Pethushka

I have yet to see a Korean film that strikes me as more American. I once fell for Korean cinema because of movies like this. Because it was different, more natural, more original, and more real. In other words, the opposite of what I just saw. There were few bright moments and more stupid coincidences than people catching the flu. Positives? Soo-ae is great. Hyeok Jang is awesome. But I already knew that. 2.5 stars.

I don't know what to say. This goes beyond my words. All I know is that the old familiar emptiness that I've experienced a few times after finishing a series is here, and now I'm going to have to carry it and all those other incredible feelings around for a while. I'm guessing this time it will be for months. In time, when I've shaken it off a bit, maybe I'll tell you more. 5 stars// Less than six months after watching it, I still have a strong connection to this series. Just as I expected, it took months to fill the "void" in me. I believe some of you know it. It's that state where you finish watching something amazing, and then you just know it's going to be a long time before something else comes along that you really and completely enjoy. Because everything you put on in that state is going to be missing something. You feel that it "isn’t exactly right", that it's imperfect, that you've seen the best and nothing better can come along. You have an emptiness inside you that you just can’t fill. But one day it will fade, and you will once again be able to see beauty in its fullness somewhere else.

Nice idea, but if they wanted to make a proper movie out of it, of course they would have needed to build a stronger foundation for their relationship, elaborate the script a bit more, and add a few more minutes, and probably a bit more budget. I'm not really sure I understood the film as well as I should have, but I enjoyed it. I don't think it would have stayed in my head for more than a few days, though. 3 stars.

I was originally going to start out by going through all the things the detectives and members of the Golden Time Team did wrong, getting upset about why they gave the perps a head start during the chases for reasons I don't understand, but then I decided to give it a pass. I've forgotten most of the cases where something went wrong anyway, and my mind is mostly on what went right. I'm not saying it's a perfect series where everything makes sense, because there were a few snags. But why am I going to spoil my overall impression by ranting on here about how if I want to stop a car with a killer in it, you'd do better to shoot out the tires rather than trying to catch up with him. Even if I’m a crazy Hyeok Jang. I have more advice like that, but I'll keep it to myself. Because if I get past these little things, I'm looking at a great series with a great script, a great cast, an above average soundtrack, and a damn fine atmosphere. The cases are complex and interesting, most of the perpetrators pack a punch, and the plot moves forward without getting boring or limp. The main villain was portrayed absolutely brilliantly. I'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger maniac with such a well-developed character out of all the serial killers. I don't know if it’s completely appropriate to say this, but I immensely enjoyed every glimpse of him. He wasn't the typical bastard you want to kill whenever he appears on screen. He was more complex, different, and I just enjoyed him. I'm glad that now, when some Korean asks me again if I've seen Voice, I'll be able to say that I have. And that I loved it. And that Hyeok Jang is the bomb. I'm fighting the urge to give it one more star, but I'll hold back and "just" give it 4 stars.

The premise and the Mexican atmosphere are definitely great, but the characters aren’t fully developed. Not to mention that you can feel how much the film wants to be touching and I don't think it ultimately succeeds. I've seen prettier fairy tales. With nicer endings, more sympathetic protagonists and, most importantly, no annoying supporting characters. I’ll give an extra point for the music and the Spanish, but otherwise I consider it a slight disappointment. 3 stars.

DISCLAIMER: I'm completely enchanted, in love, and absolutely uncritical. I am currently in a euphoric state and hearts are most definitely flying out of my eyes. END DISCLAIMER. This show is an incredible load of romance. In fact, that's the only thing the show is about. Other than the childhood storyline, there are no subplots, only romantic relationships, in multiple forms, and with great humor. Although the plot takes place mostly in the environment of a large corporation, don't expect any battles over the throne, no one is suffering unnecessarily here. And it feels really refreshing. If you want a tale about how an egocentric vice president falls in love with a girl from a studio apartment and turns the world upside down for her, go for it. This time, you won't be distracted by extremely pushy and stubborn parents deciding what their children's work and love lives will look like. And there will be no evil uncle who feels that his son will do a better job of running the company. Here it's clear right from the start. Love and chemistry are in the air everywhere, and it's the one thing that everything revolves around. If, hypothetically speaking, I could write a script, this is how I would write it. There wasn't a minute in the whole thing where I was bored; on the contrary, there were a lot of times when I giggled like a goofy 15-year-old girl. I think my partner, who was present for a few of my fits, is slowly beginning to think I've lost my mind. Seo-joon and Min-yeong are a killer combination. I love them together!

There's a lot I want to say about this piece, but I'll try to keep it short. The series stirred up a lot of conflicting emotions in me. The biggest problem I see is the script. It's not that its missing a concept; on the contrary, it's brilliant. But after a great start in the spa and a few more episodes, where the viewer is introduced to a plot that promises much, there comes the classic, sometimes unfortunately boring tug-of-war over the chair. I also have a controversial opinion about the main heroine. I'm not sure I want to see her in anything else. After a couple of episodes where I liked her, she started to remind me more and more of Shin-hye Park's weepy cry-baby in The Heirs. I had the complete opposite experience with the main character, who I think is the best thing about the whole series. I already liked Kang-joon Seo back in the day as the wingman in Sly and Single Again and I have to say, he did his job wonderfully and played the robot with absolute brilliance. Almost to the point where I'll probably always kind of see it in him. Whether it was his slow neck movements, his slightly absent look, or the custom smile, he was fabulous. All the more so because he could turn into the most arrogant man under the sun without blinking an eye. The other thing I have to praise is the handling of all the "robot stuff". The effects were incredibly well done and gave the series a really unique atmosphere. Whether in the way the robot was built, its injuries and subsequent repairs, or just its eyes when it switched modes, it's all very nicely done. I read somewhere that it was one of the most expensive Korean series of all time, and I can't tell at all. I also enjoyed those big moments when the robot walks somewhere, you can hear the sound of its shoes, heroic music plays, and everyone's chin drops. They were good at that, but you can't do it all the time. As for the romance, I enjoyed the relationship between the two Shins and their mother more than the relationship between the main character and the robot. That's where I felt the warmth and emotion. I would definitely argue for the series to be at least two episodes shorter. Then maybe I would have gone up a star with the rating.

I didn't even make the connection with the Japanese original before I started the movie. However, the premise reminded me of it very quickly. Compared to the original version, the Korean one has a lighter feel, I would even say that we can call it a very decent comedy up to a certain point. For example, when I saw Ji-sub So in a pink jacket, I almost lost my life in a fit of laughter. And I'm not kidding. My favorite guy wrapped me around his finger again right at the very beginning, and I was just amazed at how much he can do that to me. Watching (in my opinion) some of the best actors on the planet fall in love all over again was just amazing. I don't really want to compare the Korean version to the Japanese version because although they tell the same story, each is conceived completely differently. And each has its own charm. The Japanese film was careful, heartfelt, and beautiful; the Korean film was also beautiful, you could feel the love, but you could also laugh and have fun with it. 5 stars.

Some episodes are weaker, others I could have watched for longer. Definitely entertaining for the fans though, and I'm not going to lie that I haven't made a list in my head of other adepts I'd like to see there. Like Eric, erm... Anyway, good show. Just wondering: is this even legal? :))

I started watching this show almost without a second thought, mostly because of Soo-ae, who I love. The beginning looked quite promising, but the quality of the series tended to go downhill from episode to episode until it became a dusty piece of work that I watched mostly while doing other things, since it simply couldn't entertain me on its own. I later found out that Korean viewers had a similar opinion, and that the ratings there had dropped to about a third as well. I'm not surprised. There's zero chemistry between the main couple, and it's downright negative at times. Not to mention that the main character looks like a kakabus the whole time and even Soo-ae couldn’t keep me entertained. I won't even comment on the wingman, the creators couldn't decide if he was an ice prince or a grinning jerk. The other performances weren't worth much either, the script is lame, and the music they used for the would-be suspenseful scenes is almost laughable. The whole thing felt cheap to me. For example, I'd rather forget scenes like the one in the courthouse, which probably should have been one of the highlights of the series. And the whole plot with the gangsters and the land that was a farce. The running time could have been maybe half as long if they'd cut out the constant and repetitive flashbacks. What I enjoyed most about the whole series, apart from the dumplings, which I got a taste for, was the main character's rival (the flight attendant). Normally I would think she was annoying, but here she was the only one who at least had some personality and played her role fully and convincingly. It wasn't the first role I liked Bo-ah Jo in, so I hope to see her in something better next time. This was pretty poor, 2 stars.