Kate

Do Hyeon Su - the master of gaslighting… himself.

I dropped it in 2020 when it was airing, but that was my mistake - I took the show far too seriously. I should have accepted it for the clownery it was and just have fun with how entertaining it was.

I don’t even know where to start. Probably with the king clown himself, Do Hyeon Su. My man was so determined to convince himself he was in fact a psychopath, I was in awe. He was crying and having borderline panic attacks while at the same time claiming he does not feel hurt, guilt, sadness. It amazes me honestly. And then when he finally accepted that he in fact does feel things, he can love, what do we get? A fucking amnesia in the last episode, so he can yet again gaslight himself as a cherry on top of his clownery. I had to pause the episode, I could not believe my eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, on paper this plot is not as ridiculous. A person can be groomed into believing they are something they are not. But that would be an average person for you. And with how male lead was written, he was not average and I think the writer did not actually see how they wrote highly intelligent people, but also conventionally made them dumb just for things that were required for the plot. Examples: he did all that research on mimicking depression and reading even microexpressions, and yet he did not once googled his actual diagnosis? Not to mention he himself knows he was diagnosed based on lies he told the psychologist. I feel like someone could have literally set him in front of a world renowned group of psychiatrists who would explain antisocial personality disorder and how he does not fit the diagnostic criteria, and he would pretend to be deaf and blind just to not hear them. And for that clownery I am thankful, because it was one of the more fun aspects of the drama.

Then we have Cha Ji Won, who by all means also had a lot of psychological issues, even if they were not addressed in the drama. Obsessive tendencies? Sure. Lack of understanding boundaries? At times unfounded ideas of her knowing better that others think and feel? Also true. Maybe because Do Hyeon Su was written with more depth, the female lead felt rather flat and two-dimensional - quite literally. One dimension of her existence was the serious and professional detective, the other was the bubbly loving wife. While on paper I liked that mix (you can be sweet and loving, but also badass - these are not mutually exclusive) somehow there was something uncanny about Moon Chae Won's performance.

The thing is - I like how the character was written. I also think Moon Chae Won is a great character and I enjoy many of her previous roles. Somehow I could not truly connect nor relate to her as Cha Ji Won. Yes, some scenes were phenomenal, but the overall portrayal was lacking…

As for their dynamics - many ups and downs. To some extent I lived for the angst between them, but since I found the setup ridiculous, I was not fully emotionally affected by it. Initial lack of trust and the cat and cat chase (there was no mouse here - they were both hunting) was extremely entertaining, but at some point when they started to work together, the sudden twists and throwback to negative assumption was a bit too much of an out of ass whiplash.

You know who I did enjoy though? Kim Mu Jin. Personally I think he was the best character. Extremely consistent in how he was written, what his personality and skill set was, what were his good and bad points. I love how he struggled a lot with trusting the male lead. How he was rather quick to believe the rumours and what was the explanation to it. Not to mention his amazing one liners. He had great chemistry with every other character he shared the screen with.

On the other hand Do Hae Su was really bland. I don't know if it was writing or the performance, but the hardships she had to face and the emotional distress she kept feeling did not translate on the screen at all. I don’t have much to say about her. She was there to push the plot forward and give reasoning and motivation for other characters’ choices.

I saw quite a lot of potential in Kong Mi Ja and I wish they developed her more. There were just hints of her feeling actually connected to Do Hyeon Soo. It could have been an amazing and heartbreaking internal conflict between her picking her own son, and the son she raised. But as many other things, at the end of the day it just felt flat. Baek Man U gave me nothing.

What’s more to like? The crime team. At first they seemed like such a weird mix of characters that do not fit together, but these differences were actually what kept them driven and in check. I love how loyal they were to each other, and how humane their decisions were.

As for the actual psychopath - what a fucking disappointment. Baek Hui Seong was boring. He was neither intimidating nor complex. Yes, they tried to show how at least to some extent he was looking for acceptance and validation, but the character spent most of the show in bed… no time for proper development. I also cannot get over the unnecessary black eyes of Do Min Seok in Do Hyeon Soo’s visions. That said - his relationship with his son was yet another wasted opportunity. Him trying to mold Do Hyeon Soo into someone like him. Him failing, and yet still feeling some kind of weird protectiveness over him. That’s some interesting aspects that could have been explored.

Quick question, maybe I missed it. But… how was his death ruled as suicide when he literally had his head smashed with a rock? They thought what? He ran into a wall until he died?

Performances wise? Amazing in almost all cases. I already talked about how Moon Chae Won was both hit and miss for me. Lee Joon Gi though? Damn. The way his eyes and corner of his lips twitched when he tried to suppress the emotions he was feeling - amazing, beautiful, breathtaking. I am not even completely mad about that last minute amnesia trope (which was so ridiculous I just…), because it gave us the scene between the lead in the work studio which was probably one of my favorite scenes from the whole drama.

Production wise it was fine? I am so mad about the styling of Cha Ji Won in her 20’. Why did they give her career mother hairstyle (aka exactly the same hairstyle she has in the present timeline) - they did nothing to make her look younger, so the majority of flashbacks just made me feel uncomfortable since I could not immerse myself into the scene. It was just a grown up woman in her 30’ acting cutesy.

Overall, I had fun for the wrong reasons. Kim Mu Jin was amazing, Lee Joon Gi’s performance was perfect, the story was ridiculous.

Read More

The genres that are not quite fitting.

Honestly speaking, this is far more of a comedy drama, and I don’t see many thriller elements in it. The poster presents what the mood of the movie will be far more than the genres listed, so take that into consideration when watching.

I have to say, it’s been a while since a movie made me so excited to watch. I was interested in the characters, in the court case, in the truth behind the case. Each element was so well written and constructed, and intertwined into the overall plot, there wasn’t a second wasted of the screen time.

The movie seems like a low key battlefield between the professional judge who forgot the core aspect of her work and a Juror 8, who got himself involved in the case and now simply wants to do a good job with it.

The aspect I enjoyed the most was the character development and clever ways they indicated how and when specific Juror’s started to be more engaged in the case. Especially Choi Yeong Jae, with whom they did a brilliant job.

The acting was amazing. Not surprised with a cast like that. Having great and well established actors playing supporting, and even guest roles made each scene truly enjoyable. Big props to Seo Hyun Woo, even though he did not have that much screen time, his depiction of the defendant was stellar.

Is the movie realistic? Definitely not. I do believe the comedic leaning makes it okay though. It still presents the importance of the job jury has, the potential issues in the system, but also the benefits it might bring, while adding a lot of entertainment with the exaggerated scenarios.

On the other hand, saying it’s even loosely based on the original story is nothing but misleading. The cases are nothing alike, the result is not the same, the behavior of the jury is completely different. It especially bothered me with the last narration on the screen, where they mixed the events of the show with real life statistics - it was simply confusing. Before I did some research, I was sure that part describes the real life case from 2008, which was not correct. Hence I’m not sure selling it even to that extent as being related to real events was a wise choice.

Overall, extremely exciting, interesting and engaging. Has some amazing situational comedy, but does not forget to have good content behind the jokes.

Read More

Saving the human race at the cost of humanity.

Rather than a destination, The Silent Sea served me a direction with countless possibilities and roads to follow. The questions have been asked, and it’s on me to answer them for myself.

Personally speaking, I like the shows that do not tell me everything, so I can dwell on the issues myself. Which decisions were correct, which were selfish, which showed humanity and which made the character greedy - The Silent Sea leaves enough room for me to decide on my own.

The dire reality of Earth’s water supply slowly ending was quite a nice and more realistic take on a potential dystopian scenario we might face. Showing us some details on how the nations work around the problem, the inequality in water distribution - both in the case of the quantity, but also quality of water, all that created a cohesive setting that made the mission seem justified, and the risk worth taking. The more I believe the setting, the less I question life-risking decisions the characters are making.

The Silent Sea tackles the topics of social inequality, distribution of necessary resources, corporate greed and misguided decisions that were made in hopes of bettering the lives of others. How far can we go to save the human race? Are we willing to give up humanity in the process? Should we focus on the struggles of individuals when we need to save the collective? But what is collective if not a group of individuals?

Another aspect that I greatly appreciated was the contrast between the individual goals and needs of the crew and the worsening situation on the Earth. On one hand, the contrast might make the personal issues trivial, on the other hand, it showed how important it is to consider these small, seemingly insignificant issues, as they might help us make morally sound decisions.

Moving to the cast and the performances - could we ask for me? Probably not. Bae Doona and Gong Yoo truly aced their roles, presenting all the emotions and dilemmas in the most realistic and subtle way possible. All the supporting cast did their best in bringing these characters to life, and they succeeded. Big props to Lee Joon who moved on from the meme English line “you shouldn’t do that” to the whole English dialogues (obscure references only A+ would know). His performance was for sure one that surprised me the most.

Adding to the value of the show, we’ve got some aesthetic feast. The color contrast between the warm yellow tones on Earth, and cold blue shades on the moon, the space shots, the use of light and shadows - all creating a number of beautiful pictures.

While the scenes taking place on either Earth or artificial gravity were amazing, all the physics in the rest, at times felt… oof. The movement of actors in zero gravity was an obvious wire work that took away from the realism. Some CGI could have either been improved, or the scene completely removed (was that fake lion truly necessary?).

Talking about science… just try not to think about it too hard, especially closer to the ending.

Overall, I appreciated how they did not slam me in the face with the answers, but left enough info in for me to puzzle it all together. Some twists were easier to predict than others (some could have been seen from miles away), but I was highly entertained from the beginning till the end. It’s slow at times, not action packed, but that’s the type of shows I appreciate the most.

There is also one aspect of the plot that made me quite “happy”, but since it is a spoiler, I will talk about it in the comment under the review.

Read More

When you feel like a plot twist is the whole plot of a show.

Let’s start with the setup: When a drama incorporates sci-fi, but does not commit to it. Was I slightly frustrated that time travel was never really explained and no one even tried to ask questions about it? Yes. At the same time, it might be better not to talk about it, if the alternative is us getting some explanation that wouldn’t make any sense. At the end of the day, sci-fi was not the main genre, but rather a tool to introduce main plot and mystery. Not explaining all the rules of “reset” was a perfect way to keep viewers on the edge of their seat, trying to figure it out themselves.

What this drama did well was caring for all the characters. While Hyung Jo, Ga Hyun and Lee Shin might be the mains, we also got enough background information and screen time to know and care about the supporting cast. What are their motivations, why they do what they do and where does it lead them. We’ve got the answers for it all.

It might take a while to get used to the fast pace and countless plot twists, but once you dive deep into the style and storytelling, it's hard to get out. Questioning each and every characters’ motives and actions, trying to figure out who is the mastermind behind it all. There are definitely a lot of aspects that make the viewer interested in the story and engaged in what is happening.

Sadly… the plot twists became too much. At some point I stopped being excited and curious about them, but rather frustrated. Oh… we get another one? Cool. How about you chill a bit? There was no point in me trying to puzzle out the plot when the whole picture changed every few minutes. The last three episodes I just wanted to finally find out what is going on and be done.

I was also hoping for some cohesive one big picture created by all the plot lines, but I felt like the two main ones went a bit separate ways.

Overall, it was an exciting ride with a little bit too many plot twists for me liking. I would enjoy it more if I binge watched it. Watching just 2 episodes per week killed the hype. It was a tough beginning and the ending, but the middle part was truly good.

Read More

When Self-Reliance Meets Shameless Flirting.

Proper noona romance. The age gap is decently big - enough to potentially cause problems, but not big enough to make the romance feel weird. What’s more? The characters actually acted their age and certain external conflicts were the results of their past experiences and the maturity levels.

One thing I for sure enjoyed a lot was the male lead who gets caught in his own trap. I adore how they handled him falling in love. Initially I kept questioning his motives - is he just using her for peace of mind at work? Was it love at first sight? Is he flirting just to have fun and from pure curiosity, or are his feelings deeper? I knew he was interested, but how much? And the performance? Perfection. I love when we can actually see the attraction in the characters’ eyes, even if the character himself is not aware of it yet.

Then we had the female lead, who was far more reserved - she was burned once, and preferred single stress free life. I like how she was not completely clueless about everything that is going on between her and Katsuragi Yukino - it was less about her denying he likes her, and more about her hesitation to allow herself to be in a relationship. I appreciated how in that aspect the dynamics between leads felt more mature and realistic.

We know Katsuragi Yukino has been in relationships, so if they tried to sell her as a character that is clueless about romance, it would not work. Rather than that they centered the story and the conflict on her self-reliance that she struggled to let go - being alone felt more comforting and comfortable and she was not sure she wanted to and was ready to change.

Sadly, I do not think Nakamura Anne did as much of a good job acting wise. She aced the majority of the scenes, but I feel she struggles with conveying fear - the moments where she should feel scared, whatever the reasons were, just did not land.

All that said, the chemistry between the leads was great. Mizuki shamelessly flirting and Yukino keeping her guard, but also going along with it to not blow their cover, while mentally probably wanting to strangle Mizuki was fun to witness. What’s more, from the start Yukino had the door to her heart closed, but not locked so while she was hesitant, she was not completely opposed to the idea of starting something with Mizuki. That created fun interactions that did not make me feel like Mizuki was pushing himself onto her without her consent.

Them kisses though… With how flirty and confident Mizuki was, and with Yukino who we knew had past experiences (so the “first kiss, don’t know what I am doing” excuse does not work) I do not understand these utterly disappointing kisses. Of course they could have been worse, they did not go fill “frozen surprised fish”, but in the context of the drama and the characters personalities, this just did not sit right with me.

As for the plot outside the romance: the drama added unnecessary spice concerning Mizuki’s family dynamics. At first it served as an outlet to verbalize Mizuki’s internal dialogue and doubts, allowing me to understand the character more. But then unexpectedly another element was added that existed purely to create mediocre chaos that led to nowhere.

For the production, one aspect I truly appreciated was the styling that was in fact age appropriate. Male lead dressed like a typical guy in his mid 20s, the female lead dressed like a typical officer worker in her mid 30s. What dramas sometimes try to do is make the age gap less apparent with the outfits by either dressing male leads into mature fits, or female leads into trendy outfits that were clearly targeted for someone 10 years younger.

Overall, it was fun and a light watch. It was not groundbreaking, it did not try to be more than it set out to be in episode 1 - entertaining rom-com.

Read More

They not only combined two different fighting styles...

they also combined two different movies into one.

Here's the thing: was it entertaining? Yes. Was it good? Ehh. I like both ideas of the plot they tried to fit into one, but you just cannot make it happen in one hour and thirty minutes. "Underdeveloped" was the theme.

Let's start with the story the synopsis describes, the ultimate fan service. The second half is THE Karate Kid movie you are expecting to see. Li Fong being trained by Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso in a painful, but entertaining fashion. All to get him ready so he can defeat "the bully". The core of the franchise is to never give up, always get back up and use that secret move you've been training during montages to give the final blow.

First half thought? Way more refreshing, more interesting and I wish it was used as a completely separate movie (also, it's weird how it was completely hidden from the marketing). It gives a nice twist to the known formula and now the kid becomes the master. Personally I had way more fun watching that part of the plot.

As a whole movie it's not the greatest, but it does have some great moments. Back alley fight behind the pizzeria? Probably my favorite fighting scene - it had that comedy Jackie Chan style to it. Existence of Alan, the most random character in any Karate Kid movie? Perfect. The number of times Li Fong gets his ass kicked by Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso? Pure chaos and fun. The boxing match and training (yes, there is boxing in it) - awesome.

But then we also have the bad. Conor Day was just painfully poorly written. The actual tournament? Barely existed - they fast forwarded all the fights, we saw close to nothing. Ming Na Wen practically being just a guest role was sad - her character could have delivered some good external conflict. Than we have the trauma that was less than a background.

Somehow, because nothing was truly developed I did not feel the grand victorious feeling when the movie ended. You know how Karate Kid movies make you want to learn martial arts? This one just made me want to rewatch previous movies in the franchise. It just did not have that kick to it.

The casting was great. The cast was criminally underused, but still great. Jackie Chan at 71 still has it. Probably on his worst day he is still better than 99.9% of people on their best. Surprisingly Ben Wang delivered probably my favorite version of "Karate Kid" as the leading character. Good personality with real flaws and fears.

Overall, it was fun. I'm kind of sad they did not make it into two great movies, and instead settled on delivering not that well blended mix.

Read More

Love can truly cure everything.

We had love curing depression, anxiety, cancer - this time we take on insomnia! Surprisingly, it did make sense.

Not gonna lie, this is not some unexpected, fresh masterpiece, but it has a really calming and… sentimental vibe to it. It does feel like a snippet of a larger story. The characters have far more complexity and depth based on their background and past, that is sadly not shown because of the short format.

We get a lot of answers for “what”, but not many for “why”. We know what the characters are struggling with, but not why it happened, especially with Dong Uk. They hint the fact he feels lonely and somehow unsafe - why though? The whys are the interesting part.

Long story short, it’s a story about two people who provide each other solace and warmth. Story that is well presented - be it pacing, directing or editing. The acting was also really good.

That said, some choices were… questionable. Random new person with dialogues, but no face - why? Then we have the kissing scenes. The actors were obviously not uncomfortable, since we’ve got one “normal” one, so why were the rest so bizarre in comparison - more or less stale shots from behind the back of the characters showing… nothing.

Overall, short and sweet, High mid.

Read More

“Whatever you believe, believe in these boys.”

It's always hard to watch anything that is based on true events. There is no "separating fiction from reality" when the show is supposed to present said reality. It hits hard, it makes you feel more. There is no safety of thinking: it’s just a story, because that story was these people’s lives.

The drama perfectly captures the intensity and the tragedy of the events that happened between 23rd June and 10th July 2018. But it also presents how we are capable of great things, cooperation, miracles beyond comprehension. On one hand everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Whenever the plan was formed, they had to change or abandon it, because of the ever changing circumstances. Fate kept punching them down, but they all refused to give up.

The drama made me think about the hard choices that had to be made. After so many days the chances of the kids being alive were slim. But the chances of the rescue team dying during the rescue were high. “I'm not risking lives for dead bodies” - it is an honest question you need to ask yourself... The choices they made led to the boys being rescued.

I also like how the drama clearly presents both the heart and brain are needed to make that happen. Be it conviction, faith, trust - you need that drive that keeps you and your hope alive to even take the action. But you also need science to solve the issues and achieve the goal.

Human kind is the worst, but sometimes it's the best.

About the more technical aspects - I am in awe. What a production. It represented the harsh reality of cave diving in such a terrifying way. The struggles and obstacles these people had to overcome. The claustrophobic nightmare these 18 days were. And with the amount of people involved in the rescue (10,000 people, including more than 100 divers, scores of rescue workers, representatives from about 100 governmental agencies, 900 police officers and 2,000 soldiers) showing how truly big the operation was could not have been an easy task, and yet they made it. They cast just the right people to portray the people involved - no bad acting, no awkward english delivery with non-distinguishable accents. Every aspect of the drama seemed to have a purpose, and the screen time was efficiently used to both showcase the length of the events, but also the press of time they all faced.

Overall, extremely touching, uplighting, but also scary. Even knowing how it ends, I was tense watching each and every moment. I cried, and cried some more. I’ll end the review on the quote that truly touched even my atheistic ass:

"The odds are nearly impossible. But we've all seen statistics be wrong before. We've all seen the power of the mind overcome the power of the body. We all have doubts. We all have crises of faith. We've all had days of rain that never end. But the rain ended. It wasn't supposed to. But it wasn't supposed to start when the boys entered the cave either. Fate has a way of dealing us a hand that we don't always want, challenges we could do without. But challenges can be opportunities. Maybe you don't believe we have an opportunity here. Or maybe you believe it has passed us by already. Maybe you believe the boys died on the first day or the third day. Drowned in the water or got sick or starved. But I've seen a shrine bloom in the jungle, filled with offerings. I've seen Buddhists, Christians, animists, heads bow in prayer. I've even bowed my own. Whatever you believe, believe in these boys."

Read More

It’s fine to hurt people, if you were hurt first - all forgotten and forgiven…

What a hot mess this show is. I am amazed.

I won’t lie, the drama was entertaining. But I also find C class horror movies entertaining. Entertainment does not truly equal quality. I was in a constant state of confusion, and that’s what made it fun.

First of all, I still do not understand when Lee Shin A started to have feelings for Noh Go Jin. She was already liking him before he started to act like a human being and not a psychopath. What made her attracted to him? Was it just his handsome face? I cannot comprehend it. It’s not the case of “he seemed cold, but he showed warmths towards her, so she started to see the good in him” - she was already into him when the tiny bits of goodness started to force their way out of the depth of his trauma and trash personality.

About trash personality and excusing bad behavior because of a painful past - that was a whole ass trend in this show. Except for Lee Shin A, LITERALLY every significant character acted shady and did bad things because of either their current bad situation or past issues. And then it was forgotten and forgiven. The level of scheming was a bit too big for such a sweet resolution if you ask me. Consequences of your actions? Don’t know them.

While the romance had rather good pacing, and even though I do not understand Shin A’s reasoning, I can see a proper progression of both of their feelings. I cannot say the same thing about the mystery aspect of the drama. For the longest time the writer makes you believe male lead is a naive idiot who ignores all the red flags of everything wrong happening around him, when in fact everything was happening behind the scenes, outside of script, probably only in the writer’s imagination. We see none of the process, just the results and it’s so fucking unsatisfying.

I did like a lot of supporting characters. I found every teacher in the academy unique and entertaining. I liked that they were written to stand out on their own and not just fill the space. The side plot for the ex-secretaries was also endearing, especially with their inside woman ;)

The acting was good. Nothing amazing, but I did not have any bigger issues either.

Overall, there are so many better rom-coms, I cannot recommend it with a clear conscience.

Read More

Surprisingly bland.

I wanted to love it, but there was truly not that much to love about it. I feel awful saying that. The fact is, the drama barely made me feel anything.

The bromance was fine, the cases were fine, the stakes were fine. But I felt like the whole show lacked... emotions. With the rather diverse variety of the cases, victims and perpetrators, it seemed like the majority of them reacted the same subdued way. Even for situations that would validate a proper rage, despair, fear - there was barely anything. I felt like the whole show lacked... emotions.

As I said though, we do get quite a variety of different cases that focus on different social struggles and dilemmas - social and workplace discrimination of women who struggle to secure their place despite presenting outstanding skills, loneliness of the youth, desperation that comes from love, social stigma towards victims of sexual abuse and how it can lead to not seeking justice, cyber crime against seniors that uses their lack of technological literacy and love for their families against them and many more.

What’s more to love? The acting was amazing, I give it to them. Tan Jian Ci might be one of the most diverse young actors in China right now. The way he can deliver a baby girl energy here, and edge lord energy in Lost You Forever alone should be the proof. He truly becomes the character he is playing - nothing about his performance seems fake.

While he truly became the star of the show, I do want to give props to the casting director. Crime procedural shows have a lot of guest roles for all the witnesses, victims and perpetrators - it’s not easy to have good actors play every role. Under the Skin managed to achieve that.

I think my biggest issue was how unrealistically good Shen Yi was at his job. I understand that professional forensic artists can do this, but he was not one when he took the job for the first time. The level of skill he showcased fitted more the “about to retire, working criminal cases for past 50 years” scenario. If they made him make some mistakes, maybe I could accept that, but they truly made his skill borderline supernatural.

So it did not matter how much I loved his character, when I could not stop laughing every time he started to sketch. I don't even want to talk about the prosopagnosia case, because that was a bit of a clownery. While it’s clear the production team researched a lot about forensic art and art overall, I cannot say the same about various other topics that were presented.

What’s more? Bromance was not truly bromancing for me. There were a few scenes here and there, but overall, I don’t think Tan Jian Ci and Jin Shi Jia have that much chemistry on screen, or maybe it was the issue of directing their scenes? I guess we will see in the second season.

Overall, something did not click right with me when I was watching. I was enjoying it, but I was not obsessed, even though on paper it seems like a drama I should want to binge watch in one sitting, forgetting to eat, sleep and pee…

Read More

Horror never found…

It’s for sure more of an action fantasy with just some elements of horror. Truth to be told, it had more comedy than horror and I’m not mad about it.

It was an entertaining and light watch. A lot of jokes were basic, but they landed well. Simple plot works well with simple writing and good visuals, and that’s exactly what this movie delivers.

Timing for some revelations was a bit questionable, like when we find out what is the actual goal of the main villain. Or what is the importance of each and every character. Still, the pacing is great and the pay off is decent.

Honestly speaking, the production value was for sure the best aspect of the show. Great special effects, great set design, beautiful lighting and use of colors and filters. Stunning for many scenes, screenshots worthy.

For the acting, no complaints, but the roles were not that demanding anyway.

Overall, fun and simple sometimes is the best combination. Not everything has to be a complex philosophical tale with double meanings, sometimes a movie has to be just an entertainment.

Read More

You don’t always need an eventful plot…

... and I wish writers would keep that in mind from time to time. I honestly wish they removed all the pointless, ridiculous and frustrating misunderstandings and just gave us a slow burn slice of life and two people getting closer to each other as they simply spend quality time cooking.

It was so enjoyable at first. And then all the unnecessary tension, annoying supporting characters and lack of communication happened and I gave up.

Sure, the acting was great, but the characters were just so frustrating to follow, the performance could not save it. Does not matter how tasty the dish might look, when it’s not actually tasty.

Overall, this is for sure a ship. It does not really work as romance nor a slice of life.

Read More

Well, this was mildly interesting. A movie that leaves you with more questions than answers, but since I never took it seriously, I don’t even mind.

Mike Angelo’s face was the best part, not gonna lie. The whole cast did a decent job, the writing at times has been just too messy to follow. Who is related to whom? How do these people know each other? What are their goals? Why is it that no one uses their brain?

The biggest surprise for me was the good CGI. I have seen a fair share of monster flicks, and most are pitiful in that aspect. Seeing some decent effects and design for the creature was refreshing.

Overall, I was not bored, but I was not as entertained as I hoped I would be.

Read More

Fanfic like story we all crave in the middle of the night.

I have hardly any thoughts about this show except for the fact that the female lead was amazing and the character deserves a full length drama. Strong, smart, confident - we need it.

The political schemes are complex as a set up and deserve a more in depth exploration too. The delicious angst this could bring if it was longer - I can only imagine.

The fanfic-like romance between confident and domineering female lead and puppy male lead with deadly skills was everything one might ask from a short show like this.

What surprised me the most was quite decent acting for a short, low budget web drama. This could have been a cringe fest and not fun entertainment if delivered with poor acting.

Overall, confident, hot male lead who? I only know Li Yun Zhen.

Read More

Atmosphere that carried a vague plot.

Something we often get from Japanese horror - vague plot with good atmosphere, great music and sound effects and still images inducing panic response. That’s also what we’ve got from Pulse.

By the end of the movie we are offered little to no real explanations, and most are left to the viewers interpretation. Is this a commentary about the dangers of the internet? Is this a commentary about the human need for interactions and the terrifying portrayal of loneliness? It’s up to the viewer to decide.

The characters were rather bland. I kind of stopped paying attention to who is who at some point, and it did not really take away from the watching experience. I honestly believe them as individuals was not that important plot wise.

The thing I loved about Pulse was the atmosphere and built up tension. There are no cheap jump scares and all the horror is based on the fear of the unknown, perfect choice of music and the prolonged shots of uncanny images.

Overall, I would recommend it if you are in for a rather calm, but tense horror.

Read More