PrettyCarEye

Never heard of them. How are they? Any sweet romance going on in any of them? Yeah, I know you're a Japanophile. Actually of late I'm starting to develop a habit myself!

I've been hearing about Be Strong Geum Soon lately. I'm not sure if it's my type a drama but I'll check it out. Be sure to tell me how it goes when you're done. I don't really care for sad endings! :-)

As for me, I just started History of a Salaryman last night. It comes highly recommended by a lot of my MDL friends so I finally decided to check it out.

And yeah both Madeleine & Frivolous Wife are okay. Nice fluff movies to pass the time. Hope you like them!

All is well on the way end! I was in a bit of a drama slumps a few months back, but it's on again! Now watching History of a Salaryman. So far, so good. :-) What you watching?

If you like The Social Network, you'll like Rich Man, Poor Woman. It's set in a similar tech world with the same boy genius who becomes an overnight billionaire. The heroine, as well as the hero, might bug you a bit at the start, but later on they both grow into people you can root for.

Yeah, check out Realm. If it's 'different' you're looking for, you'll definitely get it here. Abe Sada in this movie, and real life, was a fascinating character. This man must have had the magic stick because Sada was obsessed with him to the point of madness. You'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. Enjoy!

P.S. Some of the best movies were made in days past. Don't let the date faze you. This is a brilliantly made picture with very high production values & acting. I love these old Asian films because they give a great view of the region's rich cultural traditions.

I don't mind bossy, arrogant heroes in dramas. In real life it's a different story, but in dramas I find it cute when the heroine succeeds in smoothing over his rough edges. But only if he's a good guy underneath and only if she stands up to him when he's a pig. Rich Man, Poor Woman has a hero like this, but he comes around later under the deft management of the heroine. I like when men think they're in charge, yet the women are actually able to mold them to their liking.

In the Realm of the Sense is intense. It's a thought-provoking arthouse film about the true story of Abe Sada. It's basically pornographic, but it's not titillating in any way. It's a film that explores the theme of obsession quite effectively. I liked it for it's artistic qualities & would recommend it. There were only 2 scenes which I found objectionable, but those can be easily skipped.

Sumi, what's going on? I see you've added Brother Beat to your plan to watch list. I think this is a good choice. It's a cute drama & completely hilarious. :-)

Addy, what's up? Long time no hear. How's drama life treating you, watching anything good?

Outsider, how is it going? Noticed you're currently watching Madeleine & Frivolous Wife. I've seen both. How are they going for you? Are you watching any dramas at the moment?

Hey what's up? How's life on the Bahamian isles?
Watching anything exciting?

Take all the time you need. I went into a slump for a couple months but managed to get out of it. I hope you're well now & that we'll see you around again soon! :-)

I guess as long as men run the world we women will always be placed in the role of their helpmates. I don't mind it as long as the man is kind and loving and cherishes the heroine. If he's a tyrant or dictator then all bets are off. He should also not be a rapist (seriously I am shocked by how pervasive 'forced seductions' are in Asian films mostly) and or abusive in ANY way. Not physically or verbally.

Speaking of forced seduction finally saw Lust, Caution the other night & I actually didn't mind Mr. Yee & Wong Chi getting together until he sexually assaulted her at the hotel. I couldn't understand WHY he would do that. Was it because he was suspicious of her? I also saw the notorious 1976 Japanese erotic film In the Realm of the Senses & the hero was frankly speaking a straight-up rapist. No matter how loving they became later I couldn't like them after that.

LOL. Well, in my defense I kept watching because 1) I gave the show the benefit of the doubt. I thought it would get better, but it didn't. I've come to realize that's how Asian dramas work. Once a tone is set, it hardly ever changes for the better. Furthermore, there were characters that I liked and wanted to keep watching because of them. The heroine and her foolishness, however, almost game me a coronary. 2) Once I start something 9/10 times I have to finish it otherwise I feel weird. I wouldn't feel justified in criticising the drama if I wasn't fully informed of its contents. I'm kinda anal like that.

Re: love triangles I HATE them, but they are a staple in Asian drama so I try to suck it up. I like how the Japanese deal with LTs more than the Koreans. I think the relationship between Kai & Sae in OD was a great one. Very loving & supportive of each other.

Haha, you should write that article, Winnie. It does sound interesting, but I don't have the time. :-)

Western or Eastern, I like when things are done in balance when at all possible. Relationships are difficult and I just want to see people acting in love toward each other on screen because it happens so rarely in real life. I don't care for doormat characters, whether it's a man or a woman they irritate me. I have not yet come across an Asian female character who has gotten on my nerves aside from the heroine in Loving You A Thousand Times. God, I hated that woman! LOL You can read my very looooooong review as to why! :-)

Gosh, I don't know really. Haven't thought much about it. However, if I do start to write articles on a regular basis I know they'll focus on more adult themes. I'm in my 30s (or rather, I am 30) so high school/young adult stuff no longer interests me. Not that I'm saying I'm old or anything, because I'm not! haha It's just that my tastes have evolved. I'm more interested in exploring topics and themes this community might not appreciate since many (most?) MDLers appear to be in their late teens, early 20s. If I had the time I'd write articles on topics I personally would want to read. Exactly what those topics would be I'd have to think further about.

I wrote you a pretty elaborate response and it got lost! So annoying. Trying again.

Not much of an everyday fashionista. I'll get dressed up for special occasions, but I tend not to obsess about how I look. I'd rather spend my money on shoes, handbags, books, movies, travel.

Re: women in Western shows. They kinda annoy me. Often many come across as spoiled, entitlement princesses or way too butch in their demeanour for my tastes. I also like poised, elegant, feminine women - both in demeanour and dress. That's why I like, for the most part, women in Asian shows. They can be strong without compromising their womanhood and I think that's nice. Sometimes I feel Western society pressures women to be something we're not necessarily hard-wired to be. We're just as worthy as men and deserve equal opportunities, but we're NOT men! That's how I see it. :-)

Thanks for this, though I've already seen the movie. It eventually loaded (after like 24hrs) but not all the way for CD 1. I missed the last 10mins, but was able to follow the story seamlessly on CD 2.

That's amazing. Isn't Cantonese the most difficult of the two? I've heard Mandarin is much simpler than Cantonese ... esp for foreigners who want to learn. Man, I look at the Chinese characters and they look soooo complicated. I don't think I could ever learn it. Korean characters are a lot more straightforward but they're still challenging for me to remember so I can't imagine how difficult Chinese characters must be to learn. Now that I'm a full blown fan of Asian cinema I can clearly tell the nationalities a part. But prior to that, I automatically assumed all Asian looking people were Chinese. #shame

Autumn's Concerto, lol, I loved the romance but it was sooo melo and makjangy. I suggest you read my review of it. I wasn't as taken with it as many people were, but it was perfectly alright.

For me, it's the realistic portrayals of the mundanity of life, the exoticism of the culture & language, the differences in scenery & worldview. Everything.

I like that Western dramas are more liberal in content and are not prone to repetitive cliches, but I like Asian dramas for showing us the real world where ordinary people live, love & try to find happiness. The characters go through every day challenges we all go through and they don't always miraculously work out.

The actors, whilst attractive, never come across as so flawless that average men and women can't relate to them. Even when western dramas are trying to portray an ordinary middle income family the set designs & actors come across way too fancy and glamourous to be believable. Another thing is that Western sets never look 'lived in'. They look like hotel rooms where its obvious that its just for make believe.

By the way, I do believe I saw that article. It wasn't bad.

SLP is a fairly new movie so it's likely the pirates haven't got a hold of it yet. You may still be able to catch it in cinemas in the UK. In the meantime if you're in the mood for something really romantic how about Chunhyang or The Servant? Both are really great movies!

As for writing ... come on, Winnie, I insist that you have some confidence in yourself. I'd love to read an article from you & I'm sure your many friends will too! I bet you could come up with all kinds of cool topics to write about, being Asian yourself. How about writing your impression of why and how Westerners enjoy Asian cinema as opposed to Asian viewers themselves? I'm just throwing that out there. Write whatever YOU want! I'm sure your article would be a hit since you have many friends on here! :-) Besides, you're not writing with the aim of winning the Pulitzer Prize, woman! lol. Just relax & go for it! :-)