Showing posts with label unrequited love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unrequited love. Show all posts

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Cunning Single Lady


Summary: Cunning Single Lady (aka Sly & Single Again) is a 2014 k-drama produced for MBC. This series follows the trials and tribulations of Na Ae Ra (Lee Min Jung), who marries Cha Jung Woo (Joo Sang Wook) in hopes of having a secure and quiet life as the housewife of a government employee. When he unexpectedly quits his job to start a tech company, the couple's marriage falls apart under the weight of financial and emotional strain and they ultimately divorce. Years later, the pair are reunited thanks to a twist of fate and a street cart brawl. Cha Jung Woo is now a successful CEO worth millions and Na Ae Ra is determined to make him pay for the burdens he placed on her all those years ago. But her plot to exact revenge on him doesn't go quite the way she plans...
- 1 1/2 hearts for a lukewarm ending & the weird Tijuana wedding

Keep your enemies close... and your ex-husbands closer.
Recommendation: The best way for me to describe this k-drama is fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously while still delivering some poignant moments that deal with real emotion. Na Ae Ra and Cha Jung Woo were perfectly cast and their interactions with one another are sickeningly cute - in a good way. I couldn't help but root for them and I looked forward to their scenes. My only complaint is that the series could have benefited from an extra episode to wrap-up everything. The final episode felt rushed and half finished with too many flashbacks. Overall, this is a great romantic comedy and will probably find its way on to my "Best of 2014" list. I encourage others to watch it.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Let's Eat


Summary: Let's Eat is a 2014 South Korean drama about foodies, random assaults, first love, and broken hearts. The story's central character is Lee Soo Kyung (Lee Soo Kyung), a 30 something divorcee working as a secretary in a law firm owned by Attorney Kim (Shim Hyung Tak). After the mysterious death of her next door neighbor, she connects with the other tenants on her floor played by Yoon Doo Joon and Yoon So Hee. These four main characters develop complicated relationships with one another that explore the ups and downs of friendship and falling in love.
+1/2 a heart for a shirtless Shim Hyung Tak
Recommendation: I went back and forth on whether or not I liked this drama. It's a slower paced series that sometimes feels more like a character study than a RomCom. But, the fact is, I tuned in religiously for new episodes each week when I've let others fall behind (i.e. Golden Rainbow). Lee Soo Kyung delivers a solid performance, as always, and I fell in love Shim Hyung Tak. Yes, his performance was a little hammy, but there was something endearing about it. I'm going to give this one a thumbs up and encourage other k-drama fans to give it a chance. The characters grow on you.

Off to the gun show with a six pack...
Other Thoughts: First, I want to say that I am a fan of Lee Soo Kyung. This is the 4th drama that I've seen where she has a major role and she continues to impress me. Let's Eat follows right on the heels of I Summon You, Gold and I think it was a nice transition from the super sexy and manipulative jewelry designer to the divorced secretary. To her credit, I didn't find myself contemplating if she was still playing the same role in a different setting.

I feel obligated to point out that Shim Hyung Tak has a scene in episode 7 where he takes off his shirt in a dressing room. For lack of a more eloquent way to say it, I'll just comment that the dude is ripped! Which way to the beach, Shim Hyung Tak?

It's worth noting that he was simultaneously filming the series Can We Love? with Eugene and Uhm Tae Woong.

The food. I can't write about Let's Eat without mentioning the food. I'm really curious if the cast gained a lot of weight because in each episode there were easily 2-3 scenes where they did nothing but eat. I'm not a big fan of seafood but this show made everything (except the marinated crabs) look delicious.