Kate

The destiny of your own making.

What a pleasant surprise - well done tropes, little fun changes to established often used plotlines and themes, the variety of the characters with vibrant personalities and experiences. No unnecessary additional murder mystery that drags the whole plot, no family drama no one cares about. It has exactly all that romantic comedy needs and nothing else. And that’s perfect.

And what does romantic comedy need? First and foremost: romance. Whenever we are talking about leads, second main leads or just supporting characters, they serve and deliver. Shin Woo Yeo and Lee Dam gave me a perfect example of fighting against all odds, defying destiny. I especially loved how they used the red string of fate in the drama (not only in context of leads) - be it to add more angst and internal (and external) conflict, give closure to certain plotlines, or expand on presented themes. Probably the best use of red string I have seen in dramas for ages.

Usually I really dislike the “innocent, inexperienced, pure female lead”, but here I cannot even be mad about it, because it was fitting the context, and while she was inexperienced in love, she was not naive in terms of other relationships. They did not make her dumb in all areas to show how little she knows about love, and that is something we usually don’t see. I truly appreciate the variety of experiences presented depending on the characters. Some were experienced in both love and casual dating, some were inexperienced in one, but more experienced in the other, some were inexperienced in both. That’s why female leads “innocence” (for the lack of better term) was not that annoying, and did not stand out too much - she was just one type of many we witnessed.

Then we had Shin Woo Yeo and I adore how imperfect he was. The boy had flaws, major ones. He got jealous and not in a cute way. He was egocentric in his thinking, made many mistakes trying to find an easy and quick way out of complex situations, his communication skills could left a lot to desire and even when he was literally told straight to his attractive face what someone expects and what would hurt them, he confidently more often than not made the wrong choice. All that made him much more interested character.

Then we have the recycled trash Gye Sun Woo - cannot believe, with what he did, I still somehow ended up liking him by the end. This ain’t your loyal puppy second male lead. He would for sure fit the cold main lead who turns soft by the female lead role more. And it’s so refreshing to see this trope being placed into the role of simping over a female lead with no choice of getting her - it’s like reliving your youth with Gu Jun Pyo getting what he deserves. All that said, even though I would never get on this ship, I also love how there was in fact great chemistry between Sun Woo and Lee Dam - maybe in a different drama life this could work.

All I can say about Yang Hye Sun and Do Jae Jin is that they were the most adorable characters ever. The fact I love both Kim Do Wan and Kang Han Na made it even easier to adore the characters they played. They were kind of a reverse version of the main leads, but not a complete copy just switched. Do Jae Jin, while innocent, was not inexperienced. Yang Hye Sun while experienced in love and the heartbreak that comes with it, was still open to romance and innocent. While they mirrored the “one more experience than the other” dynamic of Shin Woo Yeo and Lee Dam, their different personalities led them to completely different choices and attitudes.

Then we have a whole cast of well written supporting characters with their tiny twists. Choi Soo Kyung was for sure the comedic relief, but her character was also established to be extremely smart. Younger siblings of the leads were not the annoying teens, you could see the family bond even through the bickering. Jung Suk almost had no screen time, but still did not feel like a filler character - be it his friendship with Lee Dam or connection with Soo Kyung, even if not many, his scenes were also fun to watch.

Not all characters were as well written though. We could not escape dumb bullies who gossip, because they have no other thing to do and have low self-esteem. There are just some things in k-dramas you cannot avoid.

Plot wise, I appreciate how long they did not fully explain how the male lead can turn into a human. Not that I’ve put a lot of mental power to try to figure it out myself, I was just taking whatever they were showing with little neurons firing in my brain - but that tiny mystery had solid pacing that I was curious "how it works", without being annoyed how long it takes to get the answers. All the plots got proper closure, some expanded and explored more than others, but the ratio of how much we see of each point was well balanced, without random slide quests overshadowing the main story.

The acting was mostly great. I enjoyed how the actors were able to present many instinctively viewed as contradictory traits and made me feel like the characters still made sense. Shin Woo Yeo was not interested in humans and love, yet he was still a rather warm person even at the beginning of the story. Lee Dam was innocent and inexperienced in love, but strong and assertive in her relationships, Yang Hye Sun had that sophisticated air around her, when she was in fact on the little dummy side, Do Jae Jin was highly emotional, but at the same time emotionally strong. It’s really not that easy to present characters like that without making the audience feel like their personalities change to whatever the story needs to at any given time.

In terms of production value or soundtrack - all adequate to the story they tried to tell, but not mind blowing in any way. Do not remember one song nor any scene that was especially visually stunning.

Overall, for sure one of the better rom-coms in recent years. Why? Because it did not try to be more than that. It did not try to blend 643857485 different genres jumping from one theme to another. The story was simple, but told in an engaging manner, the characters were easy to love, the romance was romancing.

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To leave a record, or to leave a memory? This is up to your decision.

Underdog story will never disappoint a sentimental folk like me. Surprisingly touching, taking into consideration we never get that deep into the backstory of any of the characters. Still managed to make me cry.

What Dream did best was presenting unique and fun characters and milking everything they could from all of the different dynamics they presented with each other. Hong Dae and So Min's fake positive attitude and sarcastic comments behind the scenes were amazing. Bum Su having the delulu rivalry against Hong Dae made me laugh more than once. Hyo Bong and Eun Hye were adorable with their sweet and caring family bond. The production had good bricks and they built a solid home out of it.

The thing that I was the most afraid of was the potential negative portrayal of the homelessness - it’s easy to fall into stereotypes while making a movie that centers around it. With the variety of different stories, they did a fairly good job showing that it is not a simple issue, and sometimes your economic situation is not the result of your wrong actions. Sometimes a tragedy happens when you are young and you have no means to support yourself. Sometimes bad people use your kindness. And sometimes you do something bad and have to face the negative consequences.

The performances were amazing - not surprising looking at the cast. There is something about Park Seo Joon’s image, that even when he plays what seems like an asshole, you still like him. I was honestly quite surprised with Lee Hyun Woo and how much he was able to transform his whole demeanor to fit Kim In Sun. The same year he played Bo Gyum in A Good Day to Be a Dog - these two characters could not be less similar to each other, yet he molded himself to fit them both perfectly.

At the end of the day, it’s just a fun and entertaining watch. The comedy fits my taste perfectly, the moving scenes were placed in just the right moments to touch me, the ending was heartwarming. It’s a feel-good movie about the underdog with exaggerated characters and positive impact.

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The movie has 2 major issues: it’s too long and there is not enough screen time for the last heist compared to all the set up done.

Don’t get me wrong though, I was still rather entertained. In a little bit over two hours One Line was able to present a rather well built underdog story, adding a redemption arc closer to the end. Min Jae? Not exactly a likable character at first. Or in the middle. Somehow they were able to pull off 180, and make me care for him by the end.

Sadly, movies centering around con artists are as good as the chemistry and bond between the members and the last heist they do, and here the movie failed. Honestly speaking, from the whole team, the only two characters that had a fun and interesting dynamic going on screen were Min Jae and Gi Tae. All the rest just showed up with little built up for the team work, even though most of the was just that - creating a setup for the last case.

I would say, the last 40 minutes of the movie were the best - that’s when the characters started to truly work together and I could sense they were on board with the plan. That said, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. They did not show enough of the preparation for the big scam, so it kind of happened before I was able to comprehend what was going on. Especially since before that, the pacing was rather slow.

Acting was good. I’d say Im Si Wan did what he could with this role, but his baby face slightly did not fit how the character was presenting himself in the 2nd half. Lee Dong Hwi did a great job, I wanted to punch him in the face whenever they showed him on screen.

Overall, if the movie was about 30 minutes shorter it would flow better, and the imbalance between the setup and the last case would be less evident. It’s not like it’s a deep psychological drama - it’s a con artist movie with rather one dimensional characters and predictable plot. It’s supposed to be fun and that’s that.

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I am honestly not sure if they were self-aware or just lucky, but the overall a bit weird, cliche vibe was something I truly enjoyed.

The pacing was all over the place. Finishing last episode, I was truly confused when they even fell in love with each other. I don’t know why, but it worked for me. Even the “over the top” 2nd lead baking his cakes for 80% of his screen time - it was just ridiculous, and it worked. Rather than poor directing skills, it felt more like a style that the director and writer purposely went for. Which might be just my delulu thinking, but the facts stay the same - I enjoyed it, whenever it was intentional or an accident.

What I truly appreciated were the interaction of the main characters with supporting ones - it added slight realism to this unrealistic scenario. The teacher-student dynamics were especially fun to watch.

I truly enjoyed the acting. Shin Yong Seok as a naive, innocent and nice Seol Won made me laugh with his antics and persistent behavior. Im Sung Kyun’s more serious scenes impressed me the most. Acting silly on screen is one thing, but the few lines that had more of a sincere feel to them were delivered just the right way.

Editing and overall production quality was on par with other K-BLs - be slightly higher.

Overall, it was strange? But the type of strange that I enjoy. I was not sure what I was watching, but I was on board. Im Sung Kyun being quite an eye candy with some nice acting skills helped a lot.

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Is it worth paying for VIP on IQIYI to watch it? Yes - if you were truly invested in the program and love the trainees, and even then, you won’t enjoy all episodes equally.

Here’s the thing - some episodes were amazingly funny, with entertaining games. Some - not so much. A lot depended on the cast of trainees for specific episodes, the good chemistry was the key for viewers enjoyment. You need a few social butterflies and extroverts with more media experience to keep it interesting.

The themes for the episodes also played a big role in how much I enjoyed my watch. Haunted house with a mystery plot line is far more interesting than looking for snacks and eating them. Adding a spy or a team that was supposed to ruin the games also adds to the value.

One thing that I appreciated was the editing team. The perfectly used and placed memes were gold, and made already funny jokes, even more hilarious.

Overall: fun watch for big fans of YWY S3, probably mediocre for anyone else.

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You know these movies that are so bad they're actually good? This is one of them. I can only guess they tried to go for this eerie, strange vibe. Sadly, it didn't work out. It was edgy in the most comedic way.

The plot is fairly simple, though the non linear way of telling it may confuse some. We jump through plot lines for different characters, but they are not set in chronological order. Why was that stylistic choice made? Will never know.

What were the highlights of the movie? Voldemort in the belly of a young girl, the worst "possession" acting on the planet, weirdly timed jump scares that made me chuckle more than once.

Funny, how I just finished this movie, but I can barely remember any scene... I guess that sums it up.

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First thought after seeing a few seconds of the movie: I'm too dumb for this artistic stuff. Since it’s a short movie I still decided to watch it, and I'm happy I did.

The story is nothing special, but it's like peeping through the keyhole into the life of a questionable couple. The casual, or even comedic tone kept through most of the movie made the ending that much more intense. It was a nice twist to a rather obvious story.

I'd say the use of the spider in the end was quite telling and a nice symbolism of the current situation of the female character.

Overall, it's nothing special, but it was nice. I never have any high expectations for short horror movies, and this was just entertaining and nicely done. I could not ask for more.

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Well, that was a cheap movie.

The idea was quite interesting. Married couple, driven by their greed and the need to be accepted by the family of the husband, kills an innocent child in a ritual that will make the woman bear her own kid, followed by all the consequences of such a horrible act. There were so many amazing ways this story could have been presented and shot, and yet the writer and director decided to go with the worst of them all. I gave the story 4 only because of the huge potential I had seen and all the countless ways this movie could have gone in my head after I finished it.

The movie is filled with bad editing, random, seizure inducing sequences of "scary pictures", side characters and plot lines that are not explored enough or at all. The acting itself is also questionable. Except for a few supporting characters, it was not a natural and convincing one.

The characters were extremely frustrating too. Seo Ni is shown as this mother figure for Bin and good parenting role, but she also neglects her own younger sister numerous times. Cheol Woong's role is pointless. The whole detective role means nothing to the plot, he is not part of Bin's story and almost never shares the screen with the main cast.
Yoo Rin at the beginning was introduced as this rebellious teen that lies to her sister to go clubbing, but that part was never explored too. If they made Seo Ni find out about it at some point, it could be the perfect reason for the lack of trust she had when Yoo Rin mentioned Bin is weird.
Seo Ni's husband is even more of a mess. Why they introduced the sub-plot line of him having hots for Yoo Rin was beyond me, since it NEVER led to anything. The more I think about it, the more of a mess this movie is.

There was also one thing that bothered me extremely. They cast T-ara’s member and then have a whole scene of Hyomin and other members dancing in the club to roly poly. It right away took me out of the movie. Normally it's hard enough to forget the idol image of the actor/actress that is also a singer, but when you promote it in a movie too, it kills the character they are playing. For me, from that moment, she was not Yoo Rin but simply Hyomin.

Overall, don't waste your time.

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Gwan Hee being the source of entertainment for all.

This was easily the best season of the show. All the changes made in terms of production were spot on - from how the Inferno works, how many times they were going to Paradise, the casting of contestants, the MCs. Great combination for the entertaining watch.

For the cast, you might hate Gwan Hee, you might love Gwan Hee, but it's undeniable he took the girls, the MCs and all of us on a rollercoaster journey of emotions. His whole arc presents like a kdrama plot with decent character development. This old, yet I truly believe he is a child at heart (and maybe the brain lol). Easily emotionally moved, not knowing himself well, egocentric (at times I truly thought it's not like he deliberately was ignoring what others might feel, he simply could not understand and comprehend any other than his own point of view). And yes... I could not hate him. I was frustrated to the core, but he still won my heart.

Realistically speaking, the only truly good guy and the right choice was Choi Min Woo. The most mature, the most honest and straightforward, but in a pleasant manner. Did not pay that much attention to him at first, but by the end, I just wanted him to be happy.

For the girl, two that I ended up loving were Yun Hajeong and Yu Sieun. Hajeong was just a ball of positive energy and amazing humor. Personally, I enjoyed her interactions and relationships/friendships with all contestants. On the other hand Yu Sieun had this good and pure image that felt natural and peaceful. Could just had to root for her.

There were some contestants I could not vibe with by the end: Hanbin, Jinseok and Gyuri. I just honestly have no idea what Hanbin was doing there (I mean I know, the show is great for self-promotion), Jinseok just confused me a lot closer to the end and Gyuri was legit scary.

Another great aspect of the show was the addition of Dex as one of the MCs. He blended perfectly with the previous ones, creating fun chemistry on screen. He also added a new perspective of someone who himself was part of the previous season and knew how it might affect the participants.

Overall, loved it. First season was fun, because it was something new for me. Second was a complete mess, and this one is juts entertaining blessing.

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The strength of the movie lies within the stunning visuals and unnerving atmosphere.

The plot is rather mediocre - it’s the same old hunting story we have seen thousands of times. What makes the movie great is how it presents, the overall tone and great pacing. While you know where the plot goes early on, you might still be interested in how it will be shown.

Bea Alonzo acts as a driven counselor, who makes her mission to help students in any way she is capable of. The mix of fear and concern she presented in many scenes was done in a believable way. Overall, the acting of the whole cast ranged from good to great, and I had no major issues with it.

Sadly, the movie loses some points from the over the top jump scares that they drop left and right, whenever they are needed or not. The movie would be far more frightening without them. Rather than flashing scary faces on screen, holding the shot still with eerie background elements would elevate the suspense and anticipation, in the process giving a better payoff.

Overall, goodish horror. Nothing outstanding, but for sure enjoyable.

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Supernatural teen scream

The movie has good moments and bad moments. Some scenes were well built on atmosphere, making the jump scares more effective. Some jump scares were punching you in the face with over the top effects. And yet, the movie was quite entertaining.

What truly adds to the typical teens at the haunted location flick is the introduction of different timelines. We follow different plot lines that together create a rather cohesive picture. There were a few small twists that I didn't see coming, thanks to which, the ending was truly satisfying.

Hard to comment on the acting, when the acting was 80% just screaming. There was not much depth to the character, and their purpose was to… well, die. About dying, the ghost had a strange interest in toilets. Somehow, quite a lot happened in that area.

First half of the movie had a better atmosphere. The director showed us enough of the supernatural lurking in the dark, that I was interested in what’s to come and what exactly is after the kids. Sadly, the more of the actual footage of the demonic ghost I’ve got, the funnier it became.

Overall, a rather fun ride. I am a bit weak for the teen horrors, and seeing these kids run around trying to survive is always entertaining. So, as long as you don’t expect a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece, and just want to have a little bit of chill fun, you might like it.

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Really basic in all aspects.

It’s hard to have any opinion about this movie because it was just really… mediocre. They used the typical jump scares, the plot and the ending were rather predictable, the characters were stereotypical.

It had a nice atmosphere to it, but I feel like it was not used to the fullest. They could have focused more on the different motivations between characters - Jia Wei trying to get money and Shu Yi trying to get peace. This could lead to a good conflict between the couple, drive them apart and be better incorporated into the hunting aspect.

That said, the acting itself was good. I have no complaints in this area. Especially a good performance from Kimi Hsia, who had to show a lot of the character’s internal conflict through facial expressions.

Overall, it is skippable.

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A series of four short movies that, depending on the person, can lead to a completely different interpretation.

The vague explanation of the plots, relationships between the characters and the characters’ motivations is exactly the charm of the stories. Everyone can see what they want to see, everyone can view it the way they seem fit, and everyone will be correct in their perception.

For me Love Set represents the determination, desperation and domination; Collector serves as a literal representation of toxic relationships, when two people expect different things and cannot fulfill each other’s needs; Kiss Burn shows the recklessness of youth and the overexaggerated perception of events they hold; Walking at Night portrays the grief and guilt one might feel after losing the loved ones, and how we can try to subconsciously deal with it.

IU’s performance was truly amazing. While she has her style in the lines delivery, that can be seen in most of her projects, the nuances she adds on top of it made all the characters distinguishable.

Each movie was beautifully shot, with Kiss Burn fitting my taste the most. Loved the dark environment and the use of light to bring the set to life.

Overall, after finishing the first episode I asked myself “what the heck have I just seen?”, but the more I watched, the more interested I became and I started to build my own interpretation of the stories I’ve been watching.

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Started great with the characters’ introduction, showcasing different struggles they were facing in the profession they chose, yet turned into over the top “snapchat demon effects” comedy by the end.

What started as a movie that focuses on human’s weaknesses, doubt, overcoming trauma, finished CGI blood and smoke and possessed animals… Why? First and second half of the movie do not exactly match well together.

Each character had an interesting personal story that could have been explored in the context of their faith - fighting against the bureaucracy for the good of others, overcoming your trauma and finding strength within yourself, showing goodness when faced with danger and pain. Sadly, none of these plot lines were explored enough, when the movie focused more on the preparation and the exorcism itself.

Additionally, there were some plots that were introduced but truly led to nowhere (the investigation over a possible indiscretion and immoral acts of Father Kim) and I questioned the point of introducing them in the movie in the first place.

While the cinematography and camera work were truly on point, the CGI and practical effects left a lot to desire. The exorcism scene made me cry from laughing with how over the top and “excessive” it was. When will horror directors figure out that less means more?

Overall: I quite enjoyed it. The last 25 to 30 minutes were the weakest, and served a rather ridiculous conclusion to the story.

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Honestly speaking, I started this movie thinking “Guardians of the Galaxy Korean version”. Based on the trailer, synopsis and the posters, it’s hard to not make that connection. Sadly, it was not as entertaining, fun and enjoyable to watch.

The biggest problem I had was poor world building and a villain that made no sense. The pacing was also quite all over the place. With a rather simple plot like this (especially since they did not expand on more complex themes that could have been included), it was just too long - the movie dragged.

The ending was lazy. In this type of movie I am not expecting a plot twist of a century, but they should wrap everything up.

The best part of Space Sweepers was for sure Kang Kot Nim. Truly loved the actress and the character she was playing. She had the best chemistry with every cast member.

Overall, don’t bother to watch it, unless you are a massive fan of any of the main cast. It was just a really safe movie, tried to keep everything low key (except for visuals) and because of that it was at times boring and skippable.

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