PrettyCarEye

Cheers, Raincat.
I'll check it out! :-)

Hey Claudya ... I can't remember if I answered your NY greeting. If I haven't, apologies! ... And a Happy 2013 right back at yah. If I have, then there's no harm in wishing you Happy New Year twice! :-)

How's the year for you so far? Watching anything fun?

Hehe, let's put it this way, I'm old enough (and old...er too) to be in Lee Min-ho's bed! :-) haha ... so if a war was to start between us ... LOL. Luckily for you I have not been formally "introduced" to the lovely Mr. Lee so I have no desire to fight anyone to warm his bed, BUT I've seen clips of him from his shows and I can see what all the fuss's about! I can't wait to "meet" him. By the way, you say we're from the same region? Which region are you referring to ... since in my case it can be 1 of 3 based on what's on my profile.

Haha! :-)

All this time I thought Pride was my first Jdrama, but I now remember watching this series years ago when I was a kid. I remember me and Mom really loved it! Omg, I can't believe I've found it again after so many years! So happy. Yay!

In Lee Minho's bed ... hahaa
How old are you?

This is what makes them great to me! Hollywood, 9/10 times, appeals to an ideal of who we want to be, not who we really are as people. The ugly and beautiful side to our personalities, the daily grind most of us have to go through to make ends meet, that love isn't perfect etc etc. When I watch Asian shows I can easily live vicariously through the characters because even though I'm not Korean or Japanese ... our problems at its core are still the same and they're not afraid to show ORDINARY people just trying to live. There's a lot that Western cinema does better, but there's a lot they can learn from Asian cinema too. A thing or 10 I'd say. Layered, 3-dimensional, every day human characters would be a good start.

Love this article! I've often wondered how representative what is portrayed on dramas is to real life in that country. I'm happy to hear it's pretty similar. I've certainly fallen in love with the Korean culture through watching dramas, but until I can go there in person I feel the slightest bit justified in learning about the country's culture throught its cinema. I'm dying to try the food! But gosh ... those interfering in laws seem like a nightmare! As for the eating of food in dramas ... I love the authenticity of it. That was actually the 1st thing that made me wanna keep watching Asian dramas. No lie. LOL. That and all the hot men that it only took me all my life to discover. It was a nice change of pace from all the fakeness that goes on in Western cinema and for me it still is.

I really have to #SMH at some of these poll results. lol

Good job on the article! :-)
I'm an adrenaline junkie so there are days when I love me some fast cars, explosions and blazing guns, but mostly I luurve romance! Only You is one of my all time favourite Korean movies for the mere fact that it isn't a rom-com, but a romantic drama movie with a happy ending! More experienced Korean movie watchers may scoff at me, but in my experience movies like these are hard to find in Korean cinema. Usually romance movies that aren't rom-coms end with tragedy. So when I discovered Only You I really felt like I had hit gold. It's just the kind of romantic drama movie that I love. I wish Korea would make more films like it.

I have Secret on my PWL. Didn't know romance played a big part in its plot. Bumping that one up on the watch list! I'll probably pass on the J-movie rec since I've outgrown high school romances.

Thank you! Happy New Year to you too!
I'm looking forward to discovering some great new dramas this year. May 2013 fulfill your dreams! :-)

Thanks!

By The Concubine do you mean Royal Concubine: Concubine of the King? If yes, then yes, I've seen it. R2B is that a drama? Haven't seen it. Haven't seen most of what you mentioned so will check them out. Thanks. No, haven't seen much Thai movies lately. Last Thai movie I saw was Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Does any of the dramas you mentioned have romance?

Thanks!
So are you watching anything interesting at the mo? Any good recs you can pass on to me?

Happy New Year! In 2013 may you be blessed.

It gets better when you have creative control, but usually creative control is reserved for people at the top. The key is to find people who you work well with and stick to them. You're not really missing out on anything really. With that said, I couldn't do your job! I love kids, but I don't have the patience to teach them hehe

Me too. Even though I had watched quite a few Asian films prior to my drama discovery, it was dramas that piqued my interest in the region to fangirl proportions. Most of my friends and family are like me before I caught the Asian bug ... it's not even on their radar. When I try to talk to them about it, they respond and then promptly change the subject. So for now I'm alone on this journey. It's all good.

Yeah, I know how the system works in the UK. I went to film school in London and worked a few projects there before returning to Norway. While I do take your point and can agree to a certain extent re: the UK entertainment industry (I know nothing about the business in Asia so can't comment) I'd say looks does play a role here too. Perhaps not to the extent it does in Asia, but don't be tempted to think its so much better here. I've been in many casting sessions where directors & producers reject people for not being pretty enough even when they have the talent and are perfect for the part. It is a business that is heavily reliant on looks no matter where, I'm afraid. The ugly people best stay behind the camera, and even there there's a dirty tendency to resort to looks when hiring crew & such. Like I said, a cancer. If I didn't love it so much, I'd get the hell out!

Hmm ... Matt Bomer, never heard of him. The fact that he's gay would mess up the fantasy for me though. Not because he's gay of course, but because I know there'd be no chance with him, ever, not even in my own little shangri-la! :-)

I've seen Intimate Lovers, yup. Anything else up your sleeve? I like edgy films like these. It's even better when the have a strong romantic element and a happy/satisfying ending like Chunhyang.