On October 8, the 14th Pusan International Film Festival, or PIFF, opened in Busan. (Yes, the city takes a different official spelling than the film festival. Blame inconsistent Romanization.)

As the largest film festival in Korea, it drew a large list of attendees, as you can see from the long list of red-carpet walkers. It was definitely a star-studded opening night, and even included one familiar Hollywood face (Josh Hartnett).

This year’s PIFF features its largest lineup to date, screening 355 films from 70 countries, and closes on the 16th.

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Read the rest of Opening red carpet at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (241 words)

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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, Choi Jung-won, Eom Ji-won, film festivals, Go Eun-ah, Go Jun-hee, Ha Ji-won, Han Chae-young, Han Eun-jung, Han Hye-jin, Han Ji-hye, Han Ye-seul, Im Joo-hwan, Im Soo-jung, Jang Dong-gun, Jang Hyuk, Jeon Do-yeon, Jeon Hye-bin, Jo Jae-hyun, Jung Ryeo-won, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Haneul, Kim Kang-woo, Kim Nam-gil, Kim So-yeon, Kim Yunjin, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Park Hee-soon, Seo Woo, So Ji-sub, Su Ae, Sung Yuri, Sunwoo Sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Wang Seok-hyun, Yeh Ji-won, Yoo Hana, Yoo Sun, Yoon Kye-sang

Two more episodes left…

It’s almost odd how Triple is nearing its end but doesn’t feel like it’s winding down. Perhaps that’s because it’s already so meandering to begin with, and I don’t mean that as an insult. It’s that this drama is SO slice-of-life that you almost don’t see an end in sight, because there’s no neat wrap-up for these stories. It’s like we started the drama mid-scene, so we may as well end it similarly and let the characters continue living out their everyday lives. This quality is, in my opinion, both Triple’s asset and its liability.

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Seon-kyun – “소년” (Boy). This is Lee Seon-kyun’s re-recording of the 1993 Yoon Sang song originally sung by Kim Hyung-joong of EOS (original version here). I actually like the other version better as a song, but I do love Lee Seon-kyun’s voice in just about anything. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Triple: Episode 14 (1,938 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Hee, Lee Hana, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang

Only three more episodes to go…

I was watching this episode, again really pleased with the visual palette, the acting of Lee Jung-jae and his interactions with Min Hyo-rin, the cute and resilient Poong-ho, and the lovely music. And those attributes just irritated me even more with the story, because Triple really, really deserved a better plot. It has everything but story, but unfortunately, that’s really the only one thing that’s essential.

SONG OF THE DAY

Triple OST – “Feel Alright” by Zitten [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Triple: Episode 13 (2,151 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Hee, Lee Hana, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang

It’s funny how I’ve actually enjoyed watching the individual episodes of Triple — and found myself smiling through a few scenes in this one, for example — but in the larger context, it all kind of blurs together. How can something be pleasant and yet also dull? Or be refreshing and yet fail to make any sort of lasting impression? It’s a curious contradiction.

SONG OF THE DAY

Triple OST – Zitten – “Because” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Triple: Episode 12 (2,906 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Hee, Lee Hana, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang

Triple is ending this week, and while I’ve enjoyed watching it, I’m finding that I’m in no rush to finish it. I think it’s because it feels like this series has been treading water for a while now. Yes, I understand that it’s a less-plot-driven, more slice-of-life sort of drama, but slice-of-life dramas still have to go somewhere. This meandering is both Triple’s charm and its weakness; on one hand, it IS refreshing to watch relationships unfold without necessarily knowing exactly how the ending will turn out. On the downside, however, this is still a television series on a broadcast station that relies on the attention of its audience to stay afloat.

SONG OF THE DAY

Sung Shi-kyung – “Baby You Are Beautiful” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Triple: Episode 11 (2,870 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Hee, Lee Hana, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang

There’s an odd quality about Triple for me, because as I’m watching (and writing about) the episodes, I enjoy them and the way certain relationships are being expressed. However, on the whole, I feel like the drama is losing some steam, and I’m not sure why that is.

I wonder if it’s because despite the fact that we viewers SAY we want unconventional and non-cliched relationships, when we get a drama like Triple where all the relationships are a bit fuzzy and not carved out in stone from the beginning, we start complaining that the relationships aren’t defined clearly enough. For instance, although we could see from Episode 1 that Hae-yoon and Sang-hee would be an eventual pairing, the other couples were murkier. You’d think that viewers would enjoy not having all the romantic pairs predetermined for once, but I think it’s actually irritated people who want, and expect, these romances to follow familiar patterns. So much for eschewing clichéd relationships!

(Then again, that can’t be the only issue; I think there are also other problems at work, which I’ll get to in a minute.)

SONG OF THE DAY

Mongoose (몽구) – “어떡해야 내 마음을 알까” (How Can I Let You Know How I Feel?). This one’s from the Triple OST. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Triple: Episode 10 (3,296 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Hee, Lee Hana, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang

A cute episode, and one that seems to (finally) be prodding our characters into the next phase of development. I don’t need high angst to keep me interested and I’ve been enjoying the story thus far for that laid-back ambiance, but I also appreciate that the story is moving along for all the couples.

SONG OF THE DAY

No Reply – “끝나지 않은 노래” (Unending song) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Triple: Episode 9 (2,969 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Hee, Lee Hana, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Triple, Yoon Kye-sang