Philippines/Korean Film to Miss: Ultimate Oppa (2022)

 Ultimate Oppa (2022)

Viewing platform: Amazon Prime

Yana is a Filipino girl, working in a fast-food chicken shop while she dreams of one day becoming a romance writer. Yana would love to write a drama for television starring her favorite Kdrama star, Moon Shi Woo – he replies with such sincere, heartfelt support every time she sends him her fanfic online. It isn't actually Shi Woo who replies to all his fans, though – his assistant Jay does. One day the conceited actor responds to some haters online, and it immediately spins out of control. His agency then decides to hold a special contest for all his fans to help redeem his image. Yana is selected, and she gets to experience an all-expenses paid trip to a ski resort in South Korea! The other contestants try to outdo each other in the elimination round competitions, but Yana is gracious throughout, genuinely impressing Shi Woo. Meanwhile, Jay keeps coming to Yana's rescue – finding her locked out of her room in the cold, locating her misplaced passport, singing a duet with her in the karaoke competition. What happens when the two young men both start to develop feelings for the sweet, kindhearted Yana?

*This was a disappointing movie. There were at least a dozen F-words throughout, and with the mix of Korean, English, and Tagalog, the dialogue didn't come across with the same sincerity as the single-language shows I've watched. While it does have a happy ending, the charm was lost in translation, coming across as stilted and cheesy in an uncomfortable way. Wouldn't watch again or recommend.*

InFilm to Miss: Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018)

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018)

Viewing Platform: Amazon Prime

Verdict: Pass

Sonu and Titu are childhood best friends. The pair became inseparable when, at age 13, Sonu's mother died and Titu's family took him into their home to finish raising him. Sonu is more worldly and he takes it upon himself to assist in hapless Titu's disastrous love life. Is it a bit manipulative of Sonu to pressure his friend to end what Sonu considers a bad relationship? Yes, but it comes from the right place – especially as Titu is the sole heir to his family's successful sweets shop franchise. When Titu jumps into an arranged marriage after only a few months post-breakup, Sonu tries to talk him out of it, thinking it's just a “rebound” type response, but Sweety is the perfect bride candidate and the family welcomes her with open arms. Sweety finally shows her hand after the engagement ceremony, admitting she is the villain in this story – but only after Sonu blundered into an ungraceful accusation against Sweety, which she easily (and convincingly) explained away. Will Sonu be able to convince Titu he's telling the truth about Sweety's gold-digging scheme? Or will the villain succeed in coming between the two lifelong friends?

*This should not be labeled a comedy, as ~ spoiler alert ~ there is NO wedding among ANY of the characters! I have a feeling the writers chose this in order to stand out from all the other traditional Bollywood films, which is their prerogative, but I was disappointed. It would have been funnier if Sweety and Sonu fell for each other instead – they're a better match with their machinations and plotting anyway – and Titu could have gone back to his former girlfriend. Plus there was Sweety, taking all these steps to trick and manipulate Titu and his family, while Sonu did next to nothing; again, it would have been funnier if the writers had him match her, move for move. Instead it all came down to Sonu crying at the end; seemed like a weak way to end it. I also didn't like how several dance numbers were very suggestive, in an American/western fashion; and Sweety looked too fake (veneers, contact lenses, and possibly a nose job). I won't watch this again, and I don't recommend it.*

KDrama to Maybe Watch: Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)

Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)

Grade: B-

16 Episodes, approx 1 Hr each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Low-born Gae-ttong has one goal in life: to earn enough money to find her long-lost brother and have a decent place to live. Her friend, the local blacksmith's son, promises to help her and proposes, after the locally famous matchmakers, the Flower Crew, agree to help. On the day of the wedding, however, Kim Su never shows up, and Gae-ttong is devastated. Ma Hun does not want this blemish on his record though, so he commits to helping Gae-ttong find her missing fiance and allows her to stay with them and help with their business in the meantime. What happens when the crew discovers the reason Su never arrived is because the royal court kidnapped Su and revealed his true lineage, as Joseon's new king? Will Su be able to gain enough power to elevate Gae-ttong and make her his queen? Or will the other crew members' pasts catch up with them and the evil machinations of Hun's father destroy everything?

*I'm still not a huge fan of period dramas, but I like to give one a try every now & again. Honestly, this would have been SO much better if the writers had focused on the marriage crew's job, writing the episodes to detail various funny matchmaking story lines. Instead, it focused on politics and the tragedy each main character had gone through. I'm also not sure I like who Gae-ttong ends up with – SPOILER ALERT – it really isn't Su's fault that he became king, so why should he also lose his love? I guess it's good Gae-ttong wasn't also forced into an aristocrat's life, but it seems a little disloyal of her to choose the other guy; plus I didn't get much chemistry between Gae-ttong and Hun. I probably won't watch it again, but it might be enjoyable to those who like the period kdrama pieces.*