12
88
2
Grumpy Witch
Wild Hollow
This review may contain spoilers
"All I See Are Red Flags"
The title of this drama is extremely fitting to the story. Like previous reviews mentioned, this drama is really not for the faint of heart.Broken the Heart was a dark, angst filled wild ride of a story with an utterly unlikable and sadistic male lead whose type of love language falls under the "I love you, so I hurt and belittled you, crushed your heart and confidence, so I could protect you” category, and a damsel in distress female lead who disappointed me to the very end. All I saw from this man from beginning to end were red flags. The second male lead was the opposite and was a sweetheart, but not without his own set of issues. Who wants a man who is so hung up on his dead wife that even after he "lost his memories of her" gives you her face?
At the end, the male lead did do one thing right, he let her go. In my eyes, this didn’t redeem him. The female lead leaving, and staying away, would have made the perfect ending for the devastatingly tragic "love story " that this could have been. It would have also made me respect her a little for saying her piece and staying strong. Sadly, they forced “a happy ending” which had no business in this story. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed this show from beginning to end as it was just right up my alley. The angst was delicious and completely satisfied me, making my heart feel full and content. There were scenes where the composition of it was beautiful, the acting was satisfying, and the OST songs were nice too.
I am honestly glad I started watching it again because it finally had decent subs since it was a show I came to enjoy very much.
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This review may contain spoilers
This movie was short when compared to other Korean movies I have watched. It was, also, sort of a spontaneous kind of watch since I hadn't planned on watching it just yet.I'm going to go straight to the point not because I hated it since I was totally immersed in its story, but because there's really not much to say.
Murderer has an overused premise, but one I enjoy most of the time. I love this type of psychological thrillers.
The atmosphere was tense throughout the whole movie even when Yong Ho and Ji Soo were together trying to be kids.
Ma Dong Seok, whom I had previously seen in a few dramas, was great as in this off kilter type of character. He definitely exuded danger. Even when I was not the one where his gaze was directed at, I could almost shiver. I hope he does more serious roles like this one. Also, Ahn Do Kyu (whom I remember from "Horse Doctor") is one we need to keeps tabs on. He has the makings of a great actor. I can't say much more without it being a spoiler. BUT, for me, whatever happened definitely clicked with the rest of the story.
I do wish they had showed more of what happened after that messed up ending. Messed up because of what happened not because it was bad.
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The movie is completely disappointing. The "storyline" was like when you are reading a book and you accidentally skip a few pages and then feel lost, but this was like it skipped full chapters. The acting was sort of like a very bad makjang drama. I've seen some of the actors in dramas and this is not they usually act. So, maybe it was asked of them to do it this way. The housemaid, what did she do? What did she gain? I wish she would have done more, but I think she forgot and skipped right to the ending of her plan. The music was mediocre and forgettable. The ending... I can't even describe the scene since the only thing that comes up to my mind, for some reason, is that the "Addams Family" is normal in comparison to this family. This is a movie that shouldn't be watched once much less twice.
This won awards? Why?
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This review may contain spoilers
A Very Short Song
I’m still running high on the minis. I didn't like this one as much as the others I have recently watched, I think it’s mainly because The episodes were super short and just when I was getting into it and getting into a comfortable position, it ended. Then, the next one started in another “place” and I had to go through the whole process again… 28 times. So, I am going to say I prefer the minis that have 7+ minute episodes. Since this allows me to get into the story.However, the female main lead was refreshing. I give her *two thumbs up*. I like that she saw an opportunity and grabbed it. She was a victim once (she had a tragic past due to the disgusting old donkey of an emperor), became a survivor, and got her revenge. The male lead was more of a green to orange flag. I never saw him as a full red flag, except maybe in the first episode, but that was it. There were some nice scenes and a couple of steamy ones, but nothing that brought out an intense emotional response from me. Despite the show being short, and me not being fully invested, the story felt complete. And honestly, if episodes had been a little bit longer, I would have been devastated. So, I don’t see why it would need a second season.
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Production could have used time more wisely.
I started watching this show despite not being a fan of the main actresses since the concept really attracted me. I love witches and I love the occult and it's difficult to find decent Korean dramas with those themes.Despite not liking part of the cast, I was really enjoying the show. For once, I felt Song Ji Hyo had chosen the perfect role and had it down to an art. Even Nam Ji Hyun didn't make me want to pull my hair out, or at least not constantly. And I really enjoy
Chae Jong Hyeop 's acting. I really wanted to give the drama a 10 because it started with a strong foundation for the story it had to tell, but there was a big problem. It seems to me that the production team forgot they only had 8 episodes to work with. I felt the pacing of the first 6 episodes of the drama was more suited for a slightly longer show, although not necessarily a 16 episode one. It also didn't help that the episodes were so short, some barely making it to 40 minutes. This translated to a rushed ending which dampened some of my initial enthusiasm for the show.
While these behind the scenes happenings did affect my viewing experience at some level , I still loved the story , enjoyed the dynamics between the actors, and was satisfied with the ending.
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Story: I watched it because when I read the description, it "sounded" interesting. But having watched this when I was new to dramas, I was in for a surprise and not necessarily a pleasant one.
Acting/Cast: It was horrible. There was a lot of overacting by everyone.
Music: The music was fairly decent. I still listen to one song from the OST, "Bitter Tea".
Re-watch: I never plan on watching this again and I honestly don't recommend it to anyone.
Overall: I watched this when dramas were bright and shiny for me and when I didn't drop dramas. If had I watched this now, it would have been dropped by episode 2 at the most. Or more likely, I wouldn't have even bothered with it.
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Story: I love fantasy stories and this one as far as a story goes was great. This is not focused on battles and action, it is more like a Fairy Tale.
Acting/Cast: The acting wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. It was just enough to keep you interested in what was happening on screen.
Music: The music was amazing and went great with the story.
Re-watch Value: Since this is a movie, it's very likely I'll re-watch it sometime in the future.
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The Man From Nowhere blends powerful scenes with a touching story to create a great movie. The story will slowly and steadily build up to the action which will keep you at the edge of your seat.
The setting is dark which possibly hints that past, which has his neighbors coming up with different types rumors about him as it frequently happens when we don't understand something or something is unknown. Won Bin's portrayal of this mystery man is outstanding and solid.
So Mi's situation and story will captivate you and the little girl who plays her, also, did a great job with her role.
The other actors were also superb and they did a great job portraying dark characters.
The music helps the set the mood. And it never felt out of place or random.
I do wish it had ended a bit differently than it did.
There's blood and violence, if you don't like these two elements, the movie might not be for you.
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Story: The story was different and well written. The plot kept getting more interesting with each passing minute. Everyone involved in the production of it, cast and staff, knew just how to take it a notch up with each episode, which left me wanting more.
Acting/Cast: The actors did such an amazing job that I loved every interaction between them, even the ones I loved to hate (and there were a few of those). Jung Woo Sung playing the role of Yang Kang Chil was simply brilliant and he is a character I will not forget. Kim Bum as Gook Soo was also amazing.
Music: I loved the soundtrack of this drama, every song went perfectly with the moment and the story. It, also, helped enhance the emotions the cast kept throwing our way.
Rewatch: I would love to re-watch this, but it's not very likely any time soon. Not because I didn't like the drama and not because I thought it was average and not worthy of a re-watch. But because every aspect of the story, even the happy moments, were heartbreaking.
Overall, I give this drama a 10. I think it deserves it. It cast a magical spell which enthralled, amazed me and from which I could not escape. It is definitely worth a watch and make sure you have some tissue with you because it is a real tearjerker, especially towards the last episodes.
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I Only Watched This Because of Li Fei
First things first, I only watched this because of Li Fei. Big shocker, I know.Despite everything looking cheap and/or fake, the voices being a tad annoying, and the story being super simple, I liked that the episodes had continuum . I have watched other dramas with similar episode count and length per episode where they just jump all over the place and I am left wondering, "how did they get there?". This did not happen with this one. The acting was okay-ish and it's definitely not a masterpiece. However, if you are looking to pass the time, need something for background noise or so unserious you'll go from laughing to rolling your eyes, this is it. I know I had a few moments where I thought, "what the hell am I watching?" Also warning, it's an open ending and it says that it was season one at the end, but in September 13 it will mark three years since the drama ended and there is still no second season.
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The first episode did very well its job. It reeled me in with Daisuke's family mystery and it made me interested in its main characters. I really liked that both main characters had their own mysteries to solve. Then, the opening of the show rolled in and I was a total goner. I loved the concept of everyone being a book you need to read to know its story. At least, that's what I gathered from it.
I, also, really enjoyed the way the actors portrayed their characters. The chemistry between Gouriki Ayama and Kurosawa Ryohei was really good. And I thought Shioriki and Daisuke were awkwardly cute when they were together.
Although the drama is slow paced and has a really mellow atmosphere I think it fits. It helps keep up the mystery and suspense as Shioriko and Daisuke try to solve the mysteries they encounter in each episode. And even though each episode had a different story, it still had a main underlying one running in the background. For me, this made it feel a little less episodic.
The OST was also good. I loved the instrumentals, they seemed to fit the moment just right. And while I did hum and failed to sing along to the ending credits song "Never ending story... la la la.." I doubt, I will be listening to it anytime soon. Unless I rewatch the drama. I think that's the only way I'll listen to it.
There were some things that bothered me though. Why did she have to dress like a bag lady grandma just because she likes books? I tried not to let it bother me too much since I was really interested in the story. The other was the romance. Yes, there was some, but you had to use a microscope without blinking to get a glimpse of it.
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Story: Let's be honest, it's not original. I've watched, at least, one other movie where the witness of a crime is blind. It, also, falls into thriller movie cliches, which makes it ordinary, but that doesn't not mean it's not good. It's actually quite absorbing and you can't help but to give all your attention to it. Also, I love the camera work and the way they blended the world of the blind with the world of the seeing in some scenes.
Acting/Cast: I liked the acting. I thought the ways the characters interacted with each other were very good. I'll admit I had my reserves about it after watching Kim Ha Neul in "You Are my Pet". She had failed to impress me in it. But I'm glad I watched this. She plays a totally different character than she did in YAMP, and does a really good job of it. Yoo Seung Ho is quite impressive in it too.
Music: To be honest, it wasn't bad, but it's quite forgettable. But it did what it was supposed to do in the moment, accompany the actions and pace of the movie.
I'll re-watch this movie eventually since I really enjoyed it.
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The drama wasn't perfect and there were many loopholes, gaps and unexplained/unfinished situations, many of the characters needed to be bitch slapped and some of the couples had no chemistry at all. BUT it's one of the few family dramas which actually make justice to the theme and that's what I loved about it.
I liked that while maybe it was extended a bit too much, the changes that came to the characters and the unity wasn't sudden. You could actually see the bridges being mended and the relationship between father and children grow in a genuine way. Once I decided to focus on that, everything else became padding.
Note: I don't rewatch long dramas, except for Empress Ki and King's Daughter.
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The acting in this drama was very good. I liked how everyone in the cast played their roles from the very grouchy with a touch of sweet Eisuke to weird yet likable Ebina. I thought all the characters worked really well with each other. I also have to say, I really loved Mukai Osamu as Eisuke (he was my favorite character) and I wasn't even a fan of his before I started this. The only character I truly didn't like was Maria, but that just makes me think the actress did a good job. The OST was awesome and it gave even more life to the drama.
I plan to watch this again someday, but I do have to warn those who like their romance. This drama does not have an overabundance of romance, which made it perfect for me, but it does have its sweet moments here and there.
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Cellphones Do Not Have Silence Options in the Only for Love World
Okay…I started this despite not being a fan of modern/contemporary Chinese romance dramas because these usually feature nonsensically convoluted plots and too many misunderstandings. However, I like both main leads and wanted to watch something with Dylan since I will not be watching his other dramas from this year. I thought that having other cast members, like Bai Lu, Wei Zheng Ming, and Lui Dong Qin, all of whom I also liked even if I didn’t fully enjoy the shows they were in, would make it more bearable. It did not. I never expected a masterpiece, but had hoped for a decent story with relatable characters or at least characters who would allow me to live vicariously through them. This, also, did not happen.
The premise of the show was all based on a misunderstanding which dragged on for too long. On top of this, there were other couples whose dynamics were fun at first, but later entered the realm of toxic and stalkerish. As if having already three dysfunctional couples wasn’t enough, at around the 20th episode yet another couple was added.
Another part that bothered me was the romance between the main leads. I usually like slow burn romances, it gets me excited for when the fire finally consumes them and they cannot “fight that feeling anymore”, but for the love of all sacred monkeys, this wasn’t even a slowburn, it was almost no burn and the damned cell phone ringing was the main character, as one of the watchers so aptly commented. Someone wanted to clarify something, the phone rang. Someone wanted to confess, the damned phone rang again. Someone was about to kiss, you guessed it, the phone rang. It’s as if they didn’t know phones have silence options.
On top of this, some scenes that looked like they were finally going to get things rolling ended too abruptly. For the first kiss scene, I blinked and almost missed the kiss. There were too many filler-like scenes which featured their workplaces, business dealings, conferences, introduction of new antagonists, and talking about things I had no desire to listen to, or more specifically read about since I read the subs, especially in Shi Yan’s case. So I fast-forwarded these scenes or, in later episodes, just watched the drama as background noise. This leads me to another issue, this is a romcom. This drama is 36 episodes and personally, I believe romcoms should not be this long. This drama would have probably been a lot more tolerable to watch than it was if they had focused on less, because sometimes less is more. The addition of all those unnecessary subplots made it draggy and boring.
I don’t remember the OST and I do not plan on rewatching or recommending this to anyone. I added .5 because despite the drama being terrible, I still like Dylan Wang , Miles Wei, Lui Dong Qin, and Bai Lu.
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