PrettyCarEye

Thank you for the friends request!
I really like your avi. It looks so cool on the white background whenever you're on the feeds! :)
Are you watching anything interesting now?

No I totally get it. It's hard to find some of the more popular, current day Asian films on DVD much less the classics. I know for sure my local video store do not stock them. Classics popular amongst western viewers, like Woman in the Dunes, Realms, Rashomon, Ballads etc are easier to find online, but a lot of lesser known ones aren't.
For eg I haven't been able to find Cruel Story of Youth, Stray Dogs, Harakiri and few others I've been wanting to see. Not even the latest Harakiri remake (2010) is available online last time I checked.

Do you have any favourites that you can share?

Outsider, how are you? Long time no chat! :)
I didn't know you love Kim Ki-duk! Me too. Have you seen 3-iron?
I love what you've done with your profile. Can you please tell me how you make the collage with your favourite dramas and movies, and you went about putting them up so neatly on your profile? I'd like to revamp my page with something similar but don't know where to start.
Thx for your help! Hope you've been well. What are you watching now that's good?

":-D BTW because Jamaica is our sister country we humor them and their kin when they start thinking the country is 'better than The Bahamas' LOL That's how we show the love. :)"

HAHAHA! #smh Whatever! :)

Good to hear! ¨

Why these terrible natural disasters happen to the most vulnerable people in the world I don't know. If there's really a God he must be sleeping ...! At least the international community seem to be rallying together to help, not that it's any consolation to the bereaved...

As for me, I'm fine.

We haven't spoken in a while yeah. Oct was a very busy month,craaaazy! But listen the messaging goes both ways! :)

Happy to hear you and yours are well!

I'm not yet familiar with your tastes so I can't say for sure whether Lovers is for you. Most friends that I've recommended it to have loved it whilst an odd few complained about the setting (world of the Korean Yakuza) and pace.

I must say I did not have a problem with either of these. I love action/crime dramas, esp those related to mobsters, and this one had an extremely beautiful romance. Anyway, I started the show one day around 2pm fully expecting to be underwhelmed because I had become so frustrated with a lot of Asian dramas which could insult even the intelligence of a goldfish. But aigoo ... I pretty much watched the entire drama, no skipping, in one sitting!

It has THE most refreshingly mature love story I've ever seen in dramaland to date. It used the usual drama cliches like the love triangle in way that was logical & totally instrumental to the story & plot. Instead of being frustrated & annoyed by it as I usually am with other dramas I was totally engrossed by it. There was an aura of forbidden love in this drama, which led to some of the BEST sexual tension I've ever witnessed in any drama, Asian or otherwise. This is why I can't understand the charge that it dragged. The story developed logically, nothing happened before it should.

Anyway, if you haven't gotten it by now I'm highly recommending this show to you. The fact that you're already an LSJ fan will make it an even more enjoyable experience because trust me the man is all sorta fine here! You fall for him right along with the heroine! I didn't know any of the actors going but when I finished I was a fan of everyone, most of all LSJ.

Anyway, I've done my duty as a loyal fan in promoting this wonderful drama! Watch it & see for yourself! :)

In the meantime, what are you watching now?

Secret seems like the new I Hear Your Voice. Everyone loves it, with few exceptions. I nevertheless am not going to watch it. I really can't deal with melodramas, and especially not the ones with a whole heap of makjang! haha
Love Shuffle on the other hand is a good drama. A romance with a slightly different kind of flavour. I think you might enjoy it.

Ok keep me posted on Heirs. I'm going to watch it, but probably after it finishes airing so I can first hear what everybody has to say! :p

Wuhhh???! I'm shocked by your review of Heirs so far! I know for a lot of people it got off to a very slow start. I myself saw the first 20 mins and had NO desire to continue. But I thought it would get better.

Hot damn, I can't believe Kim Eun Sook penned this. It's not possible for me to think she could ever write a drama this bad. That's it, I have to watch it and see for myself!

Anyway, are you watching any other dramas? Do you only watch airing dramas? I don't really watch them. Heirs has been the only exception I was willing to make. Otherwise I just don't have the patience to watch anything that's still going on TV.

Btw, so Kim Woo Bin is that hottie from AGD? Good to know!

You know best so just go with your gut!

All I will say is that the boys aren't going anywhere any time soon so there's absolutely no rush. Whether it's Hiro or someone else, they'll still be around after you've taken time to heal your heart and figure out your head.

It's perfectly fine to be single. In fact, it's GOOD. Helps you to develop emotional independence. You realize you don't have to constantly be in a relationship to feel complete. I know western culture kinda pressures us into thinking relationships are the end all & be all, but that's BS.

You're 22, you have A LOT of time ahead of you to be in love. You're not missing out on anything if you take a little time off just to be with yourself.

Now when it comes to Hiro you obviously enjoy his company & he yours so keep hanging with him, but it doesn't seem fair to ask him about how he feels if you're not sure about your own feelings. Rather just go with the flow & let your friendship take what course it may.

Hello! Nice to meet you too & thx for the request! :)

Yes, despite its pornographic nature I think Realms is a very deep, thought-provoking film with a lot of layers and textures. It explores the depravity of the human mind with a skill and deftness I, as a filmmaker myself, can't help but be drawn to. For it's time it's a technical masterpiece. In fact, the whole package is wonderful, from production values, cast, script ... everything. I also love how it criticizes Japan's role in the war without saying too much at all.

You HAVE to watch Woman in the Dunes as soon as you can though. That movie is so rich in metaphorical social critique it ain't funny. I loved every minute of it!

This:

'I'm a huge fan of old Japanese cinema, it's so rich in themes, kinds and have a lot of meaning.'

So true! And same for me too. I've also watched a lot of J-classics in many different genres ... like horror & Nikkatsu pink films (the good ones, not the shady ones ;). Alternatively shocking & weirdly insightful as only the Japanese can do. Only disadvantage to liking the classics is that most are hard to find online! :(

But please recommend me some of your favs (and where to find them if you know).

As for Lee Byung-hun, it all started with him. He's my sexy beast oppa for life! ;p

What's up! Nice to hear from you. You've been MIA for a while but I understand you have other priorities. Thanks for the low down on what's been going on with you! :)

Gosh, it sucks being friendzoned, doesn't it? But what to do? Sigh ...

Congrats on everything else. You just seem like a right overachiever in everything that you do!

As for me, I'm the same. Overworked and stressed out as usual, but I ain't complainin'. As for dramas I watch according to my mood. I'm still largely in a mood for romantic fare, but I watch other genres from time to time. Few weeks ago I watched an amazing business drama called Golden Empire. Sick good! I'm thinking of starting Time between Dog & Wolf next and that's action/drama/romance ... I've been told. Not many movies the last few months. I've been a bit busy. Oct was a strange month. I had so much to do I was coming home at 11 o'clock at night most days. I'm still exhausted from it all.

My film ... it's coming along slowly, but fingers crossed we'll get there. Thx for asking.

Loved your review of Nagareboshi. You expressed most of my sentiments about this show. I ended up giving it a 6, but have been contemplating changing my rating to a 7.

I thought it had great potential to be a 9 or 10, but things they should've explored deeper they didn't and things that could've used less focus got way too much focus. For eg, the sister's relationship with the kid who died. I wasn't the least bit interested in that story line and would've prefered they used that screen time to explore Kengo & Risa's relationship or even Risa & her bro's relationship.

Overall, this was a 'romance' drama with very little romance and that was rather disappointing. I don't know what's up with Japan and these half-baked romances. Anyway, I agree with you about the acting. Takenouchi Yukata is a boss. I've grown to really love the guy. Check him out in Mou Ichido Kimi ni, Propose. Another 'romance' with not much actual romance, but a lot of feeling. Takenouchi is amazing as the disillusioned husband who's reeling from having been forgotten by his wife. If you've seen the movie The Vow, it's similar to that.

Last but not least if he says ‘yes I like you as a woman’, try to figure out what he wants to do about it. Does he want to ‘date’ in the traditional sense - meaning you’ll be his girl & he your guy … or does he want to keep ‘hanging out’ and see how everything develops? In other words, a friends with benefits kind of arrangement. It’s good to know this from the get-go so nobody ends up with unrealistic expectations.

Anyway, although you’re a bit inexperienced and used to the guy taking the initiative … it seems to me you’re gonna have to do a bit of leg work with Hiro. So just go with your gut and the natural flow of your friendship. If you feel he's ready to hear certain things then say it, if you don't then keep quiet.

That’s all I have to say for now. Hope this helps! :)

BUT! The complicated issue here is indeed the cultural dimension. I doubt it’s just Japanese politeness (as I said guys, regardless of culture, just aren’t ‘polite’ that way), but the fact is neither of us are 100% sure so the best thing to do would be to just flat out ask him what he's thinking. OR you can simply let the relationship develop as it will, keeping things ambiguous along the way.

My impression is that this is NOT what you want, though. You want to know where you stand with him, am I right? If yes, then just ask him. When you date someone from a different culture, esp one that's far removed from your own OPEN communication takes on a whole new level of importance. Also given that you’re both communicating in a second language (I’m assuming you don’t speak Japanese & he doesn’t speak French …? Correct me if I’m wrong), misunderstandings can arise easily so get use to asking and giving straightforward questions right off the bat. And make sure you get the same in return. Do you like me as a woman or just as a friend you like to hang out with?

Try not to come off too intense if/when you ask this because guys tend to freak out at any sign of commitment … ironically even when they themselves WANT commitment. They’re weird lot. Even though I’m giving you my opinion on how to approach this situation, I don’t have them 100% figured out and I’m a little older than you. Anyway, just go about it as casually as you can without him feeling pressured, but make sure you get a proper answer out of him.

2) If you decide you really like him, first thing I'd like to ask you is how long have you two been hanging out? Have all this been going on for a couple weeks or just a few days? If it's not too long then it could be that he's just trying to make friends. Having been a foreign student myself (maybe you have been too) I know campus life can be a bit lonely so you hang out with anyone who wants to hang out with you. Try and figure out if that's where you stand with him. Think about it & use your female intuition. I can usually tell when a guy is just casual friendly to me or friendly in a way that suggests he likes me as a woman.

From what you've told me I'm inclined to think he may like you. I mean guys are pretty much the same wherever they come from, cultural dimensions notwithstanding. As a rule of thumb they're way too selfish to waste their time on girls they don't fancy, even if they're lonely college students. The fact that you guys have been out alone together several times, even casually without it being defined as a date; the fact that he stays up late with you texting and chatting when he could be off doing whatever young college guys his age do; the fact that he listens to your man problems; the fact that he offers to pay for you instead of having you guys go dutch all the time etc etc ... suggest he might feel something for you other than platonic friendship.

Well, this is what I think. Two things:

1) You need to decided what's YOUR true feelings for him. Do you really like him? Or are you just on the rebound because of mr. Sucky who went off and married someone else? No point wasting your energies on a guy who in the long run you're not that into. Moreover, it's kind of a shitty thing to do, leading someone on if you're not serious about them - that's what your ex (mr. Sucky) did to you, isn't it? So figure that one out. Do you like Hiro for Hiro or do you like him because he makes you feel good & helps you to forget in your moment of vulnerability? And another possibility … do you just find him ‘exotic’ because drama has you all starry eyed about Asian men? Trust me, no one likes being exoticized in the long run so make sure you’re not doing this as well.

Ironically it took the one and only drama I've seen him in for me to love this man to bits & pieces. That drama would be LOVERS. And trust me if you're really a fan of this guy and you haven't seen him in this you're missing out! The guy is just all kinds of sexy in this show! :)

Now here's the funny thing I've been putting off watching his other dramas because he doesn't have that many credits to his name. Apparently he's a picky one & I hear he's sort of semi-retired from acting because he's busy running the family business! I was like wuuhhh? Nooo, oppa ... go back to acting!

So I've been pacing myself when it comes to his back list ... not wanting to go through it too fast so I don't run out of things with him to watch! :)

I hear he's attached to a new drama so I hope that pans out & that it's one I'll be able to watch! Fingers crossed! :)

Deal! ;p

Hello there. I'm great, thank you. How about yourself?
Not watching anything at the moment. Not dramas anyway. Last night I started a vampire movie called Thirst. I still need to finish it. I'm heading out for the evening but when I return I hope I can make up my mind on what to watch.
What are you watching? Do you have any recs for me?