Change Your Image
icalistri
Reviews
Qu you feng de di fang (2023)
Just lovely
Enchanting, heartwarming, and artistically slow paced drama about a small, backwater town and the efforts to bring about ways for its inhabitants to improve their lives and stay in the town rather than seek jobs in the city. The setting is absolutely beautiful, and the acting so good I sometimes dream of the characters as if they were real people. It's one of the few dramas I wish would never end. The music is beautiful too. I've watched a few Chinese dramas after a steady fare of K-dramas, and this is the first one that isn't cutesy/ silly or forced. For the first time I want to travel to China!
Nangmandakteo Kimsaboo (2016)
Misleading Englishtitle, but BEST hospital drama in any language I've seen
I'm just starting Season 2, and I can't express how superb this drama is, with the exception of the usual propensity for Korean drama to indulge in overuse of flashbacks as filler.
Every single actor is an ace. They ARE their roles.
The best facet may be the writing-very engaging, interesting plots, and characters who, even when villainous, are so realistic.
The countryside views of the mountains, few though they are, are breathtakingly beautiful.
Dr. Kim is one of the most finely drawn characters I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. The actor is the best of the best
If this were a book, I'd call it "unputdownable."
Note on the title: though there is some romance, the bulk of the drama revolves around activities in a small, rundown hospital,peopled in part by outcasts of a most interesting variety. The characters have an actual arc demonstrating personal growth and realization of life's difficulties and realities.
Trolley (2022)
Fine in every way
I loved this story, every twist and turn of it. Wonderful writing, beautiful cinematography, and performances all around that knock your socks off. Where does Korea train all of their splendid actors? The woman playing Hye Joo is remarkable, with a performance so nuanced it breaks your heart. Themes of deception masked by earnest faces resonate, as do the explorations of people with initial good intentions losing their way in the thicket that is politics. Teenagers' passion, quests for what is true or real, play an important role in this drama, again handled exquisitely by the young actors. The treatment of sexual assault which motivates much of the action is raw and powerfully depicted. It's not "too much" as some might claim. Just ask anyone who has experienced this trauma, as have 38% of my friends and acquaintances and students. (And yes, when the ME TOO movement started, I took a random survey.) The casualness which the assaulters display about their actions falls in the "what's the big deal" category and is sickening. This is wonderful psychological thriller, carefully deliberate in pacing because these issues, and difficult, sometimes impossible, choices , require deliberation and a slower paced production.
Gui lu (2023)
Enjoyable, but
This was my first venture into Chinese drama after having recently been hooked into Korean drama. I enjoyed this because of the leads' acting and chemistry. The male lead's loving gazes and gestures could be used as an example for actors seeking to learn how to portray a lover. He was superb also in conveying the cohesiveness and camaraderie of an elite police SWAT team. I hope I can see more of his work. The female lead was also very good although not quite in the same league as Jing Bo Ran, who if he could replicate this quality of work, might be an international star. The secondary actors, especially the charming little boy, also gave excellent portrayals with their engaging and interesting characters. In short, good story, strong characters, great performances. Now for what might have been improved, based on the viewpoint of an American viewer. First, much too long, perhaps by as much as 3-5 episodes. This would tighten up the pace as well as eliminate scenes that essentially duplicate others. We don't require quite so many SWAT dangerous scenes, episodes of male camaraderie, or family interactions to get the thrust of these elements. The other element I found distracting or confusing was the use of flashbacks. Several were misplaced in the narrative flow. I consistently wished the background story could have been presented in a time sequence from the beginning of the love story to the end. As it is, the flashbacks often interrupt the tension with information that would have explanatory earlier in the presentation. However, overall I found this to be an engaging introduction to Chinese contemporary drama, and I want to see more. A real plus for me has been learning more about Chinese and Korean culture, customs, beautiful scenery, and delectable looking food. Over and over I am reminded that explorations of different cultures might lead to greater harmony. All humans experience love, misery, danger, evil, and goodness.
Joahamyeon Ullineun (2019)
Unfulfilling season 2
Season 1 checks all the tropes of a romance show well and is satisfying. Beautiful acting, chemistry of leads is wonderful, story is developed well. Season 2 is a hot mess. Story staggers about trying to be serious drama about important issues. The charm of the two leads is lost in melodramatic angst that goes on and on. And on. The flashbacks that continue endlessly contributing little to the tension (what little there of that, unlike the first season). No charm, and seriously not believable conclusion. Hallmark Channel is inspiring compared to what the writers put forth in this ending. I loved Season 1. Season 2 is a boring mess.