Korean Movie Night: On Your Wedding Day 너의 결혼식 (2018) Korean

Park Bo Young, Kim Young Kwang, Kang Ki Young, Ko Kyu Pil, Jang Sung Bum

Movie rating: 9/10     Neck score: A

So Lizabreff, Curdy and I decided to have another virtual Korean Movie Night, because the last one worked out so well. It was fun, but we opted out for a romantic comedy this time, so we went with On Your Wedding Day. It was hilarious. Just all around solid writing and acting. It's told from the perspective of present day (or wedding day) Woo Yeon (Kim Young Kwang) who is a P.E. teacher telling his students about his first love story with Seung Hee (Park Bo Young) which starts back in high school and then progresses through college, etc., to the present. It's very slice of life with just that chill and ridiculous comedy that comes from the relatable, especially when it's being told from the perspective of one of those people who is an embellisher.

It was very well written and acted. Basically this part was written for Kim Young Kwang and you can't help but fall for his grin and puppy-like energy and devotion. And of course Park Bo Young is just perfect. I love her nuanced acting, especially since the movie is told from his point of view, but we could see tell what was going on with her (even when his character couldn't), and she ugly cries like a real person, props! They had good chemistry and were just one of the cutest couples ever, even as we were laughing about their height difference. The ensemble was good too, because how can you get better than Kang Ki Young as a best friend? You cannot. The group of college boys in the boarding house were just hilarious and perfectly awkward. Best of all was the natural progression. It had excellent pacing and narration, so everything that happened made sense and I felt at peace with all the choices. I really don't think I would change a thing or complain about anything, no matter what complicated feelings I feel. It was hilarious, cute, sweet, and lovely. I recommend it.

P.S. Whoever styled Kim Young Kwang deserves a trophy. He looked so good.

410. I Bought My Boyfriend With A Loan 彼氏をローンで買いました (2018) Japanese

Erina Mano, Ryusei Yokohama, Ikumi Hisamatsu, Yuriko Ono, Yasushi Fuchikami, Kyoko Hasegawa

Drama Rating: 1/10     Neck Score: A

The moral of this story (I'll just tell it now) is that I make bad drama decisions while waiting for Pillow Book to get subbed. I was bored, I hadn't watched a Japanese drama in a while, I wanted it to be like Kimi wa Petto and it was not. I guess I watched it so no one else has to. It was so baffling that this will now be full of spoilers.

It was basically an eight episode long rant about how society and feminism have ruined traditional gender roles by forcing women into the workplace. I'm not sure how much was tongue in cheek, but it made me angry and completely flabbergasted most of the time. The main character is working at the reception desk of a major company, a contract worker, and her main goal in life is to become a housewife. There is apparently a tradition, complete with a manual passed from receptionist to receptionist, of working there to snag an elite spec husband. This manual is full of things like: "never show your true feelings," "always smile," and "never be annoying."

Korean Movie Night: Little Forest 리틀 포레스트 (2018) Korean

Kim Tae Ri, Ryu Jun Yeol, Moon So Ri, Jin Ki Joo

Movie rating: 8/10      Neck score: A

An art house film filled with food. I was expecting it to be artsy, but I wasn't expecting it to be 75% her cooking food from scratch as a coping mechanism. Food prep as therapy taken to a whole new level, and I loved it. It made me want to move out to the middle of nowhere and just live off the land like that too. It is a way to go back to her roots and find comfort in the "little forest" that her mother had left for her in her hometown. But it did make me very hungry. I wanted to eat all the food.

Everyone did a really good job. Especially in the art house movies, where there is very little dialog and little to no background music, and it is essentially showing and not telling to the extreme, this is very important. I could tell they were friends from childhood, and they had their own struggles, and it was beautiful.

As confirmed members of team Ryu Jun Yeol, we were bound to love it no matter what, but it was also just really good. It was slow moving and quiet, but we were never bored. It was so visually appealing, it kept us interested the whole time. We were curious about each food she made, and learned more about her and what she was dealing with with each recipe. It was wholesome and comforting. It wasn't dramatic or even full of conflict. It was just healing- and lots of it. It was beautiful. Now I'm hungry again. I'm going to look up those recipes.

In-Flight Film Time: Miko Girl 巫女っちゃけん。(2018) Japanese

Alice Hirose, Taiki Yamaguchi, Megumi, Naoko Iijima, Lily Franky

Movie rating: 8/10     Neck score: A

This might not have been the best pick to watch on a plane. I'm not sure Japanese movies are in general. Well, certain genres, which this fits into, are not the best. They tend to be quiet and slow paced. Because of the noise of the plane, I really couldn't hear what they said half the time. I knew they said something though, because I had the subtitles, so at least I still knew what was going on. But I really could only hear people when they were upset and shouting, and then it was too loud because I kept turning it up trying to hear the tone of their voices as they said something. But, I liked the movie well enough in spite of that. I would have preferred to watch it without all the background noise that made it hard to hear though.

It is about a reluctant shine maiden who got into the business because her father is the chief priest. The shine is also losing money, and somehow her blase attitude makes her a scapegoat. She is constantly being "tutored" by the other maidens and priests which comes off a bit as bullying because of her dissatisfaction in her life in general. She is looking for a new job so she can quit working at the shrine, but she is blase about life in general and doesn't really have any dreams or ambition apart from getting away from the shrine. Then she finds a kid who is clearly lost/a runaway and she ends up caring for him as she is forced to take care of him.

In-Flight Film Time: Default 국가부도의 날 (2018) Korean

Kim Hye Soo, Yoo Ah In, Heo Jun Ho, Jo Woo Jin

Movie rating: 7/10     Neck score: A+

I'll admit that I chose to watch this one because from the tiny poster on the tiny plane screen, Kim Hye Soo looked like Soo Ae (who I love). Also, it had Yoo Ah In, so that was another plus. Basically the cast alone kept me watching. It's about the IMF Crisis in 1997 when Korea almost went bankrupt. We have the four major players: Kim Hye Soo who plays an analyst at the Bank of Korea who has predicted the crisis and been ignored for years and is finally getting heard. Yoo Ah In who is a bank teller for the Bank of Korea who has also predicted the crisis, but quits his job to instead make money off of the situation. Then we have Jo Woo Jin who plays the Vice-Minister of Finance who also wants to take advantage of the situation to reform the economy and take power. Then we have Heo Jun Ho, who is a factory owner who gets screwed over by the crisis and starts losing everything.

In-Flight Film Time: Big Brother 大師兄 (2018) Chinese

Donnie Yen, Joe Chen, Kang Yu, Jack Lok, Lin Qiunan

Movie rating: 6/10     Neck score: A

I knew what it would be before I started it, but my love for Donnie Yen made me watch it anyway. I would have probably preferred a movie with more fighting in it, but what fight scenes there were were definitely good. This movie is more about the schmaltz. It's 100% feel good and social commentary. It's about an unorthodox teacher who turns a class of loser misfits around and makes them care about life and want to try again the way that only an unorthodox teacher can. He's not only ex-military, he's also an ex-trouble maker and alumni from the school. He's basically the perfect problem solver. That's probably the schmaltziest part of the film, he manages to solve everyone's problems with his magic caring. Well, a lot of that is just talking through things and actually giving a darn, so it does make some sense, but it also is a bit too simple. There are of course difficulties. Bad decisions and consequences that lead to our teacher taking out a MMA champion to save a student (got to get a fight scene in somehow) and later a gang of thugs because of course some evil rich dude wants the school to close so they can make bank on a redevelopment scheme. But they also had to comment on the school system which drives students to give up caring or to commit suicide, so there was plenty of heaviness too.

In-flight Film Time: Intimate Strangers 완벽한 타인 (2018) Korean

Yu Hae Jin, Yum Jung Ah, Cho Jin Woong, Kim Ji Soo, Lee Seo  Jin, Song Ha Yoon, Yoon Kyung Ho

Movie rating: 8/10     Neck score: B

I had been meaning to watch this for a while. Not just because Epik High quoted it's poster for their recent concert series, or because it has Lee Seo Jin, one of my ahjussi loves, but because it has an all around stellar cast, and the premise was super intriguing and it promised to be completely messed up. So when I saw it as an option in my in-flight entertainment, I jumped right in.

It is about a group of best friends for 40 years and their spouses who decide to play a game at a dinner party where they have to reveal their hidden life on their phones. Essentially answering every call on speakerphone and reading every message and notification out loud. Naturally it was going to get messy and tear everyone's lives apart. Not only would cheating and lying be revealed, but true opinions about each other, and their deepest secrets they weren't ready to tell even their best of friends.

323. 100 Days My Prince 백일의 낭군님 (2018) Korean

Do Kyung Soo, Nam Ji Hyun, Kim Sun Ho, Cho Seong Ha, Jo Han Chul

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

This one might have been the one I missed the most when DF suddenly disappeared from our lives. I was fully invested in these cuties and there were only like 4 or 6 episodes left (I watched them super far apart, I don't remember exactly). I had even been looking forward to the episodes, waiting for them to be posted, but they kept saying they had been delayed. This was the drama that I had been trying to watch when it all went down. But it was also the only drama that, as far as I know, still isn't on a legitimate site, sketchy! Like all the others, it suffered from the lack of momentum when I finally got back to watching it. I took too long to just break down and find a whatever site to watch it on, which is why I watched it in several different instances, taking forever. It was that part of the show when everything was going to get complicated too, so it was hard jumping right into the sad or lonely episodes. But, it was so worth it still. I can confidently give it the score I did, because it's super cute and fun. Great blend of the cute of a sageuk (historical) and the political drama that is every sageuk.

322. Devilish Joy 마성의 기쁨 (2018) Korean

Choi Jin Hyuk, Song Ha Yoon, Hoya, Lee Joo Yeon

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

I was literally in the middle of an episode of this when the horrific tragedy of Drama Fever's demise happened. It wasn't one of the shows that I missed the most, but I definitely wanted to finish it before I stopped caring about the characters for the sad mopey episodes. But sadly, that's what happened. I only had like 6ish episodes left, but even when it became available on Viki, it still took me forever to finish them. I was down to 2.5 episodes when I just forced myself to make it a priority and finish it. So, it was hard to give it an honest rating, really. I feel like a 6 is probably what it deserves, but based on how much I struggled here at the end, my initial reaction would have been a 4. But really, 6 is probably more accurate... right?

I mean, I knew what I was getting into right away. Stories where the heroes get a terminal illness in the first 2 episodes aren't going to end happy. If they do, then they're not going to end realistically. Some times they just Uncontrollably Fond you in the gut and you have to be okay with that sort of ending. This was completely set up for another Uncontrollably Fond. Why did I do it to myself? Same reason. Choi Jin Hyuk is hot and Song Ha Yoon is adorable. Also, Hoya stole the show. He plays the perfect spoiled chaebol puppy. You love him, but he's also an idiot who can't live without his mom's money.

This isn't really a spoiler when most of you aren't interested or have finished this long ago, right? Right...

320. Martial Universe 武动乾坤 (2018) Chinese

Yang Yang, Zhang Tianai, Wang Likun, Wu Chun

Drama Rating: Dropped     Neck Score: A+

So this is different. I don't think I've done one of these for a while, because I am a finisher and I don't want to give up when I've already invested 20 hours in a drama. But I know I will probably never get back to this drama, so I'm officially dropping it and writing a review of it to the point where I just couldn't get myself to go on. I liked the premise of this drama, I liked most of the characters, I like all the actors, but I just couldn't stick with all the stupidity and drama. I like that the main character Lin Dong starts off as basically a loser and then does the classic fighting anime level up to become the best. But it was just taking too long. It's okay to have heroes who start off as losers, but have them start improving sooner instead of dragging it out. Yang Yang was doing a good job of it too at first. I totally forgot he was the same guy as in Love 020, who was a "Mr. Perfect" type. I'm not saying become perfect overnight, but it got really draggy seeing the same thing over and over. He can't win by dumb luck and the sacrifice of his comrades for forever. If you're going to Dragon Ball it up, then actually level up, dude.

330. The Last Empress 황후의 품격 (2018) Korean

Jang Na Ra, Choi Jin Hyuk, Shin Sung Rok, Shin Eun Kyung, Lee Elijah

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

Some of you might already know this, but I love makjang (aka overly melodramatic). But not just any makjang, I like the classy, but crazy kind that twists through through all the emotions and all the drama without making you want to chew your leg off to escape it. The kind that is so fantastic that you just eat it up and want more. The Last Empress was exactly what I like. Not only that, but all the craziness was fortified by a stellar cast that made everything worth it, even at the crazier times. I have always loved Jang Na Ra, so seeing her take down the rotten royal family was the best. Also, and you might have heard this a time or two but, I love Shin Sung Rok. As a super fangirl, this show just might have been a dream come true. He was really in his element with the complex character that was the emperor. One part villain, one part hero, at least two parts lover, and a whole lot of crazy. The chemistry between him and Jang Na Ra was nothing short of amazing and that really complicated things because even when he was being a supreme douche bag and you knew he was lying, you still wanted to believe his fake cuteness because the chemistry was there. Now that's messed up and perfect makjang right there.

So, yeah, I might have a problem to begin with.

Note: Reading on might contain mild spoilers, so be warned.

326. The Beauty Inside 뷰티 인사이드 (2018) Korean

Seo Hyun Jin, Lee Min Ki, Lee Da Hee, Ahn Jae Hyun, Lee Tae Ri, Moon Ji In

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

This was one of the dramas I was the most upset about losing legal access to with the death of DF. But I wanted to finish it enough to find another way, it just took me a while to do it. You loose a lot of steam when you lose your streaming platform, apparently (fist shakes towards those responsible for throwing off my groove and ruining a lot of people's lives in many ways). Anyway, to the actual drama. I was interested in this, having watched the movie a while ago. There were obvious differences in the premise right away. The roles were switched. It was the female lead who had the body changing problem and had her change just once a month for a week instead of a different person every time they sleep. And instead of being a normal person who loved her, our male lead had face blindness on top of it. Well, face blindness seems to be the latest trend in weird problems, starting around the time of Girl Who Sees Smells? Sometime around then, I think. Well, since then I've seen everywhere as a replacement of amnesia almost. Anyway, this wasn't the only drama that had it during it's airing time. 100 Days My Prince also had a face blind character. But I digress.

331. Accidentally in Love 惹上冷殿下 (2018) Chinese

Sun Yi Ning, Guo Fiction, Ma Li, Zhao Yi Qin, Zhou Mo, Cheng Mu Xuan

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

I was needing more dramas, and some of my T-List were talking about how much they liked this one, so I started it and then quickly burned through it. It was just what I needed to contrast the other dramas I was watching, which are full of crazy. Not that this one wasn't full of crazy in its own way. The fluffy, ridiculous way. But if I had to describe this drama in one word, it would be "cute." The OTP was adorable and I liked pretty much everyone in the show. There were some stupid people sure, like the bad behavior enabling noona who popped in to escalate the drama near the end. But on the whole everyone was pretty likable. That's not saying that I didn't have moments where I got stressed because people kept hurting my muffins and it took way too long for the muffins to finally get together, because that totally happened. But I also love the slow progression of the relationship from enemies, to frenemies, to friends, to best friends, to lovers. Isn't that the way its just supposed to happen. Especially when the characters are so consistent when it happens. Even when they were dating they treated each other like before. Teasing and bickering, but still having each other's back.

329. Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter 계룡선녀전 (2018) Korean

Moon Chae Won, Ko Du Shim, Yoon Hyun Min, Seo Ji Hoon, Jeon Soo Jin

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

This one surprised me with how it went many times. The first two episodes were supremely cheesy and everyone was overacting and it was borderline stupid. I wasn't sure if I could take Fish Bangs (Yoon Hyun Min) acting like he couldn't act for 16 episodes. I wasn't sure I was okay enough with the fairy tale when the "Woodcutter" was such a jerk. But I guess that could be true to life, IDK. Then the next few episodes completely changed my mind and I was decently hooked. It wasn't my favorite drama, but I certainly appreciated it more. I especially loved the bromance between Fish Bangs and that cute little TA. But then the genre or direction or whatever changed again....

It really started spinning our heads with the who is who and completely complicated backstory around the fairy tale. It obviously wasn't the classic retelling when the woodcutter died before she could get her wings back and go to heaven. Then it went to a bunch of celestial beings backstory drama that I wasn't expecting at first. I liked it... at first.

327. Where Stars Land 여우각시별 (Korean) 2018

Lee Je Hoon, Chae Soo Bin, Lee Dong Gun, Kim Ji Soo, Kim Kyung Nam, Lee Soo Kyung, Ro Woon

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A+

Despite loving all of the actors in this show, it wasn't as good as could be hoped. It either didn't have a plot, or there were too many loose ends in whatever plot it was about. I thought it was about a bunch of people working at an airport who all had some kind of issues, but apparently the real plot was Lee Dong Gun and Lee Je Hoon's issues? Or is it? Was it just the techno arm/he doesn't want to be handicapped deal? Was it really just about the relationship? There were too many little plots to say which was the main plot, but the one that suddenly ended it all was the thrown in at the last minute: hyung's got issues with the mafia and you're broken, son. I guess that sums up the plot. Because that was the one that got the biggest resolution... except there were too many things not explained, so actually there was no real resolution. Did that make me hate the show? Not really. The ending wasn't so much the problem. It was the middle stuff.

325. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 하늘에서 내리는 1억 개의 별 (2018) Korean

Seo In Guk, Jung So Min, Park Sung Woong, Go Min Si, Yoo Jae Myung

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

I kind of loved the level of psychological thriller this had. With a mysterious man who is a sociopath or whatever, manipulating and not understanding emotions. Completely jaded to the good in the world because he can see human hypocrisy all too well. Seo In Guk did a great job being the "monster" in this one. You hated him and loved him all at once. He made you shiver all while being attracted to him. But then the developing relationship between him and Jung So Min was also really great. I loved her as well. Her innate ability to see through him, but still empathize. To see both the good and the bad and to call him out on his crap. It made the relationship worth watching, even though you had the sick feeling that everything was going to go wrong when we finally found out about the past that the oppa kept not telling everyone about, even when we were all sure that telling would save some mistakes from being made. Oh well.

324. Ghost Detective 오늘의 탐정 (2018) Korean

Choi Daniel, Park Eun Bin, Lee Ji Ah, Kim Won Hae, Lee Jae Kyoon, Lee Joo Young

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

This one started out so good. It was actually creepy, it was intriguing, and then something happened that made it take a gradual nose dive. It never got horrible, but it did get way less good. The creepiness left and it became a normal paranormal crime show, and it got super draggy. You could save it lost its direction or drive. Which was sad. But, it did stay fairly consistent with some things.

Choi Daniel stayed looking fine the whole time. His look in this show really worked for him. Also, to make us less bored during the draggy times the dressed him in a suit without a tie and the collar unbuttoned. Um, yes please.

Korean Movie Night: The Princess and the Matchmaker 궁합 (2018) Korean

Shim Eun Kyung, Lee Seung Gi, Kim Sang Kyung, Yeon Woo Jin, Kang Min Hyuk, Choi Woo Shik, Jo Bok Rae

Movie rating: 8/10     Neck score: A+

Lizabreff loves Seung Gi. Well, so do I. I also love Shim Eun Kyung and Choi Woo Shik. Really, the entire cast. So we were waiting for this one to become available so we could watch it. Then we waited to long to get it for free and had to rent it anyway, but whatever. It was worth it. Thanks, Google Play.

Anyway, this was a lot different then the previews led us to believe, and that is not a bad thing. It was just different. Maybe it is because we're so used to mischievous butt headed Seung Gi that we all love (think Son Oh Gong from Hwayugi, or his roles in Gumiho or King 2 Hearts). We were all assuming that he would be a mischievous matchmaker con-artist who was using the princess's marriage to make money or advance. We weren't expecting a straight-arrowed good boy Seung Gi who had a blind little Poo Butt to protect at home. It was interesting and nice.

319. Still 17 서른이지만 열일곱입니다 (2018) Korean

Shin Hye Sun,Yang Se Jong, Ahn Hyo Seop, Ye Ji Won

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

We watched this a little slower pace, but that's just what happens when you are watching with a group and some of them have kids that we have to wait until they are in bed. This my sister and my first virtual KD night, meaning that we watched it together while on a google hangout. We're really good at going "one, two, three, click" and syncing up our videos. It was a worthy endeavor. Now we just need to finish Wok of Love that way.

Anyway, this show was well worth the effort. It was so cute! It left me with all the fluffy happy feelings! It was a very healing drama. It was all about the healing and getting rid of the "what ifs" and self blaming. I loved it. I also loved how everyone was a puppy or muffin. Our nicknames for everyone were puppy related. Happy Puppy/Puppy Chan, Wounded Puppy, Real Puppy, Dr. Muffin... wait that's a muffin not a puppy. But same difference. I love that it was about the healing that comes from being with family, and creating families to heal each other. It was really beautiful.

318. Your Honor 친애하는 판사님께 (2018) Korean

Yoon Si Yoon, Lee Yoo Young, Park Byung Eun, Kwon Nara

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

I'm not usually a huge fan of law dramas, mostly because of sensationalism during court scenes- so over dramatic and so much perjury- but I do like them better than medical dramas. But any drama starring Yoon Si Yoon is going to be on my watch list. He literally makes me watch him in every single thing he's ever been in. I'm still working on his movies, but I think I have most if not all his dramas down (barring a few shorts that aren't subbed or easy to find). I also am really fond of Lee Yoo Young and Park Byung Eun, so I really did have to watch this one. I'm not sorry at all either. It was really good and I got to see my Yoonie be not one but TWO different characters, and he did it well too. It wasn't hard at all to tell with brother he was being. I was impressed (but also not, because of course he's gonna be that good, wink).