"where do you work that you have to commute 400 miles???or are you on a trip?"

I think Hjkomo is coming down to see UCLA vs. Cal this Saturday. I'd say "Go Bears" and I really want to say "So What If Riley Happens, Play The Whole Game!!"

"KTH looked like she was just trying to eat LBH. I mean he is yummy and all, but please if you are going to kiss LBH she should have done it better."

At this point in the story, she doesn't love him. She actually thinks he's just like other macho men (and she's actually correct), and the dialogue is actually her sizing him up and basically tearing him apart. She tells him that, from their files, she knows he fell in love with her at first sight and the way she expresses it is extremely cold (and, again, accurate.)

She is his superior.
She already knows much more about him than he knows about her.
She watched him get tortured as part of his initiation. She was actually part of the team that prepared his torture.

He is humiliated.
Therefore, he kisses her.

That is why the scene works as it does. And, Kim Tae Hee, whether she actually intended to or not, nails the emotional tone of that scene.

When my kids Jung Pyo and Ji Hoo grow up, I shall tell them about they were immaculately conceived with the very above description.

@ cingdoc

"where do you work that you have to commute 400 miles???or are you on a trip?"

I've arrived safely in the OC after 7 hours (ugh!), and damn it's hot down here.
No, I'm not going to the game...we're here visiting the family for my nephew and niece's birthdays. I only slept for an hour in the car (which is unusual, since I'm the queen of knockin' zzz's in the passenger seat), and I only got to watch one ep of Assorted Gems before my laptop battery died. I would've copied something onto a flash drive and continued my drama addiction on hubby's laptop, but I only thought of that after mine turned off (must plan ahead for the return trip). My laughter prompted hubby to look over at what I was watching, and he asked why there was a white guy in a kdrama, so then I gave him a synopsis of the drama. Since we were stuck in the car together, he naturally couldn't escape and had to listen to the entire summary. Ha.

Upon arrival at my parents' house, Omma proceeded to feed us despite that fact that we had eaten dinner on the way (what Asian mother doesn't?). Then, she and I compared verbal lists of the dramas we're watching (I'm currently watching more, which is also unusual)....followed by updates on all the family goings on. I normally don't keep abreast of the family gossip, since I live so far away, but Holy Cow, someone should make a kdrama about my extended family. I won't go into the details of the histrionics (who knows, one of my cousins could be reading this and I wouldn't even know), but suffice it to say that my 98-year old halmoni is now living at my parents's house instead of my aunt's. ;)

@ ockoala, cingdoc, samsooki, belleza et al

Don't kill me CH-ers, but I'm going to have to disagree with ockoala & cingdoc.
The Iris kiss scene is much sexier than the CH kiss scene. The only part of CH I've scene is the kiss scene, so I don't have the emotional attachment to it...and in terms of what it represents in the drama, I'm sure it's monumental.....but in terms of just the actual kiss itself, Iris wins. Hands down. I mean, come on...it spontaneously caused a twin immaculate conception! (Congrats, belleza!) :P

@ ockoala

I liked April Snow a lot. If you like Hur Jin Ho, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
epyc's description sums it up nicely.

"Hands down. I mean, come on…it spontaneously caused a twin immaculate conception! "

You know, I think baby Jung Pyo will have his daddy's hair (kinda pama, kinda Ji Sun-ish, ya know?), and baby Ji Hoo will have his eyes (deep, intense, pure.)

If either has Natural Beauty (tm, Tae Hee Enterprises), I'm sorry -- they're going to the orphanage!!! :(

@belleza - omg you crack me up. seriously. but really, if anyone's kissing can cause the immaculate conception of not just one but two babies, it is LBH. i haven't gotten around to watching episode 2 of IRIS yet, but i did look up the kiss scene. as someone who has watched CH, i have to say KSA and CSW's kiss had a lot more history and meaning, hence was more monumental. i don't know what led up to the IRIS kiss, except what i've read in this thread about him being humiliated or what not, but omo, that was probably the hottest kiss ever. LBH's eyes just....and his lips.. and omg his jawline and ok i gotta go back to that clip now.

just got city hall banner. tango scene. holla.

Hi just wonder there isnt any drama series upload in the past one week?

I've never ever equated April Snow and In the Mood of Love. ...now it got me thinking...but 'more poignant'......hm. maybe I should watch April Snow again.

In the Mood of Love is not a standard WKW, he's completely abandoned the sparse narrative, but it's my fav. It's a Christopher Doyle's baby (or the marvelous Chang Suk Ping for those jawdroppingly gorgeous QiPaos) that WKW adopted because he can get the dough and the name to get this made. Is WKW the best out there for me, no.... but he's a great opportunist. He captured all the greats that ever graced HK cinema in the hey days of the 90s and they gave him their all and more. There will be no Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung if there was no WKW vehicles for them, they'll still be stuck making blockbusters, but there won't be WKW without any and all of those stars as well. In his movies, never was the charisma/star quality of a thespian put to a bigger showcase. LBH can act with KTH, but Tony Leung can act against Garfield/wet towel/soap. What Takeshi does is not acting, he's just showing us he's a star and he can just sit there and eat pineapple and we'll lust over him forever. WKW let them freely roam on his film. In 'Mood' he even let the cinematographer Doyle and the costume/art director Chang be in the very foreground and portrayed exactly a 'mood'. The storyline is almost as thick as a puff of cigarette smoke, making all those QiPao's Maggie is strutting around impossibily, heartwretchingly graceful a character, or even that stainless steel wonton carryout can sobbing almost as she carried it desolately along those stairs. Every single 'object' appearing in that film has a serious purpose to illustrate a mood, not just to make a visual scene, but to seep in deepr into our psyche and that is the sole theme of the film... a moody snapshot of a specific time and place...1962 Hong Kong. ppl r settling down after the war years, but as what?! as HKers? HK has no identity then.... HKers r in the ambiguity still of being cramped like sardines in a developing society of immigrants and its trapping of being a still 2nd world British colony yet in the mean time, romancing over the lost love of lustful Old Shanghai their hearts r still married to. It's so not literally a love story of the married Mr. Chow and Mrs. So. It's the love story of a lost bygone era of ambiguity... a recurring theme in all WKW's.

If u haven't seen the movie, the following lines must be the most 'bleh', but in a WKW, it's oozing 'mood'.

If, there's one more ticket, will you go with me?
If, there's one more ticket, will you take me with you?

my mommy is visiting, and jetlagging... so I'll be up with her. I did not realize how much I miss marathoning a HKdrama with my mom. :)

I love Wong Kar Wai, but I'm not as passionate about WKW as I am about Hou Hsiao Hsien. For me, my identification with them is mostly one over shared love for, essentially, your favorite Asian folks acting out New Wave cinema. It's a profound vicarious thrill (kinda like what Park Chan-Wook has done with Korea's Glamorous.) Both prefer elliptical narrative, ad-libbing, and finding meaning and sadness and pain in the Daily Boredom. Both seem to enjoy using non-actresses as their muses. However, WKW has steadily moved into a bubble of kitsch. Even as he maintains auteur status, there is that vague, yet still uncomfortable suspicion that the "world that is gone" is not his private Shanghai, but his place in Sino art-house. (That and how the Asian World Cinema circuit has fallen madly in love with South Korean film.) That he, in the inevitable Chinese way, become merely gaudy. WKW could speak to a time, but often only when his people were art objects to be manipulated in marvelous, tragic brocade, which is his approach to narrative. Though Ashes of Time is great and transformative for that very thing. From that thing, Fallen Angels correctly observes HK living as, sometimes, a dorm of millions.

In the Mood for Love plays even better if you get the Criterion Collection. There's extra scenes that bookends both Mood and 2046. And one carnal scene perhaps dirties the couture miserablism (though necessarily so) of the piece.

Having said that, In the Mood for Love is the middle piece of his trilogy proper -- Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and 2046. And 2046 plays much better if you get to see the Criterion version of IML. Which is a favorite WKW due to the metadrama rush of Kimura Takuya and Faye Wong trailing a love affair in both normal narrative and an inspired remix of Barberella. The equivalent in the English speaking world were if Robert Pattinson fell in love with Miley Cyrus. Or if Charlotte Church fell in love with the Jonas Brothers. Or if uhhhh . . . okay I'll stop now. :(

@lovenyc52 and ockoala

Just finished reading all the posts....Yes, that scene with PSH eating the ice-cream was cute. And the dialogue, so funny with Jeremy asking who the two hyungs thought were pretty and Tae-Kyung suddenly said "Go Mi Nam". I thought Jeremy was going to have a heart attack. I thought the dialogue is quite smart, sometimes having dual or hidden meanings.

hi dramabeans! will you be doing a re-cap for la dolce vita??

@ wong kar wai is a great opportunist

This has been my suspicion for a long time indeed. There is always more form than substance - but supreme form. Watching his movies is to admire and be seduced by his visual flow and mood.

For heart and soul, nobody gets pass Ang Lee. I always think his Ice Storm is the most underrated which is way better than another american suburbia narrative, the oscar winning American Beauty.

How about Johnnie To's movies? Any JT fans here?

Gosh, going back and forth from this thread to the Iris recap thread is tiring.

Anyways, when discussing the kiss scene in Iris. Damn, that was one hot kiss scene (congrats, Belleza for the twins =] ).
I am sorry, CH fans, but I would have to agree that it was way hottter in terms of lust. But as the storyline is concerned, I didn't really care for it, maybe that comes from my dislike of KTH. The kiss in CH was more meaningful for me.
But you know, when there is a kiss involved, you can always count of Mr. LBH to deliver. That reminds me of the kiss in Beautiful Days, - Mr. LBH is probably one of the only few korean actors that could generate THAT MUCH EMOTION through a kiss. This is for the kiss obsessed ladies--I have mentioned many times of the kiss scene in BBC North & South. Men, take lessons from Richard Armintage.(Can't escape from the long gazing stare).
here it's ladies, be prepared =]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyYiwD1Q1aY

and not I don't mean to spoil it for anyone who has not seen N & S. But this is another favorite scene of mine...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw4M54xIun0

also, thank s Belleza for replying to me in the Iris thread. SYJ being attached to this project was only a dream. *sighed* But I hope that in the future, they might do a movie together (fingers crossed).
I agree that another alternative to KTH would be Ha Ji Won. I have never seen her in any action role, but she is indeed a better actress compared to KTH.
Still, KTH really hit the jackpot by being involed in Iris. It's going to be interesting to see how the love triangle would form, and this way, Kim So Yeon's character comes across as more mysterious.

I shouldn't watch things when I've removed my contacts, I miss the subtleties.

IRIS kiss - my cornea is on fire - I *may* have to concede it's the hottest kiss ever in k-drama.

CH kiss- still the *best* kiss in k-drama considering the context, and the fact that CSW and KSA kepted kissing as the camera pulled away (hello, arms around neck), hence mwah, mwah, mwah.

Poor KTH ran off, so she missed out on more LBH kissage, but probably prevented belleza from having triplets, or even more kids and somehow quality for her own TLC show - belleza plus immaculately conceived quints. But I LOVE the wonderful framing of the IRIS kiss and the gorgeous orange, red background(stupid CH directors had to tone down the lusty hotness for their ratings, bah says me, but watching the BTS of all the CH kisses, if I didn't already have the ockoala babys, I would be carrying another one as well - CSW-KSA shouldn't be kissing like that when one is married, would lead to too much conjecture).

@ hjkomo

Have a nice weekend in LA!

@gracefulmoonie

The North & South kiss is spectacular, and this from not knowing anything about the show at all, just watching the scene makes you feel as if you're peeping into a very private moment between the two of them...Richard carries the scene so well, the subtle smile on his face just reads..."god, i want to kiss her, she's so beautiful, i love her so much..." oh wow, I must say that is one good scene...and the music just sets the mood so well...i'm gonna have to look up the ost to this, seriously. And when they pull away from the train station, i just loved the framing of the shot where she looks up and out, so appropriate, so sweet, so gentle, so romantic.

Iris vs CH Kiss ... Haven't seen Iris yet, but to me i feel like the two kisses are in different categories. CH is a kiss that's meant to be romantic, it was set up to show the two characters falling in love and moving to the next step. the kiss in Iris is NOT a kiss meant to be romantic, the fact that it was a forced kiss (eventhough the lady succumbed) makes the scene brutish and is a scene set to show LBH's character more than the "love" that he has for her. My 2cents, please don't hate me now!

@gracefulmoonie

Richard Armitage's gaze at that train station scene in N&S is as erotic as the kiss that follows it. I love N&S!

The Iris kiss is just like a kiss in a US drama, akin to a Buffy-Spike kiss, and just like a Veronica-Logan kiss. All of the heat, none of the sensibilities. Well done LBH and KTH, I know expect a sizzling sex scene.

Morning all!

I am the recipient of 9 straight hours of glorious sleep...can't tell you how long it's been since that happened, but I suspect it would coincide with my discovery of K-dramas and Dramabeans!

Anyhoo...jumping into the early morning fray and the wonderful topic of who had the hotter/better kiss, IRIS or City Hall.

MINOR SPOILERS (but probably nothing you couldn't have gotten from the trailer)

Context is SO important in these situations. Yes, the IRIS kiss was a forced kiss initially, but why did Hyun-joon do it? Was it to shut Seung-hee up because she was telling him a few home truths that he didn't want to hear, despite his request for her to do so? Or was it because he knew instinctively that she fell in love with him at first sight just as he did with her (she did, as we see in a later flashback). Well...it's both!

In City Hall, we have a slow burn buildup to a kiss because there's a major conflict preventing our couple from being together. In IRIS, we have a raging fire of a kiss from the get-go because there's a major conflict preventing our couple from being together. In City Hall, it's resist, resist, resist until we can't stand it one more minute; in IRIS, it's let's not resist at all because we could. you know, DIE at any moment.

Apples and oranges...and a whole bunch of happy viewers! :-D

As far as KTH is concerned, I've only ever seen her in The Restless and I'm inclined to give her a pass, because that was one hot mess of a movie. I've only seen a clip or two of Love Story in Harvard so I didn't form an opinion there. So as someone who has no preconceived notions about her acting abilities, I can say that two hours in, I think she's doing just fine.

On another note; I'm now 3.5 eps into What Happened in Bali. Still confused, but I just don't care because OMG it's So Ji-sub and Jo In-sung!!

^ o langdon, if u r confused 4 eps in with Bali, u'll stay confused thro out...BUT loving every fantastic minute of it. And u would've guessed HJW will have to choose btn the 2, and she'll be as confused but u'll TOTALLY understand her dilemma. plus JIS turned my mr.mook into a screaming fanboy, just by the cushion he's molesting while crying.

Belleza, word. But I have no problem just falling for all the brocades and qipaos or just Maggie Cheung's lithe legs...it's just so pretty pretty pretty and I'm even loving it being OTT pretentiously artsy....

and 2046, was the best acting job of Kimutaku.... because he's retreated back to his green days circa LV, before Kimutaku ever existed. And he should be grateful for such an annoyed, difficult time working with WKW, he didn't GET much if any direction..and the lost, anguish, @$#%$$%&@ he must felt, we saw every bit of it, coloring up his character marvelously (maybe it's the plan of slysly WKW)and... Faye Wong will forever be my girl crush.

I just saw Ashes of Time Redux. Mr mook asked me if I'm watching a docu of multicolored hot springs in Yellowstone. I told him yes.

@ langdon-unni

"On another note; I’m now 3.5 eps into What Happened in Bali. Still confused, but I just don’t care because OMG it’s So Ji-sub and Jo In-sung."

You are watching WHIB? OMG as well!!! That's all I have to say (for now).

And yes, The Restless is a hot mess of a movie even taken in context and with a grain of salt. I'd say KTH's character couldn't possibly be played well by anyone, because she had no substance, no angst, no context, other than as a foil for JWS.

I'm now itching to start watching IRIS, but I'm agonna wait untl after I return from Boston and a few more eppies air. I'm glad your hubby enjoyed TGTBTW.

@ belleza

Funny aside - with my new Iphone, wherever I go, I get asked to hack into random WiFi hotspots, and I always decline (3G is fine for me). Today, at the Coffee Bean on Beach Blvd in HB, I got asked to proxy into a WiFi named "beleza" I was looking around for you - but knew it was just a similar name.

@belleza:

You mean your twins has been conceived under the influence of LBH? But, IRIS has only started showing on last Wednesday/Thursday, how do you know that your babies going to be twins? You mean the technology are now so advance? Wow!!

Ah...I am stuffed...nothing beats Mom's Korean cooking. :D

More drama on hjkomo's SoCal family front - paternal aunt tried to set cousin (on my mother's side) up on a seon (meeting/blind date). Cousin went out of politeness and respect, knew immediately the guy was a big fat "X" (strike), told said fellow as such (more politely, of course)....then just now, received a phone call from said fellow's mother IN KOREA pleading with my cousin to date her son. OMFG. My poor cousin. (Edit: cousin is now conferring with my parents on how best to convince Aunt to get the fellow's mother to back off)

Meanwhile, Mom has put me to work cutting fruit....while hubby merely laughs at the sight and refuses to lift a finger in fear of reprimand from Halmoni. (She has, many times, scolded him for trying to help in the kitchen.)

@langdon, re: WHIB,
What are you confused about? Like, which guy is the lead?

Well, both guys are leads -- that's what's so great about WHIB. There is no decoy- third wheel. This drama has a genuine love triangle -- both are viable love interests. Also, all three characters in the triangle are terribly flawed, and at times you will hate all of them, but at the back of your mind, you will know that you don't really, and that you just don't like how they are making choices that are uncomfortably real.

WHIB is really one of the best K-dramas, imo. If it had a Facebook page, its status would be "It's complicated."

@ Nom_Kitteh

I think I'm less confused now, but I can tell you this after just finishing Ep 6. My personal opinion (as of this moment) is that SJS and JIS should kick those two chicks to the curb and just be with each other.

Wishy-washy Fiancee and Too-Stupid-To-Live Girl can stay in Seoul; I'm all for the boys heading back to Bali! :-D

161 epyc
" I always think his Ice Storm is the most underrated which is way better than another american suburbia narrative, the oscar winning American Beauty."

That has been my opinion as well for a good number of years but not enough people I know have watched the Ice Storm for me to gripe about it and now years later I see someone shares my opinion and on a kdrama blog at that. American Beauty was not that great and the acting was a bit over the top. The Ice Storm on the other hand was a revelation in terms of the topic, the period and understated acting. I've always wondered how Ang Lee could conjure up the images and feel of the early 70s considering he wasn't in the US during that time or that matter Austen's england.

When the Ice Storm came out I recommended it to my office worker since at the time it was the best movie that I've seen in a while. After she watched it she told me she was never so depressed in all her life and she might never forgive me for putting her and her bf through such a miserable time. I think that was the last time I recommended a movie to anyone.

@langdon813.
Ideally, all K-dramas would end with the main male lead hottie and second male hottie heading off to Bali and making out, but sadly....

I hope that at some point you come to like Lee Soo-jung as a character. Yes, I suppose she is Too-Stupid-To-Live Girl, but she is also a desperately poor girl with no connections and a hunger for the life on the other side of the tracks. I thought her character captured the complicated reality of (choosing or not choosing) love in a desperate and materialistic world. I really liked her, and I also fell in adore with Ha Ji Won.

I am jealous of you. I wish I were watching WHIB for the first time!

langdon-
Glad that you are watching WIB. That drama introducted me to SJS and JIS.
But as Noh_Kitteh said- Three words that would really sum up the plot of WHIB_ it would be "it's complicated."
When I first started, I was going crazy the first & second ep. wondering what the hell all 4 of them were doing in Bali.
I saw Ha Ji Won from Damo already, so I knew that she could act. But through out the entire drama- I was like "Woman, pick one guy for goodness sakes"...the plot really draged on and on for the last 10 episodes...but actually it wasn't her fault..both SJS and JIS played really 'needy" male characters, maybe this applies to JIS's character's more. sorry... hopefully I didn't give too much away.
I rooted to HJW and JIS all the way to the dramatic ending...but somehow, after watching the entire drama, I became more interested in SJS. That's what lead me to watching him in Cain & Abel, and Glass Slippers. I really liked C & A because he was paired up with Ha Ji Min..but Glass Slippers is just tooo freaking long to watch eventhough the lovey Kim Hyun Joo is the leading actress.
and many people recommended "I'm Sorry, I love you"- but I just cannot stand watching the main actress w/ So Ji Sub. sorry...going off toipc again.
I loved JIS's bratty character in WHIB-- you should watch the bloopers when you are finished. They are sooo hiliarious. =]

On another note, I loved loved Jung Joon Ho from Last Scandal...I might catch more Iris and vote for team "Sa Woo"--- that will give me an excuse to watch KTH.
I am soooo ready for Kim So Yeon's time to shine in Iris....why can't we get like 4 episodes per week...just kidding...

@Nom_Kitteh (and ockoala, I know you're just waiting to jump in, hahaha)

At the risk of turning this into the langdon WHIB play-by-play thread, I thought I'd tell you that I'm not really hating Lee Soo-jung any more (except when she cries...her sobs are like nails on a chalkboard to me. Less is more, honey). I am so ready for this girl to catch a break! Which reminds me; the movie/dinner date was cute, cute, cute.

But has everyone else had this problem? One minute I'm on JIS's side...five minutes later I'm rooting for SJS; five minutes after THAT I'm back with JIS. It's like the Wimbledon of K-dramas!

I'm all confused again. Can't she just have them both? Nothing wrong with that, right??

One other observation. I think because MiSa was the first SJS drama for me, it's a little weird to see him all GQ in these designer suits with perfect hair. Although he was a little better dressed in Rough Cut, he was still a gangster, so it wasn't as strange. He makes such a beautiful hoodlum.

Back to the show...

@ langdon and Nom_Kitteh

I agree with both your points of view on WHIB. I've gotten two completely different reactions from watching WHIB twice, the first time I really felt the connection between HJW-JIS, the second time, I was all about SJS-HJW. I don't want to discuss why for fear of spoiling plot turns, suffice to say, I never once disliked Lee Soo-jung, but I could never figure out what the men saw in her (other than her cushy sexuality). WHIB is complicated indeed, to this day, I don't think I can really describe what it's about adequately.

out of intense curiosity, i finally checked out black and white, even though i prolly shouldnt since i have a midterm coming up in three days...but its too late hahaha. i am really enjoying it. theres the right amt of suspense and the right dash of humor that makes the timing spot on. and of course the whole project, with its CGI, great art direction, and intense chase scenes, gives off this sexy, sleek feel to the drama that u prolly never get watching an ordinary tw idol drama. mark zhao is actually pretty cute, but i have to say that in the beginning, he still appears a bit stiff and having difficulty annunciating the mandarin. vic zhou is handling his role so well, and maybe its b/c ive only seen a bit of him in meteor garden, but i have a feeling he's been getting the good guy roles alot and this one was a breakthrough for him. right now im really curious to find out what is the dark past that he harbors, and who, why, and how the hell the mysterious informant keeps giving tips to pi zi.
from what ive seen so far, black and white definitely deserved all its awards, although maybe the best actor really should have gone to vic...either way, im glad theres finally a breath of fresh air in the tw drama industry. i dont know if other ppl in the future will want to take a risk and follow in the director's shoes to make smth awesome like b&w, but we can only hope haha.

Happy Open Thread everyone...
Several days ago I tried to watch My Fair Lady and boy!!! I stopped watching after 20 minutes. God knows I've tried but I really couldn't stand Yoon Sang Hyun. His character was
so annoying and has no appeal at all, at least not to my liking.
And I've never seen Yoon Eun Hye so robotic, nothing at all like YEH I used to love,
So I decided to give up and rewatch Gossip Girl instead. At least Chace Crawford was not horrible to look at.

I've also noticed that a lot of people are making a fuss about how great You're Beautiful is,
But I don't know if I'm gonna dedicate my life to watch some pretty guys with so much make up on.
I mean I get that they are in a sort of boyband, but the idea of falling in love with a guy who wears eye liner is inconceivable for me.
So anyone can help me by telling me why this drama is worth watching?
I'd really appreciate that....

Lastly, talking about (sigh) earthquake, I'm getting sick of living in fear. After spending a week covering stories about the devastating
Earthquake that has killed more than a thousand people in West Sumatra last month, I had to experience another temblor on Friday just like Djes.
I was lucky enough I had a day off at was at home. I can't imagine what would happen if I was at my office.
The thought of running down the stairs from my office at the 9th floor of my building makes me cringe.
I started thinking to move out of country for the sake of my heart, my legs, and my sanity.

So peeps... Stay safe and alert, especially if you're living in Indonesia.

@ 180, Gita

I can't imagine living under the stressful conditions that you have been (I've never actually been in fear for my LIFE before), so I'm glad that you're able to come to Dramabeans and the OT to hang out. There's no better place online to seek relief from real life problems; and I speak from personal experience!

You're Beautiful is absolutely fantastic and I hope you'll give it a chance. Read JB's recaps if you haven't already; you'll find that she has succinctly (and hilariously) pointed out all of this drama's many excellent qualities. The number of comments posted after each recap rival the OT and believe me, that takes some doing! The story is fresh (despite the premise), the whole cast is wonderful, and the two leads have amazing chemistry together. And so do the main female and the second male lead, which is never a bad thing! It's just a joy to watch. I've seen each episode at least 3 times (so far!) and the only drama I've done that for before is City Hall, if that tells you anything. Nothing goes the way you expect it to; every cliche is turned on its ear. The Hong sisters have really given us something special with this one.

I think you'll love it! And typing this may have just talked me into watching it a 4th time... :-D

Hey guys quick question... I just downloaded Feelings from the d-addicts subs page and the subs don't work. I have never had this prob before...just wanted to check and find out if anyone else has ahd this prob...suggestions?

Just to be clear, I have all my codecs, etc. I watch subbed videos everyday. This just isn't working.

anyway...i love k-dramas....4 me...all the best.....

@Gita - langdon813 is SO on the money about You're Beautiful. I was hesitant at first too because the synopsis didn't intrigue me at all. But after all the rave reviews of the first and second episode i read on OT, i had to give it a try, and it did not disappoint! very very enjoyable.

@cingdoc - WE HAD AN EARTHQUAKE!? where was i!??! the weather sucked though. i hate this heat. It's october. i want rain. i drove by UCI this weekend (go 'eaters!!) and i saw their front lawn by the dorms were BRIGHT GREEN. wtf. stop wasting water~!! i want to see some brown grass during this ridiculous drought of ours.

@hjkomo - wave to my family too!! i forgot, where in the bay are you from again?

I tried watching MNIKSS on dramafever tonight but it's acting up and won't let me. sighs. whyyyyyyyyy!?!?!?

@ epyc, nycgrl

How does Ice Storm, the movie, compare with the book?

@ lovenyc52
Bear Territory (well, a couple miles away, technically)

@ cingdoc

I would've waved to your family on my way back, but I was busy being carsick starting from around Pleasanton. I had put my plan into action and was going to watch more videos on hubby's laptop after my laptop battery died....but then trying to start up his laptop entailed a little too much reading (I get very carsick while reading). Hubby got a bit irked that I made myself sick just to watch more kdrama. To make up for it, he got to laugh at my expense when I got cold and reached for the nearest sweatshirt in the back seat...and didn't realize that it was his Stanford shirt until after I had already put it on (grrr).

Halmoni is doing well. We had a blast playing hwatu (I hadn't played since I was a kid. Go Stop's too complicated, so we opted for min hwatu)...and yoot no ri (a stick-throwing/board game usually played at New Year's). It brought back fond memories of my childhood.

Dinner was out in Garden Grove. Let's see...I had galbi, naengmyun, dol sot bibimbap, pajun, and bunch more there....then sorbet & frozen custard at Frostbites....then birthday cake....then Korean pears. Ah, too much food!!!

Thank goodness Cal won (yay!).
ND almost beat USC (darn!)
And was that Angels game the longest ever, or what?! Those poor New Yorkers in the freezing cold rain. The game ended so late, we had to postpone watching TGTBTW until this morning. Hubby thought it was all right (aigoo!), but the kids loved it. Their favorite character was The Weird (mine, too).

As far as who was smexier....I must admit, no one but LBH can make guyliner hot and masculine, and the underwear scene was sizzling....but my vote still goes to Jung Soo Sung as The Good. I wouldn't mind being that horse, rope, or shotgun...I don't care which! :P

Being gone this weekend and sick the previous, I'm even more behind on my weekend dramas. Oh, noes! :(

Edit:
@ cingdoc - I'm absolutely loving Assorted Gems. It's refreshing.

Oh, and I just found out that I'll be spending a week at Christmas babysitting the nephew and nieces while bro & sis-in-law take a trip to Korea & China.
Any suggestions of -
1) things to do (Magic Mountain is on the list - nephew's finally tall enough to ride the fastest rollercoasters - poor kid's got my mom's short genes)
2) kdramas/movies to watch (they're currently addicted to QSD)

typo - I meant, Jung Woo Sung!

@ cingdoc
Yeah, I really should have!
When I started to put it on, he just smiled and said, "Oh, you're putting that on?!"
I thought he was thinking it was cute because it's been ages since I've worn something of his....it was dark, and I just thought it was one of his Eddie Bauer shirts....until he pointed to the tiny little "S" on the front and mocked with glee, "TEEHEEHEE, look what you're wearing!"

Definitely must think of adequate payback...

*hugs* cingdoc, I've been a lost cause for my mom for too long. She still buys clothes for me fr HK, and actually she gets my taste to a tee, just does not approve of it. I've no prob wearing most of them...but she'll usu sneak in a piece or 2 she dreams of me in... and those r always dutifully sold on Ebay.

She had preconceptions and expectations of my hubby, but she's abandoned them, he can speak/write fluent Cantonese, but he's a Midwesterner, he doesnt get any of our coy sensibilities. He still nicely refuses food my mom cooked, thinking it's no big deal.

I do not watch as many HKdrama nowadays, they r just too long to follow, 80+eps...gosh. and the fun of watching HKdrama is watching it LIVE with the whole of HK. It's so monopolized there, when one drama hits the mark, it'll be on 99% of the tele, and that's 90% of the time. We're watching Gem of Life, it's so nostalgic seeing all those familiar veteran actors still in a popular soap.

So...I finished What Happened in Bali. How you guys managed to do such a brilliant job of not giving me so much as one tiny little hint as to how it would all end up....I am duly impressed, that must have been tough!!

I'm calm now, but about an hour ago poor ockoala (who is trying to be out in the real world on a business trip) had to deal with text messages such as:

OMG!!!

WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED HERE?

SERIOUSLY??? NO REALLY, SERIOUSLY???

And in her usual calm and unruffled manner, she managed to talk me down off the ledge. Mostly.

But...SERIOUSLY?

187 hjkomo

"How does Ice Storm, the movie, compare with the book?"

I've never read it but I heard the author was very pleased with the result. I tend to read more classic lit, history and biography books and not as much modern lit. The last modern lit book I read was "geek love" and "moon palace" and that was a while ago.

@ langdon-unni

And like a twisted cherry on top of the red velvet cake, the final image of WHIB is a flashback to the a very early scene in the drama, juxtaposed against what you've just watch devolve from a idlyllic shangri-la into......something that is not. WHIB is so delicious in its subversiveness, like belleza said.

I was happy to calm you down, but please refrain from so many all caps and exclamation marks in one text - you freaked me out until I figured out what you were talking about (it took me 2 seconds, of course) - though if there was ever a drama that merited such a reaction, it would definitely be WHIB.

I'm exhausted but curling up with a few chapters of Kitchen Confidential - I love bad boy chefs, like I love my bad boy drama heros.

@193, ockoala (not anonymous at all, LOL)

Sorry about that. I did pause for about half a second thinking you might be at some highly important business dinner or something...but a drama emergency IS a drama emergency, after all! I knew you would forgive me! :-D

What also helped tremendously was gracefulmoonie's suggestion to watch the WHIB NG's after I finished, which I did, and they were hilarious. I have to say...seems like JIS was hands down the worst culprit out of the entire cast. For some reason, this does not surprise me in the least. He is completely adorable in that way that makes you want to kiss him or kill him.

Sigh...I'm trying so hard not to be all fangirly over So Ji-sub, I really, really am. But I fear it is a battle I will not win. He has the eyes of an Egyptian pharaoh, all sad and mysterious and hypnotic...plus, he has mastered the technique of letting those wondrous eyes fill with tears, but not letting them fall until just...the...right...moment. He has elevated this to an art form, truly.

@langdon813,

A really good show to "come down" from WHiB is Spring Day. Jo In Sung essentially plays a variation of his *puts fist in mouth and cries uncontrollably* ARRGHHHHHH!!!!!!" character in WHiB, except this one has a happy ending. He and This Mishil (aka Ko Hyung Jung) have strong chemistry throughout that show.

Before WHiB happened, Jo In Sung was considered one of the worst actors in K-drama. Because of WHiB, he won the Baeksang and then after the movie Dirty Carnival, he was regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation. What one show can do!!

Also of note: Jo In Sung won the Baeksang in 2004. So Ji Sup won the Baeksang in 2005. Jo In Sung was the dude who handed the award to SJS. Here's the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UHFHe41ahs

So, for me, SJS's Moo Hyuk is my all-time favorite performance. But JIS's Jo Jae-min is probably #3 or #4 for me.

belleza, thanks for the clip! I got a kick out of their Award Show Ensembles.

JIS's theme for the evening appeared to be Revenge of the Nerds, complete with oversized specs and slicked-down hair. All that was missing was the white shirt and pocket protector! And SJS seemed to be rocking the Cowboy Disco Pimp attire quite nicely.

I didn't find WHIB to be as overwhelming emotionally as MiSa or Hong Gil Dong, because I could tell early on that it wasn't going to end well. I had no idea it would be that extreme, that part of the ending shocked me; but I was definitely expecting a bad ending. JIS was awesome; so much so that I was actively pulling for him over SJS, and that takes some doing!

Funny, I usually cry buckets over everything, but I didn't even get a lump in my throat with WHIB. I think Hong Gil Dong may have broken my crying mechanism.

:-(

@langdon813,

"Funny, I usually cry buckets over everything, but I didn’t even get a lump in my throat with WHIB."

Ah, you know, I was the same way. Pretty early on, WHiB came off as very satirical, almost nihlistic. I don't so much empathize with JIS's performance as I go "cocaine is a helluva drug!" It's almost performance art in that way.

Loved the ending though. Very, well, "Miami Vice." :D Certain scenes in WHiB, I actually have Flock of Seagulls playing in my head. I run, I run so far away . . . .

"JIS’s theme for the evening appeared to be Revenge of the Nerds, complete with oversized specs and slicked-down hair"

And that's the thing about JIS and LJK. LJK is pretty, but he's pretty much a guy. JIS sends off major gaydar (though, true, after Frozen Flowers, not as much.) No other 20-something K-drama actor wears clothes as well as JIS.

My assessment of both Jang Geon Seok and Kim Bim is strongly affected by their physical resemblance to JIS. I'm harder on JGS's performances, because of that, I guess. In JGS's adult shows, he needs to project an image of authority and macho. Even in You're Beautiful where he's essentially playing a parody of the Jang Geon Seok Serious Guy to Zoolander-meets-Kang Mae cartooniness, he's for me most beguiling when he's performing. Because then he drops the macho bull-ish and is just a dorky, beautiful boy enjoying the moment. The thing with Jo In Sung is that he too had that mental block. When he started out, he was unbelievably stiff partially because he often was playing to notions of what a "guy" should be in dramas. Bu then, he sought inspiration and influences from his female actress partners and, through a lot of work, dropped all that sullen, macho stuff. He came a person capable of violating the personal space of "normal" intimacy. I'm not saying JGS should do what JIS should do. But I'm waiting for JGS to let go (like he does with his clothes) and let out his inner weirdo. And I think it'll free his acting.

WOOooooooo....I just have to share this with the JWS fans here.
Jung WOOoo Sung just came on Showbiz Extra a few minutes ago. He was being interviewed for his new movie "Season of Good Rain".
When asked what else interest him these days besides acting and directing, he said...WOMEN!!
I.DROPPED.DEAD.

ok. finally got around to watching MNIKSS.... and can i say, KSA's daydreams and overactive imagination CRACK ME UP... and binnie is an a$$. and he's scary when he yells.

SPOILER AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm in episode 4 where samsoon tells jin heon that hee-jin came to see him and she asks him if that's the girl who liked 'over the rainbow'. He gets this scary look on his face and asks her what the 4th rule of the contract was. When she doesn't answer right away, he YELLS REALLY LOUDLY!! ...and i got scurred and thought 'guy is an a$$!!!!' and i kinda wanted to kick him in the face at that point. he's not doing a very good job making people think they're dating if he's screaming at her in the workplace.... but then afterwards, i love how samsoon stuck up for herself... she rocks my world!!

SPOILER END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok back to watching ep 4 :)