Ackery

MISSING: EPISODE 1

For once I will try not to be a chatterbox and get straight to the point.

Pros
- Production quality
- Acting
- Kim Seon Ho's performance in the last episode
- Dark atmosphere -it can get too dark though, so have your brightness as high as possible-
- Action scenes
- Violence/Gore
- Lim Sang as a comedic relief -that wasn’t too much to ruin the atmosphere of the drama-
- Ja Kyung! She was the highlight of the series and I hope we get to see the actress more in the future
- How I love ruthless women in action series!
- Good concept
- Pretty entertaining last two eps

Cons
Plot
This is the biggest flaw of the series. The Tyrant starts very abruptly. It’s like they expect the viewers to know what is happening and what has already happened. There are way too many characters that appear and we don’t know who they are, what is their aim and who they are working for. It’s funny, cause I actually double checked to make sure that I was indeed watching the first episode of the drama and not like the third. As a result, first two episodes were not only a bit boring, but also incomprehensible (especially if you haven't read the synopsis). In other words? It felt like an entire episode, that was supposed to work as a set-up for the plot and the characters, was missing.

Duration
Why is this even a series? It felt like a movie. Like they didn’t want it to be too long and they were like ‘’let’s just make it into a four episode drama’’. There are no cliffhanger episodes and no real character development that would justify making this into a series. And let's be honest, it wouldn’t be even that long as a film, if they combined all the episodes.

Kim Kang Woo as Paul
He was overacting here and there trying to be the bad guy, but it felt completely out of place in a series that was pretty dark and had a serious atmosphere.

English
They have to add this in every series apparently! I do not get what is the point of having that one scene where an actor is in a foreign country, speaking English and heading to Korea to "take care of a business". There was zero reason for that, and it got worse when they spoke English in Korea out of freaking nowhere. It is extremely obvious that the actors, and mostly Kim Kang Woo who was the main English speaker, don’t have a good understanding of the language. It was like they were just reading the script and it was cringy at times, even though -and I will admit that- it was one of the better performances in that aspect compared to most series/movies.

CGI/Special Effects: They were great when it came to action scenes and violence, but what was the point to try making something more from it? I won’t say anything specific, cause of spoilers, but that one scene in the beginning of episode 2 was completely unnecessary and ruined the drama.


All in all, this ended up being an entertaining watch with some commendable action scenes, but it is in no way a great series and unfortunately it is not close to the greatness of The Witch: The Subversion.

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4MINUTƎS

I have watched tons of bls the last few years and I know very well how they have evolved. When they first started, bls had very similar settings and plots. Most of them took place in universities or high schools, that's how the engineer faculty joke came to be.

At some point, bl series started gaining tons of viewers and attention and companies started -as expected- to invest more and more in this particular "genre". As a result, from characters that were usually high schoolers and university students, we started watching on our screen so many different main leads. From doctors and office workers to supernatural entities and mafia bosses.

The thing is that in the majority of these series, no matter how entertaining or well made they may be, the plot felt more like a background that was there just to envelop the main characters and their romance. It felt like the writers were not actually ready to create a well written and logical plot, since it was out of their comfort zone.

And here comes 4minutes. To get this out of the way, this series is not perfect, but I can clearly see it is an earnest effort to make a unique drama that deviates from the usual tropes.

4minutes has amazing directing and cinematography. In simple words, it is visually stunning. It has an immaculate dark atmosphere, good music and good acting. Of course, since this is the "sultrier" version there are quite a few explicit scenes that are also pretty well done -but not for the faint-hearted-. The chemistry between the characters is good and their love stories are also good (enough).

And here comes the usual black sheep; the plot. 4minutes has an actually well written, intricate and complicated plot. Or to be more precise, that's what they want the audience to believe. The plot itself is not that complicated and until the end it is easy to put all the pieces in the correct place. Things are getting clearer and clearer with each episode. But because the concept is special and because of some directing choices, the plot seems to be much more confusing and complex than it is in reality and I am saying this as positively as possible.

4minutes has a quite unique plot compared to many series (and not only bls). It has flawed characters that don't feel like the typical "toxic" ones we usually watch and enjoy (to hate). It is one of the few times that despite the love stories and the (many) gay main leads, I could feel that the plot was actually more important than the romance. That it was there to serve a purpose, something that is obvious from the viewers themselves. People were not talking that much of the romantic relationship between the mains and the good looking cast. They were making theories about the plot, they were trying to solve it like a riddle. And that is what makes 4minutes a great -pun intended- series, despite its flaws.

And what are those flaws? Some of the acting performances here and there could have been better and some plot points could have been developed in a different manner.
However, the thing that actually bothered me the most has to do with the emotional aspect of the series. I just didn't feel for the characters and their stories. I think that this is the biggest flaw of 4minutes. I could acknowledge that I was watching something well made, but emotionally wise, it didn't move me, it didn't make me gasp. I wanted that something more. I wanted to feel for the characters and for their relationships more than I did.

All in all, despite the negative aspects, 4minutes was definitely worth the watch and it felt like a huge breath of fresh air. It doesn't follow the formula we have seen again and again during the past few years and it was a memorable enough watch that differentiated itself from everything else, putting the plot, and not the romance, in the foreground.

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I'm sorry, but this is definitely not one of the worst Korean movies out there

According to the know it all internet, this film is considered a huge failure, both commercial and critical, and generally one of the worst Korean films to ever be made. Now doesn't that make you more eager to watch it?

It is stated in the very beginning that the movie is a fictional dramatization inspired by true events and that's exactly what it is.

The story is taking place during the japanese occupation of Korea, when an idealist believes that it is vital for a Korean bicyclist to win in the races that take place in the capital. The reason? The morale of the Korean people should be raised to strengthen the cause of the resistance.

It is a -mostly- fictional film based on the barely known life of famed cyclist Um Bok Dong that raced against the Japanese.

Now is this a great movie? Not really. But is it extremely entertaining? Hell, yes!

This movie has everything that you will find in similar films. Fighting against the extremely evil Japanese (and the equally evil Koreans that have chosen to work for the enemy), having a hero that is a bit pure -that's how they like to call him- (or if we are being real a bit dumb with a big heart) and of course watching some things that are hard to believe and impossible to happen.

I won't lie. It looks very cheap at times with some awful CGI and some questionable acting performances. The plot is as simplistic as it could get and it definitely doesn't look like a 2019 film. However, it is so damn entertaining and it achieves its goal which is to make your heart feel for the Korean people and everything they went through.

It has some nice comedic elements and some heart racing parts and generally, if it was not evident from what I said before, it is an extremely easy and fun watch -with a pretty well edited trailer that makes you want to give it a chance even more-.

Should you expect something great? Not even close. Is it an amusing watch that is better than just staring at the wall after a difficult day at work? Absolutely!

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It was really hard rating this drama. It was highly anticipated as a Netflix original Korean series and after watching the trailer I could see that the budget was high. To tell the truth I wanted this series to be a hit. Why? I wanted people who don't give a chance to series from countries like China and Korea to know what they are missing.

I read multiple comments saying that the series had more politics than it should have and I completely understand their point of view, but I also disagree. I think that the drama didn't want to be just a source of entertainment. In my opinion the writers wanted us to see that even in a life-or-death situation, the politicians - no matter being in the Joseon era or in today's society - will only think about their own personal gain. But if there are no people to ''obey'' does having power really matter? It was great to think who are the real monsters and see in what extremes can people go to survive. I loved the fact that it showed the corruption among the people in the palace and the courage of every day individuals.

What made this different from all the dystopian films and series was the fact that it didn't only have dramatic scenes but it also had comedic elements. The cinematography was great, so was the music. The only minor problem for me was the acting. Don't get me wrong it wasn't even near to being bad, but I expected more from such well known actors - also more screen time for Bae Doona-.

All in all, it is definitely worth watching and I would recommend it to non Kdrama watchers for sure.

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The American Dream but not really...

A decent chinese movie about family connections of two siblings from different mothers that takes place in the US.

The movie portrayed the multicultural identity of the States and the majority of the actors did a decent job, despite the fact that the sctipt was mainly in English, which wasn't their native language.

The character of the female lead was very well written and realistic, something that was also true for her little brother that acted exactly like kids do (annoying me at times).

The story had some emotional moments and touching elements and it did try to be realistic, however many times it failed, with things happening out of nowhere and people acting in a quite improbable way. Even the main reason why the little kid went to the US felt a bit far-fetched. Lastly, at times, it was like the movie was glamorizing -at least to a certain extent- the life in the States.

All in all, it is a decent film that is very easy to watch and it does have its moments.

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A D(isappointing) A(bsurd) R(idiculous) K(lutzy) film

I was planning to watch this movie for a while, mostly because I heard many people saying that it is very dark and twisted - and I like my movies as dark as my soul-, but besides being dark and twisted it was also a disappointment.

In terms of directing and cinematography, the movie has nothing to offer, besides some nice shots (that were no more than four). The lighting is very bad and the general atmosphere of the movie is pretty bland, not managing to achieve the dark atmosphere that it should have.

The production quality seems to be relatively low. Even though it does have some scenes that could look better, it generally didn't bother me.

Acting is good enough, but there is also your typical -bad- overacting here and there, mostly by Matsuzaka Tori.

And now, the plot...
It is so badly written, I wanted to cry at some point. Even though it did have a decent beginning, everything went downhill after that. There are way too many stuff that are making no sense and are over the top for the sake of being over the top. Even the disturbing scenes were not that disturbing, mainly because the characters were so bland that you would feel nothing about them, even if they died. Lastly, the movie had some tropes that reminded me more of a korean makjang than a mystery/psychological film.

All in all, the movie has a good concept that no one really cared to develop in a logical way -I am calling that lazy writing- and as a result it ends up being nonsensical with some badly written characters and some scenes that are there just for the shake of shock.

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Have you ever finished a series and you just felt like you won't find anything similar; that a particular drama has a special place in your heart? Well that is how I felt like, after finishing Tumbling.

I will start with my major complain saying that this series deserves much more viewers than it actually has. This is my plea to all of you to give this Japanese series a try.

Anyway, I don't know how to put my feelings into words with this Jdrama but I will give it a try, so bare with me.


Tumbling was about finding your dream in an unexpected situation. It was about chasing what you love no matter the sacrifices, because in the end you just found something that is worthy to fight for. Tumbling was about people with the same goal; individuals so different that found something to lean on. It was about working together. It was about the sadness that accompanies failure and the happiness when you finally succeed in what you love. It was about giving your best not just for you, but for others. Tumbling was about throwing away your selfishness and fighting for your team.


If I could describe Tumbling with just one word I would use 'friendship'. The series focuses on every character and it gives us a satisfying background about everyone. There is no hero as every single character has its flaws and that is why this series is special to me. Tumbling teaches you that you alone can't achieve everything and an individual doesn't just have to, but needs people who will be there in the happy moments and in any difficult situation. Moreover, judging people just from the way they act or look is something that has been told many times through series and movies, but tumbling does it in a different way. I loved how every character had its weak and strong points and that fights and disappointment sometimes can't be avoided in a friendship. Tumbling shows that friendship is about mutual support, that your friends also have feelings on their own that may be even more complicated that yours. Lastly, I was attached to every single character and I felt like I was fighting with them, I laughed and I cried with them. Maybe it was over the top at times, but it was also as humane as it could be.

Tumbling is not perfect, it definitely has its flaws, but it doesn't matter, because in the end it has so many things to offer.

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I don't get the hate (or maybe I do)

Well, I obviously can't defend this series cause objectively it is not a quality drama.

Production quality is very good, concept is interesting, acting definitely not oscar worthy but watchable and the plot well let's say it lacks in many aspects.
Why? Some of the characters tend to change personalities once in a while, some plot points make less sense than my math class and of course we also have a new "upgraded" level of "westernization".

Does this make it bad though? No, in my opinion no.

Now, when I watched the trailer -even though I didn't expect that much romance- I knew this was going to be mostly a messy, makjangish teen drama. And did I get it right? Yes.

And that's exactly the mentality I had when I started watching it. Like use 0 braincells, watch some pretty people doing questionable things and have fun. And I did have my fun, which is the main reason for the high rating.

Like at times this could get so ridiculous and it felt that even the scriptwriter wasn't sure what direction to take. Kudos though for having as an important plot point something that I don't think I have ever seen in a high budget Kdrama recently -or at all-.

Conclusion? I get why many hate it, I can myself point out many things that are very wrong with it, but I also don't get why this gets so much hate.

It is definitely not the worst Kdrama out there (with some popular ones being much worse than this at least in terms of entertainment) and it was a short fun watch. So no, it doesn't deserve such a low rating here on MDL in my opinion and yes you should give it a try if you are thinking of watching it, cause why not? Not everyone has the same taste, we all enjoy different things, so maybe this is your cup of tea.

P.S. Music slaps

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