Wonderful LIfe (원더풀 라이프 / Wondeopool Laipeu -2005)

Starring:
Kim Jae Won as Han Seung Wan
Eugene as Jung Se Jin
Lee Ji Hoon as Min Do Hyun
Han Eun Jung as Lee Chae Young
Joo Hyun as Han Bum Soo (Seung Wan's father)
Sun Woo Yong Nyeo as Yoon Tae Hee (Seung Wan's mother)
Kim Hye Ok as Pyo Jae Kyung (Se Jin's mother)
Choi Joon Yong as Han Seung Pil (Seung Wan's older brother)
Yoon Hyun Sook as Baek Hyun Joo (Seung Pil's wife)
Kim Hyo Jin as Jung Il Jin (Se Jin's older sister)
Kim Seung Min as So Chang Myung (Seung Wan & Do Hyun's flying academy classmate)
Jung Da Bin as Han Shin Bi (Seung Wan and Se Jin's daughter)
Lee Hye Sook as Do Hyun's stepmother

Let me start off that this was a typical Korean drama. After episode 9, after slugging away my emotions to pulp and hating the characher Chae Young to wishing for her death, I had to skip to the last episode. And you know what? I didn't miss a single thing. I didn't see the trauma of the love quadrangle the show was working on. I didn't see the start of Shin Bi's illness which would have been torture beyong belief.

What I did see? I saw the end of the quadrangle and the start of the loving relationship of Se-jin and Seung-wan. I didn't see a death. I didn't see the family fight over Shin Bi. Let's put it this way.......from episode 10-15 was the same old, same old dragged out till you bleed drama. So in other words, there really wasn't any movement in the show. I might have missed some things which I might go back and see what I missed but for now....I wish the Korean drama figures would get a brain like the Japanese and just get to the gist of the story and move on.

On the whole.....the movie started out wonderfully and ended wonderfully. A very good drama but typically sluggish and emotionally draining.

Would I see it again? Probably so.....give me few more months when I get bored and am looking to watch some reruns..................

Kim Jae Won

Full House (2004)

Starring:
Bi (Rain) as Lee Young Jae
Song Hye Gyo as Han Ji Eun
Han Eun Jung as Kang Hye Won
Kim Sung Soo as Yoo Min Hyuk
Jang Yong as Mr. Lee (Young-jae's Father)
Sun Woo Eun Sook as Ms. Kim (Young-jae's Mother)
Kim Ji Young as Young-jae's Grandmother
Do Han as Dong Wook
Lee Young Eun as Hee Jin
Im Ye Jin as Dae Pyo

Han Ji Eun is a naive writer who got swindled out of everything she owned including her house by her best friends. Stranded in China, She managed to borrow money from an actor Lee Young Jae to return to Korea. On her return, she found out that her house was bought by Lee Young Jae. In an attempt to get her possessions back, she entered in a contract marriage with Young Jae for one year. In spite of losing all, Ji Eun manages to be cheerful and takes things in strike and the business relationship between the two becomes personal as they start to rely and care for each other. Based on a popular manhwa of the same title.

Okay, it was time for me to post about my most favorite drama EVER! The drama that brought Bi (Rain) to my attention.

FULL HOUSE is probably the sweetest, adorable, cinderella-type drama ever. Take a poor girl, rich guy and add the most funniest comedic moments and there you go. Okay, yeah, it has those pesky Korean quadrangles but they are simple and not overly drawn out. AND this drama has a happy ending that leaves you satisfied and not sobbing or wishing for death. And lets say the couple match-up is perfect!

Yesterday, I spent the whole day rewatching this drama. Yeah, the whole day! I'd forgotten so much and am so glad that I did. I cried from episode 12-16. Bi (Rain) then is not the Rain now but yet maybe he is. He portrayed the role of Young-jae so perfectly. There isn't a single person who can't fall for this character or the charms of the innocent Young-jae. This is the Korean drama that is still to this day the most sought after and the most recommended.

I don't think there is a single person on this earth who couldn't/wouldn't be able to say this drama sucked.

The drama is flavored with different types of likeable characters that similarly push the story forward with their foolish actions. First, Ji-eun and Young-jae thoughtlessly enter into a contract marriage even though they obviously loathe each other. Meanwhile, sly-fox Hye-won desperately tries to sustain Young-jae’s companionship despite his marriage. Then, deciding to get involved because of the way Young-jae treats his wife, Min-hyuk knowingly risks their friendships and challenges Young-jae's love for Ji-eun. Finally, the top tier of this foolish cake is the surprisingly enjoyable friends of Ji-eun, Dong-wook and Hee-jin. These two continuously give the plot momentum with their hasty chatter and clever lies. All in all, the characters’ irrational personalities are balanced with decency and purpose.

With a little tolerance for excessiveness, viewers can walk away from Full House with hearts full of contentment.

My heart beats faster and finds itself in a love for those characters that make this show so great.

I will say this.....................I love Rain!!!

Bi (Rain)

Two Guys (Tu gaijeu/ 투가이즈 -2004)

Starring:
Joong-Hoon Park - Jung-tae
Tae-hyun Cha - Hoon
Eun-jeong Han - Ji-seon
Heung-chae Jeong
Dae-han Ji
Jun-yong Choi
Hyeon-ju Son
Seung-hwan Shin
Hyeok-jae Lee
Yun-bae Park
In-hwan Pa

Hoon (Cha Tae-hyun) is good at driving, seducing women, and getting credit card loans. He is always pressed to pay back his debts, but he's never bothered. One day, Joong-tae (Park Joong-hoon), a debt collector, came to him telling him that if he doesn't pay the debt, he will take Hoon's kidney instead. Once, Hoon and Tae takes a drunken foreigner to the hotel. Meanwhile, Hoon and Tae witnesses the foreigner being killed, and the suitcase falls into their hands. The suitcase contained a semi-conductor that was newly developed in Korea. Now the two were being chased by foreign spies and Korean intelligence agents..



OMG! I'm still laughing. This was a riot and a half. Cha Tae Hyun rules in the comedic department. His facial expressions are a hoot.

This was a laugh-out-loud funny experience. Are you down and out? Watch this. You can't help but smile. This movie gets an A+. Wow! Maybe I was just in the mood for some Korean comedy or something-something. After the first two Chinese experiences this morning, I needed a pick me up.

I think my favorite part was at the end. When Hoon and "Scarface" are fighting the one triad member. I'm sorry but crotch hits are still funny especially when Cha Tae Hyun does it.

OMG! I can't stop laughing. Hahahahahahahaha!