drarthurwells Reviews

Creep (I) (2014)

Creep is creepy

[6/10 · 9 May 2016]

I was bored through most of this film, but the knowledge of a previous good review of it, and the film's plot unpredictability, kept me watching.

The ending was stunning.

Worth the wait for me and maybe for you.

It was an affirmation of my understanding of human nature, which is based on reality and not religious or political idealism.

In a world layered with multi-levels of different kinds of BS, we must not lose sight of the fact that there is a wolf inside use, and in some of us more than others.

Beware of the wolf!

Room (I) (2015)

Room shows that living in one room all the time is boring

[2/10 · 8 May 2016]

This movie has appeal, mainly to women and feminine types, based only on emotion.

The strength and devotion of the mother toward her child is well portrayed, however, and the boy does a great job of acting like a spoiled and over-protected child. The mother's love in spoiling the boy, given the terrible circumstances, is quite loving and appropriate though.

The movie is boring as would be living in a small room for 5 years without ever going out. That is the essence of this film.

Naturally the critics, and those with more emotion than intellect, are gushing over it.

Watch it and find out if I am wrong.

Son of Saul (2015)

Son of Saul evokes mixed feelings

[4/10 · 7 May 2016]

An excellent production depicting the grim reality of Hitler's concentration camps, focusing on the story of Saul, an inmate seeking some return to normal human existence in the context of his horrible life and soon impending death.

I couldn't help thinking that Saul was nuts (which is true) in his totally futile, and compulsively driven, quest for a return to normalcy in his life. Particularly when this nutty behavior on Saul's part compromised the efforts of the other inmates to deal with their terrible situation in a rational matter that offered some real hope instead of Saul's delusionally and emotionally based actions that were totally empty acts.

The conflict here is between rational attempts toward success as demonstrated by the other inmates as a group, and Saul's impeding their efforts with his individual selfish and psychotic actions that only provide for his temporary emotional (but no real lasting) fulfillment.

Not sure why the critics, or anyone else, loved this one.

Secret Garden (2010–2011)

Secret Garden is both fun romantic comedy and melodrama

[10/10 · 10 March 2014]

I much enjoy a romantic melodrama in the min-series format that develops a main single story from beginning to end, though with some related parallel sub-plots along the way. The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This may recur in the same story.

Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved.

If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer: They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard for me to quit watching at times so I often binged watched more than one episode at a time.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

Secret Garden is a romantic comedy as well as melodrama, and interplays the two quite well. We see a transformation in the male lead from a rich, self-centered upper-class snob, unable to love others, into a regular guy ('human' as the South Koreans label it) able to relate emphatically and love. The female lead puts the snob down, even beating him up when he deserves it, which makes for great fun. This theme is also featured in "Protect the Boss", another South Korean TV mini-series that is not reviewed by me.

Scent of a Woman (2011)

Romantic melodrama dealing with serious issues

[8/10 · 25 February 2014]

I much enjoy a romantic melodrama in the min-series format that develops a main single story from beginning to end, though with some related parallel sub-plots along the way. The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This may recur in the same story.

Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved.

If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer:

They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard for me to quit watching at times so I often binged watched more than one episode at a time.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

The Scent of a Woman develops fully, sometimes at slow pace for some viewers, in unfolding its story. In the second half of this 16 episode series, the emotional fireworks set in. Some serious issues of love are dealt with in a valid manner. This series is perhaps more modern, organized, coherent, and plausible than others that are ranked above, which is a plus for some viewers.

Lie to Me (2011)

Lie to Me - fun romance story

[7/10 · 20 February 2014]

I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience. These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

Lie To Me is a fun romantic story that shows how an innocent lie can get out of control with complicated and wide-ranging effects. This is the premise of Chaos theory - a small and relatively insignificant event can expand into a large complex of effects that are totally unpredictable considering the origin - commonly depicted as a butterfly flaps its wings and the end result is a storm on the other side of the world (a somewhat misleading analogy but it illustrates the idea). Well done as is typical of these South Korean TV mini-series

The Great Queen Seondeok (2009)

The Great Queen is great fun

[8/10 · 17 February 2014]

I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience. These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

The Great Queen Seondeok is mainly a historical/political melodrama depicting the struggle of opposing (good vs. evil) factions. One faction is lead by a ruthless Machivellian leader (Mishil) representing government control both of government officials and citizens, based on manipulating them with fear. The other faction has a good leader who wants power and freedom to shift from government to the people (control by their choice instead of governmental dictates, ownership of land by farmers instead of tenant farmers working for the rich), and who appeals to the hope and good nature of others. Another theme is women's rights in a male dominated world. There is action, comedy relief, love, hate, revenge, subversion - all the elements of a good historical melodrama.

Mishal is the evil leader and features a stunning performance. The most colorful character is Bidam, who like Mishal, is a complex character and brilliantly portrayed. Bidam is introduced after the series has gone on for some time, as a country bumpkin who is easily underestimated by others. In one scene he picks his nose and then puts it in his mouth, which tainted his image in my mind. This series at times offers some brilliant psychological insights, such as Mishil saying "Humans can not live without believing in fantasy", as in liberal idealism (world peace, income equality without degrading the economy, big government that works efficiently, etc.) that can never be achieved. The ending is quite powerful, emphasizing the loneliness of a ruler of a nation.

Shinui (2012)

Great fun

[7/10 · 12 February 2014]

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) was a long movie - over 15 hours long. The Thornbirds, Roots and other early TV mini-series were long movies broken into consecutive episodes. I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience. These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

Like Rooftop Prince and Dr. Jin, The Great Doctor has a fantasy premise - a warrior General experiences time travel from the past to the present day and then back to his past. Then a political struggle and suspenseful turns is a background for romantic melodrama, with some fantasy aspects thrown into the mix. Time travel is rare but has been reported by reputable people. See J. Randles book, Time Slips, for more on this. Accept the fantasy and enjoy the fun.

Dr. Jin (2012)

Romantic melodrama with a fantasy premise in a historical political struggle context

[8/10 · 12 February 2014]

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) was a long movie - over 15 hours long. The Thornbirds, Roots and other early TV mini-series were long movies broken into consecutive episodes. I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

Like Rooftop Prince and The Great Doctor, Dr. Jin has a fantasy premise - a Chief Resident Surgeon experiences time travel from the present day to the past. Basically a romantic melodrama in the context of political struggles and suspense. Time travel is rare but has been reported by reputable people. See J. Randles book, Time Slips, for more on this. Accept the fantasy and enjoy the fun.

Rooftop Prince (2012)

Fun, fantasy and melodrama

[8/10 · 12 February 2014]

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) was a long movie - over 15 hours long. The Thornbirds, Roots and other early TV mini-series were long movies broken into consecutive episodes. I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, then powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret Garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

Rooftop Prince has a fantasy premise - a Prince and his immediate staff experience time travel into the present day from the past. Then it becomes a mixture of melodrama and fun. Time travel is rare but has been reported by reputable people. See J. Randles book, Time Slips, for more on this. Accept the fantasy and enjoy the fun.

That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)

Poignant love story

[10/10 · 10 February 2014]

I love a melodrama that tells a story in the long mini-series format. In this regard, I have discovered some gems in some recent South Korean TV mini-series. The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back, and this may recur again. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our experience.

These South Korean productions (on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is impressive.

However, the following caveats must be considered. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of old Capra films.

Also, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing. This leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people which sometimes seems unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). This poetic license of implausibility is needed to develop the story - just accept it even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret Garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

"That Winter...." is story of good and evil, a poignant story of love overcoming sociopathy (criminality and hate), nicely paced and developed, engrossing and involving thanks to great acting, music and production/direction. However, the ending is flawed because of what is left out, requiring the viewer to fill in the blanks. To help you fill in the blanks without any spoiling, let me offer this: The stabbing death only seems to be, the void of the scene is that the person was saved and lived, but this fact was concealed to call off those wanting the death. Without this info the ending seems perhaps strange.

Another reviewer unjustifiably denigrates this series.

First, this reviewer states a dislike for love melodramas preferring comedy. Such a preference can cause a negative prejudice toward "When Winter Comes...., and if you have this prejudice you can find fault with this one.

Second, if you have extremely strong feelings against incest you will be disturbed with any mild hints of mild and false incest as in this series, but there is no incest at all in this series. Psychologically, most people have instincts against incest, but some people lack such negative incest instincts and there are cases of happy incestuous relations that cause no harm whatsoever. Most cases are harmful, where trauma was induced by one of the partners who forced/coerced incest onto the other unwilling partner.

Third, the negative reviewer questions how the evil nanny (erroneously described as the "stepmother" by the negative reviewer)does harm to the girl yet later loves her greatly. Here you have to understand the evil-good character transition of the nanny who was initially hired to take care of the girl and sexually service the father. She was an outcast from her family and desperately needed the nanny job and thus degraded herself. She committed evil toward the girl in order to create a continuing need for employment as a nanny and be in a family. With time she comes to truly love the girl, and secure an important job in the company, and then becomes good rather than evil. Morality is a luxury - Dr. Arthur Wells. As this love and relationship developed over the years the nanny felt guilty but became devoted to the girl. We sometimes hurt the one we love, feel guilty, and become more loving as a result - it happens.

Fourth, the negative reviewer wonders how the hired hit man threatens to kill the other man in order to collect a debt for the hit man's gangster boss (who ordered the other man killed out of the gangster's jealousy over his girlfriend who was in love with the man to be killed, using the framed debt as an excuse). What is the problem in this for the negative reviewer? What is also overlooked in this is that the hit man has extra incentive to kill the other man since that man is blamed by the hit man for the death of someone the hit man loved. Did the negative reviewer really watch the series?

Shining Inheritance (2009)

Really great mini-series

[10/10 · 10 February 2014]

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) was a long movie - over 15 hours long. The Thornbirds, Roots and other early TV mini-series were long movies broken into consecutive episodes. I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret Garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

Shining inheritance is about family, love, greed, deceit, manipulation, altruism, and other dynamics important in the pursuit of happiness. It is nicely paced over 28 episodes, in fully developing the story, but the viewer must stick with it at least halfway to get the full emotional impact of the story. Perhaps more coherent than other of the above mini-series, it could be your favorite.

When a Man Loves (2013)

Heart wrenching love story

[10/10 · 10 February 2014]

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) was a long movie - over 15 hours long. The Thornbirds, Roots and other early TV mini-series were long movies broken into consecutive episodes. I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret Garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

11. The Great Doctor

When a Man Loves is a heart wrenching love story involving the main Boy and Girl, and outside others trying to intervene, split them up and then take each one for themselves. There are some powerfully impacting emotional moments in keeping with the superb production, musical accompaniment,and acting skill of some of these South Korean TV series products.

Five Fingers (2012)

Five Fingers - a love and hate emotional roller coaster.

[10/10 · 18 January 2014]

Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) was a long movie - over 15 hours long. The Thornbirds, Roots and other early TV mini-series were long movies broken into consecutive episodes. I love a mini-series as a melodrama that tells a story in the long movie format, as opposed to those that tell different stories in the same setting (like Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men and to a lesser extent Damages, Breaking Bad, and Revenge that change the story at times while keeping to a general story). In this regard, I have discovered some gems in the South Korean TV mini-series of recent years.

The basic melodrama is the oft repeated formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl Back. This me recur in the same story. Human relations can be complex even if only the boy and girl are involved, but this complexity increases as more people are involved. If personality dynamics are properly depicted in a valid manner, and if the production is skillful, powerful emotions can be evoked in the viewer. In this way we can live many lifetimes through movies, in our one lifetime - greatly enriching our incarnate experience.

These South Korean productions (seen on Netflix streaming) are first class with excellent production and direction, some terrific casting and acting (particularly from some of the females who give some matchless world class performances), brilliant musical accompaniment, and staging. What makes these so good is the way they skillfully evoke deep emotion in the viewer. South Korean movie making is superb - world class.

However, the following caveats must be considered by the USA viewer. They are subtitled and some people hate this. The South Korean cultural norms, values and sanctions may sometimes seems silly or old fashioned to the USA viewer. The families are close knit and decisions by an individual may be subject to family approval. Social distance is maintained where formal speech is used, and personal speech forms are reserved for close friends or family. There is a strong work ethic and community cooperation/unity - sometimes reminiscence of a old Frank Capra film.

Most importantly, in order for the sometimes complicated sub-plots to work, people fail to communicate with each other as might be expected, keeping many in the dark as to what others are doing, and this leads to misunderstandings and error judgments of some people, that sometimes seem to be unlikely by USA cultural standards. The viewer may wonder at times why good but trusting people are so easily manipulated and deceived by bad and selfish people, but con artists do often succeed (just look at politicians for example). However this poetic license of improbability is needed to develop the story - just accept it as occurring even though unlikely at times. Taking these factors into account Will help you become involved and emotionally engrossed. It was hard t for me to quit watching at times so I binged watched.

I would rank these as follows but tastes differ and your rankings might not agree: 1 - 4 (hard to say which is best)

Shining Inheritance

When a Man Loves

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Secret Garden

5. Five Fingers

6. The Scent of a Woman

7. The Great Queen Seondeok

8. A Hundred Years Inheritance

9. Lie To me

10. Roof Top Prince

11. Dr. Jin

12. The Great Doctor

Five Fingers is a 2012 South Korean TV series that is a heart-wrenching trip for those who watch all 30 episodes. The beginning episodes set the stage for the emotional fireworks that follow (and develop to the end). The plot explores the complexities of love, hate, revenge, and reparation. If you can immerse yourself in the unfolding drama, it is an emotional roller coaster ride. The many twists and turns in the plot are sometimes implausible as noted above, but ignore this and enjoy the ride.

The Turin Horse (2011)

The Turin Horse - great artistic film by a great film maker

[10/10 · 13 July 2013]

Movies often afford us the opportunity to experience things we otherwise would not experience in our own lifetimes. We can live many lifetimes through movies. Movies are an art form and a great film is one that is an involving experience that is real, let's you live and breathe the experience depicted in the film. Bela Tarr is a great film maker who has shown us some very realistic and impacting imagery in his films.

The message of this film is that life is a struggle, often tedious and boring, and sometimes unjust. The film is boring as you live the lives in the movie, because the movie depicts life as boring. The film is great from an artistic vantage because it enables you to live the tediousness. You live in a hard world where the greatest pleasure is looking out of a window to view a desolate environment. But the film makes you feel such desolation, tediousness, loneliness, and hardship.

There is very little dialog except for one monologue by a visitor in which he ventilates his frustrations with the problems in the world, in an abstract and disorganized manner. But this corresponds to the main message of the film.

The artistic value of the film is in providing the viewer with a realistic experience. However, this experience is not fun, exciting, action-packed, or need-fulfilling, and that will turn off most viewers.

The Sacrifice (1986)

The Sacrifice (1986) - An insane movie about an insane man

[1/10 · 10 July 2013]

This movie is beautifully filmed, in the style of I. Bergman. That is enough to make the critics rave about it.

However, it is, as Shakespeare might say, sound and fury signifying nothing.

An insane man becomes delusional and thinks that a nuclear WW III has started, but he can make things revert back to peacetime if he makes a sacrifice.

Actually if we all would kill ourselves there would be no more war. One person's sacrifice is not enough to assuage the gods, however.

If you like nonsensical films, like "Tree of Life" or "Holy Motors", you might like this one.

Too bad a beautiful production was wasted on this film.

Felicity (1998–2002)

Felicity, searching for an identity in searching for love

[10/10 · 1 May 2013]

This is one of those rare series that you don't ever want to come to an end. A beautiful love story centering around identity solidification of youth.

College students find friendship in forming an in-group to help buffer the stresses of college and of transformation into adulthood. Their problems in relating, as they discover their selves through others, are well portrayed.

Felicity is the central figure. Very smart but sometimes (like any young adult) stupid, Felicity loves two young men. Is this a recipe for trouble? You bet, and this is very well exploited in this series.

The excellent casting, acting, and production helps make this series a real winner. Two fantasy segments are presented with great creativity. One is based on a episode like those you might see on "The Twilight Zone", and depicts the struggles the students cope with. Another segment toward the end allows Felicity to go back in time and take a different direction at a major crossroads earlier in her life, and this entails unforeseen changes in the lives of those around her.

All in love this is a superb series, but you need to watch the first half of the episodes to really come to appreciate Felicity.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Mulholland Drive - Lynch's cinematic art - reality vs. fantasy

[8/10 · 5 April 2013]

Lynch loves to realistically portray logical sequences interspersed by fantasy diversions, which entrances but confuses the viewer. Blue Velvet is his best film, and works well because of its overall logical coherency spiced up by fantastic deviations from the norm (the fantasy element of the film). This technique reminds me of Fellini's 8 1/2, where fantasy was often interspersed with a logical and coherent plot.

Mulholland Drive starts off logically but then gradually abandons logical coherence as dream-like (but realistically presented) sequences are brought into the plot. Then there is a shift in the plot, from the fantasy of the first part, to the reality of the second part where roles and identities are reversed and reality reigns.

Lynch's genius is in his artistic slight of hand where he presents a fantasy scene realistically, sucking the viewer in to expecting a meaningful depiction, then upending these expectations in shocking the viewer with the fantastic elements of the scene. I can imagine Lynch laughing in the background as he plays his joke on the viewer.

The film Holy Motors presents pure fantasy in nonsensical and unrelated sequences, and is bad art. Mulholland Drive has enough organization and structure, with more skillfully accomplished fantasy, to qualify it as good art.

Naomi Watts gives us an outstanding performance - better than the typical "Best Actress" Oscar award winner's performance in the last 20 years. Watts usually gets roles that don't allow her to display her considerable acting skills, but this role does, and she more than meets the challenge.

The plot is secondary for Lynch since cinematic art is his focus. However, the movie is totally baffling unless you have some guidelines. Basically Mulholland drive is the story of a young girl who comes to Hollywood with high hopes of becoming an actress. The film is told in two parts. My interpretation is that the first (Watts as Betty) part is psychotic delusions of the young girl as she reconstructs her past leading up to the promise of a brilliant acting career. This is presented as reality and the viewer has no idea it is false. The shift to the second (Watts as Diane) part shows some shifting of roles, and depicts the true story whereby the young girl fails to become an major actress. Her identity is valid, as Diane, in the second part showing her dismal failure, while Rita of the first delusional part becomes Camilla in the second reality part.

Naomi Watts thus plays two roles with different identities, in part one and in part two. The two parts are cued by the change in her name from the delusional Betty (part I) to the real Diane (part II). In a clever signal of this personality change, the waitress at Winkie's is named Diane when Betty and Rita go to eat there in the first fantasy part, while this same waitress becomes Betty when Watts as Diane goes to Winkie's in the real second part.

The plot shift from fantasy to reality mirrors the high hopes and aspirations as fantasy (Part I as Betty) and dismal failure as reality (Part II as Diane), that happens so often as young would-be performers seek fame in Hollywood but end up as failures.

The Guardian (2001–2004)

Involving look at litigation focusing on personalities involved

[9/10 · 27 March 2013]

The ins and out of jurisprudence, with psychologically valid portrayals of the personalities of those involved. Well produced and directed with some terrific performances.

A really great depiction of the inner struggles of Nick (Simon baker, who is perfect for this role). In growing up Nick was close to his mother but his father, a famous lawyer, was so involved in business that he had little time for Nick. Nick resented his father's indifference, not only to himself but to his mother. Then his mother left him to die (and spare Nick the cancer death experience). However, her abrupt leaving, which Nick did not understand, left Nick abandoned and isolated as a young boy. His mother's leaving to die was traumatic for Nick, and very much affected him in his lifetime. Nick's father remained buried in work and aloof to Nick, and offered Nick little support.

The words to the opening theme song allude to a struggle with inner demons and we see this gradually played out in Nick's relationships with both his father and others. Nick shows blunted affect and relationship anxieties, and keeps a tight lid on his feelings, in spite of a concealed sensitivity and deep feelings. This creates a swing and sway in dealing with others, while he also fights his drug addiction. Nick is reluctant to go beyond sex into a committed intimacy because of the scars of his mother's abandonment. This is so well presented that it makes for very involved viewing. Add to that the interesting legal issues dealt with in the litigation plots, and you have top flight entertainment.

Give it 20 episodes or so before judging, since it gradually unfolds the dynamics of the personalities presented..

The Commander (2003 TV Movie)

The Commander is a short but neat series.

[10/10 · 1 March 2013]

Amanda Burton is superb as the female head of a homicide bureau, surrounded by male detectives who show a strong anti-feminine bias and who want to get her fired (sacked, canned, terminated, etc.).

This female commander is no pushover though. She plays the male game superbly. She is a complex character, complete with faults, and thus utterly realistic. Also she is totally delightful.

Her superb detective skills, and equally superb ability to outfox and manipulate her fellow workers who have it in for her, keep her ahead of the pack.

My two regrets in watching this series: 1. It is much too short and more episodes would have been great 2. I can not find such a female in my life to fall in love with

Holy Motors (2012)

Holy Motors is unholy nonsense

[1/10 · 26 December 2012]

This art fantasy film is like a sequence of dream segments. Good art combines such creativity with some intelligent organization to support the fantasy. The intelligence of creativity provides meaning to the emotion that is creatively expressed. This film lacks intellect though some pseudo-intellectual suggestions attempt to make the film have some meaning. The result is the film is pure nonsense.

The bizarre nature of the film arouses viewer curiosity. I kept watching it, knowing I was wasting my time, just to see if the film had some redeeming qualities around the next corner. This redemption was totally lacking, and the idiotic ending made this point with finality.

I urge you to watch to decide for yourself if this film is a work of good art or bad art. If you can get carried away with the meaningless emotional outpouring of the film you might like it. If art is more to you than free association dreaming, the film becomes a total bore. The film does have exploitive emotional impact at times, and for some this may enable them to enjoy it. For others the film is totally boring and nonsensical.

After Fall, Winter (2011)

Great movie that crashes in the end

[6/10 · 21 September 2012]

This is a love story about two broken people (Michael stated that all people are broken)trying to find repair (salvation, redemption, purpose, etc.) through love. However, the damages that Michael and Sophie bring into the relationship makes it difficult for them to develop a relationship.

Michael is a masochist and Sophie is a dominatrix by profession who caters to masochistic men. You would thus think they were soul mates. However, Sophie only role plays her sadistic posture in her work and is not truly a dominatrix personally. Michael is a failure with many redeeming qualities and his masochism mollifies his failures and subsequent depression. Both enter the relationship hiding something from each other, and this serves as an invisible barrier to their love.

For the first time in her life, Sophie overcomes her anxiety over intimate love and finds herself falling in love, following Michael's lead in his dependent need for her.

However, Michael reveals himself as a pathetic failure who deceived her and she leaves him with disastrous consequences.

The movie's ending is disappointing since the potential for developing a love relationship could have been actualized with time and proper honest communication.

The movie is extremely well done in all aspects except the ending. The ending could have easily been revised in different ways to make a fulfilling story.

Manuel Bonnet as Michael and Lizzie Brocheré as Sophie were both superb. For me, Brocheré's performance ranks with that of Giulietta Massina in "La Strada" as one of the best female performances.

Raising the Bar (2008–2009)

Raising the Bar on reviews of this series

[10/10 · 26 April 2012]

The reviews of "Raising the Bar", totally miss the point of this series. This series offers great insight into the politics of justice as opposed to the principles of justice, whereby personal agendas of judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers intrude into the judicial process to over-ride the truth of a case. This is the reality of "justice" which is generally ignored or brushed aside. No other series exposes this reality as well as "Raising the Bar", if they try do it at all.

The inner workings of behind the scene trading of favors in "deals" is fully exposed. The truth of a case is often a secondary consideration with judges and opposing attorneys. Such political skewing of principle is the corruption that exists in all human transaction - economic, political, or judicial. However, we often ignore this and wish it away, as a part of our ignoring much of reality that is uncomfortable to us. This series can shake up your perceptions of the law and government.

The Grand (1997–1998)

The Grand - a grand series

[10/10 · 6 March 2012]

This series centers on the people involved in a high class hotel: the family who runs it, the staff who work there, and the guests. The setting is Manchester, England, in 1920 and thereafter.

There are 18 episodes. I enjoyed it more as the episodes progressed, and increasingly came to appreciate it as special toward the end and to its conclusion. I recommend the viewer stick with it for at list 6 episodes, before rendering judgment on the whole series.

This production is first class in all respects: storyline, acting, dress and settings, musical accompaniment, etc. The plots of each episode are quite compelling, while underlying themes that develop in twists and turns across the plots are engrossing. Some very powerful drama is therein presented. If you like psychologically valid human relationship drama this should be of interest.

I rank it in the top 10 percent of movies or series I have seen (many thousands).

Bleak House (2005)

Bleak House (2005) - Superb work.

[10/10 · 19 December 2011]

Nearly all aspects of the production of 'Bleak House' (2005) are first rate - direction, casting, sets and costumes, cinematography, acting, organization and pacing of the storyline. The musical accompaniment is quite good. You will never find a better group of acting performances in any single cinematic work - many of the characterizations, such as Burn Gorman's performance as Guppy and Charles Dance's as Tulkinghorn, are simply priceless and unequaled. Martin as Esther and Mulligan as Ada, the two young girls at the center of the story, give wonderful performances.

The first parts give the foundation of the story which becomes most engrossing in the second half. The viewer should have patience and stick with it beyond the introductory foundation. Those viewers out side of England (or Britain) may require some adaption to the Victorian customs and mode of relating to one another. Once the viewer adopts this mindset the work is more readily appreciated.

A realistic glimpse into history as well as thoroughly involving top-rate entertainment.