Showing posts with label Romantic comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romantic comedy. Show all posts

Cheese in the Trap (2016 TV Series)

Friday, June 11, 2021 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

 A cute, twisted little uni drama! 


“Hong Seol: Others might not know, but I know... the truly scary face hidden behind that fake smile.”


The Rundown

Behind the name: Based on the Webtoon: 치즈 인 더 트랩 

Country: South Korea, 2016

Genre: Rom-Com

Production: Lee Yoon-Jung

Network: tvN

Director: Lee Yoon-jung

Cast:   Kim Go-Eun (as Hong Seol), Park Hae-Jin (as Yoo Jung), Seo Kang-Joon (as Baek In-Ho), Lee Sung-Kyung (as Baek In-Ha) Nam Joo-Hyuk (as Kwon Eun-Taek), Park Min-Ji (as Jang Bo-ra)

Compare to: Boys Over Flowers

Hate it or Love it?  Enjoy it


Synopsis in a Sentence: A manipulative ‘angel’ makes life a living hell for those around him... undercover, so what happens when you get to be the cheese in his trap?



On Writing: The Plot

Oh, where to start. The writing is quite remarkable for capturing the nuances of complex characters, the double layers behind their motives, and the insecurities that fuel their actions. That’s the first thing. 

The second thing is that… it is sooooo cute! From a female perspective. Both cute and toxic at the same time. But layered and nuanced and at some levels, absolutely astounding! 

Great writing, great plot, not-so-great impact? 

(4/5)




On Acting: The Cast 

A very well cast crew! 

All hail Park Hae-Jin, the handsome heartthrob who is stoic, dangerous and angelic at the same time. We’re really talking about his character. That’s how good he is as an actor. 

Kim Go-Eun is female lead and of course good! She plays the innocent, childlike university girl well, of course, so great work on the acting. As a petition to the writers, can we please get a real, well rounded female lead? Not an emotionally stunted 15-year old masked as a 20-something year old woman? Little rant here, but this character, as portrayed, is so extremely cliche in the Manhwa/K-drama space! 

Seo Kang-Joon is Beak In Ho and quite the hooligan! A job well done as we haven’t quite seen him in this role before. 

Beak In-ha is such a character! And she plays her effortlessly, believably and wonderfully! Fabulous acting from the larger-than-life Lee Sung-Kyung!  

And honourable mention goes to Nam Joo-Hyuk, who plays friend to our female lead along side Park Min-Ji and honourable mentions to the full cast of “college kids” that come together to make this a binge-worthy guilty pleasure! 

A very well cast team! Great characters, glorious portrayals! 

 (4.5/5) 


On Production: The Creativity

The creativity is perhaps mostly on the plot and character side, but production does not let us down. Good work overall, and a great addition to portraying and relaying the story.

(4/5)                                              


On Resolution: The Conclusion

The ending is quite unlike what we’ve seen before. The resolution? Deserved a re-watch, but for the innovation that springs past the expected K-Drama ending, the conclusion deserves some props!  

(4/5)


The Verdict: An absolutely cute, lovey dovey portrayal of a toxic relationship, with a twist of an ending that perhaps redeems the story… a bit...  


Overall Score = 16.5/20







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Review - Start Up (TV Series, 2020)

Monday, January 18, 2021 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

 I wanted a drama for the new year, and this one was buzzing! 


Granny Choi:  "You're a cosmos flower. And it's still spring. Wait until fall, and you'll bloom beautifully. Be patient."


The Rundown

Behind the name: 스타트업 

Country: South Korea, 2020

Genre: Rom-Com, Drama 

Network: tvN

Production: Studio Dragon

Director: Oh Choong-hwan

Cast: Bae Suzy (as Seo Dal-mi), Nam Joo-hyuk (as Nam Do-san), Kim Seon-ho (as Han Ji-pyeong), Kang Han-na (as Won In-jae), Kim Hae-sook (as Choi Won-deok), Song Seon-mi (as Cha Ah-hyun)

Compare to: Itaewon Class

Hate it or Love it? Love it!


Synopsis in a Sentence: A girl starts a “pen pal” friendship with a guy she ends up falling for, and 15 years later, she sets out to find him... will she fall for her childhood crush or the new guy in the picture? 


On Writing: The Plot

Shoutout to writer, Park Hye-Ryun for churning out this original, multi-layered, depth-filled series! There are so many plot lines and layers and nuances that it feels like a bunch of series in one. We get a bit of drama, a bit of comedy, a little romance, and of course, the love triangle that turns out to be not your typical rendition!  So we laugh out loud a little, shed a tear or two, and see the innermost regrets, shames, and lessons that only life can really teach, all from the comfort of our homes! 

The storyline captures nuanced, yet relatable perspectives from the struggles of the rich, the poor, and the in between, to young ambition, failure and success, to the struggles of the engineering world, and the entrepreneurial one as well. Despite the wonderful production and acting, the writing just might be the star of this one! A fabulous job! 

(4.5/5)




On Acting: The Cast 


Cheers to the cast and crew! 

Seo Dal-mi, the lead role, is played by Bae Suzy and she is of course, charming, convincing, and credible! As expected, Suzy delivers the role with heart, relatability, and talent! 

Nam Joo-hyuk plays Nam Do-san, the insecure geek, yet brilliant genius and he does so well delivering this character! A job well done! 

Kim Seon-ho as Han Ji-Pyeong is the new love of the silver screen! This is perhaps his most popular role to date and we can’t wait to see what project he chooses next. For now, he’s back to his first love; the theatre! 

Kim Hae-sook plays the lovable granny, Choi Won-deok and we can’t love her enough! She’s fierce and real and strong and cuddly and Mme. Kim does an excellent job of making us want her as a granny! Arguably the star of the entire series! 

And then there’s Song Seon-mi, who plays money-loving mum, Cha Ah-hyun. And even though we want to judge her, Song makes this character so amiable and alluring that we just can’t! 

All other actors do such a great job of this, that we believe every bit of it! It’s so true-to-life that we totally relate! A fab job to the visible cast, and invisible crew behind this great production! 

 (4.5/5) 


On Production: The Creativity

Production is really very pretty and of course, well executed! The transitions are quite noteworthy and the overall picture is just gorgeous!  

The epilogues are a wonderful addition that enrich the overall story! A well-done effort! 

(4.5/5)                                              



On Resolution: The Conclusion

The resolution is wonderfully woven together, although, given the unique tilt of the story, I’d hoped to have gotten a nice little twist to the love triangle, but… nevertheless, all other plot lines are amply resolved, so a good conclusion overall!  

(4/5)


The Verdict: A fun, interesting, layered series that delivers depth and delight in equal measure!  A great watch! 


Overall Score = 17.5/20


                            









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Review - Hotel del Luna (TV Series, 2019)

Saturday, April 11, 2020 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

It looked like a fantasy and was the 10th highest rated Korean TV series in cable TV history, and, importantly, I wanted to see some of the actors in action! 


“Narrator: Feeling sad and disappointed is only natural when witnessing disappearances. When a flower withers away, just like it dreams of a new blossom, you’ll live, meet, and love again.”
The Rundown
Behind the name: Previously, "Guest House of the Moon"
Country: South Korea, 2019
Genre: Fantasy, Drama 
Network: tvN
Director: Oh Choong-hwan
Cast:   IU (as Jang Man Wol), Yeo Jin Goo (as Goo Chang Sung), Shin Jung Geun (as scholar Kim Shi Ik), Bae Hae Sun (as Choi Seo Hee), P.O (as Ji Hyun Joong), Kang Mi Na (as Kim Yoo Na, the high school student), Lee Do Hyun (as Ko Chung Myung), Lee Tae Sun (as Yun Woo/Detective Park), Young Soo (Park Yoo Na as Princess Song Hwa), Kim Kyu Ri (as child Man Wol), Kim Kang Hoon (as child Chang Sung)
Compare to: Hotel Blue Moon
Hate it or Love it?  Enjoy it!

Synopsis in a Sentence: A young and promising hotel manager is forced to take his first job out of college working for a paranormal hotel — a hotel for ghosts and spirits in transition to the afterlife — where he meets characters that make him solve cases between the physical and spiritual worlds. 
On Writing: The Plot
It’s a story about death, and the afterlife, and overall, the purpose of life, love and the lessons we learn along the way.
It’s a series of short stories from different perspectives; young and old, rich and poor, and in between. Perhaps the best feature of the plot is that it is nuanced and quite deep, yet entertaining. It neatly and perhaps expertly wraps up drama, comedy, fantasy, issues like good versus evil, right versus wrong, life versus death in a way that is magically un-didactic and un-preachy. And this alone is a massive feat!
But the plot goes beyond these overall themes to tell stories of sacrifice, suicide and spirituality that are very well written and executed, enabling us to think of a greater purpose, of life and death and everything in between! All wrapped up, of course, in a couple of love stories. Overall, a plot well done!
(4.5/5)


On Acting: The Cast 
The characters the actors portray are round characters-- good and bad, layered and yet sometimes predictable--but the execution of these fairly complex characters tells of the great talent of the men and women and children that give these fictional people life. And the award, really, should go to the entire cast! But to mention a few…
IU proves she’s quite the talented actress through these series, as she portrays the (somewhat) threatening yet soft sureness of hotelier, Jang Man Wol in this series. She conjures up believable tears as well as laughter, transitioning seamlessly in the same scene, and really relays a believable character. Guess Korea’s little sister has quite grown into the actress!
Yeo Jin Goo plays Goo Chang Sung, the male lead, and is quite the lead everyone expects. Perhaps his character may be the most one-dimensional of all, but that’s alright, people also like predictability and his character gives the characters a sense of stability.
Really, the entire cast is a great collection of people to watch. And special shout out to the child actors that bring the past to life! A great cast! (4/5)



On Production: The Creativity
The production is a fantasy! It might be the star of the whole thing! Despite the layered plot and the talented cast… well perhaps. But really, the creativity of the production is evident throughout the story, for where the plot may seem to drag out, the gorgeous production comes in to save the day, with marvelous hues and dreamy scenes that transport you back into the fairytale.
Since the series tells different stories, you get to experience the greed, danger, hatred, yet hope, joy, and mystery of life, and that’s all thanks to the marvelous production!
(4.5/5)     
                                        
On Resolution: The Conclusion
With a plot so well written and a cast so convincingly skilled, and the production so riveting, can the conclusion measure up? Well, yes, really. It wraps the entire story up with no loose ends, and in quite a perfect way, that with all the mystery the world gives us, in life and death and everything in between, it offers us solace in sorrow, assurance in adversity, and gladness in the grief that life can offer us. A job well done!
And then we get a hint at a sequel! With a famous actor! Hoot!
(4/5)


The Verdict: A collection of fairy-tale-like stories that offers analysis and entertainment and hope that is deeper than we think. 
Overall Score = 17/20








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