Orion's Ramblings

Padam Padam - Tongyeong on Daum Street View

2012-01-24T15:43:00.001+02:00

If you are watching "Padam Padam: The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats" you might have also been impressed and dazzled by the beautiful filming locations. Among other things, since this show is generally wonderful.

Well, as stated in the series, the town is called Tongyeong and it's at the very edge of South Korea, down South. It's a lovely location as it combines both higher ground and sea, it's small enough for comfort, but seems to be buzzing with life too.

By using Daum Maps (read: Google Maps for South Korea), you can even find the house of character Jung Ji Na from the series. I have made a small visual tutorial on how to do that. In my post "Street View for South Korea", you will find a link to Daum Maps, as well as a picture tutorial on how to navigate it, as it is in hangul. It's really easy though. Same principles as Google Earth. All it takes is a few minutes of vigorous clicking, dragging and the occasional swearing when you end up some place random because you clicked the wrong thing.

So, here is a picture on how to find the town and the house, as well as a few links on the lovely Tongyeong, including its home page (in English).

The instructions and the house itself

Links:

TongYeong - Homepage (English)

Tongyeong tag on Flickr

Korean tag "통영" on Flickr - You can do a Google image search with that too

Blogger: Our Tour in Korea page's Tongyeong posts (some nice pictures)

Naver Photo Gallery tag

4 long exposure night photographs (I like this kind)

Asian Entertainment Fans - Dark Days Ahead

2012-01-23T22:46:00.001+02:00

There are many things I want to say about this recent shove they are giving the world, attempting to plunge it into darkness. I could go on and on about SOPA and ACTA. I could go on and on about the hypocrites and royal pricks who should burn in hell for wanting to turn us all into lesser people they can rule more easily over. If they don't mind letting people in poor countries suffer and die slowly, just because they won't let go of some of their money, they will have no problem taking our internet away.

But talking about these things we all know and feel is not necessary. As for information, I don't think I need to give much. Chances are, if you are an Asian entertainment fan, that you know what is going on already. It's a sad sad thing.

Fileserve has now joined the sites which are no longer filesharing ones.

This is a dire matter for fans. Asian entertainment is not force-fed to us like Hollywood is. We don't get Asian movies and series in video renting stores, we can't watch them in cinemas. The only way we can know if we like something enough to buy it, the only way by which we can watch it and find out if it's worth our money (as we CAN do with Hollywood productions) is by downloading it first.

Pretty soon, we won't have that luxury anymore and will therefore not be able to take the risk and go shopping blind. We will no longer be able to keep our contact with Asian entertainment, or any other kind of entertainment which isn't Hollywood. A bunch of rich pigs will control what people see and when.

Companies have been bitching and moaning about piracy and how it causes losses for them. Go tell that to a 3-year-old, because adult human beings with functioning brains don't buy your crap. Companies get way more because of piracy than the "losses" they suffer. People buy the DVDs, CDs, merchandise, tickets to visit places and countries they see in the works, even the damn make up that us used in a show.

If they had the brains and willingness to make their products available online, for a reasonable price, where people can watch and then buy, we'd all be happy. And don't talk to me about certain "US only" websites which do offer that. Thanks, but there is a continent between Asia and the US called Europe. You might have heard of it. Some of us live here and some of us may as well not exist, in the eyes of Asian entertainment and sometimes even Hollywood. If they made the works available for all or the DVDs available and functional worldwide and if they changed the video standards so that we don't loose half the screen when playing an Asian DVD on a European television (on a crappy region-free DVD player), we'd be more than happy.

But Hollywood is one hungry little bitch. And the CEOs of all these "poor and wronged" companies are very greedy cunts. They're not about to let anyone else ruin their monopoly. A few years back, they ordered Korea to increase the time they show Hollywood movies in cinemas and severely cut the time their own movies get. People protested about it and they were right too.

So, if they threaten/close all the means by which any user in the world can access that entertainment, they can peddle their crap to us without anyone cutting in.

If they succeed, we will no longer be able to enjoy Asian entertainment. An entire fanbase of anime, dramas, movies, variety shows, asian pop and even the fans of the countries themselves, who got to know them through their entertainment, will be left with no means of reaching the industries we love. And no person of an average income can afford to pay 80 euros for a movie and its postage, when they don't even know if it's worth it.

I sincerely hope that people will rise against them, but I also believe people tend to forget a cause when it's out of fashion. A lot of them want to join the mob and yell, but they lose interest when it's no longer "cool". I see what happened in my own country. Our government has betrayed us in the worst of ways, we yelled, we screamed and then people got bored. Young people didn't find it "exciting" anymore and stopped. I stopped too, because the whole world is against us and no one even bats an eyelid when it comes to our woes.

Do you know the (inaccurate) anecdote of the boiling frog? If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. If you put it in cold water and warm it slowly, it will sit there and boil to death. This is not a lesson on how to make frog-soup. This is a lesson about human nature. When our rights are openly and suddenly violated, we lash out. When the danger is obvious and imminent, we see it. But we're also very absorbed in our routine, fear and denial. No matter how dire an issue, if it happens slowly and gradually, we allow it to happen.

I most fervently wish that I am wrong about this. That people will fight this like mad, that we'll join hands and crush these corporate dictators, these fascists with our sheer numbers and will. But I do not have such an optimistic view of the world. I can only hope and worry.

These are my thoughts on this issue, my fears, my disappointment. There's rough times ahead. Let's all hope for the best and keep fighting as long and as far as our strength carries us.

Them Awesome Surveys

2012-01-22T14:42:00.001+02:00

"I said you're not ending and that's final, World..."

Anyone who is very much into Korean entertainment, or any kind of mass drawing one, knows what I'm talking about. But let's explain this to others a bit.

See, when a person hears of a survey, they usually imagine rankings. People vote on something which will help others see what is best or maybe what is worst. Or maybe ask for a political opinion, as surveys are usually associated with research on an important subject.

But there are also the show business polls and surveys. Now, those usually have less dire matters to vote on, such as a celebrity affair, about their acting skills, maybe a ranking of the movies they've done and some are often made on gossip. But they are things that are happening or that need answering, since people would want to know.

And then there's surveys in Korea. I swear, the people that make them must be getting some type of grant from the government for them and just do them for "spending money". Polls in Korea basically ask the most irrational and useless questions, in order to give us an insight into the brains of masses. Hoo boy. Maybe those exist in Hollywood as well, but I thankfully managed to avoid the gossip side of things there.

Here are some examples (click them, they're links) and mind you, these aren't among the craziest I've seen. I just searched two sites for these, just to give you an idea.

G-Dragon #3 in “Who would you vote for class president” survey

Lee Seung Gi and Han Hyo Joo, The Best Partners to Year-End Party

Rain tops a survey of the male star who has lips that are really cool and kissable (Newsen)

Won Bin & Girls' Generation's Yoona Selected For Best Celebrity To Hold Hands And Walk With

Lee Byeong-Heon Is Chosen for Most Wanted Hallyu Star For Dinner Date

And of course, my personal favorite lately, the one that made me write this. Something which is freaky enough to match the person who topped it.

People want to be with Kang Dong Won when the world comes to an end

There you have it. What a romantic thing to ask... Exactly why is this of any interest to anyone? Even I don't care about such surveys and I'm his fan. How exactly does this help anybody? You know, these could be good surveys on psychology. They could. But those who make them waste the potential. Ask these people, WHY they'd want to be with him. Is there something about him which indicates compassion? Comfort? Do they feel he'd keep them calm when the end was near? If anyone bothered to ask all these interesting questions, they could see a) the qualities an actor's public image projects and why that is, b) what people see in celebrity public personas and how they interpret personalities, c) what people would need or appreciate during a dire time and I could go on and on about all the interesting things you could get from such questions.

Or maybe, as my friend Ethlenn said, they think he'd stare the end away with his killer death ray eyes (as illustrated in the picture above).

On another note, please compare his older look with this creepy skeleton they have on the Gateway2Korea article and tell me, why oh WHY no one reminded him to eat during the last 4 years or so.

Now, I know these are just silly little entertaining polls for those who need something to kill their boredom for 1-2 minutes, but valuable money, time and effort go into such surveys. Things which could be spent to actually produce something of value. There are so many useful, fun and interesting things they could be asking about celebrities and the industries. About celebrity skills, their works, what appeals to people in entertainment and arts, how they feel about genres and the movies that are made in Korea. So many things. But no. Knowing which guy fangirls would most like to sneeze on is much more valuable information...

Greece and Korea - "Kaimos" and "Han"

2012-01-20T20:33:00.002+02:00

We have a saying in Greece. "Είδε ο γύφτος τη γενιά του και αναγάλλιασε η καρδιά του/Eide o gyftos ti genia tou kai anagalliase i kardia tou". It translates as "The gypsy saw his kind and his heart rejoiced". It means that we met or saw someone whom we hit it off with, who understands us or is like us and we love that. I could say it if I bumped into a relative or friend outside or mostly when I meet someone I have nice conversations with. Someone who "gets" me. My kind of person.

I have been talking about this issue for a while now, in different places, be it comments or posts. So I decided to make a piece on it a while back and then I postponed it a bit. But an article that came out today reminded me that I was supposed to have gotten this done already, on account of me wanting to do it. I'm weird, I know.

As I've mentioned a lot in the past, Korea feels like Asia's Greece, sometimes. I am not talking about history or politics. I am not educated on those issues and others could talk about them better than me. I am also not talking about our geography or love for food, as a nice post on this issue from the Korea blog mentioned. The one which reminded me that I need to do this piece. So, thanks to Angeliki for that.

I am talking about certain elements of living and culture, behaviors, habits, things that somehow feel so very familiar, things that I don't see in other cultures, past the ones I already know are like my own and also know the reasons behind our similarities. They are things that give me a feeling of watching something from my own country, unlike anything has ever done before.

I feel they are too many and I would like to talk about them in separate articles. I want to give as much information on them as I can and I feel that they also need some explaining in order for people of other cultures to somehow understand why they feel so familiar to someone like me. I know these exist in many countries, but I can only compare Korea and my own.

As I said in the beginning, I am no historian. I do not know the origins of these elements and I am not saying the countries are the same. We have many differences, in fact, and I will talk about some of those as well. I am a simple person. A simple Greek who has been exposed to another culture through certain mediums and finds certain things that ring very familiar bells.

I also don't know how much of this is just used for entertainment and how much is accurate. A lot of things that I find familiar are in dramas and movies, so I can't accurately say that is what Korean society is like. As we all (hopefully) know, the fictional depictions of a place are not always in keeping with real life and especially when it comes to Korean dramas.

I think we can be sure Koreans don't give piggybacks to each other as often as in dramas

However, I assume these certain things I have spotted do come from a real equivalent, as they are sometimes a bit too specific and consistent and not so much part of the "grip" a series has on viewers. Like Greek series, we use "ideal reality" a lot, for the sake of entertainment, but you can still see our culture in it. I am assuming it's the same in every country. Showing your culture through storytelling is not something you can really fight.

The first topic would be "han". Believe it or not, Greeks have "han" too and it's a feeling so indescribable that you can't fully understand it unless you feel it. But here are some things I recently wrote about it in a comment at a Hancinema article.

I feel "han" is possibly and in some ways similar to the greek "καημός" (kaimos), which can mean longing, deep sorrow and literally "burning". It's a feeling of injustice, of a terrible stifling weight in one's chest, about a burden they have to carry and a regret they might have. Also, a pessimism about the future can be part of it. It's woe, in a sense.

It is very personal and each person's "καημός" is something only they can feel the weight of (which is why we have the expression "my καημός is"), but it's also something that brings people together in the form of cultural identity. We know we all feel it, even if each of us suffer through theirs alone. So, in a way, it creates a feeling of unity and comfort. We know that our fellow people feel it and it is something that does not need to be conveyed in words.

It's also something which is more present in older generations. They have lived through wars, the junta, terrible times, so that shared feeling of sorrow, along with each person's burden they carry is something that is more intense in older people.

Our generation (the ones under 30 or so) have lived a "life in feathers", as we call it. We have not been through major events that would create that unity, neither have we been through times as terrible as those our parents and grandparents went through.

So, this is a concept that is less likely to be used as anything but a common "sadness/complaint" meaning word by younger people. The word "kaimos" we use today is not the same as the concept of "kaimos", in that sense.

Which is why a lot of the older greek movies had themes of revenge, war, pain, ruining other people's lives as a means of seeking relief from one's own problems and other such themes. Quite similar concepts to such Korean movies which are quite focused on despair.

"Han" and "kaimos" are elements found very much in entertainment and art, because those are expressions of our cultural identities and our mindsets as people. And it is through those mediums that we can also find them in each other. Music is one place where I've spotted this (as have other Greeks, I'm sure), and it seems some Koreans have too.

The characters of "Cyrano Agency" listening to Greek artist Baltsa's "Aspri mera kai gia mas"

Music is often about the emotion. It's the reason why we can enjoy music in any language, if the rhythm and the way it is sung touch our hearts. Which is why, as I wrote in my previous piece, we sometimes hear Greek songs or tunes in Korean entertainment.

When you hear Agnes Baltsa's "Aspri mera kai gia mas", do you feel this sadness? Do you suddenly feel as if everything bad that happened in your life, every sorrow, even those of other people, those who lived before you and those around you is suddenly crawling all over your skin and reaching into your gut? Or when you hear a song like the "Hymn of Death", do you get goosebumps all over you and feel like crying, even if you don't understand what it says? And do you feel this sense of nostalgia and warmth at the same time, as if the words or the tune or the person singing or even those listening to it are sighing with you and hope with you?

Then congratulations. You are much closer to understanding "kaimos", and I imagine "han" as well. Now you know how it feels.

I have not picked a topic for next time, but if this topic does interest you, there's plenty more where that came from. "Han" is maybe a bit too abstract, but there are also quite more concrete similarities and I will be talking about those as well. I will also, as I already mentioned, speak of some differences and also negative sides we both seem to have in our mindsets.

Just keep in mind that I am expressing opinions and observations here. What I say is what I think and feel. If something is inaccurate, do tell me, but it's not something I know about, if I write it here inaccurately.

Kang Dong Won - Calendar Photos Part 4

2012-01-18T19:23:00.001+02:00

This is the fourth out of 5 parts of some nice calendar pictures of Kang Dong Won.

The rest: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

I am not sure they are from the same calendar, as some do appear to be from another batch. The quality is mostly very nice, but some are a bit smaller than others and of course, you don't need me to tell you where I got them because these girls' love stamps are all over them, often at very annoying places and even many times within a picture.

A lot of the pictures are of the same photoshoot, outfit and setting, but I scrambled them a bit to give you more variety in each batch.

Now, this may coincide with Kang Dong Won's birthday, but it most certainly isn't a gift for him. Why not? Because it's not my duty to send him gifts and I certainty wouldn't send him pictures of himself as a present. You'll find out more about my full thoughts on this in an article I will be writing soon.

I really like some from this batch. For one, we have a killer derpy one (4th set, first photo) and the last picture is also one of my favorites from this collection. It looks like he adjusting the scarf, so it may not have been a planned pose. Frankly, those pictures are usually the best, when captured by a good photographer. I also love black and white pictures and Kang Dong Won photographs really well in them.

The picture up on the top is also another very good one.

And because I am me and do notice these things, does his t-shirt say "sex" in the third picture bellow? Why do you torture your fangirls with such clothes, man?

Camellia - Korean Release Date?

2012-01-15T17:22:00.001+02:00

Well, I may have said a while back (don't remember), that there seems to be a company called M-Line Distribution which promotes Korean movies abroad and in festivals. Article on that here.

They just added "Howling" in their list, with a release date for February 9th 2012, the official release date for this movie. But they also updated the "Camellia" release date. It is now "February 2012", as you can see on the picture here. All I can say is, "bring it on" and "finally".

Thailand and Japan have promoted this movie. They have websites for it, press conferences, trailers and even music videos made. But from Korea, silence. This movie is filmed exclusively in Busan. It stars Korean actors in every segment and it's mainly a Korean project, in collaboration with Japan and Thailand. But it seems that the only country to not promote it at all is the country of origin, which is just sad.

Well, maybe things will change now. Maybe it really will be released and get some proper promotion and press on it. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know if there's anything there worth promoting other than heavy eye make up, vintage clothing and Busan, but let's see.

2NE1 Plagiarism - More Info

2012-01-15T02:08:00.003+02:00

Ok, so this guy is apparently a netizen, for lack of a better word. He has profiles around and has his title as "semi-professional". So, he's someone who probably wants a career in music and is starting small, hoping to get picked up by some manager.

All that is fine and good on a young man trying to make his dream come true, but his "dream" comes from another damn band. I mean, he didn't even try and remix the song a bit. He plain copied it and then added his "singing" to it, which is not even rapping. It's talking. If he had credited them, I'd respect the guy, even if he sucks. But butchering music and doing it to music that isn't even yours? Nah, man.

He's probably too much of an amateur (and bad one) for YG Entertainment to pay much attention and I doubt the fandom will go too haywire on him, but he's still facing some pretty big embarrassment right now. I'd suggest he apologizes and removes the song from the public for good. Many people use old tunes, but unless you add something of your own to it and something decent, you're in bad taste.

So, to close this news for tonight, here is a live version of this wonderful song from some club. Sir, if you made money from that song, you really should be ashamed. I know the economy sucks, but have some decency.

Edit: The video was made private, just like the original. Will re-post if I find it again.

Greek Singer Plagiarizes 2NE1's "I Am the Best"

2012-01-15T01:18:00.001+02:00

Well, Koreans take tunes from us and it seems we do the same. Now, while the "han" is indeed a good solid link between us, this song doesn't exactly have it. It seems as if our tastes in pop match too though. So, this "artist", Kristian Mexis apparently thought he could use the song without anyone noticing.

The funny thing is, the guy didn't even go through the trouble of remixing it somehow or redoing it. He even uses parts of it as is and just changed the way they sound a bit. Now, this song annoys me in the original version, but the Greek one is even worse. It's unbearable.

I am not sure who this guy is, if he is professional or if he's just some guy on youtube, but I'll check it out and update with more info. I don't even know if he's making money out of this. He may just be a fan who's playing with the tune, so let's not hang the man yet. Until I know more, here is the song. Although I have a feeling they might take it down soon.

Be back with more news on this soon.

Edit: The video was indeed made private. If I find it in the future, I'll re-post.

Korean Movies 2011 - The Reviews (2)

2012-01-14T21:29:00.002+02:00

This is the second batch of the Korean Movies 2011 reviews I am doing. Part 1 can be found here. You can also look at my Korean Movies 2011 posts, where I talk about all the movies of 2011 I want to see. Although I now have more to add there.

This time, I am talking a bit about "Moby Dick", "Suicide Forecast" and "Clash of the Families". For plot synopsis and more info, go to these pages before reading my mini-reviews.

There is an ending spoiler for Moby Dick in this review, but the rest are spoiler free. I warn before this spoiler as well.

Moby Dick

What I liked:

Unfortunately, very few things. I mainly got into this movie because of the cast. When I see Hwang Jeong Min's name, I take a closer look. Also, Kim Sang Ho was there and that's always an additional reason to look into it.

The acting is good indeed, but it's unfortunately one of the very few things that are. There are a few scenes where you really do see just why Hwang is such a terrific A-list actor.

The plot and the conspiracy theories work well up to a point and for the most part and they get you thirsty for explanations and resolving, even if they get too messy at times. There is a slight more human side to things, although the balance between those two is lost.

The movie wastes some fine talent

What I didn't like:

Some very big and important things. For one, the movie does not seem to know whether it wants to be a personal story focused on the player or then focused on the game. There is this witness to the conspiracy and we go through his personal journey for redemption. But it feels like a completely useless side story and you don't see enough of it to sympathize. Especially early on.

On the other hand, the main conspiracy plot suffers because of this switching between these two types of storytelling. Now, every movie has a side plot, but it needs to be done in a way that makes sense and doesn't break flow. This doesn't do it well.

Furthermore, there is the ending. This is an ending spoiler so do not read further if you mind.

There is no ending. That is my problem and why this movie gets a very low score. You expect a solution to the conspiracy and the movie just ends with the lead still in the process of exposing it. I know they probably wanted to say something about real life and how you can never really win in such situations, against such strong forces etc, but movies are not real life. And in some aspects, they shouldn't try to be. An audience needs a resolution. And it has to be the kind of resolution you hooked them with and made them want during the entire work. The conspiracy theme and the suspense work well in the movie. But then they cop out in the end and just drop everything and turn the cameras off.

Maybe it wasn't about the conspiracy, but about how it affects people. They failed at that already, by trying to do both and not well. Or maybe the movie did want to show how hopeless life is. Yes, point taken and you're right in saying life is sometimes unfair, but you are still making a movie here. This might have some sort of smart moral, but it's still unacceptable as a movie and a fictional story.

They deliberately set you up to want and expect a big finale and then close the cameras right before the hero starts working on making it happen. You know when this is acceptable? When there is a planned and announced sequel. This feels like the first part of a duology and the abrupt ending which didn't solve anything would be less shocking then.

This film is an all around case of "too much ado about nothing"

The Verdict:

Good way to build suspense, good idea for a plot, well filmed (even though it had some quite boring moments and a bit "all over the place" directing), good acting, but the very big problems this has with the way it tells the story can't be overlooked, even in light of the good elements. It's a movie you'll never finish, because it never does that for you.

For me, having such a good cast, doing suspense so well and generally making an interesting movie only to have it ruined by its indecisiveness and wish to be cool and different by butchering the story arc at the end is unforgivable. A good cast and good production value deserve to convey a good story. If there is no sequel, then this was a waste of actor and film-maker talents, frankly. And even if there is a sequel, they still needed to make the movie differently and keep the expectations of the audience to get answers lower.

Suicide Forecast

What I liked:

This is actually one of my favorite movies of 2011, mainly because it surprised me by being more than what I expected. I thought it would be a comedy with some simple drama thrown in and I got a very human drama, a smart one and definitely not one which should be named a comedy. This is a heavy movie. Don't be fooled by the poster and trailers. Korea has yet to master promotion of their movies and they often promote a work as an entirely different genre than what it really is and in a whole different mood. They promote this as comedy, which is crazy, because it's not one.

I will make a bigger review on this at some point, because it really represents what I find a meaningful movie. No symbolism, no shoving "See! This is meaningful!" in your face like many works try too hard to do in order to convince you they do have something to say, no such insecure and cheap tricks.

The story works well, the movie has something decent to say about how we face life and change it, it's well filmed and easy to follow, the acting is very good and what a cast indeed. Also, it's sad to see Im Joo Hwan is not receiving more attention, because he is quite an interesting actor and a good one.

He hit the fine balance between awkward and endearing, for this character

What I didn't like:

See, if I am struggling to find something here, I know I'm thinking about a movie I really like and find good. I really can't find any major problems with it. One thing which could be negative for some, is the fact that some happenings are a bit too "convenient".

Event and action-wise, there are some deus ex machina moments, but they don't feel offending because the movie is about how people change through these situations. Also, even if it feels like there are way too many coincidences at the same time, they are the kind that could happen in real life. They do catch one's attention because this is a movie and the fact that they all happen in such a small "movie timeframe" can be off putting. Personally, I did not mind them by the end of the movie, because it was the journey they put characters through emotionally that mattered to me.

Movies have to do certain things in more dramatic ways. That includes happenings as well. Real life would be boring as a movie or a series and it's not what people want. They want heightened versions of it. Making such versions, but still keeping them meaningful and faithful and descriptive of real life, that's the trick and what is appreciated. And this movie does that.

However, if you're not willing to overlook those plot elements and enjoy what this film is about, you'll have a problem. If you are one of those "that is SO contrived" viewers who can't just see the meaning in a movie, let it pull them in and only watches to spot errors and inadequacies, this is not for you. Frankly, no movie would be.

It also has all kinds of people and not just pretty idols. A minus, for some.

The Verdict:

Good human drama, about a very dire problem in South Korea; that of extremely high suicide rates. It takes a look at it on a human, individual level and it does so through a main character who acts as a catalyst and observer of these situations.

Nice acting, very good cast, nicely done. I'd recommend it to anyone, but I am aware that a lot of people appreciate their meaning a bit more intensely displayed and stated so I cannot guarantee you'll find this as good as I did.

Clash of the Families

What I liked:

What didn't I like? This is also one of my favorite 2011 movies and one of my favorite Korean movies in general. It's just so easy to like and if your own culture helps things along, it's priceless to watch.

The movie is cute, funny as heck, nicely done, with a good cast you just adore, and I mean every single character, even the annoying one.

The couple is adorable, sure, but the families also have their own charm. You can tell that each character was well thought-out, their problems and wants ring true for any person and they are just so endearing.

The movie is also handling the animosity of the two provinces in a wonderful way and all the little cultural and also period elements found in it (this is set in 1989) are simply adding so much to this movie. It's a "full" movie. One that you know has had proper attention paid to every part of it as you watch it.

This "bed scene" could be from a drama. And that's sad. For dramas.

What I didn't like:

I loved it all, but let's look at "What you might not like".

Because my culture is so very similar, because almost every cultural element I see I know exists and existed in my own country, I just "get" the movie. When I watch it, it feels like I'm home. It's a warm and very unique feeling and I understand all the happenings and little tidbits of information I get.

But if your culture isn't similar, you might not find certain things funny or relate to them. There is also the language issue. A lot of jokes are lost in translation. Jokes that are about the language and the dialects. I missed out on a lot of those as well, I'm sure, even though I can tell these were two very unique dialects of Korean language.

If you're looking for a romantic comedy with emphasis on the romance, you might also be disappointed. This is an ensemble work. This is about each character and all the characters. The couple are the "normal" ones caught up between a bunch of more colorful people. It's a family comedy and it's the family that is the biggest thing here.

I particularly enjoy the father's in law look here...

The Verdict:

It's very hard to think about what to say here. I recommend this to anyone, but I am also aware that I just can't step into someone else's shoes and judge this one. It's simply not possible for any person to let go of the elements of their culture that define them and think 100% as a person from another place. So, I cannot say everyone will love this as much as I did.

That said, a lot of things will be funny and endearing to any viewer, regardless of culture. This is a feel-good movie. It's a pleasant afternoon, it's a movie that lift your spirits and it's a fun ride. It's also smart and it's a lot more rich in content than most romantic comedies. It operates on many layers and each part of it, be it the cultural references, the feel of the era or the characters and their views, it's so well done.

Scores for the movies(although I hate ratings):

Moby Dick - 5
Suicide Forecast - 7.5
Clash of the Families - 9

Korean Drama Curiosities - That's One Mighty Phone

2012-01-07T18:28:00.000+02:00

While we all know kdrama has its cliches , there are some things that puzzle us, amaze us, delight or put us off as viewers. Korean drama is a very widespread entertainment by now, reaching fans all over the world. When something from one specific culture is available to so many others, there are bound to be things that get lost in translation, culture, values and mindsets.

A while ago, some users in an online community I am part of, including myself, decided to make a thread in the forums about all of these issues. The things in kdrama which we find curious or interesting for some reason. And such threads and discussions can be found in many places online. Asian entertainment fans come from different countries, we are different people and it is always interesting to discuss kdramas, their culture and our own.

Furthermore, it's difficult to know how much of these things we find peculiar are actual parts of Korean culture and everyday life and how much is fiction or things that are simply done or exaggerated for entertainment purposes.

Please tell me secretaries in Korea aren't really forced to run in stilettos.

I will be talking about a few things each time and do as many articles on them as the material and my energy provide me with. Some can also be found in movies, but I will be focusing on drama, where they are more prominent. Do keep in mind that, while some of you may have explanations or insight on these things, many viewers don't. If you would like to comment and enlighten me and others on something, you are welcome to do so.

One of the things that had been puzzling me for a while was something characters seem to do when nervous, in some occasions. You might have spotted this too and wondered the same. Have you ever seen a character lick their finger and touch their nose with it? It was just one of those little things which made me feel as if I was missing out. As my good friend explained, it's apparently a popular belief that it relieves muscles, when some part of you gets numb.

A quite sad issue which was mentioned was how some characters are described as "ugly" in a drama, while they are actually very handsome men and pretty women. However, selling false role-models and under-appreciating beauty is a common issue in this world, not only found in kdrama.

A very big area of curiosity for many are cellphones. Some thoughts came up about those, including the fact that even poor characters seem to own very high tech and expensive ones. Many of us wondered if that is something achievable for people of such an income in Korea or if it is indeed just another product placement issue. You know, how even a poor woman in a drama has designer clothes, shoes, purses etc. Those feel highly unrealistic for people who need to take up many jobs to cope. In addition, many characters who are seemingly unrelated seem to have the same phones. It's like the entire cast of characters just "happened" to get the same one, sometimes even in the same color. Now, while product placement does get funds for a series, it can feel very awkward for a viewer when done so sloppily.

A woman who lives in a house with cracks... And her latest Android smartphone

An issue that was mentioned by one user was the way characters in kdrama turn off their phones, which is not how most of us are used to going about it. Have you noticed that most characters take the back cover and battery out, when they don't want to answer the call? Is that a "kdrama thing" or is it a legitimate and safe way to turn off phones in Korea? It hardly seems handy. I mean, there are menu options, the option to just put the phone to silent and there is always the option of deactivating it through its functions. Does it not damage the phone and possibly mess up the settings to do it that way? Also, it does not exactly seem convenient to take apart your phone and reassemble it in a while.

"I will yank you out and get rid of that pesky fear of commitment!"

One of my personal favorites would have to be how small Seoul feels through dramas. Mainly because many characters who live and work in different areas seem to always bump into each other in a series. Be it in cafes, busses or in other such locations, they just happen to be walking the same streets for no reason. It's quite a funny thing to see, but also goes to show how drama writing in Korea has many problems and overall cheap amateurish tricks which often go by unnoticed. Obviously, characters need to meet for the plot to advance, but one can only write in so many "chance encounters" before it becomes obvious for what it is. An easy, uncreative and unrealistic way to bring said characters into the same scene.

Closing with one of the positive things, it's always nice to see good and human relationships in kdrama. Grandfathers and grandmothers are often good sources of family affection and cute scolding, but it's also nice to see lovers or friends be so comfortable with each other. And let's not forget all the lovely small details which show that closeness. Coming from a culture which is very big on intimacy, affection and generally expressing of emotions and thoughts, it's always nice to see these tidbits of warmth and humanity in characters, be it family members, lovers or friends. Unfortunately, a lot of series skip those for more "controlled" situations, but when they do pop up, they are very endearing and make a show special.

"Coffee Prince" was the first time I saw such warmth and intimacy in an Asian work

The list frankly goes on and on and I will try to talk about as many of these as possible here, hopefully sparking some comments on them as well, but I tried picking something from many categories that have come up, for the first post.

Different people experience cultures in different ways. Some might know persons from another culture, actively read about and research another culture or become subjected to it through art and entertainment. Many of us have contact with Korean culture in more than one ways; we read news, we have Korean acquaintances, but others only have pop culture to go by. A lot of us might be in the dark about all these issues and that creates these very interesting conversations and questions.

Hopefully, these articles might answer some of these questions and serve to show how diverse Korean entertainment fandom is, how people perceive of certain aspects of Korean dramas and how much those may differ between cultures, or perhaps be unexpectedly similar.

Stills from "Dancing Queen" and "Howling" Trailer

2012-01-06T04:04:00.000+02:00

I'm making this weird "Howling Queen" combo since I don't have enough material from both and I'm already quite late in posting these. Been meaning to for a while.

But here they are. We thankfully also have a better poster from "Dancing Queen", because those first ones were tragic indeed. And there's a longer trailer from "Howling" too. Woo hoo!

Enjoy.

Camellia - Youn Sun Nah's "Hymn of Death"

2012-01-04T04:36:00.000+02:00

A while ago, I made a post about a song from "Camellia", which is heard at the end of the Japanese trailer. However, I could not find the version used in said trailer.

Well, I just did and here it is. I checked the movie for it (just for sound, so I wouldn't get more spoilers) and it can be found near the end of the "Iron Pussy" segment. Which is not giving me much hope for a happy ending there, but I kind of expect the whole thing to be one big depression inducing fest of sobbing and pain. Korean drama. Need I say more?

The singer is Youn Sun Nah and I love her version as much as I loved Lee Mi Bae's. When tears start falling and you get goosebumps all over, you know you have good music. Or depression, but I'm pretty sure I don't have that.

If I have understood the concept of "han" correctly and it is indeed like the Greek "kaimós", then this song is filled to the brim with it. It gets in your gut and makes your heart sink.

As for the picture above, I just put it there to strengthen my resolve not to watch this without sound and wait for the Korean audio version at the end of March. And to make the rest of you fangirls lose it like I did when I saw this scene. And so that I can stare at it... For some time...

But here is the song for you. Enjoy them tears.

And because I just discovered a new lovely voice, talent and musician I can bow down and praise, here are two covers she has done. She is a jazz singer, so the feeling is different than the originals, but they are still lovely.

Fun With My Stats 2 - The Good, The Bad, The Naughty

2012-01-01T19:01:00.001+02:00

With the new year now with us, shining a bit of hope to my crappy 2011, I decided to do another one of these posts due to my good mood.

I did mention in my first "Fun With My Stats" post that this would be a semi-annual thing, as was my original intention. However, the interwebs are so busy that I keep getting oh so many lovely hits generated from even more lovely searches.

So, I decided to make these posts according to hits and not at specific time intervals, as long as such "unique" searches bring people here. Because some of these are just too precious to keep all to myself for so long.

I shall categorize them for easier viewing.

Kang Dong Won and His Colorful Bunch

"Assassin creep" was one search, which probably lead to that picture from "Camellia", which reminded me of an Assassin's Creed promotional image. Or maybe they were looking for another kind of assassin creep, but from what I see, he's both pretty assassin-ey and creepy in "Camellia". Well, not so much assassin as radically-recuding-the-population-of-future-Busan-is-my-dream freak.

Speaking of creep, someone found my blog by "the creep kang dong won". Now, either that was one of my lovely ladies, or then we are spreading quite the nickname for the poor man online.

I also got hits for one search which can actually be fully answered by another one. Someone searched for "kang dong won topless photoshoot". Trust me, you don't want that. Because, as you see in most of his pictures (including the one at the top of this post, which is scary) and as someone who was led here typed, "kang dong won skinny". The man might be tall, quite handsome, oozing with charisma and have a nice body frame, but he seems to approach eating and working out with the same willingness a vampire would approach garlic. Especially during recent years.

Someone searched for "kang dong won as santa claus". I hope not, as I would definitely be on his naughty list. I know the picture you're talking about though, but I don't remember where it was. He only had the hat on. But because it's the holidays and I don't want to disappoint you, here's one of Santa's helpers.

He looks like a bee dressed as a reindeer

The last result for this batch was "is kang dong won a chaebol's son". Well, if by "chaebol" you mean the kind we see in drama, no. But his father is a vice president in some company or something, yes. If I remember well from some article that's around. So I guess he is. There goes our dream of getting married to him someday; a very achievable and realistic one which we surely had until now...

Song Hye Kyo and Her Disturbed "Fans"

Let's start with "song hye kyo fat"... Well, if you mean she is fat now, I can only sincerely hope that whoever you are, you never have daughters. Because if Song Hye Kyo is your definition of "fat" then I really cringe at the thought of what your "svelte" is. Oh, sorry, difficult word for people of your brain capacity. I meant "slim".

The one that really cracked me up was the "song hye kyo still a virgin" one. Yes, hon, she is. All she has done with any man in private, including the two celebrity boyfriends, is play Go Stop. Although that could also be a good nickname for it...

Like any beautiful healthy woman, this is the only thing that comes in her mouth

And now comes the disturbing one. "Vagina songhyekyo beautiful fredly"... Uhm... I really don't know what this person was thinking. I get "vagina songhyekyo". I mean, she's a gorgeous woman and I bet many guys have done such a search (I'm surprised you thought you could find results though). I can also make sense of "songhyekyo beautiful friendly", which I am guessing is what that last word meant. But all of these words together are just mad. It's like a split personality consisting of a male perv and a fangirl with a girl-crush was fighting over the keyboard. It's good I don't know.

The Random Ones

Because they always come up. Someone googled "pulling a door". Here you go. With English subtitles too.

Then we have "so many cats". Yes, many many cats. We're fangirls. We love cats. To the individual who googled "weak person", yes, I do talk about fangirls here. As for the person who searched for "female convict poster", sorry that I could not give you what you needed. About the "kooky looker", he is on my banner and tags. Another person googled "fangirls fantasize deviantart". They do indeed and wait till you see tumblr, my friend...

Speaking of tumblr and fangirls, someone looked for "beautiful asian guys on tumblr". Oh, you are going to find a lot of those indeed. And I bet you'd find "korean guys in the dynasties with long hair" too. I hope whoever was looking for that found my "Duelist" posts. I feel ya. Them Korean period men with long hair are really a sight, aren't they?

Someone googled for "deformed people". I don't know what exactly you are looking for, but I do mention that about Fallout 3. They are virtual people though.

My favorite one in the random category has got to be this one though:

"i swear on my mother's rechargeable batteries"

Thank you for that. It gave me a nice laugh.

All Things Naughty and Disturbing

See, they do call me Ero Ori so I guess I should be honored that such people end up on my blog. But I am more disturbed than honored, so I guess I am growing all soft and decent... Maybe.

One person was searching for "women in skimpy clothes in public videos". Well, pick your kpop girlband and watch some MVs? Or do you mean public as in out in the streets? Again, most young women dress like sluts nowadays so that should be really easy to find.

Then we have "kang dong ho actor smut fiction". Really? This Kang Dong Ho?

Well, whatever floats your boat, but if looking for topless pictures of him would be pathetic, this is pathetic x 3. Fantasizing is healthy. We all do it. Sitting down, writing everything sexual that can come to mind about that person and publishing it online is twisted. Looking to read those "works" of a twisted individual is even more pathetic and twisted. Hell, I write the occasional naughty comments for the fun of it, but most things stay in my brain, love. Where they should be. So, do yourself a favor and keep reality and fangirling where they belong. On different planes.

And of course, we have the chronicles of pussy here. We got "innocent pussy shots", "japan pussy", "korean pussy" and "young japanese pussy at work". Miss Iron Pussy, you have worked your magic of trolling my readers once again.

But I am not one to disappoint, so here.

For you

There were also hits for "asian bromance" and "incest temptation". The only bromance you'll find here is the innocent kind and whether that other person is looking for "Temptation of Wolves" or actually searching for tendencies to fondle your family, I would kindly ask you to not mention that crap to me and piss off respectively. Unless you are trying to find others who think the movie was pure crap, in which case, welcome!

One of the most disturbing searches was "hyun bin in hell". Now, either you have very bad views about the South Korean army or you want the guy to go to hell. I sincerely hope it's the former.

Last, but not least, someone wanted to find "korea cock". I do have one for you here and he's gorgeous. And even if it's bad to say this, he looks yummy.

I wouldn't mind a piece of that

What I love about these posts is that, by repeating these phrases here, I will get even more results from people searching them, which means that even more people will be trolled by my blog when they come-a-knockin' for what their ~~groin~~ heart desires. I love the internet...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T16:23:00.002+02:00

I jumped the gun on this for Finland here, yes, but it's already 2012 in Melbourne, Brisbane, Kiritimati (the last one was found by Googling, I admit).

It will soon be 2012 in Japan and Korea too, and since I'm part of the whole Asian fandom craze, I might as well post this now.

So, have a very happy 2012 and let's hope the Mayans got it wrong (like everyone else so far) because it would be a real bitch to miss my birthday on the 22nd of December. One damn day, Mayans. You couldn't add just one damn day...

My New Year's resolution (which I never make because it's not my tradition)? Surviving 2012 as unscathed as possible, with some relief on the financial side of things and hopefully losing a bit of weight. But with 2011 being so bad, I'll settle for surviving unscathed. :P

Come on, 2012! Happy New Year everyone! Let's make the best of it!

Changed the Blog Name - The Origin of Orion

2011-12-27T12:31:00.001+02:00

My blog is now called "Orion's Ramblings". Until now, I was using a line from the game "Silent Hill 2". This blog was actually made involuntarily-ish, when I was studying Finnish language. A teacher who was in charge of computer education there wanted to help me with my work practice search and get me connected and networked. He thought a blog was a good start to get active in social media. I wasn't even sure what a blog was, back then, so I just went along. But now, I'm glad I did it.

So, he showed me some basics and I made this blog. I was using it very scarcely and mostly for short news and random things, until I started getting more into it during the last couple of years. So, big thank you to that teacher!

This will mess up my search engine hits, possibly, but it's ok. This is a personal site for my craziness and opinions anyway so while audience is appreciated, I don't need worshipers and huge traffic. Plus, those who like me can find me again. And those who don't.

But a little bit about the name. Orion. Well, one obvious clue to be found from this is that I do love the universe and all it contains. I wanted to be an astronomer as a child. But the thing is, I wanted to be that because I loved science fiction movies and wanted to find aliens (damn you, "Contact"!). I just loved the idea of different planets, and stars, a vast beautiful thing. But I realized astronomy wasn't as fancy and imaginary as I had thought so that wish went bye bye soon. Plus, math. Brrr.

As a movie nerd, I was watching "Men in Black" when it came out. In this movie, they are looking to save a galaxy and the only clue they have is that "the galaxy is on Orion's belt". Said "Orion" turned out to be a kitty one alien in the movie kept as a pet. Kitty + cool movie + astronomy. Yeah, I was hooked.

This is Orion, by the way

It became my dream then, to eventually get a nice ash/blue colored cat and name it Orion. So I started using that as my online nickname since about 2000 or so. It's been with me ever since and I'm very attached to it.

And even if I didn't find real aliens, I ended up a Kang Dong Won fan, or as my mom un-lovingly calls him, "Alien". So I guess I'm still attracted to weirdness.

So, to commemorate this change, here is the trailer for "Men in Black III". I hope it's a fun movie and I am thankful to the original for the entertainment and the nickname.

The Spiritual World - Life of Death

2011-12-26T23:17:00.000+02:00

You may or may not know a Thai movie called "The Spiritual World". If you are a horror movie fan or nerd, you should really watch it. Let me put it this way. I have been watching thrillers and horror since infancy. Asian horror too. What happened when I watched it? Bricks were shat.

I loved the movie and have only watched it once, even if I usually watch the ones I love many times. Detroit Metal city i.e got a good 80 or so times in a few months since I had nothing else nice to watch at the time.

But I could not watch this movie again. I want to, because I didn't pay enough attention to it as a movie, since I was too busy hiding the screen with my hands, but I haven't found the courage yet. The movie does have sudden scary moments, yes. But it also has a wicked atmosphere that keeps you jittery and feeling oppressed throughout. And that is what a lot of horror movies lack. This movie is dark and "ugly". Both thematically and visually. I feel it is very artfully done. I was impressed.

That "guy" behind her? NOT my favorite "person"!!!

Also, like any good Asian horror, there is more to the story than ghosts and a girl who can see them. What Asian horror movies do well is give their ghosts or monsters a purpose and a meaning. This movie is in fact the journey of a very tortured young woman caught in a very frightening situation of seeing things which she has no idea why she is seeing. And that's the juicy part.

If you want it to remain juicy, don't read the plot synopsis for the movie at all, as whoever wrote it was ~~an idiot~~ kind enough to basically reveal what's going on. Which is why I am not providing a link for the info. Just find the movie and watch it.

I fully recommend this, without a doubt and if you can take some scares, but you may wonder about the second part of the title up there. "Life of Death" is a song in the soundtrack, used in the opening scene and also the end credits. It is by singer Rik Wachirapilan and my goodness, is her voice good and this song awesome.

There is no soundtrack out for the movie, as far as know since back when the movie was out and I started looking for it so you couldn't actually find it anywhere except the singer's MySpace, which featured quite a bad quality version. But this changed recently. It seems the lady has a Youtube channel and she has uploaded a crystal clear version of it. I finally noticed new elements that were not audible in the other version and it's like discovering the song all over again. It's even better than it was for me so far.

So, here is the trailer to the movie and the song!

The Dark Side of Korean Dramas - Part 2

2011-12-25T00:09:00.000+02:00

As I said in my previous article, I decided to talk a bit about the various problems and cruelties of being a television actor, idol and celebrity in Korea. They are things that occupy my thoughts quite often, as a fan of Korean entertainment.

I was very glad to see people discussing the issues. The internet can get a bit heavy on the positive things sometimes, as a lot of fans seem to prefer denial and only talking about the good things, as reality can be too much to bare sometimes. But reality is not always bleak and problems have solutions too.

In this second and final part of my thoughts on the issue, I talk about the third big "culprit" of these problems, the audiences, and give a little closure and some ideas on how Korea could go about changing things for its entertainment.

The Spoiled and Cruel Audience

Possibly the biggest culprit here, even if they were brought to such a state by the industry and its lust for money. Because it's their demands, lack of understanding and caring and sometimes plain mental and emotional disability that cause many issues which are making television filming difficult for all those involved but them and those who sit back and cash in. This is a chicken and egg situation. Did the industry spoil them or were they the ones who drove the industry to this point? I don't know and I don't think we should care at this point, as the problem is here and how it started is no part of the solution in this twisted industry/audience relationship.

Like I said before, the reason why filming is done live is because audiences have been spoiled. They have been spoiled by being given control over many aspects of any given series. They may be the ones a series is made for, but a series is still the creation of a team made for them, not by them. That is the way things should be and audiences should be encouraged to accept that. They would love any series that is pre-produced had they not been so spoiled. There is a reason people study or train to do these things and just because you think you know better does not mean you have the right to change said things.

So, that arrogance and demand is what causes actors to overwork themselves. Furthermore, there is the issue of them receiving the script only hours before the shoot, most of the times. This is done to avoid leaking the story. But it is also done because the changes netizens demand can be written into things or things they don't like be written out. It's also pressure for the writer, having to create a story within days and hours. Have you ever noticed some directors or writers suddenly get changed after a while? Or a character's style and way of dressing suddenly changing radically for no reason? That is "their" work. Netizens who don't have a life so they feel they need to control the "life" they see on television. Power at the hands of sociopaths.

"Lie to me" is one of the many dramas which suffered through a writer switch due to ratings

Having a series which is 2 hours per week is also due to that demand. I have not heard of this in any other country. Japanese shows are even only half an hour a week and no one complains. I know the masses' attention span is short, but a whole season of a series ending in 2 months is just crazy. It raises the need for more shows and also tougher filming. Would a 16 episode series spanning over 4 months be that bad? I mean, people do or should have lives, school, university etc. I am pretty sure an hour a week from the 4-5 series they are watching would do just fine.

It would do fine for me and even if I myself am spoiled now, I would gladly settle for one hour less if it meant not working the actors I respect and admire and the crew of a show half to death. I'd also gladly settle for a pre-produced series and just accept that some things might not be as I like them. Heck, there are plenty of things people hate in these live filmed series as well. That cannot change, no matter what you do and any audience which is hooked will still be hooked if you don't obey their every command and take that power away. Or is displaying some simple human decency and not ordering people to get sick and tired for their sake too much to ask of these netizens?

Lee Da Hae fell asleep while filming "Miss Ripley"

We also see the way in which they contribute to actor abuse directly. They demand more of an actor or less of an actor, they demand that popular actors appear in variety shows and fan meetings and events all the time, just because they don't like their dolls taken away from them. Because that is how these "fans" treat actors and actresses. Like dolls, puppets and imaginary characters that should always be available for them and doing what will please them and save them from having to actually face a real world which will not always give them everything they want.

As for the more disturbing ways in which "fans" can abuse actors, I will not go there as it is too big of an issue. From stalking to "antis", verbal abuse when their dollies don't do what they like to downright blackmailing an actor to chose you over something or someone important to them, these form a very frightening side of Korean entertainment and also paint a scary picture about the state of Korea's youth (and not only). Looking at actors through rose-tinted glasses and forcing a Prince Charming image on them is also an issue when it comes to fans. I've talked about this before and it's true for women as well. Actors and celebrities in general are seen as Gods, as perfect creatures who should not have a life or flaws. They are stripped of their humanity by those who are too deep in denial to admit that people have flaws and that perfection cannot be determined or achieved.

What Can Be Done

"Union" is the word du jour. We've been screaming that word at the top of our lungs for a while now and having worker unions is a pretty common thing in most modern countries. There are people that care, in Korea. Of course there are. But why are they then not forming a union to protect their own rights? Is it that they don't feel it will help? Are they right to feel that way? Are they perhaps not allowed to form one?

A union would solve a lot of things indeed. It would give actors their own authority, through which they could fend for themselves and also fellow actors who might not have the power to do so without support. They're not all as powerful.

Many actors joined in protest over the rights of their movies. Why not over their own?

But as much as a union would help, not much would change unless that union did have power. And that power can only be given by a change in mentality. By an internal change in how these industries treat their actors, which at this point is a bit higher than a bath towel, and also how they treat audiences. "A client is king". I beg to differ. A King (or at least those who "guide" him) knows what he is doing, knows his subject better than anyone and does it well. Clients know what they demand and can squeeze out of something, regardless of the fact that it may be unreasonable, not doable or even not good for them or good in general. Especially the "clients" of Korean dramas.

Another major problem and potential solution is media. Unfortunately, they only serve to enable these obsessions and the cruel industry and audiences. A lot of people know I have an issue with Jang Keun Suk's shot to fame during these last two years and mind you, I was his die hard fan for a few months and until I saw this change for the worse. A lot of it is due to media. Where was this media back when he was doing good movies and series and giving very nice performances? Why did they start paying attention when all that quality went out the window in favor of non-stop promotion and little substantial work? They reward buzz with more buzz, instead of helping the good things surface.

They spoil audiences by only paying attention to and attracting more attention to celebrities who "get around" and some times don't even create anything of value, while hardworking talented people cannot get some news on them because they prefer to focus on doing something well and don't go around spreading "love" 24/7 to obsessed girls who need their fix. But the buzz sells. And these media make a lot of money out of the popular trends so they make sure to keep them popular. But by doing so, they harm both the audiences and the quality of their country's works and image.

Forgive me if I don't find this "big news"

They also don't highlight problems enough. If someone talks about IV drips, they call them "hard-working" and create an air of admiration around that fact in their articles. If there is a Han Ye Seul-like issue, they mostly present the people in charge and with influence as saints while completely ignoring the flip-side (although there are always exceptions). The media treat such issues so nonchalantly, as if they're something normal that can just keep happening or then they put the blame on things and people that netizens and the industry want the blame to be placed on, without much regard to not picking sides and actually investigating something a bit. They make a big deal out of things that aren't dire and belittle the real problems.

Last, but not least, it's the fans. I am not talking about the fangirls, pedophile "aunties" or all these categories of those disturbed and socially awkward, but about the proper fans. These fans can help by being vocal about these issues. About the quality of television, the actors and how they have it hard. It must be very daunting to be a normal fan and person in such a country. We do understand that. The internet is filled with the brainless type of fans a bit too heavily. But more mature fans can get organized. They can form communities and unite in their cries for some decency, quality and respect for the works and people involved. Maybe such communities do exist. They should keep doing their best.

Closing Comments

There are things which have been left out in this article. As I mentioned, I would be talking about these bigger issues that are more visible to us. There are things which don't get a lot of publicity and which are so dire and "big" that I don't feel I am equipped to talk about and also don't have enough of an image for the "behind the curtain" side of. Agencies abusing and forcing actors and actresses to work like slaves while not protecting them when things go badly is one problem that could be mentioned. From slave contracts, to forcing actresses into sexual favors, this side is too deep into the category of crime to be really investigated by the "paint a perfect image" media.

Jang Ja Yeon's death was one case that got attention. But how many have not?

Also, I'm not implying actors and actresses are saints and poor hurt kittens here. That is only one side. There are celebrities who do this work because they love it/need it, have no other qualifications or have been lured into it with false promises, but there are also those who do it simply because they want fame and easy money. Those are worthy of their fate and they are the "diva" category which frankly has no right to complain. A lot of celebrities are less-than-holy, I assure you. They manipulate people, commit crimes, misuse what they have. Those exist too and they don't make things easier for anyone, including the decent people and professionals.

Did you know "Spy Myeong Wol"'s Jo Hyeong Gi is a murderer who only got 1 year in jail?

A lot of us here in the ignored West can see how great Korean works can be and what wonderful actors they have. There is no denying it. Koreans have the proper amount of talent, potential, creativity and skills to compete with even Hollywood; the most over-hyped of institutions in entertainment. They even surpass it in so many ways. But the culture of their entertainment is what is holding them back.

Greed keeps them from realizing their potential. Greed of the industries for less expenses and effort with more profits out of the work done, greed of certain entertainers who create a bad image and environment for the rest, greed of the audiences who overestimate their skills and importance while ignoring what is best for all and not just for "me".

But we should still hope and still voice our opinions on those issues. One person can't lift an entire wall unit by themselves, but many of them together, no matter how weak individually, can do it. But if having many people working hard is not an option, then having the few right people for the job working on it is an alternative. As a fan who can see how great Korean entertainment can be (movies and series alike) I sincerely hope that, even if little by little, things shift towards the better. These two articles and my frequent ramblings are my own little pebble in the big murky waters of Korean entertainment. You are free and encouraged to throw your own.

Again, here are some (not all) articles which inspired this one.

- Viewers complain about "Heartstrings"

- Protect the Boss Stylist Writes: “Jaejoong is Too Beautiful, So We Must Suppress His Looks.”

- “Secret Garden” secures final plot script by announcing gag order on staff

- Poor rating "Spy MyeongWol" switching writers... will it work?

- SBS’s “Lie To Me” suddenly replaces scriptwriter Kim Ye Ri

- Yoon Eun Hye Criticized for Tweet about Riding the Bus for the First Time in Ten Years

- ‘Anti-fans’ force managers to increase stars’ security

- [Opinion] Anti Fans and Their Power in the Music Industry

- 60% of Actresses 'Accosted for Sex by Bigwigs'

- `Actresses Pressured to Give Sexual Favors`

- Chairman of the late Jang Ja-yeon's management firm gets one year probation

- Suicide Actress 'Forced into Sex with 31 Influential Figures'

- Lee Ji-ah's Privacy Severely Disclosed

- Nam Gyoo-ri passes out during shoot, 'sleeping in the waiting room'

- [Forum Post] Korean Screen Quota under fire... again (a lot of pictures)

- Did They Really? Celebrity Crimes Revisited

- '40 Percent of Actors Considered Suicide'

- Gay Actor Found Dead in Apparent Suicide

- Park Yong-ha 'Suffered Stress and Depression'

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-24T10:35:00.001+02:00

Hope you have a lot of nice food, nice company and good presents. I am not one for celebrating the religious side of Christmas and I believe one should appreciate their family and be with them in general, not only remember they exist during holidays, so I don't celebrate the "family joy" part of it either.

Let's face it. It's a time for food and presents! Which I won't be getting much of this year, but that may have something to do with my general crappy state in 2011.

So, enjoy a nice break from the pressures of life, have good food, share presents and if you don't dig a family meeting, don't go. If you're going to stress about relatives and feel like you do at work, it kind of defeats the purpose of "holiday cheer".

My personal wishes? That 2011 pisses off already and that 2012 will be a bit more kind. I just want to at least be able to drag my sorry ass through next year, so I'll drink some water to that. My wish is that I can enjoy Christmas next year, something which hasn't been enjoyed in a while, like my birthday.

Let's all drink to that then. Psychotic fangirls, you can take out your curse books and get busy, now that you know my wish.

Here's a little interactive fun for you all and Happy Holidays!

Click for an interactive Christmas card

Click for another interactive Christmas card

Click for the last interactive Christmas card ;)

Camellia - Japan DVD Release Date

2011-12-23T02:56:00.001+02:00

I am contemplating something here... Should I give you the info on this release at the risk of you signing off on me due to fainting or talk a bit about the date and other things first? Ok ok. I'm not that mean.

Camellia is coming out late March (if the release date does not change).

Subtitles: Japanese. Audio: Korean.

Before I hyperventilate, I can say I've taken a peek at the Thai version, without sound. The movie does not look as artsy as I thought it would be, but I can't say if it has well-placed things to say or not. I need audio and story for that.

What I can say from the few scenes I checked out (waiting on a proper DVD to watch the whole thing) is that Iron Pussy is a kick ass lady and I just love her.

As for the "Love for Sale" segment... I... How do I put this without sounding like the complete rotten woman that I am... If the meme was real, bits of my womanhood would be in different time zones by now. It's a movie for the Kang Dong Won fans and fangirls, definitely. He is absolutely breathtaking here. I need the audio to better judge his acting, but it looked quite good. Also, the chemistry he has with Song Hye Kyo could bring down a planet.

The last 15 or so minutes of the movie are basically him strapped to a bed, with her on top of him and the whole story unfolding for us and the characters. As I said, I can't tell without audio, but their expression was really engaging. I did not want to tear my eyes away from either one.

And Song Hye Kyo. My goodness, what a stunning woman. She is gorgeous here and I like what I see so hopefully I'll like what I hear too.

As for the kissing, what I saw was realistic, which makes it good. No kissing from 5 feet away and no swallowing people whole either. It looked natural because it didn't look "rehearsed" for the camera. Hell, that "hotter" one had noses colliding, lips all over the place. Kisses aren't always as "pretty" as shown on TV. Which made it hotter, in a way.

My reaction to the news

But look at me ranting. Info! Info!

Some kind of info, mini-preview in Japanese

DVD information from HMV (in English)

DVD page from Amazon.jp

And more links will be added when they pop up. If they have pictures and such with them, they will get a separate post. If not, check back here for updates.

Kang Dong Won - Calendar Photos Part 3

2011-12-22T02:43:00.000+02:00

This is the third out of 5 parts of some nice calendar pictures of Kang Dong Won.

The rest: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

I am not sure they are from the same calendar, as some do appear to be from another batch. The quality is mostly very nice, but some are a bit smaller than others and of course, you don't need me to tell you where I got them because these girls' love stamps are all over them, often at very annoying places and even many times within a picture.

A lot of the pictures are of the same photoshoot, outfit and setting, but I scrambled them a bit to give you more variety in each batch.

In this batch, the dead-crow hairstyle is back for a brief torture and, in keeping with the bird theme, this left picture down there is another case of an "inspired" stylist making the man look like a co... I mean rooster.

There is also this weird Native American spirit god theme going on with one of these, but he frankly looks like a) he had a fight with his bed cover and now can't get out b) he is using his camping tent the wrong way or c) E.T in the bath towel.

Let's just say that if I suddenly saw that at night, I'd stun it, pepper spray it and beat it to death with my bag. It's not exactly a people-friendly outfit.

Favorites? The black and white one with the turtleneck is nice and I also love those with the heavy eye make-up, but the one with the blue velvet vest is my favorite here. I love the colors, how it's shot and those gorgeous death ray eyes are-a-killin'.

Howling - 4 More Stills

2011-12-21T07:16:00.001+02:00

For properly huge versions, go here.

Howling - Upcoming Korean Movie

2011-12-20T23:08:00.001+02:00

I heard about this movie a while ago, but there were no news or promotional material about it. Recently, I found some stills on Hancinema and that was it. Until now.

The official Twitter page for it followed me and it features a link on its profile. That's it, ladies and gents. We have an official site and an oh so wonderful teaser. Now, a werewolf movie might not sound like the biggest whoop to some, especially those who have lost all respect for them after Twilight. But do you know who stars in this movie? Song Kang Ho and Lee Na Young. That is right. They're about as A-list and talented as you go, so forget about screaming queens and teens. The big boys (and girls) are on this! Now, I know that a good cast does not necessarily make a good movie, that's a fact, but it helps the faith along when you have two experienced and prestigious people on board.

Following are all the stills that are out, taken from the movie's Naver page, as well as the teaser, which is just as top shelf as you would expect when such big names are on board. You may now howl with raw anticipation and joy.

>> Official Site << (Korean)

The Dark Side of Korean Drama - Part 1

2011-12-18T02:01:00.000+02:00

It's no big mystery, by now, that celebrities are having it rough in Korea. Singers and actors alike. These problems are also present in the kpop industry, but others are better equipped to talk about those than I. So I will be focusing on actors for this article, especially those who work in television. A tough place to be, for an artist. I will also talk about these issues in general, as well as in relation to the actors.

The problems with television are indeed many and they all have their reasons, their guilty parties and their own impact on the lives of the people they touch. They also have ways to be dealt with and people who can do that. People with power to effect change and improve both actors' lives and the industry as well. But I will talk a bit about the major problems in this post. The working conditions, the issue of quality, censorship and playing it safe and the spoiled and cruel audience.

This is a big article so I am splitting it in two parts. This week, I will talk about the working conditions and quality, censorship and playing it safe with cliches and plot recycling.

Working Conditions

Not limited to television only, but this is extremely and disturbingly common there. You have surely heard about such things before. Words like "IV drip", "collapsed", "car accident", "fainted" and such are pretty common in the news about series and actors in Korea.

And these come every few weeks. One of the really big ones was the Han Ye Seul "scandal", when the woman up and left the series because she couldn't take the filming conditions, lies and abuse anymore. Of course, she paid for it and the ones who drove her to it are the poor victims of her arrogance. She demanded to be treated like a human being and left when they didn't comply. How scandalous of her! What a horrible person, to care for her well-being more than she does for spoiled brats who watch the show and a crew/cast which would sooner hang her than support her in something they themselves must be suffering from. Lack of respect from peers and being treated like a slave on set is one issue that exacerbates filming for many actors. Or did you think those smiley faces in NGs and behind the scenes footage are what the filming is always really like?

She apologized, in front of cameras, for the trouble she caused. But did anyone apologize to her?

Another very disturbing event lately was Song Ji Hyo's severe reaction to stamina boosting drugs. She could not cope with filming "Gyebaek" and had to drug herself up to handle it. I know the defenders of this inhumane way of doing things will say "It's just vitamins and legal medications", but let's face it; they are drugs to boost your stamina and make you burn yourself out later, rather than sooner. So, because she probably took one too many of those, she developed an allergy to them. She ended up with an oxygen mask, hospitalized and in terrible condition because of it.

Ha Ji Won recently used a slightly more tactful and light way to talk about this issue. She said she often faints on set and has to secretly do IV drips in order to cope. She may not be one to complain too much, but saying such things with a smile is really sad. It's sad that she has to say them that way in order to not get in trouble with anyone. And we're talking about an actress who has won awards for her work and should demand and be given respect.

These are not issues which should be brushed off as "just another day in the job"

Car accidents is another plight brought upon productions due to the hectic schedule. When you attempt to drive to the set in a rush and without sleep, such things happen. Accidents, be they traffic ones or on set, happen and when people are dead tired, they happen more often. When money and attention are being channeled to surface treatments and not the safety and well-being of the people involved, they happen. Very often. We've seen plenty of such articles, many of which can be found at the end of this one.

These are the problems of live filming and unfinished work. Series in Korea are being filmed while being aired. Why? Because if netizens don't like something, the production can change it right away. To heck with the integrity of the story or creative team behind the series. Fangirls don't like "oppa's" hair so we have to change it. Halt the filming! Korean series are 2 hours of content each week and filming never stops. Most leads are lucky to grab a couple of hours' worth of sleep, usually while on standby for a scene, in a car or even during filming. And because of this fatigue and other reasons, they have to do scenes over and over again, causing their physical condition and emotional well-being to deteriorate further.

Don't even get me started on the "filming in winter with spring collection clothes on" issue...

Quality, Censorship and Playing it Safe

Well, that one has been quite the theme and issue with many of us lately. There are many ways in which the quality of most Korean dramas suffers, but censorship, going cheap and the unwillingness to break cliches because they sell are definitely among the biggest issues.

Overly zealous control happens in many forms. From the more obvious ones, like censorship, to downright trying to pass off one's values as the truth or what should be right. From not allowing gay couples to be married on-screen or blurring a blade because all the death and terminal illnesses and betrayal and abuse don't matter as long as we just don't show a knife or much blood, to "guiding" the entire theme and behaviors of the characters to paint the picture that is "acceptable" by those in charge of making the series "socially acceptable".

"The Daughters of Club Bilitis" drama special got heavy abuse for portraying lesbian characters

How many times have we witnessed the "respect" for parental and family authority over people's lives? How many leading men treat the women they love and many others like dirt because their mother, father, grandaunt or second cousin thrice removed does not approve of their marriage or relationship? A divorced woman being presented as impure and tainted is also nothing unknown to Korean dramas. Abusing women is certainly acceptable there, as it seems men have the right to pull and push and shove them as long as they do it with "passion". And women are allowed to torture men by demanding they are always Mr.Perfect and not even taking care of their human needs by denying any contact until marriage or almost-marriage status. Just like men who aren't rich and haven't gone to a fancy school can be shown as useless or hicks.

But this is not how people living in any modern society should be encouraged to function. Especially people of younger ages like the audience. Neither are they silly innocent kids that need or want protection from something. Also, trying to raise a generation by the rules of the previous one is generally a mistake. The world changes fast. Furthermore, no matter what your values are, you have no right to force them upon any series maker, actors who have to act them out or even the audience. Especially when you allow things to happen which flat out contradict your own preaching of "innocence" and "protecting pure viewers".

Protecting viewers by means of stripping every hot guy in every drama, to boost sales

But it is not all censorship though. It's also true that some things have been done so much and have had bored audiences hooked so badly that they just keep being used by writers or productions just because they work and bring ratings. Because ratings seem to be all that counts in Korea. That is how a channel will support a series. If the ratings aren't good, they don't get support. The writers and directors are also being blackmailed, in that sense, by the audience and channels.

So, we end up with the rich chaebol type and the spunky girl, we end up with every family drama going down the same "family and intrigue bring problems to the union" road and everything seems to be lacking originality and any kind of attempt to say something worthy or do something unforgettable.

My Girl Over Flowers, You're Beautiful anyone?

Actors are told to act a certain way because it will "sell" and they are forced to sometimes limit themselves so that someone else will shine (someone the series is trying to promote) or so that the audiences will get more of what they are used to, what their brain doesn't need to process and what they demand.

For any actor who loves their work and wants to be the best they can, it's a torture not letting them do just that. For any person who is an artist, limiting them and forcing them to give less than what they feel they need and want to give is like clipping their wings.

But there is also another culprit in all these problems. The audiences. I will be talking about those next week, along with commenting on some potential solutions to these problems and giving a few closing comments to this ongoing and very sad side of Korean entertainment.

Some (not all) of the pieces in mind when writing this one that aren't found in the article itself:

- "Secret Garden" writer Kim Eun-sook "I won't do pre-produced dramas"

- [Spoiler] "Spy MyeongWol" Han Ye-seul and Eric bed scene, adult-rated?

- Han Ye-seul "Up and apologizing"

- 'The Han Ye-seul case' will it lead to a drama revolution?

- Song Ji-hyo hospitalized, recovering with parent nursing

- Car accident Park Sin-hye "No problem with drama"

- Lee Min-ho in car accident but not greatly hurt, car destroyed

- Yoo Seung-ho Fractures Skull In Crash

- [ChanMi's drama news] Moon Geun-yeong fell down a well while filming!

- 'Daemul' is expriencing the aftereffect of PD/Writer change...3% lower viewer rating

- Actors shiver in the cold

- Hyeon Bin bed scene with Ha Ji-won... turns out...

- The time Lee Min-ho fell asleep

- Advertisers' association declares war on 'unethical' TV dramas

- "A Thousand Kisses" gets a warning

- Ban on 'gay drama' in prison creates stir

- Life Is Beautiful cuts out gay vows, angers writer

- Lesbians in drama test society's limits

- "Stop the broadcasting!" viewers angered by homosexual drama

Chilling Queen (or Dancing Romance?)

2011-12-15T08:27:00.001+02:00

Two videos, two movies. We have a full trailer for "Dancing Queen" and a cute NG for "Chilling Romance". Both videos are looking mighty good and Lee Min Ki cracking up is simply adorkable, which makes this even cuter. Here they are, then.

I also have 3 new stills from Chilling Romance. From Naver, of kors.

Tumble Dryer! I Mean Tumblr!

2011-12-14T22:59:00.000+02:00

Well, as I am planning to even do my thesis in relation to my raging type of fandom, I thought that I might as well get properly networked on all things used by my kind.

I am still not going anywhere near soompi or 4chan though. No no. Too scary. I am not willing to go just that far into dangerous territory for a thesis. Not even for this.

So, I made a tumblr account. It basically functions as what I would have loved Twitter to be. Posting random thoughts, pictures, videos. But Twitter is one fugly mother. All you see is short texts. Good for news and random short ramblings, not good for content. So, I'll be dual-posting between there and tumblr. Will use Twitter mainly for updates to the blog and tumblr for all else. But thankfully, tumblr has a feature to post things on Twitter as well, so I don't need to chose. So, I'll be active in both. Well, "active" by my sloth standards. I am not the post-a-tweet-every-10-seconds type. I have a few blog posts coming up too. My blog is my priority.

The more perceptive of you may have also noticed the links on the top right --->

One closing comment would be that naming my tumblr "Orion's Ramblings" feels very weird. "My Ramblings" makes more sense to me, but this is for others to see so I had to use it as I have it now. But it feels weird to see my own page addressing me in third person, every time I go there to post things. Me and my weird mind...

Dancing Queen - Stills and Posters

2011-12-13T01:52:00.000+02:00

I'm not going to lie here. I don't like the posters much. Especially Hwang Jeong Min's. Is he sitting on the building? Jumping on it? Uhm Jung Hwa's poster is a bit better, but still, the style is just not very nice. It's a plight of many a romantic movie in Korea. Crap posters.

I think the "Chilling Romance" ones were the only ones I really like this year. As far as I remember. Let's hope "Dancing Queen" gets better posters soon though.

We also have three stills, two of them depicting both of the characters in "publicity stunt" mode and then one where it looks like the dancing cat (dancing ccaaaaaat ♥) is out of the bag and reporters are swarming to ask the poor, oblivious man what he thinks of his wife's midlife crisis.

I still like what I see, in general.

Camellia - Google Transfail

2011-12-12T01:02:00.000+02:00

My current obsession, I think I won the Cup.

I love trying to find information on a movie with Google translate. ♥

I was trying to find new info on Camellia and came across this blog. The awesome translation Google gave me was priceless. I still don't know whether this person liked the movie or not, frankly. Google needs to correct a few things...

“Importance of this scene is not the kiss scene between Song Hye Kyo with I think I won the Cup .. but it is not at the scene. The kiss was not won. Ah .. those with a capacity of Emma!”

Whatever that means, I still like that “I think I won the Cup” freak. He just has that capacity of Emma that I appreciate!

The laughs I had with the entire text… Just translate it and see.

Korean Movies 2011 - The Reviews (1)

2011-12-11T05:47:00.000+02:00

So, a while back I made some Korean Movies 2011 posts, talking about movies being released this year which drew my interest. There are a few more that popped up so I might need to make another post now, but at the same time, I'd like to start some mini-reviews of those I have seen.

For a couple of them, I might even do dedicated bigger reviews, but for now, this is good enough. I will probably do 3 movies each time, to keep things tidier and keep up with the releases, which vary a lot.

So, here is the first batch, featuring "Blind", "Sector 7" and "Head". For plot synopsis and more info, go to these pages before reading my mini-reviews.

Blind

What I liked:

This was a good suspense thriller. It's one of those movies that just keep you at the edge of your seat. The "Holy shit! Run, woman! The killer is right behind you!" type of a movie, without as much silliness as most Hollywood examples from this genre. Well, it does have some moments that give one a "pfft" reaction, but not that many.

The acting is ok, although I do think Kim Ha Neul overacted sometimes and would have frankly not given her the Blue Dragon for it. But these awards have other than artistic purposes (political, promotional etc) so maybe she just "had" to win.

The plot is solid, the villain is good and creepy (good job from Yang Yeong Jo) and it's just a very good thriller. I would watch it again sometime, probably with new people who haven't seen it and it was a couple of hours well spent, to be honest.

If there was ever a good moment to run like hell...

What I didn't like:

Like I said, Kim Ha Neul's acting did get a bit too much at times and the only reason Yoo Seung Ho seemed to be there for was to feel sorry for her and get himself in danger. They attempt the nuna/dongsaeng connection, but it doesn't really take.

Mainly because Soo Ah is looking for a brother substitute and you kind of feel like she doesn't care for the kid himself as a person for any reason other than the fact that she feels guilty for her younger brother and wants to protect this one to buy off that guilt. I just didn't feel the closeness at all in this.

I also did not like the ending, for reasons I won't reveal now, of course, but I feel the characters that are shown there did not really make huge steps towards becoming better as people. The movie's view of relationships and family felt shallow at the end.

Cute dongsaeng, kind nuna, but they just don't work together, for some reason

The Verdict:

Nice suspense, nice visuals and audio, good quality thriller, some good people in the cast who were not all equally good at all times and just a good movie to get stressed with and release that stress by the end. It would have been lovely, had it attempted to have a really good story and rich characters with rich problems and feelings, but it skips over depth in favor of the suspense element. Which is just fine, as long as you know you're in for a shallow, but entertaining movie with good atmosphere.

Sector 7

What I liked:

Speaking of shallow, but entertaining, "Sector 7" is the very definition of that. As you may read in my article comparing this and "The Host" according to my own taste and views (as always), this is not exactly a masterpiece of storytelling. The movie is full of holes and I don't mean only those made right through people's bodies by several parts of the monster's anatomy.

But that's just it. We have a kick ass monster, a relentless just-won't-die fugly mean bastard who loves playing eeny, meeny, miny, moe with the oil rig members, who in turn try to kill it and hurt it in a number of ways while fighting to keep all their limbs attached to their bodies. And usually failing miserably at it.

The whole "100 Ways to Torture Sea Monsters" pace of the film was also lovely and I honestly felt more sorry for the poor creature than I did for the ones getting plucked off like the pansies that they are. I mean, at least the monster kills instantly. Well, almost. Sometimes.

The only thing they didn't do to it is kiss it to see if it turns into a prince.

What I didn't like:

Now, I did know the CG would be potentially bad, but it did get too bad at times. Especially the underwater scenes and especially in the beginning. Maybe they saved their budget for the monster, which did look awesome at certain points, so I'll forgive them that, which I don't do very often. Rarely, in fact.

I also expected terrible acting, but it was annoying at times that Ha Ji Won was just being Gil Ra Im again. I am not one for the "truck driver" type and although Ra Im had a whole series to evolve, characters in "Sector 7" are ridiculous stereotypes so, until she started going soft and running and fighting, she did annoy me quite a bit.

The last issue? Not enough Ahn Seong Ki. I wanted just a biiiit more of him, but he came into the movie a bit after the others. However, he kicked ass in his scenes and frankly, him and the monster were the only badass characters with some balls in that place. Well, balls and brains to go with them, since Ra Im- I mean Hae Joon does, at times, escape with her pretty ass alive due to incredible dumb luck.

Oh wait, Dong Soo had a pretty big pair of reinforced titanium ones, but they kind of hide for a large part of the movie, as he begins as a completely pussy-whipped man who doesn't do much more than looking really concerned and running around with his nice strong legs... Ok, I'll give him some credit for his hotness too then.

And some cuteness

The Verdict:

The movie is brainless fun. Blood, gore, suspense, death, badassness and fancy visuals which do miss the mark many times, but it's the first 3D movie in Korea so I did not expect too much from that area anyway. It's good, clean (so to speak) fun and entertainment. A really silly movie for those who can just accept that it's "bad", like most movies of this kind which are as cool a ride as this one.

Head

What I liked:

Everything! Ok, elaborate, I know, I know. "Head" is a thriller suspense comedy. Or comedy thriller? Mixed genres don't always hit the mark, but when they do, it comes out fabulous. This movie does it well. The acting is very good in this work and has the right balance between serious and comedic, just as the entire thing does. We have a very good cast and they rock their performances as much as they can.

I really disliked Park Ye Jin in "My Princess". Hell, I hated everything about that series. But she was really bad in her acting there, as far as I watched, so I could not understand why people said she was an awesome actress. I know now. It's sad how good actors turn crap in series sometimes. Some people need their time to create and some people are probably forced to downplay their skills too.

The movie is very good with the suspense element and keeps you very jittery while still being fun. The comedy of it is dark and delightful and the "wtf" factor is very epic. It's a movie that shows honesty to the viewer. You know they know you'll enjoy it and they make a ride which is fun. Not unintentionally fun and funny, like "Sector 7", but genuinely and purposely funny.

Don't ask...

What I didn't like:

... Wait... I'll find something... Well, ok, you could say some character actions are a bit idiotic. Like Hong Joo not rushing home when her brother says he found a severed head as his delivery. Sure, she thought he was playing a prank, but still. Or that her genius bro was relaxing at home waiting for her, despite knowing a killer is out there looking for him.

But you get the feeling the movie wants you to give a big moutza (gesture showing disapproval, often shown to someone who messed up because of idiocy or an idiotic act) to the characters for certain actions, so it adds to the comedy side of things.

Story-wise, if I can fault something, it's the whole tying up of the plot and who did what with whom that got a bit confusing. There are a number of characters into something together and I didn't quite get, right away, what the individual role scope was, but it didn't really matter much as an element.

A killer is after you? Go home, drop your pants and watch variety shows while eating ice cream.

The Verdict:

If there is one thing Koreans are often great at, it's mixing genres and making that amalgamation work like a charm. "Head" is a shining example of that tactic gone right. It's comedy and it's suspense thriller, without those elements being at war with each other. They both work well and they work well together. It's a fun, wacky and thrilling ride and I recommend it without any hesitation.

As for the "girl power" theme of all three movies, since all 3 leads are women faced with pretty dire situations, I'd say that they all had some very colorful villains to fight against. A killer, a monster and a business owner. And killer. Soo Ah of "Blind" mostly avoided the villain as did Hae Joon of "Sector 7", until it was unavoidable.

But I'll have to give the "awesome woman" award to Hong Joo of "Head". She used smart ways to do what she needed to do, she actually started going after the guy to get her brother back and she even had the balls to scream all kinds of hell to his poor ears because of what he did. Hong Joo is just too cool of a crazy bitch for words.

Park Ye Jin also gets the full credit for best performance out of these three ladies, in these movies. She makes Hong Joo quite silly and flawed and still keeps her cool.

Scores for the movies(although I hate ratings):

Blind - 8.5
Sector 7 - 7
Head - 9

Alan Wake: American Nightmare

2011-12-11T04:53:00.000+02:00

The new Alan Wake on XBLA has just gotten its first trailer. Or rather, we got it. Tired and fangirling with nerdgasms. Me no maek sense.

Many a Little Romance - Stills and English Trailer

2011-12-10T02:38:00.000+02:00

I don't have much to say but "aww" and also, what the hell is that thing she's in? XD

It's a shame the movie didn't go that well, but then again, we all know what part of the reason might be. I bet spiteful netizens stayed away because of "ethics" alone, even if most of them would like to see it. Also, romance in Korean movies goes a bit too much on either the tragic or shallow/light fluff side.

They develop romances into tragedies and sob-a-thons or then don't develop them at all. I feel a middle ground would be lovely there. Sure, a movie isn't as long as a series, but hey, they hardly develop proper romances in series either so they could at least take a swing at it in cinema more often. I will check this movie out anyway.

Stills taken from Naver.

Camellia - Thailand DVD Release Date

2011-12-08T03:03:00.000+02:00

Yes, they actually mixed "Kamome" and "Love For Sale" up...

It was released yesterday. Yes, ladies and probably no gentlemen. The Camellia DVD is out! Which made me almost kyaa when I saw it as I did not expect it for a while.

Right before I realized that the audio for this is Thai. Thai only, if the info is correct. Thailand... Why are you trolling me so? Why do you toy with my fangirl brain?

So, not about to party just yet and if the trailer dubbing was anything to go by, then this must be awful. Maybe we'll have better luck with a Japanese DVD. Of course, if Korea finally woke the hell up and realized it's the only country out of the three not releasing this mainly-Korean project and doing so, we'd all be happier.

"From Korea", you say? Why, maybe Korea would want to promote that then.

But here is the link anyway. For all the quite rich and obsessed fans who will buy this anyway, just so they can have every bit of merchandise there is with "oppa's" face and name on it. Fangirls don't mind dubbing anyway. Quality is not their top priority.

BoomerangShop.com

What I find quite interesting is the rating. PG-13? Someone made a comment on a "graphic" sex scene at some point and I did say I am suspicious of that statement, since some fangirls find a light touching of hands sexual. So, I am very curious to see just what this scene is like. And curious to see the person who found whatever this is "graphic". 13-year-old prude fangirl who hates herself for even having naughty thoughts of "oppa" when it's indecent? Gotta love that opposite extreme too.

As for the DMM videos, no news. No one has uploaded them on Youtube yet. Which is getting quite annoying. But the Kang Dong Won MV was uploaded. I guess they don't like the other 2-3 videos since "oppa" is hardly in them. But hey, some of us would love to see those too. The ones that won't get the DVD and don't live in Japan. Just sayin'.

So, get your credit cards out, kyaagirls. You have some buying to do.

Kang Dong Won - Calendar Photos Part 2

2011-12-04T22:57:00.000+02:00

This is the second out of 5 parts of some nice calendar pictures of Kang Dong Won.

The rest: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4

I am not sure they are from the same calendar, as some do appear to be from another batch. The quality is mostly very nice, but some are a bit smaller than others and of course, you don't need me to tell you where I got them because these girls' love stamps are all over them, often at very annoying places and even many times within a picture.

A lot of the pictures are of the same photoshoot, outfit and setting, but I scrambled them a bit to give you more variety in each batch. Some of the ones here are also slightly improved by me (bad scans, issues with the lighting etc).

I can't pick a favorite here, but I can surely pick a least favorite. No 6. What was the hairstylist thinking? He looks either like a jet engine blew his toupée to one side or as if some poor crow died on his head and that's the wing. This style might work with the hat pictures, but it doesn't do much good on its own. The clothes, I like.

Dancing Queen - Been Waiting a While

2011-12-03T04:47:00.000+02:00

I caught news of the movie quite a while back, when it was first announced. I didn't need to see much besides he names Hwang Jeong Min and Uhm Jeong Hwa to look further and when I read the synopsis to what I assume is going to be a romantic comedy, I was sold. How could I not be?

"Dancing Queen" is basically about a situation where a man is gunning for mayor while his missus decides to cope with her raging mid-life crisis by means of becoming a dancer/singer without telling her politician hubby. Yep, that won't cause a mess.

The first few stills for the movie are out as well as a teaser. It looks good and I'm really looking forward to it. I love both actors and I think it will be refreshing to see them together in a nice light movie. I do hope it highlights some problems of society, like wives having to play the "smile and look perfect" role just so they will elevate their husbands and their status. Or how people are too dependent on what others think and don't sometimes go for what they want out of fear of being judged. Also, how women in their 40s can have major loss of self-respect due to a society that focuses too much on "young and flawless". But I do hope it does not go too melo.

Here are the goodies.

Images taken from the movie's Naver page.

Chilling Romance - Stills and Smiles

2011-12-01T23:02:00.000+02:00

What a lovable mischievous leech

That's it. My adorable gland exploded. I really can't say much about these images. They are a few NG shots and they are cute, lovely and brought a smile to my face.

I love to see the sequel of the bromance too. Aww. Aren't they cute? I'm guessing Lee Min Ki's character is in his panicked coward phase of the movie (well, the most panicked, as he seems like a 24/7 wimp) and he's making his friend stick to him and keep him safe from anything not of this plane. Poor hyung.

Chilling Romance - Short MV & SBS Spoiler Video

2011-11-29T06:12:00.000+02:00

Poor poor guy

No major spoilers in the spoiler video, so don't worry. It's just the name of the show, I guess. Following that, there is a short 1 minute MV from the movie. Nice relaxing song. Nothing too special, but it's ok for such a movie. It's called "Waterfalls" and it's by Junggigo (정기고).

As for the other video, the presenters are far more annoying than any spoilers would be. That has to be one of the things I hate about such shows in Asia. For crying out loud, we want to see the video and think for ourselves! Or do you not consider us smart enough to enjoy the scenes with our own thoughts? Then again, with the kind of audiences they have to deal with, I wouldn't blame them for having such doubts.

A lot of funny scenes here though. Even the cardboard box one! I just love how he's shaking. Who knows how long he's been in there. Awww. Poor chicken. He doesn't need soju, love. He needs food. Another one lost to the skinny curse. Damn it, men, stop losing weight! What is it with them all?

Also, loved his kiss fantasy. He's a total scaredy-cat and likes his women wild. He's so maso... I especially loved his surprised and hurt look after the slap. So cute.

Chilling Bromance

2011-11-26T01:30:00.000+02:00

Because this picture is too funny and cute for words. I especially love Park Cheol Min's not-tense-at-all look and posture. This picture deserves its own post.

What Has Been Seen...

2011-11-23T18:03:00.000+02:00

Or read, rather. I was searching for Camellia online. I ended up in the tumblr tag for kmovie and snooped around a bit, until I stumbled onto this lovely blog.

Carie here has done a review of "Too Beautiful To Lie" and since I do have a special love for that movie and made my own review on it, I thought I'd take a look. Nice reading and one line, in particular, changed my obsession forever.

- Is it weird every time I see Kang Dong-Won, who plays Hee-Chul in case you forgot, I am reminded of Kif from Futurama?

I laughed and nearly choked when I read that. I laughed and still am. Why did you do that, good woman? Now I will never get that image out of my head. Not only that, but I always found Kif adorable and will now get even sappier and girlier when I make that connection! You destroyed me! XD

Poor them. Not good with them microphones or public speaking. Or fashion...

And I'm sure my mother will be very pleased that more people think he looks like an alien, as that is what she calls him in greek and even what I've come to call him, as I am used to it by now. But hey, Kif is romantic, loyal and will even bear your kids for you. There are a lot worse aliens to associate a guy with. He's also shier than shit, messes up his words and is very awkward so at least those qualities are very much in keeping with Kang Dong Won's public persona.

There we have it then. Forever cursed to think of Kif when I see Kang Dong Won and vice versa, increasing the chances of kyaaing, awwing and smiling shamelessly, very girlishly and uncontrollably each time either one occurs or even comes to mind.

Asia Prince! Don't LEEEAVE US!!!

2011-11-23T04:11:00.000+02:00

I resisted posting about this, but after browsing Twitter for a few minutes, I just couldn't hold back anymore. About a week back, Jang "The Div- oops, sorry. I meant Asia said he would close his Twitter account. He said that his fans are asking him not to listen to criticism (as if he's been doing that at all), but that he is doing it to recharge his batteries.

So, he might as well have said that he's a poor hurt kitten whom mean antis chased off Twitter. Because as someone who has been in the industry for 20 years, since modelling a bit as a kid is apparently adding on tons of experience for adult life, he had no way to cope with people not liking what he does. I bet he never had to go through criticism during these 20 years. Why, he probably didn't even know anyone can dislike another person/public personality over something!

And here we are today. We bad antis made him sad because we don't like the fact that he's being an arrogant spoiled bimbo about his profession, which he himself doesn't even know what is anymore, since he'll soon take a swing at space flight and ballet the way he's going. Which I'd applaud and praise, if he did all those things well instead of wanting to do a lot and as a result sucking in every single thing. We drove him off Twitter. He couldn't take it anymore so he erased his account. Or did he?

It's been over a week now and his account is still there. No new tweets from him, but it's there. If you have had enough and are serious about your decision, why not just do it? And if you are unsure of something, why announce it to the world and be so unprofessional about it by showing you're unsure of your public and supposedly thought-out statements? But there is one positive thing to this delay. As I have been writing this post and about every couple of minutes, some fan tweet comes up begging him to come back, saying how much they love him. In many languages too. A tweet every few minutes is a plea for mercy! Imagine the amount of people!

Not this cute begging. The "where did your self-respect go!?" pathetic kind.

Oh wait... There is another positive thing about it. Recently, he released an app for iPhone (it came to Android soon as well) by which you can post messages to him and talk with others in his community. For a little something extra in monetary terms, you can see what he himself posts. Isn't that sweet of him? Getting paid to even pay some attention to his fans, which he has been doing so far out of the pure love he has for them and has therefore gotten them hooked to something he, until now, gave them for no charge whatsoever?

So, what was a good business move has been turned into a drama of his by the media and his fans. He made the app, but people had interaction with him for free, on Twitter. So, he suddenly realizes the hate towards him and says he'll shut Twitter down, which will unfortunately mean that people will have to pay him to talk to him from now on. But would people do that? You always test a new product. Apparently, people did because I see comments about the app and what he says around. I am guessing that if the figures of his popularity don't drop and if the money from the app is good, then he'll close Twitter for good. But for now, he needs to keep that as an alternative in case fangirls don't buy the app business. Sorry. I mean "appreciate his undying and dedicated love for them".

So, instead of the fangirls being annoyed with the way businesses and the industry selling celebrities' personae work, they are annoyed with people who do not see Jang as a God and somehow managed to sway a rich man with their complaints. As all rich men get to the state of being rich by backing out on account of such "haters" not approving their efforts and work.

And this very smart move by a man who wants to make money off his new app by basically forcing his addicted fans to use it is being seen as him being so kind and honest and very hurt by all the negativity.

Cry me a river, Princey. Or will I have to pay money for that too?

Chilling Romance - 3 New Stills and 3 Videos

2011-11-20T20:38:00.001+02:00

I hate Koreans... I hate them because they will get to watch this in cinemas, at Christmas, while we wait here for months to get a DVD release.

Ok, I don't really hate them. But I am damn jealous of them. Still, us here who are not part of the WORLD (a few countries in Asia and, occasionally, the US) can just find some comfort in all the nice promotional material that comes out, until we can finally get our hands on it.

So here are the stills and videos. Lots of kissing in this one. Oh my, call the KCC!!!!

Images found through the movie's Naver page and Hancinema page.

Kang Dong Won - Calendar Photos Part 1

2011-11-20T17:56:00.000+02:00

This is the first out of 5 parts of some nice calendar pictures of Kang Dong Won.

The rest: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

I am not sure they are from the same calendar, as some do appear to be from another batch. The quality is mostly very nice, but some are a bit smaller than others and of course, you don't need me to tell you where I got them because these girls' love stamps are all over them, often at very annoying places and even many times within a picture.

I don't get people who go all bleeding heart and provide you with something after they royally mess it up, just so you won't have the best of the best they do. Either don't upload them or stop marking them as if you did anything but scan them. Often badly. Which is why I removed the signature from the above picture, as it was a god awful scan which I had to work on in Photoshop to make it look as tolerable as it looks now. And despite having done actual work on it, I did not put my name there, because I don't feel I have the right too. Unfortunately, these scanners don't feel the same. But at least we have pictures thanks to them.

A lot of the pictures are of the same photoshoot, outfit and setting, but I scrambled them a bit to give you more variety in each batch. Enjoy.

Kang Dong Won - 1 Year and The Army Blues

2011-11-17T16:58:00.000+02:00

It's already been one year since Kang Dong Won entered in the army. I am getting so depressed over this. How I miss my oppa... Oppaaa! Come back to me quick!!!

Oh come on, how can I not joke about this? It's begging for it! And since I have been thinking about the issue of army due to this "anniversary" and what with others now enlisting as well, I thought I'd make a little article about it.

See, I get a fan being sad about such a thing. Or rather, displeased. You know you won't have any new works of the actor you admire for a while and then there's the issue of how long it will take before they find, film and release a project after the army. It's a big pause and an uncertainty to boot.

It took Gong Yoo a year after service to release his next project

But actually getting depressed over some guy you don't know going into the army, that's going into the "mental issues" territory of the fangirl realm again.

You look at celebrities' enlistment "events" and you see hordes of crying wailing girls, lamenting over this as if they're at the man's funeral. Just because he'll be enjoying some peace from their kyaaing for 2 years. All these girls do, for days upon days and probably months after the enlistment, is talk about how much they miss their oppa and how painful it is for them.

I would understand and accept such reactions from people with depression or maybe personal issues that manifest as crying, but either every hardcore fangirl is suffering from depression or the problem is much more complicated.

Scariest of all, perhaps, is the fact that this is not limited to teenagers. One would expect such reactions from them. Their logic is not exactly at its prime and hormones are a very powerful thing; one that tends to override logic, even when it's there. But these reactions come from older women too. Women you would think have lived long enough to see the bigger picture and comprehend the issue for what it is, which is certainly not something to cry your eyes out over.

Unless she is Rain's mother or aunt, this is a bit too much

The issue here is that such "fans" don't operate on logic. To them, the celebrity is their imaginary boyfriend. They are losing the man they "love" for 2 whole years. Unfortunately, the fact that the imaginary person they are in love with is not the person whose image they like escapes their damaged heads.

There is also the influence of the masses. These reactions are often the cause of mass hysteria. But just because it "happens" does not make it right. Being so deeply influenced by others and losing total sight of the weight and seriousness of the situation is not something we should be proud of as people.

It's also another sign of fangirl arrogance. They overestimate their importance to the person. Hons, did you think about the man's parents? His girlfriend? They are the ones who have the right to complain and be depressed because they actually mean something to the man other than being his next paycheck and audience.

But wait. I am judging by real world rules here. An "oppa" does not have parents. They are the "imaginary in-laws" and no fangirl would want them in her fantasies. And I said the "g-word" too. No no. An "oppa" cannot have a girfriend! He's "mine"!

Kim Heechul's girlfriend

Kim Heechul's other girlfriend. Apparently.

And so, the internet is filled with cries begging the man to come back, as if that will somehow make the 2-year mandatory service shorter. The cries subside and then we have the anniversary, which is just another round of woes and "poor lonely me".

Depression over military service is just one of the ways through which the instability of fangirls becomes obvious. Crying is one thing. Everyone cries. There is no shame in that. And someone might cry at such an event for a number of reasons. I'm not holier than thou here. If I ever met my at-the-time celebrity crush, I'd probably cry too, afterwards. But it would be because of the shock or perhaps the relief of something so nice happening to me. I would be crying for personal reasons, not because I saw some stranger up close. I would also be aware of those real reasons.

But these girls and women devote their days and nights to idol worshiping. They prepare signs and clothing especially for such occasions. Furthermore, they actually believe that the reason they are crying is because they genuinely love and miss the person enlisting. At least that is what they express. And that is why I consider this a problem. Because, yet again, that line between reality and fiction is blurred beyond recognition.

Eric's enlistment day, as you can tell by his name being everywhere and the crying

So, instead of applying crazy rules of censorship in entertainment, which has been quite a recurring theme in Korea, maybe facing the real issues would be more helpful. Maybe funds should go there and the way the entertainment industry hooks these people should change, because it sure as heck isn't the content which is doing the most harm here. Hiding the dust under the carpet does not make your house clean.

So, sobbing is not what you'll get from me. From me, you'll have a big "Yay, we're half way there!" and my admittance that I do miss Kang Dong Won because a) I want to see his work and b) I find him attractive and want to see/hear him.

There. Is it so difficult to be honest with one's self and others? He is hot, he has a nice voice, I am a semi-healthy woman and I fancy him. And that's as "deep" as a fangirl/celebrity relationship gets, no matter how you try to present it as "love".

I also find him a very good actor (liked his work first and then "fell for" him because of it) so I really want to see what he will do next and watch his progress as an artist and someone with very interesting presence on-screen and charisma.

I do have to admit that I find his army look adorkable though

As for his public persona, as far as I see from interviews and such, he looks like a nice enough and slightly weird guy and I have positive feelings for what he presents. But that's just what it is. Just segments of personality and usually fabricated ones, created to promote an image. You don't "know" your crushes, girls.

Chances are, I'll get another celebrity crush before he's even out of the army and then I'll only have a) to think about, since I'll have a new face for the imaginary boyfriend which I keep far away from reality and real persons.

But until then, happy one year anniversary to him. Hope he's doing well in there and eating! Most importantly, eating! Or the next time he has wire action, he'll probably fling away in his weightlessness and end up hugging some power pole.

Chilling Romance - 4 New Stills and Promo Pic

2011-11-16T01:23:00.001+02:00

AWWWWWWWWW ♥♥♥

Wot wuz I gunna sei? The cuteness disabled me...

Oh yes. Four new stills from the movie's page on Naver here.

Couples - Another One On My Radar

2011-11-16T01:10:00.000+02:00

Korea really doesn't have many nice romantic comedies. As far as movies go, that is. There are some, but most of those few either go for tragedy and illnesses and melo (despite being called comedies) or then they really don't engage with their romance.

But this year seems like a nice one, at least in the comedy and laughs department. There are already the two movies "Chilling Romance" and "Many a little romance" that I am looking forward to, but another one was just added. One of the actresses reeled me in.

And that actress is Lee Si Yeong. I first saw her in the flop "Playfull Kiss" with Kim "The Table" Hyun Joong. A series which I really liked, actually. As far as I'm concerned, it kept the warmth and spirit of the original and I respect it for that. But anyway, Lee's character was the second pretty antagonist. But she was no bitch. She was a nice and smart woman and quite balanced as a character. She did not resort to underhanded moves to get the guy she wanted, but still fought fair for what she wanted. And when it was time to give up, she bowed down gracefully.

Her intro was "bitchy" though. Good thing there is someone with expression in this shot...

I liked Lee because she made the character quite "the rich pretty girl", but not obnoxiously so. Then I watched "Clash of the Families", which instantly became one of my favorite Korean movies and completely fell for her as an actress. Because her cuteness is genuinely cute, not "aegyo" cute, which frankly makes me want to hit the people who do it, men and women alike. Unless it's with a mate and there's a pretty clear reason why you'd sometimes do it then.

So, Lee Si Yeong has my stamp of approval. She is a decent actress from what I've seen so far, she is likable and she picks up interesting works. I don't blame her for BOF. At least she used the boost well. Like Lee Min Ho did.

Which brings us to "Couples". A movie about people with quite pathetic, probably hilarious and different takes on "romance". I liked the trailer and I will watch it.

I'd usually give you some stills and a trailer, but the posters for this are quite cute and descriptive of the characters so I'll give you those. More at Hancinema.

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop - Some Cable Freshness

2011-11-13T04:12:00.000+02:00

This new romantic comedy series has started airing over at tvN, a Korean cable channel. Big whoop, you'd tell me. Another rom-com from Korea. What's new, right? Quite a lot, I will say to you. Because romantic comedy is a very good genre to play "spot the difference" between the government controlled public television (for the most part, because there have been wonderful exceptions) and the corporate owned cable television.

For those who do not know this and have not read any of my previous articles on this, here is the short explanation. Public television is controlled by people and laws that use dated and sometimes even fascist ideology and practices when it comes to content. This means that, in public television, gay characters are not tolerated, a divorced woman is tainted and has no right to live, work and love and people are virgins until after their wedding, even if they are 30+ years old. Ok, not on all series, but these are some of the extreme and quite common issues that will seem plain weird and creepy to anyone living in the modern world.

We've had some fine and scary examples of that form of attempted (and often achieved) censorship lately, when the Korean Communications Commission and the Korean Advertisers Association started making a fuss about things which they deem harmful for audiences and which any person living in a modern society would consider plain crazy.

A Thousand Kisses has been one of the latest targets of the KCC

And as I say in my articles on cable tv, these limitations do not seem to exist much there. Whether they exist in the real Korea or not, I do not know, but they are definitely not traits of a modern version of the world. And a romantic series is the best way to illustrate that. Because those are usually for teen audiences and receive a lot of "treatment" from these moral government committees.

I shall refer to Korea as Korea from now on and for the entire article. But there is another Korea here... The one that exists in public television and is sometimes the version these pseudo-prude fossils want people to accept as "how things should and must be". Or, in some occasions, it's the result of some unrealistic cliché that has somehow become the norm. I shall refer to this Korea by "Korea".

"Flower Boy Ramyun Shop" is about an older woman who gets romantic with a younger man. Strike one, ladies and gentlemen! Women don't have that right in "Korea". It is shameful and indecent for a woman to like any guy younger than her and she is a whore if she does. It's been done in series before and it is one reason why I appreciate one of the recent ones, "Babyfaced Beauty", because despite its many rom-com clichés, it did manage to really push some boundaries.

Boundary pushing in its most adorable form

But this series as well, does just that. Eun Bi is a healthy woman in her mid twenties and she finds a younger guy attractive. Even though she misunderstood his age. But you see, how could she not? If a guy flaunts his looks and looks mature enough, is it the woman's fault she actually fell for it? It is in "Korea". But not in Korea, I hope. After all, any ajumma there can go crazy over an "oppa" 25 years her junior and she's just a "fan" and no harm done. She's married with children too, but that's ok. Because she generates money with her obsession. So, those we like...

Another interesting albeit smaller fact is that living in the US will not magically grant you prestige, a degree and awesome English skills. Not in Korea. Only in "Korea". Chi Soo comes back from there in the beginning of the series. And he can't, for the life of him, understand more than a few words in English. In fact, he came back because he couldn't handle the studies and, by his own admission, can barely order a hamburger so learning to study, speak and communicate in English is a nightmare.

He is also shown for what he is. A spoiled immature brat. See, most of these rich young types in rom-coms are spoiled and mean and all, but they are somehow talented and wonderful in everything else. They never read, but they are geniuses. They are perfect in everything, simply because they are rich and with superior genes, so stop dreaming, poor kids of Korea and know your place! Not this guy. He is lousy at school and because he is rich, he has that as an excuse to slack off. He is flawed. Very flawed. Which makes his immature and cruel behavior all the more realistic.

Begging daddy not to send him back to the US

But let's go back to Eun Bi now. And the first almost-kiss scene with Mr. Brat. You know, women in "Korea" are pure (dumb) creatures. A very hot man wants to get romantically close to them after the mutual feelings have been accepted or, God forbid, kiss them like adults do and they throw a hissy fit and yell and scream. The man insulted their purity and tried to defile their body which should be preserved, like kimchi, for after the wedding or something. But you know, fermentation leads to rotting...

Not this woman, folks. Not this woman. She is about to get back with her boyfriend, whom she waited for while he was in the army and you know what she did when Chi Soo cornered her and leaned in for a kiss? She puckered up and waited for it. The slut! An unmarried woman actually getting caught up in the moment, when a handsome passionate man tries to kiss her. How dare she! What about her purity!?

Not only that, but she actually likes it when her highschool students start applauding and approving of the new hot teacher and even ask her if she has a boyfriend. A woman who dares enjoy compliments and not act all coy and as if she isn't worthy of them? The nerve...

If my reaction did not convey this clearly enough, then know that my body is ready

The characters in this series are interesting. The things that happen are interesting and there is actual plot. If it continues like I hope it will, I am sure there will be more things happening here that are impossible for "Korea".

As a corrupted and vulgar westerner, I dream of the day when good, solid rom-com kdrama is not a rarity but the norm. One which is neither as shallow as what we usually get but does not fall into the trap of going for melo or tragedy just to seem poignant. I dream of a fluffy, funny romantic series where characters and actions will make sense without being boring. It can happen. I know Korean actors and makers can do it. But it will take many factors working perfectly together.

A lot of series have come close. They have. "Protect the Boss" is a good example. "Coffee Prince" is another. "That Fool" actually had characters that appreciated each other as human beings and didn't only let their hormones guide them to romance.

Love is care, respect and understanding. These series show love, not just romance.

We could have more of such shining examples of hope and quality, if only people would be allowed to create. Open-minded, creative and talented people that live in the world of today and carry the ideologies of this world.

I don't know if Flower Boy Ramyun Shop will keep being this good and I don't know if it will make this dream of mine come true, but I am enjoying its freshness nonetheless. A freshness which I feel has even more chances to shine in cable television. And I sincerely hope more such series will be made, be it there, on public television or the new general service channels. Anywhere where the antiquated, sexist and inhuman moral "values" of certain people cannot touch them and where a plot is not merely a garnish for pretty faces, idols and non-existent acting.

Pepero Day (11/11) - Om nom nom

2011-11-10T22:43:00.000+02:00

I am not a Valentine's Day or Pepero Day or Whatever Day person. Not because I am single (although there are such pathetic people too), but because I believe some things should be shown and appreciated throughout our lives and don't need a dedicated day. I get such holidays. People get together, there is food, fun, products, shopping etc. But let's call these celebrations for what they are. A chance to eat, buy, meet people and get laid, in this occasion.

Pepero Day is a Korean version of Valentine's Day that is mainly about one thing. Pepero. Cripsy and slightly salty sticks covered in chocolate (the basic form of it). These sell well during this day and that's what the holiday is about. There is also a Pepero game, where the couple each bite one end of the stick and try to chew it as short as they can without their lips touching. Friends do it too, for the laughs.

The "That Fool" couple didn't do so well...

Better, but I would have dragged him to a soundproof room with sturdy furniture by now.

So, it's basically yet another sad day for men, because a)they have to pretend they are the type of romantic Prince Charming their wuv-obsessed (fan)girls dream they are, which is not what most real men are like and b)because they have to result to such a way to get some lip action and signal the bird-brained idiots they are dating that they want sex, as all young men do. But a happy day for those who succeed or the truly lovey/awwz romantic ones.

And this is the part where I admit, I like this day. I like it because I like Pepero. And it's a chance to get nice presents. But if a guy gave me Pepero with the "I wuv you and think this is the kind of "stick" I need to give you to show I dig you" pretense, I would hate the hypocrisy. If he told me "They have Pepero offers today so I got you some candy you'll like", I'd love him. Because I'd have an honest, practical, frugal man who is also nice enough to get me presents when they will not burn our budget.

So I went and bought Pepero from our local Asian market. I have to say, the Almond Pepero is by far better than the plain one. Which is why it never lived to see the next day. Gone within hours.

It made me do it!

Another non-Pepero Day related candy I got was Choco Pie. Also yummy. I hate marshmallow, but it actually does taste nice the way they've done it. And look, it's by "Orion" foods. It was calling me...

And in this context "Eat me" was not offending.

So, Happy Pepero Day and I hope you enjoy some nice candy and a lot of attention from your boyfriends. Just give the guys a brake, if they are good ones and be extra nice to them for their efforts and appreciative of them. As for the guys, don't blow your budget to have her blow something back. If candy sticks are the only kind she welcomes or if she needs that as a motive to tend her boyfriend, you have much bigger problems with her than monetary ones...

Magic - Greek Music in Korean Drama

2011-11-10T20:43:00.000+02:00

I've said it before. Koreans sometimes feel like Asia's Greeks. We do have our differences, of course, but we also seem to have a lot of similarities. Some Kentertainment-loving greek friends of mine feel the same. If you watch enough Korean movies and dramas, you can start to see the common ground we have.

The very first Korean series I watched (only some movies before that) was "You're Beautiful", back in 2009. It was the scene when Minam's lie about being in the hospital was uncovered, when a guy selling eggs in his truck passed by, talking about his products from his loudspeaker.

I remember me and my mother being very surprised about it and laughing. That is a very common thing in Greece. Especially smaller areas and islands. Waking up at the crack of dawn because someone is driving by screaming about the lovely fishes he is selling is an everyday thing. And we have noticed tons of other similarities since then. Cultural, behavioral, practical everyday things. A lot.

But it turns out, Greek music is not something completely unknown to Korea either. As I mentioned in a previous article, we've heard many songs that are probably remakes of old greek songs, even if we can't quite place which ones they are.

Nana Mouskouri's "Over and Over" was featured in City Hunter recently. The character of Nana chose it for a wedding anniversary.

Also, Agni Baltsa's song "A good (white) day for us as well" was featured in the movie Cyrano Dating Agency.

But it didn't surprise me. I had already received my shock with Magic. There I am, watching the series, relaxing and suddenly, I hear Vandi's "Geia" playing. Hearing such a famous song from your country in a series from the other side of the world is not exactly something you expect.

For a moment, I actually thought I had lost it. "Can fangirl obsessions really drive you mad?", I thought. Luckily, my mother was in her room so I called her over to verify.

The song is featured during a fashion show. The mother of the second female character (Yeon Jin) owns the company organizing it. Kang Dong Won's character (Kang Jae) has set his eyes on said daughter, because he basically wants to carve his way into owning the company by means of marriage.

It's actually quite interesting that they used the song exactly as they did, because the words "I will fade (die) if I don't see you" play exactly when Yeon Jin turns around and sees Kang Jae staring at her. Mighty well-placed, even if they didn't know they had done it. Or maybe someone did.

So, here is the scene from the series.

"Dancing Cat" - More cating!!!

2011-11-10T20:41:00.000+02:00

More and more news from the documentary "Dancing Cat" which I wrote about a few days back. For you can never have enough of this.

An article came out today, over at the Korea JoongAng Daily, talking about the documentary and how it aims to change how people view stray cats in South Korea, as they are seen mostly as a nuisance and as scary.

Along with that, we have a new long trailer for it.

Chilling Romance - New Goodies

2011-11-07T16:07:00.001+02:00

Two stills, one poster and a couple of videos. And yes, they are as cute as ever.
One of the videos is a teaser with the leads, the other is about the poster making.

And just in case anyone had doubts about this being inspired by Tim Burton, look at Lee Min Ki's socks in this new poster. Striped ones. Black and white. That is a Burton standard right there.

Pictures taken from the movie's Naver page.

The Crucible - U.S Release and Charity

2011-11-07T15:21:00.001+02:00

Timeless brand's t-shirt

"The Crucible" is being released in the States and there is a whole flood of info about it. First of all, we have an official site in English to promote the movie.

There are also a charity t-shirt that can be purchased, the money from which will be used to support the children who suffered during and after the Inhwa case.

There is this really good Hancinema article on this, complete with links to the site selling the t-shirt, timelessbrand.net as well as many other new links for the movie.

Halloween Blog Theme 2011

2011-11-07T15:21:00.000+02:00

Inspired by the style of a specific photoshoot. I used some ready brushes, an old movie texture (both done by others) and some other Photoshop tricks to make it.

Blog Twitter - I Feel So Dirty...

2011-11-07T14:29:00.000+02:00

I have been resisting Twitter for a long time now. Years. But I decided to make one anyway. I made it to post stuff related to what I write about on the blog. Kentertainment and such.

I know there are ways to tweet all older posts, but I want to do this manually, as I don't want to post them all. So, a lot of work ahead of me. No idea if I will keep this, but we'll see. I'll test drive it.

I know nothing about this service and having popped my Twitter cherry just now, I have no idea how to link to my channel properly, but I guess try: Orion21_ItsYou

AddThis - I Haz Buttehns!

2011-11-06T03:02:00.001+02:00

I started using AddThis. As you can see at the footer of each post. You can share a post on many services now. It has the basics of Facebook and Twitter, along with Google. The ones you can see right away.

It has about 350 services in total, which is awesome. If you click on the +Share button, you can choose the one you like. Only got 1 share so far so no idea how this will go and how useful it will be. If it's not, it will go.

I know people visit my blog as I do have hits through Blogger Stats, but I have no idea how many stay and read or even like what I write. I guess I'll find out now, although I have a funny feeling very few give a damn. XD

But still, I love playing around with these services, as annoying as they sometimes get. So, more fun and education for me, no matter what the results.

Too Beautiful To Lie Review at Hancinema

2011-11-05T22:01:00.001+02:00

And it can be found here. The original one can be found by clicking on the "Reviews" tag on the sidebar here -->.

Again, slight moderation, but nothing major. This is the third most popular post here in the blog so I hope people find it useful at Hancinema as well.

Chilling Romance - More Stills and New Trailer

2011-11-05T05:28:00.000+02:00

More stills taken from Hancinema and Naver and also a new, longer trailer. I have no words for this, really. No way to further express how wonderful this looks without repeating myself. My werdz fail me by now.

There is one slightly worrying issue about this new footage, however. That scene with the signs dropping and the fact that it is still listed as melodrama/horror/comedy in Naver and elsewhere alike.

Koreans have a bit too big a love for tragedies and even manage to squeeze them into comedies, but not always in a way that I appreciate as a viewer or someone who can tell good storytelling from sugar-coated crap.

However, because of this obsession with tragedy, it's also hard to predict what a Korean movie will turn out to be. And as they do throw the scare of him dying in the trailer, I personally feel reassured it won't be so.

He might piss his pants a few times, since he seems about as confident with the supernatural as a germophobe would with a public toilet, but I don't see him dying. He better not. This looks like it will be released around Christmas and it's for ages 12+ so I don't think dying of the lead character would be involved.

But anyway, here are the stills and trailer. When something of better quality is out, from these, I will replace it with the higher quality here.

Camellia - Japanese Trailer Song

2011-11-04T21:47:00.000+02:00

Thanks to this well informed blogger, I found the song from the Japanese trailer for this movie. Some new Kang Dong Won pictures too, so woo hoo for that.

Here we have an older version by Lee Mi Bae, a newer one by Park Yoon Kyeong and the original. According to the description on the first video:

Melody is from "Danube Waves".
Korean song title: Hymn of Death
A young Korean woman named Yoon Shin-deok, who wrote the song, jumped overboard into the Korean Straight and committed suicide in 1930s.

So, appropriate for Camellia, I guess. I mean, save for the "Iron Pussy" segment, perhaps, I don't see a bright future for the others.

Here are the songs for you. I prefer Lee's version myself. Love her deep voice.

Kang Dong Won Works - A Quick Guide Part 2

2011-11-03T23:11:00.000+02:00

Part 2 of a Quick Guide into Kang Dong Won works. Part 1 can be found here.

I describe things with him as the center. For the movies I really really liked, I make reviews and cover more there. These go by chronological order from old to new.

For more information on them, click on their titles to be taken to their Hancinema pages and use your good and informed friend Google.

This post includes the works between 2007 and 2010.

Voice of a Murderer

This is based on a true story of the murder of a child whose murderer has still not been found and is no longer subject to punishment, as the statute of limitations ran out by 2006. It's a very sad movie and it really shows the dark side of Korean society and also how useless the authorities can be.

Kang Dong Won's face is not seen in the movie and we rarely see the person, but we hear his voice a lot, as the kidnapper was in phone contact with the parents of the poor child. I think he was an excellent choice. The voice of the real monster is not as deep (they play a recording at the end of the movie), but the coldness is there.

This is a movie you'll watch if you can handle the sickness of society. It's not a happy one and you won't be seeing your "kyaaa, oppaaaaa" a lot, so I bet fangirls just skip past this, but I didn't. I won't watch it again as it's too depressing, but I liked it. Good cast, good performances.

Very good casting all around in this movie.

Lee Myung Se. I just "get" the guy for some reason. But if Duelist was weird, this is downright nuts. This is sort of a mystery drama.. something. It's a really artsy movie, but I like the atmosphere and I liked what I could make sense of. I wouldn't watch it often, but it's interesting.

Kang Dong Won is freaky here. He looks like a perverted ajeossi (awesome hairstyle) and his character is just sick. Literally. He is paranoid. Well, a crazy writer. What's new, right? His acting is interesting here. You can't judge it by normal standards because Lee is very specific about what he wants and his actors do it. You could say it's Kang Dong Won's talent to understand Lee's mind and translate it into a performance. A damn weird and fascinating one, but to some, it will be bad.

He's completely erratic and odd and I would really not want to meet this character in a dark alley. Or a bright busy mall, for that matter.

She has suspiciously not aged since highschool. I wouldn't be eying her, man.

Jeon Woochi

Mangnani Woochi! Love this movie. It's a family action one, lots of fights, effects, wire-action, nice laughs, crazy characters, fun stuff. The cast is awesome and it's generally an entertaining ride. I watch it quite often as well.

Kang Dong Won is good with adorable and arrogant stupidity. Woochi is kind of a jerk, but you can't really dislike him. He's funky and good for a lot of facepalm moments but quite dashing when he does decide to take his head out of his ass and be a proper hero.

I'd recommend this to anyone who is willing to have some light fun. This isn't exactly a movie that requires heavy thinking. As long as you let yourself enjoy the brainless goodness, you'll like it.

Review coming soon.

Excellent attire for a night out in modern-day Seoul...

I have to say, the trailer is mighty serious compared to the style of the movie. Don't let this fool you. Korean trailers are really hopeless sometimes. Especially older ones. They should pay more attention to that.

Secret Reunion

Song Kang Ho, Kang Dong Won, brotherly bonding. Do you need more? Really nice big budget action movie about two strangers from opposite sides who come to care for each other and get over some of their own personal issues and views of other people because of their relationship.

Nice action, good chemistry, nice characters. Kang Dong Won is doing quite a good job, especially considering his partner. Song Kang Ho is one of the veeery very best of Korea. The fact that Kang Dong Won looks decent next to him is an achievement.

If I can fault this performance in any way is that he seemed to have a slip of accent during a very intense scene. I can't be sure since I am by no means an expert on Korean dialects, but I could swear I heard a different accent coming out in one line.

The review for this can be found here.

Why are you looking at your lovable hyung like that, you sourpuss?

Haunters

This movie is a test to my obsession, I swear. Because in this, he is skinny, ugly, with a crazy perm and a peg leg. And I'd still rather scr... uhh date him than any of these wonderfully hot korean men around. What has he done to me... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MEEEEE?!?!... Ok, I'm good.

Jokes aside, this is a cool movie. Nice supernatural action thriller. Not too heavy on story and again, leave your brain out the door, but kick ass movie nonetheless. Also, Dong Won is really good here. Cho In is a psycho and you really couldn't tell if he'd be more pissed off by a bad hair conditioner or puppies. He just seems to hate everything and everyone but his scale models.

I watch this from time to time, in HD. Has to be HD. So that I can see every detail. And every damn bone protruding from his fat-deprived skin. Seriously, I hope the army cook is working his wonders because he became frighteningly skinny as of late.

My first movie review was of this. And here it is.

What a highly scientific and accurate approach to checking your enemy's vitals.

Camellia

Not yet released, but here are all the posts and goodies I have on it. It looks like an artsy independent movie with weird stories and characters, but at least it's visually nice. He is also staring with Song Hye Kyo in his segment. A big plus.

And frankly, no matter how much this may suck, the man is shooting his way through Busan in emo getup and heavy eye make up. My fangirl heart can't reject this.

I am glad this is a weird, small and violent movie though, because him+Song Hye Kyo+a lot of kissing and possibly sex = kyaagirls will never stop. I hope the violence and blood will outweigh the emo angst and lip-locks and keep the fangirls away.

The movie has been out in Thailand for a while and was released in Japan on October 22nd. No wide Korean release yet. It was only shown last year, at the BIFF (Busan International Film Festival). Which is why I am using the Japanese poster, as it seems both Japan and Thailand have been throwing more into promoting this movie than South Korea has. Unless they are saving it for some major wide release in the future. Hopefully, this will get released there eventually as well.

Give me back my make-up kit, woman!

And here is the Japanese trailer. For all the good promotion, they don't seem to have an HD trailer out anywhere in Youtube. But the HD thai one is badly dubbed, so I can't subject you to that again.

Pictures and videos found through Google Image Search, Youtube and Hancinema.

Seol Woon Do - Yeoja Yeoja Yeoja (여자 여자 여자)

2011-11-03T19:00:00.000+02:00

Some songs are just so nice. Take such a nice song and combine it with a lovely scene from a hilarious light movie and you get someone like me hooked.

I love Too Beautiful to Lie. I really do. And I really like this song. I have the original version by Seol Woon Do on my mp3 player and always listen to it while outside.

It's just such an uplifting song. And because I have associated it with the warm and fuzzy feeling the movie gives me, it becomes even sweeter in my ears.

Bellow is the original version sang live and also the scene from the movie. Along with the next scene from it, of how the idiot singing won the competition.

Camellia - Last Promos Out (Probably)

2011-11-02T23:22:00.000+02:00

I swear, they don't get much prettier than this without going to the ugly "creepy doll" side

I have pictures and I will eventually have videos, since most of them can't be accessed by anyone outside Japan right now. The official site has a new video and DMM has many. The minute those hit Youtube, I'll post them.

The movie was released in Japan on October 22nd. No idea how it's been doing, but I am guessing any and every Kang Dong Won fangirl in Japan has seen it. Lucky them.

But the stills are from all three segments and the videos themselves have some more on "Iron Pussy" and "Kamome", with emphasis on "Kamome" since it's the Japanese segment and these materials are from Japan.

I only have 3 "Kamome" press conference videos for now.

I am afraid that if this goes the way Thailand's promotional campaign went, these are about the last new things we'll see of this until some DVD release. So, fingers, arms and legs crossed that we'll get a DVD of this soon. If not with English subs, then at least Japanese, Chinese, Thai. Any kind of subs that can be translated.

So here are the photos and videos.

Many a Little Romance - Official MV

2011-11-02T23:20:00.000+02:00

Cute song for what looks like a cute movie. I will upload the HD version when it's out.

Cats! So Many Cats! In "Dancing Cat"!

2011-11-01T22:26:00.000+02:00

This just cat-apults me into a sea of "awwww"!

A documentary solely about cats! A whole documentary dedicated to cats and photography! A whole documentary on catography!!! Am I cating weird??!!

Of course I am! Do they not know that someone like me loses all composure and the power of education when they show me such creatures?

"Dancing Cat" is an upcoming South Korean film about the work of poet Lee Yong Han and his affection for all these lovely kittehs. He photographs them and even names those he sees often in his neighborhood.

Being Greek and prone to kyaaing, I am really fond of cats and used to them. We have many stray cats in Greece, unfortunately, but because they are around all the time, they are very much part of our culture. That is, when bastards don't kill them because they insult their delicate nature or something. We have a lot of cruel people and virtually non-existent system to protect animals from them. Unfortunately.

But we have good people too. People like this gentleman, who love animals and love giving a little something back to nature. Many good individuals in Greece take care of such kitties, feed them at a regular basis and even "adopt" them sometimes.

I really can't wait for this work. It's so nice to see such a special category of animals and how they live and adapt all around us.

I just need to mentally prepare myself, for this may very well kill me with cuteness. Or I might overcute myself into another dimension. It's just this cat-egory of work that cat-ers to my kyaa-gland a bit too well. Purrease documentary, be kind to me...

More on this on its Hancinema page.

Kang Dong Won - MVIO Photoshoot 2

2011-10-31T18:50:00.000+02:00

Continuation of the MVIO Photoshoot gallery. Part 1 can be found here.

This blue t-shirt is just beautiful. The second picture is one of my favorite pictures of him, in general. I think it's nicely taken, the colors work wonderfully, the hair really suits him styled like this and the clothes are absolutely perfect on him as well.

Also, those almighty peepers of his have a nice powerful look here. Although it does look like he's saying "Take this flower, or I will murder you with it" rather than "Here is a flower because you are charming". You just can't tell if he will attempt to kiss you or strangle you with his necklace when you get close. I'm guessing it's the latter.

The props are also to die for, adding to the weirdness of this, but it's an all around good photoshoot and nice cf. Beautiful clothes that fit on the handsome model.

The Crucible - A Small Step Forward

2011-10-31T18:37:00.001+02:00

It seems the buzz around The Crucible and child abuse in South Korea, along with the public outrage, has pushed the government to revise the law around it and also around the abuse of people with disabilities.

Things have become much stricter for such offenders and if there are no big loopholes in this, then it's a significant step for the better.

I don't trust such "laws" myself, as I know very well that the cruel monsters calling themselves "politicians" always manage to let things conveniently slip through, but it's at least something.

I feel that anyone who worked on the movie will be very relieved to see they did their part in at least getting a big problem out in the open.

Hope this does give perverts and bastards a run for their money and get them to think a bit more before they dare touch a person they have no business touching.

Also, the school where the events depicted in the movie took place will be shut down, if all goes well and no one slimes their way out of it. Article about this here.

Google Halloween Doodle 2011

2011-10-31T18:37:00.000+02:00

I just love these. What a smart way to keep your logo lively and give a little something to everyone who uses the engine.

I really like the idea of showing a team and not just doing another animation again. Halloween is very much a "people" holiday, celebrated best with others.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T22:00:00.000+02:00

With Tim Burton and his crew. Of course.

Fun Gifts for Quirky Korean Holidays

2011-10-30T21:45:00.001+02:00

My good friend Ethlenn posted this up on her blog as well. She found this lovely article from "Korea JoongAng Daily" on Korean holidays, naming some peculiar and fun gifts that are given during said days and also giving a bit of an explanation about their meaning.

I think that it's a very well done piece, shedding some light on things we might not know much about as foreigners. The author mentions quite a few holidays and one thing that cracked me up was her following confused question:

"I don’t know where the idea that Koreans are shy about expressing their feelings came from, but it is incorrect."

Korean dramas where the passionate lovers kiss like 10-year-olds only once, before they're practically at "getting married" stage? Where a 30-year-old guy goes all "shucks" if his arm brushes the girl he likes? Where a woman acts like someone offended her family's honor when they dare kiss her after the mutual attraction has become obvious and accepted?

Yes, if we go by dramas, Koreans are all virgins well in their late 30s and they only touch people in non-romantic ways, unless they want to be daring and overly "modern". :P

As for Black Day, the day of singles, what a bleak name it is. I mean, we're not that sad. XD Plus, if I could taste some friggin' jjajangmyeon, which Korean entertainment has been torturing me with, I'd lie even!

But setting that aside, such articles are nice little peeks indeed. They are not only interesting, but they give some more information on everyday life things that we may not know or misunderstand (those of us who think dramas = reality).

And now I must go and raid my fridge for sweet and savory stuff. Curse Google Image Search and Korean yummy goodness!

The Host Vs. Sector 7 - Monsters, Assume Your Positions!

2011-10-30T14:14:00.001+02:00

I love horror movies. I love disaster movies. I love movies with monsters, aliens and anything else horrible and supernatural or monstrous. I have been watching horror and thrillers, action and sci-fi since I was a wee little girl. When others were watching only cartoons, I was watching cartoons, Star Trek TNG and Stephen King, among other things nerdy. So, for that reason, I expect a lot from a monster movie.

Ever since I have been into Korean entertainment, "The Host" has hovered over my head like a majestic high bar that other things are apparently too short to reach. I had heard the best things about it and I knew it as some legendary movie, a masterpiece of Korean cinema.

I was quite confused about it, because I had watched a part of it way back when it had first reached private cable television here. I remembered that I disliked it. That I found the balance of jokes and seriousness so "off" that I could not figure out what the movie wanted me to feel.

But I wasn't into Korean entertainment back then. So, having gotten used to and absolutely loving the Korean way of adding lightness of mood into an otherwise serious work, I went back to give it a second chance. I love the cast, having now seen them in many things and appreciating them as actors and the idea of a monster movie felt intriguing. To my utter disappointment, the movie was as bad for me the second time around as it had been years ago.

Despite it having a cast I really really like.

But let's switch to "Sector 7" for a moment. Now, this is a Hollywood movie wearing a Korean mask. We have a hot chick, her hot guy, the coward, the mysterious one etc etc. We have "light" moments of really "we know it's not funny, but we're adding it to ease you into things" humor before the marine shi.. uhm.. excrement hits the fan. A lot of special effects, sometimes used a bit too much, lots of dying and screaming and monster fluids. You get the idea.

Ha Ji Won is basically being Gil Ra Im, complete with a dead father for her character, who is even the same actor ( Jeong In Gi ) playing her deceased dad in "Secret Garden". Oh Ji Ho is completely other-word-for-kitty whipped by her. Ahn Seong Ki is being very cool and "means business". Stereotypes, but that is all you need in movies that aren't really about the characters.

This movie does not bring something new. It does not pretend to be something "fresh" or special and neither is it trying to do too much in one film. You know you are in for a brainless ride which you will enjoy as long as you get action and fancy visuals. And a lot of blood. And them monster fluids.

Please? Please, ma'am?

And this is why the movie succeeds. Because it is being honest about what it is and it's embracing its type of entertainment without aiming higher than its pieces can take it. This is also the reason why I feel "The Host" fails.

The problem with "The Host" is that it cannot hit that sweet spot between serious and light. At least not for me and I am one who loves some dark comedy. We start off light, all hell then breaks loose, the little girl is kidnapped and you feel scared for her. And the way the movie goes, in general, is made so that the viewer will worry about the little girl who has been kidnapped by the monster.

But just as the post-abduction scene kicks in, you have the family crying like idiots for quite some time. When I say "like idiots", I mean that they intentionally overdo it and use a "comedic" style of crying (you can tell the actors are in comedy mode), to make the characters seem like a bunch of overemotional rednecks ruining the ceremony. Uhm, you do know I'm supposed to care for these dire circumstances and the characters, don't you, movie?

Starting off by belittling the pain these events brought and cracking jokes at such a serious issue as a family mourning for their child they think is dead is not exactly you saying "I am trying to get you to care here".

This scene was, is and will keep being beyond me...

The "funny" scenes are humorless, awkward and thrown in at such random places (even after the really serious part of the movie kicks in), yanking you from the heavy moments instead of easing you out of them. It makes you lose any sympathy for the characters and it does not let you get into one type of mindset and emotional state long enough to actually care. It also feels like it's trying to imitate the usual style of Korean black comedy, but fails to.

I hear people talking about how wonderfully this movie mixes genres and how it's supposed to be poignant and meaningful (them fancy words again), but I just don't see it. I see an attempt at that, not a successful attempt at that.

"Head" is a recent favorite of mine which does comedy/suspense thriller well. The tone is overall light, throughout the work and the characters, both good and bad, are all nuts in their own ways. You get into what the movie will be like and it keeps its consistency. So do most Korean movies which are using comedy along with bleak situations.

"The Host" is trying to do this and fails, for me at least. It fails because its "serious" is dead serious, but then its "comedy" is so tasteless and randomly thrown in that it just feels like whoever wrote it was snorting too much of something at the time.

If Hancinema is accurate, 4 people co-wrote it, which would explain the all-over-the-place feel of this movie without drug "trips" or temporary insanity involved.

Yet another "comedy" scene chucked in at a very dark part of the movie.

The movie is supposedly meant to criticize the U.S and its presence in South Korea and everything about it reeks "We'll show you how we do it!". But by avoiding a lot of what Hollywood does, even the things done right, you might just end up with a mess of a movie in your hands.

"The Host" tries too hard to be "Korean" and fresh, while still offering Hollywood thrills without being Hollywood. It tries too hard to fit the Korean style of comedy into a serious movie, without considering how to integrate it so that it makes sense and it tries too hard to be different and do too many things in one film. The effects work, the flow works, but this movie is based on you caring for the characters and fails to do that with its inconsistencies.

What "Sector 7" does is to avoid these conflicting qualities "The Host" had and become something more honest instead of lumping everything it had together and trying to fit two movie styles and industries into one. The monster was the most interesting thing about the latter, so they use it more here. Again, you can see its intelligence and that makes it even scarier than regular "it's just an animal" monsters.

In addition, the "humor" department is not trying too much and it stays where it should. When things get serious in this movie, they get serious (plot wise, because they are still ridiculous and entertaining for the viewer) and the characters don't feel like robots who had their emotion/brain function chip malfunctioning from beginning to end.

The "drama" is toned down but the overacting is so ricidulous that it's at least fun. Because it is done honestly and because the monster plays such a big part, you do actually feel for the characters in the sense that you worry about their fate and still want to see them get picked off like the squishy meaty ragdolls that they are, in the eyes of the monster. And its jaws. Ok, the viewer sees them like that too, after a certain point.

You see a cast of characters. I see a menu.

For me, this movie is not trying to "fight" Hollywood anymore. It does get a bit too like it in some aspects, but it also uses the elements that sometimes make it good, in a smart way. Yes, we do have stereotypes and yes, we do have predictability, but you know what else we have? Fun, entertainment and a consistent, balanced movie that makes sense.

What you expect from a movie is highly subjective. I know the majority of people love "The Host" and I imagine they somehow "get" the movie in ways that I can't and will strongly disagree with me. And those people will potentially hate "Sector 7" because it's too unoriginal and shallow. But there will also be people, like me, who find more good in the latter than in the former. I don't consider myself that special.

I personally feel "Sector 7" is brainless entertainment, but it's just that. Entertaining, fun, thrilling and not fumbling all over a big pile of what it is trying to achieve and integrate, like "The Host" was.

Is Ahn Seong Ki wielding a flamethrower shallow? Yes, but it's still badass and fun.

Could it be because I expected a lot from "The Host" and not much from "Sector 7"? Possible, but I am only human (I think) and can therefore not reach parallel universes to see how I'd feel if things hadn't happened this way. I go by what I have.

At the end of the day, what I am trying to do here with this review, besides stating my own opinions, is to say that these two movies are in fact very different. A raging sea monster is the common ground, but everything else is just worlds apart. If you loved "The Host", you cannot be sure you will love "Sector 7". And if you hated "The Host", that does not mean "Sector 7" will give you more of the same.

Who is the winner? "Sector 7", as far as I am concerned.

I would suggest watching both of these movies, however, because regardless of which one you like or don't like, they are both important milestones in Korean cinema, for different reasons. They are big budget and they have something to offer to the crowds that will like either one or even both.