Korean Drama ~ All In

Image courtesy of Seoul Broadcast System

In gambling, especially poker, “All In” means to bet all the chips one has on the table on ONE game.

I watched “All In”, a 2003 Korean drama upon the recommendation of a close friend. Yes, I finally finished it, all 24 episodes. I know ntv7 showed it recently, but I don’t have a TV, and even if I did, I dislike dubbed shows.

In this Korean drama, “All In” is mostly about gambling, from dingy “houses” to high class casinos in Korea and Las Vegas.

“All In” has all the ingredients of life in the real world; from triad gangs of Seoul to policemen, from hoodlums to corporate figures, from prisoners to politicians, from the very poor to the very rich, from struggling for power to losing power, from succeeding to falling into disgrace, from brotherhood to betrayal, from victory to defeat, from friendship and romance to enmity.

What makes this drama all the more interesting is that this is a drama based on the true life story of a Mr. Cha Min-Su, who went to Las Vegas with only 18 dollars in his pocket and became a millionaire by becoming a pro-gambler and pro-Korean chess player. However, Mr. Cha had worse knocks in life than what's portrayed in "All In".

Lee Byung Hun (BH) is the main star, whose character Kim In-Ha is so unfortunate, that all the bad things just fall onto him. This is the guy my friend asked me to watch out for. She said he’s leng chai. BUT I don’t like.

~*~ Lee Byung Hun & Ji Sung in All In ~*~

I like Ji Sung who really managed to bring to life the character of Choi Jung-Won as a guy who is tortured by love, controlled by a strong-willed and unscrupulous businessman father and trapped in various circumstances not to his liking. He looks so sweet all the time that even when he is scheming, you (OK, OK I) just can’t seem to hate him.

And when he cries (most of the men in this drama cried at one time or another), I just felt like crying with him.

It’s rare for me to think of Chinese guys as leng chai but from a scale of 1 to 10, Ji Sung gets 9.5 from me. Almost perfect, wooohooo Unfortunately, most of the photos of him online do not do justice to what he showed us in the drama.

I mentioned before Hyun Bin is also leng chai, but his kind is the boyish kind of leng chai. Ji Sung is the matured kind. Hyun Bin gets 8/10 :-p

Lee Byung Hun gets 7 only for looks, and 5 for acting hahahaha He is a piece of wood, only slightly better than Lee Hyun Woo in Attic Cat. Laugh also did not look good. Cry also did not look good. The only saving grace was when he KEPT QUIET and just let the camera focus on him from afar, whilst dressed in a trench coat, a pinstripe suit or at least a button down shirt.

But then Ji Sung looks just as well as Lee Byung Hun in suit. So do Jeong Yu-Seok and Huh Joon Ho (Yu Yong-Gu). Sorry to all fans of BH muahahaha *evil laughter*

The other leng chai in “All In” is the actor Jeong Yu-Seok / Jung Yoo Suk as Yim Dae-Soo. His character is a gangster in Seoul. And he’s got scars on his face to fit his role. The scars look real enough. He also managed to carry out the role almost perfectly, especially with his twitching eye lid or lips when he was seething with anger.

And his crying scene was very power. So silent, just a drop of tear rolling down his face. The message came across very well.

Yim Dae-Soo and Yoo Jung-Ae made a matching couple but too bad Dae-Soo has a bad ending, which I shall not disclose here.

Some of the scenes in this drama were so slow it felt like watching "The Bold & The Beautiful" and although I usually feel that 24 episodes for a drama is too long, if I can watch Ji Sung in this role, the drama can go on forever!

The mother of all gambling is when Kim In-Ha bet his life (all in) on one large round of game in the corporate world, going against his childhood best friend, Choi Jung-Won, fighting for money, power, success and the woman they both love.

Will Kim In-Ha, win, lose or fold? Naturally, I’m on Jung-Won’s side!

If you want to watch some glitz on TV and can spare 24 hours of your life, then go ahead and watch “All In”, but remember, Ji Sung is MINE!

That being said, this drama did not make me cry as much as the others that I watched. Maybe I am too jaded? Maybe I have no more tears left? *shrug*

The scenes that spoilt this drama were when Song Hae Gyo (Min Soo-Yeon) were made to wear "grown-up" office attire that made her look so frumpy. She really looked out of place.

The funnies:
Every time there was a street fight scene, capoiera music will come on. Wonder why they did not play the shaolin soundtrack. But at least it made more sense than the horse’s neigh in Attic Cat.

When Kim In-Ha and Yu Yong-Gu took English Language lessons in America, the teacher tried to teach them a sentence that has the word “ROAD”, but both of them kept saying “LOAD” instead. The teacher was so frustrated, while these two guys kept whispering to each other, and used eye signals, asking each other why the teacher was so mad, when they got the word exactly as the teacher wanted it.

It went something like this (example):

Teacher: I will be on the road at noon.
In-Ha & Yong-Gu: I will be on the load at noon.

Teacher: No! Road.

These two being said simultaneously:
In-Ha: Load
Yong-Gu: No! Load!

Frustrating or not??

Trivia:
Min Soo-Yeon and Choi Jung-Won went to the teddy bear museum in Cheju (Jeju) Island, which the Queen Dowager and Bigoongmama went to as well in Goong.

During the filming of this drama, Lee Byung Hun and Song Hae Gyo (Min Soo-Yeon) were a couple but they subsequently broke off the relationship. I felt that their chemistry was revealed in the drama as well.

Ji Sung and Park Sol Mi (Suh Jin-Hee) were a couple off-screen too *GGGrrrr*

Numerous references were made to The Godfather.

A sequel is being made in 2006, but it will have no link to this 2003 drama. The cast will be new as well, too bad.

Korean Drama ~ Attic Cat : Cat in a Rooftop Room / Cats on the Roof / Rooftop Room Cat / Rooftop Romance

Actually, at first, I didn't want to blog on this Korean drama, Attic Cat, but then I found out something dem funny that I thought I MUST share with you, especially if you have already watched this drama, or currently watching it, or plan to watch it soon.

But before that, allow me the customary n00b review on this drama. Don't worry, I'm not going to be long-winded and write a synopsis.

The gist of this romance drama is like this:

Nam Jung-eun loves Lee Kyung-min who loves Na Hye-ryun who loves Yoo Dong-joon who loves Nam Jung-eun

This is not a triangle love, but a RECTANGLE LOVE or is it CIRCULAR LOVE?!?

I can sympathize with Jung-eun. It's never easy to love someone and convinced that the love will never be reciprocated. That's why my father always say, "Marry the man who loves you, not the man you love" which means, marry the man who loves you more than you love him.

This drama was the 2003 Korean Drama of the Year and lead actor Kim Rae Won won the 2003 Korean Actor of the Year award for his portrayal in Attic Cat.

Not surprising that it has its cult following as it touched on co-habitation and premarital sex in conservative Korea, although as the drama went on, even 16 episodes became too draggy for me.

I was fed-up with the cad that Kyung-min was and, despite having watched quite a few Korean dramas, I still cannot tolerate the shouting and screaming nor the slurping eating noises. Perhaps these are an exaggeration but don't they realise it's been overdone?

If this goes on in my next few K-dramas, I might go back to serials from TVB. It's so off-putting.

After watching a few K-dramas, it seems like the norm for singles of marriageable age to go on blind dates, while in Goong, it was a blind marriage, but that's kinda expected for Royals lar.

I didn't like the whiner Kyung-min who kept harping on the following repeatedly:

1. Difficulty of the Bar exam
2. His love for Hye-ryun
3. His love for meat
4. bla bla bla

.......... he's so selfish that only Jung-eun can tolerate him.

Interestingly, the actress that was Jung-eun's mother was also Kim Sam Soon's mother. She's quite a good actress =)

Attic Cat focused too much on meal times and food. If a tune is repeated once too often, people say that it's a broken record, in this case, it seemed like a broken video.

Also, the sound track was so LCLY sounding. One of the songs was nice though, and it has two versions. One was performed by a lady, another performed by a man. The lady sounds like an auntie while, worse, the man sounds like a grandpa.

Now, the music and lyrics are very meaningful but I don't know why they have to spoil it by choosing singers who do not have the appropriate voice to carry out the beautiful song.

They should have asked Lee Hyun Woo [Yoo Dong-joon] to perform the song, cos guess what, he is a singer! You may ask what's so funny about that, and what was the joke that I just have to share to make me blog on Attic Cat, well check THIS OUT.

I know, it STILL is not funny....not until you watched the video for "Please Don't Stop". Oh God, I nearly fell off my chair laughing. Never knew Mr. Kayu was like that some ten years ago. That's why la, "Never judge a book by its cover." hahahaha

Having said all the above doesn't mean I did not enjoy Attic Cat. There were moments where I laughed, but it didn't make me cry, failed to touch my heart or make a connection with me most of the time, but this is just my personal opinion.

I wish I can tell you now to excuse me while I go feed my cat, but I don't have one, unfortunately.

Korean Drama ~ Goong / Palace / Imperial Household / Princess Hours

......... the Korean drama on life in modern-day Korean Imperial Palace.

In my opinion, 24 hourly long episodes are a tad too long. Usually, K-dramas come in 16 or 20 episodes. In my eagerness to find out the ending, I spent last night watching the last four episodes in one sitting, until 3am. Whoa, no wonder my eyes are like panda bear's :-)

The actors and actresses did really well in carrying out their respective roles, considering all of them are first-timers. The two actors are cute in their own way, but not very leng chai by my standards. Woooeee I DID NOT fall in lurve with either one.

The two actresses are pretty but sayang la Yoon Eun Hye doesn't have a perfect set of teeth. However, there was chemistry between the actors and actresses.

The first third of this drama was very funny, when the Crown Princess was fumbling her way in the Imperial Palace. Her antics made her so sweet and adorable it's no wonder that the guys fell for her.

Also, there was a "Prince William" visiting from the United Kingdom. Hahaha this actor bears a slight resemblance to the real Prince William, but this guy is a bit more mature and his face is a bit fatter. It was very amusing, though. I bet the cast and crew laughed their guts out too.

The second third of the drama showed the fight for the heart of the Crown Prince. One girl already gave him up but wanted him back. She should have just let go, instead of making all parties involved hurt and miserable.

The last third shows the struggle for power in the Imperial Household. Some evil underhanded tactics were used just to gain power. Sorry, no spoilers, so you gotta watch to find out.

From the second half onwards, prepare lots of tissue. There's so much tears, one can't help getting all emo. It's so touching to watch guys cry ;-p

Things to look out for:
** Teddy bears in costumes reenacting memorable scenes at the end of almost every episode
** The old Queen watching My Name is Kim Sam Soon on TV
** In Macau, a male dog was pissing in the background

What I don't like about K-dramas, actually I've already mentioned here, are the SHOUTING and the loud eating noises. I find those eating noises very irritating. In Goong, there were these elements too. I'm beginning to think these are common traits in Koreans.

I'm really thankful to the team of fans who worked tirelessly to bring us the English subtitles. Without them, I won't be able to enjoy Goong as much.

Also, if you like Goong, then look out for Season 2 which is scheduled to be screened on Korean TV in February, 2007. Non-Korean speaking viewers will have to wait for awhile more for the subs.

Image courtesy of MBC

Korean Drama ~ My Name Is Kim Sam Soon / My Lovely Sam Soon

Finally, I've finished watching "My Lovely Sam Soon".

And I'll attempt to review it today, but first, for some introduction.....

"My Lovely Sam Soon" is also known as "My Name is Kim Sam Soon", the literal translation from its Korean title.

It was THE 2005 K-Drama of the year... not surprising at all.

If I were a true bum, I would've just sat through 16 hours straight to finish the drama, instead of taking almost two weeks.

Why wasn't I surprised this drama became THE 2005 K-drama of the Year?
Because Kim Sam Soon's supposed to be this over-weight, plain-looking, lowly-educated lady from a humble (poor) family, who is on the verge of going over the hill (30 years old), and is the third daughter (less worth) in the family.

And.... she looks like someone we know... or maybe even we could be her, or she could be us. We ALL can relate to her one way or another.

And we all dream of a young, handsome AND rich guy sweeping our feet off the ground.

My take on Kim Sun-Ah (as Kim Sam Soon)
This actress put on fifteen pounds for the role. Really gotta give it to her. Wonder if she had a hard time reducing all that weight after this.
The fat clung onto her body so naturally. hehehe

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, she looks like the Malaysian HVD actress, Cheryl Lim Chiew Yin. I regret I couldn't find a mugshot of her on the net.

Another actress from Hong Kong's ATV has the same looks too. Here is her photo. Her name is Chan Sau Man, or something like that.

Anyway, all three of them have this flat, chubby cheeked, sad face, that makes their crying so believable. And there are lots of tears in "My Lovely Sam Soon".

My take on Hyun Bin (as Hyun Jin-heon)
This guy has got a boyish charm that many girls would easily fall for. I love him with his hair moussed. Without that, he looks too much like a high school student (too young).

He was the most handsome when he cried while relating the accident to Kim Sam Soon. Other times, he was far too aloof and has a smirk on his face.

Also, I loved the back shots of him, when he was walking off in a hurry. Captain Jang commented that his back is like a work of art, and I have to agree!

The scene of him that I will remember for a long time is when he tried to strangle the piggy plush toy (near the rubbish dump). Cute boy doing cute things.... aaawww he's so sweet...

My take on Daniel Henney (as Dr. Henry Kim)
WHOOAAA what more can I say? This guy is sizzling HOT!

Aihhh he has the kinda looks that I can fall in love with in the blink of an eye. And he has got perfect teeth! You should see his smile!

Unfortunately, he has got this typical Caucasian ears (small) but nobody's perfect, anyway.... *shrug*

I think that it's a blooper to have him surnamed KIM since his mother's supposedly Korean. And in Korean custom, like the Chinese, children will take after the father's surname, not the mother's.

What I like about the drama ....
Surely the leng chais :p since the plot's rather simple without much twists and turns. Being an emo person, I also cried along with them almost every episode *sigh*.. so silly.

What I don't like about it ....
All the screaming & shouting & whacking... maybe it's a Korean custom. Just look at their Parliament sittings and we get real life drama there.

The unrefined Kim Sam Soon who eats with loud slurping noises and after every drink of beer, goes kkkhhheeeerrrrrrrrr (I wonder why)...

And in some scenes, she ate with one foot on the chair, like a trishaw puller... I know she's supposedly lowly educated, but that's over acting, me thinks :-(

Also the restaurant staff played basketball in full uniform, and worse, going in and out of the toilet in uniform with hat & apron, too. Yucks... the restaurant's supposedly high class but those scenes made it look like the local kopishop near my house.

Pay attention to the soundtrack. I don't get it why a horse's neigh is included!?!

And, I reiterate that it's difficult for me to believe the romance between Kim Sam Soon and Hyun Jin-heon. They look like a mismatched pair, sorry!

Gross moment:
People farting while they were taking a dump (two scenes) eeeewww that's ultra gross to be put on film.