PrettyCarEye

Well, you write English really well. How come you're not in school? Or are you at school now?

I'm from America originally but I've lived in Europe for many years now. Where are you from? You write really good English. Is it your native tongue?

Yup, 31, that's pretty old, huh?
I feel like it was just yesterday I was your age! :)
My all time favourites are Lovers and Orange Days, but I also like MARS, City Hall, Reply 1997 and The Greatest Love. I mostly like TGL because of the male lead who was hilarious.

Wow, so you're 12, huh? How cool. You're one of the youngest MDL'ers I've ever met. Compared to your age I'm an ahjumma. I'm at least 19 yrs older than you! :)
Do you have any other favourite dramas besides Hana Yori Dango?

Well, France has a strong history of cinema so they have a more sophisticated film market than here in Scandinavia. If we lived there we probably wouldn't have a problem finding the Classics.

They do a lot of co-productions too, both in the present time & in the past. So you're totally right - thru these co-productions interesting new directorial voices have been introduced to the West. Realms was a co-production between Japan & France, apparently because Oshima's vision for the movie was too outlandish for Japanese investors. They thought the movie wouldn't sell. When I visit film festivals for work there are always lots and lots of French co-productions. Lately they've been co-producing quite a bit with North Africa. I've seen some really great films from that region recently.

I've never hear of Criterion prior to you telling me about it. I'll look into it, but most likely it'll be too expensive for me too.

Here's my breakdown of Kim films that I've seen:

1) 3-iron 10/10
2) Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring 9/10
3) Samaritan Girl 8/10
4) Breath 7/10 (I just didn't get it!)
5) Time 7/10 (might revise to 8/10)
6) Bad Guy 7/10

I started Birdcage Inn, but haven't finished it yet. It's feeling like a 7/10 so far. You seemed to have watched Birdcage in but didn't rate it? I see you gave Breath 10/10 ... can you say what made this film work for you?

Gotta say you must have a very good ear for languages if you're able to understand Korean so intuitively. I can understand simple vocabulary & phrases, but that's the extent of it. I'll look into Two Women's Room & see if it's a drama I can watch. If I start it I'll let you know! :)

Did you see Temptation of Wolves? What did you think of it?
While all 4 eps were okay, I only really enjoyed the first story, the one with the detective & the widow. Btw, I totally get why you'd be confused! To watch a drama without a love triangle would be such a novelty!

As for genres, I like romance a lot, but the more immature kind of romance that's way too widespread in dramaland gets on my last nerve. Ideally I like mature romances preferably mixed with other genres like crime, thriller, drama etc

I can recommend Time between Dog and Wolf. It's not a perfect crime drama. There are a lot dubious behaviour unbecoming of gangsters, but maybe you're better than me at suspending your belief so this shouldn't stop you from watching if you like this genre. Do you tend to prefer Korean or Japanese dramas?

How was the ending of Secret? Was it satisfying? I still don't know if I'm going to watch that drama. I've heard from a pretty reliable source that the plot is rather absurd. If I find myself questioning the logic of a drama it pulls me out of the story so there's probably no point in me starting. Would you agree with what my friend said about the show?

As for recommendations ... what are you in the mood for?
I'm so happy that I'm no longer a student. I can focus all my time on drama. When do you graduate?

Tutoring would be an excellent opportunity to get your mind off things because you're focusing outside yourself, on other people - kids who can be quite demanding - so this is good. Very good. I wish you luck & happiness, Juniko dear! :)

Wow, I really don't know how you guys do it, watching so many dramas at the same time! :)

I've tried, but it never works for me. I can only concentrate on one show at a time.

I see you have Alone in Love & Pride on the list. I've heard good things about the former & plan to watch it soon myself. By any chance you've started it, but just haven't updated the list? If so, how are you finding it? I really liked Pride! Made me an instant KimuTaku fan. If you enjoy sports romances, it's one of the better ones I've seen. Can't see any reason why you wouldn't like it! :)

So I completed Time between Dog & Wolf. I certainly enjoyed it, but it wasn't 100% the crime drama I wanted it to be. In spite of this I liked the drama very much and would recommend picking it back up when you can.

I finished Dog & Wolf. It was good, liked it! I like this genre very much. One day I hope to find a drama which does this genre just the way I like it. I'll be very happy.

I'm keeping an eye out on Reply 1994 for when I'm in the mood for pure comedy. But I've heard it's totally unrelated to Reply '97, is that right?

Re: Basketball I have on the list to watch, but I heard the episode count was reduced. Don't know what effect that will have on the drama, if any, but another friend who is watching makes it sound as if the reduction affected the drama negatively. She's worried that it might conclude prematurely with no S2 on the horizon. But I gotta say I'm a bit confused. The drama has 18 eps which seem pretty standard to me. So what's the issue really? Do you know what she's talking about?

Hunting for my next drama to watch. Any recs?

Rosie, when you say they've cut episodes do you mean they've reduced the ep count from say ... 24 eps to 18? But isn't that usually a good thing? People are always saying more eps make the drama drag...
And is this any good so far?

I finished the movie. It was good.
An interesting vampire love story with an usual twist.
At one point I had Goong on my list but took it off. It's not my kind of drama. Good that you're enjoying though.
May I ask how old are you if it isn't a secret? :)

By the way, I forgot to comment about Cruel City & Jung Kyung Ho in my second to last post. But YES! JKH is such a charismatic actor, imo! He exudes a certain larger than life presence which belies his rather diminutive frame. I just love him & I can now officially say that I am a fan. He's able to play both comedic & dramatic roles, and he can bring great duality to how he plays a character. I love how in Dog & Wolf he could pull off the debonair lady's man & jokester, the sensitive boyfriend AND the ice cold NIS agent. Whatever persona he's wearing he delivers them all equally convincing.

As for Cruel City, I had some issues with it (the writing was poor in my opinion), but that didn't take away from the excitement! You are going to LOVE Doctor's Son (JKH's character)!!! By far The best role I've ever seen him in & one of THE best characters I've ever met. Just the type of mob boss I love. Lemme know when you start it!

Oh I didn't know there was a film fest in the Bahamas too!

In the English speaking Caribbean I know of the 1 in T&T ... which is perhaps the best known regional fest. In fact I was scheduled to speak there at a Producer's Forum this year, but I had to pull out due to an untimely illness. Hopefully next year, though, if I don't go Busan. I have a film that I'm currently producing that I want to submit.

I sincerely believe film is a viable industry for the Caribbean, especially if there's strong collaboration between the islands. Though we're a small market, the market outside the region is potentially huge. Black people are craving diverse, quality images of their experiences on film & I think the Caribbean can be pioneers at catering to that market. You have Nollywood which has huge potential but a combination of low skill (& thus low quality films) & extreme corruption continue to cripple its growth potential. Therefore, the door is wide open for the Caribbean to lead the way in mid-to-high quality film production for a predominantly black audience. When I speak to the establishment in Jamaica I always refer to the South Korean model. Just 10 yrs ago nobody took SK films seriously. They were thought of as low quality with no broad appeal. Now just 10+ years later they're beating out Japan & China as the country whose audiovisual entertainment sells the most outside the region & SK film folk are being sought after by Hollywood like hot cakes.

But respective governments must recognize the importance of investing in local talent. They need to set up local film funds to which local filmmakers can apply for production funding; AND there needs to be strong co-production agreements between the islands. Not only will this spread the risk but also increase the market.

Oh & one last thing! I didn't get a notification that you had responded to my pm so I'm just seeing it. I'm gonna answer you in a minute, but lemme just say right off the bat ... WELL DAMN SAID!!!

So Viki works for you in the Bahamas? For a very short while a few months ago I was able to use Dramafever & Viki here, but suddenly it reverted to its usual regional restrictions.

Anyway, just finished Dog & Wolf (working from home today & I find all kind of lame ass excuses to squeeze in a drama ep or 2). Still thinking how to rate. With dramas like these there's always a lot to consider when it comes to an end.

What I can say is that I surely did not dislike it. I love gangster flicks. In my head I like to consider myself a little gangster in my approach to life. Deal with things with swagger, confidence, fearlessness and machismo (the girly kind). Most of the time it's just pure fantasy because this world is just too much for me sometimes. Sigh ... ha ha ha

Btw, I'm still considering how to rate Dog & Wolf. Trying to balance between my subjective & objective impression of the show. I'll hit you back with a more specific opinion when I'm done thinking.

Hey, I just notice that you & I have completed 100 movies. :-)

'I draw then I worry.' Ji Woo.

Why & who would she worry over?
Can't be her dad because he's dead.
Can't be her stepdad because he's no longer in danger since Cheongdong has been dismantled.
Can't be Min Gi since he's now other people's property.
So it must be Soo Hyun. Who is still working undercover.
Moreover, he said his next mission is in Paris. What a coincidence! I don't believe in coincidences.
So that could mean only one thing, THEY END UP TOGETHER. I think they made the decision together that Paris is the next destination. Then there's the stuffed elephant he gives to Min Gi - a symbol throughout the drama of his & Ji Woo's love.
No one I can't live without dies! And the couple get their happy ending! YAY!
I love IT! (although what the heck, chingu? You don't like happy endings??? Wææææ? Don't you get depressed when everyone dies all the time?)

I loved the ending quote, so profound:

'Nightfall. All things become stained with red. There beyond that hill, approaches the silhouette of a dog I raised or a wolf ready to devour me. A time when that is indistinguishable ... is the time when both good & evil can only be red.'

Is it too from Neverending Story? Never got around to reading that book. What do you think it means?

Wow, so this drama really is good then, huh?
I'm inclined to trust your judgement over those of fangirls and teeny boppers. Thx, chingu, maybe one day I'll give it a go! :)