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Reviews
Yungnyong-i Nareusya (2015)
Compelling Series
Being only halfway thru the series, I almost waited until the end to write a review. This show is just too good to not have any reviews up though, so here's what I've seen thus far.
Many Korean dramas are based in the country's history, and this one is also. Not only did the writers pick a particularly tempestuous time period, but also father/son rulers. The story so far has grabbed me from the very fist show, and there's no way I would stop watching through the entire 50+ episodes. The story is written in such a way as to carefully craft each and every character interaction, to best acquaint the audience with all the players. Their stories are being quite intricately developed with many layers. I've found myself sad when some of the worst villains were done away with, because I enjoyed them so much. There are not so many black and white characters, as many shades of gray characters. The writers and extremely talented actors make each character so human, it's easy to forget this story is told in a different century!
The entire cast seem to be the best in the field, especially the young men and women. The Lee Bang Won character, played by Yoo An-in, has been absolutely astounding to watch. I've never seen such a young actor bring so much talent to a role. His scenes are some of the most compelling I've ever watched, in any movie or television show. All of the actors are superb in this series.
If you've ever been curious about shows from another part of the world, I highly recommend you watch this show. It's a work of art in every way.
Wu xin fa shi (2015)
Entertaining
This drama series is full to the brim with interesting characters and talented actors. It's also very well done cinematically, with lots of outdoor scenery and historically realistic costumes.
While there is a certain amount of "monster of the week" plots, there is also the overarching journey of the lead character which takes place throughout the series. The main characters are well developed through the episodes, which helped me get emotionally invested in their story. There is also some good, and some not so good, use of CGI, but it doesn't over-power the acting or action scenes.
Asian dramas are not the same as American sitcoms, so they can take some getting used to, but I've found them to be an excellent source of good, compelling entertainment. Wu Xin, The Monster Killer, is a great place to start exploring a different kind of TV viewing.
Gangnam 1970 (2015)
Brutal
My take on this movie comes from a gut level reaction, rather than any expertise in the gangster genre movies.
I found the movie to be a gory, but realistic, portrayal of the depths of man's capacity for greed and violence. Whereas movies made in the US have watered down the showing of violence, this movie didn't. It showed graphically how men can be pushed, by despair and need, to fight with everything they have to not just survive, but to prosper.
I thought all the actors seemed committed to their character's reasoning behind their actions, so I didn't find them to be disengaged from their roles at all. I was particularly impressed with Lee Min Ho's portrayal of such a brutal character, which was so far outside of his normal romantic lead roles.
In the end, I just felt sorry for the sad state of their lives. Whether this is the intent of the creators or not, I don't know. But I was glad I took the time to watch this movie.