elvikwan-blog

[elvikwan-blog]

Ten miles peach blossoms

Just finished this serial. It is a lovestory set in a ancient fantasy land. I really love the acting of Mark Chao in this production. He managed to balance the facial expressions as Mo Yuan, the commoner Ye Hua and the Crown Prince YeHua. He succesfully conveyed the character of Yehua as a quiet, determined majestic Crown Prince and also gave us glimpses of his romantic side whenever he was with his love, Bai Qian, As a doting father to A Li and cold shoulder to his consort Sujin. His quiet no nonsense persona as Crown prince was well known but we get to see his other side whenever bai qian is ard, whether in mortal world or immortal world. The emotion of Ye Hua is deeply touching, his lovelorn eyes speak volumes, a slight move of his smiles that tell us abt his mood and we saw him transform the look of an old soul to become that of youthful masculine lover

The director has chosen Mark correctly as his facial features really match the imagination of regal prince and i think the costume dept also did an excellent job in prepping the costume of this drama. I think this is the first drama where i envy the flowing long hair not only the ladies but also the prince. The clothes and hair accessories were also very well made n boost the quality of the production that we are not only get to watch a wonderful drama but also a semi fashion show, with all the beading works, chiffon, elegant silk robe, embroidery shown thru out the drama.

The writer also put alot of thoughts in piecing this epic love story together...how to make the story flows seamlessly among the main n minor characters. The only disappointment i felt is on the Heavenly lord who doesnt seems to be held accountable for his wrong decision becuz of his grudge against 2nd prince and willingness to put unspoken burden on the Crown prince to save face.

Yang mi as Baiqian is also delightful, although i felt her acting is still a step below mark chow. She is good as irreverant baiqian whether young or old..but not so succesful in portraying Susu. I hardly felt sad for her during her trial time in the palace...she doesnt convey a mature feeling of love when she was susu. Instead i felt she is being selfish in abandoning the new born son.

The surprising part of this drama is Fengjiu, who steal certain moments with her romance with dijun. Can feel her innocent love..sincerity in her willingness to try anything to attain the impossiblelove..

When i heard they will continue the drama, i hope the writer would also wrote a sotry for Baizhen and not only Fengjiu. The drama is way better than the movie version...Yang yang has his work cutout for him when he is pitted against Mark Chow performance.

#markchow # tenmilespeachblossoms #eternallove

[elvikwan-blog]

[elvikwan-blog]

this show is fun to watch...we can see a different side of Janghyuk axting

Review of Fated to Love You Korea version

I hv only finished watching this show last nite and i felt the urge to write down what hit me after watching this drama. This is my third drama with Janghyuk as the lead.

I first met JH in Tunnel, which is a scary suspenseful cop drama. I thoroughly enjoyed that show. It kept our heart thumping with dread and suspense until the end of it. The second time i seen JH was actually couple weeks back when i watched Deep Rooted Tree. In this show Janghyuk role is also gut wrenching and he is the main character that ground the king vision in creating Hangul. In this show i somehow saw him as being repetitive in his acting repetoir…somehow his roles always hv some element of desperation bordering to push ppl into lunacy. The screaming, crying and pleading he shown seems like a repeat of same character … Tunnel and DRT….just in a different time period.

However this FTLY changed my opinion of him. I hv seen the original Taiwanese version many years ago, which intro me to Ethan Ruan. Ethan in this idol drama was very endearing and he made the romcom tasted oh so sweet and dreamy. But the Korea version has a totally different feeling abt it. JH in his version, brought out a totally different feel to the drama. The love story in this drama was deeper and more tragic. I guess when u have Jang Na Ra as the lead, u could not help but feel protective abt her. Her petite frame and timid voice completed the post it gal character to the dot. And I believe JH owned the main lead Lee Gun too. He carried this show with his maniacal laugh..no one could ever laugh like he did..seriously. His interactions with his secretary and mom in law always brought out a smile to me. In this show JH become oh so manly and managed to balance his Lee Gun arrogance and thoughtfulness. This was quite tough to do esp when his opponent is the super cool Daniel Pitts (Choi Jinwook). When i almost hv a second lead syndrome, JH would always show up and made JNR fell in love with him all over again. He would take charge instead of being hesitant in protecting her against others…but not when it comes to skinship.. the failed skinship tension is the one that really make me feel aggravated…hahahaha… They hv so many failed attempts scenes when they were sober n calm, that i almost felt sorry for him n nara.

I enjoyed this drama alot mainly becoz of JH… and i really like this show which showcased his ability in portraying would different characters..not only the desperate ones. JNR always played timied but resilient gals..so far i hvnt watched her doing other things. The combo between her and JH made the recipe for the show works well. Hot spicy broth with a taste of sweet and sour topped with strong dose of maniacal JH trademark laughter..a totally korean style recipe

[elvikwan-blog]

Review of Introverted Boss

I just finished my drama marathon of Introverted boss. This is my second drama with Yeon Woojin. The first one is Okjakyo brothers where he played the maknae brother. I didnt expect to enjot IB so much, surprisingly. Somehow the show pulled you in with curiousity of how the boss interacted with the staff and do his business. I like park hye soo in this show..she played the cheerful and outgoing ChaRooWon well. And the dynamic of her character played well with the boss who is a total opposite of her. Ywj acted well in this drama and i think this drama is mainly carried by him and the writer. I especially enjoyed his eye expressions and the subtle movement of his facial expression. How he need to convey his feeling without words...esp when he was caught in the spotlight. I enjoy watching the myriad expressions pass thru his mind while he was thinking hard of what to do or say. And the director writer have done a great job to give the character a sense of thoughtfulness instead of simple timidity as a cause for his shyness. The show would be lot less enjoyable if eun hwan ki is just a simple shy guy. The pace of the show is great too where we dont hv too many empty scenes or phrases despite of the numerous flashback on the suicide incident. The suicide story is actually the main drawback of the show and I still could not believe the Onni is soo depressed that she committed suicide over this situation. The character development for the onni didnt convince me she could be suicidal over that situation.. i could understand yisoo may do it since she has invested practically her whole life on woo il. But for chaeyi...there is not so much of emotional investment regardless of her crush situation with hwanki. The story maybe different if she is already involved woth hwanki..but then they didnt and she is fully aware that hwanki interest laid on yunjung at that time. I am quite surprised that this show isnt so popular in korea and i guess it could be beacoz of the lesser known actors starred in it and the fact it was played on cable instead of public broadcast station

[elvikwan-blog]

miss the ocean

deep blue sea

[elvikwan-blog]

Un motivated month

i hv enjoyed watching K drama since last year. however this month it seels i hit a low point. Somehow i dont seem to find anything worth watching and not motivated to find somethign to watch either. This is not like Kdramaland is lacking stuff to watch. Yoo Ah In had a drama going on..then Park Seo Joon..Ji Chang Wook..Yoo Seung Ho..all the candy eyes actors. lets hope i can get back my groove to enjoy drama soon.

[elvikwan-blog]

located in the remote, mountainous area of china’s garze tibetan autonomous prefecture, larung gar is the largest buddhist settlement in the world, with 40,000 monks and nuns drawn to its larung wuming buddhist institute for study.

living in tightly packed wooden huts spreading over and up the hilly terrain, conditions for the village residents are basic, with the segregated monks and nuns sharing communal toilets, and huts left unheated throughout the harsh winter months.  

established by an influential lama of the nyingma tradition some thirty years ago in a then uninhabited valley, the settlement quickly grew, attracting a mix a students from china, taiwan, singapore and malaysia. 

the settlement welcomes everyone, including the tibetan buddhist nomads seen in several photos, with the monks and nuns living off donations and revenue from a guest house built for those who make the twenty hour coach ride from chengdu. 

photos by wanson luk and kevin frayer

[elvikwan-blog]

i find myself quite enjoying this drama. this show remind me abit of yongpal where everyone has their own agenda and baggage. hopefully this drama will hv a more interesting story to yell

Whisper ep 4

I made couple of posts today on this drama and deleted them!!

Probably because I am conflicted.

I hate it quite a lot of times and then like it and then I hate it and then I like it.

I want to like it.

Because the drama is kind of different.  There really are no good guys.  Each of them have something to protect and each of them carry blackmail material on other.  It is like dogs chasing another dog’s tail in a six - seven dog chain, going in circles.  Except dogs are probably a little more fun to watch and quite possibly cuter.

I was surprised to see how I felt when she got beaten up by the bad guy.  It is my basic reaction to flinch and feel very uncomfortable when women get beaten up but in this drama, I guess I should not.  Mostly because she is beating men up and she is supposed to be the hero of the story and if male heroes get beaten up and we are okay with it, why not female heroes right?  Except, it gets a reaction from me and the fact that I question my own reaction makes me think this drama is interesting.

I just wish the second female lead actress was someone else with more depth to her acting.  It is a really good character and it is wasted on this actress.  I feel irritation not with the character but the actress.  Which is a bad dynamic.  For a good actress, this would have been a career changing role.  But alas!  Not for her for sure.  She really sucks.

It does feel slightly narrow in its plot line - with same set of people threatening each other with newly acquired material ….But it is 4th episode and I am assuming there will be more to all this than just blackmail driven plot movement.

And yes, LBY is badass.  

…

JS - 5

[elvikwan-blog]

photos by mohammad reza domiri ganji in iran of: (1,7) the nasir al mulk mosque, or pink mosque, in shiraz; (2,3) the vakil mosque in shiraz; (4) the ceiling of the fifth floor of alighapu in isfahan; (5,9) the vakil bathhouse in shiraz; (6) the imam mosque in isfahan; (8) the jame mosque of yazd

[elvikwan-blog]

The Cast of Rogue One: a Star Wars Story in Paradise Island

[elvikwan-blog]

this would be a challenge n fun to watch for LJS

Park Hoon Jung Director Interview on Lee Jong Suk’s role in VIP

Q: As a suspect, the North Korean “V.I.P.” Kim Gwang Il became the title of the movie, this sexuality (T/N: this word is used for describing porn, dirty jokes or revealing clothes, I am not sure what exactly the role will be like) of this role is very strong. What is the reason for casting Lee Jong Suk in this role?

A: As you have said, that is the “title role”. Therefore, I want someone with the appearance that is really like “V.I.P.”. Someone who has not touched soil with his own hands when he grew up. someone who thinks everyone is beneath him, shall I say someone who feels like a medieval feudal lord’s only son? Actor Lee Jong Suk’s appearance fits the image of what I thought nobles ought to be like. By nature, it is a character that is of a great burden for an actor, so at first I hesitated a bit during the casting, however, he himself showed great enthusiasm for the character. In North Korea, for Gwang Il, apart from the people who are more superior to his father, he treats all others as slaves or servants, so he does not show his emotions to others. Lee Jong Suk usually shows great charm when he smiles but in this movie, instead of smiles, I always ask him to show cool or indifferent expressions.

-용의자로 지목되는 북한의 ‘V.I.P.’ 김광일이라는 인물의 표현 수위가 굉장히 세다. 이 역할에 이종석을 캐스팅한 이유는.

=말 그대로 ‘타이틀롤’이잖나. 그래서 정말 ‘V.I.P.’라는 말에 어울릴 만한 외모를 원했다. 어려서부터 손에 흙 한번 묻혀본 적이 없고, 모든 사람들이 자기 발밑에 있다고 생각할 법한, 중세 봉건 영주의 외동아들 같은 느낌이랄까. 이종석 배우는 외형적으로 내가 생각했던 귀족적인 이미지와 가장 맞아떨어지는 배우였다. 워낙 배우로서 위험부담이 큰 캐릭터라 처음에는 캐스팅을 좀 망설였는데 오히려 본인이 이 역할에 큰 열의를 보여줬다. 광일은 북한에서 아버지보다 당 서열이 높은 사람들 외에는 노예나 하인 취급을 하는 인물이다보니 희로애락의 감정을 잘 드러내지 않는다. 평소에 웃는 모습이 참 매력적인 이종석 배우지만, 이번 영화에서는 그 웃음 대신 서늘하거나 심드렁한 표정을 주문하고 있다.

(Source)

[elvikwan-blog]

“Aaaaand Suzy’s just been cast in Park Hye-Ryun’s latest drama. Alongside Lee Jong Seok. I hate how insistent the ‘Big Guys’ are in casting individuals with little to no acting talent in such big projects, purely because they are idols or whatever- I’m sorry Suzy. I want to like you. You’re a talented singer and dancer, I’m sure, but… I’ve seen furniture with more emotive ability. Please, Suzy, it was bad enough with you and KWB, but LJS? THE CONTRAST WILL BE VERY NOTICEABLE, JUST SAYIN’. “

[elvikwan-blog]

current fav Kdrama show...what a cool drama. with kartika, Suzie, Erni, and Jeremy – View on Path.

[elvikwan-blog]

Legend of the blue Sea ep 3

Well, the whole pool sequence was nicely shot.

Though I was surprised why she chose to reveal herself to all those people is beyond me.  Again, crappy writing.  The fact that there was a mermaid show is a coincidence that are part of the many coincidences writer writes in this one episode.  

I liked this episode less than last two episodes actually.

But, the separation angst was quick.  I personally felt no angst or anything else but I was glad that they wrapped that up in one episode.   

Hopefully plot will start?

..

Joy scale - 1.5 (just for cinematography.  Nothing else.)

[elvikwan-blog]

Sometimes words are not enough, and that’s why we had Christoph Niemann draw up some stickers, which you can now download for iMessage. Introducing the New Yorker sticker pack. 

[elvikwan-blog]

Nov trip to the land of Heidi

[elvikwan-blog]

good news but i would prefer other actress to fill the female lead instead of Suzy...she is super stiff...

Lee Jong Suk & Suzy in Scriptwriter Park Hye Ryun's new drama "While You were Sleeping"

According to the production side, this time Lee Jong Suk will be in the role of a prosecutor and the female lead is someone who can dream about the unfortunate incidents that will happen in other people and the prosector will work hard on his own trying to stop the dreams from becoming reality.

It was said that this drama is not the special type of drama of Park that penetrates into society.

The detail plans of broadcast has not been confirmed. It is expected that this drama will be aired in first half of 2017.

(Source 1, 2)