Sapphire
This movie is very quiet but it works quite well for it. Throughout the entire movie, probably only about 4 songs are played. Three of which are instrumentals and the fourth an extremely calming, beautiful song called Gafsa sung by Natacha Atlas. Music would only be played if a scene needed to be over emphasized. This only happened a select few times in the movie but when music would play it would do exactly that. It would evoke a whole new kind of feeling from a scene.
As for the dialogue, it was also very quiet. In the entire movie, the extras had more dialogue than the two main characters. The main male character, Taesuk did not have a single line while the main female character, Sunhwa, had two.
The plot and dialogue alone may not have been anything amazing, but the idea of the movie appeared not to be focused on a gripped story. Instead, it felt more focused on extracting emotions from the audience and allowed the audience silence to think and interpret the movie without distractions of constant dialogue, music, and plot changes. Its beauty lies in its simplicity.
For people that are into solid plots, surprising twists, complex dialogues, and romance, I would not recommend this movie. But for the people that can appreciate a calming, simplistic movie with realistic themes this would be for them.
This is my all time favorite movie and is the only thing on this site that I'm okay with giving a 10 on rewatch value because no matter how many times I watch it I never get sick of it
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Did I miss something?
Okay, yet another unpopular opinion coming to this drama's reviews.The Pros: It was a fun ride between episode 3-15. The characters of Geumga Plaza were entertaining to watch as they interacted and grew as people. The humor honestly gave me some good chuckles and, although the humor is one of the more highly contested parts of this show, I honestly found it fine overall. The action was also engaging and the cinematography was simply stunning. But none of this could hold together a show that otherwise completely lacked reason and soul.
The Cons: The first red flag for me was the villain. The “twist” of who the true villain was in the early episodes made me go “why?” and I was never (literally never) able to take him seriously. The cat and mouse game between Babel and Vincenzo was exhaustingly repetitive. After the first couple of major deaths, everyone also seems surprisingly nonchalant about the absolute abnormal amount of dead people and near-death experiences they were constantly encountering. Vincenzo literally shoved someone out of the Geumga Plaza when that was an unthinkable act to do in the first few episodes and no one blinked an eye (Where do these dead bodies go?? Where is the government??? Where are the concerned citizens?????) Perhaps this is my own bias coming through, because I appreciate character driven dramas and I felt like there was an amazing cast of characters to grow. Alas, all the heart in the middle of the series had extinguished by the end to make way for "plot progression."
What really did me in was episode 17. I had rated this show as a 9 until episode 17. Following this episode I quickly dropped my rating to a 6. The episode broke everything for me. Characters were already starting to act out of character, but I was truly appalled when they killed the stuntman with the bomb. The worse part wasn't his death, it was the fact that all those lovable people I had come to adore in the Geumga Plaza had assisted in this crime and the LITERAL KCSI AGENT didn't give two shits that Vincenzo just killed a personal (in an entirely unnecessary and gruesome way nonetheless). What??? My thoughts of the show never recovered from this episode.
I swear, if Vincenzo's cast wasn't star-studded and the cinematography was slightly less beautiful this show would have gone down in Kdrama history as one of the worst. With all the hype, I left this show feeling disappointed and asking myself “did I miss something?”
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A Must Watch For All ELF
As an ELF for 13 years, it was a lot of fun to watch and reflect on Suju's long and successful career alongside the members. I'm always amazed at just how far they've come to truly earn the name "the last man standing". Any veteran ELF can spot the gaps of information, I imagine both purposeful and not, but despite my long standing support of this group, I was able to walk away from this documentary having learned some new things. Very enjoyable overall!Definitely a must-watch for any ELF, new and old!
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Now, let's break it down:
Story - I found the storyline of this drama both unique, compelling, and surprising. The concrete base of the plot isn't set up till the end of the second episode and let me tell you, those first two episodes? Absolutely insane. Complete rollercoaster ride full of thrill and unexpected twists and turns. They were an excellent set up for the mood and interest of the rest of the series. The following episodes were similar in a rollercoaster ride just slightly slower but still filled with unexpected turns and cliffhangers that will have you clicking on the next episode without even realizing. So best to strap yourself in tight and expect to be up all night watching. Perhaps one of the strongest points of this drama is the fact that the writers weren't afraid to take it to the next level into darker territory: there's corruption, there's betrayal, there's character deaths, and I love it. With that said, it's not flawless. Perhaps the biggest weakness was the fact that they always left you hanging. This became counter-productive when more questions were being formed than questions being answered. At times trying to remember all the dates, locations, and people involved in certain situations became muddled and confusing and thus making the storyline of what the viewer should already know sometimes a bit challenging to remember and understand.
Acting/cast - First off I would just like to give a standing ovation to Uhm Ki Joon (who played Jo Hyun Min). His acting was absolutely amazing. At first I was thrown off by his character because I was use to his light hearted character in Dream High but he pulled off the villian so flawlessly and effortlessly. Absolutely amazing. As for the rest of cast... well let's just say I wasn't nearly as thrilled. None of the cast was bad... just kind of mediocre and didn't give me the "wow" factor like UKJ did.
Music - It was pretty decent I must say. The OST in the drama is quite pleasant and one that perhaps I might consider buying in the future, it was that good. The cues for the music were likewise good; they were well placed and nicely nailed an appropriate emotion to an appropriate scene. The only downside to the music was the Phantom of the Opera song... At times it just felt a bit... cheesy.
Rewatch Value - Of course knowing the full truth it will never be the same another time around; however, I'm sure there will come a time when I will rewatch it just to reexperience some of the thrill of this show I felt the first time around.
Overall - EXCELLENT. Excellent, excellent, excellent. I would love to rewatch this drama in the future. I marathoned it up till episode 18 (which were the only episodes out at the time) and the extra four days I had to wait for the last two episodes were excruciating. Even during those four days of waiting, Ghost was all I could think about. This show was just so good that I felt I could simply not put it down till I knew the entire truth. You could say the show was captivating to say the least.
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I mean seriously.
This show is amazing.
Let me just make a short list of all the things I love about this drama:
* Just when you think it has hit the peak of its awesomeness, they bring something else to the table that tops it, always surprising me with different plot twists.
* It continuously blows my mind how its a 20 episode show and there has yet to be a slow or only mildly interesting episode. Each episode brings forth new, steadily building climax and isn’t flattening out or losing steam like I’ve seen so many other shows do when they get 3/4 of the way through.
* For the most part the characters are very interesting, unique, and layered (and for once the mother-in-law isn’t an evil witch; bonus points just for that).
* The show centers around two separate relationships so there is no miserable love squares. Both couples have unique, beautiful yet unpredictable relationships (and they all have great chemistry, additional bonus points).
* It has a constantly, and realistically, evolving plot with evolving characters to match. The growth throughout the show in each individual character is very apparent.
* It is a pleasant blend of romance, angst, politics, and action with comedy sprinkled here and there. It never dwells too long on one subject which keeps it fresh and interesting.
The only reason why I give it 9's for music and rewatch value is because the music is great it just isn't wow. I don't notice it very much which can be good and bad. That means that it flows very nicely with the scenes and the music queues are spot on, but the actual music itself I never bother listening to because it's nothing terribly interesting? I guess it's good just not good enough that I think "wow I want to buy this OST album"
As for the rewatch value, I never give any drama a 10 because it's quite impossible, for at least myself, to enjoy a drama the second time around as much as the first time. This is one of those shows that has some great twists and turns that keeps the plot very lively but watching it the second time around knowing what would happen just wouldn't be the same. So 9/10
But overall it's quite excellent! I give this a 10. Highly recommend this one to all drama watchers!
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For me the highlight of the show was probably neither the revenge nor the romance but rather to parallels and storylines that crossed and tangled between the two generations. How Seon U became so much like his father, Jangil like his, and Sumi like hers was what really kept be going in this story. There were so many layers involved in all of their relationships.
Acting/Casting - I loved the whole cast. I felt they played out their characters quite nicely (especially LJH, he did an outstanding job) and for once I was quite amazed at how the older versions actually really resembled the younger versions (something that bothers me in so many other dramas when I can't connect the two ages because they look so different). My only complaint might have been that UTW did look way older than LJH which threw me off a bit at times when I had to remind myself that they are supposed to be the same age.
Music - Ha. Well. Music. Right. It was okay I guess. The first episode was nothing more than a disaster but as the show progressed it did get better and better. Still by the end, I wasn't yet convinced I was digging the music and the music queues.
Rewatch Value - Honestly, I don't think I'll ever have the desire to rewatch this from start to finish. It was interesting one time around because of the twists but honestly now that I know everything it just won't be that appealing again. I'll probably find the pace way too slow. I might go back and rewatch certain scenes that I liked (which will probably be in the first three episodes because they those episodes were honestly among my favorite...) but I'll probably never rewatch from start to finish.
Overall - 7/10. It had it's flaws, quite a few of them, but the plot and cast saved this drama from becoming unbearable. Although it felt slow at times, it was a compelling story but not one I would watch again.
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A "Red Pill" into the Real Life of Jinri
This was difficult to get through. Her pain really shows.With that said, I am also glad they released it. The minimalistic approach to editing allowed the space for Sulli's thoughtful, albeit painful, responses to be seen. For an idol that was silenced and filtered her whole life, I feel like the editing of the documentary did a good job of just allowing her to exist, to talk, and to show emotion. This interview could've been edited to 20 minutes but instead they gave us everything. I think Sulli would've wanted to be seen and understood in this vulnerable state because it's honest and raw. Embrace her for she is human too.
Thank you for giving us the last little pieces of Sulli's life. She is still missed dearly. Rest well, angel.
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Seen from a Distance, Green Spring
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Tropes that fit perfectly to my taste, but not without flaws
This drama was perfectly my cup of tea that I feel I can sip on for years to come. The dialogue between the three central characters So Bin, Soo Hyun, and Jun was healing, heartfelt, and thoughtful. As the viewers navigate each character's story we are meant to understand the hardships of youth and the necessity of having love and support from others. Our three leads learn how to conquer their complexes and express their vulnerabilities to each other as they heal one another's wounds.After reading other reviews, I understand the romance between So Bin and Jun was controversial; however, from the perspective of someone that went in with no previous knowledge of the webtoon, I found the romance to be enjoyable. Both characters learned how to grew together, its just a shame their growth (and chemistry) was nowhere near as grand as Jun and Soohyun's. I enjoyed that Jun found something of a family he always craved for with So Bin as a maternal presence and Soo Hyun as an older brother. Every scene with these three were irreplaceable and the quality of conversation between them is something rarely seen in dramas.
Now for the bad...
Personally, the most frustrating part about this drama were the side characters and their criminally underdeveloped plots. I understand the series was shorter than most (12 episodes rather than 16) and many plots fell to the wayside in order to highlight the OT3 (scenes which I wouldn't give up for anything); however, the writer should have understood this limitation from the beginning and should have removed some of these characters to allow others more time to flourish.
So Bin's roommate Mi Joo: Literally a paper thin character with virtually no past, no personality, and no character development. The majority of her scenes were cringe-y and hard to watch, and she just sort of vanishes by the end of the show.
Young Ran: who had an incredibly intriguing character but kind of appeared out of no where with no real flashbacks to help us understand her current and past relationship with Soo Hyun.
So Bin's childhood crush Chan Ki: For what this character was, he honestly had too much screentime. If they were going to keep him within the tormented "too late to see what they have till its gone" trope then what was the point of giving him a scene in every episode with zero character growth?
So Bin's mother: could have offered an intimate look into So Bin's past and current living state; however, her plot was entirely dropped after one meeting.
Research Team: Hye Jin, Jung Ho, and Chun Gook. Each character felt like they were used as plot devices to create tension within each episode with nearly no growth. I'm totally okay with this except the writers obviously wanted us to develop some sort of positive feelings toward them by the end with the sentimentality of the video project.
Professor Park: was such an integral part of the character development and story theme that it felt like such a waste to pair him with Professor Song who provided almost nothing to the plot. His character would have been much stronger if he had had more scenes with his students like the meal he shared with Soo Hyun.
Jun's brother Jun Wan: who's entire complex past of trauma, sacrifice, and hardships were summed up in one flashback.
Goo Hyeon: who could have provided further insight into Soo Hyun's family dynamic, but his appearances were also cut short after a couple meetings with Soo Hyun to provide tension between Soo Hyun and Jun.
If more attention had been paid to these side characters, it would have taken this show to the next level.
Overall, this is one for the books. I understand from an unbiased perspective this drama had many flaws, but I truly and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
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