I think When a Man Loves should be called “When he loves her and she loves another and another loves him and they all love but no one gets any.” I read the character descriptions and almost burst out laughing. So cold gangster Song Seung Heon loves plucky poor girl Shin Se Kyung, who knows his love and kinda uses … Continue reading →
Good lord have we arrived at a point in K-drama land where someone thinks it not going a good idea to plagerize, its good to do it in mass quantities? Lately I’ve noticed that most dramas have at most 3 official posters for the drama, some even make do with 2 and call it a day. I’ve written about drama … Continue reading →
The “When a Man (insert phrase)” amusement continues on as MBC releases more stills from its upcoming Wed-Thurs tortured love fest When a Man Loves starring Song Seung Heon, Shin Se Kyung, Yeon Woo Jin, and Chae Jung Ahn. This time, based on what is happened above – When a Man Takes a Temperature Check, clearly awkward things are bound … Continue reading →
We all agree that PPV is out of control in dramas these days, but when the PPV is showing up already in official drama stills, then we’ve sort of reached the point of no return. One can guess how much a drama’s storyline is written around PPV, but trust me when I say its way more than we realize. When … Continue reading →
With a name like When a Man Loves, Song Seung Heon‘s new melodrama is already living up to its title. I don’t see the “love” parts yet in the preview stills, but the “man” bits are being emphasized to the max. Having an inexplicable fondness for my Heon oppa requires a tough skin and the ability to accept his failures … Continue reading →
I do not get the upcoming melodrama When a Man Loves at all. I don’t get the cast – a collection of mostly terrible actors that also don’t give me hope they can evince enough chemistry to overcome the inherent acting limitations. I don’t get the story concept – a man marries a woman who used to be married to … Continue reading →
So….what do you all think? Even giving it the biggest benefit of the doubt ever, is there even a chance that the upcoming gangster melodrama When a Man Loves will be anything but a hot mess? Right now WAML is running neck-and-neck with Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love as the two dramas with the greatest upside-downside swing. It can … Continue reading →
Please tell me this is the drama god’s idea of a joke, because there is some symmetry to be had but the end result might be pain for drama lovers the world over. Cheongdamdong Alice proves yet again that two good actors with an interesting concept does not equal good drama if the writing is crap. But that doesn’t mean … Continue reading →
This is about as high wattage as it gets for movie premieres in South Korea. The upcoming Joseon-era sageuk movie Gwanghae: The Man Who Became King (English title Masquerade) starring Lee Byung Hun, Han Hyo Joo, and Ryu Seung Ryong held its star-stubbed movie premiere in Seoul this week which was attended by a veritable who’s who of actors young … Continue reading →
Two years, 2144 posts,and over 20 million views later, the Playground celebrates its second anniversary today by doing nothing whatsoever. In the US, a second anniversary is marked by cotton, so I’m going to whip out my comfy t-shirt and wrap my laptop in it for the night. I have to confess there are times I want to stop writing … Continue reading →
Oh boy. This isn’t going to be pretty. On a fairly flawless weekend where I wandered around the City in magnificent late Spring weather, eating and loling around to my heart’s delight and only stopping to girl talk left and right, the only blemish came in the form of electing to watch the newly premiered weekend dramas. I started with … Continue reading →
Drama press conferences are good for two things – snarking/admiring the outfits and checking out if the leads evidence any chemistry together. When its a sageuk drama, I usually eschew the former since the leads typically appear in character wearing their saguek outfits, and its almost always suitable for showcasing the drama but not much dissection involved. The press conference … Continue reading →
OMG, these two are friends? Okay, just kidding, I knew they were friends. Jo Hyun Jae took time out of his busy drama filming schedule in China to jet to Japan and be a part of his hyung Song Seung Heon‘s fan meeting. It’s a case of fandoms colliding, and an AU story could be written called “When Han Kang … Continue reading →