A masterpiece with a magical character

Wow! Get ready! This drama is something else! It hooked me right from the start, and then I was glued to my seat all the way through. This is one of those special shows that captures your heart and takes you on an emotional journey that leaves you changed when you are through. Special indeed!

The drama is like a dark, modern fairy tale. It has a magical quality to it in the way the story is told. The script was so incredibly well-written with every line of dialogue having meaning.

A lot of thought also went into the production with so much attention to detail in constructing the sets as well as how the scenes were shot. The OST also greatly enhanced this magical feel. All of these elements blended together beautifully to carry us away into this slightly disturbing yet very healing fairy tale.

Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji delivered powerhouse performances, and any time they were on screen together was completely captivating in so many different ways. Their chemistry was palpable. They run very hot and cold with each other which resulted in some incredibly intense moments as well as some deeply emotional ones.

This relationship is a bit disturbing in the beginning as these two clash. Their actions towards each other aren’t always that great. These are two very broken people. But they are drawn to each other, and those walls slowly start coming down between them.



It’s not a linear journey though, and the road is filled many bumps along the way. As they learn and grow in their relationship, healing begins to emerge. We experience a lot of joy and sadness with this couple, but it’s all worth it to watch these two hurting people face their demons and find comfort in each other. I was completely swept up in this amazing romance!



Seo Ye Ji was absolutely phenomenal as Moon Young. She owned this complex character and breathed so much life into her. Moon Young is a unique character in the drama landscape, particularly for a female lead.

Many times she feels quite dangerous as she doesn’t hold back and will take her anger out on those who wrong her. She’s impulsive and says what’s on her mind. Plus, when she sets her mind on something, she won’t back down. That includes her feelings for Gang Tae.



Her actions towards him are quite aggressive as she relentlessly pursues him. Definitely not the recommended way to initiate a relationship. Just reading that, Moon Young may sound like terrible person. But there is far more to her than that.

Underneath that powerful persona is a very hurt and damaged woman that has an incredibly traumatic past. Learning more about her, how her mind works, and watching her journey of growth was such a treat.



Gang Tae has his own deep-seated issues stemming from his past. He loves his brother dearly and has dedicated his life to taking care of him, but that comes with a cost. His brother has always came first since they were children, and he’s had to bury much of his pain in order to do what is best for Sang Tae.

That has taken an emotional toll on him over the years, and he has to unlearn some of his bad habits. His pain is quite raw to see, and it was evident that he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

When Moon Young comes into his life, he becomes incredibly conflicted as he is forced to fight his feelings for her. It was heartbreaking to watch as he struggled with wanting to do what was best for his brother as well as just take some small enjoyment out of life for himself for a change. He had a lot of growing to do too.



There’s also Sang Tae who faces his own challenges stemming from his Autism as he struggles to understand people and their emotions. A trauma from his past has also made his and Gang Tae’s lives very difficult.

I was thrilled with how this character was handled. Many times in shows, characters with disorders like his are sort of relegated to being a token side character that just impacts the main character. Not so here! Sang Tae is written as a completely fleshed out character that has his own journey to go, is an integral part of the story, and is just as important in every way. Wonderful to see!

Oh Jung Se also really put in a terrific performance as Sang Tae. I was very impressed with him and just how much he brought this character to life and opened a window into his soul.



It’s Okay to Not Be Okay has so many relationships to explore too. I already mentioned the one involving Gang Tae and Moon Young. One that is just as important though is that of the brothers.

Gang Tae and Sang Tae have a complex relationship that is in many ways frozen in time from when they were kids. The dynamic they have between them has remained the same since then.

They love each other dearly but have stayed in their respective roles without growth. This ultimately had a negative effect on their relationship and their lives which resulted in neither of them being able to live their best lives.

Growing as individuals and in the relationship becomes very important for them. I loved seeing how they cared for each other despite some severe challenges to the relationship. And watching them grow closer, understand each other more, and finally progress into a healthier relationship was wonderful.



I could go on and on about all of the amazing relationships featured in this drama. Sang Tae and Moon Young definitely have quite the interesting relationship with each other and is quite fun to watch.

Then we have a wide array of wonderful supporting characters that are explored. There are friendships, romance, parent/child relationships, and more. Suffice to say, everyone in this drama is important, has a story, and is connected to the overall narrative. It was beautifully done.





There’s even some mystery in this series as Moon Young’s past is slowly peeled back as well as the traumatic events from Gang Tae and Sang Tae’s childhood revealed. It added yet another nice layer to this multi-faceted story.



As you can see, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay explores a host of mental health issues and complicated themes. I experienced so many different emotions watching this drama. So much raw pain is dealt with in this story.

Our characters are all very different from each other and have their own issues to deal with, but they all ultimately need the same thing…love and acceptance. Loneliness can be crippling, and that is shown very clearly here. Seeing this unlikely group come together and heal was such a treat. The concept of what a family is was explored in such a touching way.



It’s Okay to Not Be Okay is one of those unique and special thought-provoking dramas that truly is a masterpiece. It tells a heart-wrenching yet beautiful story of growth and healing. The characters are flawed, but we come to understand them and root for their personal growth and happiness. They don’t have to be perfect to achieve that either. Love and acceptance can be found in imperfection. The message is clear and simple…It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.♡

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Almost normal movie 《●_●》

A brand new horror film is coming to Shudder and boy, do I have some thoughts on this one. The Medium has already won an award at the Bucheon International Film Festival 2021 for Best Feature Film. If you are wondering whether or not to give this movie a watch, stay tuned to this review for my thoughts.

《About The Medium 》¤

The Medium made its debut in South Korea in Summer 2021. It currently stands as the sixth highest-grossing Korean film of the year. The story comes from award-winning South Korean writer and director Na Hong-Jin. This is Hong-Jin’s first film produced under his new banner, Northern Cross. The film is directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, the Thai director who gave the horror world Shutter.

《My Thoughts》¤

Before I dive in here, I want to preface my review by saying that I love watching horror movies from around the world. I love seeing different interpretations of typical horror tropes and all of the subgenres. Because of this, I was super excited to watch The Medium. Unfortunately, this movie did not meet my expectations.

My biggest issue is that The Medium is too long for the story. In my opinion, the entire first half of the film could have been reduced to approximately 10, maybe 15 minutes. There were so many scenes that I felt were unnecessary and did not serve the plot in any way. To be honest, I was so bored throughout the first half of the film. I could have fallen asleep. Don’t get me wrong, many of the scenes were shot well. I just did not see a point behind them.

Once the film got into the second half, things started to pick up a bit. More action occurred and the story finally began to develop. The more I got to see what was happening to Mink, the more I liked what I was watching. The shining star in this otherwise bland movie is Narilya Gulmongkolpech’s performance. She does a spectacular job portraying a possessed person. 

I actually enjoyed the final 30 or 45 minutes of The Medium. The kills are intense but believable and the story flows at a good pace. As for the ending, I was not disappointed by the way the story concluded. It seemed like an appropriate ending to me, although some people may disagree.

Unfortunately, The Medium‘s final moments were not enough for me to like the film as a whole. The movie is over two hours long, and I enjoyed maybe 45 minutes.

《More Thoughts》¤

If you like your horror movies to have gore, this is not the film for you. When you reach that final stretch, there are a few good scenes with a bit of blood and guts. However, you have to wait through the entire rest of the movie. Even then, if gore is your thing, it is not worth the wait. I do not watch horror movies for the gore, but if there are going to be kill scenes, I like them to at least be hard-hitting. Also, I hate having to wait so long to get to the action, the meat of the story.

I get that there has to be some story building, but there is such a thing as too much “before.” I want action in a horror movie; I want the fear to build. The Medium did not give me that. I guess you could call this movie a “slow burn,” but I feel like it goes beyond even that.

Also, I want to mention a few trigger warnings…
There is mention of suicide attempts. The scene does not show the actual attempt and it is quite short, but if that is a big trigger, be aware. Also, some people may have an issue watching scenes involving blood from menstruation. There are several in The Medium. While I feel this is no different than any other blood shown, someone may feel differently.

My final note is that the whole film is set around a documentary team filming all of the happenings, but around the middle, I feel like that detail was almost forgotten. The team seems to fade to the background and not even be present at times. Later, they appear again and are once again part of the story. For that one period, though, they just disappear.

《The Medium – Conclusion》¤

Will I watch The Medium again? No. Do I regret watching it? Also no. It was not to my taste, but that will not be the case for everyone. If you love horror movies about possession, watch it. If you enjoy a prolonged burn story, watch it. Also, if you are a horror lover and have a couple of hours to kill, watch it. My final verdict? I did not enjoy The Medium and will not be adding it to any must-watch lists. 

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A romance on, and about, the reels.

THE PLOT:


I am a huge fan of classic cinema from the 1930’s through 1950’s, so the beautiful heroine of a black/white film coming to life to have an adventure in the modern world (the 1950s, but still considered modern in reference to the movie) was brilliant. It brings fresh life to all my favorite tropes. We have the rich chaebol princess looking for a change in her life. Forced cohabitation and work-related stressors. We have the fight between succeeding in a career or choosing love. All the basic plot points are there but it seems completely different when you add the whimsical elements into the mix.

CINEMATOGRAPHY:


The contrast of color with the black and white of the princess, Miyuki, was BRILLIANT! I especially appreciated how all the color seemed to be intensified whenever Kenji and Miyuki were together. It felt like the color was a character in itself with the way it was used to progress the plot.

CHARACTER OBSERVATIONS:


There was not a ton of side characters that took my attention away from our OTP (One True Pairing). The one exception is Shundo, the superstar of the movie company where Kenji works. Shundo’s character is exactly what they mean when using the term “scene stealer.” There was something about Shundo’s confidence that was charming and I couldn’t help but fall in love with this character. Who wouldn’t love a guy who wanted to create a horror musical about reincarnation on a whim? Is it too much to ask for a sequel based on Shundo and his ginormous ego?

FAVORITE SCENE:


I loved so many various moments in this movie. However, I had two that really stood out. My first favorite scene was Miyuki ordering Kenji to take her out into the world so she could explore all the colors. Her being black and white and sneaking around the movie studio was delightful.



My other favorite scene was the final ten minutes or so of the film. I won’t give details since that would spoil the story. But I did tear up multiple times–tears of joy from watching such a poignant and romantic movie.

OVERALL REACTION:


I give this movie a 8.5/10 for its creative plot, amazing cinematography and two characters that will stick with me for years to come. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves watching a sweet romance. The relationship between our two leads was delightful from beginning to end, and engaging the whole way through.

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Nice drama, but betrayed by the implementation

The show introduces an interesting mystery right from the start with a serial killer and the death of Se Yeon. Now I did think the way some of the mystery was presented was a bit confusing in the beginning. It does get clearer as the show progresses, but some things remain confusing.

The overall fantasy element to Abyss was also something I really liked. With people coming back to life and changing forms, we got some very intriguing dynamics at play. It also created some pretty fun plot twists.

One thing I would have really liked to have seen early on though was some of the dynamic between Min and Se Yeon before they changed appearances. I think it would have been more meaningful to witness the relationship between them before the change. There are only a couple conversations where their relationship is mentioned. We do get a handful of flashbacks later on, but even those don’t show a whole lot.

But luckily, the reincarnated versions of Min and Se Yeon in the form of Ahn Hyo Seop and Park Bo Young quickly pulled me into their relationship. They had a great banter between them.

It was interesting to see them adjust to their new forms and how that affected their relationship. Min isn’t as attracted to Se Yeon anymore, but he sees his friend, and the feelings naturally develop for him.

Se Yeon now finds him attractive but also has to allow her feelings for him to blossom. And once the romance does kick into gear, Min and Se Yeon make a pretty adorable couple. They work well together as a team and are ready to do anything for each other.

The pacing of the drama is good with new plot developments consistently emerging. There are also multiple supporting characters that play important roles and contribute to the narrative which is something I appreciated.
Without getting into spoiler territory, the biggest negative to the drama for me was the overall execution. The story itself is good, but it’s poorly executed, particularly with how some of the fantasy elements are handled concerning the orb Abyss.

The rules as to how it actually worked didn’t always make sense, and it felt like they changed to fit the situation throughout the drama. Some of the new rules got pretty ridiculous towards the end of the drama. I was definitely rolling my eyes.

Many times some of the things that were happening in the drama were just plain confusing too. Also expect a few plot holes and some shoddy police work here and there. If you like well thought out writing and for everything to always make sense, this might not be a good drama for you. It’s also one of those dramas that feels like it goes off the rails at the end.

Aside from some complaints about story execution and how the magical orb was handled, Abyss was still an enjoyable watch. I liked that the fantasy elements were solidly woven into the narrative throughout the drama, the mystery was good, and the romance was cute. All in all, it held my interest and made for a solid watch.

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'My Perfect Roommate' shows how family transcends blood ties

The elderly have been an interesting talking point for Asian cinema this year. Chie Hayakawa’s “Plan 75” surprised Cannes Film Festival with a bleak and shocking vision to solve the problem of Japan’s rapidly ageing population. Director Lee Soon-sung takes a much brighter and cheerful approach to the subject in “My Perfect Roommate”, his debut feature.

Having started in the industry as a boom operator years ago and proceeding to make a career as a real-time recordist, Lee Soon-sung makes a move behind the camera with “My Perfect Roommate”, working off his own script, which tackles a number of themes in its brisk 91 minutes runtime. Foremost, it’s an ode to the elderly and their plight, having to live alone and without much support from their busy and self-occupied families. Their friends, who find themselves in similar plights, are the closest they get to a family, probably precisely because they are in the same boat. Loneliness is a constant topic of the narrative, not limiting itself to just the elderly, with the young Ji-woong too feeling alone. Despite having friends and a healthy social life, he feels unable to open himself up to his friends, finding solace only with the people who grew up in the same circumstances as him. As a result, seeing both Geum-boon and Ji-woong warm up to each other is pleasing and almost heart-warming.

The script also touches upon the subject of the upbringing of an individual. In a filial society such as South Korea’s, where a lot of emphasis is placed on the way parents raise their children, orphans are often treated with disdain and a certain prejudice. Lee argues that it is not just to the parents’ credit how a child turns out to be as an adult. Using Ji-woong and the subplot of his friends, he shows how orphans grow up by themselves and make their own destiny, showing both sides of that coin and determines that it depends very much on the individual as well to be a better person in society. Briefly he also talks about mortality and the need to live on, alone if necessary but better if with someone, a topic that could have been done with more exposition, and on the importance of family.

This would have been a much lesser feature had it not been for the presence of loveable veteran actress Na Moon-hee, who practically carries the film on her two aged but nonetheless strong shoulders. In her capable hands, the grumpy grandma too proves to be very likeable and motherly, as Ji-woong soon finds out. Oozing pure grandma energy, you just want her to give you a hug, so when she finally does give Ji-woong one, you can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy towards Choi Woo-sung’s character. Making his first big screen appearance after taking part in a few tv dramas, Choi is adequate as the college boy, but feels a bit wet behind the ears, something that he might be able to rectify with more feature film appearances. He does play well alongside Na Moon-hee though, who takes good care of her young co-star. She has played this role of a grumpy ajhumma a few times now, but just like Ma Dong-seok’s hardman act, it is one that you cannot tire of seeing.

Keeping an equally bright and cheerful look with Choi Min-hwan’s cinematography, “My Perfect Roommate” isn’t necessarily ground-breaking cinema, but it has a clear story to tell which it manages to put across effectively, and, bolstered by a fine performance from its lead actress, ends up being a cute feature that is a pleasant watch.

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A dramatic story between the past and the present

Three Sisters is a South Korean movie that is a showcase for its three leads. The movie is about a trio of siblings and their differing lives. Hee-sook is the oldest and has a family that does not appreciate her. Middle sister Mi-yeon is married to a university professor and lives a very comfortable life. Youngest sister Mi-ok is a playwright with a gentle husband and son.

The early parts of the movie focus on the differences between the three sisters. These early moments also seem to be there to show that the women are more than just caricatures. It is a good idea as Mi-ok in particular seems like she is going to be a little too one dimensional. The film also runs the risk of being melodramatic. Thankfully, Three Sisters is able to avoid this problem.

This is possible thanks to some expertly injected moments of comedy. The film deals with a number of serious topics, but it never forgets to find time to laugh. This adds a more human quality to Three Sisters. It is about more than being dealt hardships; it is about dealing with them. The films makes things more relatable and by extension easier to watch.

Three Sisters is a drama, first and foremost. Each woman is dealing with their own problems. Things can get predictable at times – unfaithful husbands and disobedient children are examples – but it always remains interesting. There is also a subplot involving the cycle of abuse which is well done. Again, the film walks to the edge of being derivative before it pulls back and captures the audience.

The camerawork for the movie does some neat things. Though it is subtle, each sister is shot in a slightly different light. This is a nice bit of work as it not only highlights different characters, but it also helps emotions and even settings stand out. A less inspired choice is the use of black and white during flashbacks. This does not look bad (Three Sisters is a consistently attractive film) but it does come off as low rent. This is especially surprising since everything else is done with such care. In general, the flashbacks do not blend well with the rest of the story.

There is nothing revolutionary about Three Sisters. It is a family drama that is focused on a set of siblings and the troubles they are facing. The movie still works due to great performances and some deft direction. It is also proof that some of the best stories being told about everyday lives.

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Enjoyable movie

Dead Man’s Prey is actually an expanded universe of the hit 2020 series The Curse, written by Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-Ho. The universe is based on ancient dark magic where dead bodies are reanimated by shamans to seek revenge. While you don’t need to have watched the series, it does give you a better explanation of how Im Jin-Hee (Uhm Ji-Won), the gung ho reporter (and the lead) in the film, is related to the teen shaman named So-Jin (Jung Ji-So).

The movie begins with a supernatural premise: someone is murdered by a corpse that has been dead for three months. This is where Jin-Hee comes in – the culprit reveals to her that there will be three more murders to come, and they will also be carried out by reanimated corpses (who’re called ‘jaechaui‘). The film ticks all the boxes of كhorror, mystery, and action.

The horror – or supernatural element – involves hooded corpses that seem to appear everywhere you don’t expect. While they seem to be human, what they do with their bodies is eerie. The only minor complaint is in the CG department when the jaechaui ‘die’.

The mystery portion explains the origin of the jaechaui – there are plenty of clues involving strange occult markings and… an Indonesian connection. The culprit is either very obvious or very obscure, depending on how you view the film.

The action is what makes the film most entertaining. There are several scenes worthy of mention, including the tunnel car chase and a hilarious scene involving taxis. There’s also an interesting dilemma posed by the undead: in the huge battle between the police and jaechaui, someone has to solve the ‘we can’t shoot them because they don’t have guns’ problem.

As the film progresses and the mystery deepens, the plot suddenly becomes a story of revenge using the dark arts against a company that abuses the marginalised. And stopping the onslaught of this jaechaui apocalypse lies in the hands of one unexpected person.

If it’s one thing to take away from this film, it’s that the women play a more prominent part in making decisions and solving problems.

All in all, the film brings together all the expected elements of horror, occult mystery, and action in an entertaining way. (One also can’t help but wonder if part of this plot was inspired by the ‘nut rage’ incident in Korea.) Just don’t expect it all to make sense in the real world.

Oh, and stay until the very end of the movie, as there are extra scenes.

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A special family drama

Since the drama was announced, the story attracted me, and after the drama was broadcast, I decided to watch it after it finished broadcasting, and I finally watched it haha. I really enjoyed watching it. The story was full of twists and turns and I loved its dramatic events. It is a warm story, but the way it was produced lacked some features. I wish this drama was from The production of the Dragon Studio would have been a masterpiece, but there is nothing wrong with what the studio provided for this drama.. I cannot deny how wonderful the cast was, even though I met new faces, but I became attached to them and the acting was really perfect.. Even the children had a great share. In the success of the drama.. without forgetting the wonderful music and charisma between the uncle and the child.. I liked the drama because it was diverse as it made you flounder with your feelings and feelings..
If you are hesitant to watch it, I highly recommend it..

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A warm movie..beautiful..cute..moving emotions

Chinese comedian Jia Ling makes her directorial debut in Hi, Mom 《你好，李焕英》, bringing her humour into a heartfelt story about a mother-daughter relationship.

The script for Hi, Mom is based on Jia Ling’s comedy skit of the same name, which was, in turn, inspired by her own mother’s passing. Together with her co-writers, the script took more than three years to finish. Filming took place in Xiangyang, Hubei, the hometown of director Jia Ling. The film has been met with huge financial success. It has become the highest-grossing film of 2021, the second highest-grossing non-English film, and the highest-grossing film by a solo female director — not just in China, but of all time.

The film revolves around Jia Xiaoling (Jia Ling) and her mother Li Huanying (Zhang Xiaofei), whom the film endearingly dubs Ling and Ying respectively. After a motor accident leaves Ying hospitalised, Ling accidentally travels back in time to 1981 and meets a younger Ying who is working in an iron factory. Ling, feeling as though she has never made her mother proud in her life, decides to use this opportunity to redeem herself.

The dynamic between Ling and Ying is a very interesting one. It starts off as a mother-daughter relationship but evolves into a close friendship once Ling meets younger Ying. This duality helps surprise viewers with what Ying was like in her youth, while also showing how many of her beliefs have been rooted in her character since young and have remained unchanged through the years.

Ling believes that in order for her mother to be proud of her, she needs to achieve certain goals in life. She thinks these come in the form of her educational or financial success. When Ling realises she has travelled back in time, she uses what she knows from the future to make her mother’s life better. She pushes Ying into specific situations and motivates her to take on tasks that she was otherwise apprehensive about.

Along the way, Ying meets several other characters who help orchestrate her plans — a gangster turned good friend Leng Te (Chen He), and the iron factory manager’s son Shen Guanglin (Shen Teng). Both characters are very well-fleshed-out despite not being part of the main cast.

On the surface, Leng Te seems like your typical bad boy character but is revealed to have a heart of gold. He may be a little daft but he makes missteps out of foolishness rather than with ill intent. Leng Te’s relationship with his family is shown briefly and this moment gives us a glimpse of how every family struggles differently.

Shen Guanglin is trying to shake the stereotype tied to him that he is a spoilt kid whose privilege has made life easy for him. As he tries to woo Ying, he also takes the opportunity to prove himself. He grows into his own person independent of his father’s approval, and makes choices to prove it. The film also uses his character to discuss themes of class inequality and nepotism, which is very poignant against the setting of the working class.

The film uses humour in a variety of ways. Hi, Mom nails its punchlines when delivered, which is aided by the characters’ strong personalities and relationships. The film also utilises a lot of non-verbal cues to deliver its jokes, including visual comedy. The interactions between the characters are entertaining to watch and come across very naturally so that they do not feel forced.

Although Hi, Mom touts itself as “the all time #1 comedy in China” and can certainly land its jokes when it needs to, it does not shy away from serious themes and drawing out emotions either. In fact, I believe the movie’s main driving force is its heartfelt portrayal of motherly love and familial relationships. It is these touches of reality that help ground the film and remind viewers that its messages are not drawn from fiction.

The relationship between Ling and Ying creates several emotional moments that show us the ups and downs of families, while still warming our hearts with the love and care that the two characters share with each other to get through life. Ling shows immense growth in her understanding of her mother’s character over the course of the movie as well as her own perception of herself. This reveals Ying’s unbounding love for her daughter despite all that she sees of herself, and shows us the true meaning of a mother’s love.

In terms of the film’s technical aspects, colour is a very interesting metaphor in the film and it helps add a layer of depth that transcends words. The phrase “bringing colour to life” perhaps best describes the film’s approach here. When Ling is transported through time and falls into 1980s Hubei, the backdrop of a once black-and-white era comes to life with vibrancy and she knows that she is truly living in and experiencing the environment around her and not simply hallucinating from images she has seen before.

The use of colour also emphasises the idea of finding joy in things that are taken for granted, such as when Ling sees the happiness that early technology brings to Ying and her friends despite such technology being obsolete to her. She casts aside what she knows and basks in the moment that is shared among them.

Hi, Mom hits home several inspiring messages about family and love. I believe it teaches us to see our family beyond their material achievements and to put their happiness first. It also shows the importance of parental figures and highlights the sacrifices they make. Audiences online have described their renewed feelings to connect with their own family after seeing the film. It effectively tells a story that is both comedic and emotionally significant in its own way.

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Fun and suspenseful movie

South Korean film “Special Delivery”, whose theatrical release in South Korea was incidentally delayed for around 2 years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is a competent genre product to be appreciated for its taut and efficient handling of story and action. While it is clearly influenced by a number of well-known seniors ranging from Walter Hill’s “The Driver” (1978) to John Cassavetes’ “Gloria” (1980), the movie has enough style and substance to engage and entertain us, and it also confirms again to us the considerable talent and presence of its lead performer.
Park So-dam, who has been more prominent these days thanks to her delightfully saucy performance in Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film “Parasite” (2019), plays Eun-ha, a tough young woman who has earned her living via her particular set of skills. On the surface, she is just a mere employee working at one shabby garage in Busan, but she is actually a very skillful driver who can “deliver everything that the post office service does not handle”, and the opening sequence, which is reminiscent a bit of the opening part of Nicholas Winding Refn’s “Drive” (2011), shows us how deftly and swiftly she handles her latest delivery job without any misstep.

However, not so surprisingly, this delivery job turns out to be much riskier than expected. When Eun-ha is waiting for the client at that certain spot, a young boy is frantically running toward her car, and she instinctively senses that something is terribly going wrong. At first, she considers leaving the spot as soon as possible without looking back at all, but, probably out of pity and compassion, she decides to let the boy get into her car, and then they soon find themselves chased by a bunch of thugs.

Around that point, the movie lets us have a pretty clear idea of what is going on around Eun-ha and the boy. He is the only son of the client, and, before he gets killed in the end, the client gave his son an incriminating piece of evidence against someone with whom he has been associated for years. Of course, that criminal figure in question and those thugs are quite willing to retrieve this evidence by any means necessary, and the situation later becomes more complicated as we get to know more about how dangerous and powerful this criminal organization really is.

As instructed by her boss, Eun-ha could just let the boy handled by one of her boss’ criminal associates, but she eventually decides to take a much harder way for the boy’s safety, and the movie accordingly gives us a series of well-executed moments including a suspenseful scene where our heroine must outwit her opponents as soon as possible. Although her driving skill is utilized less than expected, you will not grumble at all as watching a gritty vehicle action sequence which will grab you hard from the beginning to the end, and director/co-writer Park Dae-min and his crew members did a commendable job of vividly conveying to us many physical impacts during this impressive sequence.
Meanwhile, the movie also pays a lot of attention to the growing relationship between Eun-ha and the boy, who is not just a story element to be wielded in one way or another. Although she simply follows what should be done in her view, Eun-ha comes to care about the boy much more than she admits on the surface, and the boy also comes to depend a lot on Eun-ha as being reminded more that there is no one to help him except her.

It surely helps that Park and young performer Jeong Hyeon-jun, who also appeared as one of the main characters in “Parasite”, click well with each other on the screen. While confidently embodying her character’s toughness and resourcefulness, Park ably demonstrates another side of her talent here in this film, and her terse but undeniably strong acting is complemented well by Jeong’s unadulterated natural performance.

In addition, the movie assembles a group of colorful performers around Park and Jeong. I will not go into details for not spoiling any of your entertainment, but I can tell you instead that Kim Eui-sung, Song Sae-byeok, Han Hyun-min, Yeon Woo-jin, and Yeom Hye-ran are well-cast in their respective supporting roles, and, as a longtime cat lover, I will not deny that I smiled during a few tender scenes between Eun-ha and her grumpy pet cat, who cannot help but steal the scene a bit from Park whenever the camera looks at it.

On the whole, “Special Delivery” did its job as splendidly as expected, and I and a friend of mine had a fairly thrilling time as watching it at a local movie theater during last evening. As a dude who knows a lot about vehicles, he pointed out some unrealistic moments in the film after we came out of the screening room, but both of us agreed that the movie is still entertaining enough nonetheless, and I am sure that you will agree to that after watching it.

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Really, the movie is a miracle ♡

::The Good::
First, I loved the color tone of the movie, and how well it portrayed the older feel reflecting the time it’s set in. It gave immense scent of nostalgia. I also absolutely loved how cutesy the film was. There were lots of cute and humorous moments in the first half, and I personally think the title of the film, “Miracle,” is a great title as it fits the spirit of the movie perfectly.

In the beginning, I thought Park Jung Min and Yoona were the two main leads and Lee Sung Min and Lee Soo Kyung were supporting roles, as Park Jung Min and Yoona had much more on-screen time. However, as the film progressed, Lee Sung Min’s and Lee Soo Kyung’s characters had bigger roles and on-screen time, and ultimately all four had roughly the same amount of significance. The four leads had amazing chemistry, and I especially enjoyed the relationship between Park Jung Min and Yoona, and Park Jung Min and Lee Soo Kyung. It was like watching a real-life couple and real-life siblings, respectively.

Getting into each actor, of course, Park Jung Min was amazing as always. He’s such an incredible actor, and he’s able to play such a wide range of characters. He hit it out of the park again with his performance in this.

Moving onto Yoona, Yoona doesn’t age. She’s still just as pretty and gorgeous as when she first debuted with Girls’ Generation 14 years ago. Her acting has gotten a lot better, and I first noticed her improvement in acting in the film , and through that and , we can see just how crucial the role of the character needs to fit with the actor in order to have a good performance.

Moreover, Lee Sung Min didn’t have a big role in the first half, but he really shined in the latter half. It was good to see him on the big screens again, as I feel like we weren’t able to see him in movies too much recently. His most recent work other than this was , which was a Netflix release, and prior to that we weren’t able to see him for two years.

And finally but definitely not the least, Lee Soo Kyung I had the least expectations for, as I hadn’t recalled seeing much of her in other works. Upon seeing her filmography, I noticed she was also in . She left a good impression in that as well, but definitely a much bigger one in this. Her chemistry with Park Jung Min in this was outstanding.

I mentioned a few times that the movie was a very cute one, but don’t let that make you assume the movie is a very light, comedic film. Although it does have a lot of humor, the movie takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. The film starts off with more of the comedic side that I mentioned, but as it progresses and passes the halfway mark, the movie takes a huge turn and the emotions begin. I won’t say too much in order to avoid spoilers, but yeah, there’s a reason the movie is defined as a “drama” film, and not a “comedy.”

Lastly, the movie had a good story and is generally able to keep you engaged. Although it does get a little loose later on, which I’ll get to in the “bad” parts, the overall narrative was pretty good, in my opinion. There’s an unforeseen event that’s revealed, which I didn’t see coming at all, and that added a big layer on top of the film.

::The Bad::
I don’t have too much bad things to say about , but there’s one big one. This is more of a personal matter and can be based on personal preference, but some may find the emotional scenes to be too forced and/or frequent. One thing that I can’t stand are forced emotions, where you can tell they’re trying to get you to shed a tear. And so, personally I found the emotional scenes to be too forced in this. I mean, it was okay at first, but it became kind of repetitive, or more-so prolonged. If it was one or two big, impactful emotional scenes, then I’d be okay with it, but they just kept attacking you with a sad scene, after a sad scene, after another sad scene. Nevertheless, I will say that there were sniffles throughout the theater, so if you are a fan of more emotional movies, this may very well be down your lane. After all the touching moments, though, I loved how the film ended.

::Verdict::

From the performances by Park Jung Min to Yoona to Lee Soo Kyung to even the minor role of the town’s little girl, the movie was extremely cute and adorable, but also gave a big punch in the emotional department as well. The first half is a lighter and more humorous film, and the latter half is more heavy with emotional scenes. Long story short, this may very well be my favorite K-movie of 2021 that released thus far. Definitely recommend giving this a go.

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How difficult is motherhood

Right from the start, the movie does a good job at showing the rough life of the main characters. It was a hard situation after a hard situation after another hard situation. I’m sure everyone has these days/times and faces those situations where everything you do doesn’t work out. did a really good job at portraying that, which is why I say it’s a very real movie. Even the details of the movie were real, such as it shining a light on the hardships of being a single parent. Also, the conflict/climax was based on real world problems, and thus, as you can probably expect, it gets pretty damn emotional.

Furthermore, the acting by the cast members were great. I absolutely loved the casting – The main casts Kim Hyang-Gi, Ryu Hyun-Kyung, and Yeom Hye-Ran are more familiar faces in Korean productions, and they were really great. The trailer of the film said that the character Hyang-Gi played had to grow up quickly, and I felt that that matched Kim Hyang-Gi perfectly. She has that young image and as if she’s a kid herself, so having an actress like her portray this role, it was like a kid having to take care of a kid, which gave a special emotional delivery that I think only she can deliver.

Ryu Hyun-Kyung also showed a phenomenal performance, and the chemistry between her and Kim Hyang-Gi was superb. The other main lead Yeom Hye-Ran was good as always, and was really good in that hard, tough, gangster-like role. I want to see her in more roles like this, and it’s really good to see her in more productions nowadays. She’s in 3 Korean movies just in the month of February 2021, , , and this.

And it wasn’t just the main leads that gave a performance; the supporting cast was amazing as well. It was my first time seeing actor Kim Hyun-Mok, but he was really good. He was in other smaller films such as and , but I’m really looking forward to seeing him in other works.

Even the performance by the baby was great! The kid cried so much and is such a physically big baby, but was so cute. The baby was actually played by two different baby actors, Tak Ji-Ahn and Tak Ji-On. I’m assuming they are twins that played the same character, much like how Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen both played the character of Michelle on the American TV show “Full House.” Anyways, great, great performances by everyone in this.

?The Bad
I don’t have much bad things to say about . As you can probably expect from this type of film and from the trailers, the movie is on the slower slide. However, I will say that it’s not too slow that it’s not enjoyable, and I was engaged throughout. It gets a little slow after about an hour and 20 minutes or so, but picks back up. It kind of reminded me of , another film starring Kim Hyang-Gi, but it wasn’t as slow as that. I personally liked this more than .

To conclude, does heavily have that indie, slow vibe. If you’re not a fan of that type, which I personally am not either, then you may not enjoy this. But as I mentioned before, it’s not too slow that it’s unbearable. Like I said, I’m not a fan of slow burners, but this I enjoyed.

**Verdict**

was a very real movie and I liked how it wasn’t forced. The ending was very powerful and emotional, and the second to last scene was really cute. Definitely something I recommend watching.

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Music changes the world

I find this movie rather interesting as we were introduced to the Korean traditional singing pansori, which often story tell Korean folklore. Personally, I enjoy folklores of various cultures, so perhaps that is why I enjoy this movie much. The singing of pansori by Hak-kyu in the movie was indeed moving, providing comfort to the commoners in times of injustice due to those corrupted officials. I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in Korean traditional culture.

It is not just an ordinary story about the singing culture .. It is a dramatic, sensitive story that stirs feelings through watching the movie. My feelings were conflicting. Sometimes I laugh and sometimes I cry and sometimes I cry because of my happiness .. I was really hesitant to watch the movie because I said, "Why am I watching a movie about music?" Not just a movie .. It is really a touching dramatic story. I got attached to the movie and I am very impressed with the cast and everything they have presented, especially the little girl ♡ ^^

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A love story full of suffering

I really loved the villains in this drama. They are quite villainous and cause all sorts of problems for our main couple. Se Na (Jung Yu Mi) has the same appearance as Yi Gak’s dead wife, and she has a complicated relationship with Park Ha which she exploits to her advantage.

And Tae Moo (Lee Tae Sung) has it out for Yi Gak’s modern day look alike Tae Young. He does anything and everything to take him down so he can better his position in the family. This duo is all kinds of trouble, but I sure did get a kick out of watching them cause problems!
Then there’s the rest of our Joseon crew. Chi San (Choi Woo Shik), Man Bo (Lee Min Ho), and Yong Sul (Jung Suk Won) are dedicated to serving the Prince and will protect him no matter what. They are a quirky bunch with a lot of heart. And they are oh so hilarious! The crazy situations these guys get into are so funny, and I grew to love each of them.

I loved Yi Gak and Park Ha as a couple! This is one of those relationships that I got completely swoony over. It’s a slow build with a lot of cute bickering in the beginning. But then it blossoms into quite the fated love story. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and so much more. I adored this couple, and their love story completely tugged at my heart.

The mystery surrounding the death of Yi Gak’s wife was also very interesting. The drama laid it out well and slowly peels back the layers as we learn the full story and how it effects our characters in the past and in the present.
This is also a drama that just gets better as it goes along. What starts out as mostly fun, turns into a very dramatic and intense drama. The story was just so good all the way through, and I was completely invested in the characters. The romance hit all of the right spots for me and gave me feels to last a lifetime. Everything just came together to make this a truly wonderful drama.

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Entertaining movie

was a very cute movie with cute characters. The grandma (played by Na Moon-Hee) was very cute, the little girl (played by Lee Jin-Ju) was absolutely adorable, and even the dog was really cute. Also, I was surprised by how good of a performance the dog, “Aengja,” had (lol). Moreover, Lee Hee-Jun showed a great acting performance. It wasn’t as good as his performance in , but that’s a totally different genre of movie, and so, it’d be unfair to compare the two. He showed great acting in this, nonetheless.

Furthermore, the movie had lots of funny scenes, as one would expect from a film of this genre. However, it didn’t only have humor, but also elements of mystery and emotional scenes as well. It showed how scary Alzheimer’s disease can be, and in that sense was a “real” movie.
had good acting performances by the cast members, but other than that, I can’t really say there was anything special about the film. It’s a light comedic watch that won’t surprise you in terms of its story. However, if you enjoy watching humorous films, I’d say this could be a decent light watch.♡

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