QAS

Family drama movie

A heartfelt family story about a daughter coming home after the death of her father. She meets her half-sisters for the first time, and they bond over hotpot. Very good production values in the writing, casting, acting, directing, directing and editing departments. Toward the end the movie, I wanted it to keep going, but there is a two hours' time restriction. It would have been nice if she had kept the Fagara restaurant open for business. Life in Hong Kong might have financial rewards and job security, and restaurant business might be hard and rewarding, but the family tradition of Hsia Liang's Hot Pot secret recipe would continue.

Sammi Cheng looks youthful, fifteen years after her movie with Andy Lau, "Magic Kitchen". Sammi Cheng, Megan Lai and Li Xiao Feng were perfectly cast as the sisters. Their acting performances were awesome.

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Predictable plot with a charming main couple

I came to this drama for Wang Zi Qi, after watching him in The Love I Give You. He and Wang Yu Wen made a a cute couple in both dramas.

The unscrupulous villainess, Ran Xiwei, was the worst character in the drama. With her wealth and connections, she should have employed a fashion designer/stylist. Her fugly fashions and drab hairstyle worked against her. She could not even compare or defeat the Plain Jane Gu Xi Xi and her boring fashions and dull ponytail hairstyle. Some of Xi Xi's Cici design fashions were lovely.

The seniors, Alex, Grandma, Mother and Father were very nice. Shang KE and Mu Rou Na did not work for me. Perhaps different actors would have made them look more appealing and attractive. The different in their maturity level, experience and intelligence was 1000%.

Best Friend Xiaoyu and Fei'Ang should have coupled earlier in the plot, and receive a sub plot. I suspected that they would end up together at some point. Fei'Ang needs a hairstylist.

Ratings: Overall 7
Plot: 7.5 (Without Ran Yi Wei, it would be 8.5)
Costumes: 7.5 (Women's Fashions = 7. Men's Fashions = 8)
Hair: 7.0 (... except for Sichen, who gets 8).
Acting: 8
Music: 7 (The signing was too repetitive, but not obtrusive.)
Directing: 7.5
Editing: 7 (Flashbacks were not necessary.)
Casting: 7.5

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Suspenseful and intense horror film

This is the most suspenseful, intense movie that I have watched. It is August 2021, and I finally got around to watching this movie, five years after the release. The K-movie production staff, crew and cast outdid themselves. All of Korea must have worked as extras. The last seven minutes had me tearing up.

The acting by the main cast was very good, and the Zombie extras must have had a lot of fun playing the ghouls. Sadly, only two of the train passengers survived. The director is a visionary, bringing the screenwriter's mental thoughts on paper to virtual life.

The virus that began in a lab seems to have an eerie message of a deadly virus that is unleashed on mankind.

It is a rollercoaster train ride from the time, the first zombie appears at the train station.

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Sherlock and the Ghostbusters

I LOVED watching Daniel Choi in this drama, and appreciated his acting skills. He's the most photogenic, handsome, charistmatic K-actor. The cast and acting was on point. Some acting was overacting, but this is K-dramaland.

Too much detail was spent on Sun Woo-Hye and the flashbacks/flashbacking and singing. The constant loud singing in your "face" is so tiresome in the Asian dramas. If they had shown the sequence of events in chronological order, instead of flashbacking constantly, the story would have flowed effortlessly instead of listlessly like the ocean tides. This could have improved the Korea TV ratings significantly.

Some of the plot was confusing, confounded by the repetitive flashbacks and flashbacking. "I see you, Lee Da Il. I don't see you, Lee Da Il." Once the characters started talking directly to Lee Da Il, when they were not really seeing him, was a conspiracy among the Director, Scriptwriter and Film Editor. The story dragged in places, especially with Sun Woo-Hye on screen. The whole story could have been told in 16 30-minute episodes, or it could have been a very good 2-hour movie.

Spoiler: Lastly, the five years' time jump at the end! Really, Director? Really, Writer? This "love" story qualifies for the 1,000 or 10,000 years' old romance drama.

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Suspense and tension

The Guardians was full of suspense and tension. The writing and direction were very good until episode 31 and 32, when logic, communication and collaboration went out the window, and confusion, idiocy and tragedy entered the room.



Kim Young Kwang made the show sparkle, with his great height, wardrobe and acting. Kim Ki Bum (aka Key) did a very good acting job, which should make him viable for future acting projects. Kim Seul Gi also showed her acting range throughout the drama. Lee Shi Young did a very good job with the physical aspects of her role, but her monotone voice throughout the drama, made me cringe.



The music was very good, and upbeat. I could not locate the full OST on Itunes.



The final episode had the typical bad K-drama ending, that included a time jump that was unnecessary and extraneous, and a waste of the filming budget. Was I stupid, to hope for a great ending to a very good drama? Yoon Seung Ro's masterplan for a second season could have been five minutes long, and the remaining eleven minutes could have been put to better use.

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A Dull Day in the Life of Gao Qi Qiang

The alternate drama title was A Dull Day in the Life of Gao Qi Qiang. A suspense drama that should have been thirty episodes maximum. Protagonist An was overshadowed by Antagonist Gao for most of the plot.

The only things that Gao Qi Qiang had going for himself were smart hairstyles and an impeccable wardrobe. He was the successful businessman with the pretty wife. Gao Qi Qiang was the epitome of the perfect Godfather; ruthless and beneficent.

An Xin was an iffy character. He looked like a thin reed that will bend in the wind. His righteous/good Samaritan cop act got boring. An Xin was the country bumpkin. His mannerisms around Men Yu were immature and annoying. He seemed to have a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Even as a cop, he wavered and waffled. He was dominated by the neighborhood bully Gao Qi Qiang. When An Xin had his bravado moments, you asked yourself, "Where was he, all this time? Has he been lying in stealth for twenty years?"

Zhang Song Wen (...Gao Qi Qiang) should have received Top Billing, because he drove the plot. This was my third drama with Zhang Yi (... An Xin), and he played a cop in all three dramas. His police characters seemed like clones. Zhang Yi needs to step away from the police genre, and play another career professional. If he lived in ancient times, he would be the peasant soldier in the first row during the siege, and he would take the first strike.

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Bats and zombies in a ghost town

This drama was already promising at 24 episodes, but it should have been 16 episodes. Repetitive flashbacks were extraneous. I don't think we needed to be reminded of these scenes, The ghost town where it was staged was either a deserted war-torn or flooded town, or some ugly CGI. The bats vanished fast in the early episodes, and the zombies must have gone to sleep. I am surprised that the stranded travelers did not explore the town for supplies or better accommodations. They just stayed in the hotel, run down in some places. The store where Er found the sneakers had clothing hanging in the shop, although they should have rot in twenty years. Was the train track sealed off on both ends, or where they just lazy, to try to escape from the bats and zombies who took a snoozefest? The blue ocean, which I am sure was CGI, was the prettiest view. The production quality was bad in many episodes. Extreme closeups with a bland expression do not constitute acting skills.

After bingewatching the first 16 episodes in the last three days (in October 2023), I skipped to the final episode. The timid teacher was the the mastermind. LOL I don't think I missed anything important. This was my Halloween entertainment.

Final rating: 55

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Legend of Doctor Cha

This was an average drama with saccharine acting and dialog; two reasons why I have stayed away from K-Dramas for many years. The plot had potential as a drama about infidelity and character growth. What we saw, was compromise, mistrust and miscommunication within the family unit, and narrow-mindedness.

Parent and child communication is flawed. Yes, the ingrates, Seo In Ho and Mother Kwak, did confide in each other, but they had an ulterior motive; to use and denigrate the passive FL. The two most ethical characters, Dr Cha and Mother Oh also kept secrets and sweet-talked each other, instead of trusting each other with their problems. In fact, the Seo family was deliberately undermining the mother, and enabling the father, by keeping Dr Seo’s illicit affair from Cha. Ms Oh thought her son-in-law was a saint and paragon of virtue for twenty-five years. The moral of the plot was that one should turn a blind eye, and obey the husband and mother-in-law.

Thank God, Cha rejected Seo's last ditch attempts to lure her back to the family. The husband, daughter and son, and MIL needed to appreciate the good life they had with the servile wife, mother and daughter-in-law at their beck and call.

I can't imagine the females' attraction to Seo in Ho. Why did two women with some higher education, cling to him? He had no charm or good looks. Did he throw all his money at the Mistress and Lovechild? He certainly treated the legitimate wife as a servant. He stopped having sex with the wife for ten years. After Eunsoo’s birth, did he travel to USA frequently, to be with his second family? They only returned to Korea three years ago.

Most of the characters were pathetic, with the exception of Dr Roy Kim. A shame that he did not wait for the three years’ time jump, and romance Doctor Cha. I understand Cha’s reluctance because of her illness that could end her life at any time, but Kim and she had a connection. He was the only one who was looking out for her wellbeing and happiness.

Uhm Jung Hwa was credible as Doctor Cha, the passive wife and mother and daughter-in-law, who would not challenge the manipulative, ungrateful husband and MIL, and the pampered children. One wonders if they will turn eventually into carbon copies of the father and grandmother. Cha found her identity and self-worth when she resumed her medical profession.

Kim Byung Chu as Seo in Ho; a brilliant surgeon and lying, cheating husband! Seo’s slapstick comedy act was overdone and tedious. The facial quirks, pratfalls and outbursts diminished Seo's professionalism as a topnotch surgeon and department head. He should have been in showbiz. Seo was duplicitous, verbally abusive, manipulative, and belligerent. In the end, he was promoted to Hospital Director. WTF! It would not surprise me if he preyed on another woman after his divorce.

Myung Se Bin as Choi Seung Hee; an entitled mistress! I finally understood her behavior when it was revealed that she was from a rich family, and inherited half of the father’s estate. No wonder, Ms Kwak was bitter that her son had not married Choi.

Min Woo Hyuk as Roy Kim; a knight in shining armor! It is disappointing that he did not end up with Dr Cha.

This drama had too much filler and comedic moments. The drunk sequences were excessive. It should have been trimmed to twelve episodes. The final episode was boring. Dr Kim should have waited for the three years' time jump, and wooed Dr Cha. That was enough time for Cha to find her identity and purpose in life. Most of the final episode was filler.

Story: 7.0: The drama plot was average, but it portrayed the bias against females in the family unit, except for the female hierarch.
Acting: 7.5: The actors are seasoned drama performers.
Makeup Rating 6.5: The actresses wore whiter than white foundation that made them look ghostly and ghastly. Isn't cosmetology a big industry in Korea?
Costume Rating 6.5: Some of Cha's outfits were dowdy, and Ms Kwak shopped at the Fugly Fashion House. Kwak's outfits were ugly.
Writing Rating 6: Too much filler and inane dialog
Directing and Editing Rating 7: Too much filler scenes stretching the drama.
Music Rating: 6.5
Rewatch Value: 1: Husband and MIL killed the vibes.
Overall Rating 6.5

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Memory is fleeting.

Memory was well done, except for the most asinine, ridiculous editing flaw and some shaky camera. In every episode, a scene would have a hiccup. They would say a few lines, and they would instantly repeat the sequence. It served no purpose, because it was not the ML having an Alzheimers moment. It would appear at random, and would involve other characters, as well. It felt as if the viewer was having a brain fart or Alzheimers moment.

Lee Sung Min did a realistic portrayal of a man being tested by his creeping illness and the conspiracies popping out of the woodwork. The writer made Park Tae Song (...LSM) earn his pay. Lee Jun Ho and Song So Hee were excellent as Jung Jin and Sun Hwa, the guardian angels to Park Taek Seo during his good or bad times. The Memory castlist was perfect. The main and supporting actors gave memorable performances.

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Disaster on a fast track

I decided to watch this Chinese disaster movie packed into two hours. I got lost with the earthquake/crumbling mountainside/typhoon plot. A decent production with very good CGI! The actors did a very good job. They didn't determine if ten years of drilling the tunnel in the mountain weakened the terrain, but they did mention an earthquake in the Indian Ocean as being the trigger of the local earthquake. The funniest line was when one of the workers went up to Ms Ding and said a storm (...typhoon?) was imminent, any second now. Low and behold, the storm hit the area, a second later. Really? The movie was on the fast track, no planning and execution, just execution. Othewise, the movie would be three hours long.

Zhu Yilong was very good in a non-drama role. I liked his father. The actors/characters were supporting the earthquake and collapsing mountains.

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Intense drama

Without giving away too much of the plot;

Ji Sung is THE Superstar Devil Judge, the lone revenger, who recruits a protege, to help him take out the elite, narcissistic villains who control the dystopian society of Korea. There was filler material and a ton of unnecessary flashbacks to clutter the viewers’ concentration. Editing Department went out of control.

Acting:
Ji Sung and Kim Min Jung showed their seniority and acting caliber. The other actors gave either basic or over the top performances. President Park must have escaped from the asylum for lunatics. Give that man a straight jacket.

Fashions:
Men’s fashions were on point, Women’s fashions were average (…Cha Kyung Hee) or outlandish (…Jung Sun Ah).

Story:
The plot was hindered by the flashbacks, flashbacking and choppy editing. Storyboard was all over the place. The church fire reveal was underwhelming. The writer should have pinned it on Jung Sun Ah instead.

Editing:
Too many repetitive flashbacks and choppy editing! Viewers cannot focus when they see past and present juggled in front of them.

Music:
Average

Conclusion:
Rushed, but gratifying

What I read into the final scene, is that Judge Kang has gone off the radar, to complete his revenging mission. Cue to Season 2.

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Roller Coaster Yin Yang Master

Yin Yang Master (Chen Kun) was a bizarre story. Monsters meets Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings meets Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meets the Scorpion King meets Thing from Adams Family. The BGM sounded very Japanese, and no wonder. The composer is Shigeru Umebayashi. The creators had one hell of an imagination. Final message indicates that a sequel is in the plans. I hope the cast, including the CGI guardian characters, returns. William Chan's Claw Cimu will not make the cut. His incomplete antlers was funny. The Monster Snake was Sauron/Smaug.

Excellent acting by Chen Kun, Qu Chu Xiao and Shen Yue. I did not recognize Cici Wang (from Tientsin Mystic).

I gave it a 7.5 overall rating because I found my anxiety level was rising throughout the movie. Having seen the original Onmyoji movies with Nomura Mansai and Ito Hideaki, I have to admit that the SFX budget on this movie was astronomical, compared to the Japanese movies.

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Cliffhanger of the Season

I watched this drama because of Zhang Ruo Yun. In the beginning, Joy of Life did not WOW me, but as the episodes dropped every week, I became riveted to the monitor. This is the first C-drama that did not drag, or contain extraneous filler. The fleeting flashbacks were the only unnecessary nuance.

Overall, the production values were top notch. This Director knew how to supervise his departments; Wardrobe, Set Design, Music, Martial Arts Choreography, Cinematography, and Editing (...more or less), to produce a clean, efficient drama work. The Film Editor did a decent job 80% of the time, but he got carried away with some impossible scene splicing (known as scene intercut) toward the end of the drama.

Zhang Ruo Yun carried the weight of the drama on his shoulders. Modern thinker Fan Xian was a fish out of "historical" water, but he blended well into the fabric of the imperial dynasty. The other cast members did a very good job with their character portrayals. Fan Xian's handlers, Uncle Wu Zhu, Wang Qinian and Teng Zi Jing, were the most intriguing and well liked characters.

Generally, I would be irate if a C-drama had a cold ending, hinting at a follow-up season. Joy of Life is the only drama that I am eagerly awaiting Season 2, which I hope, does not drag on for two years. An extended interval between Seasons 1 and 2 would disrupt the momentum and continuity, and the Producers should know that they "should strike while the iron is hot".

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Vincenzo is quirky and entertaining.

Vincenzo concluded, and the executions of Jang Han Seok and Choi Myung Hee were a gore-fest. Vincenzo is one of the quirkiest, most entertaining K-dramas, and it might be the best K-drama of 2021. I thought that it was an over-the-top silly slapstick/crime/suspense drama in the beginning, but I kept watching it every week.

Protagonists: Song Joong Ki shined in the role of Vincenzo, and he carried the show on his shoulders. This is his best acting role to-date. His special skills got the job done, while he regained his humanity. Jeon Yeo Bin was overacting as Hong Cha Young, who acted like a spoilt princess most of the time. Her supermodel catwalk strut and her facial mannerisms were very annoying. When she was serious, she radiated on screen.

Antagonists: Ok Taecyeon stepped outside the box, and chose a role that I never envisioned. Jang Han Seok was psychotic, bipolar, evil, schizophrenic and despotic. Kim Yeo Jin as Choi Myung Hee was the most irritating character in the drama. Her styling was off. She looked like a frowzy fashionista with dirty hair and expensive fashion wear. It looked like Kim never washed and combed her hair for twenty episodes.

Chump: Kwak Dong Yeon is memorable as the cowardly weak brother, Jang Han Seo, who developed a spine, and helped Vincenzo take down Jang Han Seok.

SPOILER ALERT
I found the opening segment of the final episode was very irritating. Master Executioner Vincenzo froze while Jang Han-Seok and Jang Han-Seo were having a showdown. This was so uncharacteristic in Vincenzo. I would have choreographed a better scene, with Vincenzo and Jang Han-Seo taking down madman Jang Han-Seok. Even if Jang Han-Seo was weak, he was still redeemable. As usual, the K-drama time jump wrapped up the drama. If the production team took off a week to fine tune the last four episodes, they surely raised the bar on the gore.

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Sorcery with bad hair days and bad patterns

LLIT infused fantasy and sorcery elements with a fictional branch of the Western Wei Yuan dynasty.  Male characters are clad in voluminous, pattern-challenged costumes. The male and female characters wear overt head dress or braided hat hair.

Story:
A very creative plot about Time intervention, with some shortfalls.  The story could have been tighter, and effective with three dozen episodes.

Acting Cast:
The actors delivered solid acting performances.  William Chan and Cecilia Liu were the group leaders, but Zhang Ryan and Xu Jiawei walked away with the awards.  Zhang Ryan (Yuan Ming) receives the Wide Range of Acting Award, as the villain Prince.  Xu Jiawei (Yuan Li) receives the Congenial Character Award, as undercover Prince/Guardian of the Transformations.

Music:
The incidental music was  impressive, and facilitated the activity on screen.

Rewatch Value
I am not in a hurry to relive the drama, but I might attempt it for William Chan, Xu Jiawei (Yuan Li) and Gong Jun (Yuan Che) only.

Overall score 7.0 -  Good production values in directing, editing, acting, set design and cinematography!  Costume and hair designs were over the top, and a constant distraction. Writing was average.  The best surprise was the ending.  Overall, the episodes stretched Time. This drama should have started out the gate with eight weekly episodes, to keep the viewers' attention span.

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