Tag: week in review

Week in Review (Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2020)

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What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) – Ep 6-13

Wow, did this show take a turn. While it is still maintaining the same gritty dark look, I’ve definitely started noticing the more beautiful aspects of this show. After having watched Director Park’s Encounter, I can understand where that style comes from, allowing his actors to settle into the scene and play out the arcs set to them. While it was a little bit tedious in Encounter at times – due to that show’s hyper-realistic style and slice-of-life storytelling – it works well here. Writer Jo has a much richer story to tell with her characters, and Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji and Oh Jung-se are so dynamic in the way they embody their characters.

In terms of the story, it seems to have developed in an organic and realistic manner. All through the show, there has been a significant push for each character to grow and evolve, not because the story required it, but because it felt right for those characters’ journey. I’m still intrigued by how Nurse Park is Ko Moon-yeong’s mother and how she survived her supposed murder. Her plan has clearly been years in the making, and I hope the payoff of finding out what she’s up to lives up to my expectations. But more importantly, it’s dropped a massive bomb in out trio’s midst and I’m sure it’s going to send shock waves through the whole gang, including the publisher and the hospital crew.

Speaking of the extended crew, I’ve really enjoyed watching Sang-in (Kim Joo-hyun) navigate his way around Joo-ri (Park Gyu-young) and her slowly growing accustomed to his antics. And learning about the other patients at OK Psychiatric Hospital has been an eye-opening experience. Sun-hae’s story really got to me, and I was so glad that she was able to stand up to her father, something she had never felt safe enough to do before.

I’m looking forward to seeing what these last few episodes have in stock. They still have some hurdles to overcome, and I’m hoping it doesn’t sucker punch our leads too hard. Here’s hoping that things get resolved soon, so that they can ride off into the sunset together in their camping car.

Week in Review (Aug 23 – 29, 2020)

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What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) – Ep 1-5

I’m really liking the dark look of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. But at the same time it’s so beautiful. The directing and the styling of this show is blowing me away, and it is only being enhanced by the incredible performances by the three lead actors. 

The Moon brothers relationship is so co-dependent, and Ko Moon-yeong is the perfect wrench to throw into their carefully curated lives. She mixes things up just by being around them, and when she actively pursues Gang-tae, it forces him to think about what he wants out of life too, outside of his job or caring for his brother.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the drama goes now that Moon-yeong has lured Sang-tae into her web (not that it took much to convince him). I hope they keep up the pace of the show, and that the characters continue on the trajectory Writer Jo Yong has set up so far.

Week in Review (Aug 16 – 22, 2020)

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What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Extraordinary You (2016) – Ep 12-16

These final few episodes of this show were a delight. I’m glad that our leads got to spend some time together before they were cruelly separated. Haru’s decision to choose his and Dan-oh’s happiness over being secure and getting to spend time in the manhwa seemed like the right choice. They got to enjoy being in each other’s lives. 

The show also explored the nature of separation. The iconic (read: cringy. I’m looking at you Oh Nam-ju!) A3 were going to go on their own paths, but they would still find the time for each other. Graduation meant a departure from the place that they had spent their formative years. Baek Gyeong came to terms with Dan-oh not being in his life, and will hopefully find his own form of happiness. And of course, our leads were separated in a heart-wrenching scene. But the show gave us hope that these characters would find their way back into each others’ lives, even if they might be different characters with different surrounding, their souls would recognise one another.

Movies

Mulan (1998)

I am really looking forward to the live action version of this film, and with its impending release, I thought I would rewatch the original Disney version of this film. I have always been absolutely enamoured by Mulan, enjoying that she was the kind of person who was willing to stand for her country, to protect her family, and to adapt to any situation that she was put into. I’ll Make a Man Out of You gets me every time. She works hard and she gets the job done, the irony of course being that the first man to be able to do it is actually a woman…

Add to the mix Mushu, Cricket and a wacky band of sidekick and you’ve got the perfect comedy. But the movie balances it well with the more chilling scenes with Shan-Yu. He always scared me as a child, and still gives me the creeps every time I watch the movie. And of course, who can forget Li Shang. Something about his voice got me excited, and I savoured every scene between him and Mulan.

This movie definitely ranks as one of my all-time favourites, and it is always a delight to watch. I hope the new film can hold up in comparison.

Week in Review (Aug 9 – 15, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Extraordinary You (2016) – Ep 1-11

What I was expecting to be a lighthearted romance/comedy actually turned into a poignant look at the meaning of fate, mortality and identity. Is it possible to change the destiny written for you, to become the master of your own future and create your own path in the world? Watching Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon) find the answer to these questions while simultaneously struggling with the impression she might leave in the world she inhabits is both fascinating and tragic. Kim manages to capture the quiet charm of the character in a way that doesn’t feel overacted, and I’m hoping she continues along this trajectory as the show progresses.

The one criticism I have of the show is that Rowoon, who plays Ha-ru to Kim’s Dan-oh, feels flat at times. His bland expressions never quite manage to convey the feeling of grand romance that the show tries to give us, and Kim is left to do a lot of the heavy lifting in that department.

Lee Jae-wook on the other hand, feels like he embodies his character. I love to hate Baek Gyung, and he is the perfect foil. To know that he was simultaneously acting in Search:WWW blows my mind because he delivers stellar performances in both and it never feels like he’s over reaching.

I also enjoy watching the show mock the tropes that are commonly seen in K-dramas. Seeing the characters gain self-awareness is intensely satisfying because they get to escape them and forge their own destinies despite the manhwa writer’s intentions.

Overall, I’ve enjoyed the journey that this show has taken me on, and I’m looking forward to see how the characters overcome the hardships they’ll face next.

Week in Review (Aug 2 – 8, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)

This show was so cute, I could just die. Seeing Kim Bok Joo transform from an insecure girl to a confident young woman was so satisfying. Whether it was her worries about her father, her struggles with weightlifting, or her conflicted feelings and insecurities in her relationships, Bok-joo always came out the other end stronger and more sure of her self. 

Jung Joon-hyung on the other hand was the beating heart of this show. He always wore his emotions on his sleeve, and he managed to charm his way into Bok-joo’s life in the most natural and beautiful way. He lifted her up when she felt down, and gave her the boost she needed to find her way through the toughest of situations.

Her friends and family also provided the support she needed, and she in turn helped them when they were in need.

Overall, this was a heartwarming show full of fun. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, Swag! 

Movies

Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017)

While the plot of this film was quite predictable, what really elevated it was the stellar performances. The ease with which the two leads portrayed their characters was excellent, but the standout in this film was Rajkummar Rao by far. His versatility in this film has cemented him as one of the strongest actors in the industry, and I’m looking forward to seeing him in more films to come. Next stop, Bareilly!

Week in Review (Jul 26-Aug 1, 2020)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 4 Comments

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Hospital Playlist (2020)

Hospital Playlist has the kind of vibe that makes you feel like you’re part of the gang. You laugh with them, and you cry with them. You root for them through their successes and hope for them through their hardships. This show highlighted the beauty of different kinds of relationships, that between parent and child, between siblings, and of friends who have become family. It has the signature pop culture references and musical flair of Writer Lee/PD Shin that make you feel a sense of nostalgia and longing even as you’re watching it, and the characters are so inherently true to self you feel like they’ve been plucked from real life. I can’t wait to continue on this journey with our Yulje crew. I need Season 2 yesterday!

Harley Quinn Season 2 (2019)

What a great first half, and what a disappointing second half. It felt like the writers were unsure who their characters were in the latter half of this season, with Dr. Psycho turning supervillain, the Joker’s unnecessary reappearance, and Harley’s completely out of the blue love for Ivy. Perhaps it was a case of confused feelings that made Harley confuse love for her friend who supported her with romantic love, but Ivy’s motivations seemed completely opaque. Poor Kiteman got the short end of it, leaving a very bitter taste after seeing two seasons of build-up on their relationship end in rejection. I’m not sure what the writers were thinking, but I hop they remember who their characters are in time for the next season.

Books

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Ch 1 – 28) – Sarah J. Maas

Feyre’s journey seems familiar, with common themes of poverty and self-sufficiency and hardship being ones repeated through many young adult novels. However, she is not your typical protagonist, in that she is very rarely seen wallowing in self-pity. She gets on with life, and makes do with what she has, which makes her infinitely more likeable in my eyes. While the story is building towards her relationship with Tamlin, it sometimes feels like that is almost secondary, with her need to figure out herself and her surroundings taking precedence. Whether that be in learning to paint or in figuring out the lay of the land and the creatures that occupy it, Feyre has a voracious appetite for learning her environment – which also gets her in trouble on more than one occasion. On the whole, I enjoy learning the mythology of Maas’s universe, and just like Feyre, I’m curious about the vast expanse that lays ahead of me.