Two-time Golden Bell Best Actress winner Ariel Lin. That has a nice ring to it. I’ve always thought Ariel Lin was a fantabulous actress, but when she first started out she looked like a little girl and played cute so much I never thought I would see the day she would turn into a fashion plate. It’s been slowly happening … Continue reading →
Before Ethan Ruan went off to enlist in Taiwan’s mandatory service, he filmed a big-budgeted wuxia movie that will shortly be released. The Guillotines is based on a Qing dynasty urban legend weapon called the Xue Di Zi that supposedly could sever a head from its body from a thousand steps away. In wuxia lore this mythical weapon was never … Continue reading →
Okay, I’m either getting easier to please or I’m just desperate for a good drama adaptation of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils since the last one I liked was the now completely out-dated 1982 TVB version. I’ve tried three times to watch the Zhang Ji Zhong 2003 version and I fall asleep each time. Maybe I need more cheesy in my wuxia. … Continue reading →
Seriously, Taiwan? You had to get on this bandwagon as well? You couldn’t have just left what was pretty swell alone and had to stick your foot in the game? I heard this news in a roundabout way actually – I found out that Park Shin Hye quietly flew to Taiwan this week to film a cameo appearance in the … Continue reading →
2012 alone has seen a couple of drama trends – a sudden onslaught of time-travel dramas, sageuks galore, and the back end loading of melodramas as the weather starts to get chillier. I didn’t realize how many melodramas were on air until I stopped and did a count. For the last few years there are generally been more rom-coms than … Continue reading →
Miss Rose is one of those dramas that I like so much because it stars one of my favorite actors. Without Roy Qiu, the drama itself probably wouldn’t hook me to check it out, and even after checking it out I doubt I’ll keep watching. I think the drama rests on Roy’s charm even if there are now tons of … Continue reading →
When I watched the final episode of Nice Guy yesterday I thought the ending was clear as to what happened. How it came about was awkwardly presented but what happened was not disputable. Then came those who felt the ending was a dream sequence, but today the production confirmed that sequence was meant to be taken literally. Song Joong Ki … Continue reading →
Now that Nice Guy has wrapped up I can start anticipating the new crop of dramas coming along. Aside from Alice in Cheongdamdong, the rest of 2012 is done for me in terms of new dramas. But early 2013 brings a slew of dramas worth at least checking out, the most serious one of the bunch being That Winter, The … Continue reading →
Looks like the Hans Zhang and Zheng Shuang onscreen pairing is nowhere near flaming out despite the two of them starring in three dramas together as the OTP already. I think they are the male-female mirrors of each other – perfectly pretty and perfectly mediocre at acting. It’s a good thing they have great chemistry with each other and continue … Continue reading →
I felt like episode 19 of Nice Guy was intended as a prelude to the ending so I didn’t want to judge it on it on its standalone merits. Its slow burn felt like Lee Kyung Hee was getting ready to do something incredible to behold for her final salvo. Death, more amnesia, swirling camera slo-mo shots of reunion and … Continue reading →
I can never resist a handsome man in uniform, and Hyun Bin just about short circuited my brain the moment I laid eyes on the latest pictures of him wearing his formal marine dress attire while hosting a military event. I can’t believe he’ll be back from the military in three weeks since I still vividly recall the crying and … Continue reading →
Getting addicted to a drama feels rather like losing track of time. I look back and we’re almost at Winter, when last I checked it was late Summer when Nice Guy started airing. Yes, real life in general has been meaningful but the beats pass much too quickly when one has got a drama on the brain. I’m actually ready … Continue reading →
It’s no secret that I was underwhelmed by the first two episodes of Missing You, a melodrama fairly dripping with an excess of pathos and bathed in the ardent sheen of young love. After mentioning how Yeo Jin Gu was surprisingly bland in episode 1, he stepped up his game in episode 2 and together with his co-star Kim So … Continue reading →