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nix-whythisfilm · 1 year

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Mini Series that can be watched over a long weekend

Fame Game (2022)

A thriller starring Madhuri Dixit as Anamika, this mini-series was dark and eye-opening from so many perspectives. The show is available on Netflix with just 8 episodes and can be called her significant break on the OTT Platform after her films Kalank and Maja Maa. The series has an air of mystery and an eerie aura throughout. While each secret unravels in every episode, the morose story behind the lives of celebrities is apparent. It is obvious how they have tried to highlight the truth behind the facade they have to carry as a celebrity, along with appearing as a picture-perfect family.

Though I was excited by the prospect of watching Madhuri Dixit on the small screen along with numerous talented actors, I was taken aback by the somberness of the show and how clearly the difference in their lives is showcased. Even the trailer tries to set the reality and the onscreen life of the actress in the show, but it was so much more intricate than one can imagine. While the show is colourful and engages the audience throughout, the end is a little unceremonious. And yet, it makes sense considering the points they established throughout the show.

A Suitable Boy (2020)

The show features the life of a literature student post-independence and the various challenges she faced while forced to make tough decisions for her life. The storyline is based on Vikram Seth's book of the same name and is available on Netflix with just 7 episodes. While the show revolves around Lata, it also pivots into the lives of various youngsters around her, who are her cousins and family friends. In a country that has just recovered from a massive change in government and is on the precipice of significant changes for the future, this show allows us into the minds of individuals in that area wrestling with their own mindsets and expectations.

Having started the show with no expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by the little details that were ingrained into the aesthetics and their lives which makes it so much more insightful into the lives of individuals nearly 8 decades ago. With numerous shows today segregating individuals as either modern or traditional, Lata was a surprising blend of both. Her mind was progressive with expectations above and beyond for her life, while she also stayed constant in her culture and values that would impact her personally. Though her choice of the groom at the end of the show surprised me, it also made sense for the woman she was and the position she was in. Though she had numerous instigators in her life trying to push her into making decisions that they would like, Lata braved the world and made a choice that was her own which struck a chord in me.

The End of the F…ing World (2017)

Seeing the alarming title of the show, I had steered clear of it to avoid answering my parents if discovered watching it by chance for a very long time. This miniseries based on a novel of the same name is available on Netflix and comprises 16 short episodes. While the show starts off on a peachy note, it takes us on a journey with the teenager, James, who firmly believes he is a psychopath. Having conducted his own experiments on himself to confirm his suspicions, his perspective and direction change when he meets Alyssa. While quirky and impulsive on her own, Alyssa convinces James to take a journey to find her estranged father which entails a series of trials.

Funny in its own way and challenging to our monotonous perspective, this show gets to us all. After finally watching it at the beginning of the pandemic, this show stole my heart and made me wish I had a companion as they both had each other in their bizarre situations. While the beginning is as alarming as its title, the show progresses into their minds episode by episode and giving us an insight into how people make their decisions and how life changes so unsuspectingly. With short episodes that barely tire us, it is an amusing watch, all things considered.

Unorthodox (2020)

With no idea what the show was like or what it was about, this miniseries was a shocking revelation into a world existing in a famed city that we all know of. Prominently set in New York and Germany, this show features the story of a Hasidic Jewish girl who flees her community to start a new life. Being introduced to it through a random Netflix suggestion, this show changed my mind in a matter of 4 episodes. A tale that is daunting to those of us living in a comfortable community, this show is a wake-up call on how we choose to educate ourselves and be a part of global platforms.

While the story was unsettling to watch, it was nearly impossible to imagine the control that a community has over you if not checked often. While communities and religion were formed to help humanity to regulate the chaos that we are in and to tackle the world, this show puts a perspective on the amount of power our faith can give to individuals who wield power in any given community. Blind faith has never been the answer and yet is still the most expected commodity out of any individual in any situation. The show at the end of the day shows us the courage of a girl too young in a world that is too large, trying to sway her in every other direction to control her life.

Bombay Begums (2021)

Narrating a tale of four women and a young girl this mini-series puts a perspective on the working of the world and the challenges that are a part of a woman's life, no matter their age, caste, position or power. It starts with Rani and Shai, who are a part of a prominent family in the banking world. Then moves to Fatima and Ayesha, two of the employees in the same organization, and eventually Lily, who is fighting her own war. All the women live in modern Mumbai and fight against struggles that nearly any woman in India or maybe other places also faces. The dialogues hit home as the story moves in an unpredictable direction leaving us with a sharp sting of reality over 6 episodes.

While expecting a show full of politics and deception, the show actually delivered a narrative that was far too real and outstanding. While the show is strictly feminist by nature, it also does not predispose to a narrative that favours women in any way. Though some may call the show dramatic and over the top with the choices some of them make, I believe we all have the power to make those same choices and find realities that might be far more solemn than what is shown here.

Hymn of Death (2018)

A melancholic drama set in the colonial era in Japan-Korea, this show has a way to find a place in your heart, based on the real story of the dramatist Woojin and the soprano Simdeok who had an ill-fated relationship. Having found each other in Japan during their studies amid the Japanese invasion, the two slowly grow a bond with each other. During the many trials they both face, they seem to have fate on their side as they keep finding each other every time. Being set in an era where life was hard and fighting to hold on to their passions was harder, these two find an end to their troubles in each other's presence.

With no idea what the show was about, this mini-series left my heart broken on how unimaginable the world was over a century ago for people in their youths. While the story is primarily about their relationship and its trajectory afterwards, it also sheds light on the expectations that were laid on the individuals of that time, the expected familial duties concerning their own economic situations, the hidden impacts of the invasion and companionship that has nothing to do with romance. Hymn of death might have a poetic tragic ending, but it is still priceless for the stories illuminated through the tale of these two lovers.

Kingdom (2019)

A dynamic series of 12 episodes set in medieval-era Korea, it is a thriller-horror show ruled by politics. A falling nation with the King in hiding and people starving, the story is led by the prince in search of the truth of what is happening in the palace. But with each layer he strips off and every morsel of truth he discovers, he finds that humanity is scarce when it comes to people saving themselves. Released around the same time as the covid pandemic this show features a pandemic of its own kind and the way the people of a small country deal with a disease that spreads ruthlessly and takes lives like a reaper.

With so many influential opinions on the show from critics and on social media, this show was everything and more. It is brisk and strikes down its story clearly. While there was much left in the dark, the story went from a perspective to focus on the bigger picture with every episode. The strong characters and the realistic circumstances keep us on the edge of our seats. As the story swerved into a whirlwind with so many details and brilliant visual direction, it is absolutely binge-worthy and gripping till the end.

Sweet Home (2020)

Another Korean mini-series focussed on a monster outbreak set in modern Korea, this show is imaginative and dark with plenty of gore. While the show is not for the light-hearted, the characters stand out for their uniqueness and will to fight against everything to hold on to their humanity in dire situations. Based on a webtoon of the same name, the show initially focuses on Hyunsoo, a young adult plagued with dark thoughts who moves into a shady apartment with plans of killing himself. With 10 episodes, all spanning 50 minutes, this show is ingenious and a hidden gem.

Even though I had been hesitating to watch the show after hearing about the gore, the show became a surprising favourite. With characters that seem too real and the concept of evolution thrown at us with this perspective, this show can be easily overlooked due to its disturbing visuals. Like any apocalypse story, this show has characters with some stereotypes, but the way they all are shown in their realities and their hidden vulnerabilities makes us attached to them all one by one.

Squid Game (2021)

Well-known for featuring chilling games and the authenticity of people's lives, this show deserved every bit of fame that came in its direction. Known for taking the internet by wildfire, the story features individuals with financial debts being recruited to play children's games, much like gambling, to get rid of their debt if they get to the final game and win it. Sounding simple enough to nearly all the participants, the show starts somberly, initially focussing on the life of Seong Gi-hun. But only once they enter the game do they all realize the reality and risks of the game. With 9 episodes and another upcoming season, this show is bound to keep any audience on the edge of their seat.

Having avoided plenty of shows because it was overrated, this show left me appalled, yet it made sense. While in the end, the character says if he was given the choice again, he would have chosen differently; I believe the realities of their lives often make people make hard choices that they would probably make again despite claiming otherwise. The show exposes capitalism and elite culture around the world from a perspective of a middle-aged man. With unnerving characters, all of whom are fighting for survival, this show is savage and yet enlightening.

My Name (2021)

Featuring the story of a young girl who loses her father to a criminal while being a crime lord himself, it goes on to show the woman she raises herself to bring justice to her father's death. The show is set in urban Korea, where the hidden crime world is exposed and how she has to work through the ranks to get what she wants. While the show has plenty of action and violence, it keeps the core story constant throughout as she makes her way into the world. With numerous characters looking to use her in their own ways and make her a pawn to the existing social structures, Jiwoo finds her own people to help her through her journey.

Unconventional and insightful, this show takes us into the misogynistic world of crime where we quickly find ourselves waiting for Jiwoo to find the truth and her peace. Through the 8 episodes, it is obvious how incredibly hardworking and single-minded she is about her goals. Two things the show evidently focuses on are the way the people around you shape you as the person you are and the comfort necessary for an individual to stay human. Refreshing with a female protagonist who isn't delicate and a complex antagonist, this show is sure to leave an imprint in the mind of any audience.

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passionforfiction · 4 months

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Dr. Romantic: The Way to a Dream Come True

Dr. Romantic is made up of three seasons with a lapse of 4 years between the Season 1 and Season 2 and a 3 years lapse between Season 2 and 3. The first season we are introduced to the regular Doldam Hospital and new arrivals: Kang Dong Joo and Yoon Seo Jung. Master Kim helps these two young doctors and his regular staff to sharpen their skills and find realize their dreams. We see their growth as professionals and as human beings, while healing people and fighting to keep the hospital open. This first season ends with Kang Dong Joo and Yoon Seo Jung heading to new challenges but leaving a hope for their return.

Second season, Master Kim and his regular staff are still healing people while fighting to maintain the hospital running. We are introduced to three new doctors: Cha Eun Jae, Seo Woo Jin, and Yoon Ah Reum. In this case we have doctors returning and a doctor from a capital hospital, Park MinGuk becomes Holdam Hospital director as part of Chairman Do's attempt to take Master Kim down. But at the end we leave the hospital with a secure standing (no one can touch the property) and Dr. Park decides to partner with Master Kim and work together towards making Master Kim's dream come true - have a trauma center in the hospital.

Season 3 seems to be the conclusion to his story. Now they have the trauma center building connected to the old part of the hospital and they are about to open, but they need government funding to help run the center since this is a non-profit hospital. The staff is divided into two areas and those working at the trauma center will need to deal with their new director. Master Kim's Plan B - Dr. Cha Jin Man, who is also Dr. Cha Eun Jae's father and later Plan A - Kang Dong Joo.

I must admit that I was so excited to see Kang Dong Joo back and to see that Yoo Seo Jung returned, along other doctors that were part of the staff in the previous two seasons. It is satisfying to see Master Kim's dream come true: have the trauma center ran by his students.

You would've thought that he would want to run the center - after all, it was his dream - but he decided to stay in the old part of the hospital and have the another person run the trauma center. I loved the love stories and the new young characters. It was a really sweet way to bring this story to an end.

This story is one of my favorites on the doctors-drama category. A most watch, the three of them. I would watch them back to back, that way I would catch on things I probably missed since I saw them when they came out and time has past between each viewing.

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lee-so-hee · 2 years

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deafening-enthusiastic-dreamer · 2 years

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Recently been obsessing over this story line as well the character of Park Chang ho. If you are someone who is looking for a criminal thriller story that keeps the views on edge this is a must watch. The story has a lot of twists with characters different perspectives which has been amazingly portrayed. The series is still going on.... and it is amazing till now.

The couple of this series have great chemistry between them, and of course Park Chang ho acting is to die for!!!

#big mouse #kdramas #kdrama #south korea #kpop aesthetic #lee jong suk #park chang ho #ko mi ho #thriller #film #tv series #crime movie

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amwilburn · 5 months

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While You Were Sleeping (2017)

aka

Dangshini Jamdeun Saie

Starring Suzy Bae (Start-Up, Doona!, Vagabond), Lee Jong Suk (Big Mouth, Romance is a Bonus Book) and Jung Hae-in (D.P., Snowdrop) is a very well done K-drama, on par with modern offering (most early KDramas are painful to watch) with a fantasy / thriller drama that dovetails nicely. Of particular note, Kim Won-hae, who spent the entire Strong Girl Do Bong-soon screaming "Do Bong-soon!" finally gets to flex his acting chops here.

A wonderfulky twisted murder mystery involving Suzy Bae's Nam Hong Joo, who has accurate psychic premonitions, who tries to use her abilities to save lives, now must save her own!

With a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion, it will stick with you after you've finished watching it. The 16 episodes never dragged, although the romance part was sometimes a bit too "high school".

9.0/10, A

#kdramas #k drama #suzy bae #bae suzy #lee jong suk #jung hae in #while you were sleeping #tv and film #tv and film review #tv and movies #tv reviews #tv review #film and television #t #tv series

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gifs-for-reference · 1 year

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#gif #kdrama #smile #7 first kisses #seven first kisses #Lee Jong suk #korean drama #korean web series

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yashalex · 2 years

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“I know what the biggest problem in my life is. In pivotal moments I’m ridiculously unlucky.”

#big mouth #lee jong suk #mbc big mouth #I'm so into this series already #I'm ready to cry and suffer and for him to destroy them all #and I'm sure he's about to surprise us all #mine #cw: blood #cw: bruises

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baesuzypics · 1 year

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[171120] Bae Suzy & Lee Jongsuk for 'While You Were Sleeping' wedding scene behind cut

#bae suzy #suzy bae #kpop #miss a suzy #solo idol #soloist #actor #wyws #sbs drama series #lee jong suk #kdrama #while you were sleeping #wedding #suzy #singer #korean actress

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alief001-blog · 2 years

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Serial Big Mouth

Sejak melihat trailernya, saya sudah tertarik untuk menonton serial Big Mouth. Serial asal Korea Selatan yang menggunakan judul빅마우스 di negara asalnya. 빅마우스 sendiri sebenarnya berarti Big Mouse, bukan Big Mouth. Judul Big Mouse sebenarnya lebih cocok ya dijadikan sebagai judul. Film ini memang banyak mengisahkan misteri yang mengelilingi Big Mouse. Ia adalah karakter misterius yang sangat berkuasa…

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#Big Mouse #Big Mouth #cerita #빅마우스 #Film #film seri #Im Yoon-ah #kdrama #Ko Mi-ho #Korea #Lee Jong-suk #movie #Park Chang-ho #pendapat #review #serial #sinopsis #ulasan

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rapti-b · 2 years

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Romance is a Bonus Book

2019 | Korean | Romance I believe there’s a right time to read a book and until the time has arrived, you will either not enjoy reading the book or will set it aside for later. I’ve noticed the same is applicable to movies and series. There have been times I’ve started a series and stopped it after an episode or two because it didn’t appeal to me. Romance is a Bonus Book is one such drama. RIABB…

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#best k-drama noona romance #best noona romance #from the corner table #korean drama #korean drama blog #korean drama romance #Lee Jong-suk #Lee Jong-suk Netflix #Lee Jong-suk role #Lee Jong-suk romance #Lee Na-young #Lee Na-young drama #Lee Na-young OTT #Lee Na-young series #netflix korean drama #romance is a bonus book #romance is a bonus book review #romanceisabonusbook

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rafaellaberso21 · 9 months

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Big Mouth series review: watch it or skip it?

In Big Mouth, we meet Park Changho, a lawyer with a dismal 10% success rate. The nickname "Big Mouth" refers to his tendency to boast. He has no idea that his life is about to change when the mayor of Gucheon, Choi Doha, asks him to take on a case involving the hospital administration and medical staff. It's a perilous trip full of betrayals and murders.

This is a journey fraught with peril, betrayal, and murder. The opening sequences of the popular K-dramas "Big Mouth" and "Adamas" both take place in the middle of the night and during a rainstorm. The premise of both shows is based on the classic tale of David and Goliath, and both tell the story of a seemingly ineffectual lawyer who turns deadly when he feels cornered. The action drama starts with the identification of the criminal threat known as Big Mouse in Gucheon. An accident changes the course of Park Changho's life as he works as defense counsel in the murder case involving the Gucheon hospital.

Big Mouth is typical of the creative ways in which K-dramas tackle even mundane topics. The intriguing plot and characters' gradual development in the first episode hooks viewers. The show is still a commercial drama with the intention of providing clean viewing. Lee Jong Suk does a good job portraying a lawyer, but his performance isn't particularly memorable. The plot is interesting, and it manages to keep viewers interested, but no one character really stands out.

#kdramalovers #watchitorskipit #big mouth

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prncssguya · 4 months

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will be tuning in for marry my husband (read the webtoon a while ago and it’s very similar to perfect marriage revenge so should be a fun ride), death’s game part two, a shop for killers (lee dong wook hello), the bequeathed (park hee soon helloo), love song for illusion, and captivating the king looks interesting (jo jong-suk, shin se-kyung are great actors).

#kdrama #currently watching #i’m slowly making my way through gyeongseong creature but it’s not high priority for me even with the all star cast #hopefully the drama with ji sung doesn’t come out in january because my schedule is full #marry my husband #love song for illusion #a shop for killers #death’s game #captivating the king #the bequeathed

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canmom · 1 year

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Animation Night 148: Aeni (애니)

Hi everyone! It’s that time of the week.

It’s been a good while since we covered Korean animation - or ‘aeni’, following the ‘anime’/‘donghua’ pattern - on Animation Night!

As you know, Korea has a lot of incredibly talented animators, but despite that the list of Korean animated films is fairly thin on the ground because South Korea is one of the major hotspots for animation outsourcing in the world, along with the Philippines. Nowadays, nearly all ‘American’ 2D animation is storyboarded in the States and then outsourced to South Korea for all the actual animation; occasionally the work gets passed further down the chain and ends up in North Korea as well.

Even so, there certainly are a number of original Korean animated films...

Korean animation was actually one of the first ‘animation from x country’ themes I wrote about on here, back on Animation Night 20. Back then, I talked about the impressive cyberpunk Sky Blue/Wonderful Days and the films of Lee Sung-Gang - the gentle fantasy of My Beautiful Girl Mari and the Miyazakiesque Yobi the Five-Tailed Fox. I also wrote a little about North Korea’s one major animation studio, SEK, and their war drama series Squirrel and Hedgehog. All those films are worth a look!

(A note on Sky Blue - much of the animation team that directed this movie would go on to create the impressive animation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, American productions which allowed their Korean animators a much larger than usual degree of creative influence. More on them here and here from youtuber ‘The Canipa Effect’.)

Much later, on Animation Night 77 we had a look at one of the films of Yeon Sang-ho’s film Seoul Station, the animated zombie film which preceded his popular live action zombie film Train to Busan. But before he was a zombie guy, Yeon Sang-ho’s preferred mode was dark, violent animated dramas, beginning with The King of Pigs (돼지의 왕 Dwae-ji-ui wang, 2011). Which is one of our subjects for tonight...

Yeon Sang-ho was born at the end of the 70s, and found the ambition to direct animation while at school, collecting a lot of anime with particular inspiration from Miyazaki. He achieved his ambition towards the end of the 90s with short films like The Hell: Two Kinds of Life (지옥 두개 의 삶 Jiok Dugae ui Salm) in which two people are confronted with the afterlife by an angel, and Love Is Protein (사랑은 단백질), in which fast food is unexpectedly delivered by anthropomorphic animals. You can watch ten minutes of The Hell here on Youtube with engsubs, but the quality is kind of terrible! Still, we can see some of the techniques Sang-ho was using at this time - quite a bit of rotoscoping. Love Is Protein is also available on youtube, though sadly sans subtitles.

The King of Pigs sees the adult reunion of an impulsive murderer Kyung-min with his former classmate Jong-suk. In their childhood, the boys were the ‘pigs’ at the bottom of the class hierarchy - but their fortunes changed when a third boy Kim Chul joined the group, who became known as the ‘King of Pigs’. But something happened to him, which Kyung-min now intends to reveal...

Like Yeon Sang-ho’s other animated films, it uses a realist style inspired by Satoshi Kon and the manga of Minoru Furya, mixing traditional animation and cel-shaded CG that pushes against the limit of its tiny budget. Nevertheless, the film was noted for its impactful, uncompromising depictions of pain, cruelty, and class, and brought international attention to Sang-ho, sending him to film festivals and giving him the chance to make more films.

Sang-ho described the film as drawing from real experiences of sitting by and witnessing bullying at his school, and even put himself in the film as a silent background character. He’d continue this approach with his next film, thirty minute The Window, based on his time in mandatory military service; then his next full-length film was The Fake (사이비 Saibi) about a cult leader challenged by a social outcast. We’ll talk more about that one down the line...

Tonight, at about the last minute, I’ve managed to get my hands on a copy of The King of Pigs. This one fits the harsh, violent model of Korean films about class in common with... well, most of what gets internationally popular I suppose, works like those Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho, or Squid Game. So I’m quite looking forward to it.

Then, for a change of pace, we have Ghost Messenger.

This is perhaps aeni at its most anime, stylistically as well as being full of nods to anime from Haruhi to Bakemonogatari - but it’s also about Korean traditions around death and folklore. The project, created by a studio called STUDIO ANIMAL, began as a cancelled phone game, which goes some way to explaining why the narrative centres on a possessed phone! Since then, it evolved through several formats, initially an OVA and then a movie series.

The story concerns psychopomps called Ghost Messengers whose job is to fetch spirits who refuse to go to the world of the dead. One of these guys, Kang Lim ends up imprisoned in a ‘Soul Phone’ used to capture ghosts, and guess what, it ends up in the hands of a hoodie-wearing blue-haired boy with strong psychic powers. But this means Kang Lim and his new companion are well placed to face a new threat manifesting demons and destabilisng the whole thing.

I’m not entirely sure what to expect from Ghost Messenger, but the wiki article is endearingly enthusiastic and it seems like it’s been something of a long-term passion project for its creators. And it’s definitely got some pretty stylish designs coming from that Korean folklore angle.

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And for another, very different dimension we have 소중한 날의 꿈, Sojoonghan Nalui Ggoom (2011) which translates literally as Dream of a Precious Day but in English has the slightly odd title Green Days: Dinosaur and I. This coming of age story calls to mind the films of Hosoda, with elaborate traditional animation on paper and a kagenashi look. It sounds like it was a hell of a project, with the production spanning 11 years under the co-direction of Ahn Jae-hoon and Han Hye-jin.

The story follows anxious high school girl Yi-rang, growing up at a gender-segregated school in a small town in the 1970s. She’s struggling with the pressures of life and competition with her peers, socially and in running, intimidated by the pretty and poetic transfer student Soo-min. But then enters a boy called Cheol-soo, an aspiring astronaut, and their awkward first romance begins to change her outlook. It seems to be a largely low-key, slice of life sort of film, with (once again) a realist approach to animation against detailed backgrounds depicting the 70s rural village.

This film seems to have generally flown under the radar, never gaining a large audience nor much international attention. But the Korea Times is full of praise, and it made it to the Annecy shortlist - so let’s give it a look in!

Animation Night 148 will be beginning at twitch.tv/canmom - going live now, films to start in about 20 minutes! The watch order will be Green Days, then King of Pigs and wrapping up with Ghost Messenger - hopefully that will balance the vibes without going out on a huge downer. Hope to see you there!

#animation night #korean animation #aeni

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