Arumdaum

What I'm watching now -  Rooftop Room Cat, Attic Cat - with Kim Rae Won and Jung Da Bin - Romantic Comedy -  This is my third time watching this drama...gets better with each viewing. I really think this is one of KRW's best. He has great comedic timing and physical presence - and such a sexy, but endearing persona.. .loved how he became the 'cat' . I particularly enjoyed the very talented character actors in this drama -  the heroine's mother, KRW's grandfather & mother  - some of  the funniest scenes ever.

One of the things I enjoy about a good Kdrama is the evolution and growth of the main characters and supporting cast - these stories are often 'morality plays' underneath the flash, comedy and romantic entanglements and  the best ones take you on a psychological, emotional journey to redemption, to hell, or to creative or emotional fulfillment. Although modern American film and drama seems to have lost or rejected these key ingredients in their sophistication and cynicism and addiction to special effects and sexual overload - I believe that this aspect of storytelling - the redemptive path ... thousands and thousand of years old ...is deeply satisfying and one of hidden attractions of Korean drama.  For example -  the recent German movie - Other People's Lives which just won an academy award for best foreign film...very simple plot with subtext of redemption created a powerful, moving film.

What I just finished watching -  My Love Pazzti with Kim Rae Won, Kim Jae Won and Jang Na Ra.  Romantic Comedy .  This is a short, 10 episode drama - really teen fluff -  romantic triangle, the inevitable life threatening illness, and evil scheming...but there some sweet and funny moments and Jang Na Ra and her 'evil' roommate Hong Eun Hee have an unusual character dynamic... actually thought Hong Eun Hee gave one the best acting interpretations of a feminine psychopath that I've ever seen... ha ha...yeah, it's romantic comedy Korean style ;-).  Got my dvd from yesasia -- it's a YA produced package with good English subs.

KBS Drama  'Resurrection' . Drama. The good news is that I think this was an outstanding drama -- the bad news is that the English subtitles of non-KBS produced version (in think it was produced out of Taiwan) I got off of amazon.com got progressive worse with each chapter until they were almost incomprehensible :-(  and I spent more time alternately swearing and laughing at the translation that I couldn't really enjoy it. So much for cheap dvds - never doing that again when a perfectly good, though more expensive, version is available.

What's next -  Love Story in Harvard - with Kim Rae Won  - I think I'll have a Kim Rae Won marathon - dramas and movies. Sandglass may have to wait.

What's coming in the mail - 'What Star are you From'  with  Kim Rae Won  .... a YA produced package with good English subs :-)

Arumdaum - Korean Drama, Film, Music & Poetry

What I'm watching now - KBS Drama - Life Again, Resurrection, Revenge (so many english names ;-) WOW.... OK...I broke my own rule because I was broke and I got several dramas off of amazon for cheap price & fast shipping...This is a Chinese version with pretty bad subtitles and possibly bootleg (sorry KBS)....but for once I'm not complaining about subs...yet....(I guess my primitive korean is improving) .because this is a great drama: action, suspense, betrayal, tragedy , love and I'm just on the 6th ep...Um Tae-ung is giving a great performance so far...here's blurb from KBS site... "The main character of the series is portrayed by Um Tae-ung, who acts in double role. He plays twins -- Seo Ha-eun, a detective, and Yoo Shin-hyuk, the scion of a family-owned conglomerate -- who were separated due to a childhood mishap. Ha-eun first learns that he has a twin brother while investigating his father’s mysterious death."

What I just finished watching - KBS Drama  'Loveholic'  another one of my cheap purchases from Amazon - this Drama good got reviews in various places....pretty sure that my copy is not bootleg because it had relatively decent subs...but they didn't really make a difference...this drama got very tedious....Kang Ta (singer from H.O.T.) made his acting debut in this drama - he is really very handsome in a sleek  way but his long ponderous stares into space really got to me. In the end, I really didn't care what happened :-(   I found myself yearning for some more adult type tragedy with great acting -- maybe I'll go back and rewatch Bae Yong Joon in 'Did We Really Love?' ...now there was an unforgettable ending.

What's next - still can't watch Seodong III :-(  I have one more series from Amazon - Wedding - know nothing about this one, haven't been spoiled - don't recognize any of the actors...new  journey of discovery...hope springs eternal :-)

What's coming in the mail - Sandglass...  and might break down and pre-order 'What Star are you From' because it's Kim Rae Won and YA package & subs...not sure about reviews.

What I'm re-watching now - KBS Drama - Solitude - touching May-December romance with
Lee Mi Sook as the older (40) single parent and Ryu Seung Bum as the young man (26) who loves her. Wonderful supporting cast and great English subtitles. I love this drama. Controversial storylines. A truly remarkable love story and excellent script. Beautiful cinematography and production values - this seems to be a KBS trademark.

What I just finished watching - The new production of 'Stained Glass' (Yurihwa) from YA Entertainment. See, this is where subtitles make or break a drama for English speaking audience. I bought this drama when it was first released by SBS. The subs were so bad - not just grammatically but the translation of meaning that after I watched I thought - yeah, waste of $. But I took chance with this new YA package because I really enjoy Lee Dong-gun and Kim Ha-neul and I'm so glad I did. Wow what difference. Kudos to YA. I cried my eyes out :-) Kim Sung Soo (Full House) gave a heart wrenching performance and stole the show from LDG & KHN.

What's next - have to wait for my region free dvd player to get better before I can watch Seodong III :-( ...but I'm thinking I want to re-watch another memorable KBS drama 'Let's go to School Sang Doo' (My Beloved) with Rain & Lee Dong Gun - it's been 2 years since I first watched this.