it seems that most of the programs that are really popular are aimed at the 20's and under group. This show is no exception, but it had things for those of us who are older, too.
Bae Yong Jun was only in the first few episodes, but added a lot to the drama throughout.
I loved seeing these young folks struggle with what they should be doing in life. They overcame hardships and learned from it. Lots of sweetness in the relationships and the bittersweet touch of youthful inexperience.
The older characters were moving as well. They had problems which the younger characters were helping them to overcome.
If you're looking for lots of singing and dancing talent, this would be the show for you.
An especially bright star is Soo Hyun who I'd seen previously in Will it Snow for Christmas? and in Giant. His performances in those two shows was notable as he played main characters when they were young, but he exuded star quality talent in this show.
Want a fun and uplifting time? Then watch Dream High's 16 episodes and even the Dream High Special of Episode 17
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Finding Mr. Destiny or Finding Kim Jong Wook
What a delight to see Gong Yoo in something new! This movie was delightful and funny. I found myself laughing out loud for real. I think that the elements of First Love and Fate are basic building blocks in kdrama, but they were used in a different way here.
I'd like to see the stage play that this movie is based upon. I hear it's a hit in South Korea.
Im Soo Jung was great all dressed up and singing and dancing. I am a fan of hers but didn't know she had this talent. I'm used to the waif persona from things like "I'm Sorry, I Love You." and "I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay." This was refreshing and exciting.
I liked that they use Gong Yoo to play both the one searching and the one searched for. It gave depth to the idea of love yearned after.
I would recommend this movie if you want a fun, uplifting experience. The cast is filled with good actors that have solid careers, and is definitely a plus.
I'd like to see the stage play that this movie is based upon. I hear it's a hit in South Korea.
Im Soo Jung was great all dressed up and singing and dancing. I am a fan of hers but didn't know she had this talent. I'm used to the waif persona from things like "I'm Sorry, I Love You." and "I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay." This was refreshing and exciting.
I liked that they use Gong Yoo to play both the one searching and the one searched for. It gave depth to the idea of love yearned after.
I would recommend this movie if you want a fun, uplifting experience. The cast is filled with good actors that have solid careers, and is definitely a plus.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Stars Falling From the Sky
I've seen the first 5 episodes of this little gem. You don't often see kdrama with this many children, especially in one family. It's fun, honest and moving. The main character is replete with faults, but very loveable. The male lead is familiar from Golden Era of Daughter in Laws and Love-Marriage where he plays a similar character. We're just seeing signs of him warming up his ice cold character. The kids are great fun as is the nephew of the main male. I don't want to spoil any of this but watch it if you have time. It's on mysoju.com. You'll smile and laugh!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Current Kdramas
I can't believe I haven't posted again since April.
I've been watching You're Beautiful and I.R.I.S. which both finished recently. I love both of them for different reasons. They were in opposing timeslots and I would have had a hard time choosing, if I were watching in real time.
A crossdressing rockstar nun is about as silly as say a flying nun. (Oh, wait that show was a hit here in America.) But You're Beautiful was sweet romantic and had lots of good music. I was surprised to hear Taylor Swift's song in the background of one episode.
I.R.I.S. was exciting and full of tension and violence, but I liked trying to figure out where it was going next. I really disliked the character of Yuri that Kim Tae Hee played in Stairway to Heaven so it was nice to see her in a more loveable role. Lee Byung Hun was fun to watch and although I didn't buy every scenario, it was always thrilling. I understand there is a new season next year, but Lee Byung Hun is committed to G.I. Joe and won't be on it. It's hard to imagine the show without him and Jung Joon Ho, but both characters have died, so unless they bring twins or clones onto the show, they're gone. Stranger things have happened.
Now I'm watching Smile, You and Will It Snow for Christmas? I like them both very much and wait impatiently for new episodes. Smile, You is a bit wacky and very relationship oriented. The main couple is so sweet and endearing. Light and fluffy.
Will it Snow for Christmas? is more circumspect. Lots of questions of fate and withheld truth, and how the past affects the present and future.
The characters lives are very tangled at this point, and I'm anxious to see them unwind and move on.
I'd like to see some truth revealed about the past as well.
Stay tuned. :)
---Linda
I've been watching You're Beautiful and I.R.I.S. which both finished recently. I love both of them for different reasons. They were in opposing timeslots and I would have had a hard time choosing, if I were watching in real time.
A crossdressing rockstar nun is about as silly as say a flying nun. (Oh, wait that show was a hit here in America.) But You're Beautiful was sweet romantic and had lots of good music. I was surprised to hear Taylor Swift's song in the background of one episode.
I.R.I.S. was exciting and full of tension and violence, but I liked trying to figure out where it was going next. I really disliked the character of Yuri that Kim Tae Hee played in Stairway to Heaven so it was nice to see her in a more loveable role. Lee Byung Hun was fun to watch and although I didn't buy every scenario, it was always thrilling. I understand there is a new season next year, but Lee Byung Hun is committed to G.I. Joe and won't be on it. It's hard to imagine the show without him and Jung Joon Ho, but both characters have died, so unless they bring twins or clones onto the show, they're gone. Stranger things have happened.
Now I'm watching Smile, You and Will It Snow for Christmas? I like them both very much and wait impatiently for new episodes. Smile, You is a bit wacky and very relationship oriented. The main couple is so sweet and endearing. Light and fluffy.
Will it Snow for Christmas? is more circumspect. Lots of questions of fate and withheld truth, and how the past affects the present and future.
The characters lives are very tangled at this point, and I'm anxious to see them unwind and move on.
I'd like to see some truth revealed about the past as well.
Stay tuned. :)
---Linda
Friday, April 3, 2009
Let's have another piece of Kimchi Pot Pie!
I'm not Korean, but I love Korean culture. My kids tease me that I probably have the equivalent of a doctorate in kdrama because I've watched so many of them.
This last year has been an odyssey of Korean culture as it slowly unfolded through kdrama. I had to sort through what was for dramatic effect and what really occurred on a daily basis in Korea.
This past year I've been piecing together Korean culture through this experience:
At first I thought that amnesia was the number one illness in Korea, that all people in Seoul live in a roof top apartment with a great view of the city for very little money, and that it's commonplace to chase a car, bus or train on foot, but you only catch up to it if you're Kwon Sang Woo. As I've watched more and more, I think I'm starting to understand more about the relationships of people within this culture and what role status and family relationships actually play. I'll be excited on my first trip to South Korea to see how well it lines up with my imagination.
Unlike American dramas, where people never actually eat anything, the people in kdramas actually eat a wide variety of delicious foods. This made me curious about these tastes and so this last year has been an adventure as I learned to make a variety of kimchi including Oi Sobaggi (Cucumber Kimchi), and Kakdoogi(Radish Kimchi). (Eunsoo makes it in "I'm Sorry, I Love You." I then used this Kimchi to make Kimchi stew. I learned to make Bulgogi with my marinade sauce made from scratch and my family's favorite, Jjajang Myun first seen by me in Coffee Prince. I also had to try Soju, which I admit goes well with any of these dishes. I never got drunk, or had to be piggybacked anywhere, however.
But because we are American I branched out. We had Kimchi Pizza recently made with a red pepper paste and kimchi juice sauce, and topped with kimchi and pork belly slices. This was so delicious! My family loved it. Hence the idea for Kimchi Pot Pie. A Korean friend recently told me that baking at home is sort of a new thing in Korea, and that's what made me think of Kimchi Pot Pie. This would be a great translation of Korean food to Western baking.What could be more American, yet more Korean.
I've been taking korean lessons online at KoreanClass101.com for a while now, and my dream is to be able to watch the dramas without subtitles. I'm starting to recognize when things aren't exactly translated sometimes and have been helping with simple translation over at viikii.net
I've put together a spreadsheet detailing what makes a kdrama and showing examples from the ones I've watched. I've been busy watching current tv shows such as Cain and Abel, Gourmet, and Stars Lovers but have watched just about everything I can back to about 2001. I ordered 2 disk sets online but was so disappointed at the subtitles and realized that the fan subs are far superior to the ones that the DVDs are released with. I'm slowly working my way through "Be Strong, Geum Soon" by ordering it one disk at a time from netflix. I think there are 28 disks in total. It's the longest show I've ever watched other than my very first which was "Here Comes Ajumma." I've never seen the first 26 episodes and would still love to see them if I ever can find them. I ordered "Stairway to Heaven" and "My Lovely Sam Soon" from the local library. I'm always happy to find a new series available, or an older one that suddenly shows up for that matter "Terms of Endearment" is slowly showing up on mysoju.com and I think I'm up to episode 41 with a long way to go.
I am happy to be able to share Korean culture with other Koreanaphiles.
Kamsamneda,
--Linda
This last year has been an odyssey of Korean culture as it slowly unfolded through kdrama. I had to sort through what was for dramatic effect and what really occurred on a daily basis in Korea.
This past year I've been piecing together Korean culture through this experience:
At first I thought that amnesia was the number one illness in Korea, that all people in Seoul live in a roof top apartment with a great view of the city for very little money, and that it's commonplace to chase a car, bus or train on foot, but you only catch up to it if you're Kwon Sang Woo. As I've watched more and more, I think I'm starting to understand more about the relationships of people within this culture and what role status and family relationships actually play. I'll be excited on my first trip to South Korea to see how well it lines up with my imagination.
Unlike American dramas, where people never actually eat anything, the people in kdramas actually eat a wide variety of delicious foods. This made me curious about these tastes and so this last year has been an adventure as I learned to make a variety of kimchi including Oi Sobaggi (Cucumber Kimchi), and Kakdoogi(Radish Kimchi). (Eunsoo makes it in "I'm Sorry, I Love You." I then used this Kimchi to make Kimchi stew. I learned to make Bulgogi with my marinade sauce made from scratch and my family's favorite, Jjajang Myun first seen by me in Coffee Prince. I also had to try Soju, which I admit goes well with any of these dishes. I never got drunk, or had to be piggybacked anywhere, however.
But because we are American I branched out. We had Kimchi Pizza recently made with a red pepper paste and kimchi juice sauce, and topped with kimchi and pork belly slices. This was so delicious! My family loved it. Hence the idea for Kimchi Pot Pie. A Korean friend recently told me that baking at home is sort of a new thing in Korea, and that's what made me think of Kimchi Pot Pie. This would be a great translation of Korean food to Western baking.What could be more American, yet more Korean.
I've been taking korean lessons online at KoreanClass101.com for a while now, and my dream is to be able to watch the dramas without subtitles. I'm starting to recognize when things aren't exactly translated sometimes and have been helping with simple translation over at viikii.net
I've put together a spreadsheet detailing what makes a kdrama and showing examples from the ones I've watched. I've been busy watching current tv shows such as Cain and Abel, Gourmet, and Stars Lovers but have watched just about everything I can back to about 2001. I ordered 2 disk sets online but was so disappointed at the subtitles and realized that the fan subs are far superior to the ones that the DVDs are released with. I'm slowly working my way through "Be Strong, Geum Soon" by ordering it one disk at a time from netflix. I think there are 28 disks in total. It's the longest show I've ever watched other than my very first which was "Here Comes Ajumma." I've never seen the first 26 episodes and would still love to see them if I ever can find them. I ordered "Stairway to Heaven" and "My Lovely Sam Soon" from the local library. I'm always happy to find a new series available, or an older one that suddenly shows up for that matter "Terms of Endearment" is slowly showing up on mysoju.com and I think I'm up to episode 41 with a long way to go.
I want to go to Korea and teach ESL to Ajummas by discussing their fave dramas in English. We'll see if that works out in the near future.
I am happy to be able to share Korean culture with other Koreanaphiles.
Kamsamneda,
--Linda
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