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amwilburn-60131
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Reviews
Dangshini Jamdeun Saie (2017)
Really good for a pre 2020 kdrama
While You Were Sleeping (2017)
Starring Suzy Bae (Start-Up, Doona!, Vagabond), Lee Jong Suk (Big Mouth, Romance is a Bonus Book) and Jung Hae-in (D. P., Snowdrop) is a very well done K-drama, on par with modern offering (most early KDramas are painful to watch) with a fantasy / thriller drama that dovetails nicely. Of particular note, Kim Won-hae, who spent the entire Strong Girl Do Bong-soon screaming "Do Bong-soon!" finally gets to flex his acting chops here.
A wonderfulky twisted murder mystery involving Suzy Bae's Nam Hong Joo, who has accurate psychic premonitions, who tries to use her abilities to save lives, now must save her own!
With a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion, it will stick with you after you've finished watching it. The 16 episodes never dragged.
9.1/10, A.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Better Than I expected from "3 hours of people talking"
Oppenheimer (2023)
Yes, to paraphrase another review, this is essentially just 3 hours of people talking, albeit with a who's who of Hollywood A list actors.
The pacing is incredible, and the 3 hour runtime flies by; achieved by making this less of a biopic and more of a political/ courtroom drama.
I didn't expect much going in, to be honest, as based on the runtime, I'd expected a slow, plodding affair with excessive backstory. I should've known better.
The only complaint I have is there wasn't much emotional weight to this film; but then again, given how much the protagonist tries to distance himself from his emotions, maybe that was the point.
9.2/10, A-
The Marvels (2023)
Reall fun but flawed
The Marvels (2023)
First off, the best CBM (comic book movie) in 2023 remains Across The Spiderverse (my favourite live action CBM remains GotG3).
But The Marvels is a really fun, action packed film that had us laughing throughout. Really enjoyed the fight sequence choreography in particular. This film also looks good (except 1 "Superman" flying scene at the start).
For the first time since Shang Chi & No Way Home in 2020, there were great cameos that actually helped make it feel like part of the greater connected universe something that's been sorely lacking in the MCU since 2020. Yes Dr Strange had cameos, but most of those were nothing more.
However, there's a scene about 60% into this rather short, quick paced film that feels superfluous & wholly unnecessary: a singing, colourful "Disney" esque planet, which pulled me out of the film completely.
And I can understand the desire to tap into the K Drama, K Pop world's recent surge in popularity, but Park Seo Joon (What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, Itaewon Class) can't speak English, and it shows.
Ok Taecyeon (Vincenzo, Bring it on Ghost), Ahn Hyo-seop (Abyss, Business Proposal, A Time Called You) are both fluent in English. Heck, Song Joong Ki's English would have sufficed.
Finally, it's absolutely baffling that a problem Captain Marvel solves at the end, the short solution somehow escaped her realization for 30 years??
Despite these complaints, this is a really fun, face paced but flawed film. Brie Larsen isn't given enough to do, Teyonah Paris *is* Monica, but Iman Vellani steals the show.
8.3/10, B+
Oh Naui Gwishinnim (2015)
Starts slowly, ends strongly
Oh My Ghost (2015)
The very 2nd k Drama I watched.
Starring Jo Jung Suk (Hospital Playlist) and Park Bo Young (Strong Woman Do Bong Song, Abyss), it starts off really slowly paced, but builds to a pretty satisfying conclusion.
Also Shin Hye Sun before her big break as the titular Mr Queen, and Kang Ki Young (Bring it on Ghost, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Uncanny Counter season 2), the acting in this was good. If you like Supernatural rom com / murder mysteries, with slow initial pacing that finish satisfyingly, this is for you. (Like a low budget version of the movie Ghost).
There's also a hilarious crossover with another K Drama (Hi Bye Mama).
This starts off incredibly slow paced, but stick with it. When Park Bo Young's character, Bong Sun, starts staying awake is when the audience does as well. There's too much epilogue, but the characters leave a lasting impact.
8.5/10, B.
Akgwi (2023)
Suspenseful throughout
Finally, a K Drama on Disney+/Hulu that was good.
Starts off with a creepy, supernatural premise, and mostly delivers. Never veering into horror, it manages to stay planted firmly in supernatural suspense territory.
A good chunk of this show's success can be attributed to Kim Tae Ri (25 to 21, Space Sweepers) who once again 34.65 convincingly portrays a teenager (at 33!). As great as the cast is, and as well as the mystery unfolds,2023 10 they took too many episodes to reveal & resolve everything. Had this kept up its initial pacing, and not added padding episodes, it would have been a 9/10. Even the vfx were very decent, never a distraction.
As it stands, being about 4 or 5 episodes too long, it's still a very decent 7.9, B-
Ssawooja Gwishina (2016)
Bring it on Ghost
The first K Drama I ever watched, after my wife had already watched several, and was excited to see what I'd choose. (Her favourite up til that point was "Crash Landing on You"). Looking at the Netflix trailers, supernatural comedy seemed to fit the bill.
The first half was excellent; Ok Taecyeon & Kim So Hyun have hilarious chemistry (despite the 10 year age gap. Much like the leads of Alchemy of Souls s1). But alas, the second half of the season (after the plot twist) it just falls apart; it's as if they watched "Oh My Ghost" and thought: we want this but with a happier ending). I get why they wanted that plot twist; the twist itself was good, the additional complication was to slow down the plot pacing, and stretch out the series. This series could've been done in about 12 episodes, but with the stretched storyline, really only the last episode (pure epilogue) was almost wholly redundant.
Still, if you enjoy supernatural comedy-dramas like Supernatural, but mixed with a rom com. 8.3/10, B.
The Little Mermaid (2023)
Visually stunning... mostly
An almost note for note remake of the original animated classic, in a slightly revised order, but unnecessarily padded in spots. Unfortunately, Lin Manuel Miranda's song writing skills are nowhere near Alan Menkein's (to be fair, neither are mine, and I'm also a musician) which makes the extra song padding very uneven with Menkein's brilliant work.
This movie is (mostly) gorgeous, especially the photo realistic, colorful underwater scenes. There is a painfully cheap scene where you can see an actor is talking to inanimate puppets, which is mercifully brief, but took me out of the film for a minute.
Halle Baily can act (thankfully), and boy can she sing, but Daveed Digs (Sebastian), Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric), Jessica Alexander and especially Melissa McCarthy & (both Ursula) who steal the show.
I'm also extremely confused by mermaid genetics... are King Triton's genes so weak that all his daughters are simply clones of their mothers? And ot turns out going for realistic sea creatures, it's hard to make them cute: Sebastian should've stayed a hemit crab (he looks like a large red spider here) & flounder just looks like a yellow fish. Otherwise
mostly satisfying, if a little bloated (135 minutes versus the originals 83). About average as far as these live action remakes go. But the visuals are definitely meant for the big screen; I hope I get a chance to watch this in 3d eventually (they seem to have stopped playing 3d films on Disney cruises, unfortunately)
7.6/10, B.
Jaebeoljib Maknaeadeul (2022)
Aka Reborn Rich. Liked Vincenzo? Watch this as well
Song Joong Ki slayed it as the titular character of Vincenzo, which was also quite good, albeit a little uneven in tone.
Not so here. Right of the bat, you know this is a Revenge drama. And the tone reflects that throughout.
Thilling, sometimes funny, mostly intense, and the ending was pretty satisfying (although I'll admit, I would've preferred the original ending from the webtoon; but the ending that aired was still quite good)
9/10, A-
YMMV: this involves some fantasy elements, including time travel. If you were looking for a more grounded drama, this isn't it. But if you've watched Vincenzo, and you want more, this will fit the bill.
Love Again (2023)
Not bad, but not great. No chemistry between the leads
Average at best, as far as rom coms go, but Celine Dion was hilarious, as was an *expected* cameo (they were the highlights of the film).
Tries to tackle grief light heartedly, and somewhat succeeds. But with the primary romance being a bit stiff, and not enough comedy, this film will be relegated to couch surfing, when you've finished watching all those Hallmark specials.
Unfortunately, with the lack of chemistry between the leads, it's hard to become emotionally invested.
6/10, C-
YMMV: if you're not a fan of rom coms, this won't change your mind. If you're a Celine Dion fan, it helps a lot.
Over the Moon (2020)
Painful
Over The Moon (2020)
One of the worst films I've ever seen, but back in 2020 a lot of us were stuck at home, absorbing whatever new content was available.
This film' looks good... on par with animation powerhouses like Disney & DreamWorks. It even starts off just like a standard Disney animated film, with the main character Fei Fei losing a parent. 15 minutes in, this was still pretty good, if not derivative, in its setup.
What ensued just goes further and further off the rails, with Fei Fei's stepbrother, Chin, becoming increasingly torturous to my ears, and then Ken Jeong's Gobi was also grating to the point where we liked him less because of it.
I don't know how this was nominated for a Golden Globe (best animated feature film), perhaps no other animated movies were released that year? The only reason we finished watching it was so we never had to start watching it again.
1.5/10, F-
I've seen worse, but not.by much
YMMV: this would probably be a solid 6/10 if you're 6 years old, or you view this while high.
Aladdin (2019)
Not as good as the original, but good in its own right
Aladdin (2019)
Disney has gone overboard with the live-action remakes... Maleficent kicked things off with a clever re-telling of the classic tale from the antagonist's point of view, followed by up a straight but charming note-for-note re-telling of Cinderella, then a re-imagined but exciting Jungle Book, culminating with the sky-high potential of Beauty and the Beast (which was beatifully executed, except for the catastrophically bad decision to insisit on Emma Watson singing her own songs).
How does this fare? Well, no, it's not as good as the original, but it *is* good, actually fills in some plot holes from the original, and has charm of it's own.
First off, the trailers did *not* look good, so we went in with low expectations; additionally, it would've been impossible to recreate William's iconic performance as the Genie - ask Dan Castellaneta.
But given Williams' passing, Will Smith was who I thought of before Disney even announced it (my next choices would have been Russel Peter's & Wayne Brady). Smith can sing - not as well as Williams, and the 'rap-ified' most of his songs to accommodate. It was good enough not to be distracting (as in Beauty & the Beast). Smith's portrayal was still funny and genuine.
Likewise, Mena Massoud's Aladdin: he looks the part, he can act (particularly well with awkward comedy), not a bad singer, but wow can he dance.
Nasim Pedrad is... herself; exactly the same in every role... except somehow she is *perfect* in this film. It's as if they simply shrugged and wrote the role as just her being herself.
Disney lucked out with Naomi Scott when they first hired her a decade ago: she *looks* like the cartoon brought to life. She can act, and she can *really* sing. So much so that they gave her two addtional solo songs. And while she's perfect in every way for Jasmine, I'm glad they sanitized a few things, including Jasmine's original unnecessary penchant for exposed midriffs. She looks more regal in this incarnation.
Naomi Scott and Nasim Pedrad *make* this film, and Will Smith does a pretty good job of filling in Robin William's rather large shoes, but the major let down was Jafar: his voice didn't carry the gravitas of the original; he was actually pretty anemic and unimposing. Same issue in Black Adam)
Also, I missed having the carpet ride extend to Egypt and China, especially since that was the 3d highlight of the film... they wanted to keep it 'realistic' and not have the carpet travel at Mach 5. Sure, but it's *magic*.
Keep an eye out for magic carpet building a Disney sandcastle in the background of the "Make me a prince" scene. Also Billy Magnussen's brilliantly over-the-top Prince of Skandland was great (while silly) addition. Guy Ritchie sped up the pacing at the start of the film to make room for more Jasmine (a good thing), except there's an unnecessary scene right after her last solo, which was about the only hiccup to an otherwise well-paced film. And the beginning and end of the film tie together as they wanted to do in the original, but couldn't due to a 91 min runtime.
This has a much longer 129 min runtime, but luckily doesn't overstay its welcome (much). We actually enjoyed watching it more the 2nd time; I think this might be the most rewatchable remake so far. As long as you enjoy Disney musicals, this film is pure joy.
8.9/10, B+/A-
(I originally scored it 8.6 in the theatre, but it's crept up on half a dozen rewatches)
YMMV: one of my friends was annoyed by this film. "Too much singing! Characters would break out in song for no reason". If you don't like musicals, this will probably be closer to a 6.3 for you.
On the other hand, if you *do* enjoy musicals, this one is also a visual feast; colours explode during the big musical numbers.
Aladdin 3D Dolby Theatre experience:
6.9/10 not particularly well utilized or with great depth a lot of the time, although the Genie's intro and carpet ride were standouts, and at least it was never blurry.
Grid (2022)
Amateur hour K drama
Grid (2022)
Wow. I've never been more disappointed in a K Drama that I actually finished (There are a few I can't get past the 1st episode, like Memories of Alhambra, and more I just can't muster the will to finish like Glitch, Stranger season 2)
First of all, this is a great concept: time travel. Is there a "best" outcome if we're trying to save as many people as possible? Right up my alley. With good production values, mostly good acting (except Kim Sung Kyun's Ma Nok. But was great in DP. Along with the entire cast. Conclusion? I believe poor directing is to blame here,)
So how does this go so wrong? Everything feels non sequitur as we are introduced to a world where solar flares would be fatal to much of the world population. Fortunately, a ghost swoops in and erects a global grid to save mankind, just in the nick of time!
The time travel mystery grows deeper as it turns out the saviour of mankind also killed someone that night, and then she reappears 20 years later to save a criminal.
This had so much potential, but the editing and directing was so poor, there wasn't an identifiable character for the first 30 minutes or so. The Foley was also surprisingly awful, starting with computer keyboards that clack much too loudly and not on sync with the onscreen action.
I feel this could've been a good series or movie in someone else's hands, but here it was a waste of Disney+ bandwidth.
Instead of pondering the morality of finding the best time line, I'm just left wondering where my time went
D-, 4/10.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Huge improvement over the original
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Not the wittiiest children's cartoon, but very entertaining nonetheless, mainly carried by the incredible chemistry between Antonio Banderas & Salma Hayak.
The action sequences are colorful and well choreographed; the humour, while skewing towards a younger audience, isn't completely juvenile. Plus this film is beautiful, reminiscent of the Spider-Verse style.
Overall really enjoyable. 8.6/10, B+
Like Top Gun: Maverick, this film has no business being so much better than the original.
3D: 8.5/10. Definitely watch this in 3D if you get the chance. Best I've seen since Shang Chi (but I still need to watch Avatar: TWoW)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Mostly satisfying conclusion to the best MCU sub trilogy thus far
You'll laugh, you'll cry. Satisfyingly written conclusions to all the major character arcs, it's a satisfying conclusion to easily the best trilogy within the MCU. There's no YMMV; the 1st GotG is one or my favourite films, and the 2nd and 3rd, while not quite on the same level as the first film, are close.
It turns out Pratt can act. Will Poulter's Adam Warlock in particular is hilarious, but everyone was funny.
James Gunn does not miss. Except maybe Scooby-Doo 2.
The 3D was good, but oddly not quite as spectacular as the first 2 films (which both had fantastic 3D).
It's also kind of crazy that this had the exact same budget as Ant Man 3 (AM&TWQ) but looks miles more professional (recently rewatched AM&TWQ on Disney+, wow some of the green screen / The Volume usage was really poorly done and lighting mismatched there) but every frame of every GotG looks professional.
Going to miss Gunn's touch in the MCU, but looking forward to see if he can revitalize the DCU.
A/A- can't figure out how rewatchable it is, I need to see it again, but around 9/10.
3D: 8.5/10 shocking not as crisp and deep as the 3D from the 1st 2 films, but I also feel like the focus was more about the heart, rather than the polish this time.
YMMV: if you go expecting a fun lighthearted film like the first 2, you'll be slightly disappointed. Also, Multiverse of Madness was the closest the MCU came to gore. Well, GotG3 almost gets to an R rating. Not as gory as "The Boys" but gorier than Deadpool.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Perfection (minor spoilers)
The best comic book movie, ironicaly by being the least "comic booky". Director Christopher Nolan set out to make a Batman film that felt real; that felt like it could actually happen. Batman Begins was really good; but its sequel TDK still stands as my favourite CBM (comic book movie) of all time.
From the thrilling opening sequence, the pacing never let's up, and it feels like there isn't a single frame of wasted film. The only minor nitpick is that since it's not a fun & cheerful movie, and incredibly dense, it loses some rewatchability.
From the tiny details of burning the accoutnat alive or the pencil murder, Heath Ledger's performance really sells this. He really did deserve that posthumous Oscar, creating an engaging and unnerving Joker. His death especially tragic here since he was clearly a franchise villian; better than any I've seen (Homelander is on his level, but that's about it). The entire cast was fantastic, but the practical effects & very sparing use of CGI Nolan insisted on also help keep with the incredible immersion.
I didn't know CBMs could be that good.
A++, 10/10.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
Gory & funny, but not for the squeamish.
Loosely based on real events (except the real bear didn't go on a murderous rampage)
Well, it's meant to be gore comedy, but frankly, "The Boys", Deadpool & the "Final Destination" films do this better... albeit on much larger budgets. There are gory laughs to be had, but I feel like there should've more gore and more comedy.
But this should do well at the box office relative to its budget. Entertaining enough, but not for the squeamish.
6.6/10, C.
Surprisingly good acting all around. Wasn't expecting the child actors in particular to be that good.
YMMV: if you're a gore fan (Saw, Evil Dead reboot) then probably close to 8/10.
If horror comedy gore isn't your thing, it probably drops to a 5/10.
The Thing (2011)
Not.terrible. not great
The Thing (2011)
My favourite horror film was John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982). While I was too young to understand the political allegory at the time, but loved the tension and sense of dread it evoked.
When this prequel was released, I remembered the negative reviews, focused on all excessive flailing tentacles, and the overabundance of CGI. Having finally watched this, they weren't completely off the mark. However, they also said this wasn't worth watching, and on that front I disagree.
Regarding the excessive writhing tentacles, yes, they did seem kind of silly... but they were in the original as well. And the CGI unfortunately lost a lot of the tension; instead of suspension of disbelief, a lot of the creatures end up looking like they came from a video game. Not very scary, alas.
To that end, I found out they had practical effects finished, and it was the studio that forced them to add the CGI, probably due to the incredible cgi in films just a few years prior (PotC 2 & 3, the CGI still holds up brilliantly, especially Bill Nighy's Davie Jones).
But the practical vfx that they did keep looked great; realistic & unsettling. The story worked, until the end where the creature suddenly dropped about 100 iq points, which really killed the tension.
But it was entertaining overall, trying to tee up the 1982 original (which it mostly does, save the footage from the 1982 original where they show on vhs how they disposed of the mothership).
Not terrible, mostly good effects, 1 big misstep at the end, 6.8/10, C.
YMMV: the stupidity at the end will ruin ir for some, in which case drop your score to 5.8.
M3GAN (2022)
Pg13 horror? Sure, why not
What if you crossed Chucky with The Terminator? Pretty much this amusing horror (slasher) film. I wasn't expecting a PG13 rating (I personally think it might very been more entertaining with more gore) but it was nice having a horror film I could watch with my squeamish Mrs.
Silly, but entertaining and self aware, it's horror on a relatively small budget with high production values. Special shout-out to the young dancer/gymnast who plays M3gan, Amie Donald, who imbues her with this sense of surreal movement (watch the trailer clip where she stabds up without using her arms) and also to the young actres who voices her. Jenna Davis.
Simultaneously hamstrung by it's PG13 rating, buy also opening up the genre to a wider audience, it doesn't quite hit the mark, but was still fun. 7.0/10, C.
Black Adam (2022)
Middling film with no emotional depth
Black Adam (2022)
Super generic paint by numbers super her film; great cast except the annoying kid.
Aldis Hodge & Pierce Brosnan were the standouts as Hawkman & Dr Fate, who both played their parts with great sincerity. Alas all of Hawkmans lines sound like chat gpt script; if you gave a 10 year old tje task of writing dialog for a CBM, it would've been pretty similar to this.
Good action sequences that had no emotional weight whatsoever, with a completely forgettable villian. But also pretty good vfx.
Great post credits scene that unfortunately will lead to nothing. I enjoy the Rock in action comedies, but he didn't get much chance to flex his comedic muscles here.
6.9/10, C.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Still puts the fun in funny
We went in not knowing what to expect, and we probably enjoyed it more as a result. It's a fun film; fitting with the tone of the first two.
I have 2 gripes with this film, both cast related. First off, without Michael Pena, this isn't quite as funny. He stole the a lot of the scenes in the first 2 films. Also, I get why they recast the excellent Abby Ryder Fortson for Endgame (the actress would have been too young to play Cassie Lang for the 2023 time frame of Endgame (Emma Fuhrmann, 17 at the time of filming, fit Cassie's MCU age of 16 better, and actually resembled an older Fortson), so *that recasting* made sense. But in the time-frame of Quantumania (which takes places in 2025) Cassie's supposed to be 18, Furman was 21, but definitely could've played 18. Instead they recast someone even older... Katherine Newton was 25 during shooting, doesn't resemble the other 2 Cassies, nor quite as good an actress.
Still, tons of action, comedy (that's funny within the context of the situation), and a mysterious backstory (but really only
mysterious if you haven't been watching the Disney+ MCU shows). It's a joyride, never a dull moment, although sometimes the plot meandered. It was nice that Janet and Hank got a lot more to do this time around.
Modok (scene during the trailers) makes sense within the context of the MCU, Majors is appropriately mancing as Kang. I don't know what's with the low Rotton Tomatoes, I can't wait to see this again.
A-, 9.1/10
3D: 3D usually doesn't work in dark movies (which was the downfall of both Wakanda Forever & Malificent's 3D), but surprisingly works here... when it matters. Scenes where the 3D wouldn't do much to enhance the experience, the 3D was practically non-existent. For scenes where it would make a difference, the stereoscopic imagining was pretty good (I noticed only 1 brief scene where the depth frustrums didn't line up creating a double image in the mid background, otherwise it was always clean)
6.5/10 for the 3D. By comparison Shang Chi's was a 10/10, Wakanda Forever's 3D was a 3/10.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Fantastic cast
Spider Man Homecoming (2017)
This is a smart film, with a believable cast, and a believable, sympathetic villian. Is this the best Spider Man film? I haven't seen Spiderman 2 in a while, but from memory it's a toss up between these 2.
Picks up right from Avengers (2012), then fills in the gap between Tony Stark first recruiting young Mr Parker and Spider Man's first on screen appearance in Civil War.
A little bit teen-angsty, and the pacing does dip in spots where it focuses on said angst, but like I said, this is a smart, incredibly well-cast, believable & funny film. It's the rare film where teenagers look like teenagers (even though the actors who play them were 20-something).
Keaton's Vulture is even better than his Batman. The 'kids' are all fantastic (especially impressive given that their lines could easily have come off flat). The MJ line felt a little tacked on though.
Avoid spoilers!
9.1/10, A
This works as a standalone; you don't need to have watched any of the MCU to appreciate this film, although your enjoyment will be enhanced slightly by having the backstory from IM1,2 & 3, Avengers 1&2, and CA3.
Random Trivia: Kenneth Choi's Principal Morita is the grandson of the Howling Commando's Jim Morita (also Choi)
Physical: 100 (2023)
Intense reality tv
We used to be into reality TV, but lost interest in most of them a decade ago, save the talent ones, which we only recently got bored of.
Well, it turns out a physical competition along the lines of American Ninja Warrior / American Gladiators but with the feel of Squid Game (the desperation, not the life & death!) is quite gripping. Rather than the typical weekly elimination of a single player, this immediately goes into large percentage cutoffs, making competitors that much more desperate to hang on
They should attempt to minimize all the serious injuries, especially since Healthcare in South Korea is privatized. Some of the athletes are *still* in rehabilitation.
8.5/10. B++
Cheolinwanghoo (2020)
Top notch k-drama
Until 2022, this was my favourite K drama (although Crash Landing on you and Sky Castle both tied it). It's about a modern day Michelin star chef who ends up in the body of a young queen in the Joseon period. Obviously there's going to be body swap comedy, but they managed to make drama and comedy from the time travel aspects, even with an undercurrent of political drama that it eventually culminates with.
The first 2 episodes are mostly introduction and setup, but it picks up by the 3rd episode (when the cooking element is hilariously reintroduced).
Shin Hye Sun (Oh my Ghost, Stranger) previously wasn't given much to work with. As the titular Queen, she absolutely knocks it out of the park; you van easily tell which person is inhabiting her.
We originally watched this a couple of years ago on Viki (signed up just to watch this and Strong Woman Do Bong Soon) and we were looking forward to re-watching this on Netflix, but we're very disappointed to find one of the soundtrack songs replaced. The instrumental version of "Like it's Summer" is supposed to be the "falling in love" theme; somehow they managed to make an instrumental song *funny*.
The entire soundtrack was phenomenal; even with the 1 song replaced on the Netflix broadcast.
Yes it's silly in parts, clever in some, and occasionally surprising. Despite the loss of the first occurrence of "Like it's Summer" still a 9.2/10, A.
Agui kkot (2020)
Great potential squandered by padding
This started off with so many twists and turns, it kept us guessing and on our toes. The 16 episode arc even concludes well, so why am I not scoring this higher? Because unfortunately there were only about 11 episodes of content.
They had already reached a satisfying conclusion, then had to find a way to artificially lengthen the story. Padding 4 or 5 episode is already drag, but doing so after already reaching an endpoint only to twist and turn again was tedious. We binged the first 6 or so episodes, only to have it crawl from episodes 12 through 15.
Good acting all around (except Nam Gi ae as Hee Sung's mother. Not terrible but not quite up to par with the rest of the cast) and a great start and satisfying conclusion still don't save this completely.
6.4/10, C.
DC League of Super-Pets (2022)
Decent
DC League of Super Pets (2022)
was surprisingly decent. It is still an animated film aimed at kids, but unlike really dumbed down fare aimed *solely* at kids, adults will find something to like here as well. Especially Keanu Reeves as Batman (Reeves elevates any role he takes), but both Kevin Hart & Vanessa Bayer give really good performances (normally not a fan of the latter because everything she did on SNL outside of Miley Cyrus felt like she was just playing herself, but first Brooklyn 99 and now this show she *can* act)
Visually they did skew this a bit younger, and unlike visual powerhouse animated films like Spiderverse or Disney, this looks painful simplistic and undetailed. Everything looks almost gouraud shaded, with no specular highlights or reflections, giving everything a soft vague look.
Still entertaining 7.7/10, B.