my ajumma notes

Heart-warming, tear-jerky, sometimes funny, well-acted!  There were lots of plot-lines, because there were all sorts in ‘heaven’ and in ‘hell’, so it is challenging to manage and keep everything together.     Having a strong lead couple helps!  Hae-sook (Kim Hye-ja) complains about her and Nak-joon ( Son Suk-ku ) looking like mother and son, but it never feels like they’re mother and son.  Throughout the show, you think of them as a couple.  Well done, both! Ryu Deok-hwan, playing the pastor, is impressive portraying different emotions and moods, especially when he has to come to terms with Hae-sook's identity.  However, he has major question marks.  How is he an adult here when he died as a child?  In fact, how did he become more mature and perceptive than many others? People probably found Som-yi ( Han Ji-min ) exasperating, puzzling, disturbing or even hateful.  Smart plot move to make us w...

Cute dogs!  Cute Hae-na!  Cute Hae-na’s family!  Cute couple!  Cha Eunwoo’s cute face! All the dogs deserve praise and of course the two main ones should be singled out for more doggy treats!  However, there was too much use of CGI and the dogs looked too fake in those moments. good to stick to just the real dogs! Park Gyu-young (Han Hae-na) is delightful in this and so is Cocoa, as well as Hae-na’s voiceovers when she is in dog form.  I think there is a template used for actresses people don’t like – it says that so-and-so will never be a good actress, she has only one facial expression the whole time and has no chemistry with the male lead.  I saw a couple of such comments about Gyu-young for this show, but I’ve seen almost exactly the same points made about Shin Se-kyung , Moon Ga-young , Nam Ji-hyun ,  Park Eun-bin  and Jo Bo-ah .  Gyu-young is not at the level of these other ladies but she's d...

Has it been 20 years already?! still feel sad looking at this picture The 2004 Roland Garros final was memorable because it was painful to watch Coria disappear in that match, and sadly, after a while, he disappeared from tennis.  Couldn’t have been too many who would have bet on Gaudio becoming RG champion. To his credit, he reached round 4 the next year, where he lost to 23-year-old Ferrer , in the early stages of his career!   2005 turned out to be the turn of tides and times, memorable as the 19-year-old boy’s year, and who would have known then that it would be the start of  HIS  illustrious 14-RG-trophies – and more besides – career.   we're just pleased to see him play 2024, then, becomes memorable, when the inevitable happens.  Everyone knows a body will be worn out at some point and pity it had to be Zverev who got to deal the final blow (Zverev supporters will think it is poetic justice).  Still, it was Nadal’s match and ...

Most hilarious, with extraordinary acting by magic pair Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun. King It is rare to get a TV king who is strong yet compassionate, smart  and  willing to learn, honest but quick with ploys.  King Cheoljong was so likeable, and it was intriguing and gratifying how he turned the play from being a nobody-puppet to a stunning takeover of power.   Watching  Waikiki , where he performs very well, I didn’t realise that Jung-hyun had so much more depth as an actor.  Here, a lot more is required of him and he handles all the character modes formidably – as fake-dumb king, warrior, pained soul, and as the person he really is, being wonderfully funny, serious, emotional, sentimental and passionate throughout.  I love that he always addresses the queen “My Queen”.  Fantastic writing and acting. On top of all this, he sings  'Like the first snow'  for the OST! I didn’t fully understand all the snide referenc...