PrettyCarEye

Omiii, I had the same reaction to him! I first saw him in Save the Last Dance For Me & he did NOT make a good impression. Not his character, not his acting, not his fashion (utterly dreadful ... whoever styled him in that drama must have been batshit high on crack!) ugh just ... not HIM! I was pretty sure that show had turned me off the guy for good, but alas I bit the bullet and watched him in My P.S. Partner and his stock skyrocketed to epic heights. I could NOT believe it was the same guy. He was so hot & bothersome! Aigooo...
I went and added a number of his dramas, PTB included, but now you have me concerned. Whiny brat ...? Hmm, NOT the kind of words I like associated with my male leads. Or any lead for that matter.

Living with 2 women at the same time ...#smdh
Always knew you were a player, Knight.

Then watch these:

City Hall
Lovers
Mars
Buzzer Beat
Pride

All are great for what you're looking for. They've all gotten high scores from me.

Hello ms. Hessa, thx for the request. So you're a fellow romance fan, are you? I like that. :)

Hello Jorge (is that your name?), thx for the request. I see when it comes to dramas you seem to be a rom-com lover & when it comes to movies you're a wuxia/martial arts kinda guy. Am I right? :)

Who is your new gf? :p

Haha Chinguya, reading from you always puts a smile on my face! I totally LOL'ed when I read your question about Lie To Me.

My chingu, I gave that drama an 8 and what can I say ... LOL! I don't even remember why I liked it other than when I was watching it it kept my interest & didn't leave me feeling depressed at the end! lol

I mean I was new to dramaland at the time. I had watched a few depressing melos prior to LtM and it was just a relief from all the heaviness.

I also didn't mind the leads. They had good chemistry, imo. And the kisses were plentiful (for a kdrama) and good! :p The male lead was rather theatrical in his role, though. For sure. And the ending when she was looking for that sign ... or whatever the heck it was! #smh No idea what that was about! lol

That said, I don't get why so many people dislike it so much! :) I mean it's certainly not the worse drama out there ... is it? I guess my only excuse is that my tastes weren't as discerning as they are today! hehe I probably wouldn't have rated it as high if I watched it now.

Re ... happy endings, I get what you're saying. I'm not always rational about endings, but it's heavily dependent on context. I certainly PREFER a happy ending to a sad one, but I'm not a happy ender at all costs. Like if I watch a drama with a character who is terminally ill or has a chronic illness I won't feel cheated if they never recover.

Now you have me way confused about your Kimmy comment. Why are you pointing at the scrumptious mr. Soo in reference to Kimmy??? And what drama are you talking about?

I like your profile. Found myself nodding a lot while I read it! :)
Rich guy/rich girl? I'm so onboard! I've NEVER seen that in dramaland! Love square, heck no! Although I must admit the one in Que Sera Sera had me riveted. Leads who spend the entire drama apart ... I don't even want to start a drama like that!

One thing I'd like to say though is that female leads don't have to be 'badass' to be strong. At least not in my book. What does 'badass' mean for you anyway? I've found a few female leads who meet my definition of badass. They're neither cranky & rude nor a sword wielding warrior. They're usually just everyday women who are a little offbeat, but they know themselves & are confident about their path in life. Sometimes the male lead will come along & facilitate their journey, but that's fine because no one can accomplish anything alone. Examples would be the female leads in City Hall & Lovers. I see you gave the latter a very low score of 5 which indicates you did not like it, I guess. It's one of my all time favs, though. I absolutely loved Mi Joo! :)

Anyway, I do agree. There needs to be more diverse & less stereotypical roles for women. But I won't hold my breath that things are going to change anytime soon!

As for the issues with Dog & Wolf, they were definitely creative, and not having anything to do with broadcast limitations.

You had several scenes in which hardened gangsters were negotiating the terms on a shipment of illicit drugs with the feds right next to them!

There's also a major story arc which seemed very far-fetched. For me I had some difficulty suspending belief.

With all that said, it's still worth a watch. If only for the pleasure of seeing JKH and LJK in one drama! :)

Hope you're having a nice thanksgiving! Ahjussi & I almost never celebrate thanksgiving when it's just the two of us so I'll probably just be watching drama! :)

Time between Dog & Wolf cemented a longstanding respect I held for Jung Kyung Ho. I've seen him now in several roles, varying from the comedic & to the dramatic, and I must say he tackles both with equal panache! In Dog & Wolf he switched between comedy & drama with an ease very few actors his age are able to do.

I normally have an issue taking young Asian actors, particularly Korean & Taiwanese, seriously. Many older actors are able to bring something solid to the table with each new role they take on (most of the time at least), but the younger ones are mostly forgettable, imo. I have a theory as to why. I believe it has a lot to do with life experience. And being able to call upon that experience as a reference which informs your interpretation of the role.

Interestingly, I have not found the same to be true for young Western actors. Many of whom I am a fan. Jennifer Lawrence & Nicole Beharie for example. They bring a certain depth & range to their characters that really make me enjoy watching them on screen. I also have a theory around that! haha But I won't get into it...! :)

I've heard many praises for Lee Jun Ki in The King & the Clown. I'll have to prioritize that one day soon. I'm not sure yet what I think about him in terms of acting. I'll have to see one or two more of his works to make up my mind.

Ohhh, are you a fan of Joo Jin Mo too?! Aigoo ... I really like that guy. He is seriously pretty, esp in some of his earlier works. What have you seen him in? I've seen him in a couple things and I do agree with you that his talent lies way beyond his face! :) I would've liked to see his latest drama, but my aversion to the indomitable ms. Ha won't allow me to. haha

Anyway ...

Female lead in Dog & Wolf, no, I did not hate her at all. More than anything I was rather indifferent to her. She was your typical Asian heroine, sweet, lovesick & as interesting as wallpaper. Sometimes I thought she was a huge liability to the heroes because she'd show up at the most inopportune times & I just had to roll my eyes. But that's more to do with the less than stellar writing rather than the actress. I thought there were a lot of absurd situations & odd behaviours by supposedly uber professional gangsters. Still I enjoyed the show. I loved everybody, even Mao.

The Japanese drama is not a family drama. It's about an engaged teacher who gets involved with one of his students. So more of a drama, romance ... in a school setting. As for Down with Love, I have no idea who stars in it. I just decided to watch it because I liked the synopsis & because I haven't watched a Taiwanese drama in a long time. I was going to watch Just You, but your comments, among others, put me off it.

I see you're watching a lot, as usual. What's currently floating your boat?

I hear you & I get what you were trying to do in making these comments, but you're missing the point. It's one thing to try & warn people what to expect (and not to expect); quite another to come across as superior & condescending in one's reference to those who enjoy a genre you don't.

I've always held the position that we enjoy what we enjoy, no need to justify our preferences to anyone. On the other hand no one, you included I'm sure, likes to feel persecuted for their choices.

Furthermore, now that you mentioned the context I remember I too have said the Japanese don't make good romance. And I stand by that because a lot of Japanese 'romance' that I've seen turn out to be not much of a romance at all ... as we've discussed before. So I guess I'm one of the whiners too ... oh well!

It may not be your intention to insult, but your comments can nevertheless come across that way. You have not insulted me because I'm an individualist & an adult. I like what I like & I really don't put too much weight on what others think about what I like, but consider the demographic on this site. A lot of young, impressionable kids who might not be as thick-skinned as me, who might feel left out of the conversation just because they happen to like romance.

So just something to think about. There really is room for everyone. Moreover, I think most people like romance. That's probably not going to change. If you don't, feel free not to watch! :D And I say all of this with the utmost respect & love for you as a friend who I enjoy talking to & sharing drama gossip with.

BTW, I'm fully aware only China makes Wuxia. I was just trying to make a point in the context of the quote taken from one of your reviews. But you're a smart lady, Cheerful, I'm sure you understood that. :)

Referring to this: Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta.

Kyung Ho as a serial killer in a movie? Heck, I'm so on board. After seeing him as Doc Son I have no doubt he can pull off a role like this. Where did you hear about this movie? Any idea when it's coming out? There doesn't seem to be a lot of info available...

This is a lie. Approach a barking dog & see if he at least won't attempt to bite you! :)

Reise, hello. I'm a little late again. Sorry! :)

I finished Time between Dog & Wolf. I liked it, but not without reservation. Not that I know much about gangsters and all, but I think the Korean mob world has a credibility problem. I saw some very far-fetched & dubious behaviour from supposedly hardened gangsters that I just couldn't fathom. I had the same feelings with Cruel City. That certain situations and scenarios were just so absurd. That said I enjoyed the ride overall so I gave it a 7.

Your comments about Lee Jun Ki had me intrigued. Did he deliver poorly in Two Weeks? What non-action roles have you seen him in & would recommend? I'm still very new to his work. Dog & Wolf was only my second experience with him. Virgin Snow was the first. I wasn't very convinced by neither, acting wise. But potential is certainly there. In the meantime I was happy to just view him as eye candy (as I always do when an actor has nothing else to offer). What an incredibly handsome man! :)

Which brings me to Go Soo. Let me tell you, I did not take Go Soo seriously as an actor before Golden Empire. I saw him only as eye candy & watched his shows based on that motivation alone (in fact, this was true for GE too until he blew me out of the water with his manic rendition of Tæ-joo). Now I have such mad respect for him as an artist. He certainly proved himself as a bonafide actor beyond a reasonable doubt as far as I'm concerned. I hope he keeps it up. Can't wait to see what he does next. What did you think of him?

Anyway, what's been up with you since we last spoke 11 days ago? I read & liked your review of Love Will Tear Us Apart. I've added it to my list.

I'm having a similar conversation with another friend.

The problem, as I see it (and this is not just related to rom-coms), is the conservative, patriarchal nature of Asian societies. It restrictive to artistic expression as it is to everything else. You can't explore beyond a certain archetype or scenario.

Genres are very boxed & deterministic. Men are always the main protagonists, youth is treasured above all else so the entire human experience is never portrayed, women are sidelined to stereotypical roles that objectify them or nullify their contribution to society. When it comes to love only the beginning of a love affair is valued whilst marriage is portrayed as a virtual death sentence.

Therein lies the issue I have with Asian cinema as a whole. Very, very formulaic ... down to the minutest of detail. There's a diversity of genres, but very little diversity within the genres themselves. It's like they have a checkbox that they have to tick off. And we all know how routine & boring checkboxes make things.

I also guess the Confucian norm of conformity is at play here. You must conform to the status quo to preserve the harmony of society. So maybe Korean artists want to paint outside the box, but are met with resistance.

Anyway, whatever the cause it's unlikely to change anytime soon.

Hi Bladey, sorry for the late reply. Again! :)
I actually started out my career wanting to be an actress. I even went to acting school in NYC. But when I moved to Europe I realized there weren't gonna be any roles for me so I enrolled in film school & started a production company with a friend. Working in a cinema-related job, film production in particular, is fun, but not very glamourous (as one might think). It's a thankless job. Long hours, lots of hard work, very little compensation. Many times you put everything into making a movie and it gets NO attention or you spend years trying to raise the funds to make your film. Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful to be doing what I love. Sometimes I even make a good living from it, other times I depend on subsidies from ahjussi or the family, but that's the nature of this business. I'm not alone.

My point in mentioning this? Be careful what you wish for! :)

Anyway, I hear you on your love for the American classics. You named some good ones & some of my favs too. I grew up watching Sabrina & Bringing up a Baby because of my granddad who was a great fan of the classics! :) I do understand the criticisms leveled against Korean rom coms. I don't watch them either ... not if I'm not in a very specific mood where I need to escape into a totally far-fetched and underdeveloped fictional world, just for the laughs. Usually when I'm a little depressed or stressed out from work.

What's up, Cheerful. Once again, hollering back at you a little late. Sorry about that! :)

Well, to answer your question about insulting romance lovers hahaha ... you haven't insulted me that's for sure! :D lol But I'd say read your own reviews (which I enjoy btw) and see for yourself what others might construe as an insult. Imagine if someone started a review of a great wuxia drama with 'Well, for all of you who love to whine about China not making good wuxia, here's a film for you' or 'If you're the type who like romance and all that idiotic stuff, stay away from this superior detective drama/movie.' By the way you didn't actually say the latter, just trying to illustrate how things can come across.

I get that you hate romance, but there's no need to ridicule others who don't. And like I said on the feeds I still can't understand your rationale (even though you've attempted to explain) for continuing to watch a genre that's bound to disappoint you. Especially when you have so many options to watch what you do like! :) Anyway, to each there own, chingu. I hope I haven't raised your ire by saying this :). I mean no offence. You asked so I answered. :-)

As for what I'm watching ... well, after I completed Time between Dog & Wolf (which was great!), I wanted something lighter so I'm picking up where I left off with Down with Love. And I'll probably start Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta sometime today.

Why won't you watch Kim Eun Sook's romantic comedies? Is it because you're not a fan of the genre?

I'd agree with the description of A Gentleman's Dignity. It's a mature rom-com, but it may also be called a romantic drama with comedic elements because it definitely had a lot of dramatic moments despite the comedy. I liked AGD, but I think I prefer City Hall ... which I highly recommend by the way. Should you ever change your mind ...

The thing I love about KES is that even when she's doing comedy it isn't over the top & ridiculous. It's sedate, it's mature, it's sensual and sensible.

That's the reason why I'm going to give Secret Garden a shot because while HJW is bound to disappoint & frustrate me ... I have faith in Eun Sook to make enjoy the ride. Well see.

As for the movies (I've never watched a drama with her) that turned me off HJW: 100 Days with mr. Arrogant, Love So Divine, Hæundæ & a few others that I don't recall at the moment. The only movie I liked with her was Closer to Heaven.

Hi Angel, sorry for the late reply. So you enjoyed Just You, huh ... is that the drama where the heroine moves in with the anal retentive male lead & drives him crazy until they fall in love?
I was planning to watch it, but I heard the drama was really draggy.

I'm doing fine, thk u for asking. Watching Down with Love & a japanese drama with a really loooong name! :)