The more You’re All Surrounded piles angst on Dae Gu, the more this drama lays bare its weakness and limitations as a storyteller. I grew fond of this drama in the second half and was even willing to accept basic cop 101 procedural elements as the strings to tie together decent emotional growth. But episode 18 felt like this drama … Continue reading →
There is nothing wrong with the upcoming SBS Mon-Tues drama Temptation, other than it’s dull as beans title as the fact that it looks dark and therefore guaranteed depressing. There might be nuggets of human nature wisdom to glean from it, but is it worth the trudge through downsville to experience it? I don’t know how I feel yet since … Continue reading →
There are too many reasons why I love Joseon Gunman so much but the most important reason is the narrative quality. This drama has very good storytelling which is increasingly rare. It creates a vibrant universe and fills it with interesting characters, letting the action deftly toggle moods and moments with confidence. There are tears when its appropriate with plenty of … Continue reading →
It’s nice that You’re All Surrounded isn’t bothering to dither around anymore with having the rookies dabble in random other cases to develop their skills and camaraderie. If this drama was a sitcom that approach would have worked better but it ended up being one of the trip ups in this drama. Now it’s fully excised from the narrative and everything improves … Continue reading →
The door closes on one project and opens on another. Park Hae Jin showed up at the drama wrap party for Dr. Stranger as news broke that he was headlining the upcoming cable network OCN drama Bad Boys. Woo hoo for him! He’s not just getting a prime headlining role, he’s playing a genius IQ level serial killer. The youngest … Continue reading →
Kyaaaaaa, now that’s what I call an eye-popping teaser that sells the OTP and plenty of playful cheer. The first official drama poster is out for It’s Okay, It’s Love, and I hope to god someone at SBS did their due diligence and this concept hasn’t been copied from another original source. The two leads of IOIL are shown cuddling … Continue reading →
In the buddy movie Rush Hour, Chris Tucker’s brash American cop tells Jackie Chan’s quiet Hong Kong detective in a condescending way “Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth?” It serves only to make the speaker look like a moron while the listener knowingly cringes at the imbecility on display. Dr. Stranger is full blown deluded Chris … Continue reading →
There’s finally a real teaser for the upcoming K-drama It’s Okay, It’s Love, and I’m still hesitant on what to label it. It seems too serious for a rom-com what with the focus on mental illness and folks with plenty of psychological disorders or neuroses between them. But then the plagiarized mood teasers were super hilarious, heralding a full on … Continue reading →
The written preview for the final episode 20 of Dr. Stranger is out. I thought SBS would not release one and keep whetting the appetite for whatever crazy its cooking up. Alas it looks straightforward wrap up time, and all of the final conflict to come is easily expected. The President turns out to be no better than PM Jang … Continue reading →
Dr. Stranger is a drama that not even a spell from a magic wand can save. If this drama ends with Hoon and Jae Hee happily every after and all the bad guys punished, it still wouldn’t be a good drama since the entire middle section was tanked by circular wheel spinning. If this drama ends with Hoon suddenly falling … Continue reading →
It’s probably pure happenstance that one big-budget sageuk K-movie wrapped filming the exact same time another big-budget sageuk K-movie started filming. Hopefully the premiere dates won’t be in direct competition because I’m sure there’s enough audience members fans of each cast to go around. The Royal Tailor (Sanguiwon) starring Han Suk Kyu, Go Soo, Park Shin Hye, Yoo Yeon Suk, … Continue reading →
There is finally a straight up light and comedic romance C-drama on the horizon and this one looks absolutely fantastic. Bonus win for having two leads I adore in Hans Zhang and Zhao Li Ying, marking their first onscreen pairing but likely won’t be the last with how idol C-dramas recycle couplings all the time. The drama premieres next week … Continue reading →
With critically acclaimed young actress Shim Eun Kyung declining the leading lady role for the upcoming Fall K-adaptation of Nodame Cantabile, the plum role was up for grabs and I’ve even postulated a handful of young actresses that are either suitable or likely to fall on the network’s radar when it comes time to cast. Joo Won has already been … Continue reading →