GROWING THROUGH LIFE [TVB]

Written by Bridget Au

"Better than The Drive of Life, but only because it’s half the length"






SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Chinese Title
“Jak Sing Zhi Lui” (roughly translates to journey to a star)

No of episodes
30

Theme songs
Opening
“Sor Wai Lei Seung” (A So-Called Dream) by Raymond Lam

Closing
“Ngor Moon Han Ho” (We’re Doing Very Well) by Raymond Lam

Year
2010

Cast
Damian Lau
Cecilia Yip
Raymond Lam
Zhao Zi Qi
Bosco Wong
Dominic Lam
Toby Leung
Supporting Cast
KK Cheung
Vionn Song
Power Chan

Foreword
Better than The Drive of Life, but only because it’s half the length.

Review
Growing Through Life has all the hallmarks of a TVB corporate drama: An inheritance battle, a villain, someone is paralyzed, terminal illness, a patriarch death, and an opening theme that starts with thundering operatic chords. It has a Chinese title that is more poetic than your usual brand of TVB titles, and a cast list with a few big names.

So what’s wrong? Well, a lot.

One of the key reasons is pacing and a lot of predictability in the story. This is one of those series where the ending is written from the beginning. The audience knows that, but usually series like these make the journey to the end a worthwhile, or at least entertaining, one. At the beginning, GTL is promising. The flashback and explanation of why each character is at the stage that they are at were well-developed and the performances are good and consistent. The series starts wavering, oddly enough, when things just start to get interesting (Damian finds out Ray is his son, Bosco starts to turn evil, Ray’s mom dies, etc.). This is partly because the explanations of why characters become the way they are is not very well-done. Bosco, for example, doesn’t really have the acting chops to demonstrate how he moves from buddy-buddy with Hanson to full-on murder to achieve his goals. A lot happens throughout the series but somehow the whole thing fails to connect on an emotional level, so you can watch this whole thing, know and/or guess what’s going on, without really paying attention or needing to pay attention.

The series also fails to affect due to filming technique, which is surprising considering that this looks like a big budget series. The general set designs are always dark. Business meetings were held in the dark, dinners were eaten in the dark, even the hospital is always dark. The company looks glamorous, but also strangely cold and lonely. So do the houses – there are no framed photos, not a lot of furniture, and it’s always dark. There’s also a blatant absence of extras and supporting actors – so blatant that the whole series just seems cold and almost inhuman, like a large gorgeous vase that’s untouchable. Strike two.

The acting is a question mark. On one hand, we’ve got anchors such as Damian Lau, Cecilia Yip, and the now-overexposed Raymond Lam, who lead the pack in terms of acting skill. Damian Lau is iconic as the patriarch, his one single best moment being when Hanson called him ‘dad”. Cecilia Yip hovers dangerously close to overacting in most scenes, but she does portray a convincing nut job. Ray does his usual Ray thing, which means a solid performance with no chemistry with his female co-stars. Maybe he should take on a gay character next time. No joke.

Btw, his English name sucks. Oh Ray, will TVB ever give you a decent English name? I hope he’s getting paid extra for his character’s names because they are getting worse by the year (mmm bop, bop bop bop, doo-wop, do it all!). How about actually using all the names as his middle name? Now, he can be known as Raymond Alfred Kingsley Hanson Lam, otherwise known as Raymond A.K.H. Lam. Nice ring to it, no? And while we’re on the topic of terrible English names… Linus?! What kind of name is that? I thought it was a disease.

There are some lights in this big tunnel. Dominic Lam, for example, was surprisingly effective as Linus’ dad. I’ve never liked him much as an actor (or a host) but in this series he delivers one of his strongest performances. KK Cheung was fantastic as Raymond’s mom. She looks really familiar but I can’t place her.

But even with half the cast performing above-average, they can’t save this series from failure in the acting department. Yep, the rest are just that bad…especially since they’re in pivotal roles. Bosco Wong, for example, who is given the villain role for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, it is simply too early in Bosco’s career to take on this character and his performance is highly flawed – something Bosco realized as it was reported he became depressed after watching his performance in the series. Toby Leung is less annoying now and demonstrates some acting potential as the angelic daughter, although I would argue that she doesn’t have the X factor. And then after all that, you’ve got the “who the hell are these people” Mainlanders who are – or should be – dubbed, such as Zhao Zi Qi and Vionn Song. Zhao Zi Qi is irritating and a bad actress to boot, something that is compounded by the fact that she is dubbed. She’s got nil chemistry with Ray, too, which doesn’t help her case. Vionn Song fares much better as the bitchy Yiu Kwun, and she has decent chemistry with Bosco.

I think if they had gone with some decent actors for these characters and also warmed up the filming technique a bit, this series would be a hit. Not surprisingly, though, GTL got a much colder audience reception than initially anticipated. For once, I’d have to agree with the audience on this one.

Rating
3/5

Find free dating sites

Read More

MISCHIEVOUS KISS [TV][Kr]

Written by Bridget Au

"...the acting is weak, and the pacing of the story even worse..."




SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Year
2010

Origin
Korea

Korean Title
장난스런 키스 / Jangnanseureon Kiss

No. of episodes
16

Produced by
MBC

Based on
the manga Itazaru Na Kiss ("prank's kiss") by Kaoru Tada

Cast
Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung Jo
Jung So Min as Oh Ha Ni
Lee Tae Sung as Bong Joon Gu
Lee Si Young as Yoon He Ra
Jung Hye Young as Seung Jo’s mother
Oh Kyung Soo as Seung Jo’s father
Choi Won Hong as Baek Eun Jo (Seung Jo’s brother)
Kang Nam Gil as Ha Ni’s father
Hong Yoon Hwaas Jung Joo Ri (Ha Ni’s friend)
Yoon Seung Ah as Go Min Ah (Ha Ni’s friend)

Foreword
Korea is now 0 for 2 when it comes to remakes. Oops.

Review
If Boys Over Flowers and Mischievous Kiss are any indication, Korea really needs to stop making remakes of manga stories. They’re not very good at them. Aside from cramming two much plot with major pacing problems, they also change the original characterization and story so much that they become unrecognizable, and not in a good way. The acting is nothing to write home about either, and there has been a surprise lack of chemistry among cast members for these remakes.

Kim Hyun Joong was undoubtedly the weakest link in this series. He is robotic throughout most of it and it is only when he smiles that I noticed something is different in his facial expression. A major disappointment and Joe Cheng is eons ahead of him when it comes to acting. He does have decent chemistry with Jung So Min though. I’m also surprised that Kim performed so poorly in this series as he delivered one of the stronger performances in BOF.

It doesn’t help that Korea’s version of the male lead is more or less butchered by the writers. He’s even more arrogant and aloof than the other versions, and most importantly, very cruel and cold towards Ha Ni. I mean, who says things like “I wish I never married you”? Ha Ni should have kicked him in the a--… after all, she has had plenty of experience with fixing vending machines via fly kicks.

Jung Hye Young and Oh Kyung Soo were not very good either, and although Lee Si Young is photogenic and pretty, her performance was forgettable. Kang Nam Gil fared a bit better as Ha Ni’s father, though.

It’s not all bad. I like how this series shows another reason why Seung Jo’s mother likes Ha Ni. Whereas in other versions the explanation is that she just thinks she’s good for Seung Jo, his mother also sees herself in Ha Ni, when she tells her father: “She’s like me. In my family, I’m the only one who makes mistakes and the only one who laughs. My sons don’t have that type of personality and my husband is too busy with work”. I get the feeling that underneath all the silliness, Seung Jo’s mother feels lonely in a family full of straight-forward, stone-cold males and this series shows a bit of that.

I liked Lee Tae Sung’s performance. He is a natural comedian although for the first half of the series I thought he was speaking Japanese! His accent is weird. Another plus was Choi Won Hong as Eun Jo. A cute kid and a total brat, exactly what Eun Jo is supposed to be.

Jung So Min was a delight to watch. She sports some cute hairstyles in this series and gave a fine performance as Ha Ni, especially since the Korean version of the character is a bit brighter and less useless. Definitely the highlight of the series. The actresses who portrayed her friends were very good as well.

So was it better than the Taiwanese version?
If you can’t tell already, I can give you a quick answer: Hell no. It Started With A Kiss might have been a wack-fest but it had charm and some terrific performances and cast chemistry. Korea’s version is missing charm and even raw emotions, because the acting is weak, and the pacing of the story even worse. While the plot and key scenes are identical to the Taiwanese version, the pacing is off, so much so that a lot of what happens in the Taiwanese sequel (the honeymoon, the appearance of Christine’s character, etc.) is crammed into the last 2 episodes of Mischievous Kiss. And with an inadequate performance in one of the pivotal characters, the whole ship comes down. A miss.

Rating
2.5/5

Find free dating sites

Read More

HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 [O]

Written by Funn Lim



"But I would have hoped another 20 minutes on the above scenes would have made this movie into a brilliant one. Do read the book to fill in the gaps."







SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

RELEASE
2010

THIS IS ...
An opinion/review on the 1st part of the movie on the 7th and fina; Harry Potter book

MORE INFO
Here at imdb.com

COMMENT
I just rushed to watch Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows Part 1 and I am very very impressed with David Yates who in movie 6 managed to show the scale of Hogwarts and in Movie 7 managed to show the urgency of the situation at hand. It is a scary loud movie and at times tender and incredibly manages to be funny as well thanks to Rupert Grint. I believe he has taken the essence of the book or half of it and made it almost as good as the book. Luckily this last book has 2 movies treatment because 1 movie does it no justice. Most scenes in the book are in this movie. So I am very very pleased. However a few major problems or rather details in the book not included, therefore made the movie less than the book and sometimes incoherent;

1. I believe Wormtail's death in the movie is different, if he is dead. He should be since in the book he is dead in that scene except he didn't die the way he did in the movie. By changing the way he died changes the entire relationship between Wormtail and Harry and the ruthlessness of Voldemort, that he will even kill a loyal servant, that Wormtail died because of a moment of mercy he showed on Harry. In the movie he died very very differently and rather meaninglessly.

2. After being taunted by Voldemort who appeared out of Regulus Black's locket, Ron actually destroyed that Hocrux and cried. He actually cried and wept as Harry told him quietly that he loved Herminone as a sister and he heard Hermione crying sometimes, missing Ron. That's when Ron knew for sure Hermione and Harry didn't have any relationship as taunted by Voldemort. The significance of that scene is Ron's real feelings, and how he was taunted so cruelly and how Harry responded. However the movie for whatever reason did not show Ron crying or Harry's consoling words. I find it a bit cold. It was Ron's moment, and he should have had that moment.

3. In the beginning when Dudley was leaving, his unrepentant parents did not bother to say goodbye to Harry, but Dudley rushed over and in his way apologised for the years of abuse of Harry. It was a closure for Harry and for his only living relatives, one of whom Dudley. It also shows to us a changed Dudley, capable of good things perhaps, we may never know since we never heard from him again. It was Dudley's big scene and this movie for whatever reason decided to summarise this and totally cut that out. I find it terrible, that in the Dudley remained the same when in the book he changed after the Dementors attacked him.

4. The entire back story of Regulus and how he betrayed Voldemort and stole the Hocrux from the cave and his relationship with Kreacher which shows Kreacher somewhat in a good light was cut out totally. We know who was RAB but we don't know how Regulus got the Hocrux and I doubt part 2 will explain that. This is significant because Regulus was like Sirius, born into a dark arts pure blood family but chose to sacrifice themselves for goodness. I hope part 2 retains the scene how Kreacher is treated with respect and in one of the best scene in the book, how Kreacher led the fight against the pure bloods.

5. I am not sure if it will be in part 2 but I hope the conversation with Ollivander and the role of Griphook will be given justice. I am not happy how Griphook's role in denying the Gryffindor sword in Bellatrix's hands is fake and not the real one. There is a significance since Griphook being a goblin would not have helped a wizard to lie but he helped Harry. That was cut from this movie.

6. I am sorely disappointed the scene where Harry saw Luna's bedroom and saw her sketched of Harry, Hermione, Ron and I think Neville with the words like best friends or something was cut out. That scene was touching to show Harry felt an enormous gratitude to Luna for believing in him and he felt a rush of affection for Luna hence his closeness and friendliness with Luna. I would have wished Harry ended up with Luna.

7. The most significant of all, Harry's anger when he saw Mad Eye's fake eye on the door of Delores Umbridge's office. How his cover was broken was when angrily he ripped the eye out to take with him, angry at how Mad Eye was killed. That scene was missing and the eye remained there on the door. I find that cold and not very like Harry.

8. The entire story of Bill and Fleur just sort of appeared. Might as well just write them off.

9. Why the significance of the visit of Rufus Scrimgeour to Harry is cut out is beyond me. The great thing about this book is it shows how even supposedly people on the good guys' side will use ruthless means to a desired end. Rufus was supposed to get Harry to stand on the Ministry of Magic's side as their poster boy, but Harry rightly refused. This scene is significant. And Rufus' death is even more significant since he knew where Harry was but supposedly he was tortured to death but he didn't betray Harry which made Harry realised he may have been too harsh on Rufus Scrimgeour. I love Bill Nighy but he played this character like an insane sort of guy. The guy in the book described as lion like would have been more formidable looking.

I still feel Harry is lacking the anger and emotional turmoil although Daniel Radcliffe was funny when he had to be different characters. He has a gift for comedy. But the dramatic acting is still lacking. Rupert Grint lacked some anger in some pivotal scenes but frankly he is the best actor of the younger actors. He has serious talent in comedy and I think he did well. Emma Watson improved and I love the fact that the scene of her wiping out her memory from her parents was included in the movie, shows the urgency of the situation and the sadness. However she is way too serious to be the level headed Hermione I know from the books. Good thing is that in Book 7 Hermione has to be so serious looking. But I still don't like Emma Watson who still doesn't seem where to stand in a room full of people; she looked awkward. The adults were all great even if their role is reduced. Helen McCrory was a miscast and also terribly underused.

Anyway I felt some scenes were great, like when Harry, Ron and Hermione drank Polyjuice potion and entered Ministry of Magic as 3 adults and these 3 actors portrayed the 3 younger actors' personalities perfectly! I love how Snape appeared. I love all those scary scenes were not deleted but in fact played out in full. I really love how the 3 brothers' story were told in animation and I find that creative and artistic. I love Dobby! And when he died I was very sad, I was sadder reading his death but the movie did the scene justice. When Hedwig fell from the sky I was in shock eventhough I knew that was coming. I like the fact that Fred and George are given something to do than to just stand around like in previous movies. I dread Part 2 because of what is coming for the twins. I cannot stand Ginny so I am glad her role is minimal. The most waste of space of the role of Narcissa. No dialogue at all, just wallpaper. Draco had some scene but not enough. And I thought Dumbledore was buried standing up instead of laying down. And most of all, the last scene should not have ended with Voldemort getting the elder wand, it should have been a long or far shot of Hogwarts since Part 2 will deal with the great battle at Hogwarts and the destruction of further Hocrux and a major revelation.

I have a feeling the director will manage that well but I hope Neville will be given his day of glory and Ron as well. Very significant roles as well for Mrs Weasley. But I really want Neville to have his day. And more importantly, Snape. This will be Snape's moment and I hope this movie, after 7 movies will not screw up Snape's big moment and the answer to why he did what he did.

Anyway for all my complaints, Part 1 is a great adaptation. You can't have it all, especially for such a rich book as this one. But I would have hoped another 20 minutes on the above scenes would have made this movie into a brilliant one. Do read the book to fill in the gaps.

Powered by: Fast payday loans

Read More

HEAR ME [Mov][Chi]

Written by Bridget Au

"The movie manages genuine surprise in its final act and because we’ve grown to care about the characters so much that by that time, something poignant, maybe even magical, is felt."




SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Chinese Title
“Ting Shuo” (I heard)

Genre
Romance

Year
2009

Origin
Taiwan

Cast
Eddie Peng
Ivy Chen
Michelle Chen
Lo Bei-an
Lin Mei Shiu

Foreword
It’s been awhile since I cried at a movie. An excellent example of when less is more.

Review
Recent entries in Taiwanese cinema have been impressive (Cape No. 7, Secret and this year’s smash hit Monga) and now Hear Me can add itself to the list of reasons to watch Taiwanese movies. There’s nothing that new in here, but the movie is well-made enough that you think you are watching something new.

Eddie Peng is Tian Huo, a local delivery boy who meets and falls in love with Yang Yang (Ivy Chen), a girl who is working numerous jobs to raise funds to send her sister to the Deaflympics. Tian Huo is immature and not that bright, but his unconditional love for Yang Yang and the way he interacts with his parents – who clearly dote on their only son – is pleasant to watch and makes him a very likeable male lead.

The sister relationship between Yang Yang and Xiao Peng was equally engaging. Well-written and thoughtful, their relationship offers the opportunity to present revelations about the barriers that people with hearing disabilities face, such as the sisters living in a flat with basically no rooms, as deaf people prefer to be able to see everything in their surroundings. The movie never tries to fish for audience sympathy, but they get it anyway, as the way these barriers are presented in a way that is simple and unpretentious.

Hear Me reminds me a bit of Korea’s …ing, where nothing really happens in terms of plot until later in the movie, but the simplicity of the story, heartfelt performances and portrayal of Taiwan’s underprivileged urban charm is honest and genuine, which is appreciated in today’s world of brouhaha film-making. The fact that the movie manages to affect even though most of the story happens in silence (since most of the dialogue is communicated via sign language) is even more impressive.

For some reason, Asian actors are ace performers at portraying people with disabilities who use sign language (Yuko Fueki in Wuri’s Family, Julian Cheung in Return of the Cuckoo, and Fala Chen in Moonlight Resonance), and Hear Me is no exception. Michelle Chen delivers her best performance to date as the deaf Xiao Peng, although there is a bit too much head-jerking in some scenes. Eddie Peng continues to improve and he is charming, cheerful, and aw-shucks likeable as the juvenile but optimistic Tian Huo.

The big plus is Ivy Chen, who performs admirably as the timid, thoughtful Yang Yang. Her acting is infused with a total lack of pretension and raw emotions, and it also helps that she looks like she walked out of an anime production. And Lo Bei-an and Lin Mei Shiu, who portray Tian Huo’s parents, are warm and funny, and although their characters are sometimes nagging and long-winded, they clearly consider Tian Huo’s happiness their chief priority, which is refreshing.

The movie manages genuine surprise in its final act (and for once I won’t ruin it for you in this review) and because we’ve grown to care about the characters so much that by that time, something poignant, maybe even magical, is felt. All you need is love.

To Watch or Not to Watch, That is the Question
Highly recommended.

Rating
5/5

Powered by: Fast payday loans

Read More

LOVE IN DISGUISE [Mov][Chi]

Written by Funn Lim




"And if you ask me, this is not a Wang Lee Hom movie. Nope. It is a Wang Lee Hom DOCUMENTARY."









SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Chinese title
Lian Ai Tong Gao

Let me guess, literally translated as "A Notice/Order For Romance". I like the English title though.

Released in
2010


Directed by
Leehom Wang

Writing credits
Hung-chieh Chen, Xin Yi Du, Leehom Wang

Cast-Character
Taken from IMDB.com

Leehom Wang ... Du Ming-Han
Yifei Liu ... Song Xiao-Qing
Joan Chen ... Joan
Han Dian Chen ... Wei Zhi-Bai
Khalil Fong
Zhenyu Qiao ... Mu Fan
Na Xie
Yike Zeng ... Xiao Tao

Summary
From GSC movies

Du Minghan (Wang Leehom) is a famous celebrity pop star and with the help of his agent, Joan (Joan Chen), his career took off amazingly.

When he accidentally met the plain looking Song Xiaoqing (Crystal Liu), he immediately fell in love with her and decides to disguise himself as a student, Ah De, together with his best pal (Chen Han Dian).

Will Xiaoqing ever find out the truth of Ah De's real identity? Will she be able to accept him for who he is?

Comment
I hope the above is not the official summary because reading that summary I felt like I was watching a different movie.

Let me say this out clearly; I do not doubt Wang Lee Hom as a musician. I admire his musical abilities, I was his fan until he became like every Taiwanese pop star with the melancholic love songs, I really miss his earlier works. I may have doubts over his lyrics writing skills but I do not doubt his voice and his melodies so to speak. But I wonder who suggested to him that he can write, direct AND star in a movie that I believe he himself feels strongly for (as he should as this is his baby) and I believe his fans will eagerly watch and buy and keep and promote and praise till no end in sight but the general populace like myself may just feel the only reason he got this weak script made into a movie and directed by himself, a first time director and directing himself no less is purely because of his popularity as a musician. I will not even call him a singer, he is above that and again that I do not doubt. It is obvious if this script came from a Mr Up And Coming Nobody, it would not have been made into a movie without at least a complete overhaul of the plot plus a few rewrites. Not that it was awful.

For a first time director, and an occasional actor, Wang Lee Hom did a fair job but that is me being kind because I like him. Truthfully the movie is incoherent at times, inconsistent mostly and uniformly messy. Oh yes, it can be messy and yet organised mess.

I will save my breath over the story; it is simply a pop star meets ordinary pretty girl, goes looking for her, falls for her, juggles between 2 identities and realises the times he was in disguise is his real self, and in the end manages to get the girl and saves the music university from total and absolute annihilation due to unpopularity of Chinese music instruments in the face of modern R&B and hip hop and what nots. In the middle he crammed some stuff on the difficulties of being a pop star like constantly surrounded by rumours that are not true, paparazzis as well as snotty classically trained musicians versus famous pop stars seemingly without musical credentials. And above all that he crammed in as well the meaning of music, the making of music and the flow of music through visuals and some imagination sequences.

And if you ask me, this is not a Wang Lee Hom movie. Nope. It is a Wang Lee Hom DOCUMENTARY. Take away Crystal Liu and the half baked love story and what you really have is a musician's take on a musical journey through the eyes of a musician that is Wang Lee Hom.

And that is what I like about this movie. Everytime he sings, he plays the piano, plays the Chinese violin, performs or in Du Ming Han mode, he is at his best because that is not acting; that is Wang Lee Hom being Wang Lee Hom. But when he is far away from a musical instrument or a stage or not in a performance, quite frankly I have no idea what he is doing onscreen. As an actor, he must work on his diction. I can understand Joan Chen and Crystal Liu and everybody else perfectly but Lee Hom gave me problems; half the time I have no idea what he was saying. He sounds lazy and he speaks like he sings. Which is why I said I doubt his lyrics writing ability quite simply because half the time I can't understand him. You can compare him with the other musical thespian more famous than he is who wrote, directed and starred in his own movie that is Jay Chou except these days I can understand Jay Chou better. I think working for Zhang Yimou really helps with his music and acting performances. Of course Lee Hom can boast he worked for Ang Lee too but seriously, in that movie that shall not be named, I didn't quite bother with his presence.

That is not to say he isn't charming. There are some funny scenes; like how one overeager designer dressed him in various impossible fashion to disguise his real identity. That scene is funny but in the end meaningless and darn ridiculous. Such an image consultant/designer will not get hired for those ridiculous fashion. And the actress was way over the top in her performance which for a moment made me wonder if this a slapstick comedy?

And yet the whole thing came crashing down to earth when he entered the university and had his I suppose first taste of Chinese music eventhough his concert at the beginning incorporated those elements already. Was he playing the Monkey God in the beginning? Anyway the improptu performance he gave to the headmaster together with his best friend guitarist showed that his Du Ming Han is quite well versed with Chinese instruments. And that was this movie's best scene. What a fun musical session! So I wonder, what motivates him to join the university? To get the girl? And yet he said he just wanted to be her friend, somewhere along the way he felt jealous when he saw a fellow student touching her and so there began the very short courtship.

And then the movie changed mode and focused on the troubles of the university; like some statement given by a serious musician, that youngsters today have no appreciation for classical music, in this case the Chinese classical music being our roots and our culture and so the musical event organised by the headmaster (who so happens to be the father of the girl of his dreams) was heading into trouble as the headmaster lamented the lack of students. And yet in the beginning when Du Ming Han was walking amongst the students I see plenty of students, many of them quite young. So if there is a lack of enrolment I wonder is the headmaster hoping for 200% enrolment? The solution to the headmaster's problem is Du Ming Han himself performing at the event to draw in youngsters but as far as I am concerned, apart from perhaps 2 modern music blended with the chinese classical music, he then performed his love ode to his dream girl on a piano in a rather modern sort of way, with lyrics written by her of course. She felt moved and so ran back to him. The anger, the pain, the rejection, the confusion, the betrayal, the humiliation, all solved with 1 song and I suppose in 1 or 2 days. I find that rather simplistic.

And that is why I find this movie lacking. It thrives to be important, expounding his views on classical music versus modern music and the amalgamation of these 2 different worlds into great tunes and yet at the same time filled it with nonsense such as needless slapstick and confusing visuals that made me think "are they on drugs?" and some surface wise heavy themes but looking deep down is just touch and go issues. All wrapped up in a friendly fan pleasing love story that neither advances his musical theory or impeding it; just that it was that. It is like as if the musician him is struggling with the popular him; do I make a movie about my passion or a movie to please others? Hence the confusing script.

You know a production that better illustrate this point? The Korean dramedy, Oh! My Lady. That series made the love affair between a hot young pop star and an older woman with child more believable, probably because it has a better script, better acted and a few more hours to tell the story properly. Or maybe, just maybe it doesn't pretend to be some social commentary and is just what it is.

However I like some visuals from this movie. The sequences where Ming Han was very seduced by the music played by Xiao Qing or the masters at the university. Lee Hom filled that with butterflies and the best of course a painting being painted, Chinese style as his character flew in it. There is promise in the visuals, you can feel his passion for this sort of music. And then the love story had to butt into that part and I felt rather ambushed by it.

There are however some visuals I didn't get. Like when Xiao Qing heard her lyrics being turned into a song in the hall, suddenly rain fell on her as she walked. She was wet. When she went back to Ming Han on the stage, she was still very wet. So when the whole sequence of rain falling on her and her alone, it was real?! And then they hugged, happily and immediately his fans roared with approval. Seriously, really? Why not try and get Wang Lee Hom to do that to rumoured girlfriend Crystal on the concert stage for real and let's see if the roar of approval is instantenous because I will bet it won't be. At least a 10 seconds silence or shock would be more realistic. His manager, Joan Chen crying alone when she found out he lied to her and willing to abandon his pop star status for love and I was thinking is she in love with him or is she just crying her rice bowl may break? When his car hit Xiao Qing she stayed on the road underneath the car to play the Chinese piano to which Ming Han heard and saw butterflies. I was like again, seriously? How cliche is that? And then he went in search of her, calling her an inspiration when I never got the impression he lacked inspiration at all. Maybe showing him as a talented but somehow down on his luck musician may better illustrate his need to find her or maybe a talentless pop star who actually has talent buried underneath when he heard her music and was inspired by it. As it is I don't see the motivation except a pop star on a self indulgent spree.

And that is basically what this movie is; an indulgent.

Performances wise, Joan Chen was wonderful as she should be.

Crystal Liu is mesmerising. I find her beautiful, intelligent looking and graceful. She gives me an impression she is classically trained musician herself because she was convincing when playing the chinese piano. A pity her character is so poorly written. No doubt she is in almost every single scene and yet I felt unsatisfied; I thought she was underused. She may be in each scene but she really had nothing much to do. Even when she had something to do like looking at the snotty classical trained senior, I was thinking if Xiao Qing in awe of him? In love with him? She lacked expressions thus making her a competent mesmerizing actress but not necessarily a great one. Something was missing. And in the end at the final concert I was hoping she would duet with Lee Hom's Ming Han like in earlier scenes but she was reduced to an angry jilted lover seduced by his love song and so rushed to him to love him back. I find that nonsensical. How great it would have been to have them as equals in music; she in classical music, he in modern music, both finding a common thread in music as the basis for their love and devotion for one another. Except it ended with them kissing, lamely if I might add with the whole paparazzi looking on. And frankly that is one message Lee Hom can bear in mind next time he is kissing someone he doesn't want her seen; just let them take the pictures. However one can't always live the life one preaches. I quite detest him for reducing Crystal into a prop; a prop that is sometimes dressed in her I suppose most famous role, Xiao Long Nu.

Lee Hom himself is not terrible. Some reviewers did note that he had no problems parodying himself or rather making himself as the joke and for that I applaud him. But I didn't like how he imagined he strangled the paparazzi who dared ask him about his rumoured relationships after a successful concert. That is not funny and I feel a tad crass. I don't believe Lee Hom is such a person. I find him classy and intelligent and very patient looking. Whatever anger issues he harboured, I believe this is the first I see, on screen. And since this is to be a documentary or a biopic on him, that may be his real feelings. But what do you expect from a life as an entertainer? You're public property, whether you like it or not. Your musical abilities confirms your talent but what fuels you is your popularity and that is derived from press' opinion of you. As they always say, bad publicity is better than no publicity at all. He tries very hard in this movie of his; he cast the right people, he writes the right music, he chooses the right subject but in the end as a director he was inadequate. Sometimes another person may be able to realise one's own vision so to relinquish the baton of directorship may have been the movie's best move. It is just silly how he narrates the movie, lost the narration half way, ends it with narration again, all those dream sequences (some well done and quite relevant) and the worst move, adding title sequences between scenes ala Babe to make a point, of which I really didn't quite care. His performance is ok but his story and directorship is everywhere. Which makes this movie nowhere.

You know what would have been a better movie that would serve his purpose of the debate of classical versus modern music and explaining his views why it doesn't matter? A real documentary. A documentary of a famous musician cum pop star from Taiwan called Wang Lee Hom on a journey of musical discovery through Chinese classical music and how in the end he discovered himself along the way, showing in visuals how he sees classical music, sequences on how he merges these two mediums and ends with a mini concert and an album. In between he can talk about his approach to music, why Chinese classical music, his vision, his hopes, his dreams. Like a 2 hour special, except with widescreen treament in the cinema with premieres and stuff. That sort of documentary can be released in cinemas and if well directed, could also be submitted for considertion of the Academy Awards for Documentaries. Rarely do I see a pop star approach in classical settings and moreover, who better than Wang Lee Hom, himself I believe has classical roots? After all he is not just a pretty face or a pop star, he is a serious musician who writes good music. That would have been a great "movie", one I would gladly watch in the cinemas.

A great pity of the potential this could have been.

Verdict
Musically, heavenly. Acting wise, hit and mostly miss thanks to a poor predictable superficial script. Entertainment wise, the music works, the movie itself failed. Overall, the full movie is strictly for fans but some parts are worth a watch. Now hoping someone would just cut out those musical parts and that 30 minutes or so would have my seal of approval as one of the best "musical" ever.

INTERESTING MUSIC
Frankly I can't differentiate between hip hop and R&B so to me an addictive tune is a good tune.

My favourite from the movie is not the main ballad which is to me typical Wang Lee Hom but the other one, the one he sang with the Chinese orchestra. Found it! Thanks to chriztna and juljin79 for the tip. The title is 十八般武艺 which is the title of his album. The chorus is awesome with his falsetto but the starting not quite. I hate the woah! and I wish he uses less autotune because it does sound like autotune and quite mechanical at parts. If it is not autotune then I am not sure why he sounds too manufactured. English, Chinese lyrics all here. Did he sing all that?! By the way the English translation I believe is literal.



CLEAR VERSION
Click the embedded player to listen. If there is one great thing about Love In Disguise, it is this song, 十八般武艺 which becomes better with each listen. I was curious what the title means and the translator just says "Be Versatile" although the literal translation is 18 Martial Arts. I wonder is that actually meaning "Be Versatile"?

Powered by: Fast payday loans

Read More

A GREAT WAY TO CARE [TVB]

Written by Bridget Au

"There’s a lot of stigma associated with mental illnesses and while this series teaches us what the different disabilities are called, it didn’t quite address the societal stigma"




SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Chinese Title
“Yan Sum Kai Ma” (roughly translates to deciphering the human heart)

Released In
2009

No. of episodes
20

Theme song
Juno Mak

Cast
Alex Fong as Ko Lap Yan
Kate Tsui as Man Yee (Monkey)
Cheung Chi Kwong as Dr. Lin
Raymond Wong as Chun
Vivian Yeo as Ka Bik
Supporting Cast
Ellesmere Choi
Michelle Chan
Ngok Wah
Lee Kwok Lun
Suki Tsui
Yoyo Chen
Hung Tin Ming

Foreword
May not have the A-list cast and media buy, but a well-paced plot, intriguing subject matter, and better-than-expected performances make A Great Way to Care much better than say… Healing Hands. One of the better series of 2009.

Review
A Great Way to Care was reportedly frozen due to the broadcast of Sweetness in the Salt after the success of Rosy Business, and I have to say, TVB could have picked some other series to banish to the warehouse. A B-list cast, previously unexplored territory and a May-December romance usually spells doom for a TVB series but in this case, things work out just fine and the result is an affecting, accomplished little drama.

Looking for a Miss HK to don a fat suit in TVB might have been a ridiculous thought prior to this series, but thanks to the brave Vivian Yeo, look no further. I’ve never liked Vivian in the past but she gives a winning performance as Ka Bik: sweet, cute, and genuinely likeable and she had good chemistry with Raymond Wong as well. She is definitely one of the highlights of this series.

I like Monkey because she is ballsy, good-hearted, and tough. She makes an interesting and I would say fantastic couple with Dr. Ko, and not just because of their age difference. I like how they tell each other off half the time, but beneath the no-holds-barred “Shut your mouth!”, there’s a genuine mutual respect between them. Monkey, for example, calls Dr. Ko ‘Ko Yan’ (the first and last character of his Chinese name which also translates to something like a deity-type expert, someone you go to for advice). I also like how the growth from mutual respect to mutual love is portrayed realistically.

While questionably talented, I’ve always suspected Kate Tsui had this untapped potential to play a total psychopath (she’s got those “I’m gonna kill you” eyes) and AGWTC gives her an opportunity to portray a schizophrenic girl. Unfortunately, she only gets to play that for a total of 2 episodes. She was downright terrifying in those sleepwalker scenes. If I worked in that hospital I would have believed she was guilty for murdering that guy too! I like her as the gutsy Monkey because she seems similar to Kate Tsui’s real-life personality, but otherwise her performance is just adequate.

Alex Fong, Cheung Chi Kwong, and Raymond Wong would probably top my list as the least likely casting choices for a trio of good buddies, but they have this oddball chemistry that works and brings back memories of the good-old TVB camaraderie days such as the Bobby / William / Cheung / Michael quad of Files of Justice. They also each excel at their role. Raymond is consistently a B-liner, but his performance as the unambitious, low-tension Chun was enjoyable and entertaining to watch.

Cheung has always been one of TVB’s dependable secondary actors and this series is no exception. While he doesn’t look like a doctor per se, he does convince as the research / medical journal writer type and his portrayal of the filial son, good father, and even better husband is agreeable though underwhelming.

At first, I did not know what to think of Alex Fong as the mouthy, sarcastic but very bright Dr. Ko. I thought he looked convincing as a doctor, although age-wise he is a bit too old since Dr. Ko is supposedly only 34 (which makes no sense given his supposed breadth of experience). Alex usually strikes me as oh-so-serious, but I was pleasantly surprised by his performance. His deadpan delivery of Dr. Ko’s acid wit and make-no-mistake instructions to the trainees at the hospital were hilarious. An excellent performance – who would’ve thunk? He’s got chemistry with Kate too. Their tearful breakup scene was one of the best acted since the Fei / Quin breakup from Detective Investigation Files IV.

Pierre Ngo was fantastic in his cameo performance as the religious cult leader in the earlier part of the series. Yoyo Chen continues to impress in her secondary roles. With a bit of voice training she can probably be one of the next fa dans along with Vivian Yeo. Lee Kwok Lun was also great in his role as the wimpy older brother to Dr. Ko.

Michelle Chan delivers one of the weaker performances and I find her contrite, somewhat manufactured, and even irritating as Dr. Lin’s wife. Maybe she should stick with hosting. Suet Lei was even worse; she is one of the few veterans who you can always count on for a terrible performance. Ngok Wah wasn’t too much better as his voice tends to be monotone.

This series has some more rough spots. While well-intentioned in its goal to raise awareness about mental disabilities, like many TVB profession series, they simplify matters to the point of ridicule. Mental illnesses are complex. They require a hefty dose of research and investigation into one’s background and circumstance, and still are very much misunderstood by your Average Joe on the street. But nope, one conversation with these super doctors and they’re diagnosed. Another 2-3 conversations and they’re cured! Isn’t TVB great?!

I also thought this series didn’t make full use of the opportunity to dispel the myth that people who have mental disabilities are just “crazy”. There’s a lot of stigma associated with mental illnesses and while this series teaches us what the different disabilities are called, it didn’t quite address the societal stigma. It’s also bizarre how involved Dr. Ko gets in the investigation of the cases, to the extent where it begins to seem as if the cops don’t do anything and just wait on Dr. Ko to enlighten them as to who the real culprit is (shades of The Mysteries of Love – yikes). But I should remind myself that this is TVB, and not everything needs to make sense.

To Watch or Not To Watch
Recommended as one of the underrated efforts of 2009. A pleasant surprise.

Rating
4/5

Powered by: Fast payday loans

Read More

PILGRIMAGE TO THE WEST [O][Chi]

Written by Funn Lim



"But those who wants a JTTW series will be severely disappointed. Wukong seemed out of character, Pig never changed in character, the Buddhas were strange and I find some storyline offensive and it didn't have the spirit of JTTW. I won't rush to rent or buy this one."

PREVIOUSLY POSTED ON 14.10.2010 AT THE MAIN BLOG


RELEASED IN
2009 (I think)

PRODUCTION
Mainland China

REVIEW

There is something not quite right with the new Journey To The West adaptation from Mainland China called Pilgrimage To The West. So many not quite right that I can't quite list them all so if I sound like I am rambling, that is because I am.

First and foremost, the Master seems rather friendly with his disciples, even taking a bath with them as they reflected back their experiences in the journey like 4 best friends in a tub, except 4 different tubs. I find that very odd because in all other adaptations that I have watched (so far, I admit about 3) the Master do keep a distance from his disciple. He is ultra serious, never lie but forced to do so often by his disciples for the greater good and often conduct himself with the greatest dignity, and his disciples treating him with utmost respect, like a son to a father, a very honoured father. So to see him in a tub chatting like some slumber party is very very odd.

Then there's the rush of all female demons wanting to marry him, male demons wanting to eat him. That is usual, except I kept thinking Master didn't look one bit offended when touched by the female demons at all. In fact he seems expressionless, rather enjoying it. In most versions he is often pushed and persuaded to do something contrary to his beliefs, including fake marriages but this one seems quite happy to go along with the plan.

But the worst had to be the conduct of Buddha himself. That is near blasphemy and I don't care what the book says, it didn't seem right.

First of, when they reached India and the place to collect the sutras, I thought it was the end. The journey they said 14 years which I read is true although the book(s) covered 9 of those years only. But it wasn't the end. Buddha first said that the unwritten sutras are the sutras but since many can't understand that, the monk and disciple will bring back the written sutras and spread to China. So He ordered the expensive and rare and honoured and holy sutras to be given to the Monk which the monk went to collect only to be told "These sutras are rare and expensive. Took us a long time to create them ourselves and to just give them to you, that will be a loss to us. So what have you to give us?" so asked Buddha's disciple. And I was like shocked! WHAT?! Corruption within Buddha's company so to speak? That must be fake but it was darn real. So monk gave up his golden bowl, took the sutras and went before Buddha. Weird thing is not only did Wukong did not say one word of that corruption, he later even said it was reasonable since they took a long time to collect the sutras! Eh! That's not the Wukong I know! The Wukong I know will make a fuss to Buddha since his master was bullied into giving his golden bowl. The Wukong I know will ask what then is the purpose of the travel to collect sutras that they have to pay for! It wasn't even part of the test mind you! And then Buddha said to Monk that only those who are strict vegetarians that have not killed or eaten meat or whatnots can open the sutras to read and our Monk like eagerly nodded and said yeah yeah yeah. No! Of course not! Buddha ain't that selfish and so rank minded! He ain't so snobbish! Worst to come! Monk said nothing! Wouldn't that be against every principle of his learnings and teachings? Nope, not one word. Technically even Wukong can't open the sutras. And Monk left without asking Buddha to release Wukong from his servitude or give enlightment to his 2 other disciples since journey is completed!

Guess what? Journey isn't completed yet! 8 more days to  go, 1 more test to go and they're thrown into the wild for one final test. Since they already got the sutras which they had to pay for, answer me this; what then is the point of 1 more test? Is this version trying to tell us beaurecracy and red tape still exists and is alive and well even amongst Buddhas?

And dear Guanyin, she said nothing. In fact I thought maybe the demons pretended to be Guanyin and all and playing a trick on them but nope, that's Guanyin. And Guanyin looked like any other goddess frankly.

And I will not forget the interesting story of Princess Paro and her imitator. The problem with this story is after it is done and over with, we have to endure some more to learn the background of the imitator. Why? Why not just say it earlier and finish with it? That imitator is a rabbit on the moon, under the care and supervision of Chang Er. And Chang Er even gave orders to the 3 disciples on what to do as she flew around beautifully. Sorry, but it was as if Chang Er was on the moon on a vacation. I thought in one of the versions she was on the moon as a punishment?

Whilst I am ok with Pig, but after goddamn 14 years surely he must be on good terms with Wukong by now and not backstab him? Only Wujing seems quite ok, seems in character as a simple minded man albeit a hot looking one in my personal opinion. Wukong really had me wondering what is wrong with him? The whole entire corruption scene was weird, to have Wukong not make one fuss at all is weird. Most weird of all sometimes he is just monkey and sometimes too human, the performance is inconsistent. The most disappointing of all is his golden fighting pole. It was just a pole. No personality, no life. But then maybe just for the last 6 episodes, probably earlier it was alive and well.

Whilst I enjoyed some part of the story, I feel this is not a true adaptation, not in spirit anyway since I haven't finished the book(s). It can't be the worst since that Mainland China Dicky Cheung with Edmond Leung as the monk ranks as the worst but this can't be any good either. Everybody seems so heartless, so businesslike, Buddha seems un-Buddha, Guan Yin too hands off and too distant and the Monk, he's like sleepwalking with a permanent smile and the rest aren't themselves. The fighting scenes like it's opening theme goes on so long, I finished one bowl of rice before the fighting stops or the song finishes. The more I watch this, the more I appreciate TVB's version which is true in spirit and I went away from that series entertained, enlightened and definitely in deeper understanding of Buddhism than a story about Buddha. In truth, TVB's version is very spiritual, despite the comedy and the cuteness. Let's not even talk about the original JTTW China adaptation. This Pilgrimage To The West, the title itself is wrong. It isn't Pilgrimage, strictly speaking. But that's nitpicking. My problem with it is I went away with nothing; I learnt nothing; I got back nothing. It is just a story but no more than that and even that the story is well started but badly ended.

The acting is strange. Generally they're ok except spoilt by dubbing but frankly the monk... he lacked that wisdom and gravitas to play this role. Being handsome is not the only criteria, it is one of the criterias! He just seem like a man in a robe instead of a monk who went through centuries of being monks in all his reincarnations. Joan Chen was terrible as Guanyin and she looked like she was struggling to stand still. Buddha was shockingly young! I can't remember the rest except the girl who played Nezha was good and Chen Derong was good. The costume were good, the scenery a winner but then that is China's credit and not the director's. I was sort of impressed they found Indians to play Indian guards in I suppose border of India but in actual fact still in China?

It is just one weird adaptation. Hopefully the 2011 adaptation will fare better, at least in the spirit of the story. By looking at the pictures, I must admit Wukong looks scary. Maybe he is meant to be scary, at least this is a departure from the previous adaptations. And I hope there will be live sound recording. I am tired of hearing dubbed voices which somehow has a lot of "Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh" sounds for god knows why with the girls with high pitched voices and the men all sounding very masculine. For once I must take my hat off to TVB for making JTTW accessible, fun and a deeply spiritual experience. And Kong Wah is the BEST monk with Mimi Kung so far in JTTW the best Guanyin. Dicky Cheung made Wukong cute and lovable even if kinda dangerous who showed change from ep 1 till the end but yes, Liu Xiao Ling Tong owns Wukong. No doubt about that.

[UPDATES] The last episode was broadcast on 14.10.2010 and it was the weirdest ending ever. I find myself not really finding much faults in performances generally, although some are terrible but it's the story or rather the presentation of the story. JTTW basically has the same core and elements as any remakes, updates, etc. But this one, the ending was very badly written. It would show they went home to China, pondering how to spread the words of the Sutras which is ok, but most of these scenes which is supposed to be very emotional reunions like the Monk with his sworn brother the Emperor of his rather grown up disciples or people they have rescued before or Wukong with his family and clan. However they just kept talking and emphasises the Monk has traveled 10,800 miles (may not be miles but you know, the distance) and all I could think of was "Oh come on, after 10,800 miles, for heaven's sake, let them sit down and then talk!". In fact, the monk didn't look like he went through hell for 14 years. Hardly any time passed at all on his face. He should be thinner, looked like he suffered and basically look older. He didn't. And then the Monk had to go back to India and to get their rewards. I was thinking why go back and forth? What is the significance of that? And here comes the worst part because first of Buddha was badly portrayed and when their rewards were given, as in promotion, etc I felt rather empty. I don't feel involved with that scene and I was telling my sister why; TVB's JTTW 2 may have been god awful, it at least stayed on the right path and represented the story well. The emphasis was not on getting promotion, as this China production spent precious minutes just to show all that but rather like the sifu in TVB version said; the journey was about garnering life's experiences, that being the true teaching of the sutras. I agree. And their ending didn't really drag on with the rewards scene and in restrospect I appreciated the brevity. In this current series, it was darn boring. And the final scene was not an emotional good bye between the dragon horse (yes, in every JTTW adaptation, they will forget about the horses) or disciples and the Monk but just well, moving on. 14 years together and the sifu never looked at them and feel teary eyed. And last scene was Wukong going back to find I suppose his original sifu/teacher and then finally to Faguo Shan to be with his clan and family. And that was the final scene. I felt very detached and I thought the entire series being told the way it was told in the last 2 episodes did the earlier episodes great injustice. It simply didn't feel like JTTW, it felt like any other series.

But I admire the actors' dedication. The last bit showed the NGs and the actor playing Wukong had a tough time. He did the stunts himself, which includes flying around and he hit the wall, he hit the roof, he hit every. And the way he had to do sommersaults whilst on wire seemed so dangerous, I was fearing he looked like he was about to snap his neck several times! Also interesting was he looked mighty pissed when he couldn't get things right; very Wukong of him to throw temper tantrum, not at others but at himself and he even threw the pole roughly onto the floor one time! But again I admire his dedication to his art. It is not easy playing Wukong and he was ok but he would have been helped with a better coherent script. Even the ladies were having a tough time, Chen Derong doing her own stunts, funny moments like forgetting scripts, etc was really funny. Even the actor playing the monk, Vincent Chan, handsome brother of Kelly Chan had a scary moment when he was tied to a pole or something, dropped into the river and looked like he could have drowned and be looked almost panicking and quickly the guys came and pulled him up. I don't deny their dedication, but the script was poor. Vincent Chan was worse. But the scenery was beautiful.

VERDICT
Any JTTW fan would probably want to see a new adaptation, and I suspect liberties have been taken with the story as well so those who read the book may wish to compare and contrast. But in the end this series didn't feel like JTTW to me. It felt like a series about supernatural beings and if you see it that way, despite the long unending dialogues, the dubbing which irritated me or some poor acting, you may enjoy this. But those who wants a JTTW series will be severely disappointed. Wukong seemed out of character, Pig never changed in character, the Buddhas were strange and I find some storyline offensive and it didn't have the spirit of JTTW. I won't rush to rent or buy this one. I'd save my money for the original adaptation or TVB version if TVB ever bothered to release the full episodes instead of butchering it to fit a number of VCDs for maximum profit. Now I am eager to watch the 2011 adaptation because I am sure the cinematography would be excellent but I suspect yet again the director may just go off tangent when it comes to the story. But at least stay true to the spirit. Pilgrimage To The West failed miserably in that department.

Powered by: Fast payday loans

Read More

OH! MY LADY [TV][Kr]

Written by Funn Lim


"... so all idol fans will be glad to know there is nothing embarrassing with drooling over Choi Si Won in here as he did his fans proud. A fantastic performance and a definitely charismatic one."









SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Korean title
오! 마이 레이디

Same title as in English

Better Title
Should have been Here Comes Ahjumma! but I believe that is already taken

Episodes
A rather short 16 episodes

Version
The version I watched is TV rip but HD quality with fansub which is well done but not as great as some I could name. Some aren't translated so don't go thinking all guys are called Hyung. It just means brother (as addressed by a guy to an older guy). Unni is sister as addressed by a girl to an older girl. Ahjumma is auntie. Ajashi is Uncle. Noona is sister as addressed by a guy to an older girl. Sanbei means senior, from one junior to another older guy. Appa is father. Omma is mother. Aigoo... I don't think it is even a word but more like an expression like huh? Wah Lau eh! Eh! Oi! I think...

Anyway if you would like to watch this the links are as follows:-

>> the video files
>> the subtitles files (English only)

If you wanna burn the subtitles into the video file aka hardcode the subtitles, learn how here

Broadcast network
SBS

Released In
2010

Cast-Character
Chae Rim as Yoon Gae Hwa
Choi Si Won as Sung Min Woo
Lee Hyun Woo as Yoo Shi Joon
Park Han Byul as Hong Yoo Ra
Moon Jung Hee as Han Jung Ah
Yoo Seo Jin as Lee Bok Nim
Yoo Tae Woong as Kim Byung Hak
Bang Joon Seo as Kim Min Ji
Kim Yoo Bin as Sung Ye Eun
Heo Joon Suk as Choi Tae Goo
Kim Kwang Gyu as Han Min Kwan
Kim Hee Won as Jung Yoon Suk
Hwang Hyo Eun as Oh Jae Hee
Hong Jong Hyun as Kim Jin Ho
Lee Dae Yeon as Eom Dae Yong
Chu Hun Yub as Chae Ho Suk
Seo Myung Kyu (서명규) as Min Woo's friend
Kim Hee Joon (김희준) as Min Woo's security guard
Yeo Ji Hyo as high school student
Jessica as herself (cameo, ep7)
Hyo Yeon as herself (cameo, ep7)
Choi Soo Young as herself (cameo, ep7)
Lee Han Wie as director (cameo, ep1)
Jun Hye Jin as actress (cameo, ep1)
Na Young Hee as Gae Hwa's former boss (cameo, ep1)

Summary
Taken from Wiki-addicts

A spunky 35-year-old housewife, Yoon Gae Hwa, takes on the job of manager to prickly top star Sung Min Woo in order to earn enough money to regain custody of her child from her ex-husband. Romantic hijinks and hilarity ensues when they find themselves in an awkward living situation as Min Woo pays Gae Hwa to take care of his daughter, Ye Eun.

Real Summary
I wonder do the networks actually watch the show or even read the scripts before putting down the official summary. So here is the real summary.

Yoon Gae Hwa is a divorced mother of one 7 (or maybe 8?) year old child who had to work hard to make ends meet as her ex husband, Kim Byung Hak refuses to help her out financially, blaming her financial woes on her deceased mother who used up Gae Hwa's entire divorce settlement towards the hospital bills. Out of desparation and without a job, Gae Hwa reluctantly left her daughter, Min Ji in the care of her ex husband who has since remarried to a younger wife which we will not get to see in the series. He took on Min Ji reluctantly and didn't take his responsibility as a father seriously which sees Gae Hwa having to take care of Min Ji by payments of school fees, music studies and even food even if Min Ji is staying with her father. Meanwhile Gae Hwa was given the job as a housekeeper to someone important whose privacy is of utmost priority and he turns out to be 28 year old top star/super idol Sung Min Woo which Gae Hwa isn't too impressed with even if her best friend paedetrician Lee Bok Nim and every young and aunties alike are absolutely crazy about him, despite his lack of acting skills. However the job lasted just 1 day as Gae Hwa had to leave due to an emergency with Min Ji and in the process burnt Min Woo's very expensive shirt. Fired and without a job, Gae Hwa answered an internet recruitment ad for an intern at a stage production company called The Show Company run by a very cool, cold and aloof Yoo Shi Joon. During the interview she was told she was too old for the job and as the conversation led to Sung Min Woo which Yoo Shi Joon was forced to consider casting him for his star power, Gae Hwa inadvertantly let slip she knows him. Desperate, Yoo Shi Joon told her if she could help recruit him as the lead actor in their upcoming musical called All That Love, she gets the job as the intern. Gae Hwa was desparate to reunite with her daughter and so prepared a business proposal for Min Woo, who didn't quite care to even read and threw the entire proposal out of his car although he made her buy him a new shirt. But she was persistent, as persistent as a papparazi who made it his life mission to uncover more of Min Woo's scandals. As Gae Hwa tried to see Min Woo at his luxury apartment, she saw a taxi driver letting off a 6 year old child with her luggage and said she was to be delivered to Sung Min Woo. The guard recognised Gae Hwa and thought she was the housekeeper and so she took the child to see Min Woo thinking she was his niece. To his and her shock, she turns out to be his illegitimate child with one of his I suppose childhood sweetheart before he went into showbusiness. Gae Hwa seizing the opportunity blackmailed him into accepting the job whilst meanwhile she in turn will take care of the child for him. He was thinking she would take the child and leave but Gae Hwa managed to convince him to let her stay with him whilst taking care of the child, Ye Eun as she can save on the rental as well. What Gae Hwa didn't know was Min Woo knew Shi Joon who was his lecturer during university days who predicted Min Woo as a complete failure as an entertainer and so there were bad blood between them. However Min Woo signed on, Gae Hwa got her job and so begins the precarious living arrangement between Gae Hwa who is also the housekeeper/nanny/secret keeper of Min Woo and his child Ye Eun whom he refuses to acknowledge. As time goes by he falls for her and things turn serious when Min Woo had to decide between his career and acknowledging his child.

Comments
I haven't been watching any Korean dramas not since the disastrous Cinderella Stepsister that turned me off K-dramas, and luckily not for good. I heard good things about this series and since I like Chae Rim who was the single reason to watch Dal ja's Spring, I decided to give this series a try. After all who doesn't like a good fantasy which involves an ahjumma (auntie) with a much younger hotter man? More so when this fantasy involves a dowdy looking 35 year old and a hot looking major pop idol? I know it sounds impossible, it sounds even ridiculous but if anyone can convince the audience that an impossible scenario can seem possible, it has to be K-dramas. Only they can make such ridiculous impossible scenario seem possible enough for us to take it seriously. If Cinderella Stepsister is love and tortorous love overload, Oh! My Lady is the direct opposite; it is still about love but an easygoing one so to speak. I remember rewatching All About Eve which coincidentally starred a very young Chae Rim opposite the absolutely gorgeous (and very married appa!) Jang Donggun where Jang Donggun's character chose to fall for Chae Rim's character instead of his oldest friend because Chae Rim's character made him happy and love should be happy unlike the meandering suffering love that Cinderella Stepsister would like us to believe, the same reasoning can be used here as to why Sung Min Woo could fall for Gae Hwa. She makes him happy, she feeds him, she encourages him, when his own manager belittled him it was Gae Hwa who expressed anger whilst he expressed a certain resignation to a fact that he is a lousy actor, when all was tumbling down for him and Gae Hwa was humiliated, she didn't care much about herself but worrries about him, when he was told by everyone to go on a diet for some photoshoot, she was the one who expressed disbelief that anyone should have to do that and starts to cook good food for him, she took good care of his daughter and thought of ways to make him acknowledge his responsibility as a father and in the end she loved him for who he is, not the top star Sung Min Woo but the loving father Sung Min Woo. As I was watching this series, I was hoping for 3 things to happen in the final episode;

1. a wedding. I want a wedding and K-drama seems not to like weddings
2. a still camera as the leads kiss passionately
3. a makeover for Gae Hwa

At the end, none of these 3 ever happened. There's still that circling the leads as they kiss camera technique which is boring, there is still no wedding but ended with a kiss and in retrospect, it was good Gae Hwa didn't go through any makeover at all and she remained true to herself. One telling scene had her ex husband making excuses for his affairs which led to the divorce, blaming her for looking like an ahjumma, for not wearing prettier clothes, etc which of course angered Min Woo who saw her for her natural sort of beauty. In an earlier scene they were both drunk after she had a really bad day and she confessed she knew she wasn't any great beauty but Min Woo was the one who drunkenly said "Looking at your entire face, no you're aren't attractive but individually, you do have a cute nose, and your lips.. your lips.." and he suddenly realised what he was saying and snapped out of it as she said "What about my lips? They're fine!" as she went to take a new bottle of wine but stood before the fridge and fallen asleep. Min Woo looked at her as she fluttered her eyes and suddenly, which I feel is quite a moment, he impulsively kissed her, much to her shock. It would have been great to see how they stopped kissing but the next scene she ran into her room and wondered what happened whilst Min Woo was in his room wondering why he did what he did. Then the next scene of him avoiding her, and she confronting him and saying "It was just a kiss! Moreover it wasn't a great kiss anyway!" which of course Min Woo felt insulted.

These funny moments and unexpectedly romantic moments which glued me to the screen but make no mistake, there were touching moments as well, one where Ye Eun who refused to speak due to psychological trauma of being abandoned by her mother and unwanted by her father suddenly spoke to a very patient and loving Gae Hwa, or when Min Woo promised Min Ji he will not hurt her mother and they pinky sweared on that or the most touching moment, when Ye Eun was lost in a shopping complex and Gae Hwa was inconsolable like a mother would and Min Woo held her consoling her like a father would and a panicking Min Woo went looking for Ye Eun and saw people looking at his life size cardboard ad image and saw Ye Eun holding the cardboard's hand since she recognised that as her father and he was very touched by what he saw and she then saw the real Min Woo and gave a sweet smile. I think at that precise moment he decided to hell with his career and he welcome his responsibility as a single father as well as recognising the fact that he was in love with Gae Hwa. That was a very touching moment that needed very little words and just a dash of tears.

The most romantic moment had to be when he gave her a written business proposal and Gae Hwa read how he planned to marry her in a month, a cruise later, a world tour some years later, etc which shows Min Woo now has plans for the future and is ready to shouler responsibilities and is serious about her. I think Gae Hwa didn't feel he wasn't ready for her but rather she might be a hindrance to his career, but of course his business proposal and the fact that Min Woo met with her ex husband and told him to apologise to her for hurting her to the point she was afraid of new relationships convinced her he has her best interest in his heart too.

And it is funny how Min Woo could convince her best friend, her ex husband, her boss, her colleagues and even her daughter that he was the right man for her as she pondered and wondered and kept denying that fact. He basically charmed everyone and convincing everyone of that fact which is very interesting to watch.

Despite the impossible scenario of how they met and how they ended up together, the fact that they could fall for one another, especially someone like Sung Min Woo for Gae Hwa was very possible. Of course many times in this series everyone wondered what he saw in her but sometimes you may wonder what she sees in that jerk. This series will explain why, but of course unlike Cinderella Stepsister, not painfully so but in a fun way.

Now this series lack villains. Of course villains would make it more urgent but I kinda like that there's not one person who is strictly a villain.

For example the manager of Sung Min Woo who seems like a possible candidate for Villain Of This Series but he isn't. He may have very little faith in his star, he may have threatened him and even did gangster sort of stuff all in the name to further Min Woo's career, he may even wanted to kidnap Ye Eun to make Min Woo to sign a new contract, but in the end he didn't. In fact one of the funniest scene was Yoo Ra who wants to get close to Ye Eun to gain access to Min Woo's heart convinced Gae Hwa to allow her to take her out for one day and of course she lost the little girl in the shopping complex. The manager who was tailing them so as to kidnap Ye Eun ran to Yoo Ra and screamed at her for losing the little girl and went looking for her. I think at that moment it kinda shows the manager isn't really a bad person since he was very shocked at Yoo Ra's incompetence and for losing sight of a child. I thought that particular scene was funny. Anyway in the end Min Woo decided not to sign on with his manager as he wanted to explore the possibilities on his own. He does see the manager like his older brother and the manager despite belittling him and everything and even at some point said Min Woo was just a product to him seems rather earnest in salvaging his career even if through gangster sort of ways. From the dialogue Min Woo wasn't an easy star to manage in the first place.

Yoo Ra could have been a villain but instead she is just keen on Min Woo and perplexed why he could fall for Gae Hwa instead of the hotter Yoo Ra. He was keen on Yoo Ra but in the end he recognises Gae Hwa is the one for her when he tried to kiss Yoo Ra and saw Gae Hwa's face instead. Yoo Ra may be childish and rude but she isn't a bad person. She didn't reveal to the press about the child when Min Woo repeatedly rejected her so she is not vindictive.

Yoo Shi Joon could be a villain as the series seems to suggest he likes Gae Hwa but didn't go further than that. Instead he became her friend and at times had to remind Min Woo to treat Gae Hwa with respect as he saw how Min Woo ordered Gae Hwa around not knowing she is part timing as her housekeeper. He seems to be the voice of reason and I like how in the end Min Woo learn to respect him as Shi Joon learn to respect Min Woo as well. By the way his story about Gae Hwa and him and his cheating suffering wife Jung Ah was what slowed down the pace of this series considerably. But his character has a purpose and served it well even if I thought he had already divorced his wife at episode 5 when until episode 16 only then they were divorced and remained friendly with one another.

The ex husband Byung Hak was a horrible father, horrible husband, horrible human being. He could even blame Gae Hwa for his affairs and financial woes and so he is closest at being the villain. And yet when Gae Hwa was accused of blackmailing Min Woo into starring in the musical, surprisingly and very funnily Byung Hak was the first to rise up to her defense as he proclaimed "Gae Hwa may be many things but she is not that sort of person! What sort of company is this that pushes their employees to resort to such desperate measures? What did you all do to make her go blackmailing people?!". In the end to her surprise he drunkenly offered his apology for hurting her which was a rather good scene and shows he ain't that bad even if he is a jerk. Of course the portrayal of a father who pretends to be a diligent one in front of his daughter and a whole different face in front of his ex wife was spot on. Must mention though that he may be rather offended that a hot young star like Min Woo could fall for a woman he claims to be unattractive and a nag. Of course unlike Min Woo he didn't see the beautiful aspect of his ex wife who deserves better.

Finally the reporter. Korean papparazi is scary if he is an example of such papparazi. His tailing Min Woo is not just borderline obsessive but an obvious harassment, since he chased Min Woo for scandals. But in the end he wasn't the villain as he wrote a glowing report on Min Woo which changed his image from teen pop idol to a serious character actor with a daughter to raise. In fact Min Woo became even more famous because of this new image.

So there are no villains in this series, just perhaps all sort of personalities. Moreover it wouldn't serve this series well to have a villain. I think this series knows what it is; a romantic dramedy.

However this series has its down times.

I wonder where is Gae Hwa's and Min Woo's family. So they do not have support system and when trouble comes it seems they're all alone. And we never get to see Yee Eun's mother. The mother actually just walked away!

Everytime the story moves away from Sung Min Woo and Gae Hwa the entire story falls flat. I believe Gae Hwa and Shi Joon's scenes are too many, as well as Shi Joon and his wife and also Yoo Ra and Min Woo, none of which I particularly enjoyed. I did not enjoy the reporter's story as well. Further Min Woo's backstory about the hit and run, affair with a rich man's wife, his rumours with many young stars, him beating a papparazi or something, none of these were explained in detail except to say they happened. So I didn't quite get the temperamental Min Woo although there's the arrogant selfish self absorbed Min Woo. Would these have furthered the character development of Min Woo? I don't think so, it may prove too much information but I couldn't quite imagine the sometimes lovable Min Woo or serious Min Woo could be so violent. He can be quite persistent though.

Frankly I have no problems with the characterisations in this series. Having read some online opinions, it is true the story in this series is very familiar but isn't all romantic stories the same essentially? The problem is breathing new life into the story, giving it something refreshing and I must admit the dialogues in this series are very good even if as this series would teach the rest of the world, Koreans love to mumble to themselves or is often so exasperated over everything they're rendered momentarily speechless, an observation I made in my Jewel In The Palace review. Or that they love to say "Aigoo" which I take it to mean "Wha... huh... ahhh... eh..." in any other culture. Why I love this series is of course the impossible story but most of all because of the performances.

The casting seems carefully done and I am happy if it is so because it pays to have careful casting decision.

Need I say anything more about the wonderful charismatic Chae Rim? The make up department has a hard time making her look dowdy with that awful wig (which I suspect later on is replaced by her real hairdo) and some questionable fashion choices, making her more ahjumma than unni but the fact remains she is cute and earnest and charismatic. I did wish she had a makeover in terms of wardrobe and I was very surprised her colleagues never said to her "Ahjumma, jeans and sweatshirt is not an office attire and nobody goes to a musical premier in shorts". Performance wise, I find Chae Rim could have done better than the worried look or the embarassed look and I do feel she was in better form in Dalja's Spring but frankly I find Chae Rim effective in here although her character is on one track development meaning she hardly had any development at all. I waould love to have more of her back story since after a while the series felt more like about Min Woo than about her and Min Woo. Not that I am complaining. I especially love her interaction with Choi Si Won, the way she indulges him, let him bully her and the way she quietly persuades him and the way she cooks, cleans and basically look after his every needs, including taking care of his daughter and eventually moving out with HIS daughter. After a while I was thinking shouldn't he shoulder the responsibility such as renting a place for her which he did ask to do so but she refuses. A very strange nanny!

Lee Hyun Woo is probably playing the same role I saw him play in Dal ja's Spring and may I add, I can't quite imagine him in a comedy since he totally lacks a sense of humour. He looks so much older in here, not helped by his 2 tone foundation on his face. Was he sick? I find him boring, and I find him NOT THE CHAIRMAN PLAYING THE CHAIRMAN sort of roles. It doesn't help he is slow and steady sort of person, which gives me an impression he is softspoken and rather mature but still so darn boring to watch. His scenes with the sassy looking Moon Jung Hee who can dance really well (a dancer turn actress perhaps?) playing his suffering wife is suffering to watch because these 2 has got to be the most soft spoken quarreling couples ever. The time it took for them to separate took 16 episodes and that is like a lifetime.

Park Han Byul is pretty and in all honesty, I really think she did something to her eyes, cheeks, nose and everything else except maybe her very nice figure which would take many many exercises to maintain. I mean everyone in this series probably had something done. What is interesting about her is her wardrobe; hardly a cleavage but still as suggestive with the impossibly high heels making her look even taller than she already is. Acting wise, a bit painful to watch. She quite simply utter her lines in such a careful manner that it took quite some time for her to finish one line, her expression is between huh and duh and nothing much and frankly, I find her pretty and that is about it. Possibly the worst performance in this series.

Yoo Seo Jin looks so familiar but I am not sure where I have seen her before. She plays Bok Nim who at first seems like a silly fangirl of Min Woo who turns out to be a married paedetrician who IS a silly fangirl of Min Woo. I love her character and I love her performance. So cute! I love the scene where Min Woo said "I have asked Gae Hwa to marry me" and her reaction was priceless; her coffee mug just dropped onto the table as she looked at him in complete and utter shock, an expression the Koreans are very good at.

Yoo Tae Woong plays Byung Hak the ex husband of Gae Hwa and this is the closest thing to a jerk and a villain in this series. He looks familiar, he was in He Who Can't Marry but I can't remember who he was in there. Anyway a complete and utter jerk and this actor really played him expertly. His worst as in most villainous moment had to be when he humiliated Gae Hwa at the musical premier which shows how little respect he has for his ex wife hence his disbelief when he found out Min Woo was supposedly dating her or that she is a planning manager at The Show Company. His redemption came when he defended Gae Hwa amidst the accusations of blackmailing and he became sort of a nice person in the end when he actually apologised to her, even if he was drunk and gave his seal of approval for Min Woo whom he declares is a good guy. Fantastic performance.

The actor who plays Min Woo's manager is a name I did not catch, whether character or the actor's name but he was despicable but still not villain enough. From the way he portrayed this role he gives me an impression he looks down on Min Woo, maybe sees him as an investment and his saviour and yet towards the end he still didn't kick Min Woo out of the apartment  and even wanted to continue to act as his manager/agent despite the entertainment world declaring Min Woo as finished. But Min Woo of course decided to go alone, to be free agent and take care of himself. He said it in a very nice way actually.

Bang Joon Seo who plays Min Ji really looks like Chae Rim and gave an outstanding performance as the daughter. I find her cute and believable and very mature for her age which I checked is 7. Very big for a 7 year old girl.

But I am far more impressed with Kim Yoo Bin who plays Ye Eun, who is far younger than Bang Joon Seo (in the series she is 6, in real life she is 5, either way she is small for her age) and gets to have more scenes with Chae Rim and of course Choi Si Won. Her role may seem simplistic; she eats, cries and sleeps, a lot. But as the series went on and we learn that her mother did actually abandon her to start a new life in I think New York she suffered deep psychological trauma hence she refuses to talk. Then faced with a stubborn father who didn't want her, all I can think of was that her stony face or cries and silence were of better acting than some adults out there. And when she said "I understand Ahjumma" to Chae Rim in one scene, it was a near miracle sort of scene for me. Little cute scenes like refusing to take the lollipop that her father licked, or the way she quietly eats her food or wants to go to toilet (and mind you a lot of toilet humour in here but all tastefully done - no pun intended) or the best of all, holding that cardboard image of her father really did nearly broke my heart. When she smiles, she lights up the entire scene. And I love her chemistry with Chae Rim and Choi Si Won fans will be very happy to know her chemistry with her appa is the highlight of this series. A fantastic performance from this child actress.

Last but not least, Choi Si Won himself who looks like a cross between Takeshi Kaneishiro plus Wang Lee Hom plus David Wu (I think; that actor who played Bruce Lee who went on to Cat III movies who then became Channel [V] VJ and now I am not sure where he is). Anyway, let me do a checklist;

Handsome - check
Tall - check
Can dance - check
Can sing - competently so check (speaks with low voice but surprisingly sings with high pitched tone?!)
Can act - check
Has dashing smile - check check
Has killer abs - check check check
Amazing hair - check check check check check check check check check

What more can you ask for in a super idol? Maybe no chapped lips? Anyway, I am not aware of his existence except until this series came along. I do know the existence of Super Junior which is the group he belongs to but I am not a fan of either. When I knew he is a super idol playing a super idol, I did groan a little. How cliche eh? I know it would be entertaining but I was getting ready for those acting you always see in Taiwanese idol dramas which means very little substance and no expressions, if any. And after Cinderella Stepsister, frankly my opinion of idol acting in dramas isn't exactly very nice so yes I am not a fan of 2PM. What Choi Si Won has over the other idol in that drama is quality writing. Oh! My Lady has a good script and though Chae Rim may be the lead character, Sung Min Woo is the one character that is well written and would go through many challenging moments that a far worse actor would just ruin him. A good actor would make something out of him but a better actor would give him personality other than arrogant childish immature jerk. When I was watching I thought the character was 25 at most but all those mentions about university, dates, etc didn't tally and in the last episode I found out he was supposed to be 28 which in restrospect would make Min Woo incredibly childish and terribly immature. So the change in the end would have been an amazing transformation. Rest assured all fans of Super Juniors or whichever branch he is with, Choi Si Won the super idol from a super idol group who himself is a top star like Sung Min Woo himself did not disappoint; in fact I am terribly impressed with his performance which goes beyond just 2 expressions; he can actually act and he can act very very well. I wouldn't say earth shattering good but I recognise a talent when I see one and though I can't vouch for his singing (he did sing in this series, which was good) or dancing (which he did dance in this series which was good), but I feel he has a solid future as an actor. Some may dismiss this series as fluff, any actor can do it, it is a comedy, it is light hearted, it is romance series. First of, a good actor will be able to make Sung Min Woo likeable despite his immaturity or his constant pushing away his daughter. He has to be believable as a star (no problem in that) and as a person behind that facade called star and that I feel is where Choi Si Won succeeded. He has good comedic timing, his delivery of the punchline or that expression is spot on. There doesn't seem to be any deliberate acting on his part, his actions and his expression are natural and fluid, much like Chae Rim herself. I love his interaction with Chae Rim, the way he begs to be pampered or scolded or pushed around. I love his interaction with Kim Yoo Bin, especially that scene where he walked in to see her on the lap of Lee Hyun Woo's character and feeling particularly possesive, he tapped on his own thigh and a sense of triumph when the little girl walked right up to his side. His insistent on being fed, asking for fruits, saying he is hungry, etc. Those are little scenes but goes a long way to build up this character. His not so good scenes were the ones where he was angry and he was shouting which wasn't angry enough for me. But the quiet moments, like how he teases Gae Hwa or left in quiet contemplation over his future or how he should settle the problem with a bigger scandal that is his daughter, all these made him a joy to watch. It helps he is given killer wardrobe, his pants may look silly but he works them great! And it is also helpful he has killer abs with a waist so tiny, a shoulder so broad and a smile so dazzling. However I was equally as impressed with his ability to carry the little girl convincingly. You know some actors just couldn't carry a child but he can. And yes, the way I am going it is like an evaluation of a potential husband material isn't it? Well, why not? Children loves him, ahjumma like myself likes him, young girls adore him and as always it is better if all these adoration is justified. I proudly say I am a big fan of one particular star because he can act/sing/whatever and no more better honour for a fan to have such affection returned with quality performances. I do not know what the future holds for Choi Si Won, I suspect if he keeps this up he will have an illustrious solo career but so far, for this series alone, his performance wasn't fluff. His character changes from one end to the other and still maintain that likeability despite being a first class jerk. He handles the emotional scenes well and he looks good in all scenes even with ridiculous pants. I am saddened that HK does not have this sort of quality young idols, even Taiwan lacks them with all those nonsense they call acting but in series we just can't help but watch, so all idol fans will be glad to know there is nothing embarrassing with drooling over Choi Si Won as in here he did his fans proud. A fantastic performance and a definitely charismatic one.

Verdict
I have to give it to the Koreans to make such unbelievable fantasy seem like reality eventhough in real life it can never happen. There was a time there was a lull in quality with K-dramas but interestingly the acting is considerably and consistently better than most even if the story sucks. There are many reasons to watch this series; for the ahjummas in all of us, the fantasy element. For the romantics, the practical and yet romantic aspects. For those who crave good acting, this series boasts some fine ones amongst the major actors. For those who likes familiar but yet different stuff, this series has that too. But most of all, for fans of Chae Rim and Choi Si Won, there is no better reason than to watch this series for these 2. Why is it everytime Chae Rim is in a series I always wish she marries the lead actor? Like All About Eve and until now, I always believe Chae Rim is Jang Donggun's true love. Now I believe she is Choi Si Won's true love! And this is why this series is to me a success despite the ratings or the numbers; the actors convince us they're who they're.

A must watch.

One major missing scene
We have fans throwing eggs at Gae Hwa. It would have been great if there is a scene where fangirls running after her throwing eggs or maybe just curious about her. I mean it is so impossible, so why not up the notch? There is a scene of all the ahjummas running after Min Woo in a supermarket and 2 fangirls running after him in a street.

Could it happen?
If a young idol is discovered having a young child, will the sponsors abandon him like they did with Min Woo? I feel if a star such as Min Woo himself explain why and what and how and where, I am sure the fans would agree and the sponsors will agree that he is blameless. So why should he be judged immoral or unclean? It seems as this series suggest having a child out of wedlock is a bigger scandal than dating a woman 7 years your junior and having her walk in and out of your apartment or staying together in one place! I don't think in real it would matter if Min Woo has a child if it is explained he didn't know her existence in the first place.

How would Oh! My Lady be in other countries
Hong Kong
The actors' age would be at least add 5 years although for Gae Hwa it is very easy to find a 35 year old. Unfortunately it will be either very silly or very dramatic, and there will be ONE ultimate villain who will ruin things for our love pair in here. Since child actors are getting better in HK, it will be one good aspect. My guess is Raymond Lam will be cast as Sung Min Woo and he will probably play him like a gentleman and Charmaine Sheh will be Gae Hwa which I won't complain much since she is right age but damn it if she ever wears a dowdy wig because I am convince she would go through an amazing makeover where Raymond's eyes will light up which kinda defeat the entire message of the story. And Joe Ma will play Yoo Shi Joon. It is always that way. And the series will have 30 episodes. And I don't think HK can produce a Choi Si Won, the abs itself is contrary to Chinese male actors' normal body image. Why Korea and Taiwan and Japan has such super idols and HK has zero? I still can't name the HK version of F4. At some point we will see Gae Hwa and Min Woo's entire family who all knows one another and colleagues will have nicknames for one another as well. There will be many pub scenes despite Min Woo's fame. Gae Hwa at some point will go out with Shi Joon. She will end up in bed with Min Woo. The ending scene will have Gae Hwa leaving HK to further her studies and return as some classy manager meeting Min Woo again and we will be left wondering are they together again?! And then there will be a sequel. Since Min Woo is the more important character, they will kill off Gae Hwa and reintroduce a younger actress to become mother of 2 young girls and wife of Min Woo and I'll be damned if Linda Chung is not cast as that character. Somehow a female bodyguard will get involved and probably Tavia Yeung will get cast and in the end he will end up with neither because there will be a part 3 to the series where Min Woo will die and we will see a new "cool" actor in the form of Kevin Cheng.

Taiwan
The actors age will tally although Gae Hwa will look glamarous and be played by a more glamarous looking 35 year old and damn the wig and dowdy dress. She will dress in boots! To illustrate her "niceness" she will be seen crying when a goat dies. The actor will be someone good looking, maybe a bit of nice abs but will have long hair or so. Acting however will be like this; female lead acts way better than male lead who will sulk, grunt and just act cool throughout. Gae Hwa will not be pulled away by Min Woo, nope, it will be Gae Hwa running after Min Woo. The ending will be a wedding scene that I had hoped for. Yoo Shi Joon's character may be in here but probably will be drastically cut to render him insignificant. 20 episodes probably to tell the whole story. Probably plenty of kisses and definitely a whole lot more of narration with characters voicing their thoughts rather than actually speak them out.

Japan
First of, Japan will cut the episodes to an impossible 7 or 8 and still manage to tell the entire same story without much alteration. The young Min Woo will be someone from Arashi perhaps, I don't know, but he won't be taking off his shirt as often although he will have killer hairstyle which is kinda spiky short or wavy long. The actress will be less prettier than the Korean version, probably a few years younger and our Min Woo will be cool, sulky and god damn rude. They will sleep with one another. She will get pregnant. She will have miscarriage. They will part ways. He will find her. They will marry. Then they will make a one episode special to the series and then 2 movies to explain all that.


What I Learnt From K-Dramas
1. Everybody must have a rank or formal title such as President, Chairman, Manager, etc. No one is without a title or a rank and you must always address that person by that rank

2. OR you must address that person by their full name, surname included and imagine if that includes the title plus the company he or she works for plus the full name, the entire introduction scene in a well connected party can be a mouthful and will take one episode for just that.

3. Bow. YOU MUST BOW. More precisely girl bows to boy, no matter how much you despise that boy

4. In a love story situation, the guy must DRAG the girl out of a situation by leading her with one hand of his firmly clasped with hers and she looking darn confused.

5. A jerk is a jerk until he does something utterly romantic, not giving flowers but you know, go behind her back and start scolding her ex husband and insists he gives her her dignity back.

6. There was a time this is not true but now I am glad to say HERO = HANDSOME = DAZZLING SMILE = AMAZING ABS (optional but good if there is such a thing) = FANTASTIC HAIR

7. Seniors always scream at juniors who always detest the seniors but must maintain a polite demeanour with regards to the Seniors who will scream at the top of their lungs to the juniors who just look at them like "So what?!" and did I mention, seniors who are businessmen are like gangsters? In fact they all look like gangsters instead of legitimate businessmen.

8. Korea must be very very safe to allow a young girl to walk home alone

9. Just this series alone, the handphone is the must have accessory. As oppose to Cinderella Stepsister where girl searching for guy never seems to just give him a call or write a letter delivered by courier service directly to the intended person, in Oh! My Lady every episode has an average of 6 calls (as in 6 times a phone is used and always a handphone which all looks to be from the same company) and a few letters, by courier company no less

10. Korean women can really really walk. Evidence? Gae Hwa the superwoman who can do so many things within a few short hours which includes taking a bus home, clean, cook, and still manage to make it on time for the musical premier. No wonder she doesn't need a makeover. She has no time for a makeover.

Last but not least

11. Are saunas in Korea opened 24 hours? They can even sleep and eat there!

SOME PICTURES
I am absolutely unequivocally in love with that little girl Kim Yoo Bin! So precious! She came to the press conference with a cute tiny handbag! And I also love how Chae Rim would give her kisses and most of all, very surprised but shouldn't have been to see Choi Si Won doting on her! It must have been very cold but the way he covered her with his long coat and in one picture he even rubbed and blew into her tiny little hands! Super cute girl!!! And ermmm Choi Si Won isn't that bad himself. He gives me an impression he loves children and is good with them! He and Chae Rim makes such a lovely pair despite the age difference! Power to the ahjummas! More gorgeous pictures here!

231 Chamberlin Drive, West Seneca, NY 14210-2613

Read More