi, the directors will carefully select his counterpart (Bae Suzy was excellent in Vagabond), otherwise they will do a great injustice to the other actors & actresses by completely overshadowing them.