Yoon Eun-Hye

Review – Goong / Princess Hours

/ Lady Divine / 1 Comment

Review – Goong / Princess Hours

I would have loved this ten years ago.  The premise is pretty cute, though a little weak threaded.   Modern monarchy in South Korea, arranged marriages between a charming, oddball “commoner” and the aloof, jerky prince, some inner palace strife over who gets the throne, yada yada.  It got ridiculously convoluted at the end… but then again, with the foreshadowing in the first episode, it fit right in.  I mean… the prince’s portrait showed him standing in front of a burning building.  Either that artist had an agenda, or that is some heavy handed foreshadowing thrown in for no reason other than to make viewers go, “Why is he standing in front of a burning building in his official royal portrait?  What’s the story there?  Did the artist read the drama script?”

Yoon Eun-Hye is adorable and I love her just about everything.  I loved her in this – and she was the only reason I kept watching, even when it dragged its feet and I wondered if there would be some, uhm… conflict?  Or… romance?  Or… interesting plotlines?  Eh, so so.  It’s a rather deliciously shallow gem from 2006.  As for Cinderella stories, they never get old… though I believe you’ll find better options.  Shining Inheritance came out a few years later and I thought it was much cuter, personally.  Anyways, Goong is a classic and I always felt a little bad for not watching it… so I sat down and let it roll.  I am glad I stuck it out, cause… even though a bit of a bore, seeing our prince and princess finally come together was cuter than a basket of puppies.

Overall Rating 6.5/10.  The Monarchy… When Living Is What You Do For A Living.

Sinking in the Swamp of Sadness – Review – I Miss You

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Sinking in the Swamp of Sadness – Review – I Miss You

Well, this drama was a big ball of bawling.  If you made a drinking game involving how often the characters broke down into hysterical tears, you’d be drunk off your ass before the end of episode two, possibly a danger to yourself and others by episode four and definitely dead from alcohol poisoning by episode six.  Meanwhile, the show would keep crying without you, pouring booze on your fresh grave until the very end of the drama.  Now we know how Artax felt.

Ironically, the saving grace of this show wasn’t the excessive sadness.  The lighthearted moments, the sentimentality, and the stellar cast managed to pull what would otherwise be a huge disaster up onto the shore – leaving a mangled but otherwise recognizable ship of Korean melodrama.  Thus it manages to be decent.  Not great, not even good… but watchable.  If you’re in the mood.

Overall Rating:  5/10.

Glass Half Empty or Glass Half Full?  Let us discuss….

SPOILERS FOLLOW

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Review – Lie To Me

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Review – Lie to Me

Lie to Me is one of those dramas that once you accept the plot has about as much weight and logic as a toddler, you can just sit back and enjoy it scuffling around the carpet with wad of crayons in its hands.  There’s a lot to enjoy, too.  This drama offers us a glimpse at the rare bird of open-mouthed kissing.  As if aware of how spectacularly alien its presence is, it makes sure to show off all its feathers and give us some of the most memorable kissing scenes in drama-town.  The Karaoke Kiss.  The Cola Kiss.  If you’ve seen it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  The fighting-then fake marriage-then real romance of the main couple is the main dish of the drama.  This dish may appear more appetizing than it is due to the above mentioned (and more) kissing scenes.

Everything else in the show is just colorful side-dishes.

MAY I TAKE YOUR ORDER PLEASE?  READ MORE….

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