Korean Movie Night: Friend 2 친구 2 (2013) Korean

Yu Oh Seong, Kim Woo Bin, Joo Jin Mo, Jung Ho Bin

Movie rating: 6/10     Neck score: A

The last movie during our marathon weekend was Chingu 2. Compared to Chingu, it was a lot easier to follow in the sense of it being more modern and closer to what we were used to, but Chingu was a much better movie. While Chingu 1 was about friendship, this one was just a gangster movie. It only had a few actor from the original, the gangster Joon Suk (Yu Oh Seong) and his gang member Eun Ki, who has progressed in the gang since getting out of prison, and everyone else was just added to this plot. This leaves it feeling a lot more shallow, since there is less depth of character and a lot less emotion to it. Also, we miss the rich character development. The story also jumps around a lot as it is telling not only the story of the present, but also a year or so ago, the original movie timeline, and the past of Joon Suk's father, who started the gang back in the 1960s. All that jumping around makes it a bit confusing at times.

215. Uncontrollably Fond 함부로 애틋하게 (2016) Korean

Kim Woo Bin, Bae Suzy, Lim Ju Hwan, Lim Ju Eun

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A+

This was a pre-produced drama that was written and edited as if it was a live shoot drama.  If they had all that extra time to produce and edit it, couldn't they tighten up the writing, make the second half decent, and not overuse flashbacks?  No?  Well, I guess not then.  While I'm not wholly unimpressed with this show, it definitely fell short of its potential.  Especially in the writing department.  By the end of this show it was so ridiculously over dramatic about dumb stuff that we just laughed.  I couldn't even cry.  The characters were so flip floppy and all over the place that it made them less sympathetic, and the ridiculous stunts they pulled at the end were hilariously bad.  Couldn't they have come up with something better?  Nope.  However, there were things about this show that consistently impressed me.  The OST was pretty amazing, as was the not OST but overused New Empire song A Little Braver.  It was fun to sing along to.  I was consistently impressed with Kim Woo Bin.  Even though his character was written stupidly, his acting was amazing.  He really acted those sick scenes really well.  I was also impressed with little things like the blood when he ripped his IV out.  Yes, there should be that sort of thing if you are ripping a needle out of your body in such a rash manner.  Little things like that were impressive.  Im Ju Hwan, aka Luscious Locks, had some nice moments, but he ended up being so pathetic.  Sad day.  He acted it well too.  Suzy... did the best she could, but her character was pretty lamely written, which proved to be too much for her acting chops, but she did try, which was good for her.  Crazy Eyes, well Lim Ju Eun did fabulous, but that character was just crazy.  The bad guys were all pretty over the top, and there were lots of annoying or hateful characters.  Then they tried to redeem people way too much at the end, which is  little dumb and made it draggy.  They just had horrible pace and timing, so especially in the second half, the show was just ridiculous.  Oh well.  Woobs was amazing still, even if he character wasn't that likable a times.  I blame the writers and not him.  He was great.

More Men Who Make Me Watch Drama Against My Will: Hot Bods Edition

Smiles aren't the only thing that make me watch dramas.  Sometimes I'm a lot more superficial and I watch a show just because I know that there will probably be a shirtless or brooding shower scene, and that actor has a hot body.  This just might be the most shallow post I ever will write, but you all know you've got your own list of hot bods.  Also, who wouldn't appreciate this list, because... yes.

Sometimes those shows are awesome, and it's not a problem at all that I started it out just for that one actor and how well he takes care of his body.  But sometimes, pleasure is mixed with regret as I wonder if that one shower scene was worth the 16+ episodes of crap.  That's a slippery slope, we won't go there, we'll just remember the minutes of shirtlessness, flexed arm muscles, and chocolate abs.

31. School 2013 학교 2013 (2012-2013) Korean

Choi Daniel, Jang Na Ra, Lee Jong Suk, Kim Woo Bin

Drama Rating: 8/10      Neck Score: A

Ok, this one made me fall in love with a lot of people.  Choi Daniel is one of them.  I loved his character in this one- well his drawling mannerisms.  I also loved the bromance between Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin.  So good.  What I liked most about this drama was that it wasn't just a cheesy high school flick, but it was an honest statement on the trials of school life.  Every child was important and had a little plot.  Jung Na Ra being the teacher who cared and tried hard, while Choi Daniel being the teacher who was jaded and had to learn to care again.  There is some hinted romance between those two, but they stopped focusing on that pretty quickly.  It was just a real drama with real problems and not having a sugar coated ending.  It was like real people trying their best.  My personal favorite was Kwak Jung Wook's bad boy character Oh Jung Ho.  That guy is a good actor (compare to Shut Up Flower Boy Band) and even the typical bad boy was shown in a sympathetic light.