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Reviews
Yijae, Got Jookseummida (2023)
Weak kdrama version of Final Destination
So-so kdrama if you're looking for something to bingewatch over the weekend. The star-studded cast of various reincarnations weren't enough to lift the poor storyline and pacing. The cast is the only reason I'm still giving this 6 stars, else it would be lower.
The show was adapted from a webtoon that wasn't really popular in the first place. Wasted opportunity since the show's writers could've just made it loosely based on the original story and developed something really new and tight, like "Weak Hero Class 1". Instead, we're left with a pathetic main character and his disparate reincarnations. You're expecting well-written interwoven/intertwining stories like "Crash" (2004). Instead, the MC just reads about his failed reincarnations in the news.
The lack of continuity is jarring. So EVERY episode just ends up pitting a new celebrity actor/reincarnation vs the original weak main character. This goes on and on and diminishes his role further and further until you're actively hating on the main character.
I find myself skipping ahead entire segments of the show just to see the MCs next miserable end just because I'm completely disinvested.
There's no tension in anything because the main character is written to be an utter imbecile. If you've ever watched Final Destination, you know that impending doom and fear of death causes the cast to constantly be on their toes. Instead, the imbecile MC just goes YOLO swagger all the time, despite the high stakes of falling eternally to hell if he fails. Utterly STUPID.
The premise of ANY suicide being a severe punishable sin which ticks off the omnipotent/omnipresent Death god is pretty silly as well. Feels like you're seeing a thinly-veiled Korean religious notions creeping into the show.
Banggwa Hoo Jeonjaenghwaldong (2023)
Slow paced, low budget CG with angsty teenagers
Of the same ilk as "All of Us Are Dead" (Korean high-school zombie disaster mini-series).
Duty After School is adapted from a shorter Korean webtoon. Noticeably slower pace of action compared to other similar thriller series. A LOT of Part 1 is spent on the angsty emotions of teenagers being unknowingly drafted into a war against aliens. Lots of scenes with the usual social/political jibes at the Korean education system, bullying, yada yada you know the drill by now.
When there is any action, it's spent on the kids running around like headliess flies, screaming and panicking. Period of calm are denoted by even more angsty teenage scenes with angsty emotions. Did I forget to mention almost all the male kids are angsty and behave like 12 yr olds?
The age and behavior doesn't make much sense ... since they are all supposed to be 17-18 (final year of highschool). Several countries like Israel, Singapore and yes, even S. Korea, start their mandatory conscription draft at age 18. And they definitely don't behave as immaturely as the kids here do.
But hey if you're like me, with nothing better to do and easily entertained watching disaster films, all while complaining about the infinite plotholes and even more infinite ammo, this is the perfect way to waste a Sunday.
The Silent Sea (2021)
Written by someone with no clue about sci-fi
A painfully slow pseudo sci-fi with poor scripting ...
The entire show could've been done in 5 episodes or less instead of 8.
When you find yourself asking the following questions, you know there's a problem with the show.
(1) What are half the crew on the search-and-retrieve mission at an abandoned space station even for? Besides the Captain (Gong Yoo), a scientist (Bae Doona), a medical doctor, a pilot and co-pilot (redundancy??), and an original space station member (supposedly to lead the way), the rest are clearly just there as fodder. You don't even what function they serve on the mission, nor do they do anything to clue you in on their role.
(2) It's supposed to be a trained and expert search-and-retrieval team comprised of military and scientific personal, but everyone acts like clueless teenagers in a slasher flick.
E.g. Why would a scientist (Bae Doona) immediately remove her helmet after being told there's no radiation, and THEN turn on the station air purifier?
(3) It's the time of the COVID pandemic. This series was made during the pandemic. You see dead bodies lying all around after FIVE YEARS but don't bother with air-borne pathogens and walked around "unmasked"? Wow. Ok.
(4) It's been FIVE YEARS since the station was abandoned! Why are bodies not rotten, dessicated, etc???!! How can you tell they drowned in just one look, after FIVE YEARS!
(5) This is a team of trained military personnel, scientists and doctors. They are NOT teenagers in a slasher flick.
And yet the most common reaction is dumbfoundment, and rushing over the help without notifying other team members. Isn't notifying others before going to help just basic first-aid protocol??
(6) Why is the show so slow? It's 8 episodes! Could've been done in 5 or 6.
Every scene is dragged out seconds longer than necessary. Everyone acts pointlessly stoic and deadpan. I had high hopes for Bae Doona but her deadpan acting just made a slow show even slower, with zero suspense.
Pride and Glory (2008)
The best, if not one of the best films of 2008
This was one of the best movies I've seen in 2008.
A thoroughly intense movie lasting over 2 hours, it was jammed packed with plot twists, drama and suspenseful moments, and yet somehow came out feeling totally believable. Edward Norton and Colin Farrell gave some of their best performances, just don't neglect the fantastic acting from the rest of a somewhat star-studded cast. The level of violence, profanity and some nudity may be offensive to some, but it is an R rated movie after all. Definitely not a popcorn movie meant for kids.
The artistic direction, cast of characters and film technique was superb. It hearkens back to the old days when the true value of a movie was in its plot and acting, not a bunch of sci-fi Hollywood special effects.
I actually watched it at the Chicago International Film Festival with the director Gavin O'Connor present for a Q&A session at the end of the show. His comments were very insightful. The film took over 9 years to come to fruition (little had to do with the shoot, which took only 60+ days). The realization that most of these "actors" were not professionals is even more amazing.