my ajumma notes

The John Wick movie posters at bus stops made me think of  Run On  and what I read recently about Im Siwan’s impressive run as a serial killer .   are you John Wick or something? oh, he's a killer... Siwan transforms... why would we think anything murderous lurks behind this winsome face? does he look suspect? OHHH... he's a KILLER... Not a genre I enjoy but I almost want to watch  Unlocked . Pictures from Hancinema

No argument that these are capable leads and among my favourites.  However, I usually need the entire package to work at least fairly well and the packages didn’t.  I could only manage one or less episode of these shows.   Mine , starring Lee Bo-young (2021) This could have been my first Netflix series.  Too ostentatious and knotty in the end.   The luxurious setting is really something – lush furnishings in that compound of mansions, lots of stylish clothes!  There is an exciting combination of characters – gregarious, tortured, retiring, downright idiotic, with the hint of mystery behind each one, and both hidden and overt tensions among them.  When one of the servants is dismissed, she cries about having to leave, “because there’s something happening here every day!”     I liked how Lee Bo-young is a sprightly character here (at least in episode 1), but the mother-in-law’s pet peacock practically did it for me.   16 episodes, tvN   One Spring Night , starring Han Ji-min (2019) Ji-

A murder story with lots of madcap and slapstick scenes!   Four  aunts with distinct characters share hilarious exchanges, and the unexpected death gets mixed with wedding preparations that are going to go wrong anyway!  These are not easy to pull off so Jesse Sutanto clearly is a talented writer.   She writes very well and originally, and could have carried the plot well without the sex scenes/references and swear words that pad the story.   For me, this is a major drawback because the Meddelin-Nathan relationship is a critical plot element that runs through the story but ironically, is also one of its weakest links.  What exactly do they see in each other?  This is not explained and Meddelin dwells a lot on the physical aspects of their relationship as well as Nathan’s looks, body and smiles.  Is that all we should care about for the main couple?   Apart from that, the resolution is weaker than the rest of the story.  How can it be so easy to explain and laugh away a dead body?  Suta

A show of interesting juxtapositions:  serious, gory + comic intriguing murder mystery + romance, comedy and the important things in life (dogs, family, friends, food) chilling villain + an inept police force trauma + healing   Cho-rim (Shin Se-kyung): loss of memory and family tragedy + the need to create laughter Moo-gak (Park Yoo-chun): loss of sensing + intense care for his sister Eun-seol ( Kim So-hyun ) and Cho-rim; seriousness + comedy Chef Kwon (Namkoong Min): meticulous as chef + meticulous as murderer; losing self + gaining others’ lives   There is fun camaraderie among the characters, the friendship/family theme is movingly highlighted, and the ‘fantasy’ part of the show doesn’t overwhelm the plot.  I love how the smells are depicted so prettily and imaginatively as little patterns and objects – a very creative portrayal of PTSD, along with Moo-gak’s inability to sense and Chef Kwon’s need to kill and kill and kill.   waking up from her 193-day coma, to see the sigh

 Now for OST queens! Gummy Lyn Baek Z Young Lovely!

The Killing Voice channel is one of my best YouTube finds this year.  Such a savage title for lots of soothing singing.  Maybe the word has more serene connotations in Korean. Some of the kings of ballad are on it: Hwang Chi-yeul Cho Kyu-hyun The kingest of them all in my books --  Sung Si-kyung!!

It’s time to rename this blog.     The original name isn’t entirely suitable anymore, though the old posts will remain.   New phase of life, new name!   Just a note on what’s been here since the end of last year.  I haven’t been completing shows or books on a weekly basis.  These are from the last year or two!  Usually, I make some notes when I finish one, so it is now a matter of writing posts based on my notes.  So far, I’ve managed about one or two write-ups each week and eventually, I will catch up with what is going on at the current time.  Not sure when that would be – maybe in two or three months.   Welcome to… my ajumma notes ! Travel and related posts will be on Beating our tracks . (Religious) Book summaries will be on Word for word .

I don’t like time travel shows but this was an amusing little joyride!   One of the best things about this show is that each episode is only 30 minutes long!  The story moves along well, although it manages to throw in that detour to the bandit village in spite of its brevity.  Never mind, still better than beating about many bushes.   I didn’t know the story of Princess Pyeonggang and On-dal , and found this show’s twist interesting.  I’m not sure if people find its creative take on history palatable though, especially On-dal bestowing his identity on bodyguard Moo-myung, just so the plot can allow him to marry Pyeonggang.   Another interesting thing here is that some actors play double roles – they are different characters in the modern and historical eras.  Only Soo-jung (Gong Seung-yeon) and Sam-yong (Lee Jae-jin) travel through time as themselves, which makes for another successful element in the show.  Both of them look and behave like moderns in period costume, whereas the chara