I have to start with mentioning that I've only saw 3 or 4 Chinese dramas/movies.This one was exactly what I needed 2 weeeks ago when I was is a drama slump.

Story: Well maybe for many the story is very "Robin Hood" like but it isn't like that at all.I don't know how to describe it but I haven't watched such a good drama in ages.The story was so beautiful developed....each character had her/his own episodes where their pasts was revelied which was very good in my opinion.I really loved the bond between the 4 main characters, which gets stronger and stonger with every episode.

Acting/Cast: The acting was amazing.It succeded in bringing me laughter and tears every time.The chemistry (which is very important for me) was always there between Huo Wallace and Lu Cecilia.I really think that they did a great job portraiting their characters feelings and such.I really loved the fact that here the main girl wasn't some lady who needed to be taken care of and could figt and protect herself without any help.Anyway the actor who really got to me was Siu Edwin...even if he was the bad guy...he really got under your skin making you hate him but at the same time pity him.

Music: I can't say much about it because it wasn't the main point in the drama but the OST was very beautiful and refreshing.

Rewatch Value: Even if this drama has 30 episodes I would definetely watch it again!I really think that by rewatching it the viewer will be able to underestand the story and the actions of the characters better than the first time.

Overall: In my opinion this drama is somethig you shoudn't miss, especially if you are in a drama slump because it helps oneself to regain the taste and joy for dramas...reminding you why you started loving them.

Leia Mais

In my opinion MARS is a really hard drama to watch...if you want to watch something light right now please don't bother with this one.MARS is my favorite drama out there and I think that it suceded in overlaping even the korean dramas and japanase ones.

Story: It's the most developed one that I've seen until today.It's the full package of romance, action, drama and mistery.It made me fall off my chair from laughing sometimes, but on the other hand it made me use so many many tissues most of the time.Is a very serious story which touches ideas and problems that were never touched once before.

Acting/Cast: What can I say about this....I really loved the chemestry between Barbie Hsu and Vic Zhou since Meteor Garden, but here was really outstanding.I love Brbie Hsu..she is my favorite TW actress, not only she is beautiful but also has great talent.It always seemed to me that she and Vic were soulmates because of their interection and underestanding with each other.The characters were so well portraid that it made the story come alive.

Music: It was really beautiful.Trust me..I don't like TW music..I really find it annoying most of the time but this one was so beautiful that I don't know what to say.The song Ling/Zero described so well the drama that only listenig to it brought my tears.

Rewatch Value: I really don't rewatch dramas often because it's boring for me to know what happens next and so on...but I would definetely rewatch this one..I don't know why but only rewatching some scenes or listenig to the songs makes me shed tears of sadness.For me this drama is one in 5 years or so.

Overall: For me a drama can get 10 points only if it can remain in my head for a long period of time and it can make me compare it with others.This one succeded in this and it also made me to open my eyes and to be happy for what I have because their are many more people more unhappy and with more problems out there than me.

So I think that when you are in a state of mind of watching a REAL love story not a "fantazy" one you should give this try and let it get into your heart

Leia Mais

I decided watching this movie because of Lee Min Ki and Shin Min Ah...they were the only ones I knew from the cast list.I wasn't expecting much.

The STORY isn't something new...some unbeliveble survival contest with 8 people who love money or need it desperately.I really didn't think much of it...just a movie so I an make time move faster.
This is were The CAST enters.The acting was great in my opinion.Park Hee Soon was amazing....he made me tremble for 55 minutes.The actors did a great thing in entering their characters feelings and emotions and I was really caught in Lee Min Ki and Jung Yu Mi relethionship.It was so twisted and heartbreaking...once again you discover how important your own life is.
The MUSIC was nothing special...I barely remember it...but this kind of film doesn't need movie because the scenes are strange and complicated enough.So I really didn't need any kind of music to enjoy it.
I would totally REWATCH this movie!It was so interesting and emotional that I'm sure I won't get bored from it.

This movie tells a story that uncoveres the fact that anyone, I mean ANYONE, can turn crazy because of things that happened in his life.
I can't say that this is one of my favorite movies but I can assure you that is worth watching...if you want something phisological and action packed.

Leia Mais

12 Angry Men is not only considered a classic among movies of all genres but it's also one of my all time favorite. I was sceptical regarding Juror 8 because it sounded exactly like 12 Angry Men. I can say I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong - also the fact that is based on a real case from South Korea. Now, does it have similarities? Yes it does. What's important is that the overall vibe of the movie is completely different.

First of all, I liked the small details that helped to describe the society of 2008 in South Korea, and more exactly the "not so subtle" misogyny: the press mistaking the presiding judge to be a man in place of the splendid Kim Joon Gyum (played by Moon So Ri), her colleagues assuring the people in charge that she will do a good job because "she thinks almost like a man" and other little nuances here and there.

Secondly I want to say that the idea of a jury always fascinated me. In my country we don't have this kind of a system and I can say I've always seen it kind of grey - it sometimes can be good and sometimes not so. The way the characters are portrayed it's quite good, but they weren't as developed as I would have liked. You don't really get to see the part where they change their minds and what made them do it, apart from Nam Woo(played by everyone's favorite Park Hyung Shik) who from the beginning gave the culprit the benefit of the doubt.

I would have liked to see a lot more friction between the characters and their opinions, because in reality people don't change their mind so easily especially when they have kind of a big ego, as was the case for Juror 4(Seo Jung Yeon) and Juror 5(Jo Han Chul).

The movie succeeded though, despite of the things pointed out, to make me connect with the defendant and his trial. It drove home the important aspect of the difference between "guilty or not guilty" which is basically the life of a human. I especially approved with the principle of "when in doubt choose in the defendants favor", which in my country we say as "found guilty in absence of reasonable doubt"...I don't think that I can underline this hard enough.

All in all, Juror 8 is a meaningful watch that won't let you get bored and maybe even touch some of your strings along the way. It's a good movie, and you don't have to be interested in law to enjoy or understand it.

Leia Mais

Well at first I have to say that I'm a big fan of Karina and Matsumoto Jun, so I watched this because of them...didn't expect much of it, but oh boy that was so wrong!I'm a really sucker for sad and real life movies so I just couldn't "walk" over this one.

Story: It's really heartbreaking.Thinking that this illness it really exist and their are people who have to support it and live with it for their entire life.The story was very deep...reaching the importance of trust and love between a family from the middle clas.

Acting/Cast: Without a doubt little Myu-chan surpressed Matsumoto Jun and Karina making me realise how stong a child could be and underestanding of the difficulties that surrounds her.The actors did a great job portaiting their characters and bringing me to tears almost for the entire movie.It was so touching how the bond of the three members of the family got even stonger after the discovery of the disses.

Music: I really don't remember anything about the music but that isn't important at all because the story and the acting overtook the whole time.

Rewatch Value: To be truthful I wouldn't rewatch this movie again...it's just to sad to beare with it...and it makes me think how egoistic I can be and how I should be thankfull for being healty and be able to walk without any help.

Overall: This is a very hard movie to watch.Don't watch it if you want to take a look in a romantic couple life or some braty man with lots of money...it's really serious and it can touch ones heart making you a better and a stonger person.

Leia Mais

Shoplifters reminds me why I enjoy watching stories translated into film. So what's this film about...well nothing out of the ordinary, some may say, but I actually want to rectify this. Shoplifters is simple yet complicated, linear but underneath rocky and last but not least maybe the rawest piece of cinema I have ever watched until now.

Firstly I would like to applaud the effort that was put into the "home space" where the majority of the action takes place. The poverty in which these characters live in clearly showed but at the same time it doesn't lack the warmth feeling you associate with a home - and I think that's what this movie is about. You could say that the atmosphere is general could be described as bleak and grey but pay attention that it never gets "black". I think this happens thanks to the amazingly crafted characters and also because Koreeda payed a great deal of attention (in my humble opinion) to not overly dramatize the story for the sake of it - and it could have been really easy to do so. The "light that lightens the grey" would stand in the little endearing moments that are presented to us through the bond that the characters share: a happy trip to the beach, an out of the blue lovemaking scene with the rain as a background sound, grandma applying ointment on bruises and noticing small changes that no one else paid attention too. Those little moments make you not only understand this "untypical" family but actually feel and root for them.

As Nobuyo (Ando Sakura) said "Does giving birth to a child make one a mother?" so I started asking myself how can things that are considered right and just in "normal situations" become truly unfair and brutal in other cases (like giving back a child to her birth family that abused her, just 'cause they have blood ties).

All in all, there are no heroes or villains in here. Nor there are direct or detailed explanations on how these characters came to meet or what there past is - and that's ok, because day to day people don't go and talk about their past and experiences left and right (another proof of the rawness of this film).

I truly recommend watching this movie. It isn't overrated nor boring and it does what every good movie does in my books, makes you ask some question to your own person.

Leia Mais

In my case, Time to Hunt is no different from other heist/action movies out there. Now, I am not a big fan of those usually, put I wanted to give this one a try because of the teamwork factor.

I didn't find the idea nor the execution really original, for me what saved this one were the actors. I can truthfully say they were all very good. The relationship between the characters was also endearing and it really hit home with the idea of "family". As the other reviews said, Park Hae Soo as Han was really bone-chilling. I guess the thrilling factor was there, but again I would have like something more.

I also thing that it was a bit overly dramatized, especially in the end when it came to Joon Suk decision, it made everything a little bit in vain for me.

You could watch this movie if you are a fan of the cast, as all of them play a different role then we are used to. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a must-watch in the genre.

Leia Mais

Ok, so let me mention something first.I didn't like Moon Geun Young AT ALL before watching this.It's my first time seeing her act...I know why didn't you like her, right?Well I have to be completely hoest...her looks let me down a bit, and seeing 2 episodes of Marry stayed out all night really made me almost hate her....how wrong I was!!

Story: It was so beautiful.The idea wasn't reallyso unique but the way they made it look was beautiful.I fell in love with it and haven't fast-forward it at all.It was so innocent and well pictured that I've found myself crying at the end(it's not a sad movie)!
The way their relathionship developed was mesmerazing and I loved the fact that dancing really took a major part of the movie.

Acting/Cast: As I said I really didn't fancy Moon Geun Young at first.I watched this only because of Park Gun Hyung whom I adore and consider a great actor.When I saw they were almost 10 years apart I was almost sure I would dislike this...I was so wrong.Their age difference made the story even more charming and beautiful.The chemestry between them was breathtaking and it made me fall in love with Moon Geun Young.Thinking she was only 18 when this movie was made, I was simply starstruck...she is really talented.I don't have to say anything about Park Gun Hyung, because he was extrordinary as always.Both leads succeded in portraiting their character almost to perfection.

Music: It was a dance themed movie so it's obvious that msic played a big part.I can't say that it was the best I ever heard, I saw many more dramas with better OSTs, but it was just fitting so well with the film, making it so much more enjoyable.

Rewatch: This is definetely a rewatchable movie...it was just too inspiring and cte for me not to see it again!

People go and watch this because it's really worth you time, trust me!

Leia Mais

The only survivor became a murder suspect.

"Insane" isn't a bad movie, but it isn't one of the best neither. I will start with the good parts first.

Firstly, the acting is great. I have been a longtime fan of Kang Ye Won. She is a very strange character indeed from what I've seen on variety shows. She was, without a doubt, the star of this movie. Her performance was really captivating and raw, making all the horrible things seem real. Lee Sang Yoon was great as always but this time he was overshadowed by Ye Won.

Secondly, it deserves its thriller genre, tipping its toes in the horror genre as well. It was disturbing and scary because I associated with real events that happened in this world and I knew they weren't far from what this movie shows. It doesn't shy away from relating the more gruesome scenes, even if it doesn't show you directly what it's happening - imagination can be richer.

On the other hand the plot kind of disappointed me. From the 3rd act, it seemed kind of rushed and confusing - like the writers didn't know what to do with the story. It had some plot holes and I would have loved to have more things developed with some side characters that were pretty interesting: like their motives and backstories (Mi Ro, Nurse Han, and Kang Byung Joo and The Doctor).

Lastly, Ye Won and Sang Yoon's characters were a bit too different - or more their storylines. They had their interactions but unfortunately, they left me cold...they were better alone on the screen than together, which is a pity cause they are both great. I think the writers could have used those scenes better to add more tension and mystery so maybe the ending would have made more sense that way.

All in all, I enjoyed it. Do I recommend it as a must-see? No, I don't but if you are a fan of one of the actors or of thrillers in general give it a try because probably you would enjoy it!

Leia Mais

I had many speculations before watching "Romantic Doctor", firstly because I wasn't impressed in the past with the korean medical dramas that I've watched, and secondly because I've been in a slump for a while now. I was expecting the same old pattern of 'good vs bad', young actors portraying some talented but one dimensional characters, and maybe a group of self-righteous old doctors that work for a defective system and try to get between the main cast and their goal.

What can I say? I was right and wrong at the same time. The first thing that "Romantic Doctor" gives you is a solid screenplay! I can sincerely say that the story was amazing. You have the main conflict that takes place for the most of the drama, but at the same time it doesn't drag on because there are smaller conflicts that happen along the way that are put under the spotlight. I loved the pacing of the show and how things were resolved in a very authentic manner, which brings me to the next point of this review.

I loved the characters and how each and every actor portrayed them. I came to this drama without being a fan of none of them, but oh man, were they amazing?! One of the things I love the most are multi-dimensional characters, because humans aren't perfect or only bad, we have layers. I don't think I've seen any other drama (apart from Queen Seon Duk) where this fact was exemplified as good as here.
Master Kim and Kang Dong Joo were a late christmas present in my case. Those characters were a delight to watch on the screen, to see them make mistakes and learn from them and sometimes battling with emotions that each of us have like greed, envy and fear.

"Romantic Doctor" is a great example of making a production where everyone is on the same page, from the staff and actors to the writers and director. I really recommend this drama for those of you who are looking for a great medical or workplace drama, or for those of you loving plot driven and interesting characters!

Leia Mais

The first 5 minutes are crucial for Han Ji Min's character. I was pleasantly surprised by the details that her character had. The way her hair was bleached that you could still see her natural color at the roots, how she has a really rough personality, always squatting down when smoking and spitting. It's the first time I've seen her with this kind of image and she really pulled it of.

Miss Baek is the result of an abused child. She always has a haunted look on her face and her guard up. She portrays a very aggressive woman that seems to want to go mostly unnoticed by society. Her life shows what a great impact abusive behavior on a child has. How what happens in your younger years shapes you as a human and cuts your chances in the world. It's a very sad reality. I think that Ji Eun, the child that Miss Baek takes under her wing, shows what can happens if a person decides to pay attention and not turn a blind eye. The relationship between them in heartwarming and the trust that the little girl has in Miss Baek is scary. In her eyes she is the only person that decided to look at her and actually see what is done to her. Most of the time I was furious with the other characters. How they choose to ignore the obvious only because it was easier and going against parents on a child abuse case is very sensitive. The truth is that this happens in real life as well. It always seems that the evidence isn't enough and makes you think what should actually happen for them to take a stand!

It's a very well done movie. I truly think that those kind of stories need to be told. And not only from the perspective of the aggressor or the victim but also from the bystanders who do nothing when they must. It's true that this movie is sensitive and scenes are quite realistic but I really think you should give it a try. It's not overly dramatic and stays true to the massage with which it was made!

Leia Mais

This is my first review in 2 years, but I just couldn't help myself but feel like writing one. I've been in kind of a slump lately and Doctor Stranger helped me out of it. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't the best drama I've ever watched, not even in my favorites, but somehow I ended up watching all 20 episodes in two days. It just made me curious on how things will develop. Now going on with the review...

Story: As you must have read in the previous reviews Doctor Stranger started of really good and promising. I still remember the first 3 episodes, which in my opinion, were the best in the drama. The idea wasn't something original, but the setting was. I loved how they focused on his life in the North and the hardships he had to go through. Now, many people said that those were the only good episodes in the drama, but for me everything was fine till episode 10. After watching that episode it seemed that everything I knew till then wasn't true, the story was rushed, feelings reviled out of nowhere, it seemed as an entire different show for me. Anyway, I still kept watching because I was eager to find out how it will end. By the last episodes it seemed that they tried to save what could be saved only to blow everything off with the final episode.

Acting/Cast: If there is someone to thank for saving the show it should be the cast, except for one. Their story arcs were interesting to watch and they did a good job with their characters even with the huge burden of such a chaotic storyline.

Park Hoon(Lee Jong Suk) - I really think that Lee Jong Suk gets better and better with every role he plays.He really didn't disappoint me on how he he played Park Hoon. But that doesn't mean that I was totally satisfied on his character. I think that the writers made him too of a "love fool" than it was necessary. As the drama progressed I began to notice that he was more obsessed with Jae Hee(or the idea of her) than actually being in love with her. They made him be someone that doesn't care for anything in the world than her, and that is pretty bad in my opinion. Apart from that I actually love "Doctor Park Hoon" more that "Lover Hoon".

Jae Hee(Jin Se Yeon) - I don't know if it was the actress or the character but I just couldn't make myself like her. As many people said, Jin Se Yeon is still young and has time to learn and develop as an actress, but I really disliked her in every character she played. The pity is that Jae Hee could have been a really interesting and challenging character if played by the right person, but instead she made me frustrated in every episode...this girl has only 2 faces: a forced smile and a blank "what are you talking about, I don't understand" face. I'm really sorry about her fans but she ruined it for me.

Jae Joon(Park Hae Jin) - I've just found myself a new crush with this show and that is actor Park Hae Jin. He is the character I loved the most in the entire drama because he seemed to me the most human and realistic one. A man with desires, ego but at the same time rational thinking that knew when to give up because something more important came in his life. Also I love the bro-romance he shared with Park Hoon.

Soo Hyun(Kang So Ra) - I wasn't a big fan of Kang Sora till this drama, but after watching her here I really came to like her, she came a long way since her Dream High days. Soo Hyun was a really interesting character to watch who changed during the drama. Starting as an insecure doctor that wasn't confident in her skills she ended up being someone trustworthy that gave hope to other people.

Music: The main song "Stranger" by Bobby Kim was really good to hear, but the other weren't mindblowing, at least in my case. But this is really a subjective matter that depends on the listener preferences.

Rewatch Value: I can say for sure that I won't rewatch this, because I wouldn't be able to go through with the story again, it was enough one time.

This to be said I can't say that his is a must-watch but I still encourage you to give it a try if you are curious, it wasn't so bad as many people say if you can "play blind" for a couple of moments, at least in my opinion.

Leia Mais