PrettyCarEye

You're welcome! :)
I can't stand the silly, juvenile dramas with all the fake kissing that seem to populate dramaland. I try my best to avoid them at all cost. Everything I rec'ed you caters more to an adult audience and the romantic relationships have a natural progression. No dancing or dilly dallying around the characters' sexuality.

Anyway, I forgot to add MARS to the rec list. This is the best Taiwanese drama I've watched to date. It's a light melodrama & unlike other T-dramas MARS attempts to tell a solid story. I loved the romance in this because it felt authentic. The leads had really GREAT chemistry, not a hint of awkwardness between them at all. It's a drama about healing, learning to open one's self to love and moving forward. Good drama. Check it out! :)

Hehehe, nice try. But I'm still not going to watch this. Not my genre & accidental kisses??? Hell to the nah! :) Moreover, (I hope I don't get stoned) Ella is rather unattractive. I'm watching her in Down with Love and although her character is so crazy even I'm falling for her ... I like better looking leads! Sorry that I'm one shallow a$$ noona, I'm just tryin' to keep it real! :p

Here are some good romances that I'd recommend:

Lovers - crime/romance
Time between Dog & Wolf - crime/romance
Orange Days - romantic drama
Aishiteru to Ikketure - romantic drama - ending's a bit weird, but I still recommend it wholeheartedly.
Pride - sports/romance
Buzzer Beat - sports/romance
Que Sera Sera - romance/drama/makjang - features a love square & it's a roller coaster ride, usually NOT the type of drama I'd watch, but this was quite good. And Eric Munn, pure unadulterated eye candy! ;)
City Hall - romantic comedy - very mature & sensual, I don't watch rom-coms written by anyone other than this writer, Kim Eun Sook. She also wrote AGD, Lovers, Heirs - although I hear Heirs is a disaster. I'll have to see it to believe it! I've never watched a drama from her that I didn't enjoy! :)

Other dramas where there's little or no romance:

Cruel City - crime - romance was featured in one ep only. They could have & should have left it out.

Golden Empire - business/drama, a very compelling series with some of THE best acting you'll see anywhere & a strong message pertaining to the love of money. There's some hint of romance, but it isn't explored. You won't miss it though because the story is otherwise quite riveting.

As for noona/dongsæng dramas, this is not a theme I enjoy so I don't have any recs for you. The ones I know of are already on your list. Only other one I can think of is Ojakgyo Brothers - 1/4 of the story features a younger man/older woman relationship. But I don't know if you're interested in long dramas. In general you shouldn't have a problem finding dramas with this theme, however, as it seems to be in fashion in Asian dramaland at the moment.

If you get around to watching any of these, hope they'll be to your taste! :)

For someone who doesn't like romance, you watch a lot of romance! :)
That's not a criticism. It's great! I see you've watched a few of the good ones and you have so many more to look forward to! :)
There are some good fusion romances too.

Sleepy, yeah, seems like ages though it isn't! lol
Did you have a nice birthday? Aigooo, I have a bday coming up too. I'm not really looking forward to it! hehehe
Anyway, I've been alright. A little overwhelmed with certain things going on in my life, but I pray that I'll live! I came across Sealed with a Kiss the other day. I thought about adding it but decided not to because I don't do intense love triangles. I can barely tolerate the milder ones, but I've accepted them as a necessary evil of Asian dramaland. I saw you gave the drama a solid 10, though, so I guess it completely blew you away! Good for you! It's always a great feeling to come across a drama you just totally love. I haven't experienced that in a long time. Not since Lovers in fact. What are you watching now then, if anything? Haven't been watching much drama myself, mostly just a couple of movies.

I'm not looking for worldwide fame, or even fortune, either. I just want to be able to live full time (meaning no supplementary side gigs) off my filmmaking pursuits, whether it's as a producer, writer/director or both. That's my goal & my dream. Another dream of mine is to have the freedom to travel to wherever I want, mostly whenever I want & stay in that place as long as I want. I also want to build my mom her dream farm & have her live happily on it for the rest of her days. Those are my immediate goals and dreams.

My life's goal & dream is to become independently well off so that I don't have to depend on a man or anyone else for that matter. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to do it. One day, before I die, I hope I find the answer! :)

Closer to Heaven ... method acting has it's pros & cons, but generally I love this technique! This was the main system I studied in acting school, though other systems (Meisner & Stella Adler) were also taught. One of the pros of method acting is the dedication it inspires in actors & a definite con is that it's too internally focused.

An actor has to play for the camera rather than just be a stone block of restrained emotion. Keeping emotions locked in does not look good on camera because it doesn't engage an audience. I never came to appreciate this until I started directing my own shorts. I didn't believe my directing professor who had informed us of the same because I saw method acting, which is grounded in Stanislavski theory, as a better, more organic alternative to the theatrical acting of Chekhov's ilk.

Anyway, back to the movie I'm not surprised the actor went to such extremes. It certainly showed in the movie. As for Ha I didn't mind her here at all. It might seem contradictory given what I wrote above about a con of method acting, but I liked that her emotions weren't so unbridled as they usually are. She moved away from her usual exaggeration of her voice, her body language & movements. In other roles I've seen her in she always comes across as too intense ... and not intense in a way that makes you sit forward in your seat, but in a way that irritates & grates. That's why I grew to dislike her. Anyway, that's just my opinion! :)

I wasn't able to complete Captain America. I watched it to the halfway mark, took a break & never went back to it. Have no desire to either. I'm sick of superhero movies. They're mostly an insult to cinema. The stories are mostly useless, the actors too; there's usually no artistry to the filmmaking process - I admit Nolan's Batman series in the last years might be the only exception. But otherwise, I want stories that tickle my mind & inspire my own journey as a filmmaker. But I get it, money talks. And these pictures DO make money. Boatloads of it.

As for Idris Elba, I've long had a love affair with that man, ever since I saw him in One Love way back in 2003. Being part Jamaican I was pretty impressed that he managed to pull off an almost flawless Jamaican accent in that movie. And the even funnier thing is that I worked as a production assistant on One Love, but never met him because we worked on different days.

Anyway, my love for him started there even though it was mainly based off of his looks (and his swag! :) rather than his acting! haha In The Wire, though, his acting ability caught my attention. Springer Bell has got to be one of the most iconic gangsters ever to be on TV. But in fact most of his better performances were delivered in lesser known pictures such as The Human Contract & Legacy. Luther is by far his best know work to date & certainly deservedly so. He's brilliant in the role. I saw a prescreening of his latest flick, Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom & he is phenomenal! He'd deserve an Oscar, or at least a nom, but I doubt he will get either since the token nomination is already going to Chewitel Eijofor for 12 Years a Slave. That's the prediction anyway.

Hi Betts! Yup, it's been long since we chatted one to one! Always a pleasure to hear from you, chingu! :) Lately it's been tough on me ... busy with work so falling behind on my drama watching.

I didn't know you were in a slump! I see you posting updates on the feeds all the time so I thought you were on a roll. I do believe when you watch too many dramas back to back you get burned out. Most dramas are repetitive (same story more or less, but different actors) and rarely are they ever mentally stimulating. At least that's how it is for me. So I only watch 1 drama at a time & when I'm done with that I take a little break b4 watching the next. This keeps my interest fresh & my mind slump free. This method works for me. I hope you find a method that works for you soon. Slumps really suck.

As for Ugly Alert, yes I'll finish it, but not because I'm loving it! lol. It's okay in some parts, but mostly ridiculous overall. The male lead is a nice guy (which is good for a change), but he suffers from a really weird personality disorder which makes him feel compelled to take the blame for literally EVERY bad thing his siblings do while suppressing his own reasonable wants & desires. I mean, even mother Theresa wasn't that selfless. It gets better from about ep 90 or so, but still, his senseless attitude gets on my nerves. And the meddling mothers and mothers-in-law ... ugh. I can't be bother with that nonsense anymore! You know what would have been interesting? If one of these horrible mothers actually LIKED the person their children brought home. Now that's a drama I'd love to see! Anyway, I'm just waiting for the last 5 eps to air & get subbed then I'm done with this series once & for all. After that if I watch another 100+ episode drama, my name isn't Shelley!

I saw Sleepless Night recently when I worked the local festival circuit and I loved it! Not because it was cinematically spectacular in any way, but because it was so refreshing to see a married couple in a Korean movie that actually LIKED each other! lol I get soooo tired of all the lying, cheating husbands and the bitter, hateful housewives. Sure, this couple might end up there as well (seems to be what the director was saying in the end), but I was happy to not be privy to a relationship in decline for most of the show.

Good to hear that Thank You isn't too melo. Still, I know one of the leads is terminally ill so I'm bracing myself for an onslaught of angsty emotion ...
Haha, good luck with Thorn Flower. I checked it out and I know I'll never watch it! Not just because it's melo, but because I've had really bad experiences with Korean soaps. They draaaag. At least 80 eps of a 100+ drama is spent rehashing the same nonsensical drama (usually screeching Korean mothers opposing their children's partners) over and over and over again. I'll stick to their TV series.

Det virker interessant, men det var jammen en stor age gap!
Forresten hvordan klarer du å se ting på viki? Jeg får alltid 'tjenesten er ikke tilgjengelig i din region' når jeg prøver å se på noe der.

Hehe, I thought we were already friends! Aigooo... :)

Aigooo ... profilen din har blitt så laaaaaaaang! he he he

By the way I see you've recently completed Lovers in Paris. How was that? I've heard many murmurings about the ending not being the best so I've decided to pass on that one. I have, however, added Lovers in Prague to the list.

I avoid most romantic comedies for the same reasons, esp Taiwanese ones, but ironically I'm watching one now, Down with Love. It's so remarkably bad that it's making me laugh out loud in spite of myself. LOL!

I think KES may be the exception to my no 'rom-com' rule. You're already a fan of Secret Garden, so are many other people. City Hall is also a fantastic drama. Not cheesy in any way.

As for Heirs I really feel like I have to watch this for myself and make my own judgment because I can't bring myself to believe she'd write something this bad. On the other hand so many people can't be wrong.

Anyway, what are you watching now? There's a melodrama I'm planning to watch soon. It's called Thank You. It's been highly recommended by a good friend who isn't necessarily a huge melo fan, but she quite liked it so that made me think I might like it too. Have you seen it and if so any thoughts on it?

The thing with Chris Evans is that I think he may have the talent, but his role choices are curious. Lately he seems more focused on wearing superhero suits rather than taking on roles that truly make him shine. In this regard I love how Christian Bale & another of my fav, Idris Elba, has managed to balance their careers between solid indie & commercial fare. It's also why I'm liking the grittier path Shia Le Beouf has embarked upon.

On one level I get it, though, superhero movies are rotund cash cows and pretty much guarantees instant fame and influence for the actor leading the successful franchise.

I saw Fish Tank, but I prefer in him Hunger & Shame, esp Hunger. I also didn't mind him in Prometheus, though I hope he too doesn't became a slave to the superhero machine.

I haven't seen The Fall in it's entirety for while the cinematography is indeed breathtaking I found the story lacking. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I fell asleep in the middle of it and never got around to viewing it again. This is perhaps the only picture with Pace I've seen.

What made you not like Closer to Heaven as much as you wanted to? Was it something to do with Ha or the story or both? So he's Kim Myung Min! Right. I think that's the only thing I've seen him in. Yes, I really liked his performance here.

'Most kids in their 20s really know what they're doing.'

This should be:

Most kids in their 20s really DON'T know what they're doing ...

I think we women are great at doubting our abilities. I also think that while we (that’s you & me) realize the error of our youthful ways now, we're not that much different from everyone else. Most kids in their 20s really know what they're doing. Believe me, not even Mark Zuckerberg who is already a billionaire & set for life. I'm sure when he too gets to his 30s he'll think back & have some regrets over things he wished he'd done differently.

Have a look at this article. Ahjussi sent it to me one day. It's from a men's website, but is applicable to everyone regardless of gender.

www.knowledgeformen.com/10-reasons-why-no-one-knows-what-theyre-doing-in-their-20s/

Although when you pass 30 you gain a new perspective, we're still young. We're simply wiser to the fact that we need to use our time better. We can still try and pursue whatever it is that truly make us happy, whether that’s motherhood or career or both.

I know in America, our government and our culture don’t make it easy on parents, especially mothers. You seem to have what appears to be a secure job with the postal service, though, so you can still pursue your drawing & have financial security. And when the kids come along hopefully your circumstances allow you to continue pursuing the things that brings you personal joy. And let me just say ... the arts entertain/can stimulate the mind, but technical knowledge makes the world function. I wish I had a more practical calling in this regard. Like I wish I had the knowledge, skill and interest to be a mechanic like you or an engineer like Ahjussi. I love the arts, but I wish I didn't. Does that makes sense? Girl of contradiction! lol

You’re right, though, being a mother is not a priority. I don’t know if it ever will be. I like kids and sometimes I envision myself being a mother yelling at my brood, but in general I feel inadequate and lack the confidence to be solely responsible for another human being. And it’s not entirely for selfish reasons. Another thing is I don’t want to be a middle - aged mother with kids who are really young so I can’t see myself having a child at 40 or older. More power to the women who choose this path, but it doesn’t seem like the right one for me. If I’m blessed with life beyond 35 and there are still no children it’ll probably stay that way. I also know if I live to see old age having never had children I most likely I regret it. It's a regret I’m bracing myself to have already at this point.

'I think my whole life I have been very naive of the world in the sense that I was always thinking "there is time" and "there is time" became my nightmare.'

Another thing we have in common! I could've gotten a lot farther in my career had I used my 20s more wisely. I did a lot of fun stuff like travelling, trying different vocations, adventure sports etc, but none of these activities contributed a thing to building a secure future for myself. I've always wanted to be that woman who didn't have to financially depend on a man. I wanted, and still want to be, like Chanel. That woman, in her independence, is like an icon to me. But I was too busy having fun.

I look at people my age or younger who've accomplished far more than I have - they've made their first feature or they've been invited to Cannes (I mean I've been to Cannes, but not with a movie). And I can't help but feel like a loser in that I epitomize the term 'late bloomer'! haha
I seem to do everything a decade later than everyone else. Of course that feeling comes for a split second & then I squelch it because comparing yourself to others is a fool’s pastime. Instead I work hard on getting the next flick made & take things one day as they come. I have to believe my time will appear on the horizon.