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Love to Hate You (2023)
Once I got past 1st episode, it was great
I have seen several K-dramas where an idol (actor or musician) falls for someone ordinary. But in this story, the girl is not at all ordinary. She is strong, smart, successful and talented in her own blend of martial arts. She has a positive attitude and a secret agenda to get revenge on men who abuse women.
One thing that almost always happens with idol stories--the fans will turn against the woman and cause problems for the idol as far as sponsors go. Of course, that happens here, but it was so refreshing when the actor suggested they pretend to break up but don't really do it.
There have been so many times while watching a K-drama that I wanted to yell at the actors for doing stupid things. This time I wanted to high-five them.
The 10 episodes was just right. I don't like a story to drag on and on. Keep things interesting and end it at the right time.
I will admit the first episode was a bit confusing and almost stopped me from watching the rest of it. Glad I stuck it out. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Perry Mason (2020)
Erle Stanley Gardner's characters are nothing like he created
It really ticks me off when the entertainment Industry rewrites classic characters to fit today's standards. If they want to do that, they should create their own characters and stop trying to rip off someone else's successful works.
I have been a Perry Mason fan since I was a teenager (many years ago). Even the Raymond Burr series wasn't exactly like the characters in the books, but it was pretty close. There have been other attempts to redo the Perry Mason series. As I remember, those were not too bad but they didn't last.
I wanted to like HBO's Perry Mason. But it was too dark and creepy. In the books, there was always at least one murder victim. Usually, the victim had it coming. Then we got to watch Perry Mason solve the murder and get his client off.
I only watched season 1 and can't bring myself to watch season 2.
Cang Lan jue (2022)
I can't stop watching this
I knew this Chinese drama had a lot of good reviews, so I have had it in my watchlist on Netflix for about a year. I finally decided to give it a shot.
When I had come to episode 15, I decided to go back and rewatch episode 1 and 2 and I am glad I did. The first 2 episodes are hard to figure out what is going on when you first start watching, but it does lay out the foundation of this tale. By rewatching the first 2 episodes after having seen 15 episodes, a lot of things made more sense to me.
I didn't get hooked on this drama until about episode 4. I am glad I stuck it out. Dylan Wang is perfect for his role as Moon Supreme Lord. I had seen him in Meteor Garden a couple of years ago. I think he is a pretty good actor. He has a lot of magnetism.
Jaebeoljib Maknaeadeul (2022)
One of the best K-dramas I have seen yet
I loved Song Joon Ki in Vincenzo and when I saw he was starring in this new drama, I wanted to see it. Each week, I had to wait for new episodes and it was really tough waiting because they were so good! I could rewatch this whole series again and probably like it even more the 2nd time around.
The fantasy part (a guy is shot and somehow is reborn about 20 years earlier as a grandson of the Chairman of a huge conglomerate in Korea) is just the kind of thing I love. These types of scenarios don't always work as well as I would like, but in this case it was handled just perfectly.
I am going to find out who wrote this script and look for more by this person.
Wai Xing Nu Sheng Chai Xiao Qi (2019)
Binge-worthy
The first episode started out kind of cheesy and I almost decided to forget about it, but I went ahead and continued watching. The premise sounded good--an extraterrestrial girl with some super powers comes to Earth and falls in love with a cold CEO who loses his memory of girlfriends every time it rains. (That is a bit weird).
I was able to buy the idea of an extraterrestrial girl who just happens to look Chinese since she came to China--funny how that always works out. The hardest idea to accept in this drama was that the CEO had a "memory bank" on his computer that stores all his memories. He keeps it in a locked room but his old girlfriend managed to get a hacker to break in and delete memories of his alien girlfriend. (Not that anyone knew she was an alien).
At first, I thought the male lead wasn't very attractive, but later on when he falls in love with this alien girl, he is smiling more and he is very attractive when he smiles. The girl is very cute also.
The 28 episodes are about as crazy as Boys Over Flowers (a must watch drama) as far as constant obstacles. It is up and down.
I am a big fan of someone having super powers, except for Marvel and DC style heroes and villains. In those cases, there are just too many with super powers including villains. It is more fun to see one person who has super powers but uses them discreetly or manages to convince others they are hallucinating.
This was a lot of fun to watch and I am really pleased to see a sequel with the same actors now showing up.
The Righteous Gemstones (2019)
Could be so much better without all the rude humor
I watched season 1 and thought it was hilarious. Last night I watched episode 1 of season 2 and was more grossed out than entertained because of the bathroom humor. I want to watch this but I am not sure I can. It would be 10 stars from me if they would just leave out some of the really gross humor.
One more thing--it could use a couple of characters who are good and sincere to balance out the rest of the characters who seem to have no redeeming qualities.
Miss in Kiss (2016)
slow building
It took me a long time to get around to watching this Taiwanese version of the same drama I have seen as Korean and Japanese versions. The first one I watched was called Playful Kiss (K-drama) and the Japanese version is called Mischievous Kiss. Miss in Kiss is an odd title, which I don't get. The poster you see on Netflix shows the 2 main characters, but it is such a dorky looking shot. You would think the poster would go more out of its way to make them look better. They are better looking than that.
This is a story that builds up over 6 years. A high school girl has a crush on the class genius. He seems very aloof and rejects her as she tries to hand a letter of confession to him. Then, a while later, her home is destroyed in a hurricane and she ends up living with the genius and his family, along with her dad.
The mother of the genius loves this girl and wants her son to marry her before he is 20. The mother got a fortune read when he was a baby and was told he would become a monk if he didn't marry by the age of 20.
Each episode is up or down. The genius is coming of age trying to find what his passion is. He can do anything with his smarts. Other people are trying to get him to go into this or that field.
The girl never wavers for her feelings for him. If he is nice to her, she is thrilled. If he is mean to her or is with another girl, she is miserable.
One thing that got on my nerves throughout is the girl's whiny, baby voice. Every time she screws up, she acts like a baby. That said, I did watch the whole thing.
The Japanese version has a sequel called Mischievous Kiss in Tokyo. I haven't seen that but I might soon.
Geunyeoui Sasaenghwal (2019)
Fun, funny and entertaining
I am watching this drama for the 2nd time because I enjoyed it so much when I first watched it 2-3 years ago. This is my favorite type of K-drama. It gives us a view of something most of us are not that familiar with--fangirling. It has a slow building romance. There are lots of misunderstandings that turn out to be hilarious. And of course, there are also a few characters who cause trouble.
It also doesn't hurt that the actors are good looking. I always enjoy some eye candy.
I am not always looking for a great movie or drama. Once in a while that is nice, but fun entertainment goes a long ways with me.
Algoissjiman (2021)
Too moody to get my interest
I have only watched a little over one episode and I don't like it. The main female lead seems to have no personality. For that matter, the male lead doesn't have much personality either.
I read other reviews to see if it gets better but from what others are saying, this is all about sex. I like K-dramas mostly because they usually take a long time to develop relationships. Some of them really know how to do romance right. I especially like dramas that are fun to watch and this one is just too moody.
I would have watched more episodes if the reviewers said it gets better but I am not seeing any.
Binsenjo (2021)
This is top notch
I have watched a lot of K-dramas, but this one is right at the top of the best of them. It is almost a satire of The Godfather--or the mafia genre. Each time Vincenzo pulls off a "mafia-style retort" to the opposition, we get a little Mozart to go along with it. Feels so right! Vincenzo occasionally says something in Italian that also sounds amazing.
I never thought I would see a K-drama like this. It is totally different than most. It is very refreshing to see something original when too often TV shows are just carbon copies of other popular shows.
Watching this show gives me a feeling of comfort and pleasure. I almost didn't watch it because it warned of "crime, fear, smoking" which didn't sound very good to me. I am glad I did watch it. I go along with some other reviewers who say you should watch a few episodes before you judge it.
I can't wait for the next episode and I wish this drama would never end.
Hi Bye, Mama! (2020)
Too much crying but good acting
I watched every episode through to the end but I got irritated with all the crying. Every single character on the show got to cry at one time or more.
Somehow, the story and acting were good enough to compel me to want to finish watching but I won't watch it twice. There are many movies or series I will watch more than once, but they need to be happier than this one was.
What was interesting about this drama was exploring how everyone who knew the person is affected by their untimely death. We even see how it affects the person who died. She gets to come back to life, after 5 years, in the same body she had and shock everyone who knew her.
Can she remain on earth and live out her life? I won't say more because I don't want to include spoilers.
Fall in Love with Me (2014)
First half is fun and enjoyable
Fall in Love with Me popped up as I was looking for a new drama, so I watched the first episode and got hooked. What is not to like? A good looking, nice guy who has a secret identity. Reminds me of Superman and Zorro, although he isn't that kind of a hero.
It is almost as if this drama was written by two different people. The first half was great. It fit the name of the drama "Fall in Love With Me." But the second half was awful. Even though the ending tried to conclude what was supposed to be going on in the first half, it seemed almost out of place by that time.
Lu Tian Xing falls for a girl but she falls for his alter-ego identity and dislikes his real identity. It was so much fun watching the first half of this drama unfold. He is trying to get her to fall for his real identity but she only likes his alter-ego identity. I would have liked that to go on longer. I hoped she would start liking both identities and become confused as to who she really liked, but once someone found out his secret, everyone found out. That is when the storyline went south.
The main male actor, Aaron Yan is a pretty good actor. He reminds me of a tiger. His looks and his movements are very catlike. I really saw two different people when he was in each roll. One identity was arrogant and charismatic while the other one was friendly, shy and sweet. Wearing glasses and a different hairstyle and clothing really changed his appearance also.
While the first half of this drama was a comedy/romance, the second half of the drama turns into a melodrama. The "bad" people are so exaggerated, they should all have been evaluated for mental health. The "little sister" in particular descended into madness but instead of getting her help, her mother and brother just continue to try and give her what she wants, which is Lu Tian Xing, who doesn't see her as a woman, but a little sister.
As far as I am concerned, it was excruciating sitting through the 2nd half of this drama. You can only take so much angst. I was very tempted to just skip to the last episode and call it a day. But because the first half was so enjoyable, I kept watching, hoping it would get good again.
One of the soundtracks heard over and over in this drama sounds like a rip-off of Hotel California.
I would give the first half of this drama a 10 rating and the second half a 2.
Ming zhong zhu ding wo ai ni (2008)
Better than Korean version
I have to agree with other reviewers who said this Taiwanese version of Fated to Love You is better than the Korean version (which I had seen 2 or 3 years ago).
I am just now discovering Taiwanese dramas. I once started to watch one on Netflix but couldn't tolerate the voices and language. However, I have since found that it must have been just the one drama because I have now watched at least 3 Taiwanese dramas which I thoroughly enjoyed. The exception here--there are some characters in this drama who have irritating voices, especially the pregnant sister character. The grandmother also has a very high voice which can be annoying when she talks too much.
What makes the Taiwanese version a better drama than the Korean one is here the story is handled better. It makes more sense to believe this couple could go through the ups and downs the way it is shown here. In the Korean version, the story goes from sweet to hurtful and cruel. It would be too traumatic to believe the couple could get over that kind of suffering.
Why did I decide to watch this Taiwanese drama when I would not have watched the Korean version again? One reason--Dylan. In my opinion, Dylan is the most interesting character in this drama and the actor who plays him (Baron Chen) is absolutely charismatic. I watched him in Bromance and that is why I watched this drama--to see more of him. The two main leads in this drama are both very good and they do have good chemistry. That is why I binge-watched this and enjoyed it.
If there was anything that could have been improved, I think they dragged it out a little bit too much. But it gave me more time to watch Dylan which was good.
Ai shang ge men (2015)
I binge watched this in 4 days and would do it again
Is it possible for a heterosexual man to fall for a woman who has been living as a man for 25 years without knowing she is a woman? Because of what a fortune teller told her parents, she has to live secretly as a male until her 26th birthday, or she will die.
The concept is hard to believe, but then this is a fantasy not real life and once you get past the unbelievable part, this is a very sweet, hilarious in spots, and addicting drama. I know many females will love this drama, if for no other reason-the male lead is first class eye candy. I am not sure if males would love it as much.
The relationship between the male lead and female lead goes from being blood brothers and friends to eventually love.
There are a couple of other storylines happening, but the best parts are watching the two leads together throughout.
I will watch this again and maybe even very soon. Now that I have seen the whole story, I want to go back and watch it again to notice details I didn't notice having to do with a surprise at the end. I won't spoil it.
I don't know if a guy who likes girls could fall for a girl that he believes is a man, but this is sure a fun way to explore it.
Lost in Space (2018)
I enjoyed season 1 but...
I watched Season One over a short period of time and I thought it was pretty good.
I have only watched one episode of season 2 so far. It reminded me of what I don't like about this series. There is too much constant life or death action happening. That gets old. There needs to be a balance.
I am not sure I will continue to watch season 2. I will try and give it a chance.
Alhambeura Goongjeonui Chooeok (2018)
Exciting, action, drama, suspense and mystery with a little bit of romance
I loved the storyline of this drama. It is all about internet gaming in a big way, but something goes wrong with the game and people are getting killed. I had to keep watching to find out what was going on.
Things I would have liked more--there was a lot of fighting (within the game) with swords, guns, snipers, knives and it seemed a bit excessive.
I would also have liked to see more of the romantic part of the storyline.
The ending was a little bit unsatisfactory for me. I probably won't watch this again as I have watched other dramas more than once. Something has to have a really good ending for me to watch it more than once.
I still give this 9 out of 10 stars because it is refreshingly original.
Guga-ui Seo (2013)
I want a sequel
I really enjoyed this Korean drama. It has 2 of my favorite Korean actors in it--Choi Jin Hyuk and Lee Seung Gi. This is a fascinating story of Korean mythology and the supernatural.
The ending left me wanting a sequel. I would love to see the story continue from where it left off. Those who write K-dramas are missing out on a great story if they don't do a sequel here.
Baegabondeu (2019)
Cliffhangers at end of every episode
I am a fan of good Korean dramas and I especially like Seung-gi Lee. I was surprised at how good he was as an action hero of this genre.
This 16 episode series starts as a jet crashes killing (supposedly) all on board. The uncle of one of the young students killed on the plane sees video his nephew, which was sent to the cloud, taken from on the plane. By chance, one passenger on the plane (with a scar on his face) is seen by Cha Dal Geon (Seung-gi Lee) alive after the crash and the action begins.
One female agent (Go Hae Ri) of NIS, comes to believe Cha, and little by little other bereaved family members start to believe the plane was deliberately sabotaged.
By the end of each episode, you wonder how the good guys are going to get out of the predicament they are in, but in the next episode they do--although there is a lot of collateral damage along the way.
You can see that Go Hae Ri and Cha Dal Geon are falling for each other, which is a weakness since it can be used against either of them by the enemy.
My big complaint about this series is in how it ended. Each episode ended on a cliffhanger including the last episode. Does this mean there will be a 2nd season? If not, it left me very unsatisfied. I just think if you are going to put more than 16 hours into watching a series, it should have a better ending. For that reason, I would not watch this again as I have watched other favorite series more than once.
I am giving it 8 out of 10 stars because I enjoyed most of this series.
Hwayugi (2017)
This is so much fun to watch
I am watching this on Netflix and currently up to episode 13. I am a big fan of Korean dramas although I took a year or two break from watching them recently. They aren't all good and I ran out of good dramas for a while.
I found out this drama is written by the Hong Sisters, who have written several really good K-dramas. Reading the storyline didn't entice me but knowing who wrote the drama did make me want to watch it. I am so glad I did. I have been laughing and laughing.
There are monsters, deities, a priestess, ghosts, something called a Samsang (half human half something else), and even a zombie. Some of the funniest parts have to do with several of the main characters who gather in Devil King's home (they all look human) and they complain about the smell of the zombie so they make her go sit in the refrigerator. In one scene, everyone (except O Dong, the great sage equal to heaven) are sitting around the table looking at their smartphones. There is a group text and they are all laughing at the chatting. O Dong is annoyed that he wasn't invited into the group chat but refuses to join when someone asks if he wants to. The zombie comes in with her smartphone, staring at it and he is flabbergasted. "Are you on the group text chat too?" he asks. She is.
I have noticed most K-dramas will have several funny and light episodes, then they can get serious and emotional.
I have seen many of the actors in this drama in other dramas. I can tell they are all having a good time filming.
I have been watching several episodes per day when possible and will be sad when I finish watching. It is like reading a really good book and then knowing there probably isn't something as good to start right afterwards.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Gerard Butler is amazing in this
I have seen a couple of the older remakes of this movie on TV and when I recently came across this 2004 remake based on Andrew Loyd Webber's music, I decided to check it out.
The music is fantastic, of course. The singing and acting is all excellent also.
I was not aware that Gerard Butler ever played the Phantom role and was surprised because I thought he was more of an action or comedy actor. In this, he is absolutely charismatic!
Emmy Rossum is also perfect in her role of Christine, who is tutored by the Phantom. She is absolutely angelic and you can see why he falls in love with her.
There is a love triangle. A young, dashing Comté falls for Christine. At first, it seems she is maybe more in love with the Phantom. With his half-face mask on, he is actually very handsome, and a musical genius. Christine pulls the mask off his face but she doesn't seem all that repelled by it.
We learn how the Phantom came to be connected with the opera house and how he grew up in the Paris underground sewers after escaping from a band of gypsies who abused and exploited him because of his disfigured face.
Apparently, because of the abuse he went through, his anger could turn to murder. That is when Christine decides she wants to be with the Comté which of course angers the Phantom.
In the end, I think Christine still had feelings for the Phantom since she kissed him deeply before leaving with her boyfriend, the Comté. It was heartbreaking to see how broken the Phantom was as she left him. I am sure she made the right decision though. Murderous rages can be bad for a relationship.
The one thing I don't get is why Christine pulled the mask off of his face a second time when he was singing with her on stage in front a huge audience. This caused him to destroy the whole opera house. But then it also led to being able to get away from him and live a life.
Since watching this movie, I can't get it out of my head and the music is also stuck in my head. Since this is an opera and it is mostly all singing, I can see why some people would watch it over and over.
Night School (2018)
How is this PG-13?
I picked this comedy to watch with an 82 year old friend who doesn't like a lot of profanity. I thought since it was PG-13, it wouldn't be offensive but I was wrong. There was a lot of bad language and crude sexual jokes that probably appeal to 12 year old boys. In my opinion, this should have been R rated.
Now I am wondering how I can ever trust a movie rating.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Great stand-alone movie from the DC super hero brand
I hope that the producers of this movie realize that what made it so good was most of the movie told a good stand-alone story--how Wonder Woman came to be and how she discovers her path in the world outside of her Amazon island.
Gal Gadot and Chris Pine were really good together. They both have charisma and chemistry.
There was plenty of action just in the war scenes from WWl. At the end, it got loud with Wonder Woman battling Ares (an evil God).
I am glad that they didn't overdo the destruction scenes. The theater I watched this at had the sound on very loud and it was deafening. If there had been a lot of these scenes, I would not have liked the movie at all. In fact, I probably will not go see Justice League because there are too many super heroes which means there will be too many super villains. I grew up reading Superman and other DC comics back in the 60s. Today's super heroes are not as exciting. But Wonder Woman has brought back the kind of super hero I used to love.
Trial & Error (2017)
Lithgow is always good
I really looked forward to a new comedy starring John Lithgow. This one is pretty funny even though there is a lot of ridiculousness to it. The secretary who can't remember faces and feints when she sees beauty, and laughs at inappropriate times, etc. could get old.
The one thing I find irritating is that too many comedies these days rely on raunchy jokes. Some writers can make any subject hilarious, but too many of them write jokes in the way which remind me of what I used to think was funny when I was 10 years old. At least John Lithgow has a way of making even stupid jokes seem innocent and funny. So it is worth watching for him.
Jason Bourne (2016)
Noisy and too much motion
I just got back from the Jason Bourne movie. Although, it was a good suspenseful movie, it was very noisy.
Lots of chases, fights and just noise. The theater had the sound too loud on top of that. Also, during all the action, the cameras never were still, so you could even get motion sick.
It is nice to see Matt Damon still has what it takes to play this character even though he was much younger when this series started. Tommy Lee Jones plays his part well, naturally.
During some of the satellite surveillance scenes, I found it a little unbelievable they could spot people in crowds and then zoom in to get a clear view. I think that satellite surveillance is probably pretty good but I doubt it is THAT good.
In another scene, Bourne has a guy put an encrypted USB stick into a laptop. Immediately, back in the CIA, people there are able to find out where he is located because he opened a file. I am thinking, if the files are on the USB stick, why would they even have the computer connected to the internet? Wouldn't Bourne know enough not to do that? If there was more to it, they didn't make it clear.
I may watch this movie again when it is out on Blu-ray where I can control the sound.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Too dark and serious
I don't know how I managed to sit through 3 hours of this movie. I like all the actors, maybe that is why. What I didn't care for was the story--I don't remember Batman killing people in the comic books I used to read. He has no problem doing that in this movie.
There was not one bit of humor in this movie. Also, it seemed to me that everyone knew Clark Kent was Superman. What the heck?
One thing that impressed me when I was a kid and read Superman comic books was how moral Superman was. He held himself up higher than most people to high standards. Here, he is sleeping with Lois Lane--I get that things have changed a lot since Superman was first invented, but come on!
I don't want to spoil the movie, but I hated the ending. I suppose there will be another sequel that starts where this one leaves off.