Rich Man Poor Woman - End, Crazy Stupid Love

Well Rich Man Poor Woman ended up being a dud as far as I'm concerned. Despite the fact that I love Oguri Shun, it just didn't give me enough to root for the couple, nor be happy with the choices the leads made throughout the show. I get forgiving your best friend and ex partner for betraying you but it was really stupid to take him back to the company. Anyway this was not a good purchase but I would have regretted it if I missed it since everyone seems to love it.

Crazy Stupid Love - Ryan Gosling is a good looking man and a good actor too (yes that is all I'll say about this film)

Meanwhile the Unconsoled is still in that similar state of things (dream/science fiction) but I'm enjoying it despite it now being my least favorite Kazuo Ishiguro novel - and it being least favorite of his, means I like it a lot better than many many other non Ishiguro novels out there-.

 

Rich Man, Poor Woman Eps.1-3

Yes thank God the three dramas I have ordered have safely arrived and I have already started Rich Man, Poor Woman. This show is loved by everyone I read online and I really like Oguri Shun and I'm enjoying the drama but the lead lady has such fat lips (not like Angelina Jolie's, a different fatness, these look like meatballs) that I'm constantly distracted in a bad way whenever she is on screen which is all the time since she is the lead lady. Well I'll have to get over that since the drama is really nice.

There is the damaged Genius billionaire dot com inventor etc. with a shady not genius but cunning partner. Our heroine is a plucky girl who graduated from one of the best universities in Tokyo but cannot find a job since she is very timid. Our leads meet and they complete each other. He gives her confidence she helps with his memory (he has a memory deficiency) and makes him more human by giving tips on being nice to people.

But she came on his radar only because she faked her name. The first time these two met was in a small seaside town (he doesn't remember it because of his memory illness) and he was looking for his mother - whose name our heroine used to get is attention when they first met-, our girl already knows the mother but she explains that she doesn't want to meet her son - it is weird but she just doesn't, one of the reasons for that, only one of the reasons mind you, is that the son will ask why she left him- anyway she makes our girl promise not to tell anyone. At the initial questions she keeps her promise but as the young man stays at her family's small inn, she gets to know and like him better so she begs the mother to tell her son but she cannot find her and then she decides to tell him anyway but when she returned to the inn he had already left.
So she uses the name of the mother -one of the few names our hero remembers- to get his attention, and it worked. And now she wants to tell him the truth (his sly partner already knows and wants her to keep the charade up) and gets drunk but both of them are in such a good mood which turned out to be like an impromptu date or something, she just keeps on delaying the confession and then accidentally slips it out - but of course not the whole story, just the bad bits- and he says that he never wants to see her face again :(

The Unconsoled is getting better now as the characters and situations change. The dream like atmosphere continues but I like the characters I'm reading now better than the ones the day before.

Kahaani

Kahaani is really very good. Despite the fact that I have guessed what the twist would be right away (side effect of watching too many films), I enjoyed this film very very much. The cinematography, the music, the acting were all top notch. Parambrata Chatterjee is someone whose work I'll seek in the future. Not only he is good looking but he also very agreeable on screen presence.

I'll admit to not warming up to Vidya Balan. But in this film I was under her spell. It is a great part and she did it full justice.

All in all this film is one that I'll view more than once since a well told story is more than its twist.

Meanwhile The Unconsoled is slowly entering into the boring land. It is not the prose (which I love) but the chracters and their trials. The dreamlike state of the story doesn't allow me to be interested in either character. I hope this will change since I actually am falling asleep reading this.

Aaiya

Aaiya is a very entertaining film. There is no way of knowing whether it is my voluntary drought of Indian films or whether these films genuinely appeal to me since now it is two out of two- yay! It is not a secret that I love Rani Mukherjee and she is so good in this one. From the dancing, to the mugging, the acting and generally being cute she lights the screen up. Prithviraj is not my type of handsome man but I had no trouble believing in Rani's crush on him and it is kind of funny that even at the role reversals stalking is a type of courtship as far as the Indian films go.

The things I didn't like were Rani's family, they were over the top, especially the grandma. This is not the fault of the actors though since I think they were directed this way. Other than that I really enjoyed this film and it also visually appealed to me.

I can recommend this one without any problems but know this that it is the type of film you need to be at the same wavelength to enjoy. And lucky for me, I was.

Meanwhile The Unconsoled gets more interesting with each page. I think Mr.Ryder is a type of person who absorbs general depression and unhappiness - through an art medium, in his case it is a piano. But the way he goes from person to person with leaving the previous person just there makes the whole thing a bit dreamlike coutering the science fiction angle. But eitherway the prose is so good that to be still in the beginning of it makes me happy since it won't end so soon.

Players

Well thank God my films have arrived safely and I have decided to give Players a try first.

Being ready for yet another dud film starring Abhi (Dus levels of suckage) I have found myself entertained throughout although probably not the way the film makers intended. It felt like a 70s film (nothing to do with Vinod Khanna guest starring in it) and everyone, and I mean everyone's performances were so bad that I actually found myself laughing out loud. Seriously star kids (and Bipasha), seriously. This one is so bad that it ended up being good - for me. Two things to note:

* Even in this cast Bobby Deol stood out. He was hillarious really. It is quite an accomplishment to act worse than Sonam, NNM, Abhi and Bipasha combined but the guy did.
* Abhi, why do I love you? In this film your acting was on par with everyone else (except Bobby that is), you don't look good, you can't dance. Why? But I do, love you. The heart wants what it wants....- is my consolation for this unexplained and seemingly permanent crush.

The Unconsoled is turning out to be very weird. It went into Murakami territory for a while but now it exceeded that and I'm getting curious. Will this turn out to be science fiction like Never Let Me Go? or is there something wrong with our hero Mr.Ryder?

Scent of a Woman -End, Nights in Rodanthe-End, The Unconsoled

Scent of a Woman was very good to the last drop. I cried and cried and cried but it was good kind of crying (as opposed to say Grave of the Fireflies, heartwrenching sort of crying). Kim Sun Ah and Lee Dong Wuk chemistry was off the charts, I loved the soundtrack and tango references. All in all I'm very happy with this purchase (I'm so happy that so far three out of three of my purchases are good ones).

Nights in Rodanthe was very good too. It is a short novel (almost a novella) and the film was a very good adaptation.

And now I'm giving myself a treat for all the crying (yeah unsuprisingly I have cried reading Nights in Rodanthe too) I have started Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled and right away my heart swells with the thankfully familiar pleasure of reading great prose.

I'm thinking of taking a break from dramas and East Asian films and watch Indian films. This is of course because I have taken the plunge and gave an order last week and they all arrived today, thank God :)

Scent of Woman Eps 4-6, Strip Jack - End, Nights in Rodanthe

Scent of a Woman is wonderful, the best thing is the chemistry between the leads, simply insane.

In the last 3 episodes, Rich Bitch got even worse, our leads are totally into eachother but she tries to supress it since she thinks he is out of her league not to mention he is engaged to her nemesis and he is in complete denial so far but his actions prove that he is in love.

Meanwhile Cute Doc, as we find out is also in love with our female lead.

Strip Jack ended brilliantly. I love Ian Rankin.

To go at a different direction I have started reading Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. I love the film and the book is so far decent.

Scent of a Woman Eps 1-3

Last night I gave in and started yet another Korean drama, this time a weepie (but a warm and hopeful one, you know terminal disease, importance of living your life etc.) I liked it a lot since I do like the male lead Lee Dong Wuk who is realy georgeous but not in that otherwordly way (you know like Song Seung Hun or So Ji Sob) and he is a decent actor too. The female lead is Kim Sun Ah who is very likable and will be in my good books for she is the lead of one of my favorite Korean Dramas, My Name is Kim Sam Soon. And there is the added bonus of Om Ki Jun, who came into my radar with the Worlds Within.

Yeon Jae is our lead who is working at a travel agency doing everything her colleagues don't want to do themselves. She was a contractor before and became permanent after much work and since she is 34 and unmarried(!) it is not easy for her to get another job so she sucks the insults etc. and tries to save money by being really prudent. Even when she is accused of stealing a ring of one of the agency VIP clients - for whom she had been the tour guide- she tries to keep her job above anything else. But she finds out by accident that she has a malignant tumour and she is cancer and she has only about six months to live. The doctor is her elementary school friend but he is one of the cold doctors who does not get friendly with the patients.


Well first of all she stops to receive insults and stands up for herself. She resigns in style and slaps the rich bitch who slapped her without even checking whether she is guilty or not.

Our male lead meanwhile lives life as if he is dead. He is not interested in anything and agrees to be streered through life by his father (who owns the above mentioned travel agency) and is engaged to be married to Rich Bitch. He is neither happy nor content but even that doesn't matter.

After Yeon Jae buys fancy clothes and gets herself an expensive makeover, she flies to Okinawa and decides to enjoy her trip, she sighs that it would have been much better if she has a man but she decides not to dwell on it.

And there our couple meets cute when he mistakes him for his tour guide (he is on research for more tours) and she lets him be mistaken since she has a huge crush on him. And eventually our ice man dissolves and starts to enjoy himself. He even laughs - and I love that one of his teeth is slightly crooked-. But of course Rich Bitch (whose ex bf was blackmailing her father with some photos he had of her and she has just found out what a bastard he actually was, since he never really loved her) decides to be nicer to her future husband (who is distant but not unwilling to get along) and visits Okinawa to join him in his business trip. She comes across our couple throughly enjoying themselves laughing and joking after a great day and ruins their moment, especially after realising that Yeon Jae is the employee who slapped her back - of course after resigning her job- getting enough of her insults.

Well also Strip Jack gets even better as I read. Ian Rankin, great writer.

No Strings Attached, Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2, Strip Jack, Crimson - End

Well Crimson ended on a predictably feminist note. I'm not really complaining it is just that in the end it is a bland book.

I have started Strip Jack by Ian Rankin it is a not so early Rebus and I'm loving it.

I have finally managed to watch the rom-com starring Natalie Portman (for some reason I like her a lot) titled No Strings Attached and it was not very good.

I have watched two volumes of Kill Bill and now both films are really very very good and no matter how many times I have watched them (more than normal apparently) I still love the rewatch just as well. Quentin Tarantino is a filmmaker to my own heart. Way to go.

The Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea  I don't know what made me decide on this one last night. I was not in a particularly good mood and pretty much guessed this film was going to be depressive. It is a good action film though so I thought I'd give it a go. Loved it but in the end it is a film you only want to watch once (something similar to I Saw the Devil in that regard).
Ha Jung Woo is a handsome man and a good actor too. Well despite the fact that he had to deglam for the role, he still was so good looking that I wished some other person would act the part, someone not so good looking, maybe Shin Ha Kyun would have been better (apart from the georgeousness, it was a flawless performance). Kim Yon Suk on the other hand was excellent. It is a good, showy part and he made the most of it without going overboard. I compared his performance to Choi Min Sik's - since some scenes brought to mind the famous corridor hammer fight, although Park Chan Wook is a much more style conscious visually than Na Hong Jin - and I have to say I like this ajusshi better than Choi (but I never really liked him, maybe because the first film I watched him in was Shiri and the next Failan both unlikable characters).

Anyway the action was really good, gripping so much so that I have found I was gripping my duvet throughout a chase scene which started of at a dock, followed by inside a ship, than sea, than TIR then car. Now I really liked the directors previous film The Chaser and I knew not to expect a happy ending from this, although it still hurt in the end.

All in all this is recommended if you like action, want to see what's going on when you are watching action, prefer realistic looking action to stylised version (I like both) and don't mind blood and nudity.

Rooftop Prince - End

I couldn't hold myself and watched the last episodes of Rooftop Prince (and a little of the special features) last night. The last two episodes I was in tears and it ended on a beautiful note.Logically it didn't make any sense but it was fun and the last two episodes made me realise that I cared about some of the characters more than I thought I was. This is a win :)

Crimson is going good. It is not a great book and it especially feels thin in comparison with Dark Places but I think it was just what I needed. Rich romance writer and her three grandaughters and her considerable inheritence. The book is now telling me how Elinor (Grandma) has become what she is now, and I do like its hillariously unsubtle feminist messages but it is just not very good prose. At least the story is interesting enough to make me want to read more.

Rooftop Prince Eps.15, Dark Places - End, Crimson

Rooftop Prince really hooked me. It feels like the first time I have watched dramas. I just want to watch and watch and watch. This is extra amazing because I don't even like either lead that much Park Yoo Chun was nice in Sukyunkunkhwan Scandal but I was much more impressed with Yoo Ah In and Song Jun Ki much more than I was with him. And Han Ji Min was the unlucky female lead of Cain and Abel one of the few K-Dramas I really didn't like but only watched because I paid for it and So Ji Sub is georgeous. Well I liked her much better in Capital Scandal and here I love her to bits. First of all she is "angel" archtype - my favorite- and she looks her age but pretty, nothing seems artificial and I hate the baddies who want to harm her.

All in all this is not a good drama, full of cartoonish side baddies, logic leaps but it is also very funny and emotional. I hope it doesn't go bad on me in these last 5 episodes.

Meanwhile Dark Places was such a treat. Seriously this was one good book and I can't wait to read Gone Girl now.
As usual after all the darkness I need something lighter and picked up a book by a writer called Shirley Conran. The book is titled Crimson. I remember reading a novel by this lady where women got trapped at a desert island or something but I also remember I didn't really appeal to me. I liked the TV series Lace (adaptation of one other novel she wrote) well at least the first episodes since they are the only ones I can remember. The novel started as usual and I'm interested so far - but of course it is nowhere as good as either Gillian Flynn or Barbara Cartland. 

Rooftop Prince Eps 5-6, Dark Places

Rooftop Prince continues to be entertaining when I watch it but I'm not missing it during the day or anything like that. In fact I was so close to reading and finishing Dark Places last night but I was afraid of bad dreams (and Thank God they stopped last night and I don't even remember what I dreamt about but it was not I guess). The novel is very powerful and the language is suprisingly great for a novel of this kind. Things get worse by each page and the construction of the novel allows me to discover new things with each page. Great use of flashback here.


Rooftop on the other hand is sweet and the angst is truly serious (being put in a truck and when you shout for your stepsister - par alliance, no blood relation - she just leaves you in the truck and turns away. The truck has an accident and you lose your memory, becoming an orphan 9 nine year old. Someone from U.S.A adopts you and you only find your father (who was also looking for you all these years) 3 days after he passed away. Your stepmom is not a bad person but she of course would prefer her blood daughter over you and that stepsis is an evil bitch.

You start to have crush on a Joseon Crown Prince who time travelled from yore and he is being very kind to you and you have good chemistry and easy friendship but he used to be married to the evil stepsis 300 years ago and he is still in love with her.

And when your stepmom is run over by car driven by stepsis' evil bf (the cousin of the chaebol who is  Crown Prince's reincarnation but was killed by the said Evil Cousin) and you see your Stepsis but instead of coming to help or check whether her mother is OK she just turns away and leaves (because she and evil Cousin are having an affair and they plan on getting married, but evil Cousin thinks her mother is a professor in UK while in reality she sells fish at a wet market). And this trauma brings back your lost memory and the enormity of evil that has been done to you and when you confront Evil Stepsis, she is even more arrogant and shameless then you realise that your Crown Prince gave the bracelet you said every woman would like to your evil Stepsis (btw no one knows their relation, Evil Stepsis never revealed it).

Well if this is not real angst.... On the other hand I like the fish out of water parts of the show and there is a certain bubbly feel to it, like you know "everything is going to be alright" if this show turns 180 degrees on me I'll not be happy.

And still in comparison to Dark Places this one is a happy show. 

Rooftop Prince Eps 3-4, Dark Places

Rooftop Prince continues to be adorable and fluffy with some low degree angst (the issues are high degree but the angst is mixed since I have not yet bonded with any of these characters).

Dark Places on the other hand continues to own me with each page. Libby is now beginning to think that maybe her brother Ben is after all innocent like so many people around her are saying. There is also the money issue but I think she is beginning to get into this and would go on even without the money. Of course with each chapter more is revealed such as Ben's unfortunate dating with a 5th grader (the 5th grader is very mature and sort of leads him on but of course this is no excuse) and his mother getting an official complaint (also she hears it from Aunt Diane who visits the morning of the murders). Meanwhile Ben goes out of school in a very crappy mood (not only he was caught looking into a cupboard in the locker room he was cleaning but also 5th grade teacher caught him sneaking around kid's cupboards in their classroom. So he goes to a hangout where he has been before with his nasty girlfriend where he met the satanist guy. The people who hang there are 20 and older and he is just 15. So he talks about Satan etc. to impress them and get free beer and joints. Furthermore before going to school he had an accident with his bike and he has a bleeding head wound (which is no doubt clouding his judgement). Trey the satanist takes him out of there to hang at the nasty girlfriend's house (her parents are never around) to wait for her (she is out of town in the morning). I'm scared for Ben now and what would those weirdos do...

Rooftop Prince Eps 1-2, Dark Places

Last night I felt the need of some sort of fluff because

I have started to read Dark Places and love Gillian Flynn even more with this second book. It is even better than the first one. I wish I had bought Gone Girl (but maybe it is better to wait until it comes in paperback). Anyway this book's lead is a woman who survived a family massacre when she was 7 years old. She was hiding in her mother's bedroom while her mother and two sisters were brutally murdered. She has hear his 15 year old brother and all the time thinks he is the one who committed the murders (he is a teen who is into heavy metal and he is friends with the wrong people). She has lived using the donations until she is in her early 30s but now the money is finished and she is not emotionally equipped to have a job. This is not a nice person. She steals, she lies, she is angry and scared all the time (well, understandably). She agrees to attend as a VIP guest to a convention of true crime enthusiasts and she realises that there are people out there who think that her brother Ben is innocent of the crime. They argued with her she didn't actually see what was going on and that there was another shoe print at the scene. At the time people think it was a satanic cult murder since brother Ben liked to listen to Slayer and there were symbols etc. drawn on the walls using blood. So she starts to think about the whole thing and remembers that she has heard other voices along with her brother's that night. And the reader knows that the brother is hanging out with shady characters (a bored rich girl and her distant relative who likes to put Ben down at every opportunity). So because of economical reasons - she correctly thinks that people will pay her to talk to various related people in the case and she also thinks that she can sell her family's stuff as mementos (her Aunt took them and she kept them unopened all these years.

So it is obvious that I needed some sort of fluff and I have decided to watch Rooftop Prince. I don't really care for either lead (although I did like Han Ji Min in Capital Scandal) but I have watched a promo for it and the fish out of water scenes were very funny. All of these are in Eps.2 and they were really hillarious. Joseon Crown Prince and his three subjects in today's Seoul got loud laughs out of me but my dreams are still not very happy (this is the third night I'm having truly weird dreams, maybe I shouldn't have started Dark Places - heh).

Whispering Corridors, The Black Panther - End

Whispering Corridors is a film I have been meaning to watch for a long time. I simply couldn't find a decent copy. Well in the end I'm content. It is not a great horror film but it is decent enough and I liked the way that real life was more horrible than the scary horror. A teen has to deal with lots of stuff and I think they were decently presented.

I have finished The Black Panther this morning and it ended on a great note. WTG Barbara Cartland.

Boys Over Flowers - End, The Front Line

Boys Over Flowers is finally finished and it is not a good drama but one that is entertaining to watch. Mostly I had a good time for 25 episodes and even though Taiwanese version is still my fave, Lee Min Ho made the best Doumyoji/Jun Pyo. I know can understand why so many people like him - sadly I was introduced to him in City Hunter in which he is unimpressive (and I'm being kind here). I bet I would have felt more charitable if I had seen BOF first. He even surpasses Jerry Yan and his crazy eyes (which is quite a feat).

The Front Line is a war film and I'm not very fond of those but I liked this one. Good acting, good production and an intersting story and some of the parts reminded me of JSA (a film I love) which turned out to be not as suprising since it is the same writer. There was only one weak performance and it was a crucial character acted by Go Su. And sadly he is the most good looking of the bunch but it didn't mean anything since he couldn't act half as well as the others. Everyone else were very good though.

The Black Panther keeps being good. 

Boys Over Flowers Eps.19-20-21

Wow Boys Over Flowers just got good again and I can't wait to watch the remaining episodes tonight insallah.

I also am very very happy with The Black Panther. It is heading towards reincarnation I guess and I like it that it is willing to off the rails. So far it is a bit like Thackeray's Vanity Fair (as in the satire of the period society) no Becky Sharp but our heroine is not the usual meek and naive Cartland heroine. Lynn is resourceful, cunning and smart not to mention very intelligent. I love her (maybe because I cannot be like her :) )

Les Miserables is also going great. I really wish to be like the Bishop but it is not so easy to be that good.

Boys Over Flowers Eps.17-18, The Understudy - End, The Black Panther

The Understudy got even better towards the end, by now I got so invested in the lead character I was actually afraid that he'll not get a happy ending.

One of the pleasures of my life is how it is sometimes so hard what to read next. I almost decided on a Kazuo Ishiguro novel but then I thought about how strongly Les Miserables makes me feel and thinking that a distraction would be better than a great novel so I chose another Barbara Cartland (it is good that I have found these in the second hand book fair), The Black Panther and it started off so so well that if it goes like this, this may just end up being my favorite BC novel!.

Boys Over Flowers is bordering on ridiculous and I can see now why everyone complained that the main couple had to spend so many episodes apart with different partners. It is rather boring to watch since you know not to invest in either of these couples because you know that the main OTP will end up together. I really like Lee Min Ho in this and I think that if this was the first show of his I have seen (rather than City Hunter) than I would have liked him better all around. Well too late for that.

Boys Over Flowers Eps. 14-15-16

Yeah I got into BOF world again and despite being able to stop (as opposed to excitedly marathoning the whole thing) I like it that I'm able to enjoy the episodes and go to sleep in a timely manner.

Meanwhile The Understudy is so good that I think I need to read his other novel Starter for 10 too. I have seen the film and liked it.

Oh and I started to read Les Miserables again. And this second reading started with a hit. I was in tears and it was not even 30th page yet. I think this is one of the better English translations of the novel. Usually French translates to Turkish better in my opinion. 

Boys Over Flowers Eps.11-12-13

Yes, I'm over the shiny, new "I have to watch as much as I can" phase of Boys Over Flowers but interestingly I want to keep watching at a moderate pace. And this has nothing to do with the fact that I have paid for it. I actually like the silliness and seriously bad screenwriting for some reason. It can't be Lee Min Ho since I don't think he is particulary good (at least not good enough to save a show just by himself) or particularly hot but I think I like this character. I loved it acted by Jerry Yan and I don't really care for that actor either. Well now they are all in Macau which is a place I have been to and they are now at V which resembles The Venetian in Las Vegas so I'm having a good time despite less Gu Jun Pyo.


The Understudy is really good. Not as good as One Day but close. 

Joyful Noise, Boys Over Flowers Eps.10, The Sign of Love - End, The Understudy

This weekend was really unproductive as far as drama watching and reading goes. In fact I didn't do much but sleep, sleep, sleep.

Friday I fell asleep watching Eps.11 of Boys Over Flowers, for some reason my excitement suddenly dissapeared. I didn't even go near it Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile I have finished The Sign of Love which is nothing new and predictably lovable.

So I have started The Understudy by David Nicholls and so far so good. I really liked his One Day and hope I'll not be dissapointed with this one.

The only film I have watched from beginning to end was

Joyful Noise Ok I liked this but only because I love Queel Latifah as an actor and think Dolly Parton is really cute (despite all the scary plastic surgery). I'm also a believer which kind of helped in liking this one I guess. The film itself it nothing much though. In fact it is kind of bad.

Boys Over Flowers Eps.4-9

Yes, last night I was thinking I'd be moderate and just watch 3 episodes and then go to -a much needed - sleep. But after three episodes I was still not sleepy and decided to watch just one more episode. And I have found myself wide awake after that last three and wanting to watch more. Thank God sanity returned and I went to sleep.

The thing that I like best about this story is the male lead character. He is the comic relief and tear source both. My fave performance in this is Jerry Yan's in the Taiwanese version and Lee Min Ho seems to be more similar to that than Matsumoto Jun's version which didn't do anything for me. And I don't normally care for Lee Min Ho. Anyway at least tomorrow is the weekend so :)

The Sign of Love is very good. The background is the opening of the Suveiz Canal and Ms.Cartland did a good job creating the atmosphere.

Sharp Objects - End, The Sign Of Love, Boys Over Flowers (Korean) Eps.1-3

I just had to finish Sharp Objects last night. It is a good horror novel and I'm very happy that I bought her second novel. I hope it is just as good. The downside of a good horror drama is that it affects you. I was horrified and I felt really down after the book is finished. So I thought I need some fiction sugar and decided to give Korean Boys Over Flowers a try. I know the story having watched the Japanese and Taiwanese ones and I really was not expecting anything much from this Korean version since I don't seem to care as much about Lee Min Ho as the rest of the female Korean drama viewers and Goo Hye Sun is just too old for the role. But of course after one episode I just needed to go on and finished 3 episodes - stopped only because it is 3 episodes per disc. There is something about this story that I like so much and Koreans did a good job so far. 

This morning I started Barbara Cartland's The Sign of Love (again I'm in need of pink in fiction after Sharp Objects) and so far so good. I love Ms.Cartland's books and this one started very nicely.

The War of Arrows

The War of Arrows It was excellent. A simple story very well told. Melo, action, suspense at all the right doses with CGI wire etc. incorporated brilliantly. Acting, costumes, props all wonderful.

Meanwhile Sharp Objects turned out to be very good too.

Fifty Shades Freed - End, Sharp Objects

Fifty Shades Freed finally ended last night. And I feel guilty even though there was not any pleasure. The most logical reason to why I have actually finished this book must be my completist tendencies.

But now I have started a book called Sharp Objects written by Gillian Flynn and I'm loving it so far.

Various Titles, Fifty Shades Freed

Ok while on holiday I was able to watch

Skyfall - It is not a good film (especially not a good Bond film) but I liked it. A lot of close ups.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan - Awful film but I have shed tears over it.

Dark Shadows - Very funny and I liked the soundtrack.

Eagle Eye - Boring.

GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra I enjoyed this film for some reason. Maybe because I used to watch the cartoon when I was little.

Dark Knight Rises - It was good but not as good as The Dark Knight.

Prometheus - Enjoyed it. Visuals were very good and the acting decent.

This Means War - a bad film.

I read

The Reef   I have liked it so much. I have decided to check more of Edith Wharton books. And maybe just maybe I'm mature enough to enjoy Henry James (this is apparently the most Jamesonian book of Wharton)

Cranford  It was boring initially but thank God it got better and better towards the end. I was in tears.

Fifty Shades Freed Yes I'm currently reading this stupid book since I have found it on a hostel book shelf for free. It is just as stupid as the first two.

Kushiel's Avatar - End, The Reef

Kushiel's Avatar turned out to be the best of the three books (as a triology should be I guess). I didn't care for the first one that much but the second has pulled me in and this one is a fitting end to the story.

I have as usual turned to something very different, a writer I have never read before Edith Wharton and this book which I have found a second hand book store is giving me much pleasure. I think I'll seek more Wharton books.

Poetry

Poetry This film sucker punched me. First off it was nothing I have expected and the day before yesterday I actually fell asleep about halfway point. I have decided to continue yesterday and finish it only because I didn't feel good about leaving things halfway (although I do sometimes). And this time I fell for it with all my heart. So so good. Everything about it was great. The lead character was something else and did the right thing in the end. I also liked the obscure ending. Did she commit suicide? Maybe she did but I certainly am not judging her.

Meanwhile Kushiel's Avatar is turning out to be even better than the first two books. I'm happy.

Glass Slippers - End, Veda - End, Kushiel's Avatar

Last week was a holiday combo so I had lots of free time and I finished Glass Slippers on Sunday - 40 episodes of goodness it was. SPOILERS.




The second half of the show was tears tears and tears. Sometimes happy tears like when the sisters are united and sometimes tears of sadness and anger because they killed Chul Woong off at the last episode and he didn't even get to hear Yoon Hee say "I love you". She said it many times after he is dead but Chul Woong never got to hear it when he was alive.

It is good that Bad Dad and Bad Mom got to be better people. We understand it because She at least started to work and got rid of her heavy lipstick (a similar colour is what I'm wearing as I type this - heh). But Crazy Bitch remained crazy and evil until the end. At least she got to prison and regretted that she had a hand in Chul Woong's murder. She never redeemed though and Yoon Hee's attempts to make a better person out of her remained futile.
The interesting thing to me as far as Crazy Bitch and her actions go is how she got to pay to the evil gangster to murder Yoon Hee. Tae Hee find out from Seo Jun that Crazy Bitch slapped her sister and used their family name in a police station (that's how Yoon Hee and Seo Jun got to meet Crazy Bitch) and how they both pitied Crazy Bitch working as a bar girl (even though Crazy Bitch said that she doesn't like hard work and her only talents are drinking and dancing which she gets to do for free at this job). So Tae Hee meets Crazy Bitch, humiliates her, threatens her and throws a huge amount of money at her saying that this should keep her away from Yoon Hee. Now I hate Crazy Bitch but I'm more inclined to agree with Yoon Hee's behaviour towards her. Stupid Crazy Bitch kept accusing her of being fake nice but we know that Yoon Hee is sincere. I myself was accused of being fake nice while I was completely sincere - because I want to be a better person- so I could understand Yoon Hee. Even when everything was revealed she didn't want to lose Crazy Bitch, she tried to help her. This is the main reason why I love the "angel" archtype in K-dramas. They are geniunely good people.
So I'm having withdrawal syndroms even though they are not as severe.

Veda was excellent to the end and I'm hoping to get the other books too. This is the first book of a series.

And I have started Kushiel's Avatar by Jaqueline Carey. Now the only reason I got these books were I have heard that the first one was SM erotica. Well it was not and it was not that interesting either but I have already purchased three books and it was not completely horrible so I started to read Kushiel's Chosen which I LOVED. Phédre is a nice heroine and the books are not really SM erotica but fantasy books and their world is a good one (a fantasy Europe where Terre D'Ange is an AU France). These are adventure books and this one started very good. After the first one I was kind of sad to purchase three together without having more information about them but now I'm glad.

I have watched

My Best Friend's Wedding Hmmm. This one didn't lose its charm over me. I loved it the first time I saw it, loved it just as much no matter how many times I have seen it. This time was no exception. It was great right to the end.

Glass Slippers 19 - 20 - 21

Glass Slippers is predictably going bonkers. And predictably I still like it.

Yoon Hee is dating Jae Hyuk now despite the fact that she knows Jae Hyuk is dealing with gangsters and is after revenge. And despite the fact that georgeous Chul Woong is ready to throw himself at her feet. There is no accounting for taste, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Tae Hee's eyes are finally open as far as Jae Hyuk goes, she doesn't know he is the grandson of her Grandpa's ex partner and is after revenge but she knows that the reason Jae Hyuk's interest in her is because of who she is (Grandpa's daughter, heir to the corporation etc.).

Jae Hyuk confessed his love to Yoon Hee and it is reciprocated. I don't like him but at least he is honest where romantic love is concerned since he immediately told everything to Tae Hee and they made a clean break. He even told Grandpa that he liked Tae Hee a lot but he really loves Yoon Hee. Mr.Park got his diary and gave him time to figure out what he is going to do. If his decision is to insist on revenge he will give the diary to Grandpa but if he decides to give the revenge up then he will not say anything. He used to work for Jae Hyuk's Grandfather and this is the reason he didn't immediately inform Grandpa. Jae Hyuk actually put his revenge plans on hold since he is thinking of building a life with Yoon Hee but his assistant (who has left USA and came with him since he thinks Jae Hyuk will own Jae Ha Group one day, and believe me he was not happy to see him wavering) counters his orders and informs Gang Boss to proceed. Also he tells them to retrieve the diary saying that this is Jae Hyuk's order.

Of course this brings us to Chul Woong and how he went to retrieve the diary by force and realised that the man he is supposed to beat and intimidate it his father!!!! He asked what this is all about but Mr.Park refused to tell him saying that it is company business. But he went to the gangsters and found out that Jae Hyuk is behind everything.

He immediately goes to confront Jae Hyuk and he happens to be there with Yoon Hee who cannot believe that Jae Hyuk would do something like this (well he didn't do that but he has done a lot of things) and believes Jae Hyuk when he says he had nothing to do with it. But Chul Woong actually gets his hands on the famous diary (the proof that Jae Hyuk is ex partners grandchild) and he informs Jae Hyuk that he has it and will keep it. He also tells Jae Hyuk that even though he appears to be the lesser man in comparison to Jae Hyuk's money, education and general status in life, he will not give up loving Yoon Hee up. Good job Chul Woong!!!!! And when Crazy Bitch asks for the diary and promises that he'll get rid of Jae Hyuk, Chul Woong wisely refuses. Good boy.  Chul Woong also goes to Gangboss and informs him that he will not be with them as long as they work for Jae Hyuk.

Crazy Bitch is going madder by day. She totally flips when she finds out that Yoon Hee is actually working as an office assistant now and she is dating Jae Hyuk. Her real fear is that Tae Hee will figure out that Yoon Hee is the real sister and she actually finds out about the diary and gangsta connections from Chul Woong's sidekick and tries to blackmail Jae Hyuk into firing Yoon Hee. However Jae Hyuk is not like Tae Hee and Yoon Hee, good and kind, he says that he can see behind Crazy Bitch's seemingly protective and loving motive (she loves Tae Hee and wants her to be happy) and that he says that Crazy Bitch is actually selfish and only cares about herself so there must be another reason for her to want Yoon Hee out of the way. And she should not threaten people without any proof.

Then he goes to his assistant and asks the Gangboss to arrange a meeting with him and Chul Woong. The meeting is arranged (well they show up when Chul Woong and Sidekick are playing billiards). Jae Hyuk offers a shitload of cash in exchange for the diary but Chul Woong says that he is one of the few stupid people to whom money doesn't mean as much as the rest of the world (I love him) and then he said that he'll get beaten (Chul Woong is surrounded by gangsters at this point). Chul Woong doesn't bat an eye and says that it is OK, he needs to be roughed up a bit anyway but the Gangboss says that Chul Woong is like a brother to him and he will not get violent against him (well Chul Woong is a better fighter and has kicked everyone's ass in the gang except the Gangboss who turned out to be the best fighter among them) and all the gangstas leave.

So the asisstant tries to get another gangboss - one that has recently joined Gangboss' gang after being gently! persuaded by Chul Woong and he refuses at first but agrees after seeing the shit load of cash and the promise to be the sole gang Jae Hyuk works with when he becomes the head of Jae Ha Group - of course Jae Hyuk doesn't know this deal but he is a smart man and is aware that Assistant is going to do something unpleasant.

But when the traitor asked what is Chul Woong's weakness, we all know the answer. Yoon Hee is having a hard time at work since she is the focus of all the rumours involving her and Jae Hyuk. She tries to stand tall but all these get to her. She even slapped the Crazy Bitch when she became too much. But Tae Hee actually liked the results of the task she has given to Yoon Hee (I LOVE Tae Hee) and tells her that she did a good job and takes note of one of her suggestion. Yoon Hee tells her that it meant so much for Tae Hee to be nice to her since she has been subject to much emotional abuse due to her relationship with Jae Hyuk. But Tae Hee says to her that she should not listen to the rumours and stay on her course and keep on working hard.

But when they are leaving Assistant informs traitor and the other gang tries to kidnap Yoon Hee, and Tae Hee sees it and rushes to save her. These sisters are so cool! But they are against a gang of thugs and this is where episode 21 ended.

Now I'm happy that all my life I have decided to stay away from office gossip. I avoided it because it is a sin. And staying away from gossip doesn't make you the most popular person in the office (I used to gossip all the times when I was working at Klassis and I was very popular back then) but I'll take a clean conscience over popularity any day. And it made me realise how correct I was when I saw how negative office gossip can affect people who are the subject of the gossip.  God forbid us to hurt someone. 

Glass Slippers 16 - 17 - 18, Veda

Glass Slippers continue to serve my makjang kicks and these last three episodes were half revelations.

Yoon Hee is once again fired from her new job because Crazy Bitch couldn't stand Tae Hee and her getting close. But Jae Hyuk has already arranged for Yoon Hee to get an office assistant job since she obviously qualifies for one.

Tae Hee and Jae Hyuk are not reaching any conclusion. Tae Hee wisely decided to stay away for a while since obviously her presence disturbs Jae Hyuk. Meanwhile Jae Hyuk is liking Yoon Hee more and more - he even got her a mobile phone as a starting a new job gift. Everyone here is open to eachother. Jae Hyuk tells Yoon Hee that he feels comfortable and good around her so although he will not insist on them being bf/gf, he'd like to meet up from time to time just to see her and be in her presence (this is not a declaration of love)

Meanwhile my adorable Chul Woong is once again back to gangsta style. The main reason for that is his insecurity. Crazy Bitch filled him with doubts and fears saying that another man with more wordly qualifications is after Yoon Hee and will Yoon Hee spare a second to him now that a better man is after her? Chul Woong doesn't believe her throwing mud at Yoon Hee but what he believes is that he was not able to help Yoon Hee when she was fired (because Crazy Bitch called Yoon Hee's supervisor and insulted her) but his rival, Jae Hyuk was able to help her out by offering her a better job. Even though Yoon Hee keeps saying that he is glad of Chul Woong's friendship and mental support and doesn't need anything else, Chul Woong wants to be a strong man to do more for Yoon Hee. And the only way to do this is to join the Gangsters. I'm hoping that he'll at least be a good gangsta - if there is anything like that - . What Chul Woong doesn't know is that his boss works for his rival Jae Hyuk.

Meanwhile the biggest revelation was that Crazy Bitch got caught by Grandpa and she totally freaked. I wanted Grandpa to teach her a lesson but Grandpa is worried about how Tae Hee would feel if she finds out her sister is fake and that the real one is still out there (of course Crazy Bitch never told Grandpa that his real granddaughter can be found really easily) she'll not concentrate on the succession of the company and will once again spend all her energies on finding her sister. But Grandpa is old and getting weaker by the day with his health detoriating and he doesn't have any more time to prep Tae Hee for his successor. So he tells Crazy Bitch to keep her mouth shut and be a nice sister to Tae Hee and asking forgiveness of his son looking at his photo. Grandpa there is so much wrong in your decision that I want to go over there and give you a good talking to make your priorities clear. Now this revelation is on hold as far as everyone but Crazy Bitch and Grandpa are concerned. Crazy Bitch is slowly going really crazy with the mental strain of pretending to be someone else with stakes this high. I don't like her and the way she keeps on mad mouthing Yoon Hee and getting in Chul Woong's face (she even kissed him).

Also Chul Woong's sister is now working at Seo Jon's restaurant (at his suggestion) these constantly fight but there is attraction too. I don't really care for this couple's acting and so not very much into a situation that would normally entertain me.

The other revelation is that Mr.Park goes to search for Jae Hyuk's house (Grandpa is wise against attempts to take over Jae Ha Comm. and suspects Jae Hyuk) and sees that Jae Hyuk is grandson of Grandpa's old partner. He is so shocked that he doesn't even blush when Jae Hyuk walks in on him and he is caught up in the act of snooping.

The sweetest thing was that Tae Hee starts to like Yoon Hee despite the fact that she is jealous of her interaction with Jae Hyuk and despite the vicious bad mouthing of Crazy Bitch.

Meanwhile the festival memoirs are interesting only because I'm interested in the subject matter. The writing is below average :( so I have started to read Veda (lit.translation "Goodbye" or "Farewell") by Ayşe Kulin. The lady is an entertaining writer and I'm enjoying this one - the book was loaned to my sister by a colleague of mine but she hasn't even started it.

Glass Slippers 13 - 14 - 15, Innocent Blood - End, Bir Uzun Mesafe Festivalcisinin Anıları

As I was out partying (Greek Taverna followed by local bar) until 04:0 a:m on Friday and had to wake up to attend breakfast with the same party on Saturday and not returning home until 16:00 and then falling asleep at 18:30 to wake up on Sunday 07:30 (I really need to sleep), the only time I could return to watch Glass Slippers was Sunday night. And the episodes once again were very interesting with characters gaining different arc (except our angel Yoon Hee and I'm very glad that she is the one that has not changed).

Yoon Hee started to work as a janitor in Jae Ha Communications and this pissed Chul Woong off. He actually went to the gangster took the money Yoon Hee owed to the store owner (2000 US Dollars) and then started to like the Gang Boss and decided to work for them. Yoon Hee tried to make him give up but to no avail. Meanwhile Jae Hyuk started to like Yoon Hee more and more. And she is so inherently good that I don't blame him for being happy when she is with her. Of course this didn't sit well with Tae Hee who wants to marry Jae Hyuk, actually asking him out right. Tae Hee is straightforward and would like to be approached this way, what she doesn't get is that others may find this straightforward, go getter attitude not easy to deal with. Jae Hyuk actually likes her but he is not happy when he is with her. This has more to do with the fact that Tae Hee is Grandpa's granddaughter and he is most determined to get the company out of Grandpa's hands and get his revenge. The thing is if he marries Tae Hee, he'd get the company anyway and as his loyal assistant pointed out, he'll do it without any (metaphorical) bloodshed. But for some reason he is hatching a share takeover scheme with Gang Boss in order to take over Jae Ha Communications. So he cannot be honest to Tae Hee and her honesty is even harder to deal with. No wonder he feels happy when with Yoo Hee who doesn't demand anything from him and he can be honest with her. He admits it to Yoon Hee and sort of asks to start a relationship knowing that Yoon Hee is interested in him too. What he doesn't know is that Crazy Bitch saw them at the hospital when they are talking and very midly flirting. And she went to Yoon Hee and accused her of stealing Chul Woong from her and secucing the Bad Stepfather. Even though Yoon Hee denied them all it had no effect on Crazy Bitch who said that Jae Hyuk is going to get married to her Unni Tae Hee and that Jae Hyuk is way above Yoon Hee in status with his masters degree from US etc. Even though I think that Yoon Hee would probably refuse him anyway since she has different priorities at this stage in her life than having a boyfriend but Crazy Bitch's words must have had some effect, because she said that she is suprised that she has such a good effect on such an important person as Jae Hyuk.

Meanhwile Chul Woong became as tough and good gangster and he has got a diamond ring for Yoon Hee with his first earned money (other than the afore mentioned  2000 US Dollars) but he got beaten up by the men he previously beat up and he had to be hospitalised. Thanks to his side kick Yoon Hee was able to figure out what happened to him and take care of him at the hospital. She tried to make the gangsters go away but couldn't. When she had to leave him alone because she had to go to work, she took his sister into confidence and then later on Sister and her big mouth gave everything away. His family was instantly by Chul Woong's side and the Gang Boss gave him the option to quit with his dignity intact - because he didn't know Chul Woong had such a loving family you see. But Chul Woon said he likes the Gang Boss and he'd like to stay. Despite seeming very immature Chul Woong is showing hidden depths by admitting that he gave it a lot of thought before embarking this road in life. And after everyone has left and Yoon Hee was sulking outside his hospital room he went on his knee in front of her and as I thought he'd propose he did something way cooler and took one of her sneaker straps off, brought out the diamong ring and told Yoon Hee that this too is a ring and even though it is not the same as the one she lost, with this new ring her bad luck will turn. Yoon Hee was so touched that she couldn't say anything, just silently cried and ran away (Chul Woong followed her and saw that on her own she clutches the ring and cries some more - he is happy that his gift is well liked).

Returning back to the other sister, Tae Hee is forceful and successful and even on her first day didn't shy away from expressing her opinion. When Jae Hyuk told her later to tone it down, she was suprised that they are not free to express their opinions (her business suggestion was a lot better than Jae Hyuk's ). And when she went home Crazy Bitch fed her lies about Yoon Hee and told her to be careful and keep an eye on Jae Hyuk. But Crazy Bitch is on the verge of being discovered imho. Aunt thinks that her character is very different from the rest of the family and she has different habits (she was caught stealing Tae Hee's necklace). Also Seo Jun heard her speaking to her original family and Bad Mom and Bad Stepdad shamelessly asked her considerable amounts of money, saying that they need to take what they can while Crazy Bitch is there.

We end Episode 15 with Tae Hee requesting a definite answer from Jae Hyuk, will he marry Tae Hee or not? She doesn't want to give the thought time, she wants an answer now.

Innocent Blood was excellent. The type of prose I like best and even the mystery worked - I didn't see the end revelations coming.

I have started Hülya Uçansu's Bir Uzun Mesafe Festivalcisinin Anıları (lit.translation Memoirs of a Long Distance Festival Organisor) telling what she has experiences in organising Istanbul Film Festival. So far we have had a short introduction in her life story from childhood to Uni and marriage and I have had to stop right where she decided to work as the Cinema Association part time. Well sounds promising so far.

Glass Slippers 10 - 11 - 12

Glass Slippers is slowly going crazy and taking me with it in each episode.

Crazy Sis actually passed herself as Yoon Hee and everyone bought it hook line and sinker. Tae Hee is very happy to find her sister and the rest do not doubt her identity. Although her mother cautioned her to end this insane charade, she convinced her by making her feel guilty, doesn't she deserve a nice rich life? In the end Bad Woman gave in since Bad Men also thinks it is better for them to play along so that they can get money and do nothing. Seriously these people are so evil.

Meanwhile in a rather more intelligent evil environment Jae Hyuk and Gangster Boss reunited and Gang Boss after asking and learning the reason for Jae Hyuk's revenge agreed to help him out to do his dirty stuff for him.

And Mr.Park has found a job for Yoon Hee working as an all aroung janitor in one of the branches of Jae Ha communications. She happily starts to work and meets again with Jae Hyuk. They actually get close and enjoyed hanging out together. Meanwhile Chul Woon has gone to kick some gangster ass and when faced with the Gang Boss didn't hesitate to make a bet that if he loses he will start to work for the Gang Boss. Well Gang Boss may be older but he ended up being the better fighter and Chul Woong was severely beaten. The upside is Yoon Hee felt bad for him and cleaned the wounds on his face (and earlier she made it very clear that she doesn't think of going out with any man and thinks Chul Woong only as a friend).

Crazy Bitch is still not satisfied after stealing Yoon Hee's life. She actually went to the store Yoon Hee works told Yoon Hee's story as her own and tried to put on airs but Yoon Hee said she doesn't care about this stuff and only wants to find her ring. Crazy Bitch pushed her but the boxes fell on the Crazy Bitch. And before we thought that she finally got what she deserved she manages to get away with scratches and even complained to Tae Hee that the real Yoon Hee was trying to kill her. Tae Hee, very kindly, told read Yoon Hee that even if both claim different things, she'll believe Yoon Hee and didn't even listen real Yoon Hee's explanation. Just because Crazy Bitch is her sister see. Anyway. Crazy Bitch got Yoon Hee fired threatening to sue the store and futhermore the boxes were full of mobile phones and now Yoon Hee owes 2000 US Dollars to the store owner.

She actually worries that all the bad things happen to her one after another and she feels sad that she lost her ring. She goes to Mr.Park at his work place and explains the whole thing. Mr.Park is his usual lovely self and was very understanding. Yoon Hee heard women talking that they are hiring janitors for Jae Ha company and she immediately applied. When the janitor supervisor asked her about her night college degree, she said of course she wants a better job but meanwhile this is work and she doesn't mind doing it.

Chul Woon finally gave her the dress he bought for her and Yoon Hee was so happy.

Tae Hee actually scored top points in the written exam and impressed everyone in the interviews. Grandpa compromised saying that he'll try to observe Jae Hyuk better and will not refuse him outright. But Jae Hyuk is staying away from Tae Hee. When she asks why he says that she is too dependant on him. I suspect that he likes her and is afraid of future complications his revenge attempts will inevitably cause. But he is also very interested in Yoon Hee and Tae Hee has no idea.

Glass Slippers 7 - 8 - 9

Glass Slippers is getting even more interesting with each episode. The show has its faults but lacking makjang is not one of them. There are nasty people you can hate without feeling bad (that is a problem I have), the lead girl is "angel" type I love in K-Dramas and there's So Ji Sub being the comic relief and actually doing a good job of it too (wrong career choises Ji Sub oppa, you should have been a comedian).

Anyway the Bad Family's father (who I have found out is the second husband of the Bad Woman) tried to rape Yoon Hee but she managed to escape his clutches by the early arrival of Bad Woman and Bad Sis. Even though it was obvious that Yoon Hee was assaulted, they threw her out and called her names. Seriously, it is not hard to dislike these people. Grandma found Yoon Hee crying on the street and takes her home and here we find out that Chul Woong is not the adult thug but the son of Mr.Park and they live together with Halmoni, Chul Woong's Sister and Mr.Park.
The one important point is that Yoon Hee has lost her ring during the struggle and Bad Sis found it but didn't return it to Yoon Hee for various reasons:

* She is a bad person
* She wanted to exchange it for Chul Woong (even though Yoon Hee said time and again that she is not interested in him - but I so wish that she would be in the future) but she flipped out as soon as she found out that Yoon Hee is now living with Chul Woong and his family.
* She has found out (as Bad Man and Bad Woman did) that Yoon Hee is the granddaughter of Grandpa and Tae Hee's sister and that she is rich etc. and she is thinking of passing herself as Yoo Hee to Tae Hee.
* She is crazy


Meanwhile Tae Hee hooked up with Jae Hyuk and is not shy in declaring her love and her want of intimacy with him. Jae Hyuk is caught up in corporate issues (he is trying to make the communications company as success) and Grandpa doesn't like him and warns him to stay away. The more interesting thing for me is that it appears that Jae Hyuk actually likes Tae Hee. His assistant knows of his ruin Grandpa plan and asked whether Tae Hee is part of that plan but he refused it and he asked Tae Hee to stay away from him since it makes it difficult for him to realise his plans (and he told her that he cannot tell her what these plans are) if she keeps interfering. Well we'll see what happens on that front.

Tae Hee's problems are getting close to Jae Hyuk and her Aunt's poisinous words and looks. Auntie wants her son So Jun to inherit everything Grandpa has and is afraid that Tae Hee will get them all.  So Jun on the other hand is a good guy who is not ambitious and is perfectly happy with managing a restaurant and being a playboy. Also he gets along with Tae Hee very well and helps her trying to locate Yoon Hee. Well he also met cute with Chul Woong's sis while she is making deliveries. I wonder if anything will come out of that. They are polar opposites these two.

At the end of episode 9 Bad Sis asks to meet Tae Hee to show her something from her childhood. She actually recited Yoon Hee's story as if her own and warned her mother and stepfather to keep quiet. She actually thinks she can pull it off. Tae Hee is smart and perceptive but she is also looking for her sister for 15 years and not only misses her but also feels guilty about not being able keep her promise to her father (she promised she'd look after her). And when she was going to meet with Bad Sis, her dad's photo fell on the floor and the glass cracked. A bad omen....


Also I'm totally and utterly loving Innocent Blood. It is very British and the prose of P.D James reminds me a bit of Ruth Rendell - it is a good thing.

Yedinci Gün - End, Innocent Blood, Glass Slippers 4-5-6

Yedinci Gün ended up not being my favorite İhsan Oktay Anar book but it was a good read nevertheless.

I have started Innocent Blood by P.D James (purchased at a secondhand book store) and I really like it. I hope I'll continue liking it. The premise is very interesting and it has that certain British quality that I really like.

Glass Slippers is going strong. After a hit and miss with sister not able to meet, we had a 15 year time skip. Yoo Hee is still with the horrible family poor thing. She does all the work while that horrible woman keeps lying about, the daughter is a stupid girl who wants to be a pop star and/or actor and worst of all the man started to lust over Yoon Hee (she doesn't know this).

The suprise to me is So Ji Sub of the perfect face and usually wooden acting but here he is very funny and actually emotes. I wonder what happened to him later in his acting career to turn him into such a statue. Here he has a small role (grown up version of the street thug gang leader, I think but I'm not sure, I'm hoping not). And the stupid sis has a crush on him. But he in turn has a crush on Yoon Hee (everyone knows her as Sun Woo and her memory is still not back).

Tae Hee on the other hand is a successful and smart woman who has not given up the search on her sister even after 15 years. So Jun her cousin and she get along very nicely but her ambitious Aunt wants  So Jun to rule the company after  Grandpa dies. Granpa is very much in Tae Hee though and he teaches her and asks her to apply to the lowest position in the corporate to learn everything. Her identity will be kept secret and she will evaluated solely on her merit.

Meanwhile the driver's mother works next to where Yoon Hee works (at the horrible family's restaurant) and she arranges an application form and gives it to Yoon Hee to apply. She is reluctant since she graduated from night college and her qualifications may not be enough but the Halmoni encourages her. So she decides to apply.

Jae Hyuk meanwhile turns from US as a successful Wall Street Merger and Acquisitons expert. And Grandpa gives him a failing communications company in the corporate to test him. If he succeeds (he doesn't ask for profit, just a sign that the company will get better) he'll give him what he wants but if he fails he'll be thrown out. Meanwhile he meets Tae Hee and it is like they never left. Tae Hee is really into him without knowing what a snake he really is. This is the actor who is the second male lead in All About Eve and I don't really care for him (well he was agains Jang Dong Gun there so the poor man didn't stand that much of a chance) but here he looks better (not as good as SJS though :) )

At the end of episode 6 Yoon Hee and Jae Hyuk meet cute (she helps him catch a purse snatcher and drops her application form which he finds on the street right after she left).
Will there be a love triangle between sisters and this guy? I hope not but I won't be suprised if there is. 

Fiddlers - End, Yedinci Gün, Zodiac, Glass Slippers Eps 1- 2 - 3

Zodiac It was a very very good film and I have found myself very interested in what's going on in it. The actors were all good with Jake Gylenhall (sp?) the best among them. David Fincher is a very good director and I like almost all of his films (except Panic Room).

Fiddlers yes I remembered the book and yes I don't like what they did to make it more recent but in the end Ed McBain is a great writer and this is indeed a good finale for the 87th Precint.

Yedinci Gün (lit.trans. Seventh Day) İhsan Oktay Anar is one of my favorite Turkish novelists and this book is very good indeed. But I have just finished a chapter describing war and it is my least fave genre in anything. It was so real a description that I felt myself shrinking within myself feeling ashamed for being human. I know this is extreme and dramatic but this is how I felt. God I hate war.

Glass Slippers Last night I decided on the makjang and am not dissapointed at all. It was a river of tears in the first episode and the makjang hit like tsunami. Tae Hee and Yoon Hee are sisters and their mother passed away while giving birth to Yoon Hee. Now we have a time jump and Yoon Hee is 9 and Tae Hee is 13. They live with their father who is a great guy. They are poor but happy with Tae Hee acting like a mother to Yoon Hee. But the father is diagnosed with leukemia and he can't afford treatment. Their grandpa -who they have never met and saw only a b&w picture of - disowned the father when he wanted to marry to the woman he loves. We also meet the male characters who are Jae Hyuk a boy burning with vengeance and Tae Hee's grandpa is his target (he told Tae Hee that his grandpa has died when their company went bankrupt and his father has committed suicide). Then their father passes away in a car accident and the girls are to be sent to an orphanage (they need to separate them since there are not any vacancies). So the sisters ran away with the intention of finding their grandpa (their father had told Tae Hee to go to grandpa if something happens to him) but they got separated in the bus terminal. Yoon Hee is hit by a truck and lost her memory. She has their mother's wedding ring (Tae Hee has their father's) and the people who hit them are a family of dubious morals. Mom owns a small eatery and they have a daughter of their own. They actually leave Yoon Hee in the market place but Yoon Hee is a smart kid and when the police found her she told them which house she came from the market place (when they hit Yoon Hee, she fainted and there was blood over her head so the dubious dad and mom have taken her to their home waiting for her either to die or to wake up) And the dad didn't even have a driver's licence. Seriously. Anyway when the police brought her they had to take her in and at the end of episode three she shows her smarts by offering to do homework of the rather unintelligent elder girl of the house in exchange for her not treating Yoon Hee badly and calling her names. Meanwhile she named herself Lee Sun Woo since this is the name on the ring.

Tae Hee on the other hand runs away from both the police (she thinks they are going to put her into an orphanage - she doesn't know Grandpa showed up immediately after he found out and engaged police to find the girls and bring them to him) and the street thugs. The only one who helped her is Jae Hyuk (and at first he did it because she helped him when the street thugs were beating him for money). But even though Jae Hyuk looks like a good guy he actually asks the leader of street thugs to scare Tae Hee and hence force her to seek help from Jae Hyuk (she didn't over stay her hospitality the first time he helped her and immediately after giving her a place to hide he has found out that she is the granddaughter of the man he wants to take revenge on). So the street thug beats Tae Hee (and he feels crappy afterward) and she is forced to run back to Jae Hyuk (who is an evil genius) meanwhile she had been trying to find Yoon Hee all this time. Yoon Hee actually saw her in the market place (where the dubious dad tried to leave her) but she has lost her memory and didn't call out for her.

At the end of episode 3 Tae Hee is taken to Grandpa's company by Jae Hyuk who made the introduction before the guards throw them both out (oh also Grandpa has a divorced daughter who is not a very responsible person and that woman has a young son, grandpa asked them to live with him now that he plans to live with his granddaughters - when he is able to find them).

So far this is delicious makjang and I'm eating it up - I don't think I even yawned at any point.

The Thing - Fail, Kalın Kitap - End, The Fiddlers

Last night I have tried to watch a horror film directed by esteemed John Carpenter, starring Kurt Russel (I like him a lot) and I have fallen asleep not even halfway through. I don't think this one was a bad film - my sister watched it more than once and it is well liked among the fans of the genre- but for some reason I have fallen asleep watching it. I should have watched a Guru Dutt film or something but my friend came for a visit and she stayed until half past nine and then I didn't want to start something long, the film I had in mind was David Fincher's Zodiac actually (which my sister thinks is boring, so based on last night I may end up liking)

Finished Kalın Kitap which I enjoyed. And started reading The Fiddlers, the final 87 Precint novel. I love Ed McBain and his 87 Precint novels. And of course I remembered the original of this novel right away. This is a touched up version (they included modern day references) which doesn't feel right in comparison to the original. But still it is better than most others and I'm enjoying it very very much. I had a crush on Carella the first time I have read a 87 Precint novel (as I'm supposed to I guess) and it is no suprise that I still do have that crush.

Ensemble, C'est Tout, Sis ve Gece - End

Ensemble, C'est Tout (It is oddly released in USA as Hunting and Gathering according to imdb)
I love this film. Even though I don't really care for Audrey Toutou, I kind of respect her artistry and natural elegance. But I love Guillaume Canet, ever since I saw him in The Beach (and this is despite the fact that Leonardo is my fave pretty face star) I have a soft spot for him. And these two make a good pair. I love the people and how kind they are in the film. I have found out (to my shame) that this film is a book adaptation and my sister purchased the book at second hand book fair.

I have finished Sis ve Gece, and it was not boring but it was not spectecular either. I also saw the ending miles ahead.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest ended up being better than I thought it would be. The book is suspenseful but there is not much visual action going on and filming it that way would cause a dull film. This is one of the rare times that I agree with the director on his substantial removals from the book along with all the changes he has made. Good job.

Meanwhile Kalın Kitap is very funny and I'm beginning to enjoy Sis ve Gece even more with each page. Let's see how these two will go on.

The best kind of indecision is deciding what to watch next no?

Mawang - end, The Lake - End, Kalın Kitap, Sis ve Gece

Last night I have finished Mawang and it ended with a bang. The last four episodes were very very good and got me going tear wise. Revenge is a notion I'm not familiar with in real life. By nature I'm forgiving and it is very easy for me not to dwell on what happened. This of course has its disadvantages but in the end I'm happy to be born this way. So revenge is one of my favorite teams in fiction. This revenge was very good (still did not reach Old Boy levels but it was good). And furthermore it is clear to everyone in the end that it is an endless cycle which does nothing to improve a person.

Great performances, great script (apart from the whole pyshcic thing) and one good drama  - even though I kept falling asleep most of the time. It is worth it for the last four episodes.

I have finished The Lake which was excellent. A book to my own heart and in the ended I wanted a relationship as the one similar in the book even though it is between very damaged people.

And I have started Kalın Kitap (lit. translation Thick Book) a collection of the newspaper coloumns of one Turkish journalist, DJ and novelist Ayça Şen. I like the girl and I'm having fun with it. But since it is not a novel I have decided to also start Sis ve Gece (lit.translation The Fog and The Night) by Ahmet Umit, a best selling Turkish mystery writer. I have never read one of his books before and this one started not that bad. Maybe I'll even like it.

Mawang at the end of Episode 16

This is really weird. Despite feeling that the psychic giving clues touching the objects (and dreams as we are further along in the story) is a bit pat and comfortable, the rest of the drama is very good in suspense, logic, drama and philosophy. But I keep falling asleep. Why I don't know. Last night I have watched episodes 15 & 16 dosing on and off and what's even worse is that I didn't even bother to rewatch the parts I have missed.

What I remember is that O Su finally clued in on the fact that Seung Ha is Mawang. It is one thing to know and the other to prove or do something about it since Seung Ha didn't get his hands dirty so far (only his heart). Older Bro is not the clueless husband since he knows of the affair between Loyal Friend and his wife (this effectively renders Seung Gi's blackmail powerless but I was not awake enough to find out whether loyal friend is aware that the husband knows or not)  Shin Min Ah is getting close to Seung Ha and she seem to remember meeting him when they were children but Seung Ha denies it. So the last time I saw her she was having trouble believing that Seung Ha is Mawang.

Maybe the reason for me to fall asleep is that I know the ending. I really need to stay away from spoilers since they indeed spoil everything for me. I doubt I'd fall asleep if I didn't know what is going to happen.

On weekend I have visited Second Hand Book Fair and this time my sister kindly accompanied me. She is also an avid reader and this way we were able to buy freely without worrying how to carry the books in public transport. Even though the fair was weak in English books this year I have managed to pick up a good haul.

On Sunday all I did was lie about and watch bad films including

Now and Then which is probably a vanity project for Demi Moore, the executive producer. It was a sucky film but I managed to cry even in that.

The Lake is simply excellent. The Japanese style I love combined with a subject that is very interesting, I'm having a hard time stopping it (when the shuttle arrives to work I need to stop) 

Mawang - Rest of Episode 8 then Eps 9 & 10, Motherless Brooklyn - End, The Lake

This time it was not my dvd player but myself who conked out during episode 11. And it is so very strange since I'm loving, absolutely loving this show. It plays with all my buttons and I'm actually fully rooting for the good guys - even though the baddie has a strong cause and he is most handsome than all the other man on this drama combined (good actor too). But somehow for some reason (maybe too much sunflower seeds, ugh even thinking about them makes my stomach churn) I keep falling asleep. Puzzled by this. But so far Shing Min Ah is still courted by our two leads. O Su is slowly coming terms with what he did and we found out that he has killed Tae Hun accidentally. He didn't stick the knife in him but Tae Hun slipped and fell on top of O Su with the knife between them. So it really was an accident but one can see how it may be interpreted as being something else.

Meanwhile Seung Gi (and I can't help but remember Lee Seung Gi everytime someone says his name, despite the fact the actor and the character have nothing to do with Seung Gi and his entertainment persona) found out - via another photo send anonimously- that the woman is O Su Sister in Law. So he starts to blackmail the loyal friend and O Su is totally in the dark since loyal friend flushed the pics and Seung Gi doesn't want to lose his blackmail leverage.

The reporter is the one who received the tarot card (Moon) but he is oblivous to the danger, trying to turn his previous wrong (the biased pro Kang article he wrote at the time of the school incident) to right by furiously investigating everything. And doing a good job of it too. O Su tries to warn him and told him that he will keep on protecting him even though Reporter believes Kang to be a murderer who got away and keeps on insulting him left and right.

One of the more interesting twists was that Mawang actually changed identities with his best pal when he died getting hit by a truck hence completelty non recognisable. He looks after his best bud's blind Noona too (I know this sounds very melo but it doesn't seem to when you actually watch it). And then Mawang gets a tarot card in a yellow envelope (now we have three unresolved cards The Moon send to the reporter and O su and The Tower send to Mawang  by??). From my old days of looking Tarot (thank God for getting me out of that) I know that The Tower represents dissapointment, your expectations not coming true. It seems like a negative card but as with most of the tarot cards it can be a good thing since if you are dissapointed, you can change things to suit you better no? But the position of the card in your fortune setting is important. Here they just pass on one card without a fortune system so I'm thinking that someone is telling Mawang that his expectations will not come true. I fell asleep right around that time.

Motherless Brooklyn got better is it progressed but this writer and I do not see eye to eye and I don't ilke this type of prose. But it was a decent enough detective story. 

I have started The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto and immediately felt soothed by that certain particular style of Japanese prose. I have previously read two of Ms.Yoshimoto's books I think and remember that I liked Kitchen a lot -despite the fact that I can't remember anything about the book. The Lake is excellent as far as I'm concerned and it ended up being the perfect book to get over Motherless Brooklyn fail (fail belongs to me of course not the writer) 

Mawang Episodes 5-6-7 and about half of 8

My dvd player is probably dying on me and I seriously am thinking of getting a new one. It started screen freezing last night and I was not able to watch the larger half of episode 8 of Mawang. And it is such a good drama. Everything happens so fast. We are introduced O Su's sin, love triangle established, the purpose behind the murders revealed and we are not even halfway through yet. Now the only unknown is the identity of the mastermind who so meticulously planned everything it seems. There are some variables such as Young Cheul and Ex Detective Cha - also the fate of clueless bro, disloyal lackey and bad man friend.

It is very exciting and Joo Ji Hun is simply perfect in the lead role. I like how quietly strong his acting was (and of course it helps him being georgeous) and Uhm Tae Wong is his usual competent self (but I have to say that I loved the character he acted in Resurrection much better). Repentance is an interesting concept and I applaud the drama for making the hero - it is not firmly established that O Su is the hero- having such a big burden on his conscience. And he should carry that big burden as long as he lives because he actually was guilty.

Meanwhile Mawang is also suffering as very conveniently exposed by Shin Min Ah. He knows what he does is wrong and he wants to be stopped but cannot stop on his own because of his brother and mother. They are dead now and they will not be coming back and it is only natural that he wants revenge since the killer and his bogus witnesses got off free without any legal consequence and there was not even an apology or any outward remorse.

Well I'm the least likely person to seek revenge since I simply don't have it in me. I don't hold grudges and am inclined to forget and even forgive. Thank God.

Anyway Shin Min Ah is leaning towards O Su because I think his wounded, guilty soul needs nurturing and Shin Min Ah is a caregiver by nature. Also the heart wants what the heart wants - there is the yummy, churchgoing, philantrophist, great with kids, rich and successful but also humanitarian lawyer but whether she is afraid of his tormented soul (tormented because he is going towards the bad - as opposed to tormented but going towards the good O Su) or what but she doesn't show any interest towards him.

Meanwhile Motherless Brooklyn also ceased to be boring and at one point (when I stopped reading the made up Tourette words that is) turned into a better read for me. But I won't be sad to see this one end.

Mawang Episodes 3 and most of 4

Mawang is going great but there is something wrong with me and I keep falling asleep. I thought it was Motherless Brooklyn (still not a very good book but not as bored as I was now) but even during viewing Mawang I have falled asleep (and missed the night prayers). I hope that tonight will be more productive and I'll be able to manage not to sleep during 2 episodes.

Mawang Episodes 1 & 2

I have started Mawang (The Devil) last night and am completely hooked - even though I stupidly read the whole recaps for this one a couple of years ago and utterly spoiled myself-.
This writer director team produced one of my favorite K-dramas Resurrection and I'm hoping this one will produce similar effect on me. And so far so good.

Joon Ji Hoon is perfect as the hero/villain (one interesting aspect of this drama is that both male leads are hero & villain while I think the true villains are O Su's family) a genius young lawyer who has mysterious motives. Of course I know that he manipulates people to complete his elaborate revenge but even knowing it doesn't lessen the suspense.

Shin Min Ah is a psychic who can see traces of things that happened when she touches an object (though this doesn't happen everytime), she has helped the police before to solve a serial murder case but she is also the painter who has painted the tarot cards left in murder scenes (and also sent to O su).

Uhm Tae Wong is a homicide detective - with a rich and influential family- who is seemingly honest although a bit blunt.

Delicious.

Meanwhile Motherless Brooklyn is literally putting me to sleep. It has murder, mob and Tourette's and I'm bored. Seriously what is wrong with me?

Downton Abbey Complete Season 1 & 2, The Woodlanders - End, Motherless Brooklyn, Mr.Popper's Penguins

The Woodlanders ended in a Thomas Hardy way, Giles died out of honour and love, Marty remained loyal to him even in his grave. Grace first was devastated by Giles' death (which was kind of hear fault) but then actually made up with her cheating husband (returned to Grace after ending the affair with the Lady). I actually shed tears for Giles and Marty but felt sorrier for Grace in the end.

I have started a novel called Motherless Brooklyn which is about a private detective with Tourette Snydrome. Well I can't say I have fallen for it yet but then again the only reason I purchased it while in NYC (at least at a secondhand bookstore) is that I have read that Edward Norton was thinking of adapting it to a film. Well so far I think I'd enjoy watching it more than reading it (which is unusual for me but Tourette Syndrome is not very interesting you see).

I have also finished Downton Abbey on weekend and even though it was decent and very entertaining, I can't say I love it the way the majority seem to do. Maybe because I'm used to adaptations, maybe because I thought the sets, costumes and the actors deserved a better script, I don't know.... It all seemed so light and pat for some reason. I'll recommend this one for fun times but do not expect the depth of an adaptation. 

Mr.Popper's Penguins well we all know this type of film and I do admit liking some of them better than the others (Family Man starring Nic Cage and Téa Leoni is my all time fave). The penguins were kinda cute but all in all I wouldn't have liked it as much if I hadn't been on the verge of getting my period. So I ended up even crying for the sucker.

Shallow Grave, Downton Abbey Episodes 1- 2- 3

Shallow Grave to me is a film that is a keeper. Tidy, very good cinematography, lots of close up and to the faces of the actors too, great actors (with one of my faves Ewan McGregor) and a decent story of human greed.

I have finally started Downton Abbey and it is very good and kept me interested but I find the whole thing a bit shallow quality wise. Everyother BBC period drama I have watched were heavier than this. Well I guess reading Thomas Hardy is probably not helping me either I guess. I like it but I'm not in love with it - so far that is-.

The Woodlanders is getting worse and worse and wores. Giles died and for such a stupid reason too. Yes men are usually very selfish but once in a while they are good guys but also stupid. Marty was only a secondary character and Grace will probably go back to her husband now and even be happy meanwhile poor Giles. But I'll wait until the book ends before commenting more. Let's say I'm not very fond of Grace right now.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire This is the most action packed book of the triology. As a film it is average though since the action scenes were ordinary (at least to this viewer, spoiled by East Asian and U.S.A films) and the rythm of the whole thing was off. Some of the scenes were very good though (Lisbeth trying to lift her arms and level her gun to correctly shoot at her half bro all the while she is covered in dirt and her own blood - Lisbeth questioning a corrupt journalist while wearing face paint) but overall this film was not as exciting as the book (despite being pretty loyal to it)

Meanwhile The Woodlanders took unexpected - for me that is- turns. Poor kind hearted Marty is out of the picture for now and the whole thing revolves around Giles, Grace, Edred and Felice.

At least Grace had the good sense to realise the true nature of her husband. But her marriage is an unhappy one with the infidelities of her husband and she now understand the good nature and worthiness of Giles.

Client

Client Well there was not much into it aside from the hot guys who are also very good actors. I enjoyed it but cannot recommend it.

Meanwhile The Woodlanders is still strong. Giles is finally told by Grace and her father that he is no longer wanted as son in law. And he also lost his houses (Marty's dad has passed away and no one actually thought of poor Marty - who has sort of shown a mean streak, scribbling away that poem in Gile's wall) Actually that poem may have gotten Giles and Grace together since Grace actually has written on it, changing it to Giles benefit but Giles never knew Grace was the one who changed it. Anyway now the Doctor is physically included in the story and is very interested in Grace.

King 2 Hearts - End, Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem - End, Quicksand- End, The Woodlanders, The Illusionist, Friends with Benefits

First the films

The Illusionist I remember not really caring for this film the first time I saw it but this time I enjoyed it very very much and not just because it stars Edward Norton (my crush on him is probably as tall as he is) but I have managed to overlook Rufus Sewell (seriously that man is a huge turn off whenever I watch him at a film, even when he is a villain) and was entertained.

Friends With Benefits just when I thought they don't make good rom coms anymore (all of them stupid films starring Katherine Heigl) I watched this one and it was instant like on my part. Even when JT is not that good an actor, the real rom com actor is the female one anyway and Mila Kunis knocked it out of the park. Great chemistry between the leads, great use of locations, a good story, lots of close up shots on the actors's faces = one happy viewer.

Now on to the books

Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem  Didn't dissapoint and I'm looking forward to the next book. I love Ferhan Şensoy more as a novelist than a theater actor - not that he is a bad actor, he is OK- and that book is no exception.

Quicksand Ok Junichiro Tanizaki is the man who made reading a sleazy plot with superb and masterful writing possible. It is not a guilty pleasure anymore. The Makioka Sisters is still my fave of his but this one was a nice little novel.

Then I started

The Woodlanders  if I have to name the works of only three novelists to take with me on a deserted island, Thomas Hardy would be one of these names (the other two would be Jane Austen and Haruki Murakami). The Woodlanders is great. I can't believe I have never read it until now and you usually do not get a happy ending with Thomas Hardy and I hope that Giles will end up with Marty and that Grace will be with the -yet- mysterious doctor or something because she doesn't love you Giles and in truth I don't think you love her either. You love Marty and she loves you so much but she doesn't show it. Oh poor, kind hearted Marty.

Anonymous, The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

First off I have completely forgotten to add Anonymous to the weekend haul.

Anonymous - aaand the reason for that is I have watched the film, liked it a lot and then in the end I have realised that it was directed by Roland Emmerich. Yet another reason not to prejudiced. This is not a masterpiece or anything, I don't think I'll even want to rewatch it again but I liked it. Maybe it is because it is a period film and British actors are in it, maybe it is the great costumes and sets or maybe the story which I have found very interesting. In the end I had a good time watching it and this only ever happened once as far Emmerich films go.

Now last night I have watched

Flying Swords of the Dragon Gate now this one I loved. Whether it is the novelty of filming in 3D or the great cast or something but Tsui Hark has got his mojo back. I have had a great time watching this and most probably will not to watch it again and again.

Now some of the special effects were not flawless but I was caught up in the good parts and totally forgave them. This reminded me of the good old Hong Kong films I love to watch. 

Martyrs, Hanna, Click, Captain America, One Fifth Avenue - End, The Tree With Deep Roots - End, Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem

The Tree With Deep Roots (SPOILERS) was excellent and although it was not a happy end for our fictional characters, as a person who is learning Korean today, Hangul alphabet is a happy ending for me and King Seojong. I love Jang Hyuk and Han Suk Kyu and both were excellent. I didn't like the female lead but this didn't stop me from sobbing my heart out during her death scene. This was a great purchase.

One Fifth Avenue also turned out to be a decent book. It didn't consume me but then again this kind of book usually doesnt.

Currently reading Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem (Rebellious Pencil) this is the second part of an authobiography by Ferhan Şensoy, an actor & playright & writer. I really like his plays and shortstories. His sense of humour definitely appeals to me and this book is no exception. Normally I don't really care for biography/autobiography but this can rewrite a phone book and I'll probably still like it.

Now on to the weekend film haul (now that we have got our TV back all shiny and new)

Martyrs Very good horror film. It was different and interesting. Recommended for the lovers of the genre but stay away from spoilers.

Hanna I have tried to watch that one on the plane but fell asleep but this time I finished it off and didn't really like it or dislike it. It was a so so film. Mostly I don't like the female lead (she was in Atonement and My Lovely Bones)

Click I don't know how many times I have watched this one but I love Adam Sandler and his films for some reason appeal to me. This is no exception.

Captain America I liked the other films better but I didn't fall asleep during or anything.

I have also tried to watch Red Riding Hood but fell asleep somewhere in the middle, woke up and watched the end.

The Tree With Deep Roots Eps-17, Kushiel's Chosen - End, One Fifth Avenue

Well The Tree With Deep Roots was killing me softly and then there came episodes 16-17 where our focus is somehow shifted from Tol Bok to King's debates with Mil Bon (aka the most unintentionally hillarious secret organisation in a K-Drama, why they are almost comic relief!!!)  I love Han Suk Kyu and King Seojong seems to be a awesome guy but I'm kind of invested in Tol Bok now and want to watch more him.

Kushiel's Chosen ended very nicely and I even felt pangs of withdrawal (but not as strong as to start the third book, meanin it is nowhere near Game of Thrones leves).

Instead I have chosen to go to a completely different direction and decided to give Candice Bushnell's One Fifth Avenue a try.  Now obviously Ms.Bushnell is a good writer and I find myself oddly interested with the characters. All in all not a bad choice of book this turned out to be (ironically purchased at a thrift store in SoHo for 1 US dollar) 

The Tree with Deep Roots Eps 1- 10

Oh yes. The Tree with Deep Roots (it is translated in my legit Malay copy as Deep Rooted Tree but I'm going to go with the wider known title) completely hooked me. First off this one is a powerhouse of acting both from cinema greats and drama veterans. Visuals are good and the music very catching. Also the drama has this habit of cranking music up in dramatic scenes which is hillarious but I love it.

Another thing that got to me was that I was truly suprised when a crucial twist was revealed. This doesn't happen to me anymore that often (side effects of watching/reading too much). Actually the last time I felt this way was when Ned Stark was beheaded.

Against my better judgement I tried to watch 4 episodes last night but could only make two since I had been out in Istanbul all day today benefiting from good company and excellent weather (I wish I was able to say good food too but everything was fail except the creme bruleé and I'm not that much of a dessert person).

And lastly Jang Hyuk - this man is great with comedy and drama and I love him best when he is the hot headed man with a haunted past in a costume drama. He has an excellent way of acting completely bonkers (and congrats to the child actor who was also very good) and to me he is a very handsome man (his face looks feline and those lips are very very kissable).

Of course the acting powerhouse in the Deep Tree house is Han Suk Kyu. His acting is of the understated type but he makes it work so well - I swear he made the whites of his eyes turn red in one scene. I'm - once again - in awe. 

Meanwhile Kushiel's Chosen is going great, I don't even mind the lack of romance now.