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Took a bit too long to get to the heart of the story, once there, very interesting
I truly liked the idea behind this movie. The fantasy twist was very interesting however, it took way too long to get up to it. I totally understand why it had to be done this way but half of the movie felt relatively sluggish to me. Past the 45 minutes mark, I was invested in the storytelling and deep into the sorrowfulness of the romance. I really liked the bittersweetness of the plot but I would have liked to see an epilogue of what the characters become and the impact their relationship had on their life.Regarding the acting, it was satisfying but given the scenario, I was expecting to be more gut-wrenched by the performances of the main cast. I think they played it relatively safe and pretty but it could have been better. I'm curious to see both main actor and actress in something else to see what they else they can do.
The filmmaking was good at explaining the tricky concept and providing enough explanation to the viewer to immediately grasp the stakes of the relationship and the consequences for the characters. The music was fitting but not something I will likely remember.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a romance with an interesting twist. Pacing is probably my biggest issue with the film as well as wanting a bit more of the acting as well as for the script that could have dived deeper into the impact of the fantastical element on the characters.
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Despite obvious budget and format constraints, enjoyed it quite a bit !
A very short 1 hour movie (or 2 episodes drama) about the relationship of two highschoolers : bully Ko Tae Seop and newcomer Park Jin Woo. More than really about romance, the story is focus on showcasing the discrimination faced in an all boys school by students suspected of being gays and the bullying inflicted by their peers on them.Despite the lack of time to get very deep into it, I appreciate this attempt at societal criticism on this important topic of discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community. However, it is a bit of a shame that this is also done to the detriment of the romance. There are some interesting master-servant elements that are approached in the relationship but there as well, it remained at surface level of what it could have been. I still enjoyed truly the story overall as it was quite gripping.
Regarding the acting, it was a bit green for some parts, and a bit unbalanced in terms of acting level for the various roles. I particularly enjoyed the cameo of Hong Seok Cheon. I found Lee Ui Seop to be very good for a rookie but I was less convinced by Holland for some aspects of his role. He did not feel menacing enough as a bully and the transition to a more subservient part did not totally work as well. There were obvious budget limitation here. Limited decors with just a couple of sets to film in, minimalism was clearly the key word of the production. The soundtrack was also not bad but not memorable at all.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a short BL with an indie feel and some elements of master-servant relationship. It approaches heavy topics such as bullying and discrimination which I found interesting but lacked a lot of time and budget to make it really good. It remained as well quite surface level on the societal criticism it was attempting to propose. Still, given the after-credit scene, I'm wondering if a sequel is planned. If that is the case, I will watch it for sure because it was quite entertaining and I see room for further development.
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2024 Idol Star Athletics Championships Chuseok Special
1 people found this review helpful
A staple in terms of idol shows : give it a go if you know the artists, otherwise less interesting
The Idol Star Athletics Championships (often shortened as ISAC) is a sport competition between idols divided in teams. The teams can be done based solely on members of the same group, but sometimes teams are mixed across groups and even across genders. The program is a regular staple of idol show entertainment, which occurs usually once a year since 2010 (except in 2021 and 2023). In 2024, it was back and broadcasted as part as a special tv show of 3 episodes during Chuseok.I saw a lot of legendary clips on YouTube of the best moments of the previous ISAC and even watched part of episodes featuring the groups that I love. This year, I wanted to watch the full program which featured quite a bit of the most recent groups that I follow : BOYNEXTDOOR, &TEAM, TWS and ZEROBASEONE. There were many more groups of course but those are the ones I was the most excited to watch. In terms of casting, there was a good mix I feel of groups, a lot of popular rookies but not the most established and famous idols groups (which participated to previous years when they were themselves more rookies).
In terms of sports, there are various events. The 2024 edition features 60 m, 400 m relay, archery, futsal, dancesport and breakdancing. It is definitely the archery and relay events that I found the most interesting, probably also because a lot of the members of groups I follow participated in those. Some of the breakdancing performance were very exciting as well to follow. I must admit though that some events were a bit boring for me, especially when I did not know the participants. It is much more easy to be energized when you are watching idols you support. Some performed better than others, but it was all done in good spirit and overall very fun to follow. I loved to see the groups I follow interacting with each other and encouraging each other as well.
I would recommend this to people that are fan from groups participating to the event. I think if you don't know anybody, it might not be very interesting. Actually, I think I might even rewatch some of the events in which artists I like participated, but other than that I don't think I will ever rewatch the full broadcast again. There are indeed some parts that are less interesting, and the commentators discussion are quite boring overall. Fancams done by the fans might even be better at providing a view on the various interactions and what happened on the day.
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Not better than the original but swoony, fluffy and charming in its own way. Worth a watch.
Full disclosure, I have seen and loved the original Chinese series "Go Ahead" from which Family By Choice is an adaptation. Therefore my review and appreciation of this version of the story, is bound to be influenced by my feelings on the original drama. Overall, even if I prefer the original series, I truly enjoy this version of this found family tale. There are even things I think the South Korean version accomplished in a neater way. Not better, but like if you would put a pretty bow on things while the Chinese drama had a less fluffy vibe, much grittier, less rom-com, more slice-of-life. I appreciate they took another approach but I cannot say that I found it better. Just different.The South Korean series hits properly most of the beats of the original story, with some changes on storylines as well as quicker pace (which is unavoidable given that the South Korean version is made of 16 episodes of 1 hour while the Chinese version is made of 40 episodes of 45 minutes). There are some iconic elements of the original story that are missing which I found a bit of a shame but I appreciated some of the cuts they took on some of the side stories / characters. The main flaw of the story resides in its pacing : some traumatic events lived through by the characters felt too quick with the story moving on expeditiously and handling a bit too easily redemptions...Despite those flaws (which I must admit are linked to me comparing both occurrences of the story), the overall plot is still very good and I truly enjoyed the romance as well as the family arc. The trio of main characters are really likeable and form a trio that I loved throughout the full show. I will miss them for sure.
The casting was very good. I adore Hwang In Youp and I found him excellent here. He gave me butterflies in my stomach. His character felt to me like the heart of the story, even more than the heroine. She is of course key to the story and Jung Chae Yeon is super luminous in portraying her. It was my first time seeing her in a series and I will need to see her in a different role to which I'm less attached to form a clearer opinion on her acting. I was also happy to (re-)discovered Bae Hyeon Seong thanks to this drama. He did not leave me with a lasting memory from his support role in Hospital Playlist but here, he made a strong impression on me. The filial bond between him and his adoptive father is one of the best part of the series. Both actors playing fathers (Choi Won Young and Choi Moo Sung), as well as the child actress Oh Eun Seo are worth a shout out as they were amazing in those support roles.
The production value is really good. There are so many scenes that are mesmerizing, decors with flowers, pastel and bright colors participating in creating dreamy and romantic pictures. The soundtrack is really beautiful as well. There are a couple of songs that I will for sure keep listening to.
I would recommend this to people that love romantic story and found-family trope. If you enjoy protective, caring and ambiguous "big brother" character, you are in for a treat. The story is not without flaws and it pales a bit the comparison to the original drama...Still, it is worth watching if you enjoy rom-com with swoony moments, supported by a charming cast and solid production value.
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I wanted to like it but unfortunately, it is a miss for me...
I like the premise of the series: a revenge storyline with a travel back to time to make things better is a set up I find particularly enjoyable. Overall, it is the revenge part of the drama that I liked the most, with all the manipulation of the villains. However, the romance could have been better.I also feel that the pace was not good. There were too much storylines that I did not care at all about. It could have been much tighter with less episodes. I would have liked less office-heavy storylines. The ending felt dragging with a lot of repetition. I know that the script is doing a mirror between some situations and put in parallel past events, but I would have preferred the story to really be more tight. There were some entertaining moments when the heroine is super badass but it is in between a lot of filler, even more so towards the end.
I have mixed feelings regarding the cast performance. I think Lee Yi Kyung and Song Ha Yoon had the best performances in the drama but their characters were also the most interesting (and with potentially as much screen time than the main leads). Sadly, I never got onboard on the main romance. I found Nam In Woo a bit too stern and bland in the role, lacking emotions...He has some swoony lines but I did not feel it. Not sure if it is the script, a directing choice, or simply the acting. I usually like Park Min Young and here she had some badass and emotional moments, but on the chemistry side for the romance, it also felt lacking. Other than them, the support cast did an okay job but no side characters felt really interesting to me.
Regarding production, I did find it pretty standard for nowadays South Korean dramas. I did not find any scenes particularly striking and the OST is for me forgettable as well. I also must acknowledge an obvious challenge in the directing / filming of the interactions between the leads. Na In Woo and Park Min Young huge height difference, which I found cute, did prevent sometimes camera work to film them on the same frame (and when it was the case, I felt it was a bit strange at point).
I would not recommend this to people as at the end it took me so much time to complete it because of the draggy pacing. There are for sure some elements of the story I found exciting regarding the overall revenge plot but the romance did not really work for me unfortunately. I'm left to ponder if I would have enjoyed more the series if it had been shorter (and therefore with less repetition on the storylines and the office/corporation hijinks).
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A new form of delightful torture when you are watching it hungry
I'm in overall very satisfied by this new competition cooking show launched by Netflix. It is a bit reminiscent as some of their other survival shows (such as Physical 100 with one hundred contestants competing). Here, it is similar principle: 100 individuals (mostly all skilled-professionals active in restauration field / highly respected chefs and so on..) are competing with each other through various cooking challenges.The food is really appetizing, the candidates have pretty varied skills and cooking styles and there are enough variety in the challenges they do to not bore the viewers. In addition to having a good cast, the editing style of Netflix as well as the way they often finish their episodes on a cliffhanger make it an highly bingeable TV show. The pacing of the competition is really nice and tight with the format being a breath of fresh air from the usual cooking shows.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a refreshing take on competition / survival cooking show. The food is simply mouthwatering so be careful to have some food at home when you watch it (or be prepared to be delightfully tortured). I hope they make a season 2 with hopefully some new ideas to keep the concept interesting without repetition.
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Brief and intense, sadly poetic and in memory of Yook Woo Dang
This short film (only 12 minutes !) manages to do so much in so little time. The cinematography was on point with many metaphors and vivid pictures. The way the water and the lipstick are central to the storytelling, as well as the sad tale of the turtle... I find it quite beautiful and poetic.I did not know who was Yook Woo Dang (Yun Hyon-seok :1984-2003) (to which this movie is dedicated) and I did some research afterwards to understand who he was. That brought an additional layer to my understanding of the movie, and that's definitely a plus as a viewer.
I would recommend this to people looking for an impactful and beautifully gut-wrenching short film. It is very worth 12 minutes of your time. If you have any trigger, be mindful of the tags as it is a pretty sad and brutal story approaching very sensible topics in a mindful and purposeful way.
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8 minutes short film to bring awareness on discrimination faced by LGBTQIA+ people
This short movie of 8 minutes packs such a punch. It brought to light many issues still faced today by LGBTQIA+ people, especially here through the angle of trans as well as non-binary people. It is pretty impactful and allows to further the reflection on the topic through the lens of the main character as it showcases vignettes / short stories that happened to them.It is clearly too short to make a lot of sense in terms of scenario / continuity but it is efficiently showcasing the discrimination faced by the main character as well as the internal turmoil they live through despite their family support. The filmmaking was good with some very symbolic and purposeful images all throughout the short movie. I felt that acting could have been better for some of the scenes but not enough to undermine the story.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a short movie with a point of view. It is a project run by the Thai Transgender Human Rights Foundation aiming to foster awareness on various issues still faced today by people belonging to LGBTQIA+ community. I feel they managed to reach their objective in only 8 minutes which is an achievement in itself.
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Artsy and sincere story
I enjoyed that short film intertwined with the song RERUN of PP Krit. It is about the evolution of the relationship between two guys Kit (played by PP Krit) and Chou (played by Nine Naphat). It is very sincere and simple but with an artsy touch that I appreciated. The filmmaking does an excellent job in showcasing how they fell in love as well as the set back they may have faced.The acting is good overall. PP Krit is once again demonstrating how captivating he is when emoting. Nine Naphat does a good job as his counterpart. He is not too bland and unassuming at the side of PP Krit, which is already an achievement as he could have been easily eclipsed by the star power of PP Krit.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a short movie with some artsy and indie vibe. If you are a fan of PP Krit, this is a must watch (coupled as well with the MV of the song itself). The scenario is not revolutionnary in itself and I wish they went deeper on some elements but it is enough in conveying emotions.
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Dark and murky story, wish it would have been more fleshed out
This very short movie is about the encounter of a vampire and a dead drowned girl as she is brought back at the morgue where he lives. I enjoyed their interactions, the way the scenario interlocks their fates. I wish tough the story would have been a bit more fleshed out as we learn enough to understand the main characters but not enough to really be moved by their horrendous destiny as it goes very quick on it. The side characters seems also to be there just for the sake of explaining things.The acting was good: Ji Sung and Park So Dam exude together sexy (and morbid) chemistry. They carry very well the movie, making this a tragic and wicked tale rather than what could have been otherwise very campy and comedic if not properly acted. The filmmaking was good: the special effect was well done but could have been a bit uglier and dirtier. It seems a bit too clean but I can understand that esthetic choice.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for an horrific short movie. It is in the realm of horrow but not frightening. It provides an interesting point of view on the vampire myth as well.
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Raw, brutal, horrific and proof that beauty can be found in the darkest place
This drama is far from your regular BL and will take you on a brutal journey as the characters are evolving in the darkest side of the night life of Shinjuku. The story is very heavy and gritty in addition to be totally immersive: once you start, it is both very complicated to continue because of the violence but at the same time as difficult to stop watching. There are a lot of exploration in the psyche of the characters and I was deeply invested in the storytelling. It was in overall well paced, I only wish there had been a bit more time to wrap up the ending.The acting was overall very good: I found it pretty balanced between the two male leads and there were no obvious weak link among the cast. Maybe the way that some of the heavier material was played could have been improved but I found it was mostly a convincing emotional portraying.
There is an inherent indie feeling to the production that I enjoyed a lot. The various locations were very interesting and well-filmed: wether it is the Shinjuku night life as well as the other places the characters are going to. I enjoyed as well the opening song, very fitting for the series.
I would recommend this drama to people that are looking for a dark story. Be mindful of the triggers, there are a lot of abuse, violence. It is a super impactful story, not necessarily that rewatchable to me because of how gut-wrenching it is. You need to be strong to go through the horror but at the same time the moments of beauty and love that can be found are worth the brutal journey.
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Strangely paced "Pirates of the Caribbean meets Robin Hood" story - underwhelming
Unfortunately, I found this movie a bit underwhelming. I'm surprised because what's not to like about a 'Pirates of the Caribbean meets Robin Hood" film? Sadly enough, it takes almost half of the story to really have the pace picking up. The interactions between the two main characters were the best part of the scenario, but it fell too little too late. I truly enjoyed the last part for the action but at the same time, I felt the moral of the story and the resolution were very weak.The acting was satisfying, with good chemistry and a strong ensemble cast. The action scenes were convincing and pretty varied. The music was not outstanding but suitable for an action movie, hyping the thrilling moments at the proper time.
I would recommend this movie despite its flaws because I think it might be a case of "it's not you; it's me". If you enjoy adventure movie, you might want to give it a shot for yourself. I did not find it that entertaining because of the pacing issue but I'm not regretting watching it. I will also be curious to have a look at the sequel. I was disappointed by the resolution and ending but I truly appreciated the acting as well as the action scenes.
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Too short but still worth it for the interesting context and the cast
Disclaimer, this review only relates to the 29 minutes short film, not to the additional bonus making of / behind-the-scene which lacked subtitles.In a nutshell, I found the premise very interesting and quite subversive (especially given the fact it was released in 2009) as it features the romantic relationship between two guys separated while one is doing his mandatory military service. In a very short time, I found the movie made some very compelling points, with scenes showcasing how somewhat taboo their relationship is seen by Korean society. Unfortunately, the film is too short to really get to the bottom of the conflict and remain relatively superficial on the turmoil faced by the characters.
The acting was good and it is quite pleasant to watch some familiar actors that I had seen in other works, here at the very beginning of their career, in an indie movie. The production value is quite limited, you feel the budget constraint. Even though it felt very strange because of the shift of tone, I enjoyed the opening and ending generic. It was quite fun to watch with some joyful folk music that I appreciated.
I would recommend this movie to people looking for an indie BL short movie. It approaches love between men within the mandatory military context in Korea, which is not a very common topic. It felt unfortunately a bit short in terms of storyline and what it is trying to say, mainly because of its short length format. Still, given its short duration, it is worth giving it a shot, especially if you want to see performances of Yeon Woo Jin and Lee Je Hoon at the beginning of their career.
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Enjoyed the high school friendship part, not fully convinced by the romance and its evolution
The premise of the story with the misunderstanding and triangular/rectangular relationship is very interesting. It reminded me of some Shojo mangas I read as there are a lot of classical storylines: the class school play, the class building activities...A lot of fun high school moments that I enjoyed to see here. It is not that innovative but it is very fluffy and sweet to follow. Unfortunately, I started to progressively be disinterested after the 1st half of the drama as the story stagnated. I felt there was a bit too much of repetition in the main relationship with not a lot of progress nor evolution in the second part of the series. Comparatively, I felt that the narrative arc of the secondary couple was stronger and had a better flow in terms of development.Overall the acting was quite good in the more comedic moments, when the story does not take itself too seriously. When the tone was more serious, I had some trouble believing in what was happening on screen. I liked the two main leads but I felt there were better conveying friendship than romantic sparks.
The soundtrack was really nice with some pop songs enjoyable and fitting the high school romance thematic. The production was satisfying, in line with standard from the genre.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a Japanese BL high school series. The scenario is very reminiscent of classical high school Shojo manga storylines, so if you are familiar with and enjoy those, this drama will likely be a comfort and comfy watch for you as it was for me. Even though I have some nitpicking regarding the pace of the romance and its evolution, I still enjoyed the watch.
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Seventeen casted away on an island and goofing around while trying to survive! So fun!
Seventeen's One Fine Day is an amazing reality show that features the boys being cast-away on an island where they need to demonstrate quite a bit of survival skills to feed for themselves. It is a super fun program released beginning 2016 (after their Mansae release and before their Pretty U comeback). They are clearly such a bunch of great kids, goofing around and trying their best together to figure out how to navigate the reality show rules. They are already so skilled at providing various and hilarious content.I already knew the group, the members, the music and watched quite a bit of some of their other programs but this provide a great throwback and an opportunity to observe their dynamics at the beginning of their career. Hoshi mastering fire and Mingyu aka survival housewife were the highlights of the show...But there are so many great moments featuring all the members that it is difficult to list them...Let's say that I think any producer would be happy to have Seventeen part of their show.
I would recommend this to people that love Seventeen. If you are a fan of the group, I feel this is a must-see as it showcases so well their group dynamics as well as their resilience. I was super impressed by how they manage to make lemonade from quite sour lemons...It is some bright and inspirational content for sure...And it is Seventeen...So it is just super fun and will brighten your mood without a doubt.
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