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clementineesotsm · 4 years

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THE KING: ETERNAL MONARCH EP 5, My Appreciation and How It Made Me Feel

1 of the charm i found in this series was the acting of all actors. I have been in theater before and learn acting from my teacher who seems to teach us Stanilavski’s System of acting. I found it in each leads, they shows us this method and leads to a nice subtle acting which you will missed if you are not a person who likes to pay attention to detail. And also why for me, i falls deep into the characters, because they are so damn natural. As if i watching them not really as an actor, but as them. Very good.

For example with this particular scene where JTE was following Gon to basketball ceremony. You can see JTE actually impressed here but trying to keep her cool. Slight eyebrows movements and slight smile there, i saw 💕

I love startled JTE and playful Gon here. They make me feel butterfly as a watcher

As the series goes, the editing was getting better, i appreciate the effort to make the connected transition between 1 scene to another like when Gon are looking at his search history, he found out JTE was reading about Lee Rim and she knows Gon history now. The camera zoom in to the search page then moved to Lee Rim whicn now we can see him recruiting people that will benefit him for his plan. I swear to god i love Lee Rim, he is so creepy. He gave you offer you cannot refuse. The only thing you need to do is kills your other self. And this line of him is one of my fav, and damn scary with the music while throwing the 2G phone

Lee Rim “연락은 내가 합니다” (i’ll be the one who contact you)

Appreciation for PM flashback because they made it aesthetic. PM walking passing the pictures of her inauguration as PM by the King. I love how the make the transition. Smart.

JTE is roaming around Corea alone and found out many thing, like the rare mineral that Gon owns, yi sun sin statue in Busan, we get a glimpse of her being same face with Luna and JY knows, she saw PM on the street, she goes to police station (this scene shows how she acts inline with her detective background, the method that she use to prove that this is paralel world was practical, she is better than Gon. and also shows she was actually a soft person. Eventhough she knows every familiar faces here are a different person, she still have the same feelings and amount of respect to them) , last but not least what a cool scene where JTE and KSJ being in 1 place and time but different world

She basically run out of money and calling Gon, kind of cute. Its like real stuff you do with your boyfriend and probably because she only knows him in this world. I love the piano bgm everytime they are being lovey dovey 🥰 and the fact that Gon changeing direction to pick her up, makes me blushed 💕 i love how they shot JTE from below the building looking up and saw the helicopter.

I also love JTE and JY bickering here. Both are cute and i love protective JY, he is so cool.

This conversation in front of KU building also shows a good acting by KGE, as Gon asking who is Ahn Bong Hui, she explain it with smile but holding her tears, makes Gon feels and saw her so softly, call the ambulance because im dead. Here is my fav JTE line after Gon asking him who is the person that she looking for in this world

JTE “우리 엄마. 여기가 평행 세계면, 나리도 있고 은섭이도 있으니까, 난 없더라도 우리 엄마는 살아 계실지도 모르니까, 몰론 다른 사람인 건 알지만 여기서는 안 아프길 바랐고 나는 다섯 살 때 기억밖에 없으니까 그냥 먼발치에서라도 잠깐.. 그래서 와 봤지” (my mother. If this is a parallel world, Nari and Eun Seob exist here, although i might not exist, my mother could still be alive. I know she is someone else, but i didnt want her to be sick in this world. I only have memories of her from when i was five. So i just wanter to watch her from afar. Thats why i came here”

This girl is seriously pretty here

Gon brought the topic about what he found in a searching page and teased JTE who look for his ex gf and PM. And JTE says “why you read that? Thats cheating” girl is definitely falling for him and very honest. I love her. And Gons smile as he looking at JTE panic face is everything

Then comes the trouble. PM is here because he saw Gon landed in seoul. I love how Gon describe his relation with PM as “금요일마다 보는 사이” (i think netflix did not translate it nicely, i dont know how to translate it either) and JTE refer her as IU 🤣 i love this line.

PM is a cool woman and very professional, i love her choices of fashion, i love her character. I actually hoping she is somehow will becomes allies. But ..

How it made me feel:

Happy. Most of the times, smile from ear to ear. As i said earlier, the main character of this episode is JTE. Here we can see her feelings grow fonder to Gon. I dont agree if people said that JTE only loves Gon because he is rich. Not at all. Even before coming to Corea she already missed his existence, and left marked in her heart, also if she did not slightly believe in Gon, she will not going to go to Corea with him. And arriving in Corea seeing how Gon is very affectionate towards her and took good care of her, also he is cool at work, makes her fall deeper. Its like crushing back to the person who had crush on you. Very normal.

The other thing i got from this episode is about Lee Rim recruiting people to be on his side by killing their doppelgänger. He inform us that up until now, nobody have ever refuse him. Lee Rim act as a devil who seduces human to be evil by pretending as God that helps them coming out from their problem instantly. Many people lives in an unbearable life they wanted to change it so badly and sometimes took a wrong way. Also here we were shown that greed is a common emotion that human has. Even JTE which we know is a good girl, has it. She is looking for her mother, she might be saying that she will just going to look for her from afar. But i bet, seeing her personality, she will probably hug or talk to her if she really exist in Corea. Probably will not let her go so easily. Just my assumption though.

I hope my eyes did not wrongly see, but i feel like they use a different camera filter for Korea and Corea. In Corea im feeling a sense of like being in the past. It gives an antique feeling. And Korea gave more modern feels. If this is true i appreciate it even more 💕

Last but not least, so far until episode 5, despite being a fantasy genre, i found real emotions and events related to real life here. Appreciate it so much 💕💕

#the king eternal monarch #tkem #lee min ho #woo do hwan #kim go eun #kim kyung nam #jung eun chae #lee jung jin #kim eun sook

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chiveburger · 5 years

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Omg!! Mate what were your thoughts on Parasite,,, I had such a hard time understanding the meaning of the rock

I loved the ending, like it’s probably my favorite part of the whole entire movie. I love how they created the scene of wooshik talking about his plan to buy the house and free his dad. except, in a more rational sense we know that he’s never going to be able to do that. I absolutely adored the ending for that realization. I read somewhere that the rock was meant to be a motif for wealth. It was brought into their home for good luck, and it’s arrival (through seojun) kick started the whole chain of events. further into the story, wooshik states that it keeps on following him making it seem like its starting to tie him down/feel like a burden. ultimately it’s also what wounds him at the end. so I think it was probably a play on how wealth (or in a sense greed) in general allowed for the family to flourish, but then in the end caused their downfall as well. I don’t know though, that’s just kind of how I saw it. bong joonho was probably just like “it’s a rock thats it”

#parasite #Anonymous

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sleepyymp3 · 5 years

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okja (2017)

it may be two years too late but i recently (a few minutes ago) watched the film Okja. for those who are unsure of the plot, okja follows the path of a young girl who raised okja, a pig bred for a competition. when the pig is taken away for the competition, Mija, the girl, goes after her. she meets a rebel group of animal lovers and they attempt to take the pig back.

im about to spoil the film so if you haven’t seen it and wanna, bye!

okay. spoilers below. it’s been two years though so unless you’re me, you should be aware of the plot. they’re not major spoilers though.

firstly, my initial thoughts. i loved it. the cinematography was fantastic, striking visuals and contrast of light and dark when approaching different parts of the film were perfect and beautiful, the emotions they evoked from me when watching it was unforgettable. when the shot of all the manufactured pigs panned out to show thousands of them, i had chills everywhere.

the fact that it was a korean-american film in terms of actors, language and setting--and done so WELL, director Bong Joon-ho impressed me to no ends, is important in so many ways. the representation it brings, as well as the importance of steven yeun (the walking dead, voltron: legendary defender, mayhem) in the role of the korean-american character ‘k’. i am not a korean speaker, so i did limited research on his portrayal of k in the film, and according to an interview, he played k as a character that was dancing in between the roles of korean and american, and spoke slightly broken korean on purpose. read this article for a well articulated version of what im trying to say: https://slate.com/culture/2017/06/there-s-a-translation-joke-for-korean-americans-in-the-subtitles-of-okja.html

the acting was fantastic. Seo-Hyeon Ahn, mija, was phenomenal. i was truly and completely invested because of her. incredible. the entire cast floored me. everyone was so perfect in their roles i couldn’t believe what a dream cast it was. tilda swinton and jake gyllenhaal astounded me, they were absolutely unforgettable as the ‘antagonists’, and i even felt disgustingly sympathetic for them, especially jake when dr. johnny has the breakdown in the factory.

carrying on, the characters were amazingly written. the movie okja was portrayed so that there was no black and white, right and wrong--every character was in the grey area, it portrayed everyone in a harsh light. the ‘good’ characters did bad things and it was a refreshing take on protag vs antag. the main characters were so likeable and i loved their chemistry and interactions. paul dano (jay) and steven yeun (k) thrived in their scenes together (k is a primary example of the “good character does bad thing” style i just mentioned when he mistranslates. jay is also a bit iffy in terms of his morals in some scenes. in fact, the whole alf is). i lowkey shipped them together throughout the film, especially in the post credit scene. other main characters included red, played by lily collins, blond, played by daniel henshall, and silver, played by devon bostick (aka jasper from the 100).

blond and silver, i would like to point out, are portrayed as boyfriends in the film. lgbt characters. they did not kiss on screen, nor did they in any way verbally state that they were in a homosexual relationship. they were dating though. through body language (holding each other, burying faces in necks/shoulders, sacrificing themselves for the other, etc) it was explicitly shown. the fact that lgbt characters were shown in Okja without anybody mentioning or playing a large amount of attention to was amazing. it showed that lgbt characters don’t have to be a ‘big deal’ or that they are in a film just to be an lgbt character. they were animal lovers part of the alf who played crucial roles in the film, who just happened to be dating. it was fine. wonderful.

finally, okja the film was NOT an anti-meat statement. i can see how it could be interpreted as such but it was NOT AN ANTI-MEAT FILM. mija is shown explicitly eating meat, she collects fish in the stream for dinner and her grandfather makes her chicken stew. this film was promoting ETHICAL PRODUCTION. the conditions of which the bred bigs were put through were an attempt to show the horrors of manufactured creatures such as okja. though they are not real creatures and this is a fictional setting, it is a representation of real meat manufacturing and production. okja is chosen as the Biggest, Best, most Beautiful pig, and she has been raised by just roaming the country, fed and raised naturally. this is a representation of natural, ethical means of meat production. it showed corporate greed, activism and ETHICAL PRODUCTION.

tldr; OKJA IS AN INCREDIBLE FILM WITH PHENOMENAL ACTING AND AN AMAZING MESSAGE THAT STAYS WITH YOU LONG AFTER WATCHING. PLEASE GO WATCH IT. IT IS WORTH THE TIME I PROMISE YOU.

also: i have absolutely no experience nor professional critiquing in terms of film studies or the history of meat production. or ethnicity representation or anything that i have spoken about. take my opinions with a grain of salt. i am literally fifteen years old.

if you made it this far, thanks for reading! i hope this film changes/changed you as much as it did me.

#okja #bong joon-ho #film #netflix

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khangthecinephile · 2 years

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Parasite (2019): Codependent relationship between humans and class discrimination

As a big contender at the 92nd Academy Award, bringing four awards home for South Korea and especially making history for the win at the best picture category, Parasite came out in 2019 and is the pride of Asia's film making industry. Parasite, directed by Bong Joon Ho, follows the story of a poor family who find their way to escape poverty by working in a rich family’s house. With lots of metaphors and meaningful layers, Parasite became one of the best movies ever made by the South Koreans. The movie explores the theme of class discrimination and codepenent relationship between humans.

First of all, I want to discuss why Bong Joon Ho named his movie “Parasite.” The name of the movie “Parasite” is a metaphor for the codependent relationship between humans and more specifically between the high class and the low class. The low class depends on the high class’s money and the high class depends on the low class’s labor. In the movie, Ki-taek’s family is really poor and they represent the “parasites” in the movie. One day, an opportunity comes to Ki-taek’s son and the son gets a job as a tutor for the Parks. After that the rest of the family members all found a way to work in the Park family. Their lives really depend on the Parks at this point. The drama begins when they discover a secret basement under the house where the last butler’s husband lives down there, another parasite in the Park’s house. The fight between the Kim’s and the last butler with her husband is similar to how two parasites fight to take control of the host. The Park family represents the host and the way Ki-taek’s family tries to get in the Park’s house is similar to how a parasite finds its host. The Parks also depend on their labor as we can see in how Mrs. Park struggles with normal, everyday houseworks when the butler isn’t home. Mrs. Park also depends on her husband’s money which means there are also “parasitic” relationships in the high class.

Class discrimination is also a big theme that director Bong Joon ho brings into this movie. This theme is where Bong Joon Ho really puts lots of metaphors into. First metaphorical image is the stairs. In the movie, there are lots of scenes that have stairs, the stairs represent the hope of reaching richness, the hope of escaping the poverty of the low class in society. When the rain comes, water runs through the stair, making the poor like Ki-taek’s family suffer from flooding but the rain brings a cool atmosphere for the rich to enjoy, representing the huge gap between the two classes in society. Both the Kims and the Parks have stairs in the entrance but the stairs in the Kim’s go down and the Park’s stairs go up, explaining the huge difference between the two families. Next metaphor that I want to talk about is the smells. Mr. Park’s son had noticed a similarity between the Ki-taek’s family members, it’s the smell. It’s the smell of poverty, the smell that comes from the low and damp house, the smell of destitute. The fact that Mrs. Park still notices the smell when she steps in the car even when Ki-taek is wearing somebody else’s shirt, which makes Ki-taek jealous and envy rise. The smell leads to the behavior of Ki-taek, where he stabs Mr. Park. The act represents the hate, the jealousy, the disgust of the poor to the rich. It’s an act of moment after all, Ki-taek still really respects and grate of Mr. Park for giving him and his family jobs, improving their miserable life.

Parasite is such an amazing movie, there are so many metaphors that I want to talk about like the aborigines or the feng shui rock,.. But after all The Kim’s and the Parks are all parasites of money, got blurred by their greed and got blurred by the money. All of these details show how knowledgeable director Bong Joon Ho is, his understanding of the high and the low class is very deep. That’s why the Oscar for the best director for him is very well deserved.

#parasite #oscar #bong joon ho

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allaboutjoongi · 6 years

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Past article translated (dated 2018/06/25)

The ever-evolving history of Lee Joon-gi’s career-defining characters: from Time between Dog and Wolf, to Moon Lovers, and to Lawless Lawyer

(Source: http://v.entertain.media.daum.net/v/20180625171509915)

Lee Joon-gi has stayed true to his name and proven himself yet again as a ‘reliable actor.’ His acting skills have evolved over time, from MBC drama “Time between Dog and Wolf” to SBS drama “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” and to tvN’s weekend drama “Lawless Lawyer.”

Here is a timeline of Lee Joon-gi’s career-defining characters:

▲ Lee Soo-hyun in “Time between Dog and Wolf”: Beginnings of Lee Joon-gi as an action performer

It would not be an overstatement to say that the history of Lee Joon-gi’s acting can be divided into two halves: before “Time between Dog and Wolf” and after. Playing ‘Lee Soo-hyun,’ an NIS agent, Lee Joon-gi proved his potential to become a great action performer. In the drama, Lee Soo-hyun operates undercover seeking revenge for the death of his mother at the hands of a killer. But soon anguish sweeps over him as he realizes his nemesis is the father of his lover.

In “Time between Dog and Wolf,” Lee Joon-gi showed off some daring action performances that befit his character as an NIS agent. The action scenes in which he confronts killer Mao to exact revenge are still remembered as iconic scenes. “Time between Dog and Wolf” added strong masculinity to Lee Joon-gi’s image, which had been strongly associated with the ‘flower boy’ or androgynous appeal following his appearances in movie “King and the Clown” and SBS drama “My Girl.” It was through “Time between Dog and Wolf” that Lee Joon-gi finally started being recognized for his acting chops, not only for his beautiful looks. Following his role in “Time between Dog and Wolf,” Lee Joon-gi delivered shining accomplishments in many action genre dramas, such as MBC drama “Hero,” MBC drama “Two Weeks,” and tvN drama “Criminal Minds.”

▲ Wang So in “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”: Cultivation of ‘internal acting’ skills

“Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” is definitely the most outstanding of all the historical dramas Lee Joon-gi has been in, because the character he played, Wang So, is packed with charm. Shunned and neglected by his own brothers, as well as his parents, Wang So is a pitiful character who carries indelible scars on his face left by his mother’s greed. Since Wang So finds cure for his tragic fate in Hae Soo (played by Lee Ji-eun), it was important for Lee Joon-gi to act from the inside-out.

The kind of internal acting Lee Joon-gi showed in the drama surpassed all expectations. Through those quivering eyes and grave facial expressions, switching between sorrow and happiness, Lee Joon-gi perfectly expressed Wang So’s pain and how it heals. Though Wang So is a laconic man with not many lines to deliver, the actor expressed those emotional nuances in the character. Lee Joon-gi’s delicate emotional performance made the drama with a sad ending linger in our minds.

If “Time between Dog and Wolf” gave Lee Joon-gi the chance to remind viewers of his potential as an action performer, “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” was a testament to his growth as an actor. Viewers were once again captivated by the pathos-evoking emotional performance that is so unique to Lee Joon-gi.

▲Bong Sang-pil in “Lawless Lawyer”: Evolution into an all-around actor, expert in both action and romance

“Lawless Lawyer” marks the first reunion of Kim Jin-min and Lee Joon-gi since “Time between Dog and Wolf” 11 years ago. Even before its premiere, the news of their reunion generated buzz, making viewers both excited and concerned and wonder whether it would be a subpar version of “Time between Dog and Wolf” or it would be another career-defining work for both. But as soon as the premiere aired, viewers’ concern quickly turned into anticipation. And it was Lee Joon-gi who was at the heart of this success.

Lee Joon-gi has created another life-changing character through Bong Sang-pil, which combines the strengths he showed through Lee Soo-hyun and Wang So. Bong Sang-pil has a unique history as he’s a gangster-turned-lawyer. After watching his human rights lawyer mother get killed, he devotes his life to seeking revenge. He also shows an affectionate and passionate side of him in his scenes with his lover Ha Jae-yi (played by Seo Yea-ji). Combining the stunning action performance he pulled off in “Time between Dog and Wolf” with his deeply-felt emotional performance that graced “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” Lee Joon-gi has placed himself right in the center of the drama.

Some similarities between Lee Soo-hyun (“TBDAW”) and Bong Sang-pil could have nudged Lee Joon-gi into the trap of self-parody. However, he has cleverly kept himself from falling into that trap by incorporating a cunning and cheeky personality into Bong Sang-pil. Those clever steps Lee Joon-gi took have helped Bong Sang-pil evolve into a more confident and sharp-witted character than Lee Soo-hyun. Furthermore, Sang-pil’s devotion and love for Ha Jae-yi has delivered viewers a heart-fluttering and touching experience.

From “Time between Dog and Wolf” to “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” and to “Lawless Lawyer,” Lee Joon-gi has shown growth in his acting skills and created a career-defining character on each new project. With only two episodes left, “Lawless Lawyer” makes us wonder if it will come to a successful end with Lee Joon-gi, the “icon of growth,” at the heart of the drama.

#lee joon gi #이준기 #lee jun ki #time between dog and wolf #개와 늑대의 시간 #moon lovers scarlet heart ryeo #달의 연인 #lawless lawyer #무법변호사

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footballghana · 3 years

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European Super League: Mixed reactions from Africa

The news that 12 clubs have signed up to join a new European Super League (ESL) has drawn almost universal condemnation - from fans, players, politicians, administrators - and even royalty.

However, the reaction from around Africa has been a little more mixed .

While there have been some against the idea, others have welcomed it.

For example, former Cameroon defender Sebastien Bassong is philosophical about the proposal - while South Africa's all-time leading scorer Benni McCarthy is not happy with the news.

Philosophical Bassong

So far 12 of Europe's top clubs have agreed to join the new ESL, including six from the English Premier League - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham.

The Premier League clubs will join AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Former Tottenham player Bassong said he can understand why the clubs want to break away.

"I'm not surprised that the clubs are trying break out and create that Super League," he told BBC Sport Africa.

"Change always brings criticism. There are two different sides to it, so it depends what angle you are taking. Because if you are part of a big club, a big institution that has lost a lot of money in recent times, you just want to make your money back.

"I think I understand why they're trying to do it. But also if you are a small club, it would be awful - because that would kill their hope and their aspiration to grow.

"The big dogs want to stay big and they don't want to be caught up by the smaller ones who want to cut that gap. I really think that it's like life now. With capitalism, the rich want to stay rich, and the others are trying to catch up."

Torn Bong

Bassong's compatriot Gaetan Bong, who plays for two-time European champions Nottingham Forest, can also see both sides of the argument.

"I'm in between because I love change because I always think that, as human beings, we always have like evolution, we always have to keep going," he told BBC Sport Africa.

"But at the same time when you love something you don't want to change it too much, because in the end it's not what you had.

"I think it's about a good balance. We love football, we don't want to destroy it, we don't want to end it and we always want it to become better - find a better way to solve the problems.

"I enjoy watching big games with the big clubs - because I like the show. I think every fan wants to see the big ones.

"But at the same time football is about competition, it's about sharing.

"It is about the small clubs against the big ones and you're hoping that the small ones can beat them."

He is also concerned that too many big games means they will simply become less significant.

"We might maybe have some big games but when there is no really consequence then I don't really think that it's the same football, because I know what it is like when you are playing with pressure with a consequence behind that match."

Unhappy McCarthy

Former South Africa striker McCarthy played for Dutch side Ajax and Portugal's FC Porto - both former European champions who have not been invited to the ESL.

He is worried about the future of smaller teams.

"In my humble opinion it's very wrong, and it shouldn't happen," he said.

"It would disrupt the regular season, the regular league and also it will affect the smaller teams in the lower divisions.

"It is a bit of an unfair advantage and I can't believe the bigger teams have signed up they are already strong as it is and this will give them an extra dimension.

"I really hope that the Premier League doesn't allow the bigger teams to join forces in this Super League. In a few years time I can see a lot of the smaller teams in the smaller leagues just disappearing.

"I would be delighted that they (his former club FC Porto) hadn't been invited. How are you going to look down on the other clubs that aren't involved?

"It couldn't have come at a worse time and it looks they (the ESL teams) are trying to benefit from this whole Covid-19 saga to enrich themselves and say 'who cares about the rest of the world?'

"I genuinely hope this thing doesn't go through because it is exciting as it is, with teams fighting it out to win the league to qualify for the Champions League.

"That's where you get an opportunity to play against the best and the biggest teams in the world."

Warning from Zakuani

The former DR Congo captain Gabriel Zakuani said he felt sorry for the fans, the managers and the players who have not been consulted in this process.

"It is incredible that the fans did not have a say in this first of all and just the fact that they (the clubs) had the audacity to sign up for this without the knowledge of everyone, and it just to me just smells of greed," he told BBC Sport Africa.

"Football in this country depends on the supporters as they make the clubs and I just feel that is sort of betraying the supporters and following where the money is.

"I saw the interview with (Manchester Untied manager) Ole Gunnar Solskjear on Sunday and he was sort of a rabbit caught in the headlights he didn't know what to what to say about it.

"He couldn't really go against what the club have agreed to, and it puts everyone in an uncomfortable position. It has sort of lost a bit of integrity and morals."

Zakuani, who spent most of his career in the lower leagues in England, says the sport is in danger of losing some of its unpredictability.

"I think we know how the Premier League works and it is for the people and I feel that now it's trying to go that extra mile to make as much (money) as they can," he pointed out.

"People want to play in Europe through hard work - like the Leicester stories that we've seen, where a team comes from nowhere, wins the league and has the right to to be in Europe.

"For players in general I think it's very difficult because nobody's going to say 'no' to some more money, obviously, so that's the situation, so they may look at it from that aspect."

However he admits the idea of the ESL may well appeal to fans in Africa.

"If I look at it from that point of view, they (fans across Africa) want to see the best players every week so it's perfect for marketing," he pointed out.

"Fans in countries all over the world, and I know Africa first hand, they would love this they would love to see all the top teams play each other everyday.

"For the game where these clubs have come from and the people paying the money week in and week out, they should have a say in what they want to happen to their football club.

"There'll be a lot of teams that will have fans turn their backs on them, and these are fans that have been there from day one.

"But these teams are supported globally so they will fill up that money somehow from somewhere because they are supported all over the world."

The fans' view

Indeed some fans outside Europe have welcomed the idea including Liverpool supporter John Kimbe from Uganda.

"I believe this is a fantastic idea because the quality of football being watched day in day out is going to improve every single day," Kimbe insisted to BBC Sport Africa.

"I will be able to tune in and watch world class players playing against each other - Liverpool playing against Real Madrid - Barcelona against Atletico or AC Milan playing against Chelsea - these are the kind of games I would live for.

"If the players are happy, if the managers are happy with the arrangement then we are going for it."

However Manchester City fan Lotan Salapei from neighbouring Kenya is completely against the proposal.

"The 19th of April of 2021, is one of the saddest days when it comes to football," he told BBC Sport Afirca.

"I am absolutely disgusted. Football is all about competition and the moment where a team feels like they have the God given right to participate in the league, I think for me that beats the whole essence of a sport.

"I am sad about, it hate it, it is disgusting and I am really looking forward to when Uefa will take harsh laws against this.

"I am ready for anything, I am ready for relegation, I am ready for my team to be knocked off from the Champions League, or rather the Premier League because this cannot continue.

"So for me, as a city fan, my opinion is boycott the super league."

Source: bbc.com

source: https://footballghana.com/

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starwarsnonsense · 7 years

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The Best Films of 2017 - Mid-Year List

There have already been many great films so far this year, so I felt it worth doing a run down of my favourite films of the year so far. These all reflect the cinema releases we’ve had so far in the UK in 2017 - for that reason this list includes some films that were released in the US in 2016. Enjoy, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the best films of the year so far!

Honourable mentions: Their Finest, Colossal, Gifted

1. Get Out, dir. Jordan Peele

This film really knocked me for six, to such an extent that I simply had to see it twice in the cinema. It got even better upon a re-watch, when I was able to watch it with full knowledge of the characters’ underlying motives and the things to come. It’s a terrifying concept (the racism of an all-white suburb is taken to a horrifying extreme) executed with incredible panache, and you feel every emotion that Chris goes through thanks to Daniel Kaluuya’s excellent performance. Get Out also represents one of the most brilliantly communal experiences I’ve ever had at the cinema - I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say that the audience erupted into spontaneous applause at a key moment in the climax. Simply fantastic.

2. The Handmaiden, dir. Park Chan-wook

This film is exquisite - it’s first and foremost a beautiful boundary-smashing love story, and an absolutely marvellous tale of female defiance. It transplants Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith to 1930s Korea, and the story is effortlessly adapted to become intrinsically interwoven with its new setting. Sookee is a talented pickpocket plucked from a thieves den and sent as a handmaiden to trick a rich heiress into falling for a conman. To say any more would spoil the twists, but this film is just a masterwork of suspense, keeping you guessing throughout a series of interlocking pieces that take their time to reveal their secrets. I’ve seen the theatrical cut and the extended version, and they’re both great - you’re in for a treat with either.

3. Jackie, dir. Pablo Larrain

This is a film that soars on the strength of Natalie Portman’s incredible performance, which is complemented by Mica Levi’s haunting score. Portman’s performance is painfully vivid, with her agony and wretchedness coming through so intensely that it’s often uncomfortable to watch. Jackie is probably the best portrait of grief I’ve ever seen, and it sucks you into a famous historic event by providing an incredibly intimate perspective on it. This is great cinema, but be prepared for suffering.

4. A Cure for Wellness, dir. Gore Verbinski

This is a delightfully strange Gothic fairy tale of a film, and I’m amazed and impressed that a Hollywood studio gave Gore Verbinski a budget sufficient to pull it off with such beauty and style. I’ve seen this film attract love and hate in equal measure, but I adore it - the trailers set you up for a rehash of Shutter Island, but nothing could be further from the truth beyond the isolated setting. If I had to compare this to anything, I would compare it to Roger Corman’s Poe cycle of films from the 1960s - it has a similarly lurid sensibility and a deep-seated sense of fantastic romanticism at its core. Great if you’re after something uncompromisingly bonkers.

5. Wonder Woman, dir. Patty Jenkins

This film represented pure joy for me - I couldn’t have anticipated how emotional I was going to get at witnessing a (wonder!)woman crossing No Man’s Land and deflecting bullets with her bracelets. This simultaneously rejects the wry self-awareness of the Marvel films and the grim self-importance of the previous DC movies, instead unabashedly depicting a superhero who triumphs thanks to her overriding belief in love and compassion. Patty Jenkins adds endless little touches - from funny moments to quiet scenes where characters talk simply to learn about each other - that enrich the film and make it feel vivid and intimate in a very rare and special way.

6. Silence, dir. Martin Scorsese

This is truly the work of a master filmmaker, and it represents a stunning artistic achievement and a moving and intelligent investigation of the threshold of faith. Scorsese tried to get this made for decades before finally succeeding, and his passion for and belief in the project shine through in every painstakingly crafted frame. Silence is equal parts beauty and brutality, and it uses this contrast to illuminate the painful questions that the faithful must ask themselves when faced with the harsh reality of the present world. It’s heavy stuff, but well worth your time if you’re up for a film that raises more questions than it answers.

7. In This Corner of the World, dir. Sunao Katabuchi

I had no idea this film existed until a few days before I saw it, but I was really struck by its poetic treatment of the joys and tragedies of life. This film follows a young bride who moves to live with her husband’s family in WWII-era Japan, and while it deals unflinchingly with the trauma and horror of war - particularly the bombing of Hiroshima - it’s also surprisingly funny and ultimately hopeful. The power of this film comes through in the little moments of human connection and the way that the full potential of animation is exploited to maximum effect.

8. La La Land, dir. Damien Chazelle

A lovely ode to the classic Hollywood musical, La La Land is a technical marvel that sticks with me because of its heart and humanity (those words are recurring a lot, right?). It tells a very small story of a love affair between two dreamers in Hollywood, but it feels much bigger than them because of the way in which their story is told. La La Land draws from influences across the spectrum of cinema, and its homages to the classics are joyful and loving. The final ‘what might have been’ sequence represents the perfect marriage of raw emotion and filmmaking virtuosity.

9. Okja, dir. Bong Joon-ho

Not many films can balance flatulence jokes with uncompromising critique of capitalist greed, but Okja pulls it off with aplomb. The core story hinges on the innocent and endearing friendship between a young girl named Mija and a bio-engineered super pig called Okja, and the film succeeds because you totally buy their connection and desperately want the two of them to have their wish and live together in the mountains. I'm delighted that Netflix gave Bong Joon-ho a platform to make such a weird beast.

10. Logan, dir. James Mangold

Logan may be bleak, but that isn’t what makes it great - Logan is fantastic cinema because it remembers that superheroes are still people who struggle with their own souls as much as super-villains. This film features the best character work managed in any of the X-Men films, and Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and - in particular - Dafne Keen give heart-rending performances that really ground the film and give it an emotional core. I hope we get more superhero films like this, and that the takeaway from it for the industry is the importance of stressing character rather than frantic spectacle.

Most anticipated films still to come: War for the Planet of the Apes, Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets, Dunkirk, The Beguiled, Mother!, Logan Lucky, Blade Runner 2049, Murder on the Orient Express, The Shape of Water, Annihilation, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

#film #cinema #logan #the handmaiden #get out #jackie #okja #in this corner of the world #a cure for wellness #silence #wonder woman #la la land #best of the year

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eyshiesg · 4 years

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PARASITE

Near the opening of the film, as we are introduced to the Kim family, its members and the modest accommodation and meagre means the family survives in, the focus immediately lingers over on Ki-woo, who is visibly distressed over their neighbours changing the Wi-Fi password, thus ceasing the family’s access to free Wi-Fi, something that they have all been doing presumably for some time now. Ki-woo scouts corners of the house, running his phone next to the ceiling in the hope of catching a signal, now joined by his sister Ki-Jung. The funny thing here is that the parents too suggest this charade to their children, who finally find an inch of Wi-Fi coverage in their bathroom, perched atop the WC platform. It’s a rather whimsical note to start the film on, and more particularly to introduce your protagonists: there is aspiration here, there is desire, there is thrift, there is also an inertia, and a makeshift-ness about this scene, and the supposed normalcy of it all that’s completely striking. However, it also essentially embodies what the film is going to be about, also letting you in on how its title relates to the subject matter of the film. Gisaengchung as it is called in native Korean, or ‘Parasite’ as it is known otherwise worldwide, is first and foremost a social drama. The satire, and everything that follows is either derivative of it or directly stems from it. How then could a social drama relate to an organism known to fend off of the expense of another host, mostly unbeknownst to the host, was amazingly intriguing to me. The film of course answers that by the time the credits roll, but the way it uses the unceasing human want and social disparity, essentially working off of the divide between the haves and the have nots, and each’s reliance on the other, while being relentlessly entertaining all through, is something especially commendable. That in fact is the genius of Bong Joon Ho’s work here.

〝 What life lessons can be learned from the movie? 〞

⋞ Envy make us build’

⋞ Greed is destructive

⋞Everyone wants to feel important

⋞ Money does not make you immune to misery

⋞ Awareness is hard, ignorance is easy

〝What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Why? 〞

⥓ When the father tell his son ‘’Ki-woo, you know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. You know why? If you make a plan life never works out that way. ‘’ . In a view of something, you never make plans in life because life has its own plan. If you make plan and if it fails you will be unhappy. Just go with plans has made for you. And such a powerful statement of life.

〝Who was your favorite character in the movie? Why?〞

Ki-Taek, Father Of The Kim Family

⌕ Ki-taek may be out of work, but he's no dummy. He has the hardest part to play in getting rid of Moon-gwang. Not only does he have to create suspicion about her, but he has to then convince Yeon-gyo to dispose of Moon-gwang without actually advocating for it. Yes, he receives help from Ki-jeong and Ki-woo with the peaches, but he is the one who must do the talking afterward. His decision to kill Mr. Park at the end is a shocking and perhaps poor one, but not entirely unjustified. That he also manages to go into hiding in the Park's basement as did Geun-sae is pretty impressive given all the people that had to be going in and out of the house.

〝Did anything that happened in the movie remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or that you have seen occur to others? 〞

▸Yes. Recently, everyone is advised to stay at home. I can still remember watching ‘’Parasite Movie’’, where you can clearly see the thin line between the rich and the poor. Remember the scene when it rained hard? It was a blessing for the rich because the yard has been watered, while poor people were struggling to save their lives, homes, and things from a heavy flood. Guess what? This is totally happening right now. Seeing posts from well off people (e.g. celebrities, politicians) that staying at home at this moment is the best season to #reconnect, #meditate, #relax, & etc. Some, where even thanking (grateful) this happened so Earth can breathe. Well, this is the bigger picture: Not everyone can afford Netflix&chill, can sit on their comfy sofa, can scroll on their phone all day, without thinking what to eat without going out to work. No work, no pay. This is not to attack the privileged (since you’ve worked for it), but little empathy do.

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bnrobertson1 · 5 years

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Seeing In the Rain: BRNR #22 “Parasite”

[Note: Reading this you may notice that I put in very few plot points. This was intentional. For maximum impact I’d recommend going into the film knowing as little as possible.]

Pants and shoes drenched with Austin flash flood isn’t the ideal way to enjoy most films in a freezing theater. But most movies aren’t Parasite*.

*In fact, none of them are except Parasite

Helmed by Korean (and universal) treasure Bong Joon-ho, Parasite is a multi-genred, polylayered screed on class. It’s not as epic as Snowpiercer or The Host, but its alchemic wonders were clearly made by the same brain.

Rain- as both cleanser and killer, as both metaphor and fact- plays a critical role in the film. And, yeah, having flood-frozen feet for the duration of the very swift 130 minutes definitely upped my empathy as only a slow-gnawing misery can. But an even more essential part of the experience was the setting in which I saw it: specifically, mid-October 2019 in Austin, TX.

There are few American cities where there is a clearer line between “haves” and “have nots” as Austin. It’s not quite as Dickensian* as San Francisco, but as a city built on a free-wheeling, accepting spirit and the pursuit of bleeding edge technology, the separation of resources was inevitable. It’s somewhat predictably led to a substantial income gap, where to even be “Middle Class” you need a Master’s. One consequence of this- and it’s a horrible one- is homelessness**. And while I was kind of pissed as I was soaking wet in a movie theater, I could only imagine the true pain the thousands of less fortunate were feeling with no shelter to protect them from the freezing rain. It deepened the newfound aforementioned empathy.

*A word I use genuinely here, although David Simon would probably stop reading this if he got to it.

**The homeless problem is such an explosive issue in Austin it’s attracting national news. While anybody who’s lived here for a while can tell you that it’s hardly a new issue, it has recently bubbled to the surface following a Camping Ordinance ban lift by Major Steve Adler. This led to a business-annoying chaos, which has led to the Governor to chime in which has led…. You get the point. And while I do have an acute desire in my gut to go off on pretty much everyone involved as I find few things as despicable as the use human suffering in the service of political aspirations, I’ll save it for a more appropriate time.

The characters in Parasite are not homeless, per se. Nor are they helpless. But they do live in a cramped “half basement” apartment- one that literally floods with sewage in storms. They work shit jobs that no one could care about. None of them are conventionally educated*, although all are crafty in their own way. The family they infiltrate is equally as strange but in a rich-person way. Naturally, the film makes a number of parallels between the two groups- the sterile art- and clothed sex- of the rich house versus the gritty liveliness of the basement apartment. The willing, destructive greed of the poor versus the post-wealth superiority-complex-nourished callousness of the wealthy. The film presents them almost as two different species- down to their smells and movements- to astounding effect. Because that does seem to be where this is going in many ways- this horrible slide into 1% versus 99% where the top evolves with all the earth’s resources and qualities and leaves all the trash and suffering for devolution of the majority.

*At times it’s implied they’re actually quite dumb. Although they’re certainly wilier than the family that employs them, whose intelligence is questionable at best.

Parasite succeeds because while its weird universe is set a world away it never feels foreign. Is the film an omen of things to come? A parable of what happens when we lose all ability to connect with those different from ourselves? Or just a really funny and entertaining take on the Heist film? And, who exactly is the “parasite?” For the better, none of these questions are explicitly answered, although those familiar with the director’s past work know he sides with the disadvantaged masses more than any “elite.” This time, however, he makes the “workers” far more flawed, and thus human, characters. It gives the film a life rare to find in art. And somehow gave meaning to witnessing it while wearing soaking wet clothes. Grade: A

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wheresrr · 5 years

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Get ready for a thriller that will get under your skin as SM Cinema exclusively brings Parasite – winner of the 2019 Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival – to Philippine cinemas nationwide. Easily one of the most recognizable modern-day directors, Bong Joon-ho is known for genre-bending films such as The Host, Mother and Snowpiercer. His latest film Parasite is a black comedy/drama in the mold of a home invasion thriller that offers the audience a darkly funny yet ultimately unsettling glimpse into the lives of two families divided by class. Parasite follows the Kim family who live in a sub-basement apartment in a low income area of Seoul. Ki-Woo, the Kims’ eldest son, with the help of his sister Ki-Jung, forges a fake diploma and gets the opportunity to work at the hilltop mansion of the very wealthy Park family. However, greed threatens the security of his job, as well as the safety of his own family and the people around him. Parasite stars Song Kang-Ho as Ki taek, Jang Hye-Jin as Choong-Sook, Choi Woo-Sik as Ki-Woo and Park So-Dam as Ki-Jung. Catch Parasite starting August 14, only at SM Cinema branches nationwide. Book your tickets through the website, www.smcinema.com or download the SM Cinema mobile app. You may also follow /SMCinema on Facebook and @SM_Cinema on Instagram for updates. Satisfy your cravings at Snack Time, the official food concessionaire of SM Cinema, which offers a wide array of snacks like popcorn, hotdogs and burgers to complement your movie watching experience. Follow /SnackTimeOfficial on Facebook for more information. #movie #entertainment #parasite #cannes #korean https://www.instagram.com/p/B1IFfoMHset/?igshid=11bnu5hx6pd4l

#movie #entertainment #parasite #cannes #korean

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bookwormguri · 7 years

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A Kinda ‘Okja’ Analysis

I’m still peeved over Okja, but after gathering my thoughts and sleeping on it, I think I can more accurately discuss why I thought it was a bad movie.

Rest is under the cut if you don’t want to see the negative shit and because it got REALLY long.

I was finally able to pinpoint why Okja made me so angry. Going back and rewatching the trailers, to me it seemed like we were going to be in for a movie about the bond of friendship, a feel-good and possible heartbreaking story about Okja and Mija’s relationship. We did get that. And I find that part of the film to be it’s driving force and greatest pull. Unfortunately, the film gets bogged down by a ton of other messages, where nothing gets resolved.

The description of the movie on Netflix seems much more accurate that the trailers ever were (”A gentle giant and the girl who raised her are caught in the crossfire between animal activism, corporate greed and scientific ethics.”) which is also unfortunate seeing as the trailer is wat got me hyped for the film. To me, the film seemed to be going for The BFG or Pete’s Dragon feel through their trailer editing and language and I can’t help but feel lied to with the final product.

I understand why some people enjoy the movie. It does apply some commentary to the corporate greed aspect and is staunchly anti-capitalism which I LOVE. However, for its possible pro-vegetarianism message (as many fans seem to be taking it as) is not only misguided, but also confuses the tone of the film. The thing that makes me the angriest is how Okja and Mija’s bond and storyline seems to be sacrificed for these sensationalised themes.

I tried to break down the other issues I had with the film into the following categories.

Characterization As much as every seems to love the ALF, what do we even know about our loveable bunch of not-terrorists? Aside from Jay, they can easily be categorised as ‘Snarky + one notable personality/physical trait + ALF Member.’

Red = Snarky Female ALF Member Silver = Snarky Hungry ALF Member Blonde = Snarky Big Guy ALF Member K = Steven Yeun

Trust me, I use the same technique when I need to make NPCs in D&D to make them seem like an actual person instead of a cardboard cutout. This technique is fine and dandy for the side characters that they are, but the characterization falls flat for many of the bigger characters as well.

Jay introduces himself as a lover of all living creatures. I thought he came off as creepy, which is why I thought the film was going to the set-up of “corporations are bad, but their opposite isn't altogether innocent either.” I was almost entirely sure we were going this route when Jay beats K, but no, not only was this completely out of character, but the ALF turn out to be the good guys through and through.

I give some leeway to the Jay-K scene as it was during that absolute trash rape scene, so we can infer that Jay let his emotions get the better of him and he decided to throw away his non-violent creed in a fit of passion. Okay, sure. But what about why he goes to hit Okja with the mic stand and Mija stops him? Up until the point with K, Jay had been established as a person who did not act brashly like that, especially against and animal that he saw being raped and tortured. This is what I mean by poor characterization. When they can’t keep one of their titular characters IC, what’s even the point?

Speaking of titular character, let’s talk about Lucy. Aside from Mija, I think we got the best performance and characterization from Lucy. We got to know her motivations and insecurities throughout the film, which is why I can’t fucking fathom why they toss her aside to shoehorn in her sister as the titular villain. Oh wait, yes I can. Because without Nancy taking Lucy’s place as the villain at the very end we would have had no reason for the gratuitous slaughter house showdown.

Why the filmmakers thought it was a good idea to bring in Nancy is beyond me. We spend almost the entire film with Lucy telling us how horrible and barbaric Nancy is, and once she’s introduced, BAM, she’s exactly that. No intrigue if Lucy’s perception of her sister is a bit biased. No investment to ‘beating’ Nancy like there was with Lucy. No. She was just there.

Bong Joon-ho said in an interview that he scrapped the first ending of the film (where all the pigs in the slaughterhouse would be set free) because he’s too much of a realist and it would be too-Disney. Idk what is more Disney that the Nacy style of villain to be honest?

Lastly, let’s talk about Mija. Honestly, I found her performance to be the best out of everyone. Not surprising considering she is the lead, but there are still parts that are lacking. For one, while Mija’s single-minded determination to find Okja is fantastic to see, her poker face and steadfast gaze gets repetitive after a while. I would have loved to see more emotional scenes with her like when she was on the mountain (both in the beginning and end).

Speaking of emotions, why oh WHY, is this film allergic to even giving Mija’s close-up shots? You know what would have REALLY driven the emotional impact of Mija and Okja’s reuion? A fucking shot of Mija’s face as she realises how Okja has changed. OR when Jenifer not-so-subtly threatens Okja to get Mija to cooperate? Would have been nice.

What makes me the saddest is the missed opportunity during the slaughter-house showdown. Mija ‘celverly’ uses the golden pig to buy Okja (because who didn’t see that coming the minute she put it in her fanny pack?), but we’ve already seen how that pig means nothing to her from when she slams to the ground in the beginning. Her giving it up to Nancy carries no emotional weight and is honestly a poor climatic solution. Of course, it feeds into the message of corporate greed I spoke about before, but as I also said, it is at the expense of actual deep, emotional impact from Mija as she finally finally gets Okja back. I got more satisfaction from all the times Mija screams, “Okja-ya!!”

Mixed Messages I really don’t think this film knows where to go with its final message. We’ve got the Homeward Bound or Fox and the Hound theme of best friends doing anything for one another and to get back home. Then we’ve got Lucy and later Nancy with the corporate greed, anti-capitalism side. THEN we have the animal rights theme being pushed quite heavy-handedly in the most grotesque scenes. And of course it introduces the ethics of science before forgetting it altogether.

The problem is, this film was not great about balancing these issues in a way that didn’t make it seem like even the film didn’t know what it was going for.

Furthermore, from what I’ve read in the Okja tag it seems like many people have chomped into the animal rights theme and refuse to let go. While I think the handling of the various themes could have been handled a lot better, it is no better to dismiss the other messages. Many people seem to mistakenly label the film as pro-Vegan and say they will stop eating meat after seeing the film. This is a perversion of the intent if I’ve ever seen one. While the film tries to shed a light on the horrible conditions of mass produced meat, it does not try to preach that all meat is bad. (Mija and her grandfather are farmers for christ’s sakes) I think many people are forgetting the beginning of the film where Mija has Okja catch a fish for her to make into stew? Or when her grandfather makes her “favorite” chicken stew?

Instead of stopping at the simple solution of “don’t eat meat” we need to delve further into what makes something have enough ethic to pass the standard of consumption (even as Silver mumbles about when refusing to eat a tomato). Of course, that is not an easy conversation to have because it inevitably will lead to a conversation about economic disparity and whom has access to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. I don’t have the time to go into that here so I’ll just leave it at that.

Loose Ends Boy howdy are there a lot of them.

Why happened to Lucy after her sister says they won’t help her with legal fees? What happened to Wilcox? Why are Nancy and Frank even in cahoots? Why did none of the people watching a drunk Wilcox harvest from Okja stop him when we know Okja was not supposed to be harmed? Who the hell even were those people? How long was Okja in the lab? What caused her to go all rampage-y? Who the fuck where those three taste-testers and why did they take up valuable screen time? Who is K’s doctor friend? Hello Ms. Conveienient Plot Device? How are Jay and K able to break into Mirando’s slaughter-house with relative ease but not their lab? If they expected to get caught why even bring Mija? So she could say goodbye to Okja before she’s killed?

The question that is most important to me:

WHY DID WE NEVER REVISIT OKJA BEING AN ACTUALLY INTELLIGENT CREATURE?? LIKE, SHE SAVED MIJA FROM THE CLIFF AND SPENDS THE REST OF THE FILM ONLY REACTING TO WHEN MIJA CALLS HER NAME??? MY IDIOT CAT DOES THAT.

I’m sure there’s more that I could pick out if I watched the film again.

Tonal Issues My biggest gripe with the whole fucking movie was its tone issues. There was even one point I said to myself, “Oh, we’re not supposed to take this seriously, it's just a good-time film.” This, of course, was before the dark second half.

I’ve seen some people praise the film for being seamless in its transition from fart jokes to serious commentary, but I’d like to ask what about it was possibly seamless? I would have gotten whiplash it the tone was any more sporadic.

Furthermore, the ‘serious’ bits were mostly those with ‘graphic’ imagery like the rape scene or the whole slaughterhouse. I found the Wilcox and Okja scene was actually one of the better scenes, but it on top of the gratuitous rape scene ended up just feeling like bad torture porn. The Wilcox scene on its own would have stood up much better as it is a human doing the evil deeds, not another animal. That carries more emotional weight for Okja whom has never met another mutant pig.

The ALF and Mirando specifically suffer from tone issues and I have more to say about all of these problems, but I’ve already talked for long enough.

#nats gabs #okja #okja critical #this is how i put my college degree to use i guess

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just-some-other-reviews · 8 years

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Here’s another really short web drama, but an really interesting one, since, so far, it’s one of the rare who’s completely supernatural.

Nightmare Teacher (Nightmare High, Night Teacher) is another school drama. Following the accident in which Ye-Rim’s teacher is involved, Han Bong-Gu becomes the substitute teacher. After his arrival, strange things keep happening to students. Ye-Rim’s, finding it strange, is decided to uncover what kind of secrets their teacher is keeping and what kind of meeting he has with students in the consultation room. It’s a kind of mystery and suspense drama, even though I would more label it as supernatural.

I’ll keep my review very short since it’s a web drama, so it’s not more than twelve episodes of around a tenth of minutes.

The concept is, first of all, very interesting. So far, I hadn’t seen something like that and it’s, exactly, the type of drama I like. The teacher’s character and his aptitudes are completely awesome. Also, all the stories of those teenagers who fell into the teacher’s trap are completely reliable for teenagers and I was happily surprised that it wasn’t some kind of “morale” drama. They didn’t try to make the viewer think “Oh, that’s the solution for it”. None of the teenagers’ problems are completely solved at the end of the drama. The fact that Ye-Rim’s, even though she’s the heroine, doesn’t know everything was also very interesting. She wasn’t remembering more than the ones around her, she had simply a more curious nature than them and she couldn’t keep herself for questioning herself about her strange suspicions that someone was missing. Most of the cliché characters are nicely exploited making them become victim of their own clichés. By example, the popular and pretty girl who is one of the most annoying cliché according to me ends up in a infernal cycle because of her greed for being prettier and more popular. She stays a very superficial character, but since her story becomes more than “I’m popular” she can also been seen as a very interesting character. I’ll be honest, she’s not the better example of the nice cliché character, but she’s the only one I’m willing to reveal. Also, it’s not a romance drama, even though we can see hints here and there of it. It’s a nicely written drama and, because it’s short, it doesn’t have lengths. It’s as easy to watch as interesting.

I’ll conclude here because I might run my mouth a bit too much. The plot would deserve a 8/10 and the characters 1/5, since a web drama doesn’t allow characters’ development.

#nightmare teacher #kdrama #k-drama #review

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ericjuneau · 8 years

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Reprise (Chapter 31) [Frozen/Tangled/The Little Mermaid]

CHAPTER 31: The Right Friends

There was no noise. The bangs and booms had ceased. The ground no longer vibrated.

"Unh, come on," Ariel said. She jabbed her trident at a point near the dome's ceiling, chipping at the ice. A blast of lightning in these tight quarters could be disastrous.

Rapunzel sat against the wall. The passing time, the muffled silence, didn't bother her. The image of Elsa did. She hugged her knees as ice chips spattered her cheeks.

Ariel felt all three tines embed, instead just of the center point. "I think we're almost there."

Three more digs and a beam of light appeared. Ariel scraped against the aperture. Rapunzel pulled away the loose rocks.

It was daylight all right. They could see trees and hear birds.

"How did we get outside?" Ariel asked. "Did we teleport?"

Rapunzel knew the answer, but said nothing while Ariel hacked into the loose hole. One final blow excavated enough space to push out their thin frames.

Ariel gripped each side of the hole, pushed out her head, then her whole body. Weaving through portholes of sunken ships had prepared her for this. She tumbled onto grassy ground.

"Where's the castle?" Ariel asked.

"It's gone," Rapunzel said.

All around them lay a forest clearing. Thick, powdery snow covered the tall grass, like a patch of arctic in the middle of a forest. No trace of the castle remained.

"Elsa! Elsa, where are you?" Rapunzel shouted.

"Elsa!" Ariel shouted. "Elsa!"

"Ariel, she might have... she was in the castle at the time."

"If she saved us, she could have saved herself," Ariel replied.

They searched, spiraling out from the center. As they got closer to the edge, the sad reality ebbed in. Elsa could have protected herself, but didn't. The power had taken over. She had been so single-minded, she'd forgotten her own self.

Ariel poked the ground with her trident. Something underneath the snow was glowing.

"What's that?" Rapunzel asked.

"The morimema," Ariel said. It lay in the snow, now dull blue instead of pink, on the remains of its glass case. "I guess it's all that remains of Lowther now." She placed it in her pocket. "It must have been the only thing not made with Lowther's magic, so it stayed when he..."

Rapunzel reached the edge where only pebbles lay on snowy grass. Where Lowther's illusion ended, so did the snow. "Ariel, we can't stay here looking. We've got-"

"No, look!" Ariel pointed to the ground. "Footprints. In the snow."

"It must be her. They're too small to be a man's." Rapunzel laughed and hugged Ariel. "She's still alive!"

Side by side, they followed the footsteps north into the forest. All they had to follow were the direction of the footsteps, which ended when the snow did.

Hours passed while they called out "Elsa! Elsa!" But no answer. No sign of her passing, no ice on the trees. They didn't dare rest, for hope they could catch up to her.

Ariel remembered--from studying the map--there was nothing much in this direction but a small, rarely-used pier.

"She's going where I had the Barefoot Maiden dropped off," Ariel said. "I bet that's what she's heading for."

"She can't sail it without us, can she?" Rapunzel said.

Ariel shrugged.

Through the trees, they could see the ocean, along with the orange, pink, and red hues of sunset. And still no Elsa.

Rapunzel kicked a rock. "This is getting too frustrating. Nothing is going our way. Everyone we meet is trying to kill us. Your own kingdom, even," she said to Ariel. "And now Elsa's disappeared. Or something's happened to her. And we have no one we can turn to. No friends."

"We don't need a lot of friends," Ariel replied. "Just the right ones."

"Everywhere we turn, there's something new trying to attack us or stop us. What's going to be next?"

Their last steps brought them out onto the low cliffside before the pier. A boat was definitely docked there--a giant battleship. Its bow shadowed them, like the chest of a giant.

A group of naval soldiers walked up the gnoll towards them. Upon sight, they unshouldered their muskets and aimed. "Hold!"

Ariel and Rapunzel stood there dumbfounded.

Someone on deck shouted down. "What ho?" He had highly decorated lapels.

"A lucky find. Look now."

"Blast me..." he said. "Bring them on board."

Half the soldiers held their rifles while the others readied the rope. Were they mercenaries? Pirates?

They dragged Ariel and Rapunzel, bound and gagged, up the gangplank and on board the galleon. Other crewmembers gathered to see the commotion.

"Well, well, well," the captain said. "Here we are, waiting to prey on any passing ship. And who do we come upon but the two biggest enemies of the state. I would not dare calculate the chances of this. But a sailor knows not to question good fortune."

Rapunzel asked "What are you talking about?" but went ignored.

"Prepare the brig, sir?" one of the sailors asked.

"No. Execution. Immediately."

The deck murmured with mixed delight and surprise.

"Sir," one of the men said. Instead of a uniform, he wore a grease-stained apron with a saucepan hanging off his belt. An equally greasy handkerchief covered his grubby face. "Wouldn't it make more sense to bring them back alive? As hostages? We could use them for negotiations."

"As long as they still live, they have the chance of escape. I will not preserve them for the sake of my ego or to curry favor. Their bodies will earn all the accolades we need."

"What about that blonde one? They say she's got magic hair. Make ye live forever."

"Irrelevant. I'm not going to make a tactical mistake because of base greed. Too many have made the same mistake--they failed to use the opportunity when it came. Their pride or avarice got in the way." He turned to the others. "If he speaks again, stab him." To his lieutenants with guns, "Men, stand at attention."

Four men situated themselves in the middle of the deck. The ones holding Ariel and Rapunzel backed away and rejoined the crowd.

The captain unsheathed his sword and held it upright. "Ready!"

As the soldiers cocked their guns, Rapunzel looked for the man in the apron. He was their only advocate, plus something was familiar about him. But he had disappeared in the crowd.

"Aim!" The rifles dropped. Four empty black holes stared at them. Ariel squealed.

Rapunzel located the cook climbing up the rigging to the crow's nest. No one noticed him--all eyes were on the impending execution. Halfway up, he yanked a kitchen knife from his pocket and cut a rope.

"Fire!"

The cook swung down with the knife in his teeth as the word was spoken. He launched into all four, knocking them down like dominoes. The shots went wild. Two splintered the wood behind them.

The deck erupted into chaos. The cook rushed over and cut through their bonds. "Who are you?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh, that's a fine greeting," he said. "I mean, granted, this is a good disguise, but not that good. It's the nose, isn't it? The handkerchief hides the nose."

"Eugene?"

The crewmen helped the soldiers to their feet.

"Traitor!" The captain pointed his sword. "Who are you? Talk and your death will be... less slow."

The man pulled his handkerchief off. "Why, you are in the presence of the one and only Flynn Rider. The finest rogue and magsman in the country."

The crewmen stared at him. "I thought his nose was different."

"Yeah, bigger."

"And more crooked."

The captain growled. "Kill them!" He thrust his sword in the air.

"Well, don't just stand there." Flynn handed Rapunzel a frying pan from behind his back. "'The smolder' won't work on these guys."

Flynn blocked the captain's overhead swing with his kitchen knife.

Two approached Rapunzel. They stepped in the loops of hair spooled around the deck. She grabbed a chunk and yanked. The loops tightened, pulling their feet out from under.

Ariel pulled out her trident. She spun the blunt end forward and socked one in the stomach. Another behind her back held up a cutlass over her head. She executed a 270-degree turn, whipping the end of her staff into his side. He whimpered, then crumbled into a ball.

But now her back was to most of her attackers. The nearest, she thrust her pole down. Its pointed ends jabbed into one of the sailor's boots. His eyes spun as he yelped with pain.

Ariel checked on Rapunzel. She was keeping the others on the ship from engaging with Flynn and the captain. It was all she could do to keep them away.

Someone sprinted towards her, cutlass outstretched to run her through. "Rapunzel! On your left!"

Rapunzel quick-stepped to the side and banged his head with the frying pan. He tripped and fell into a barrel. She gave a thumbs-up to Ariel.

Someone threw a metal bucket. Rapunzel smacked it with the pan, returning their serve. It wedged onto the thrower's head so hard it stuck. She glanced back at Flynn.

"I should have known you were a spy," the captain said as metal clanged.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. I've been doing this for years." Flynn parried another blow.

"You think you can win with a chef's knife?"

"You'd be surprised how handy kitchen utensils can be."

The captain grimaced, then followed with a flurry of determined slashes.

Flynn backed up against the railing, defending against the jabs. The tip of the captain's sword slashed his wrist. Flynn lost grip on the kitchen knife, which fell over the side.

The captain pointed his sword at Flynn's heart. "And now, miscreant, the die is cast."

KA-BONG.

The captain's head shivered. His body tensed. He fell to the side, slumped into unconsciousness. Rapunzel stood behind him, holding her frying pan.

"You mean 'cast iron'," she said. She reached out to help Flynn up.

"Thanks, Blondie. We should tally up who's saved who the most, just to make sure we're even."

"They say keeping score is bad in a marriage," she smiled.

A growl alerted them that the fight wasn't over yet. The remaining crew members were closing in on them.

"Guys!" Ariel shouted from above. She was halfway up the main mast, holding onto the rigging with one hand. The trident in her other hand gleamed. "Hang on to something."

Rapunzel and Flynn grabbed the railing of the ship for dear life.

Ariel pointed the trident into the ocean, off the side of the ship. The ethereal charge reached a pinnacle and a single gold beam shot into the water. Water rose like a tide at the impact point. At the same time, the opposite side lowered. In seconds, the ship had tilted forty-five degrees and still climbing.

The crew, those who weren't unconscious, scrambled against gravity. The floor that was supposed to be horizontal had become vertical. Barrels and bodies knocked into most of them, sending them splashing into the ocean.

One last sailor managed to clamber onto the opposite railing. His legs kicked in the air, but he wouldn't let go.

Rapunzel scowled. She grabbed a tress of hair and spun it with a sharp thrust. It sailed up and wrapped around his leg. She tugged with all her might. The sailor let go. With arms and legs flailing, he splashed into the water like a cannonball.

Ariel ceased her magic, righting the ship steadily. Once everything was level, she jumped down from the netting.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

Rapunzel and Flynn were already hugging and kissing each other. Ariel rolled her eyes and smirked, a little embarrassed.

"What are you doing here?" Rapunzel playfully punched Flynn in the chest.

"Figures. I finally find my love and she doesn't know whether to kiss me or kill me." Flynn cocked his head at Ariel with a hint of roguish smolder. Ariel giggled.

That didn't stop Rapunzel. "How did you get here? Why are you dressed like that? Why are you on this ship?"

"I'm spying for Corona."

"As the ship's cook?" Rapunzel asked.

Flynn grinned. "Number one lesson for sneakery--no one questions the kitchen staff. Someone got too nosy, I just threw potatoes at them and threatened to serve moldy bread. Better than being recognized as His Royal Highness Prince of Corona."

"But why? What's happening in Corona? Did you figure out the library fire? Did Ansel return?"

Flynn sighed. "That's a long story."

"We need to get to Arendelle," Ariel said. "We lost Elsa. And Arendelle's the only place I can think to look for her."

"No problem." Flynn rubbed his hands together. "I know this ship like the back of my hand. Just find a comfortable cabin, ladies, and old Flynn Rider will do-"

"I got it." Ariel trotted to the back of the ship. She leaned over the side and pointed her trident into the water.

A moment later, the world leaned again, twisting to the left. Flynn and Rapunzel held onto each other for balance as the wooden boards creaked and groaned.

Once the ship faced the open ocean a sudden jerk swept them off their feet. The masts swayed as the ship burst forward.

"There," Ariel said. "Arendelle by morning, at this speed. Assuming we don't veer off course. Keep the prow true north and we shouldn't have much trouble. The anchor's weighed and the rigging line's secured. Watch that boom, it felt a little loose. Do you know if the oakum is holding?"

"Um... I... I can steer," Flynn said.

"Good," Ariel patted him on the back. "And let's remember to take the flag down this time."

"So here's what we know..."

Flynn adjusted the wheel to the left. Ariel leaned over the rail, watching the ocean pass by. Rapunzel helped her husband steer.

"When you left Arendelle, Prince Hans and the Duke and were still in the harbor. Then all of a sudden Commander Ansel comes over the horizon with half the Corona navy. Hans's navy skedaddles. Ansel makes it to shore. Big celebration. He stays docked in Arendelle a while, just to make sure they don't come back."

"Good thinking," Rapunzel said. "People would know the queen was gone before long. Anna could use the help."

"Yeah, except for the part where Anna's disappeared and Ansel's declared himself ruler of Arendelle."

"What? When did that happen?" Ariel asked.

"How did that happen?" Rapunzel asked.

"No one has any idea. They've been keeping their borders tight. All we know is, he's sending out diplomats and ambassadors to other countries, seeking aid and alliances. He's declaring himself Arendelle's new governor. And not under Corona's flag either. I think he saw an opportunity to conquer and he took it. Arendelle was weak, covered with snow, helpless."

"That dirty... I trusted him," Rapunzel stammered. She rubbed her forehead. "I told him everything about Arendelle's defenses. I spent hours going over the landscape with him. He must have walked in like he owned the place."

"It was a bloodless takeover. Calling himself Lord Protector, so it sounds less like an overthrow," Flynn said.

Rapunzel looked up, startled. "What happened to Anna? Is she-"

"Don't know," Flynn said. "He hasn't said either way. Just that he's instated himself."

Rapunzel wiped away tears. "I should have stayed. They were facing a war and I just left."

"Princess Anna was there, wasn't she?" Flynn asked.

"She... she's not... exactly..." Rapunzel sighed. "Look, I've got to confess something. While Elsa was gone, I took over most of Anna's duties. I formed the laws, made judgments, held meetings. And the people loved it. They loved it so much they asked me to be their queen."

"What?" Flynn said. "Are you serious?"

"They wanted me to usurp Elsa. For Corona to annex the country."

"Wasn't Anna their queen regent?" Flynn asked.

"She was. But... they think I'm better."

"What were you doing taking over her job?" Ariel asked.

"It wasn't my fault, I just sort of... slid into it. Anna was inconsolable when she thought Elsa was dead. She holed up in her room for days. Meanwhile Arendelle was still under having problems. Someone had to run the kingdom, and I was the queen's cousin."

"They really wanted Corona to take over?" Flynn asked. "Huh, they got their wish."

Rapunzel frowned. "Ansel no longer represents Corona. I would never tell him to conquer Arendelle. He's a traitor to the crown. As of this moment, I declare him an enemy of the state."

"I'd think twice before shouting that from the rooftops, blondie," Flynn said. "He's got a handful of countries backing him, and more he can call forward. Plus he's building up loyalty every day."

"We can't let him get away with this," Ariel said. "We can't let him bully his way into a kingdom that's not his."

"I don't know if it's bullying. The people weren't too happy with Elsa either." Rapunzel looked at her hands. "I mean, we know her. But there's been two unexpected winters in a year. And she controls the weather."

"But this wasn't her fault. And we can prove it," Ariel said.

"It doesn't change the way they feel. They think she's an emotionally unstable sorceress who can bury the town in blizzards. And people shouldn't be afraid of their leader. Between her and Anna, no one's confident in the royal family. And I was thinking... maybe they were right. I was thinking about doing it."

"What?" Flynn asked. "You mean become queen of Arendelle?"

"They were... When Anna had to step up she... She's a great person. She's bold and inspiring. She's always trying to make people laugh. But she doesn't like conflicts. I saw her make some bad decisions just to avoid a fight. Instead of reading documents, she took us horse-riding. Some people just aren't good at making hard choices or inspiring faith in people."

"So you want to take her place?" Ariel asked. "I thought I knew you. But you're just as bad as Ansel."

"No!" Rapunzel said. "I'm not trying to brag. I'm really not. But you weren't there. I saw the way they reacted when I stepped in the room."

Flynn shrugged. "She does have a point. People in Corona say she'll make an excellent queen. They've never seen anyone as kind-hearted or supportive."

"Does Anna know you were thinking about this?" Ariel asked.

Rapunzel shook her head. "Elsa returned before I had to make a decision. I didn't even tell Anna. I... I was too afraid to ask."

Ariel scoffed. "Because she would have said 'no'."

"No, because I was too afraid she would say 'yes'."

Ariel softened. She shirked back and looked over the ocean. Rapunzel, puffy-eyed and holding back sobs, stared at the opposite corner of the deck.

"What did you decide?" Ariel asked.

Rapunzel took a deep breath. Before she could answer, Flynn pointed straight ahead.

"Whoa, look at that."

They passed by a buoy, signaling the border of Arendelle's waters. The flag, instead of the violet crocus, was black and gold with a fist in the middle.

"Hold tight. We are definitely entering dangerous waters," Flynn said.

#Ariel #Elsa #Rapunzel #The Little Mermaid #Tangled #Frozen #fan fic #fanfic #fanfiction #fan fiction #Disney #Disneyprincesses #crossover #Reprise

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