Friday, June 14, 2013

Two Weeks Info




Title: Two Weeks
Screenwriter: So Hyun Kyung ( 2009s Shining Inheritance, 2011s  49 Days)
Start Date: August 2013
Starring: Lee Jun Ki and Kim So Yeon
Premise: Jun Ki plays Jang Tae Sang, a man falsely accused of murder, and on the run, while his daughter's health suffers from leukemia. The show is supposed to span two weeks as he tries to save his daughter's life.

I'm interested in how they're going to format this show. Will each episode be like one day out of his journey? Will it be like '24' countdown every hour?
Based on his performance in AaTM, Jun Ki has gotten better and learned more skills, but being a fugitive and having a very sick child makes for a high intensity and highly emotional story. I don't know much about anyone else in this drama. However, knowing that the writer is So Hyun Kyung, does give me hope that the story will be very touching, since 49 Days had me puffy-eyed for about half the episodes. Maybe they will combine to make a great show to watch. I guess I'll have t add this to the  'Try/Watch' Drama List.

Dalja's Spring- A Mini Review



Title: Dal Ja's Spring
Year: 2007
Starring: Chae Rim and Lee Min Ki
Premise: A 33-year old working woman, never had the time or opportunity to find love, but all of a sudden finds herself with more options to choose from than ever before.
Why I Chose This Show: Honestly? I came for Min Ki, because his role in Shut Up! Flower Boy Band was way too short and since he hasn't been in many television shows, I picked this one because it seemed the most interesting. As I started to watch I saw some familiar faces. Chae Rim is actually the female lead from Oh! My Lady, also starring a younger guy (Choi Si Won) as her love interest, and the second male lead of that show is also the same in this one, Lee Hyun Woo as Uhm Ki Joong. I thought of it as a cute history and jumped right into the drama.


SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I have to admit that it took me a little while to finish this drama, it was in no way boring but the episodes were long, 60+ minutes each and then other, newer, shows would catch my fancy and DS would take a back seat. However, even though that's true, I did enjoy this drama alot. I kinda felt like Dal Ja was my emotional doppelganger. She was very in-her-head about romance, always imagining romantic encounters and dramatic scenes. Luckily the fantasy skits were scattered throughout the entire show. There were quite a few things that I liked about this show and  few that I didn't.

Things That I Did Like:
1. I seriously applaud the fact that neither Dal Ja or the audience was confused about her feelings for Kang Tae Bong very long, and that once she knew, she was pretty up front with the spare, Uhm Ki Joong.
2.The second female lead, Hwi Soon Joo, played by Lee Hye Young, isn't just there to be evil to Dal Ja. The love triangle that starts the show between Soon Joo, Sae Doo and Dal Ja, doesn't last long and naturally flows into a comfortable friendship between them all. I think the only other shows I've seen something like this happen in is MARS (2004 Taiwanese drama starring Vic Zhou and Barbie Hsu) and Protect the Boss (2011 Korean drama starring Ji Sung and Choi Kang Hee).
3. This drama didn't do much of a roller- coaster ride. There weren't extreme highs or extreme lows, it was cute and fun to watch and a nice break from some of the emotional gut punches I've seen recently. Instead of trying to make 'drama' out of nothing, I think the writers just did a good job expanding the scope of the story by adding to the relationships of people around Dal Ja and Tae Bong.
4. Although there was some parental opposition (because she's older, and he is just a part time worker), where there were some arguments and tears, neither side went overboard. Like trying to pay Dal Ja off, or lying to keep them apart, or the most ridiculous: locking them away. Then in the same way, the solution that Tae Bong and Dal Ja come up with to win their parents' approval, was better and more creative than the over done kneeling and crying (although those scenes usually get me all weepy), it was refreshing to see.
5. The Affection between Dal Ja and Tae Bong was cute and they looked really good together.

cr. to gibbynka on tumblr
6. The drawings and episode titles was a cute touch to the show as well, and added to the feeling that this was a production made with thought and care.

Things That I Did Not Like:
1. The fact that Uhm Ki Joong and his weirdo ex-wife, were pointless for most of the show, except to leave Dal Ja out to dry with all the rumors. To the end of the show, people still think that she had an affair with him, when it was all made up by the ex-wife. There is just something so irresponsible about a man that will get you into a situation and only watch from the background as you try to navigate you're way out. Was he too embarrassed to just say one sentence to keep her from being suspended?
I could have lived without either of them in the show.
2. If you Wiki Lee Min Ki, you can see that this was not his first drama, but his expressions were at times a bit frozen. I think actors like that belong in emotionally intense productions because they say a lot without words, but for this it just looks as though his facial dictionary is limited. I think he could have done a much better job acting in this drama.
3. The fact that in the last episode it took Dal Ja and Tae Bong so long to meet up. It was a bit frustrating.


All-in-all I thought the drama was pretty good, but I also feel like if I look back on this drama in a year, I won't remember a lot about it. I think I'll only give this drama a 7 hearts rating.

Monday, June 3, 2013

CL- 'The Baddest Female' MV

There are very few female acts that I truly like, in Korea or else where, because a lot of them fall short in one category or another. I can be very picky when it comes to girl groups and singers. Plus, them being girls excludes them from being true "eye candy" for me. Hehe. Anyway, 2NE1, and CL in particular, falls into the "can't wait for your new music" list.
CL has just come out with her first solo single "The Baddest Female", on the 28th of May, and I'm happy to say that I like the song and video.
The outfit changes were many and varied, and the attention to detail, maintaining the fact that this is a CL video not one for 2NE1. She looks great in this video, I think my favorite part is when she's on the CL Swing with pig- tails and a lollipop and everything was so visually interesting. Nothing confusing or fussy, but enough to stimulate and keep your attention. The only thing that was truly predictable about this video were the cameos from G-Dragon and Taeyang of Big Bang. I just knew they were going to come out and support her.
Also note, I LOVED the paisley tattoo she has on her arms- very cool.
I wish that this was lyrically one of her better songs. I know she has more in the tank than that,as evidenced by her part in "The Leaders" featured on G-Dragon's solo album "Heartbreaker". But when I think of what might appeal to a broader fan base, I think this was a good choice. The song is a bit braggadocios, but shows her spunk and personality really well.
All-in-all, I think this video and song represented CL very well and I for one am looking forward to more songs from her in the future.
*Doing the Unnie*

OH! Before I forget, this video was really great for my screencap collection. Here are some to share: