Category: Film and TV shows (Page 8 of 8)

Korean movies and dramas

Lightsaber

2012/09/10 / Nic / 14 Comments

He sometimes takes comments on here seriously so be careful what you suggest! I didn’t really appreciate a Star Wars dance party in the early hours of the morning. Damnit, now I have that Cantina music stuck in my head. It never stops!

True story: Because we had a vintage style wedding, in the planning stages I was trying to find appropriate music- 1920’s or earlier style music. I had some music stuck in my head which I thought was possibly from that era. It was days later that I realised it was actually the Star Wars Cantina music… Oops. Didn’t end up playing that at the wedding.

Ninja Turtles

2012/07/25 / Nic / 12 Comments

If you are not a native English speaker and are unsure of why I said that- in that context it means “obviously” but it’s a rude way of saying it. I’m not always that rude I promise!

However, if you use the saying “no shit” with your voice going up like a question it means like “you don’t say!” or “really?” which is showing genuine surprise at something.

I used it in a flat sarcastic tone, in order to be humorous and to show that what he said was quite obvious. ‘Shit’ is a swear word. A minor one but still a rude word. I wouldn’t say this to my parents but to my husband is fine.

Side note: My siblings and I weren’t allowed to watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoons when we were younger… not sure why. Possibly our mum thought it was too violent.

One of my favourite TV shows when younger was probably Rugrats What was yours?

ALSO: Tomorrow the winners of the Big Bang giveaway will be announced. Last chance to enter!

Drama: A Gentleman’s Dignity

2012/07/18 / Nic / 8 Comments

That was me watching the start of Episode 16.

Is anyone else watching this drama? If you are but aren’t up to date or if you plan to at some point- WARNING: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!

I won’t go too much into the synopsis of this drama as many people probably already know or are watching themselves. There are so many Korean dramas, so what makes this one different? Well, personally, it is one that both my husband and I are watching. It’s pretty rare for us to agree on a drama. He usually watches the more serious ones and I prefer lighthearted ones. A Gentleman’s Dignity seems to have everything though. My husband loves the friendship of the four male leads and the aspects of male friendship he can relate to, while I love watching the romantic and comedic elements.

This drama has raised some questions for me and we’ve talked about some differences between Korean culture and Western culture. The obvious difference in this drama for me is the big deal having a son from a previous relationship is. In Western culture, it might be something a bit difficult to deal with but not necessarily a deal breaker. Blended families are normal to us, if a couple really loves each other, does it matter that he has a grown son from another relationship?

It is a big deal for Koreans though. My husband explained that while some people may be able to deal with it, in Korea where bloodlines and families are important, it is a deal breaker. People are very judgmental of that situation – as we saw in that scene where the other high school teachers were gossiping about it. As a Westerner my view is “so what?” but obviously this is a much bigger and more scandalous issue for Koreans.

Some things are not as strange to me though. For example: if your sister who is seventeen years younger than you was in love with your best friend? That would be a problem in Western culture too.

While this drama has comedic elements the serious scenes are done so well. If you did not feel sad watching the beginning of Episode 16, where it shows the friends helping Yoon after his wife has just died, then you have no heart!

Now the count down to the next episode…

Watching Pride and Prejudice

2012/06/13 / Nic / 15 Comments

I love all things Jane Austen but Jane Austen books and adaptations aren’t as popular in South Korea as they are in some other countries. My husband didn’t have much of an idea about what I was talking about when I first started explaining the phenomenon of Jane Austen. This ended up to being to my advantage though. Too often males in western countries can take an instant disliking to anything Jane Austen simply because they have heard it’s something ‘girly’ and old fashioned for women. There are lots of amazing and sensible men who enjoy all things Jane Austen but by far women outnumber men.

I even had a previous boyfriend use Jane Austen as a reason to break up with me (though among other reasons) because he had an irrational fear that I would force him to attend the Jane Austen Festival and dress up in costume. I had no intention of doing that but he had such ridiculous ideas in his head that he refused to listen.

So I was very happy when my husband had no problems with sitting down and watching Pride and Prejudice with me. He wasn’t very familiar with the storyline so it was nice to see someone experience Jane Austen for the first time. He is usually quite expressive and vocal when watching movies and dramas and this was no exception.

The Wickham and Lydia storyline quite upset him. He also watched ‘Lost in Austen’ and had quite a dramatic reaction to the ending which I may make a comic of another time.

Korean Drama Review: Love Rain

2012/06/01 / Nic / 16 Comments

The drama Love Rain just recently finished airing in Korea. This drama begins in a 1970’s setting with a group of friends, but focuses on the character of art student In-Ha, played by Jang Geun Suk.

The sets, costumes and hair were just superb for this and it was so interesting to see a Korean drama set in the not so distant past. Not only the clothing, and setting, but the timing and subtly was perfect. This is a different world from what we are used to seeing in dramas set in the present time. In-Ha is an introvert and never expresses his true feelings but in the 3 seconds it takes to first walk past Yoon-Hee (played by Yoona) on campus he falls in love. Of course as the road to true love is never smooth there are many complications: the first being how awkwardly shy the two of them are, the second being that other friends having feelings for them so they are never in the position to be truly honest.

I won’t give away too much of the storyline but some of these scenes with In-Ha and Yoon-Hee are wonderfully poignant yet heartbreaking. The style and timing of these episodes really enhances the 1970’s storyline and the sadness of what happens to the main characters with rain as the recurring theme.

Things don’t stay in the 1970’s though. The drama jumps to 2012 and introduces the children of In-Ha and Yoon-Hee, who are not related. So as you can probably guess, In-Ha and Yoon-Hee’s love was ill-fated. Yoon-Hee’s daughter Ha-Na and In-Ha’s son Joon meet randomly in Japan with no idea that their parents were in love in their youth.

The drama kicks into typical Korean drama mode now. With the somewhat ridiculous premise of Ha-Na’s phone falling into Joon’s pocket. This causes her to embark on a series of escapades to try and get it back as he refuses to stop and meet her due to his busy schedule (he is a fashion photographer). Joon is actually played by Jang Geun Suk who of course played In-Ha, Joon’s father. Ha-Na is played by Yoona who played her mother Yoon-hee. They look different though. You can recognise that they are the same actors but their characters (and clothing) are very different to their parents. I was quite impressed with Jang Geun Suk’s acting skills to go from a heartbroken and introverted young man in the 1970’s to a charming and successful but cocky heartthrob character in 2012.

Yes, of course being a Korean drama the lead male character is a bit of a jerk. And there is the usual storyline of him being a jerk to the main female character Ha-Na. I know a lot of viewers really like this type of storyline but I was happy to see it only last a few episodes. I saw some complaints online that Joon became too nice and wasn’t a jerk enough. Perhaps that comes down to what age you are? Maybe teenage girls want to see the bad boy persona all the way though but as a 28 year old I prefer to see some real tenderness and honest feelings from the lead male and not just the bad boy and good girl trope.

This type of storyline usually goes like this.

GUY: I’m such a handsome bad boy, I do whatever I want.

GIRL: I’m a sweet innocent girl and somehow our paths cross.

GUY: Girl I don’t think you are pretty, get out of my way.

GIRL: Yeah well you are a jerk and I don’t care what you think. I’ll never like you.

GUY: Oh, actually I’ve never had a girl stand up to me like that. Now I can see that you have good qualities and you are very pretty. I think I like you.

GIRL. Go away. I don’t like you… even if I am noticing how handsome you are.

GUY: I will prove how honorable and trustworthy I actually am.

GIRL: Oh, yes. Through this series of incidents I can now see that you are a good guy and now I love you too.

GUY: I will love you forever.

This is such an old storyline! Seriously, Jane Austen wrote this storyline in Pride and Prejudice that was published in 1813. Obviously it works but it can’t be relied upon for the whole plot. So I liked in Love Rain that this storyline didn’t go on for too long and the main characters admitted feelings quite early, especially compared to other dramas. So don’t worry, I’m not giving away the whole storyline.

Speaking of other dramas: this type of plot annoyed me so much in the drama Flower Boy Ramen Shop. Seriously, that guy was a dick until the very end. Who really wants a guy like that? Not only that but the trope of handsome, rich, bad boy falling for not-that-pretty, weirdo girl is overdone. The girl in Flower Boy Ramen Shop was so annoying I wanted to punch her through the screen, and yet she had two guys after her? Completely unbelievable. What I liked about Love Rain was that even though it had the usually trope of handsome, rich, bad boy, the character of Ha-Na is actually desirable and pretty and not annoying like some other female characters in dramas.That is actually a benefit of having a star like Yoona in the role. I know there can be criticism of these type of stars given roles in dramas but here I think it really worked. I believed that a worldly guy like Joon would be interested in her.

Of course the major obstacle for them is that their parents, who have been pining after each other for 30 years, meet again and want to marry. How can they be together if their parents marry?

Most of the other characters from the 1970’s episodes are in the 2012 episodes and you can see what time has done do them. Handsome youths becoming middle-aged men and years of disappointment turn a young woman into a horrible and bitter woman. Their children are also in supporting roles as well.

Love Rain runs for 20 episodes. It starts really well. So well in fact that the change to 2012 is almost a disappointment. I would have liked to stay with the 1970’s characters a bit longer. That is not to say that the 2012 setting episodes aren’t interesting. Some are really good, though the series does stagger for a few episodes towards the end. It pulls through with a satisfying ending though and on a whole I found it to be a very beautiful and moving drama.

I know the ratings weren’t that great in Korea, but it seems to be really loved by international fans. I enjoyed it a lot and definitely recommend it.