More than a sport, Racket boys is a community

This is a very charming story of underdogs finding their feet A father who lost his self esteem finds that he never actually lost his skill, a family that was separated comes back together and heals broken relationships, a tiny knew rural community makes itself known and grows somewhat together, and each individual character, all ages, shapes, sizes changes over the course of 16 episodes.
It touches on a number of difficult issues seen elsewhere - bullying and misuse of influence among others, but these are resolved in ways I found novel.
There are many moments to laugh at, and some nice use of sound effects. There are many deeply touching moments, and yes, tissues.
I really enjoyed this. It is cleverly and kindly written and directed. The observation of people and communities is acute. The acting is as always perfect.
Watch it.

Leggi di Più

Magnificently written, directed and performed by all involved.

I can't praise this drama enough. It's a beautifully warm-hearted, soft and cuddly film, with each character given a chance to soar. Even the unsympathetic, hateful ones - or those who at the start seem that way - are revealed as human, with their own strengths and struggles.
I seldom ever ever ever award 'marks' this high, but this deserves everything.
It seems to be making less of a splash than other dramas just now, but deserves much more notice. Perhaps because it's shorter, perhaps because there's nothing 'dramatic' going on, perhaps it's the age(s) of the cast.
I don't care. It's honest, emotional, and inspiring.
It may not be flashy (it's not) but it's still a jewel.

Leggi di Più

Shades of Sewol and Fukushima, Gritty, Heartbreaking, and Heroic.

This is not really my kind of movie. At the moment I need feelgood and uplifting. But I'm glad I watched this story of what happens when you allow companies to neglect and mismanage a dangerous resource such as nuclear power, and compound that crime by trying to abandon whole populations to save face. It's a cautionary tale but told at a human level.
We meet the ordinary families and men and women who work at the plant. witness their differences of opinion about the humble nature of their existence. They're good natured, hard working (mostly) and not without their dreams. Some of them know they are being exploited and want to get out, but family ties get in their way.
Management cuts corners on maintenance, the individuals who raise the alarm about it are drowned out and sidelined - a practice that goes from the shop floor to the Blue House, where reports that the President should see are kept from him.
And then an earthquake leads to disaster, chaotic failure to properly evacuate the area (no proper plan in place) ... just one area of complete incompetence after another, all doggedly upheld by cabinet members, until the president pulls himself together and gets a grip.
At the end of the day the only people who can do anything to stop further meltdown with disastrous consequences not only for the area but for the whole country, are the engineers who have only just escaped and are still close to site in an under-equipped medical tent from which all but one nurse had fled.
All are suffering from radiation sickness and know they are going to die from this soon, but if nothing further is done the plant will completely meltdown and flood the country with radiation. So they volunteer to go back in to fix the coolant leak and when that fails, come up with a plan which will save all but one of them, who volunteers to stay.
This film had me in turns bloody furious with Korea's culture of deference, cover-up and the delegation of responsibility to those who have least power and resources, and heartbroken for the little people who knew their chances of surviving perhaps even weeks were low and volunteered to potentially die even sooner. The picture of ordinary people sacrificing themselves would make anyone weep, and I did - buckets.
This is a fiction - reminiscent of other disasters but not - as far as I know - showing the same events, causes etc.
It's an extremely well made film: well written, well produced and paced, excellent acting from all involved, including some well known faces and some relative unknowns (to me). The music at times was intrusive, but latterly became hauntingly beautiful, and added to the depth of feeling.
It was nominated for a number of awards, from Best actor, Best Director to a number of technical awards - lord knows how it managed not to win any - though perhaps the unveiled criticism of government failures may have made it a risky choice. That may also have been instrumental in it being the first Korean film to be pre-sold to Netflix only weeks before its theatrical release. All this is pure speculation though.
Just know that this is an exceptional film and even though it's pretty harrowing, I highly recommend it.

Leggi di Più

Reviews suggest the subtext challenged by this drama is misogyny in SK. There are 5 reviews with an average of 9.5, though the score left on mdl is only 8.1. Personally I wonder that also reflects a misogyny about the subject: impossible to tell because those leaving lower scores have done nothing to explain/justify the reasons for that.
Having watched this at a fairly sprightly manner which kinda speaks for itself, I'm now giving a moment to my thoughts on it. Frankly I'm trying to be objective (translator's note-to work out if there ws anything wrong with it and try not to gush).
Of course it wasn't perfect. Absolutely certain it wasn't a realistic depiction of office politics or the work of an advertising agency for example, but that was actually fine. Sometimes I want realism, sometimes the story is strong enough to be less realistic. I suppose that at times it was toooo sentimental for me, but those moments were pretty fleeting.
On the whole this was an enjoyable drama with interesting stories and many engaging characters. Also (grrrr) some smarmy smug, and over-the-top infuriating baddies too.
Sometimes funny, sometimes very moving, sometimes a little too tense, but very well written, directed, and of course acted. Some of our stalwart character actors in evidence too, and even though they were small parts, they were just lovely to see.
Scores on the doors – 9.5/10 I'd say...

Leggi di Più

Well worth watching, and watching again!

I'm reviewing this now only because I've just re-watched it and enjoyed it as much as the first time. I VERY SELDOM rewatch KDramas.
But don't get me wrong. The first time I tried it, I abandoned it, because I hated the male lead - I found him deeply unattractive both physically, with a face always set in a sneer, and as a person - unwaveringly arrogant and dismissive of everyone except his senior in his firm.
I have no idea what made me return to it, but at my second run up to it I allowed him more time. It became clear that he was not what he seemed at all, simply hurt and still struggling with his feelings for the FL.
That said, other reviews here have noted just about everything I want to say. The ML and FL are unconventional, but adorable - once you et beyond her aggressive pursuit of success and money, and his apparent arrogance both in the courtroom and outside. They each have warm relationships with colleagues, but apparently no real life outside of work. Both are more generous than they seem, and more supportive than you might expect. And loyal - and loyalty and betrayal are recurring themes.
Other characters are engaging - one reviewer felt they are not well developed, but - while I agree to an extent - this did not work against the drama for me. In most cases, every character is shown as multi-dimensional, even the incredibly annoying "old friend" of the ML redeems herself when she tells her boyfriend to choose loyalty over betraying his friend for his career. I found them all, even quite minor characters, engaging
There is a strong thread of feminism and domestic abuse running through this drama. If you dislike the idea of that, this is not for you. There is some violence, but none of it gratuitous or graphic.
Similarly, if you want a conventional pretty FL, this is not for you. Kim Hee Su, who plays FL, was 49 when she made this - 10 years older than her ML. She doesn't look it, is absolutely beautiful. However, her role has a weird personality, both flirtatious and sexually assertive, but also very daunting at times. She is also incredibly brave, and refuses to be intimidated by authority or physical threat.
I felt throughout the drama that the story as really all about her, and the ML eventually comes to accept her for what she is, and to respect her sometimes "underhanded" (but are they?) tactics. They break some of the ethical rules for lawyers, but cut through lots of constraints that actually protect wrong-doers or those in authority, and are effective in getting her clients what they want. But sometimes she is well over the line - though increasingly as the series goes on, this is rare.
It interesting - given the feminist content f the drama - that the ML heads the cast list. Why, for goodness sake? His character is great, but the story would be nothing if Kim Hee Su as Jung GeumJa were not there. She is the real star.

Leggi di Più

Enjoyable if at times slow - could be shorter by at least three eps

Enjoyed this and discovered a new ML that is really worth watching out for - even though at first I found him arrogant-ugly, he grew much more human, and downright warm in an understated way. The FL is eccentric and refreshing but - also - was not at first sympathetic. Slow to find out about her, but she has a back story which explains a lot of her current actions. She is her own powerful woman, though, which is both rare and refreshing. There are a few laughs out loud moments, too, which are a bonus. A lot of the story is portrayed by ensemble acting, which I love - few performances are less than excellent - where there is a weaker character, I see that as poor writing/direction - the character is mostly a cliched cypher, there only to be a plot point.
It's too long, though. Eps 11/12 to 15 could pretty much have been removed / condensed. FF button was on overdrive
On the whole, I recommend this as an engaging fairly original concept piece - but don;t look for points of law or legal information ... most of that happens by 'magic'. It is however strong on 'negotiation' ...

Leggi di Più

Outstanding if harrowing

I've only just find it hard to find fault with this series, though I've just finished watching it, and if I really thought about it I might, but why would I search it out?
Exceptional writing and direction provide an unpredictable plot (well, mostly) extremely well paced. Acting is outstanding from all present. Characters are mostly pretty well rounded and not simply caricatures. Evil walks in human form and retains an element of mystery even until the end.
It IS very gory, and if you don't like realistic fights then don't watch this. That said, one flaw, perhaps, might be the way characters can sustain grievous injuries and still hit their opponent just as hard with apparently no weakening. That's a piece of nonsense, but something of a trope so can be forgiven. Fights are forceful and balletic.
The fact that these events are awful is as they should be. This world is not a nice place to stroll : it is not pretty, it is not gentle, it is not clean, but it manages, just, to be human.

Leggi di Più

Good potential in this concept but unfortunately badly flawed by cliches and plot holes

Vet visits a farm to attend a sickly cow, and while she and the farmer are handling it, they are struck by a meteor, imparting each with psychometric powers to read the minds of any person or animal who they are touching in the same place as they touched the cow – him on the leg, her on the bum
A supposedly hot-shot detective is demoted from Seoul to the small town of Mujin where he is desperate for that single big case which will get him back to the capital.
After a predictable period of distrust, with him being especially hostile and dismissive, they begin to work together on a series of cases (successfully, leading him to trust her assessments/visions totally), and eventually on a number of brutal murders.
The drama is not awful and at times quite amusing. A certain amount of comedy 'business' is mined because she is obliged to find respectable reasons to touch random bums, and due to his complete ineptitude in the face of local customs and certain styles of communication among the natives. He routinely has to have his colleague 'read the room' for him and translate local euphemisms about his behaviour. Various other local characters are also good fun and relationships among the local people are often quite charming and engaging
The cases start off being quite lightweight, and there are a mixture of police investigations and vet work all resolved by her being able to read peoples' bottoms. The serial murder cases though are darker and there are hints that a number of tragic deaths in the families of protagonists many years ago may be linked with current events. So intriguing, but it looks like these are never going to be investigated, nor the link/s checked out.
For me a lot of potential in this concept, but petty ineptly applied by the writer and director. The psychometry s played too much for laughs, and hardly ever taken seriously – even when it is accepted as true.
Neither the vet now the cop are particularly professional. The vet often finds a dead or injured and bloody person and NEVER knows what to do! She goes straight to panic and whines to a man for instructions. Any medical scientist will look at a pool of blood and know immediately what to do and how to do it – and will do it while multitasking to call for help. Good grief even I can have a good stab at that (pun intended)
The hot-shot cop seems pretty incompetent. He ends up taking control of his police team despite the presence of a superior officer (who limply protests but not much), but leaps to a series of unwarranted conclusions about who the perpetrator is, based solely on suspicion or personal dislike and never even considers actual evidence. His attention bounces from one person to another and occasionally rotates round individuals in the group. This is frustrating and confusing - poor writing reduces my engagement with the central drama.
On the whole, this is an enjoyable little drama, but imperfect. Writing and plotting is somewhat perforated (there are holes) and I found the ending a little artificial. OK but far from the best. The best thing I can say is that the bad guy wasn't immediately obvious to me ... but I found his revelation badly over-played.
This drama also committed a few several pet peeves. Young attractive and intelligent female characters are styled to look just ridiculous. The pretty vet is in boxy jackets that are 5 sizes too big for her, chunky jumpers that swamp her, and trousers cut too short, making her legs dumpy. Her 'assertive' friend, notorious for having a mind of her own and a temper, is styled like a clown : but when she meets a man who unexpectedly tickles her fancy she suddenly tones down the make up and starts to look more human. Our FL's aunt, divorced and desperate to regain that lost love of her youth, dresses too young for her age, but looks good on it however, her demeanour is that of an aged fan-girl desperate for attention.
Meanwhile, our male actors are styled as normal males. Depending on their work role they are dressed for the part. They're neither fashionable, nor dowdy – unless they are oxter deep in a cow....
For me this kind of sexism in character styling makes me question the competence of designers and directors. It's unnecessary fancy dress - and actually gets in the way of me enjoying a drama unfold. It's all too common, though.

Leggi di Più

Broadcast in 2010 and it shows ...

This is incredibly dated and perhaps suffers as a result. Are all the drawbacks due to when it was made?
This ob/gyn dpt in a branch of a Seoul hospital manages to attract all the most rare and difficult conditions you have never heard about, and even though they are only found in perhaps one of thousands of births or pregnancies, they are always recognised/diagnosed with no delays. Medical staff have ALL. DAY. LONG to lurk about gossiping about each other and discussing confidential patient information in the full hearing of random strangers which really irritated me. OK it's a drama, lets just play it just like kids in the playground. A bit lazy.
Either the writing or the direction made the acting sadly wooden or what I call "broad" - almost like in a not very funny farce. These actors are capable of much better than this - and Song Joon Ki in particular was clearly following instructions to behave like an immature, naive and sulky young man - as was his love interest lady. The two romance threads were absolutely a waste of time - zero chemistry and incredibly immature refusal to communicate at ALL!
There were some ugly attitudes on display too which I sometimes found hard to stomach. I continued to watch to see how they would be "resolved" and it was mostly worth that. There were also some instances of subtle and courageous handling of some difficult issues, including teenage pregnancy, abortion, attitudes to adoption, organ donation, sex education, HIV/AIDS, and child abandonment.
Although at times I wanted to throw this drama against the wall, I did watch it to the end, probably for the cast of characters, who were mostly engaging, supportive and benign. Would I re-watch - not if you held a gun to my right eyeball!

Leggi di Più

A murder mystery with mystical elements

I have to recommend this drama - it's intriguing, beautifully shot, and located in a beautiful landscape with its own character and force. the music is beautiful too. Acting outstanding and great characters for all the supporting cast - none are simply there to perform a function and then evaporate - each is a defined person, which is lovely. All the cast, really, were stars - "supporting actor"? ... who - no, they were all substantial roles and some of them, heartbreaking.
The landscape itself has a crucial role, and cannot have been easy to put onto film - kudos to all involved in capturing a sense of this mountain - though I suspect it is a pale shadow of the real thing.
Well produced, obviously, and well written, though the plotting depends a little too much on concealing information for a later reveal and on time-slips, which could also be confusing.

Leggi di Più

A slow drama with with few events, but plenty of action - just different

I would not have chosen this drama to watch had I known what it would be like. It took me many months with it on my list before I viewed it. If I am watching an action film, I like action. This is cerebral, slow, detailed, and fascinating. It is also dark, without laying on the dark with a trowel.
This is the story of murder and murderers, staging accidents to kill their target for money. The accidents are balletic in their planning and detail, and merciless. The murderers are meticulous both in planning and execution, quietly professional, and deadly.
Most of the process is watching, thinking, planning, preparing, getting in place and waiting for the right moment. There is a sequence where night after night they are in place, poised and yet have to abort repeatedly, and you find yourself rooting for them to succeed. And when they act, it is a mess, and furious in its violence but yet unemotional in the brutality
One of the team is killed in what appears to be an accident, but the team leader is convinced it was staged, wen wrong, and the target is himself. He obsesses and quietly spirals out of his quiet mind, focussed on identifying the traitor in his team, and the person targeting him. Once he has identified the guy, he watches, listens, tracks his habits, his relationships, and picks his method and his moment.
The end is a form of justice fuelled by anger and grief, quite different from the "accidents" arranged by the hit man, but somehow even he seems to feel it is perfectly appropriate.
This is not a pretty film, it's not exotic. Settings are mostly stark, featureless, rundown and comfortless. Places you would not chose to spend time in. Locations are messy, noisy, dirty, bustling and frantic. The streets of Hong Kong where the ordinary people live and try to make a living are in themselves almost an active character in this drama, everywhere vibrating under the redevelopment which is a constant on one of the most populous islands on the planet, where each square inch is potentially golden. And everywhere, people are seemingly strangely detached from each other, watching things happen to other people, passively, perhaps not even particularly curious. So many people and events seem to be invisible yet the street is everywhere.
The acting is incredible. The cast is small, dialogue sparse and functional, and performances quiet. But I completely believed them all. The actors present in the final scene completely inhabited the shocking event, pitching their expressions perfectly to illustrate the shock, grief and release of those last moments, without any overstatement or even the slightest out of place drop of sweat.
When a film performs as perfectly as this one does, the direction is always impeccable.

Leggi di Più

Outstanding

I can find no fault with this series. From writer, directors, technicians and throughout the whole cast, everyone has presented sterling work. My first 10.
The writer gives us an original concept, showing us lives and deaths of startling intimacy, and the director never overwhelmes these delicate and sometimes heart-rending stories. The development of the over-arcing plot, showing the process of each of the main characters as they deal with their own issues and build new relationships in the light of differing responses to loss, is delicate but powerful The acting is perfect throughout.
This is moving but not sentimental. It addresses many issues, some violence, some political matters, and, of course, loss. But it also raises a question - who exactly is most disabled here - and how should we defne or categorise disability? Is it to be pitied, or understood?
I often enjoy a drama but still find the pacing laboured. and yet this one was perfectly pitched. It CAN be done, Korea!
I cannot recommend this enough.

Leggi di Più

Well, something of an East-meets- Spaghetti-Western, with really good sound track and great action. Perhaps most of the similarities end there, but they are all pretty great. The specific setting and period means that the similarities are limited to what the time and place demand.
Set during the early 20thC Japanese rule of Joseon much of the action takes place in Gando, a border area claimed by both China and Joseon, with a frontier desert landscape peopled by bandits and "questionable" characters. The landscapes and towns / villages represent almost further characters in this drama, with some stunning cinematography showing its beauty and harshness.
Great costumes and styling, with attention to both Joseon and Chinese traditions all in a state of transition into the modern world. These somewhat show the complexity of these communities on the edge, all rigidly overseen by Japanese army aiming to secure full control of the people. This conflict is particularly significant because Gando is remote, logistics for the Japanes are difficult and the area is in fact a centre for the small liberation movement made up of different factions who are not aware of each other but aim for similar goals.
Japanese occupiers see native Joseon as mere animals, even where they adopt Japanese customs with loyalty to the Emperor. They routinely massacre entire villages or towns and abuse Joseon people in all the usual ways
Lee Yoon is a phenomenal gunman and fighter, and of course KNG has incredible charisma in this role. But while the man with no name was a loner, Lee Yoon is a brilliant military leader as well as moral giant, has his own struggles but is still a truly 'ideal' man, rising from slavery to genuine greatness.
Lee Yoon's former master/owner, Kwang Il, was supposedly kind, and did free his slaves. However, now a member of the Japanese army, he has fully adopted their ideas, mostly as a self serving strategy. When Lee Yoon severs his friendship/ connection to him, he resolves to have him killed, using a female assassin who as a child escaped her village's massacre and now lives only to survive.
In the meantime, Li Kwang's fiancee lives a double life.
The tensions in the area are complex, with bandits in Japanese pay, others just thieves, others fighting to undermine the Japanese, a kind of mainstream independence movement (playing a very minor role here), Japanese regular army plus Japanese colonial forces (who jostle for power), and of course 'middle class' settlers who are probably loyal to the Japanese, and peasant settlers who could be in Japanese pay, or rebel spies, or simply looking for a quiet life. But it's not very obvious who could be who.
The story is lively, with lots of locations and lots of action, including different levels of battles between factions. Of course there's a love interest, but while it's one of those soulmate passion plays, it's very low key and is left open ended.
I really enjoyed this series. It feels gritty and authentic (though the recovery times for multiple injuries is rather ... optimistic). Characters, even where support rather than main, and even where quite minor roles, are well written and well portrayed – with many familiar faces in play. I loved the visuals, and how it is presented with so many echoes of classic westerns, yet never losing its sense of place. The music is great too, and well suited to the action and mood of each moment.
I'm trying to think of flaws. But I can't, unless I nitpick really hard – for example I wasn't much into the romance moments – but the actors and performances were very believable and chemistry was good even if subdued which was dramatically appropriate.
The ending is slightly rushed and inconclusive, but since we have reason to look for S2 I thought it was OK.
Kim Nam Gil has already leaked the question of an S2 stating that if there is another series it won't be made by Netflix. I am intrigued by what happened behind the scenes to prompt that – or whether it is issues on profit shares – wouldn't be the first time.

Leggi di Più

Inventive remix of Mrs Christie's mind set against a sinister and violent background.

Miss Ma, Nemesis Viki SK Episodes: 32 Duration: 30 min. 15+
Screenwriter: Park Jin Woo Director: Min Yeon Hong, Lee Jung Hoon
Ms. Ma was falsely accused of killing her daughter. After she escapes from prison, she tries to clear her name and reveal the truth about her daughter’s death. She is later unexpectedly joined by a "niece" who's reasons for appearing are revealed only slowly. A small team of unlikely allies gradually materialises, and they become a family sharing an apparently impossible goal. This is a dark story, very complex plotting, not always bearable to be honest, but there is a form of humour offered by the warmth of many of the supporting characters. Thank goodness.
Mostly set in a small community, Rainbow Town, affluent, very pretty, some backbiting gossipy women, but little real malice. Appears to be inhabited almost exclusively by women and police officers, which is quite funny.
In episodes only 27 minutes long a significant amount of time is given to repetitive flashbacks – they add nothing much though in later episodes there is more point to them. Slightly frustrating that the eps are so short but that means 32 eps = 16 which is bearable
The main story follows the apparently hopeless efforts of the heroine to clear her name and get revenge, That plot is dark, twisted, violent and very involved. It is interspersed with life in the town, which becomes a hub for a series of apparently unrelated murders which are based on Agatha Christie. Like Christie, they are fun and intriguing, but not as well written and the 'solutions' offered get minimal explanation as to how she reached them. She is however clearly extremely observant. In most of the cases, the alterations of Christie's plots is intriguing – others are more straightforward. That said, I recognised most very quickly, though the solutions were not always identical to the original, which is good.
Lots of interesting supporting cast, and characters – though they can be slightly charicaturey... Nice to see some of them cast against type, if only slightly ... Jung Wong Un as the policeman who originally put Ms Ma away, has doubts after her escape, and steps back from pursuing her, even after he believes he has found her.
I warn you though, the Christie connection is a bit of a red herring – though if you like the dame, you'll enjoy them. The main story is much much darker and more violent, though the worst of it is pixelated ... it's more involved, sinister and hard to see how it can be resolved, as characters are targeted and eliminated. It does happen: though I spotted the culprits early on, it was hard to see how it would sort out. At the end, the sleepy warmth of Rainbow Town and the unexpected friendships there are waiting for our heroes to come home. As you knew they would be, so telling you this is not really a spoiler at all.
Viki's reviews give this a great score, but I never altogether trust them. Reviews on MDL are only two - one is for 10.0 the other for 1.0, so - very mixed! The lowball one is fixated on the lack of logic for a woman on the run getting involved to solve multiple murders instead of keeping out of the eye of the police – though in fact the story gives a perfectly clear explanation for this. On this occasion the Viki reviews are much fairer than MDL. I give this a healthy 8.5/10.

Leggi di Più

Slow starter but worth staying with

Enjoyable, if very quiet drama. Nothing over-done, everything quite low key, but an intelligent treatment of a number of issues, sometimes with great sensitivity.
This is a quiet, undramatic drama, following mainly LSW of Prosecution Team 2, but involves all the other team members.
It's a close-knit team until CMJ joins them – she is highly competent, but cold and a bit distant. It is clear that she feels superior to all the others, and she and LSW clash quite a bit. She starts off by immediately asking to have half of all new cases assigned to her and states she will clear the large backlog of unresolved cases for which the other team members are regularly berated. At the same time she makes sure that the rookie prosecutor and one of the investigators is assigned to her and that the support worker will work half time for her and half time for the others, but she will be stationed in her office. Empire-building, and aiming to get back to Seoul.
The drama covers mostly professional life, with a varying amount of office politics – when it's an issue it's usually pretty toxic. There are moments of personal life as well. Between all these areas, a number of sensitive issues are touched on.. They dealt with issues of working mothers very deftly in one of the most sensitive treatments I have seen. Another issue that stood out was a matter of school violence and verbal bullying : two different cases were included, and both were handled very well.
There are a number of deeply frustrating things about this drama : the most significant is probably the level of poor management, toadying and in-house bullying which vary throughout the drama, but when it occurs, staff are helpless.
Collusion with influential offenders was shown as deeply entrenched in the prosecution system, with no will on the part of the executive to address it and bring charges against corrupt prosecutors. I think this more or less seems to reflect what most people in Korea feel about the system, which they have good reasons to think is rigged.

Leggi di Più