All About Love

All About Love Synopsis: (from AsianMediaWiki)
"All About Love" depicts the lives of two early 40s women Macy (Sandra Ng) & (Vivian Chow) Anita, who were once lovers. The women cross paths again when they both of them attend a counseling service for pregnant mothers. Macy is a lawyer who is pregnant with the child of a married man (Eddie Cheung).

Anita is a bank clerk who is carrying the child of a teenager named Mike (William Chan). Both of the woman are carrying babies from one night flings. Will the two woman reunite?

My comments:
All About Love is an entertaining movie with a very interesting cast. It’s been ages that I haven’t seen Vivian Chow and wow, she still looks radiant. I really like the first half of the movie where viewers are told how both Macy and Anita ended up being pregnant. The latter half was going around in circle a bit too much about should they keep the baby or not. I was rooting for both women to end up with their flings because I thought Sandra Ng and Eddie and surprisingly, even Vivian Chow and William Chan have good chemistry as the guys are adorably dorky. Well, I guess that such ending will be too conventional.

Stars Falling From The Sky

Stars Falling From The Sky Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
The drama draws a love story between two co-workers at an insurance company, with Kim Ji Hoon playing the company’s whip-smart lawyer. Because he carries the hurt of having been abandoned by his birth mother, he doesn’t easily open his heart to others. Jin Pal Kang (Choi Jung Won) is a 25-year-old employee of the company who becomes responsible for her five younger adopted siblings after her parents meet with sudden deaths.

Cast:
Choi Jung Won as Jin Pal Kang
Park Ji Bin as Jin Joo Hwang
Kim Yoo Ri as Jin No Rang
Joo Ji Won as Jin Cho Rok
Chun Bo Geun as Jin Pa Rang
Kim Ji Hoon as Won Kang Ha
Shin Dong Wook as Won Joon Ha
Lee Kyun as Woo Tae Gyu
Chae Young In as Jung Jae Young
Lee Soon Jae as Jung Gook


My comments:
The first episode of Stars Falling From The Sky (SBS, 20 episodes) didn’t really impress me and I expected myself to give up this drama later. The kids were overly loud and Pal Gang as the lead annoyed me at first because she was an airhead with irresponsible and selfish attitudes towards life and work. But from second episode onward, the drama gets better and better and everything that I thought was annoying grew on me. I cried buckets when Pal Gang has to grow up overnight to become a ‘mother’ of her 5 younger siblings (who are not blood related, by the way) and face the harsh reality of survival. When the kids are in crying mode, prepare tissues!

Although the summary of the drama screams weepy melodrama but surprisingly, it had a lot of funny moments. Every scene that involves Tae Gyu is funny. That poor guy, if I didn’t root for Kang Ha, I wouldn’t mind Tae Gyu ending up with Pal Gang. It’s hilarious to see the kids arguing about the pros and cons of the suitors for Pal Gang. I always like the plot of bubbly girl melting the ice prince so it’s a joy to see Kang Ha peeling his icy exterior little by little because of the Jin family. I have to say this: baby Nam is just too cute!

Although I’m glad that it’s a happy ending for mostly everyone but the ending felt rushed. They spend so much time on trying to find Grandpa’s real granddaughter but they didn’t give us a proper revelation scene where they talk about it, embraced or anything. I enjoy Kang Ha and Pal Gang’s bickerings and I like that at the end, it’s Pal Gang’s say when to marry and Kang Ha patiently waiting but how can the scriptwriters deny us some more lovey-dovey scenes. I want some mushiness for them!

Choi Jung Won was good as the caregiver sister Pal Gang and poor her, you can see the actress’s exhaustion, looking haggard as the drama progress, which surprisingly matches the development of her character. I like both actors of this drama Kim Ji Hoon and Shin Dong Wook. Too bad, I didn’t felt much about Shin Dong Wook’s character here. He’s a nice guy and he helped a lot when the heroine was in difficulty but I wasn’t convinced that he loves Pal Gang. I also didn’t care for Jae Young that much. She mostly made me fume because of her desperation and I found her 180 degrees character change at the end too sudden.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming drama, Stars Falling From The Sky is a good addictive one.

The very cute cast

Sign

Sign Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
A medical investigation drama about forensic doctors solving murder cases. Go Da Kyung is an eager rookie investigator who gets paired with the famous forensic doctor, Yoon Ji Hoon. They initially clash due to their different styles of investigation as well as their opposing personalities - Da Kyung's energetic nature is a source of irritation for the prickly Ji Hoon - but later develop a complex relationship as the two strive to uncover the truth through science.

Cast:
Park Shin Yang as Yoon Ji Hoon
Kim Ah Joong as Go Da Kyung
Uhm Ji Won as Jung Woo Jin
Jung Gyu Woon as Choi Yi Han
Jun Kwang Ryul as Lee Myung Han
Song Jae Ho as Jung Byung Do
Jang Hyun Sung as Jang Min Suk

My comments:
I was hooked on Sign (SBS, 20 episodes) since the first episode. It was a thrilling and exciting crime drama with unexpected twists of the cases. There is one main murder case since the first episode that lasted until the epilogue that was complicated due to manipulation of evidences from politicians, law enforcers, lawyers, you name it. We know who is the murderer very early but because the murderer is a VIP who has powerful background; therefore, it’s frustrating to see the folks gathering evidences and then evidences getting destroyed countless times because everyone’s corrupted. I felt that the endings of the villains were not harsh enough, especially the real murderer since she did not show signs of remorse with that smug expression. Grrr….

Sign was good because it did not have messy love relationships. The romance was so light that it was almost nonexistent. Ji Hoon and Da Kyung had little progress as pair to the point where a little holding hands scene and a few crying on the shoulder scenes were the most intimate between them. That’s why I didn’t buy them as a romantic pair since I get the mentor/student vibe more. Yi Han and Woo Jin was an enjoyable pair and at least they have a happy ending.

Now the ending, it created a lot of dissatisfaction. I didn’t read spoilers ahead and I’m glad because it had a greater impact. I cried so much at the last episode. It’s been a long long time that I didn’t see a male lead die in a K-drama that wasn’t in the melodrama genre. I was sad about the ending but I thought the death of Ji Hoon made sense because it was needed for the conclusion of that particular case, in which every single evidence is destroyed and every witness is killed. If he didn’t do what he did, how will the truth ever be will revealed?

I like the cast overall although I’m sometimes scared of watching Park Shin Yang (he’s one of the reasons why I didn’t continue War of Money). He’s an intense actor and in this drama, he plays a serious and demanding autopsist but he tends to yell too much. Jun Kwang Ryul as his rival is the complete opposite. He doesn’t show a lot of expressions, that’s why you don’t know what he’s really thinking. He does what he does driven by ambitions but at the end he didn’t completely lose conscience. Kim Ah Joong matured a lot in looks and acting compared to 200 Pounds Beauty.

Overall, Sign is a satisfactory drama that I didn’t regret spending 20 hours on it…

* Opening credit of the drama

The Good The Bad The Weird

The Good The Bad The Weird Synopsis: (from http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr)
With the Korean Peninsula under Japanese rule in 1930s, many Koreans flock to Manchuria for refuge. Some become bandits, some train robbers and yet others bounty hunters. While the Weird, a notorious train robber, is stealing from a Japanese train crossing the Manchurian plains, he discovers a treasure map. But the map is also sought after by the Bad, a merciless gang leader. Coincidentally, the Good, a bounty hunter, is on the train, and he is after the Bad. The three engage in a spectacular chase with the Japanese Army, the Korean independence fighters, and the Chinese bandits all looking to get their hands on the prized map.

My comments:
If my library didn’t have The Good The Bad The Weird, I probably would skip this movie despite its A-list actors. I was surprised at how entertaining this movie was (it’s always funny to spot inaccurate Mandarin dialogues). It was 2 hours long filled with humor, adventures and intense action. I witnessed 2 painful deaths from this movie that are quite memorable…Also, there was a nice twist at the end that I didn’t see it coming. The three main actors are very good in this movie and they complement each other well. Just watching their final showdown was worth it. I found Lee Byung Hun as the main villain a fascinating character despite his ruthless behavior…

Dream High

I finished Dream High (KBS, 16 episodes) and I hope that I won't have withdrawal symptoms...

Dream High Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
Six students at Kirin Art High School work to achieve their dreams of becoming stars.

Cast:
Suzy as Go Hye Mi
Kim Soo Hyun as Song Sam Dong
Taecyeon as Jin Gook / Hyun Shi Hyuk
Ham Eun Jung as Yoon Baek Hee
Wooyoung as Jason
IU as Kim Pil Sook


My comments:
When I first saw the teaser of Dream High during the end of Mary Stayed Out All Night, it didn’t really catch my interest but I’ve always liked dramas/movies related to the music and dancing so I gave it a shot. It’s better that what I expected as I found the drama uplifting, moving and heartwarming about six teenagers going through ups and downs to reach their dreams. This drama is not a melodrama but I lost count of many times I cried because I found some scenes so touching (example 1).

The drama had a grandiose opening of a certain ‘K’, the very first Korean singer winning the Grammys in 2018. We have six candidates, who is it? That was a big suspense of the drama and when it was revealed who at the end, it wasn’t the one I expected though. The pacing of Dream High was fairly consistent as there were almost no draggy moments and it was a rare time for me to be undecided who Hye Mi should end up with for half of the drama. Both got injured for saving her and both changed her one way or another so the big dilemma. Anyway, I’m a Sam Dong supporter so I’m satisfied with the ending although I found it bittersweet that the couple or the sixsome didn’t have a proper reunion. It’s also a rare case in Korean dramas where the the guy and the girl who shared childhood memories together didn’t end up as a couple.

The only flaw of the drama is the acting from the cast as most of them are idol rookies. Yes, they are inexperienced and unnatural at times but I think they gave earnest performances and the drama has so much “heart” therefore, I can close my eyes for this flaw and let it slide. Park Ji Young (known as JYP or Rain’s mentor) is a hoot to watch as the comic relief. I’m looking forward to see how the younger cast will do in their next drama, and like everyone else, I think Kim Soo Hyun will go very far with his career…


* Opening credit of the drama

Playlist of early March

- 無念 - Juno Mak => Juno continues his un-maintream road and this is an interesting song with complex lyrics (which I still don't understand)...

- 六月飛霜 - Eason Chan => I didn't think much of the song at first...until the chorus.