mikialama

This film fell far short of what it could have been. Aisha is an immigrant nanny who goes to work for a wealthy family with a young daughter. They seem perfect, but it isn't long before she sees beneath the veneer. Still, she endures in order to earn enough money to being her young son to join her in America. In the meantime, she starts to have ominous dreams and hallucinations about water. The imagery and cinematography in the film were lovely, and the actors were adequate, but the story never really fleshed out. Where it falls short is in being far too subtle--almost minimalist--in trying to tell what could have been a much richer tale of hope, discovery, disappointment, grief and rebirth.

The stars in "My Liberation Notes" all have impeccable pedigrees when it comes to their past works--which would lead one to anticipate a remarkable production. But for me, there was just no way to get past the storyline which dragged so woefully that the drama is only remarkable in that it is perhaps the most awkward and mind-numbingly slow kdrama I have ever seen (and I have seen MANY). I realize the point was to present characters who are transparent and real--unlike many other kdramas. However, it probably was not a good idea to make all but one of the main characters such extreme introverts that conversation is practically non-existent. This show dragged so horribly that it almost had me in tears of utter boredom throughout the entire 16 episodes. Because I have a personal rule about finishing shows I have started in order to give each one the full benefit of the doubt, I soldiered on, hoping for a great conclusion. Alas, when the end came, I thought, "I suffered through 16 episodes for THIS??" There is no question that the snail's pace burn between Kim Ji Won and Son Seok Ku would have made for excellent chemistry, and the same for the pairing of Lee El and Lee Ki Woo IF they had had anything in the script to work with. They just did not. And Lee Min Ki portrays the "loser" brother who just can't find his place in the world very well. But none of that makes up for the lack of dialog and the long, pregnant pauses which stretch into seeming eternity. Admittedly, I'm an extrovert, so watching extremely introverted people sitting together in utter silence at meals, in rooms together, at work, etc, was very difficult. And I'm sure not being Korean myself meant there were cultural nuances I didn't get. But when I found myself hitting the :10 fast forward button multiple times in just one scene, I gave up trying to get any enjoyment out of it. There were perhaps two scenes which seemed beautifully done--but then the script reverted back to monotony. Finishing it was one of the most painful streaming experiences ever. If you are an introvert, you might understand and appreciate this drama far more than I did. That's only way I can figure out its 8+ rating. And that's too bad.

The Untamed was my glorious introduction to Chinese costume drama and wuxian, but the positively luminous performances of leads Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan more than whetted my appetite forthe gene and led me to look for more. Oh! My Emperor has not nearly the production values or complexities of Untamed but it does have Xiao Zhan and a cast of talented actors as well as a fun premise which is sort of a cross (to put it in perspective for Westerners)of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and the beloved film Sabrina. The plot: a young doctor in modern day has an accident and is somehow transported to an feudal fantasyland whose noble families are each connected to different signs of the Zodiac and have magical powers. She quite literally falls in with these people, including the Emperor, his prince brothers and his Royal Uncle (Xiao Zhan) who then all fall under the spell of her quirky but delightful personality. I admit to having only seen Season 1 thus far but it is (for the most part) engaging and entertaining. For new Xiao Zhan fans who also having been looking for his body of work, the actor has a good, solid role as the Royal Uncle (although not the lead) and when he is on screen, it's hard to look at anyone else. But tear your eyes away so you can enjoy the delightful work of Rosy Zhao s theyoung doctor whose comedic timing had me laughing out loud. Jiacheng Gu has the lead role of the emperor and he plays the almost homely, serious young ruler very, very well. Also worth looking out for are Jiacheng Wu who plays the emperor's brother with great enthusiasm and Emn Chen as Royal Uncle's best friend. This is a English sub-titled series. Those can sometimes be hit or miss on quality, but these subs are quite good. Definitely a must-see!