Saturday, March 25, 2017

Mindenki - avagy Nyuszika, miért piros a sapkád?

 Mostanra, gondolom, már mindenki látta a Mindenkit. Mármint, akit érdekelt. Annak ellenére, hogy Oscar-díjat nyert, kissé ódzkodva álltam neki megnézni, mert az utóbbi időben már az Oscar-díjas filmek sem a régiek (de majd erről máskor). Kellemes meglepetés volt. Nem az a kasszasikerre hajtó magyar film, aminél a minőséget és a mondanivalót feláldozzák a közízlésnek megfelelés oltárán. Az ilyen minimalista, kissé amatőrnek vagy alternatívnak ható filmeket szeretem. Talán a minimalizmus a szűk költségvetésből is adódik, mert egy rövidfilm gyártásához általában nem tudnak összehozni túl nagy összeget.
Rövidfilmnek talán egy ici-picit hosszú, de nézés közben egyáltalán nem tűnik annak. A történet végtelen egyszerű: egy iskolai kórusról szól, amelybe belecsöppen egy új lány, akit egy idő után a tanárnő arra szólít fel, hogy éneklés helyett tátogjon. Többet a sztoriról most nem árulok el, mert nem akarom lelőni a poént annak, aki még nem látta. A film üzenete, az én olvasatomban, az, hogy álljunk ki az igazunkért, fogjunk össze az igazságtalanság ellen, merjük elmondani és kimondani a sérelmeinket. Ez mind szép és jó, de... Én úgy érzem, itt a tanárnőnek eleve vesztes kártyákat osztottak. 
Mert lássuk csak, mit csinálhatott volna másképp?
Első változat: hagy mindenkit énekelni. Következmény: nem nyerik meg a versenyt, letolás az igazgató részéről, az iskola presztízs vesztése, a szülők elégedetlensége, a diákok is elvesztik a kedvüket a kórusban énekelni.
Második változat: a nem jó hangú gyerekeket nem veszi be a kórusba. Következmény: sértődések a diákok és a szülők részéről, irigykedés, gyűlölködés, áskálódások, esetleg szülői nyomásgyakorlás az igazgatóra, igazgatói megróvás. Mindez annak ellenére, hogy így megnyerhetik a versenyt.

Ehhez képest a tanárnő egy etikailag nem éppen korrekt, de diplomatikus megoldást választott, hogy a kecske is jóllakjon, és a káposzta is megmaradjon.
De így sem volt jó.
Az ő helyzete olyan, mint a nyuszikáé. Ha nincs sapkája, azért csapják meg, ha meg van sapkája, akkor azért, hogy miért piros.

A politikai korrektséggel, a senkit nem akarunk megbántani attitűddel nincs semmi baj, míg nem visszük túlzásba, és nem esünk át a ló túloldalára. Mint ahogy manapság gyakori. Abban, hogy nem vagyunk egyformák, az is benne van, hogy valaki nem tud énekelni, vagy nem tiszta a zenei hallása. Ez adottság. Vagy van, vagy nincs. Ha már van egy kicsi, azt lehet fejleszteni, de nem akármeddig. Kimagasló eredményhez több kell. Ezt el kell fogadni. Akkor is, ha nehéz. Erre szokták mondani, hogy az élet nem fair. Az Isten nem áldott meg mindenkit egyformán tehetséggel, minden területen. Van, akinek nincs zenei hallása, de nagyon jó matekból, más jó atléta, a harmadik csodálatosan főz vagy farag. Abból kell a legtöbbet kihoznunk, amink van. Ez magunkkal szembeni kötelességünk. 

Cím: Mindenki
Angol cím: Sing
Rendező: Deák Kristóf 
Forgatókönyv: Deák Kristóf, Bex Harvey és Christian Azzola  
Producer: Deák Kristóf, Udvardy Anna
Operatőr: Maly Róbert 
Bemutató: 2016. február 28.
Hossz: 25 perc
Műfaj: ifjúsági, iskola
Terjesztő: Meteor-Film
Magyar film

Főbb szerepekben:
Szamosi Zsófia mint Erika néni
Hais Dorka mint Liza
Gáspárfalvi Dorka mint Zsófi

Aki még nem látta, és kedvet kapott a filmhez, az ITT megnézheti.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Joker Game


 Cím: ジョーカー・ゲーム
Angol cím: Joker Game
Rendező: Yu Irie
Forgatókönyv: Koji Yanagi regénye alapján, Yusuke Watanabe
Producer: Daisuke Fujita, Yuji Hiratai
Operatőr: Yuta Tsukinaga
Bemutató: 2015. január 31.
Hossz: 108 perc
Műfaj: Akció, kém
Terjesztő: Toho
Japán film

Történet:
Egy rendes filmként indul. A második világháború alatt játszódik Japánban. Egy katona megöli a beteg barátját bántalmazó felettesét, ezért hadbíróság és kivégzőosztag elé kerül. De a tűzparancs kiadása után nem dördül el fegyver. Látomásként egy sétabotos vezértiszt lép elő, és választás elé állítja: meghal vagy a D ügynökség kémje lesz. Ekkor kezdetét veszi egy szinte szürreális ötvözete a James Bond, Inglourious Basterds (Becstelen brigantyk), Mr. & Mrs. Smith és Die Hard (Drágán add az életed) filmeknek. Nem véletlenül soroltam fel amerikai filmeket, ugyanis ezekre hasonlít, csak lebutítva. Jiro Kato (Kazuya Kamenashi) a kiképzése után - ami alatt kiderül, hogy zseniális fotografikus memórája van és hihetetlenül ügyes - megkezdi kém-pályafutását. Az első küldetése megszerezni az atombomba (nem mondják ki, csak körülírják) leírását, a Fekete jegyzetet, az amerikai nagykövettől. Ezt persze más titkosügynökségek is vadásszák. De amint a birtokába jut, ő lesz a célpont.

A főhős már az elején pik-pak beleesik a nagykövet szobalányába (Kyoko Fukada, a Second Love sorozatban is együtt játszottak). Annál a jelenetnél, amikor Kato odarohan a lányhoz, és megnyalja az elvágott ujját, éreztem, hogy úristen, *facepalm*, ezt a filmet nem lehet komolyan venni. Aztán ahogy a versenyfutókat megszégyenítően kilométereket futnak, s közben újra és újra, szempillantás alatt átöltöznek, az már bűvészmutatvány. Ha a Heartless City-ben a szereplők bámulatos sebességgel gyógyultak, hát itt a főhős fénysebességgel gyógyul: a torony aljában lábon lövik, ennek ellenére fel képes szaladni a sokemeletes torony tetejére, és ott úgy verekszik, mint akinek kutya baja. Lehet, hogy mire felért, elfelejtette, hogy meglőtték. És az a pontosság, amivel az autó a torony alá ért! A svájci órák sárgulnak az irigységtől.

Következtetés: egy könnyed kikapcsolódásnak megteszi, jókat lehet nevetni a képtelenségeken.

És hogy mennyit számít egy jó felirat! Emeli a film élvezeti értékét.


Főbb szerepekben:
Kazuya Kamenashi mint Jiro Kato
Kyoko Fukada mint Rin
Yusuke Iseya mint Yuki alezredes

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Short Reviews of Dramas - No. 7



Ex-Girlfriend Club
1. Producer – This was my first drama with Cha Tae-Hyun, and I enjoyed every scene he was in. Even if Kim Soo-Hyun is a bigger star, he doesn’t shine in this. But the scene-stealers were Kim Jong-Kook and Ye Ji-Won, she nailed that secretary character brilliantly.

2. Secret Garden (I know, I should’ve watched it years earlier.) – I wasn’t so taken by it. Yes, the body swapping was fun at first, and I laughed out loud, but the ego and rudeness of Kim Joo-Won (Hyun-Bin) was too much for me. I liked more Oska, Yoon Sang-Hyun’s character with all his flaws.

3. Liar Game – It was like watching aerialists performing without a net. I was always afraid they will fall. It disturbed me that I couldn’t trust anybody exept Nam Da-Jung, but she was naive and got conned often. I was holding my breath until the very end. I don’t like reality shows and for certain, I wouldn’t watch one like this if it was for real. Lee El was fantastic in her role, she was shrewd and unpredictable.

4. Ex-Girlfriend Club – It was hilarious. I felt like Song Ji-Hyo carried the this whole show on her shoulder, like her character in the drama. It was fun to watch the ex-girlfriends evolving from enemies to friends. And their behaviour around Bang Myeong-Soo, their ex, was so ridiculous, that sometimes couldn’t stop laughing, yet relatable.

5. Oh, My Venus - So Ji-Sub and Shin Min-A had great chemistry, they made me overlook the plot holes and the slow pace. Shin Min-A wasn’t really fat even in that fat suit, they should’ve make her bigger. The thing that Kang Joo-Eun was told to and then she wanted to slim down, so that she could feel attractive, didn’t bother me, because like that she became healthier. And health is very precious, you realize it just when you get sick. Kim Young-Ho’s sidekicks (Sung Hoon and Henry ) were adorable. The actors should’ve learn to pronounce the word Venus, because the way they did, sounded like an entirely different word: the male organ. As a conclusion, if I had a trainer like that, I would exercise more.

6. She Was Pretty – It was an okay drama, but not exeptional. It was hard to believe that Kim Hye-Jin (Hwang Jung-Eum) was so ugly that Ji Sung-Joon (Park Seo-Joon) couldn’t recognize her. And it was even harder to see how she put up with everything when he was treating her bad. If it wasn’t for Choi Si-Won and his character, I probably didn’t watch it to the end.

Oh, My Venus

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Miben különbözik egy dél-koreai sorozat egy nyugati sorozattól?


Egy felületes szemlélődő erre azt mondaná, hogy nem sokban. Pedig ez nincs így. A sorozatokat különben sokan lenézik, amolyan silány árunak tekintik. Ebben lehet egy szemernyi igazság, mert ilyen is van, de a filmek között is van silány bőven. Amint már korábbi bejegyzésemben említettem, rengeteg sorozatot néztem, mindenféle műfajt, kezdve a Dallastól a Santa Barbara-n át, britt, ausztrál, mexikói, argentin, brazil és portugál sorozatokat. Aztán rákattantam a dél-koreai sorozatokra, de láttam pár japánt és egy kínait is. Ez utóbbiakról nem nyilatkoznék, mert túl keveset láttam belőlük ahhoz, hogy véleményt nyilvánítsak. Egy blogon egy nagyon találó hasonlatra akadtam: a filmnézők olyanok, mint a novella olvasók, a sorozatnézők pedig, mint a regény olvasók.
A sorozatok egy család, közösség, barátok sorsát követik, vicces vagy komoly történések közepette mutatják be a szereplőket. Eddig semmi rendkívüli, ez egyetemesen érvényes. 

Lássuk hát a különbségeket.

A nyugati sorozatok egyik közös jellemzője az, hogy nagyon hosszúak, egyik-másik szinte végtelen, vagy több évadjuk van. A cselekmény kezdetben pergő, aztán helyben topog, mert a forgatókönyvírónak elfogyott az ihlete, de azért még húzzák-nyúzzák, hátha újból megjön. A történéseken van a hangsúly, a cselekvésen, az érzelmek kifejezése hangos(kodó), esetleg sokat lelkiznek. A trágárság elfogadott, a lustaság úgyszintén. Van, hogy a rosszat, a gonoszt emeli piedesztálra, teszi eszményképpé, azon kapjuk magunkat, hogy az ilyen szereplőknek szurkolunk. A karakterek többnyire statikusak, nem fejlődnek, nem válnak jobb emberré.
A Gentleman's Dignity

Ezzel szemben a koreai sorozatok viszonylag rövidek, általában 16-24 részesek (kivételt képeznek a történelmi sorozatok illetve a hétvégi sorozatok, melyek 50 rész körüliek), a két évad is nagyon ritkának számít. Ez azért jó, mert az ember belátható időn belül jut a végükre. (Megesik, hogy ekkor elvonási tünetek jelentkeznek.) Szinte mindig az érzelmeken van a hangsúly, azok képezik a mozgatórugót, a kamera hosszasan elidőz az arcokon, és megmutatja az apró rezdüléseket, mert nincs minden kimondva. A kultúrájukból fakadóan a kemény munkát és a kitartást követendő példaként mutatják be, a lustaság, tunyaság ki van figurázva. A karmának fontos szerepe van, a rossz tett rossz karmát szül, és visszafordul. Aki rosszat tesz, vagy megbűnhődik, vagy hosszú keserves megpróbáltatásokon megy keresztül, míg meg nem változik. Ebből kifolyólag a karakterek fejlődnek, gyarapodnak lelkileg, jobbá válnak. Ezért egy ilyen sorozat végén érzed a katarzist. A történet átível a részeken, az egyes részek történései puzzle darabjai a nagy egésznek, amit a nézőnek kell összeraknia. Még a leggagyibb sztorinak is van egy olyan szelete, ami elgondolkoztató. És ne feledkezzünk meg a cliffhanger-ről, amit mesterfokra fejlesztettek. Úgy fejeződnek be az epizódok, hogy rágod a körmöd a következőig. S ha nagyon jó a sorozat, és csak egy hét múlva jön a következő rész, a 10 körmöd nem lesz elég. Végül, de nem utolsósorban, egy dél-koreai sorozatot nyugodtan nézhet együtt a tizenéves gyerek, a szülő és a nagyszülő, nincs bennük explicit szexjelenet. (Vigyázat, a filmekre ez nem igaz!)

Álljon itt befejezésül néhány jó sorozat mindkét kategóriából:

nyugati
Mad Men (az egyedüli, amelynek minden évadját végignéztem, és nem untam bele)
Teachers (UK)
Skins
Misfits
Sex and The City
Dr. House
Desperate Housewives (Született feleségek)
Corazon Salvaje

dél-koreai
Healer
Goblin
Legend of the Blue Sea
Kill Me, Heal Me
Empress Ki
Bridal Mask (Gaksital)
City Hunter
Gentleman’s Dignity
Secret Love Affair

Monday, March 13, 2017

The Age of Shadows




Cím: 밀정 / Miljung
Angol cím: The Age of Shadows
Magyar cím: Árnyak kora
Rendező: Kim Jee-Woon
Forgatókönyv: Lee Ji-Min, Park Jong-Dae, Kim Jee-Woon
Producer: Kim Jee-Woon, Choi Jae-Won, Choi Jung-Hwa
Operatőr: Kim Ji-Yong, Kim Jae-Hong
Bemutató: 2016. szeptember 7.
Hossz: 140 perc
Műfaj: Akció, kém, dráma
Terjesztő: Warner Bros.
Dél-Koreai film

Történet:
Az 1920-as években játszódik a japán hódoltság alatti Koreában, a rendőrség és az ellenállás macska-egér hajszáját mutatja be. Ugyanaz a kor, amelyben a Gaksital (Bridal Mask) és a Capital Scandal sorozatok játszódnak, de az előbbivel mutat hasonlóságot, az utóbbi inkább komolytalan volt. Lee Jung-Chool (Song Kang-Ho) koreai létére a japán vezetés alatt álló rendőrségben a hadnagyságig vitte – egyesek szerint megkérdőjelezhető módon - , és az előléptetés reményében mindent megtesz. Azt a feladatot kapja, hogy fülelje le az ellenállási mozgalom fővárosi szervezetét. Viszont nem bíznak meg benne teljesen, kap egy segédet, Hashimoto-t, aki őt megfigyeli. Hashimoto, a neve ellenére, koreai (ajánlott volt ebben a korban a koreaiaknak japán nevet felvenni), gátlástalan, törtető, nyalizó japánbérenc. Az ellenállók helyi vezetője Kim Woo-Jin (Gong Yoo), látszólag csak egy ügyes kereskedő, a gyanún túl, kézzelfogható bizonyíték nincs ellene. Egy régiség valódiságának az ellenőrzése ürügyén Lee Jung-Chool felkeresi Kim Woo-Jin-t, de a találkozón a másik fél is tudja mire megy ki a játék. Mellesleg itt mindenki mindenkit megfigyel, mindkét oldalnak vannak kémjei szinte mindenhol, így megbízni valakiben nagyon kockázatos. Egy nagyobb robbanószer mennyiség  Gyeongseong-ba (Szöul régi neve) való szállítását elősegítendő Jung Chae-San, az ellenállási mozgalom Sanghajban levő vezetője azzal bízza meg Kim Woo-Jin-t, hogy az ellenállás oldalára állítsa Lee Jung-Chool-t...

Ez egy véresen komoly történet. A vérest szó szerint kell érteni. Azt próbálja elemezni, hol a szolgalelkűség határa, mi kell ahhoz, hogy valaki átálljon a másik oldalra, az elnyomott emberség, hazafiság felszínre tud-e jutni a kilátástalanságban.

A szereplőgárda nagyszerű, a történetvezetés pörgős, a színek sötétek, komorak. Han Ji-Min-nek megint ellenálló szerep jutott, mint a Capital Scandal-ban, és itt a férje egy magyar volt. Ez a részlet kissé meglepett, hogy miért pont magyar, de belegondolva talán azért, mert elég nagy tapasztalatunk van a szabadságharcban. Ez a mindenhol besúgó, ki kit köp be, nekem valahogy a nem olyan rég letűnt időket juttatta eszembe, a kínzásos jelenetekről pedig a Terror Háza cellái ugrottak be. És egy faliórás képnél szinte felkiáltottam, hogy nekem is van ilyen! :D

Főbb szerepekben:
Magyar felirat: van

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Drama Reviews - No. 6

These are all love stories, except one. I guess I was in the mood for that back then.

Ho Gu’s Love

1. Ho Gu’s Love (Fool’s Love) – such a nice drama, heartwarming but delivers some big laughs. Choi Wu Shik making cute faces to the baby and not only. I couldn’t sweep off my smile. You just want to hug Ho Gu and his family. Takles new territory for a drama with a mature approach and understanding. The mistranslation in episode 3 (?) and then the flashbacks mislead me, and hated the jerk, until I read the recaps on Dramabeans. Then seeing him so pityful, tortured by his believed gayness was almost rewarding. I know I sound cruel but I’m just being honest.

2. Falling for Innocence (Falling in Love With Soon Jung / Beating Again) – I approached this drama with moderate optimism, but was better than I expected. It was fun to watch how a total ass was transforming due to his heart transplant. I liked that first the heart was remembering and then the mind. The female lead felt cold from the beginning to the end and I didn’t like that. Strangely the work related stuff and intrique didn’t bore or annoy me.

3. It’s Okay, It’s Love – I cought on early in the first few episodes of the resemblance with A Beautiful Mind. The talks and presentation of mental illnesses are very schetchy and superficial (maybe except the main character’s). I liked it more in Kill Me, Heal Me. But the reaction of the people around those afflicted felt real.

4. My Unfortunate Boyfriend – The first 4 episodes were mostly boring and annoyingly idiotic, with few glimpses of what it could be, nice composed moments with some meaning. Everything was based on silly coincidences. No Min Woo is terrible at acting stupid or innocent, he’s much better at making sad faces. The introduction is too long. After the 5th episode I got engaged with the show by the main characters, not by the story. I liked their simple love and how they conveyed their emotions, it was so heartfelt. Yang Jin-Sung carried the show she was the only good actor among the younger cast members. The rest were barely serviceable.

5. Yong Pal I had so high hopes for this and the first few episodes were fascinating, but then the whole thing fell flat. Kim Tae Hee was cold and emotionless, she had no chemistry with Joo Won. The side characters were more lively and stronger, they controled the show, the main couple was at their mercy.

6. Hidden Identity (Hide Identity) – It was okay, not outstanding. The episodes were linked, even though in the beginning I didn’t see the connections. Kim Beom’s character was really masochistic, he took so much beating every time that it was hard to watch and even so he never gave up. He still has to work on the acting part. Yoon So Yi was the first actress at who’s action scenes I didn’t cringe, she’s tall enough, a little skinny but she was believable. At the last 4 episodes things got more serious. At last I felt engaged to the story, this was what I missed earlier. But I was irritated by the scenes, where the otherwise professional team members were staring at things or persons for precious seconds when it wasn’t time to waste ‘cause it was a dire situation. And can someone explain to me the logic why they blurred the knives every time, but they didn’t do the same with guns and bleeding wounds?


Drama Reviews - No. 5

There are still many dramas I watched. I want to publish all my already written reviews, so that I can get closer to those that I watch or I have watched recently.

These dramas are from the second half of 2014 to early 2015.




1. Witch’s Romance – (Noble idiocy is a disease that both sexes can develop, induced by the approaching end of a drama, and causes temporary brain demage. It seams like there’s no pill for it, and it takes a few episodes to heal by itself.) – Hilarious, lighthearted, illusional and a little dellusional. I loved the chemistry between Uhm Jung Hwa and Park Seo Joon, both had wonderful friends, and the supporting actors were all great. The age difference was played out well. Nothing to complain for except the noble idiocy part. Worth watching.

2. Nemureru Mori no Jukujo – It’s a starting a new life drama. If I have to make a comparition, I would say it resembles of european films (but not mediterranian!). It is quiet, no shouting, no romance, the characters slowly muster up their courage and find their path in life. It has an optimistic and uplifting end.

3. Bad Guys – Well executed, not too dark, with some violence and tomato juice, but that wasn’t much disturbing. The connections were slowly revealed, which was good, because I wouldn’t like a solve-a-case-and-move-to-the-next type of drama. It was interesting to see how the bond started to develop between the convicts almost against their will. On a shellow note: with this haicut Jo Dong Hyuk looks mighty fine.
But this drama didn’t make me bite my nails, sometimes it was hard to remember what happened last week.

4. Tomorrow Cantabile – It was silly not funny, the characters were idiotic and over the top. I understand that the concept was to present a bunch of genious weirdoes, but still. I was afraid that the actors will look fake while playing those instruments, but for the drama’s credit, they weren’t. But I’m not an expert. Joo Won’s conducting was convincing, and he’s really made for wearing suits. What I can’t forgive is the famous conductor’s horrible German pronunciation who supposedly lived most of his life in Gemany (or Austria? I don’t want to look it up). It hurt my ears. For Pit’s sake, producers, directors, managers, find someone to teach these actors to pronunce those few words, sentences in that foreign language correctly! If you have to, force them to learn. I refuse to believe that they couldn’t find a decent German teacher. They could even go to the German ambassy or consulate, I’m sure there’s a secretary or an office worker who would’ve happily taught that ’Franz Stresemann’, who by the way was called the whole drama Pranz. On this note, I have to praise Joo Won for his good English pronunciation. The music was good though. And before you ask, I didn’t see the Japonese version.

5. Healer <3 <3 – I was under it’s spell for a lot of time. It was painful to wait till the next Monday and I had withdrawal symptoms after it ended. I knew that Ji Chang Wook was a good actor, but he made me fell for him as Seo Jeong Ho and Pak Bong Su. From the comments I saw, this drama was a hit or miss. For me was a hit. I’m a sucker for not-in-all-aspects-great heroes. And I can’t understand the rather low domestic ratings. Seems like the international audiance appreciated it more. It’s a nice mix of genres, it has a little of everything. My favorite parts were the comedy and romance, the action scenes were not that thrilling and well done. I have a feeling, that this drama will make a new trend in kdramas with more ordinary and down to earth characters and fewer clichés.

6. Discovery of Romance (Discovery of Love) – The drama is mediocre, light, but it’s good for numbing your brain. It has petty characters, lots of bickering, misunderstanding, making jelous and bravados. Eric and Yung Yu Mi made a believable ex-couple, they had sparkles, but Sung Joon was unfit for the role. I can’t understand why they cast him lately as a much older guy. He’s still green, even if he has lots of dramas under his belt. Yoon Hyun Min was ridiculous in his role not funny, and I don’t know who’s fault is it. His or the writer’s.

7. A Gentleman’s Dignity <3 – In short: four infantile men in their forties acting like hormone driven teenagers. Their friendship is ’all for one, one for all’ of a kind. They even think of themselves as the four musketeers. They have complicated love lives and are pressured by the thought of ageing. The heroine is an ethics teacher and a baseball umpire. The latter is so and so, but the teacher part... Pffff. I’m ashamed for her. I don’t know how she got her degree. (This comment was made in the drama, but in a later episode then the one I was watching when this came to my mind. :D) She’s a caricature. Well, all the characters are. And she causes the others’ growing up process, although she’s immature, too. In the beginning I wanted to slap her to come to her sences. Anyway, this combination makes for a hell of a comedy. I loughed out loud. It’s a must watch.

8. Kill Me, Heal Me <3 – I’ve never thought that someone with a mental disorder can be cool, but Ji Sung made it look that way. (In real life it would be really scary.) The most cooler of his personalities, for me, was the fearless Se Gi, who didn’t look girlish even with tons of guyliner on (and some lipstick at times). But, boy, they were crying a lot, and seeing that running snot in high definition was disgusting. They never ever used a hanky. Park Seo Joon just broke my heart with his sweet fake twin brother act, and his on-screen parents were a nice match. I really appreciate kindhearted parents in kdramas, because they are so rare. The mistery lasted until the very end, which was nice, and I’m not unhappy with the threads not being all neatly tied in a bow. 


 

Drama Reviews - No. 4

With time my taste has refined, so all dramas from this list is a good one. But it's also a bit of luck. And among them is my first j-drama.

Here it goes:
Empress Ki

1. I Hear Your Voice – Nice and funny interaction between the characters, but too much legal stuff to the point that bored me. Everything was predictable. Those speeches of the prosecutors and attorneys were so flat and childish, that I was shouting to my screen at the writer who didn’t bother to do some research and learn how to do it so that she could make acceptable lines. What cracked me up was that those lame speeches were admired in the drama. And a rare thing nowadays: all the main actors were brilliant in what they were doing, they deserved all the awards they got.

2. Who Are You (2013) <3 – Despite it’s flaws I liked this drama. I liked that they mixed genres, the horror scenes from the beginning were a little too much for my taste, but I understood the purpose of that. I enjoyed the goofing of the side characters, and even Taecyeon’s acting was believable and serviceable. The story was nothing new just the approach, and they handled it quite well in my opinion. And I’m not pissed with the ending, I saw that coming, and actually it makes sense for me. But I would’ve liked to see more of Kim Jae Wook.

3. The Suspicious Housekeeper (2013) <3 – I was captivated by it from the first episode. It’s not a funny, light or romantic drama, it’s some sort of melodrama but without crying your eyes out. Makes you think about things that you otherwise wouldn’t want. It’s about how to cope with loss, face the problems like a man and find a way to solve them properly. I didn’t mind that it turned into a thriller towards the end. Translating it is quite draining emotionally.

4. Last Cinderella <3 <3 – That was just wow. The things in it happened with such a speed, one had to put in some effort to keep the pace. The dialogue was witty and funny, and I didn’t know up to the end which guy will end up with the heroine, and I liked that. It’s something I’ve never seen in k-dramas. And the two leading men were smoking hot.

5. My Love From Another Star – I watched the first two episodes just because I wanted to see what’s the hype about, and it only got me from ep. 3. All in all it was a good drama, was fun, but kind of brainless fun. I liked how bad the baddy was, he took being bad to a next level and I liked how spoiled and bratty Jun Ji Hyun was as Cheon Song Yi (sometimes I would’ve liked to slap her), but I wasn’t so amazed by Kim Soo Hyun.

6. Queen’s Classroom – Liked it. It tackled the subject why we are going to school, what we learn in it, and what for. The depiction of bullying shocked me, even though I was aware of the phenomenon. Watching the struggle of the children was very hard. In that class were all kind of children, with all kind of family backgrounds, but I still felt that they were too idealized. And another thing I can’t let slide: those teachers were terrible in teaching subjects. What kind of teaching is that when you write like a robot on the blackboard without a word, without explaining what you do and why when you solve a math or science problem, or just put the pupils read from the textbook?

7. Empress Ki – I enjoyed it, but it was very long for my taste. That’s why I seldom watch saeguks. Ha Ji Won was great, this role really fits her, but Joo Jin Mo was washed out, I never felt the sparks between the two of them. So I was cheering for Ji Chan Wook, he was a breath of fresh air, has a strong screen presence, and had a good chemistry with Ha Ji Won. I didn’t care about historical accuracy, I just went where the story took me. And there were a bunch of fantastic side characters. But the last third of the show was out of fuel.

8. History of the Salaryman – Not bad, all the actors were good, it was packed with action and scheming but they dragged it for too long. Would’ve been enough 16 episodes. That workplace fighting for power is not my thing, and I couldn’t care much for the characters however righteous they be.

9. Secret Love Affair – To sum it up: good music and good leads. Contrary what one may think reading the plot, the story was written quite realistic. It wasn’t flawless but this drama handled well the emotions. It’s a quite and subtle love story that’s growing on you. The only problem I had with this drama is that the bad guys got away without any punishment. That’s too realistic even for me.

10. Capital Scandal – A period drama which is a fairytale is a rare thing. The serious stuff is just for decorum. It has over the top characters. Even the bad guys turn out to be good. It’s all funny coincidences, I would call it a classical comedy. I liked how badass Cha Song Joo, the famous giseng was. But watching this drama I couldn’t not compare it with Gaksital, and I was somewhat frustrated how light this is.

11. Sungkyungkwan Scandal <3 – I loved that ravishing quartet and every second of this drama. Yoochun and Park Min Young together were fun watching, but Song Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In stole the scene every time they appeared on the screen. Speaking of the latter, his miraculous healing ability made me laugh, and interestingly Cho Sun, the famous giseng had also martial arts skills. So can we conclude that being a fantastic giseng requires to be an assassin/fighter with black belt? Anyway, this drama is a gemstone.

Sungkyungkwan Scandal

Take 3 - Drama Reviews





  1. The Virus – This is a medical thriller and takes itself serious. It’s the phobia-inducing kind. The atmosphere is grim, with lots of corruption and unscrupulous people. The characters are static and one-dimensional, it’s not much challenge for the actors, the show visually is dark, with enough scenes when you want to cover your eyes. The thing that made me watch it was the story, which was very realistic and daring. And the ending wasn’t the Hollywood-like everything turns out well in the end, it showed a bigger picture. I liked this drama. Even though I had some issues with the choice of the mastermind’s race in this context. But for exchange the actor did speak well English, his acting was serviceable, it’s not his fault that some of his lines barely had sense. The irony was that while the show was airing it was announced a new flu epidemic in Asia.
  2. Heaven’s Order – It wasn’t an exceptional sageuk drama just a fairly good. I would have wanted a lot more cute scenes with the main couple, as the ones in the beginning. Fortunately after the first few episodes were less medical terms, but that was compensated with lot more plotting. So Choi Won had to run and hide, and again, run and hide. I think he lost a few kilos because of that. I like Lee Dong Wook but he wasn’t good in this role, he just can’t do the serious and grave face. But in the comedic scenes he shined. And thank God for the comedy in this show, ‘cause this makes it stand out from the sea of sageuks. I liked the good hearted thieves, and the Red Demon with his ‘slave lady’, their interaction was so cute. My new discovery was Song Jong Ho who is not a newbie at acting but I didn’t saw him before.
  3. The Chaser – If you managed to get past the first episode, and you can swallow that cruelty, you’ll get hooked. I admit this show made me cry, the pain of the parents who lost their child looked so real that it touched me. It’s a well balanced drama, the good and the bad are a match for each other. The bad guys’ characters were so well written that I gritted my teeth watching them, and I rooted with all my heart for the good underdogs. I specially liked the realistic ending.
  4. Coffee House – I thought it was going to be a regular kdrama Cinderella story, with a not-so-bright heroine and a mean but handsome prince, where the pretty and smart lady will get only his friendship, if she’s lucky. But this show made an exception. The first half was brainlessly funny, I laughed with tears. Jung Woong In was so cheesy and ridiculous in his role, I never thought he could be like this, and when they went against each other with Kang Ji Hwan, that was priceless. However, it’s not a drama that you will remember for a long time.
  5. Heartless City – This is a pretty drama. Not only the actors looked good, but the cinematography was gorgeous as well. The story was packed with action, with huge fight scenes, which were slightly unrealistic. It was like a delicious and beautiful cake, it tasted so good, that after a slice I wanted more and more, even though I knew it has too much calories, it’s too much butter, cream and sugar in it. So it wasn’t without flaws, there were too many undercover cops, the baddies switched sides and formed new alliances at every blink of an eye, and the story was going in circles. And I couldn’t stop laughing at the leads’ miraculous healing capacity, now they were beaten up and were nearly dead, and ten seconds later in the same scene they were running and fighting like nothing happened. I liked the characters, and the actors were mostly doing a great job, even though the leading man had the same expression almost the whole drama.
  6. Incarnation of Money – The introduction was too long, and when the adult version of Lee Cha Don and Bok Jae In appeared, they looked like from another movie. Their comedic scenes were so exaggerated, that I cringed. What I’m not okay with is the way the film makes fun of an overweight person with eating disorder, and it gives the plastic surgery as a solution. And if you look closely only her face is fat, her body is almost normal. The unintentional fun of this is that Hwang Jung Eum really looks like she had tons of plastic surgery on her face (she admitted only a few). Only in the second half of the drama the main couple starts to behave normal, and that’s when I started to really enjoy the show. And another flaw of the script is that all the schemes went way too smoothly on both sides.
The Virus

Dramas I Watched - Take 2

Faith

Here is the second batch.

  1. The Moon That Embraces The Sun – It failed because of Han Ga In, she’s pretty but can not act. Plus in the last third of the show the story was dragged. And the directing was bad. Another case of wasting time, money and talent.
  2. Pasta – Again lots of cooking with pointless and annoying bickering. Both main characters should consult a psychiatrist, the guy is a sadist, the girl is a masochist. They make a good pair on paper, but watching them wasn’t that much fun. If we could have taste the pasta they were making, it would have compensated for the waste of our time. Those three cook assistants should have had more screen time.
  3. Wild Romance <3 – I loved the main characters, both of them were silly, and for exchange the girl wasn’t a mat. I didn’t care about the fact that it was very little romance in the show because I enjoyed the funny scenes and the thriller part of the story. And it didn’t get flat towards the ending, what’s more, it went out with a bang.
  4. Rooftop Prince – A mediocre drama. I enjoyed the beginning, when the Joseon’s time travelers didn’t know how to use the modern technology and what those items are for. But they have adjusted far too easy. And the story became boring with tons of drama clichés. The romance was nice. And the baddies were very bad at acting.
  5. Faith – I liked it. The characters and the story as well. Although Lee Min Ho was kind of wooden and I didn’t like those terrible manes of glory he had. It could have been a better and more spectacular drama if wasn’t cut off the initial budget, and the director was better at his job.
  6. Nice Guy – It mesmerized me. In a way that a snake does. I liked the acting but I couldn’t feel for the characters. They were like aliens. The drama had a good directing and great soundtrack. It was painful for me watching Park Si Yeon’s face, she looked almost like Jacko due to the amount of plastic surgery she had.
  7. The King of Dramas <3 – This is a good drama about making dramas, and I enjoyed it very much. The characters took themselves so seriously that it was ridiculous. And the cast was chosen spot on for their roles. After watching this I notice every product placement in a drama.
  8. Bridal Mask <3 <3 – This drama was heart wrenching and elevating. It was flooded by raw emotions from the beginning to the end. The fighting scenes were breathtaking and the cliffhangers at the end of the episodes made you bite your nails till the next one. Props for the writer and the director, they had balls for tackling some sensitive matters.
  9. Level 7 Civil Servant – The writer probably was smoking pot. The director was lazy or crazy otherwise he wouldn’t film scenes with so many inaccuracies in them. Before the show started airing they released a statement that the show was meant to be a satire. Well, it was more like a parody. I don’t remember seeing such incompetent agents in any TV show or movie. Unfortunately it was hilarious and I liked the cast so I watched it.
  10. Ghost – This is a clever drama and it’s educational, ‘cause you learn about many kinds of cyber crimes. It’s kind of scary what can be done with a computer. Opposite to the previous drama, in this one everyone is übercompetent. Not much action but you get the thrill.
  11. Sirius – It’s gloomy and dark. I felt sorry for almost every character, even though I couldn’t empathize with all of them. But you don’t need hankies for this show.
 Dropped:
          Dr. Jin (ep.4) – I just couldn’t watch more vomiting and diarrhea.


Dramas I Watched - Take 1.



I started to watch k-dramas back in 2009 and since then I never stopped. The fever has calmed down but I still enjoy them and never got bored of them. They always have something new, something that touches me, they focus on feelings rather than action, and this is what makes them different from American series.   

This is the first batch of my very short reviews:



Queen Seon Deok
  1. Queen Seon Deok – This show was that got me hooked on k-dramas. It was thrilling, never bored me even with all that politics. The villains were great, and Kim Nam Gil stole the show. And those fights and battles were brilliantly filmed and choreographed.
  2. Dae Jang Geum – Lots of food, cooking and intrigue. Good show but too long, I wouldn’t rewatch it.
  3. The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince – Not that bad, but I cared more for the side characters. I couldn’t buy that the male lead (Gong Yoo’s character) didn’t know that Yoon Eun Hye’s character was a girl.
  4. The Woman Who Still Wants To Merry – Strange but Kim Bum managed to sell me that romance despite the age difference. On the other hand Uhm Ji Won’s character was so annoying, made me roll my eyes, I couldn’t empathize with her at all.
  5. Boys Over Flowers – It was so bad that it was good. There were so many bad actors in it, it pained me to watch them. I sit it through just for Lee Min Ho. Yes, I’m that shallow. And there are a few actors who can do that to me. I just can’t resist them. But in time I became very picky.
  6. You’re Beautiful – Forgettable, at times hilarious, but very childish. You have to throw out your brain through the window to watch it. I did that.
  7. My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho – The first half was really fun to watch, but then all that bean symbolism was too much for me. I liked that hot veterinarian more than the male lead, and I wasn’t alone with that (see the comments on viki).
  8. Gumiho: Tale of a Fox Child <3 – That drama was very intense. If you overlooked that awkward ‘flying’ attempts and special effects at the beginning the rest was very good. The child actresses were brilliant, and the story was chilling and heartbreaking in the good way.
  9. Personal Taste – I liked it despite all its flaws. I loved almost all the characters, the leads had a good chemistry and those two friends of the leads were even better, they were so funny that almost steel de show. Who wouldn’t like to have friends like that?
  10. Bad Guy – It started well, it was twisted, but the end was botched. And the leads (Kim Nam Gil and Han Ga In) who supposedly loved each other had zero chemistry, like they were brothers.
  11. City Hall – The show was pretty good, but the stubbornness and the determination of Kim Sun Ah’s character annoyed me a little. I discovered that the machinations in politics are the same in all countries.
  12. Midas – It was a drama that challenged one’s intellect. I actually enjoyed watching all those tricks made by the brokers on the stock market. I didn’t care about the romance – it wasn’t much of it anyway – and Jang Hyuk and Lee Min Jung had less chemistry than two stones. But I liked the character development of Kim Do-Hyun.
  13. Mary Stayed Out All Night – That was a waste of time, money and talent. I don’t know what made me sit through it. I watched it while it was airing and I hoped it will improve. This show was a turning point in my dramawatching. I vowed that I’ll be very selective in the future regarding what I’ll watch, and I’ll drop any drama regardless what actor is in it if it gets this bad.
  14. 49 Days <3 – Loved it. Very-very much. Made you think of things that normally wouldn’t occur to you. I cared and empathized with the characters, I felt their pain. And I liked the reaper, of course. And I’m okay with the ending, this way the story had a meaning. The cinematography wasn’t pretty, I hated those blinding lights and washed out colors, but they were fitting for this story.
  15. The Greatest Love – There was a hype about this drama, but it didn’t do anything for me. I enjoyed the first half, the wacky and funny moments, but then it became flat, the symbols were overused, and I hardly managed to watch the last two episodes.
  16. Lie To Me – Another train wrack. But I liked the chemistry between the leads, I watched it just for them. It was endearing how they tried to lift this drama and make it float.
  17. City Hunter – I liked the action and the part of the story about the dads, their reason and the revenge. Even the stuff about corruption. But the romance was lukewarm. And those scenes where Park Min Young flipped guys twice her size over her shoulder made me laugh in disbelief.
  18. Flower Boy Ramyun Shop – Those school scenes at the beginning made me cringe and shout to the monitor that ‘As a teacher you can’t to that!’ But afterwards when she wasn’t a teacher anymore it was funny. And there were so many eye candies… And it helped that the real age difference between Jung Il Woo and Lee Chung Ah wasn’t that much. At the end I felt so bad for the Pillar.
  19. A Tree With Deep Roots – As you can see, I didn’t watched many sageuks ‘cause I didn’t care much about history, kings and queens. But this one is my favorite. It’s a drama for the brain and the heart. And I kind of expected that ending so I didn’t feel sad about it.
  20. Killer Girl K – Pure action with lots of blood and cruelty, but fun to watch. Didn’t move me.
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince

A filmek és a sorozatok bűvöletében

Mindig is imádtam a filmeket. Először - mint, feltételezem, mindenki - válogatás nélkül mindent megnéztem. Idővel aztán kezdtem szelektálni, a tucatfilmek estek, hasonlóképpen a végeláthatatlan végű amerikai vagy dél-amerikai sorozatok. Ezeknek azért volt valami hasznuk: megtanultam angolul és spanyolul. Persze ehhez felirattal kell nézni. Majd eljutottam a művészfilmekig és... a koreai sorozatokig. Ez utóbbi annak, aki még soha nem látott ilyet, meglepő fordulat, de ha belekóstol az ember, hamar a varázsa alá kerül. 
Egy jó film vagy sorozat után úgy érzem, mintha a felhőkben járnék, elrugaszkodva a szürke valóságtól. Innen a blog címe.
S ha már annyira szeretem őket, gondoltam, másokkal is megosztom az élményt. Azonban igyekszem objektívnak lenni, olykor ironikus megjegyzéseket teszek, de hát ritkán van az, hogy valami tökéletes, senki sem az.
Első sorozat-kritikáimat egy angol nyelvű oldalon tettem közzé, mely zárt lett, és halódik, ezért itt újból megjelentetem őket, ugyanis aktualitásukból semmit nem veszítettek. 
Hol angolul, hol magyarul fogok írni, és próbálom a bejegyzéseket eszerint szétválasztani.

Álljon itt végül az utóbbi 3 hónapban általam látott négy legjobb film illetve sorozat:

Goblin 

Legend of the Blue Sea

Mindenki (Sing)

The Age of Shadows