Song Hye Kyo

Review: The Glory Part 2

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Overall, I’d say that Show is a solid continuation of Part 1 (review here!), so fans of Part 1 should be pretty happy with Part 2, at a minimum.

Show ramps up the drama in Part 2, in service of the revenge at the center of our story, so it feels more fast-paced, intense and, well, dramatic, compared to Part 1. I personally still found it all very absorbing and engaging, despite Show’s slight shift in tone.

Your mileage with the ending is likely to vary depending on what you look for in your dramas – specifically in a good revenge tale – but overall, I’d still say that Show does a pretty solid job.

Continue reading →

Review: The Glory [Part 1]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A darkly polished revenge tale that does a good job of spinning its story, so that there’s an absorbing, cracky quality to the watch experience.

There’s a touch of OTT caricature to the bad guys in our story world, which, in my opinion, makes it easier to hate them and root for their downfall. 😅 Importantly, Show makes it natural and quite easy, to root for our protagonist to achieve her goals.

Show might “just” be Part 1, and therefore not a story that can stand on its own, but it does a very solid job of laying the foundation for Part 2, and making me want to watch that, too – and soon.

Continue reading →

Dear kfangurl: Can you talk about actors and their nicknames?

| kfangurl

So, full disclosure, this post isn’t inspired by an actual Dear kfangurl question, but because Dear kfangurl is where all the lists on the blog live, I figured this would be the best place to put it.

This post is inspired by Beez and Trent, who recently had a conversation on my Kill Me, Heal Me group watch announcement post, where they discussed the nicknames of various actors and actresses.

I thought that would make a fun post, where I could share what I know, and you guys can share what you know, and together, we can paint a fuller picture together!

Continue reading →

Dropped: Boyfriend [Encounter]

| kfangurl

One thing that Dramaland has taught me, is that true love simply cannot be forced.

Whether you’re one of the leads trying to make it work with a chaebol-parent-approved love interest, or a second lead working hard to earn the affection of the lead that you’re one-sidedly crushing on, no amount of effort will produce true love.

I don’t know which I am in this drama analogy (maybe I’m a lead character and Boyfriend is a chaebol-parent-approved, er,  boyfriend? Hur); what I do know is, after 10 episodes of trying – like, really working – to love Boyfriend, I’m finally realizing that I’m just never going to love this show, no matter how hard I try.

Continue reading →

Review: Descendants of the Sun

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Even though Descendants of the Sun is not very well-written and far from subtle, there are things to enjoy in this show, if you’re willing to close your eyes to its shortcomings.

Things like appealing lead characters (most of them, anyway), character relationships, the romance and the bromance. And not forgetting Song Joong Ki in his most schmexy drama outing to date (ahem).

Flawed, but not without its charms.

Continue reading →

Flash Review: My Brilliant Life [Movie]

| kfangurl

Let the record show that:

1. I generally don’t stumble on many k-movies that truly resonate with me, thanks to their shorter running times, and also quite possibly, thanks to my drama-attuned sensibilities. What can I say? I don’t like to feel rushed when connecting with characters on my screen. 😉

2. This particularly holds true for movies that run like highlight reels, because I find it particularly hard to connect with a highlight reel.

3. I don’t seek out tearjerkers and if I know in advance a movie is going to make me cry, I approach with deep caution, if I approach at all.

Despite all of this, though, I love – like, really, unreservedly love – My Brilliant Life.

Highlight reel, tears and all, this movie moved me deeply, and I would watch this again in a heartbeat.

Continue reading →

Esteeming: Hyun Bin

| kfangurl

If you’ve been following our blogoversary giveaway, you’d know that this is (supposed to be) the made-to-order Pure Pretty post that Djining won as her prize.

Which means that we have Djining to thank for this opportunity to gaze at and appreciate the one and only Hyun Bin, while I have Djining and Google to thank, for the many hours of (admittedly very enjoyable) research that went into this post!

The thing is, as I was working on this post, it kinda ballooned into a k-love post (oopsie?), and I had to upgrade the entire thing in the process of making it.

Congratulations Djining!! I hope you don’t mind the upgrade, and I hope this post lives up to your expectations.

I made sure to be as thorough and meticulous as possible in making this post for ya; only the best pix, and also, wherever possible, in large wallpaper-worthy sizes as well. All for your (& our!) viewing pleasure, my dear. 😉

Alright then. Are you ready to dive in? Coz man have I got a LOT of Hyun Bin eye candy for ya!

Continue reading →

Review: That Winter, The Wind Blows

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A melodrama that has such beautiful cinematography, lovely music and good-looking actors that watching it often feels like looking at gorgeous moving postcards with their own built-in sound.

Unfortunately, logic is not this show’s strong point. On the upside (?), this flaw doesn’t become terribly glaring until fairly late in the show.

In the meantime, there’s a good amount of tension-laden fauxcest to mess with one’s mind. Which, I have to admit, was a fascinating exercise in itself.

Continue reading →