InFilm to Watch: Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Business student Naina and her family are unhappy with their lives in New York, with a failing restaurant burdening Naina's widow mother, until the neighbor's nephew Aman comes to town. His mischievous nature sparks a wave of happiness in Naina's family, despite their deep wounds from her father's suicide and the obvious strife between Naina's mother and paternal grandma. How will Naina's family take Aman's high-spirited meddling in their affairs? What happens when Naina mistakes Aman's efforts to build a connection between her and her classmate Rohit? Will his lie be enough for her to accept Rohit's love instead of Aman's?

*This film has a surprisingly fast pace despite the 3 hour runtime, with lots of quirky charm throughout as it pokes fun at itself with fast-paced dialogue and humorous pauses for emphasis at just the right moments. The music is upbeat, with lots of American themes as it does take place in New York, including rap and clothing indicative of the time period (the early 2000s). There was a startling barb of racism towards a Chinese family, and several scenes with scantily clad women dancing provocatively – including a strip club – but other than that, it was a fun film. I'd rate it as a strong PG-13 because of the immodest clothing as well as the more adult themes of suicide, infidelity, and loss. It was sad towards the end, but only for the last 15 minutes or so, and Shah Rukh Khan (“Swades” 2004, “Chak De! India” 2007) was delightful in his role. I might watch this again.*

KDrama to Miss: Cheese in the Trap (2015)

Cheese in the Trap (2015)

Grade: C-

16 Episodes

Hong Seol is a college student who has a few run-ins with the rich, charming Yoo Jung, and she knows he hates her. His actions are so subtle, however, Hong Seol has a hard time convincing others of Yoo Jung's true character. Over time, will Hong Seol be able to teach the sociopath how to be more honest with his feelings and restore his relationships with his adopted siblings? What happens when the adopted sister sees Hong Seol as a threat to her way of life and her relationship with Yoo Jung? Will the adopted brother be able to convince Hong Seol of Yoo Jung's potential for harming those around him?

*This drama is full of passive-aggressive power struggles, half-truths and emotionally unstable young adults. The music is boring, the plot is dull, and the main characters are just plain unlikable creatures. While the plot and dialogue is more realistic than most Kdramas, making it refreshing initially, once the novelty wore off it was just boring. The ending was lame, too (although the webtoon is still being written, so that might have had something to do with it.) Won't watch this again.*

KDrama to Watch: Full House Take 2 (2012)

Full House Take 2 (2012)

Grade: B+

16 two-part episodes (32 half-hour segments)

K-pop stars Lee Tae-ik and Won Kang-hwi are not getting along well, despite their rising fame. Tae-ik's goal is simply to earn enough money to buy back his childhood home, named “Full House,” but he is losing popularity for not having as stylish a wardrobe as his counterpart Kang-hwi. Tae-ik ends up firing his stylist, and he runs into a young hapkido master, Jang Man-ok, who secretly wants to design clothes and be a stylist. In order to pay off her debt for the interference she caused, Man-ok becomes the group stylist and moves into Full House with the boys. What happens when Tae-ik starts having feelings for the common girl? Will Kang-hwi be able to keep the secret about his eyesight, and will Man-ok be able to keep the secret about her new job and living arrangements from her grandfather once he returns from his trip abroad?

*This k-drama had a slightly unusual rhythm simply because of how the episodes were structured – in half-hour segments instead of full 1-hour shows. (It was a Chinese, Korean, and Japanese production, so they probably had to divide it differently than usual.) The background music was a bit redundant, probably because more effort was put into the main performance songs for the big musical numbers. I enjoyed the bromance between Tae-ik and Kang-hwi, but Kang-hwi's ailment made him a little too pitiable to be truly likable. I hated both of Man-ok's hairstyles, curly and straight, and her wardrobe as a so-called stylist was distracting. (She wears a lei of teddy bears at one point – very odd.) It was fun to see Tae-ik in a more dynamic role (he was in “My Unfortunate Boyfriend,” 2015), and I liked that Man-ok was a strong female that the pretty mean girl couldn't rattle. I'd probably watch this show again.*

InFilm to Miss: Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014)

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014)

 

Kavya is a month away from an arranged marriage, and she decides to spend that time with an uncle in Delhi in an effort to purchase a designer wedding skirt. She runs into the aimless Humpty, and together they help her friend while having a lot of fun together. An attraction sparks, and the two soon sleep together. But what will happen when Kavya's month is up? Will her father allow Humpty to pursue Kavya instead of the perfect suitor he found for his daughter, or will Humpty surrender to the much better marriage candidate?

*I wasn't impressed with the characters. By the end of the film I liked them, but they were too self-centered and immature to be endearing until at least halfway through the film. I was also surprised the characters kissed and even slept together – a rarity among Indian films. Not the worst one I've seen, but I won't watch it again.*

KDrama to Miss: Manny (2011)

Manny (2011)

Grade: C+

16 Episodes

Divorced mother Seo Do-young can't keep a nanny to watch her two bratty children while she works full time. The children's father is not in contact with them or sending support, so Do-young has moved in with her sister, Janice, a successful businesswoman who runs her own modeling agency. Through a chance encounter, famous “manny” - or “male nanny” - Kim Yi-han owes Do-young a favor. Unfortunately the manny was involved with a scandal during his last job, so all his assets are frozen and he cannot return to the United States for the time being. Out of her own desperation to find someone to watch the kids, Do-young asks Yi-han to move in. Soon Do-young starts to develop feelings for the handsome younger man, despite his commitment to never become involved with the mother of the children in his care. What will Janice and the children have to say if they find out about Do-young's feelings? What happens when the father tries to come back into their lives?

*Do-young is a bad mother all around, what with yelling at her children all the time instead of actually disciplining them and not even trying to explain things to them. She is also one of those weak, simpering female characters that cry all the time without stirring any sympathy on the part of the viewer. Yi-han was handsome, but his character was somewhat bland, and other times just plain rude to Do-young. I related the most to Janice's character – strong, driven, and confident – but even she couldn't carry the show all on her own. The worst part is the ending (spoiler alert!): what mother goes to school in a foreign country for two or more years, leaving her children ages 11 and 6 with their aunt who has a busy career?? Sure, Yi-han encouraged Do-young to pursue her ambitions because “if the mother doesn't dream, her children cannot have dreams,” but it's not okay to just leave your children for a few years to go after said dream! I would not watch this show again or recommend it to others. The characters were not endearing, and it was fairly slow overall.*

KDrama to Watch: The Producers (2015)

The Producers (2015)

Grade: B

12 Episodes, about 90 minutes each

Baek Seung-chan starts his career as a television producer (or PD) as a result of a college crush. It turns out the girl he liked is dating his boss, but he soon develops feelings for another PD, Tak Ye Jin. Seung-chan ends up on a variety show production, working with famous singer Cindy. She starts to fall for the young PD, but he is oblivious to her charms as he is too busy trying to catch the attention and affections of PD Ye Jin. What happens when his boss Ra Joon-mo notices Seung-chan's affections for his lifetime friend Ye Jin?

*This was a fairly slow, somewhat sweet show that starts off with a very similar feel to the American show “The Office,” since they do side interviews where the characters talk directly to the camera. There are some funny moments, and it was unique to have a relationship that was so old as the focus, but it was rather slow. Also, Gong Hyo-jin was at it again with her bizarre wardrobe choices. Luckily it wasn't as bad in this drama, but she did wear a denim hospital gown at one point, complete with ties knotted up her back. So distracting! I don't know if I'd watch it again, but it's fine for at least one viewing.*

KDrama to Watch: My Unfortunate Boyfriend (2015)

My Unfortunate Boyfriend (2015)

Grade: A-

16 Episodes

Yoo Ji Na is a girl from the country, applying for a big city job in marketing at the large IM corporation, all in an effort to make a name for herself and put distance between her and her parents. When the applicant pool comes down to Ji Na and one other girl, the company decides to give both women a three month internship to prove who is the better candidate. Meanwhile, the clumsy gardener with the nickname “Mr. Unfortunate” keeps crossing paths with Ji Na, much to her embarrassment. Will Ji Na land the job in the end, or will her connection to Mr. Unfortunate ruin her chances? What happens when her rival discovers Ji Na was hired under false pretenses, or when the rival notices her boss (and love interest) wants to date Ji Na?

*The first four episodes of this show were HILARIOUS! Yoon Tae-woon is the most aDORKable character I have ever come across – American OR Korean! He reminds me a bit of Harpo Marx, with the slapstick physical humor, his fluffy hair and his long face. Ji Na's character is pretty cute, too (the actress is also in “Bride of the Century”). The show slowed down near the end (which I dislike), but most Kdramas do that. A couple supporting characters disappear altogether about three-quarters in, and it was never clear how they were connected to Tae-woon in the first place (or maybe I missed it). Oddly, the most character growth actually happens to one of the secondary characters, so that gives the whole story line a strange vibe at the end, like it was never really about Tae-woon and Ji Na after all. Also, there were a few times I thought the antagonists were going to do something awful, but then they didn't. I'm not sure if that means they just weren't written well, or the writers simply didn't want to go that direction. Overall the show stayed fairly light, and aside from the few weird bits, I had fun watching it and I'd probably watch it again.*