TVXQ's Humanoids Performance (Music Bank) 12.07.12

AAAAAAH. I'm going crazy over this performances because of multiple reasons. I'm so proud of the boys for continually pulling strong performances week after week. But let me tell you why I love THIS:

• Because they performed it live! I know,  know. They always perform live but heck, I'm still blown away how they can sing and dance at the same time, and really, that's some demanding choreography! DBSK, blowing me away since 2003. <3   
• THEY'RE WEARING NORMAL CLOTHES OMG. I know, they don't stand out as much, but I seriously prefer these kind of performance costume over their loud colorful ones. Who's with me when I say that they look so damn hot in jeans? YES? YES? :)
• Who the heck can dance that well in skinny jeans? WHOOOO! I can't even run properly when I'm wearing skinny. But they dance wildly in it! And they make it look soooooo good.
• ChangMin's hair! OMG!!!! A really, really good one after a long long long long time. I mean, he's always cute, but his bowl cut is just ridic IDK. This one, though. *swoons* Please keep this hairstyle, oppa! :)
• But really, the outfits! If the coordi noonas could come up with sane and normal and just as lovely outfits, why are they always going for the wacky ones? Argh. So handsome. Good-looking namjas are good-looking!

HUHUHUHU. I LAB MY BOYS :)

I realized I haven't properly blog about their Humanoids MV but I'll get to it one of these days. December is a crazy month, okay. You must forgive me for not updating as much, and November was as crazy.

Faith (2012)

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ out of 5
Cast: Lee MinHo, Kim HeeSun, Ryu DeokHwan, Park SeYoung

Faith was posed to be the most epic Korean drama to date, and it sadly failed in all levels. The team behind the series used big words to entice the audience, with a promise that makes the audience set high expectations. Honestly, I don't think any of those expectations are met at all. It could have been a great drama, but it failed to deliver so many times. It's a shame since it truly has the makings of a drama that will leave you breathless, only if it's given a better treatment and a better pace.

So, did I like it? Yes and no. Yes, because there's still a lot to be loved. And no, because it really leaves you hanging time and time again.

WHY I LOVED IT?

Because of the characters

With a set of characters as amazing as the one in Faith, it really makes you ask what went wrong. I love so many characters in the series and I can't even pick which one is my favorite! But overall, the characters I enjoyed the most are:

• Woodalchi - You adorable dorks who are supposed to be the best warriors in the land but fail everytime, I so love you. Woodalchi aren't exactly as good as everyone expected them to be, but that doesn't stop them from being the cute sidekicks to our Woodalchi general. DaeMan, DeokMan and the gang surely liven up the scene whenever they appear. This drama could have been a drab if these dorks weren't being dorks. Heehee.

• Lady Choi - She's like the head of the household, but in this case, the palace. She keeps things in order and even the general of Woodalchi cowers under her stare! It's just enjoyable how she's an elderly who knows how to handle soldiers and how to pacify hot-headed men. You rock, Lady Choi!

• Noguk - The queen is a badass and everyone should bow down to her. She doesn't take crap from anyone, not even from the king. She doesn't just sit around waiting to be ordered around and letting everyone do the works for her. She thinks of solutions herself and devises ways to help the king. She carries herself pretty well, but she's always a good supporter to the king.

• Gongnim - The king is one of the best written characters for the drama. This drama is a good character study for the king in a way that we see him start from a weak king into one of the strongest in Korean history. In no way is he perfect but that makes his character even more amazing. He gets confused at times and craves for his people to trust him. But he holds his head high no matter what and when he trusts and uses the right people, he emerges victorious.

• Choi Young - He's the anti-thesis of a hero. He just likes to sleep a lot and doesn't really care whether he lives or dies. He's just intent to finish one task after another until he can finally leave the life of a warrior. But when he finds something worth fighting (living!) for and a king worth to be supported and hailed, he rises gracefully and become worthy to be the Woodalchi general. The fact that he's not just good in combat but also quite brainy when it comes to politics and warfare strategies make me love him even more. Daejang, I love you.

• EunSoo - The heavenly doctor is the life of this drama. I do not know what would have happened if another actress played EunSoo, but Kim HeeSun adorably portrays the doctor. In the present, she's a dermatologist who's only intent on finding a rich guy that can help her build her own clinic. But transport her to the past and she's the breath of fresh air. She brings humor to not-so-humorous situations and she uses her head at all times. I think it'll be different to hate her when she's basically being the most humane character in this series. She's not a noble idiot, that's for sure. She fights to live and she fights  to be with the man she loves. When I grow up, I want to be EunSoo.

Quick (2011)

Quick, 2011

Quick is an action-comedy about a courier named Han GiSoo. He also happens to be a legendary biker. Without knowing the contents of the packages he delivers, he end up delivering a bomb. This starts his race against a ticking bomb.

For a movie that's less than two hours, they managed to pack up a lot of action into it. It certainly feels a lot longer than an hour and fourty-five minutes due to all the exciting scenes one after another. (This can also be a low point since it feels long when it's really not. Thus, it's a bit of a drab in some parts?) With a pair of silly protagonists, Han GiSoo (Lee MinKi) and his ex-girlfriend, ChunShim (Kang HywWon), we get a serving of a blood-pumping story. There's not a dull moment in this movie because even the opening is already full of stunts and explosions. We get a lively set of characters so they manage to balance out the action sequences with the interesting conversations between the characters.

I love Lee MinKi's portrayal of Han GiSoo as a smooth driver but ends up being spazzy and panicky when the situation gets crucial. His acting is strong when he's being all lulzy but he still manages to insert some warmth into his character. I adore Han GiSoo's gentle moments with ChunShim, but I think I prefer the ones when they go into a rapidfire charades with the police, trying to explain about the bomb.

Frankly, the film's lowest point is when they finally reveals why Han GiSoo's chosen to be the one to deliver the bombs. They build up way too much mystery on Han's involvement in the bombing but we get an overly emotional reveal, followed on quite an immediate toning down of the secret. They give us a grave reason on why Han GiSoo has to pay for being such an irresponsible biker then they brush it off as if it's nothing. If they're going to do it that way, then they should have presented a simpler reason.

I'm glad that they give credit to the movie's stuntmen. This movie wouldn't even exist if not for the stuntmen willing to jump and roll and slam themselves on pavement floor, with fires and all. By showing their braveness in the closing sequence, they already give tribute to the stuntmen who risk their lives just so this movie can happen. I think action movies should do this more often.

Overall, Quick's an enjoyable movie to pass the time. Nothing award-winning about it but it's still something worth watching. With an equal amount of action and silliness, it's a nice movie to watch during Saturday nights with friends. (But I watched it alone. On a friday night. Cue in some sad music please.)

Hana and Alice (2004)

The entire time I was watching Hana and Alice, I kept on thinking that I love this movie. I love this movie. I love this movie. But when I asked myself why, I had to pause for a long time and still couldn't come up with a reason why. I think I now understand what some people mean when they feel fluffy. This movie makes me feel fluffy, but I can't exactly tell you why.

There's a melancholic approach to the story of two quirky girls that make you want to enter the screen and bask in the glorious sunset, too. The story is partnered with some nice soundtrack that only gives more poignant touch to the already nostalgic film. It's a story of two best friends who start to drift apart when they enter high school. It's not clear, though, how they start to go their separate ways. I think it all starts when Hana falls in love and pushes Alice away. But we still see how they treat each others as friends though they tell people that they're not friends.

I re-read what I've just written and realized that I haven't really explained it well. Because frankly, I got a little lost in the movie, too. The story-telling is coherent, but sometimes, there's so many things going on, so many themes being explored all at the same time. Sometimes, you forget what the story is all about. But no, it's impossible to forget that this movie is about Hana and Alice and their friendship.

Bokura Ga Ita (2012)

Bokura Ga Ita was one of the 2012 movies I looked forward to. Thought I haven't watched the anime, I read a fourth of the manga. I know, I know. I practically read nothing but hey, that one-fourth was enough to make me like it. Though I'm not always the best judge of live-action adaptation of mangas, just let me go ahead and say that I enjoyed this movie. But before commenting on its adaptation, let me rave about the film itself.

It's the first year of high for Nanami (Yoshitaka Yuriko). While everyone's busy obsessing over Motoharu (Ikuta Toma), the popular boy in class, Nanami is busy crying over her bad exam results. But just like every other girl in class, she gets drawn towards Motoharu. But it's not just his looks or personality that draw her to him. She sees sadness in Motohari's nonchalant approach to life.

There's an underlying melancholia on the the cheery personas of our two main leads. It may be because the conflict has always been present, even before love blossoms between the two. But it's this conflict that serves as a challenge for Nana and Moto. It takes them quite some time before they can get over the past and focus on what they have at the present.

What I like about Bokura Ga Ita is how the characters seem to defy stereotypes. Nanami is the seemingly manic-pixie character in every romantic comedy, but she has a side to her that proves that she's not one-dimensional. She has a way of understanding people. And unlike most heroines, she's not a noble idiot. Yes, she takes the plunge and fall for Motoharu despite knowing that he still hasn't moved on. But she knows her limits and when she sees that she's being taken for granted. She knows how to let go. Over and over in the movie, they say that Nana is strong, and I agree. She's definitely a heroine I can root for.

Motoharu is not like any other protagonist in a RomCom in a way that he's straight-forward, something that you rarely see in male leads. Honesty may be an issue in their relationship, but Motoharu has always been clear on how she feels for Nana. I guess one of the reasons why I adore Bokura Ga Ita so much is that it has a gradual take on the relationship. It no was does it feel rushed or forced.