Next up is a movie from a few years ago that always gives me the warm fuzzies: Sweet Lie, a romantic comedy that released in the winter of 2008, which also goes by the title Lost and Found (Sweet Lie being the literal translation of the Korean title, 달콤한 거짓말).

The film wasn’t a box office success, and I can understand why — it’s a little too familiar and comfy an entry into the crowded rom-com field to be a standout performer. But it has an easy-going charm that makes it a fun selection to come back to every once in a while, and it never fails to put a smile on my face. Its appeal is in large part due to the utterly winning Park Jin-hee, who is the best thing about the film, though I did also enjoy the down-to-earth slacker turn by leading man Jo Han-seon.

Director Jung Jung-hwa went on to direct last year’s cable sensation Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, which can account for the reappearance of second lead (in both projects) Lee Ki-woo. Director Jung also co-wrote the screenplay and you can see his mark in Ramyun Shop (produced with PD Pyo Min-soo), which similarly explores the romantic-ideal-versus-reality dichotomy and utilizes the same style of undercutting earnest moments with comedy, although Sweet Lie is nowhere near as manhwa-esque as Ramyun Shop. I consider that a good thing, for both projects.

SONG OF THE DAY

Brown Eyed Girls – “좋은날” (Good Day) from the Sweet Lie OST. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Movie Review: Sweet Lie (Lost and Found) (2,728 words)

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Post tags: featured, Jo Han-seon, Lee Ki-woo, Park Jin-hee

Best. Finale. Ever. Okay, not EVER, in the history of all dramas. But goddamn, is it awesome. It’s even better than what I had hoped for, and bubbling over with so much laugher and heart, and surprise – heroism – that I’m still grinning from ear to ear. I love it when a drama saves its best for last. Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, I love you so. You may not be everyone’s favorite flavor, but for me, you’re seasoned just right.

The drama went on out on solid ratings for cable network tvN: average 2.86%, and an episode high of 3.54%.

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 16 (Final) (4,788 words)

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Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

This drama’s no fairy tale, but there is a certain analogue to be drawn with Chi-soo the corporate prince, shut up in his lofty tower. The fairy-tale scene in this episode played for some humor and some foreshadowing, but the symbolism works beyond the most obvious: Chi-soo can’t and won’t find his way out of his gilded cage, and if he doesn’t want to spend his life lonely — but fabulously dressed in his unwrinkled, pristine outfits — he’d best find a way out. Or at least, to meet his princess halfway.

SONG OF THE DAY

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop OST – “이야기” (Story) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 15 (2,795 words)

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Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

Well the poop’s out of the crapper, wouldn’t you say? Secrets come out, minds get blown, and deals get put on the table. Everyone faces the big question before them: Is love simply a luxury for the young and naïve? Or is it something worth sacrificing everything you’ve got, for just one shot?

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 14 (3,408 words)

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Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

Not to state the obvious, but this drama really hinges on Jung Il-woo — and not just because he’s adorable, but because he brings depth to Chi-soo that is indispensable to the show. There are definite moments of the ridiculous in the plot — you know, just one or two — but it’s his reactions that tell us how seriously to take it, and him. He’s like a barometer of absurdity, if you will. Funny how the most outrageous character of all can also be what grounds the crazy in something real, something we can feel and understand.

SONG OF THE DAY

Yozoh – “Sunday” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 13 (3,285 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 166 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

Hey, Yang Eun-bi, what do you put in that kimchi of yours? I hear it’s hot. It’s kimchi-making day at the shop, which turns out to be a party in more ways than one. When you’ve got a room full of people with all their love wires crossed, and a flurry of nicknames mixed in for good measure, there isn’t much you have to do to bring it to a boil.

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 12 (4,391 words)

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Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

Aw, this episode is really about brothers and bromance, in various forms. And you know how I have a massive soft spot for that. I love that the ramyun shop isn’t just a convenient way to use the term family, in the way that people have work families and school families and such. The characters also find connections to each other in their shared experiences of lacking family, like the way our two leading men miss mom, and our supporting boys miss dad.

SONG OF THE DAY

Kim Tae-woo, Rain, JYP – “Brothers and Me” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 11 (3,336 words)

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Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

The theme for today is Desire. Someone’s got his pants on fire, and it’s not from lying, that’s for sure.

 
EPISODE 10: “A Streetcar Named Desire”

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 10 (4,053 words)

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Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

The writing continues to pleasantly surprise me for this show, although it really shouldn’t at this point given the previous 8 solid episodes, and yet I always get more than I expect. Despite the fluff trappings, there’s a thematic cohesion to the drama that ties each episode together in a way that really works. Plus, I’m a huge fan of musical relevance to narrative motifs, and we get tons of that in this episode. Yay for music/word nerds!

SONG OF THE DAY

Jung Il-woo – “너란 사람” (Someone like you) from the Ramyun Shop soundtrack. I don’t know who thought that bridge was a good idea, though the rest of the ballad is okay. Not my favorite, but fine. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 9 (3,113 words)

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Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo

I know I say this every time, but Best. Episode. Ever. Why so awesome, Show? Is it ’cause you’re made with love and garnished with hotties? Or because you’re filled with nutritious hearty goodness? Whatever it is, it rocks my world, and I’d like to order another helping, please.

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Read the rest of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Episode 8 (3,910 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 240 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo