Nearly every episode flows perfectly and most left me in denial that I had to wait a week for the next set. However, that's the genius of the writer and, to her, I give props. This is the third drama/movie of hers that I've watched and I loved them all.
I have to put an entire paragraph here on the acting. I expected to see good acting from many of the cast members, most are very respected and experienced. What surprised me the most was the acting ability of Lee Jong Suk. I've recently watched School 2013 and knew the kid had talent, but I never would have guessed he was this good. He made me laugh at his goofiness, smile when he was happy, and just cry my eyes out when he hurt. No matter how well written a story may be, if you don't get the right actors, it will never work. This choice, for this role, could not have been any better. As much as his acting ability left me breathless, he wasn't the only standout. Several episodes I had to give the best acting award to Jung Woong In, Yoon Sang Hyun and Lee Da Hee. Both very experienced actors that pulled even more out of their bag of tricks in this drama. The versatility of all the main and supporting cast was excellent. FYI, Jung Woong In was made for evil roles! That man can be downright scary as hell.
I can tell you I will be watching this again and not only for the feel good moments. Just like owning your favorite books to re-read over and over, I'll be enjoying this drama for years to come.
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Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring
31 people found this review helpful
This was a movie that showcased the beauty of life in all it's stages, what the world can show you if you only watch and listen, and how harmonious it can be. This is not a fast paced film, nor is it filled with alot of dialogue. However, 10 years later I still remember this film fondly and look forward to watching it again.
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This review may contain spoilers
I love musicals, and music based dramas, thus my main reason for watching. If you want to hear great music, THIS is the drama of 2013 for it! The greatest thing about Monstar is the OST (though I hope they give us more songs for purchase). Summary: The acting was good, and surprisingly so with many "newbies" to drama acting. It was nice to see scenes of musicians playing instruments and actually know how to play them... very refreshing. The music, as mentioned before, is top notch. There is a piano duet of J. Pachelbel's Canon that is amazing, as well as a haunting version of Nocturne with just guitar and cello that sticks with you. The story is the weakest link of the drama, which is likely why it was only 12 episodes. It wasn't a bad story, but light and lacking true depth as a drama. This could be best labeled as a light romantic musical drama, but does have entertainment value.
Details: There isn't much to put in the details without spoilers, but I can say that you will likely purchase the OST if you love music. Watching "new" actors was also nice, it gives me a few more people to put on my list of "ones to watch". I have to give a special mention to GLAM's DaHee because her role was awesome and she played it well. I fell in love with her character the most and she just tended to steal scenes when she was in them.
Rewatch value is listed as high as it is because the music will make me watch this again since the OST doesn't include all of it. Should they make all the music spots available for purchase, it would go down I think.
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This review may contain spoilers
Ok, so several people that watch this and see my score my think I'm insane. I'm not, really. This movie made me laugh so much I couldn't help but give it an 8 score! Like the other reviewer said, you can't stop watching... it's addictive. Story: It's a bit goofy, and light on actual plot, but for a movie about a programmer who likes to steal on the side, it's perfect. The cast is kept to a minimum so you can concentrate on the real story of bringing a family together through adversity.
Cast/Acting: There are 2 main actors, then the wife and kids. That's really it. However, the comedic acting is spot on. So Ji Sub, adorable as always, just cracked me up in ever scene. I've only watched him in serious roles until Master's Sun so I was surprised at how good he was in comedy. If I had watched this movie prior, I wouldn't have been.
Music: Not really much music in the movie, but what is there always fit the mood of the scene perfectly. No OST, obviously, but was done well.
Rewatch Value: This movie is so "Keystone Cops" funny that, yes, I would watch it again definitely. The watching value isn't in a great story, gripping drama, or mystery... it's a slapstick funny movie and those are always great for rewatching on a rainy day.
Summary: Without giving out spoilers, this is the perfect movie for when you're a tad burned on dramas. It's light, quick, funny, no romance (really) to worry about, it's just about the two main actors going man to man. There is a moral in the story, and it actually ended great. You won't have wasted 100 minutes of your life by watching.
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Story: The story wasn't uncommon, modern day Hong Gil Dong, or Robin Hood in the US, and the whole family is involved. Very rich with comedy, great comedic timing, and direction was wonderful.
Acting: I think the entire acting cast was pretty damn great. There was no real melodrama, so the cast was able to keep it light and fun. Even when a character is sad, it's funny.
Honestly, for a quick (compared to a full drama) story and a nice night's laugh, this is a great film to watch. Warning, you'll want to see the sequel!!
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Now, on to the details! First, I must admit I enjoy my "candy" dramas almost as much as my deeper ones so it was no surprise that I liked this one. The premise is good but an often used one, though I still don't see why they think just because a girl gets a hair cut and wears boy clothes, she's a boy. The flow of the drama works from episode to episode, and really not many are what I would consider slow. There are a couple that could have had more umph to them, but overall you didn't suffer any major stops and starts to the main plot or much in the way of confusion. The ending, not bad but definitely not my favorite. They tried to tie all the loose ends together way too quickly and not give you enough time to enjoy the last episode. It felt very rushed and amateurish.
As a quick side note, for those that love flower boy dramas, there is a fair share for you here! And for those Lee Hun Woo fans, LOVE love love his character, hair, everything. He does a great job here :)
There is a rewatch value as it's a typical feel good drama (though I'd rather watch Lee Min Ho or Lee Seung Gi, LOL)and does make you smile and laugh.
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Summary: In normal Hong sisters style, the laughs really don't stop. This one had me laughing through most episodes, even while crying. Only one or two episodes seemed to drag a bit, but the story wouldn't have been the same without them. Quite a few twists in the story, some I saw coming, some had serious shock value. The music fit very well, but only one song really stuck with me. Acting was superb, but with cast you should expect nothing less. This was a VERY enjoyable 23 hours... the 24th hour was spent crying myself silly until I looked like a raccoon or something.
Details: I'll talk about the acting first because, in my opinion, it was the best part of the drama. Kang Ji-Hwan and Song Yu Ri were both amazing and so believable that I fell into their characters immediately. You couldn't help but laugh, cry, and struggle with them. I swear, Kang Ji-Hwan has a talent of being one of the most believable men I've ever seen cry, it just tears your heart out. Song Yu Ri pulled off her role till I had to watch an interview with her to see what her true character is really like LOL. Jang Geun Suk, not only gorgeous, but his acting had really improved alot at this point and I would have fallen for him if this was the first time I'd seen him act. The one that shocked me the most, however, is Ahn Suk-Hwan... I knew he was a great actor but he pulled off being the mad king SO much better than I anticipated! He actually looks nothing like himself in his really crazy moments and makes you think that this is, indeed, what insanity does to a person. The rest of the cast were amazing as well, I can't really complain about anyone at all.
The story was refreshing. A little Robin hood, a little Love Story, and all Hong sisters. The puns, the comedic timing, all of it were excellent. They have a great ability to take several different stories, merge them into one, throw in the laughs and make it all fresh and new. I love that about these ladies. As always, there is a moral to the story and it truly makes you think once you've finished the drama. If you don't stand back and look around afterwards, I'll eat my hat.
Overall, a really great drama. The only downside I suffered was the ending was not as I expected, but that didn't make it bad. I cried a hell of alot more than I knew I would but wow. It also contained probably one of the most beautiful scenes of the entire show, and likely one of the top 10 scenes I've ever seen as far as emotional beauty.
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Why was it good? Many things contributed to both the good and the bad of this drama. The writer and director were not at the top of their game the first 4-6 episodes, but by episode 7/8 things began to get good… and once they started the ball rolling, it ended on a great note.
The actors…. it’s hard to pull a cast together like they did and NOT have some of the best actors in the business, and they did. There were quite a few standouts with acting, but I’d have to say Kim Woo Bin was probably the best of them all. Don’t get me wrong, Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye are excellent, but because they were the leads and in the spotlight, it’s much easier to say their acting wasn’t up to par for many episodes. I do not blame the actors, however. I blame alot of this on the writer and director.
Once everyone was one the same page, their love story became more believable, Kim Tan and Eun Sang’s pain was evident for all to see, and the emotions hit you in the gut. Kim Woo Bin was on the ball from minute one, though. I don’t know if it’s because he’s played nearly nothing but these types of roles, or if it is because he saw the best way to play it without direction, but he was on fire in this drama. I could list all of the other actors that were amazing, and there were plenty (not just the pretty ones either!), but I don’t need to. There honestly wasn’t a bad actor in the bunch, not even a mediocre one. The parents, the kids, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th love story partners… they were all great.
On a special note, why the writer couldn’t have put more of the BN and CY relationship feel into KT and ES’s relationship, I’ll never know. These two were the highlight of the show for many episodes for me.
Did it portray a message or was it just another kdramaland story? It had a message, a very clear message, and the final episode brought it home in technicolor. In many dramas you always see the rich guy/girl who can’t love the poor guy/girl because of class differences. You see the wealthy marry off their children as if it’s a high stakes poker game and the winner laughs the loudest. You find nearly nothing but dysfunctional families because of these same reasons… no one is allowed to love who they want without some miracle taking place. Heirs took on the challenge of showing you a much clearer and realistic picture of this practice. Being a second son, Kim Tan should have had the freedom to love whom he wanted, but daddy dearest didn’t agree. In the end, what they give you for the finale is not an unrealistic ending. They showed the reality of this practice with Won. They showed the effects on Rachel and her mother Esther. It was a very good look at an often “overcome” issue in dramas. It was nice to see a story that ended with a bit of realism.
The OST was amazing, even if you did get sick of hearing “Love is the moment” every other scene. They had many songs they could have used in the OST for some of these times, but chose to pretty much go with that song alone. The other song I loved dearly was “Love Is”. Lee Min Ho also sang a song for the OST which only got used in episode 17, which kind of sucked. I really liked it and think it could have been used more too.
Cinematography… the drama was beautiful. The filming locations were chosen with major care and were gorgeous. The way shots were filmed, the direction in action during filming, all of it was remarkable. Though it’s fair to say the writer and director had their collective heads in the sand for the plot and acting, they were on full charge when it came to visual effectiveness of each scene and location. Even the fashion (though I heard LMH bought and used his own things) was amazing for the most part… some of the fuzzy sweaters could have been left at home, but good lord I want some of those trench coats BAD! Oh, and the white suit LMH wore.
The feels… yes, there were feels. It didn’t happen, except for Young Do’s character, until at least episode 7 or 8, but they were finally there. KWB was able to cause feels with his character from the beginning. And though it took a while for things to develop and get the emotion to you, once it did, you felt it alot. Kim Won, Young Do, Kim Tan, Eun Sang, Tan’s mom, and ES’s mom… these are the ones that made me feel the most, not necessarily in that order. Again, Kim Woo Bin as Young Do stole most of the feels in my opinion.
In summary, I think overall this was a 7.5 or 8 out of 10. I was hoping that it would be a 9 or 10, for many reasons, but it didn’t happen that way. I sincerely hope this drama doesn’t hurt or hinder LMH because he’s so much more than this. Faith and City Hunter showed the skills he really has and I hope he can find a movie or drama that give him the freedom to be as good as he can be next time. Park Shin Hye is always a great actress, but I’d really like her to take some lessons in being affectionate! Kim Woo Bin… dude, just go do what you do, you need no instruction Choi Jin Hyuk, I love him and am so glad you he is in another drama right away so I don’t have to go months without him! I thought he was amazing in Gu Family Book, but he ruled in Heirs.
Now, it's on to another drama. I won't miss this one like I did Master's Sun, but I will miss seeing LMH, KWB, and CJH every week.
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Summary: The story and acting are top notch, and the acting so much so that you fall into the characters without realizing you've done so. I'm lucky that I started watching it after all episodes aired and could do a 16 hour marathon or I might have had a heart attack. The ability for the story and actors to blend so well that you feel punched in the gut at times, cry like a baby, and smile through the tears is amazing. Few dramas achieve that this well. For most of the drama, the first 13 or 14 episodes, there is nothing incomplete and it just flows right along. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but about ep 14, it feels a bit off, but it still moves you. The OST is fantastic and matched the moods perfectly.
As for the cast, Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo had some of the best on-screen chemistry I've seen in a while. Song Hye Kyo played the tortured blind heiress like she grew up that way and you felt like you really were watching Jo In Sung grow from street thug to respectable human right in front of your eyes. There were other really great actors/actresses in this cast, but these two just captivated me.
All in all, this movie was put on my top 5 favorite list for a reason. It has it's flaws, the ending being the biggest in my opinion, but jerked my heart strings like a professional guitar player.
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