The Player

Title: The Player

AKA: Hustle

Genre: Action, Crime, Revenge

Episodes: 14

Broadcast period: 2018-Sep to 2018-Nov

Cast: Song Seung Hun, Krystal Jung, Lee Si Un, Tae Won Suk and Kim Won Hae

Kang Ha Ri (Song Seung Hun) is a talented swindler/conman, with a very high success rate. Together with

Im Byung Min (Lee Si Un), a genius, but socially awkward, hacker, and Do Jin Woong (Tae Won Suk), a former fighter, they steal from the rich criminals and share the money with each other. They befriend Cha Ah Ryung (Krystal Jung) a car thief and exceptional driver, to join them in their thievery. This is noticed by Prosecutor Jang In Kyu (Kim Won Ha), who was supposed to catch them, but after dealing with corruption and lackluster chain of command, he decides to make a deal with the group: help him catch the corrupt and wealthy, and they can keep the money.

Though they join hands, Ha Ri has a different agenda: he wants to uncover a cover-up, that ended up with the death of someone close to him. And to do that he is willing to even sacrifice his past life and newly created relationships…

Truthfully, I might have had too high expectations on this one. The thought of a “robin hood”-esque group kicking butt, made me very intrigued, and usually I would love these plots. But this one was rather boring. I love OCN, but this was simply a miss - not because the plot is bad, or the acting is bad, but I just was not excited for (almost) anything in it. The revenge plot was cliché, the side stories were too common, and the ending typical. To top it off, it has con jobs in it, which is my least favorite theme. Though I fell for the group of 5 people and I watched mainly because of that, I have to say it really didn’t leave a good impression on me.

So, to sum up: not my cup of tea. Though I think people who like swindler plots would enjoy this very much.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Wonderful Nightmare Movie Review

Title: Wonderful Nightmare
AKA: Miss Wife
Genre: Drama, Family
Origin: South Korea
Release Date: August 13, 2015
Cast: Uhm Jung Hwa, Song Seung Heon, Seo Shin Ae, Jung Ji Hoon, Kim Sang Ho, Ra Mi Ran, Lee Joon Hyuk, Ko Su Hee

Yeon Woo (Uhm Jung Hwa) is a successful lawyer who is killed in an automobile accident. She wakes in heaven to find that her death was a clerical error and it was actually an old woman with the same name who was meant to die. To hide the mistake, she is asked to live as another woman – a housewife who was also killed by mistake – for just one month. Married to a very ordinary civil servant named Sung-hwan with a difficult teenage daughter and a precocious six-year-old, Yeon-woo finds herself changing in unexpected ways.

A nice, heartwarming, encouraging movie, perfect for a nice sunday evening. Personally I didn’t expect anything, but I hoped that I wouldn’t waste time on this movie. Turned out when I realized the movie was over, I wanted even more, I just couldn’t accept where it finished. I wanted to see more of what happens to the family. True, the beginning was slow, but that’s typical for all movies, because you need time to get to know the characters and the situation. However this movie before you know it you are just drawn to the story, and the family members. I loved them all, from the harsh ‘mum’ (well-played Uhm Jung Hwa), and the easy-going dad to the very typical but irresistible kids. It was a little typical plot-wise, since it’s not the first time the ‘back-to-earth-after-dying’-theme is presented in a movie. There was a moment where the movie gets so emotional, it made me shed some tears, but it handled it so realistically (except for the part where she is given a second chance in life), it was not exaggerated in any way. Totally recommendable movie!

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Time Slip Dr Jin Review

Title: Time Slip Dr. Jin

AKA: Dr. Jin

Genre: Period, Medical, Time travel, Romance

Episodes: 22

Broadcast period: 2012-May to 2012-Aug

Cast: Song Seung Hoon, Park Min Young, Kim Jae Joong and Lee Bum Soo

This is the Korean version of the Japanese drama JIN.

One night, Jin Hyuk (Song Seung Hoon) wakes up in a forest dazed and confused. As he walks he stumbles upon people fighting with swords and dressed in historical cloths. Believing they are actors filming a period movie, he approaches, only to witness a man getting slayed in front him. When he is noticed the people start to follow him, and he starts to run and almost falls of a cliff. Yelling for help, a man saves him in the last minute, where after he passes out.  Few hours ago he had surgically removed a fetus-looking-a-like tumor, from a badly hurt patient. That evening had been preparing to propose to his girlfriend Yoo Mi Na (Park Min Young), who is a fellow doctor at the same hospital where he is. But due to a fight the two spilt up in anger, and Mi Na ends up in a car accident witnessed by Jin Hyuk, who ends up operating on her, though with slim chances. Being upset he goes to the rooftop, and sees his badly hurt tumor patient, follows him and ends up falling off the hospital building. Coming to his senses he finds himself on the cliff, with his savior (Lee Bum Soo). He informs him that he is in Joseon in the year 1860, 150 years in the past. Not believing, he is stunned by the view striking him, untouched scenery.

Now the questions are: how and why did he come here?

This drama is a partial copy of the Japanese drama JIN, like the entire storyline is almost identical, except for the third love interest - JaeJoong.  It might have been because I am so fond of the Japanese drama that I really found the Korean version boring, and long. The scenes that should have been exciting were not, and the romance was just bad - like I felt absolutely nothing, not even a inch. I really felt bad for the supporting actor, like Dr. Jin was the reason for his misery, mostly, and then he just walks back to his reality and gets the girl he wanted. Like ruined a life of two - probably more - people and just walks back as if nothing happened.

I thought the acting was mediocre, but have to admit I was astonished by JaeJoong. Actually thought he did a good job, and I didn’t want to watch it in the beginning because I though his acting was bad - how wrong I was. In my eyes, he - and the brother of the leading female character - was the star.

The drama is okay, you can watch it, I just wasn’t too excited in watching it - that might’ve ruined it for me, but generally good drama. I think, again my personal view, if the drama only had focused on the historical par, without Jin in it, it would’ve been way better.

☆☆☆½/ 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥/ 3 out of 5 hearts

My Princess Review

Title: My Princess
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2011-Jan to 2011-Feb
Cast:Song Seung Hun, Kim Tae Hee, Park Ye Jin and Ryu Soo Young.

Lee Seol (Kim Tae Hee) is a pretty normal girl: her grades are so-so, she always fights with her older sister, and is desperate after money. She has a good relationship with her mother, even though she’s adopted. Her memories of her father are wage, but one things she is sure of, one day he’s going to come back to her. Because she has a crush on her professor Nam Jung Woo (Ryu Soo Young), she works a lot of jobs so she can buy a ticket to Egypt, where her Professor is to travel to.
One day, as she is off from work, she bumps into Park Hae Young (Song Seung Hun), who asks to work overtime. At first they argue, but after a pay is settled, she agrees. As he is leaving, he doesn’t have cash, so he asks her to send him her account number, and they part. They meet again at a museum, were Lee Seol follows Park Ye Jin (oh Yoon Joo), a woman rumoured to be Jung Woos first love, and in Lee Seol’s eyes, her worst rival. Little does she know, Ye Jin is Hae Young’s future-wife, which inn Lee Seol’s eyes is a VERY positive thing.
Hae Young grandfather is an old man, with a lot of power. He has one wish, and that is for the Imperial Family to be re-instated. When he finds the last heir to the thrown he sends his grandson Hae Young to find her, who happens to be Lee Seol.

This drama is not my style. Yes, it’s funny, like really funny, but not enough to make it good. I felt annoyed most of the time, and was confused aswell; I mean, so weird can a human being NOT be.. Right? I compared it to a lot of dramas, and finally ended up at two: Goong and Full House. It circulates a lot, the same things actually over and over and over again, and the lead actress should be beaten up. It’s one of those where the lead actor would throw himself in front of a train for a girl and the girl would only soob and soob, and oh yeah, look for the supporting actor. I don’t know, really not my cup of tea. And I felt more chemistry between the supporting actor and lead actress than the other way around. All in all, not something I would recommed unless you really have nothing else to do.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts