Ruler of Your Own World Eps.9-10-11

Wow just when I thought that the story was not going anywhere but the love triangle, Bok Su's illness hit. And also his mother lost her money and dared to ask him to return to his old ways. He even thought about it but was not able to do it thank God. I seriously like this character and like Kyung in extention because she likes him for the right reasons (meaning the reasons I think are right - heh) but I don't really care for Mi Rae even though she is cool and is someone I'd like but Gong Hyo Jin is not someone I care for (except in Best Love :) ) and this sort of affects my perception I suppose.
I don't even want to mention the secondary male since he is a total asshole.

Meanwhile Rookie is suspected of stealing from a film set. They first took BokSu to the police station because he has a criminal record but he called the Glove Man and got out. Glove Man is the police detective he has a complicated relationship with. He admits to cutting his finger (the man wears a glove on his right hand) but Glove Man put him in jail with false evidence. But we are kept in dark as far as the details of whys and hows of the story. Anyway Glove Man threats BokSu to stop going to the Action School (where he is one of the stuntmen now) and come with him as an undercover to point him out the pickpockets or just stand there since they come and say hi to BokSu anyway. If he doesn't do this he'll put Rookie in jail.
So he does that for a day but feels really crappy about it (not to mention his health detoriating) and stops the farce in the second day saying that he'll find and hide Rookie from the cops.

Well at least he has made his choice (Kyung - yeah) and MiRae just has to live with it. Meanwhile Kyung has complications in the family. Kang is only his half brother and Kang and Mother know it but she doesn't. Her father suffers in silence while her mother keeps meeting Kang's father. Kang spotted them when he took MiRae to dinner and he was so annoyed with the whole thing and MiRae's questions afterwards that he actually stopped the car and left her by the road - another asshole. Kang is also married but doesn't treat his wife well. He seems to like assertive, independent women and his wife is the silent suffering, meek Korean wife.

Well I fell asleep during Episode 12 but I don't blame the show.


I, Claudius is riveting. I'm may just be interested in Roman history after this.
 

Ruler of Your Own World Eps.8 and a Half

I wonder what is wrong with me since I was not even able to watch the later half of episode 9 of Ruler Of Your Own World.

Anyway Bok Su heavy with guilt, left Kyung and returned to MiRae. But of course his heart is with Kyung and MiRae is not blind to this fact. She is hoping that this will pass soon and he will return to old BokSu. What no one else knows is that BokSu's life is in danger. He needs to get an operation but of course it is an expensive one and he doesn't want to borrow the money because he may end up dying on the operating table. Also he is still reluctant to accept the severity of his illness, hoping that he'll somehow get well now that he is living an honest life.

I, Claudius is very very good. It even got me interested in Roman history.

Ruler of Your Own World Eps 7

I was only able to watch a single episode last night due to a visit from a friend. And episode 7 was so so good. Our couple is comfortable with each other and their feelings. Kyung is straightforward and tells her suitor right away that she'll date Bok Su. He argues that she is unrealistic and the most important factor against Bok Su is not his unfortunate looks, his lack of funds nor his illegal past but his ignorance. She is educated and will not be able to have conversations with Bok Su, well Han is an asshole.

BokSu on the other hand is not able to let go of MiRae that easily. They have a lot of history and MiRae has supported BokSu in his hour of need. It is not easy to say her goodbye and embark on a fresh new love who already makes Mi Rae feel bad about herself (Kyung is younger, more educated, prettier and really really nice) so BokSu was not able to confess and laments that Kyung made his life more complicated.

Well meanwhile MiRae is beginning to not hate Kyung's brother, Kang. Kang is married but not happy with his wife (who is a model Korean wife actually) and he obviously likes MiRae's spritit and independent air but has not approached her that way yet. MiRae likes him too but her heart belongs to BokSu. I love how subtle we see her unintended liking to Kang. The way real people give themselves away in this kind situation where they start to like a person but are not aware of the fact that they do.

Anyway Kyung and BokSu decide to go on a date at his mother's chicke place (she'll cook them a special dish not on the menu) and as they arrive they see a drunken customer hitting on his mother. He beats the customer and Kyung consoles the mother, who asks her to come again to taste the dish (obviously she is not able to make it right then). They exit the place and Kyung tells BokSu that she will visit again which sort of relieves BokSu of his emberrassment. These two are adorable but right then MiRae appears at the street entrance and the two instinctively ran away (Kyung is sorry for her Unni and doesn't want to upset her either). While they hide behind an SUV they hold hands and this is how MiRae finds them. Dun Dun Dun!!!!

I hope that MiRae manages to act cool but there is no easy way out for any of the three.

I Spit On Your Grave, Journey 2 Mysterious Island, Independence Day, The Sitter, The End of Summer, The Ruler of Your Own World - Eps.1-6, I Claudius

I has been hectic and I haven't time to update  here is what I remember


Journey 2 The Mysterious Island This was not so good but I like The Rock and enjoyed it.

The Sitter  This was not very good

The End of Summer despite loving Ozu San, this film tried my patience. I was able to finish it in three tries. It was like a sleeping pill for some reason.

I Spit On Your Grave well, it was relatively tame in comparison with all the SAWs, Hostels etc. but it was conscientiously made and interesting.

The Ruler of Your Own World This oldie turned out to be so good and I'm very much into it the end of Episode 6, where our OTP has confessed finally. It is an unlikely pairing but I'm rooting for them. Kyung has a more handsome, rich suitor who can also help with her profession but she is not happy with him even though he is funny and entertains her. But when she is with our protagonist Bok Su she shines. He doesn't have a regular job, he is an ex convict, a former thief, he is not handsome and he has loads of baggage but he is a good guy and he is good to/for her. So she chooses him. I love it.

Bok Su has a girlfriend too, Mi Rae a professional cheerleader (for a baseball team I think) aspiring to be a nurse (she is I think in her late 20s early 30s so she'll need to quit cheerleading soon) and she loves Bok Su but when he gave up his life as a pickpocket and got interested in being a stuntman (maybe because Bok Su has an inoperable brain tumour and will die soon) she asked him to choose between her and being a stuntman (she doesn't want to take the risk of him being crippled and she having to take care of him). Well at least she is honest, I guess.

And I love love love these two. The keyboard player, song writer and an ex con thief current apprentice stuntman - well it looks ridiculous on paper but it works, oh how it works...

This is also a weird choice for me since I do not like any of the four lead actors and only got this because it was sooooo cheap. Probably because it is old.

Yıldız Yaralanması ended on an upbeat note, which is not typical for Perihan Mağden and I'm very happy with it.

I have started I, Claudius written by Robert Graves. I seem to remember old BBC series my family used to love but I only remember the name. Now I think I'll seek it out since the novel is very interesting. I do not feel compelled to pick it up but when I do I dive right in.

Thousand Day Promise - End, Standing in Another Man's Grave - End, Yıldız Yaralanması

Thousand Day Promise ended on a predictably sad note. Despite the fact I don't hate this drama (here is a note, the only drama I completely disliked but finished only because of So Ji Sub hotness - Cain and Abel, and I stopped watching Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy altogether), I don't see the point of it either. Yes a young, smart, pretty woman who had a sucky life (father died, mother left them when she was 6 - she had to live with her paternal aunt with his younger brother and even though the aunt and uncle and their male cousin were all nice to them, they never felt like they belonged) got into an affair with the man she loves from way back (a close friend of her cousin) even though he is engaged and will get married to his childhood sweetheart. Then she is diagnosed with amnesia. Then the man was not able to leave her for a few reasons mostly because he is a good guy, they get married and she realises that she is pregnant. She gives birth and detoriates slowly and then dies. Yep that is the drama. Well written, not insulting to watch, definitely well acted especially by the leads but what was the point? Mediocre purchase. I loved the soundtrack though.

Standing in Another Man's Grave Perfect crime novel. I love Rebus and I liked him even more with this one.

I have started

Yıldız Yaralanması (lit.trans would be something like Star Injury) written by one of my favorite Turkish novelists Perihan Mağden. I like her style and the plot is interesting though again with mother issues (in fact I find this similar to İki Genç Kız - Two Young Girls). I like it.

J.Edgar, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Standing in Another Man's Grave, Thousand Day Promise until the end of Eps.17, The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy

Well I have watched two films and some U.S.A TV shows this weekend, and despite the fact that I usually don't read Saturday and Sunday, I simply had to sneak in some Rebus. I really really like this latest Ian Rankin book to my utter delight.

As for the films

J.Edgar  This is not a good film. Very sorry Mr.Eastwood and Mr.DiCaprio - good performance-. It is not a horrible film but definitely the weakest Eastwood film I have watched. Seriously man why?

What to Expect When You Are Expecting This is not a good film either. I like this type of film and when it is done well, it is a delight you watch more than once but when it doesn't work, it simply doesn't work.

The Good Wife She doesn't have the magic of the former seasons but I still like it and keep on watching. I like Alicia and Kalinda both. And I have a soft spot for Josh Charles ever since Threesome.

Grey's Anatomy now Grey's is back as far as I'm concerned. Meredith is wonderful and I like the new guys too.

Thousand Day Promise is such a regular show. Everything in it is understated and I do not find myself impatient to start watching but then again as soon as I start I'm delighted with it and even though I always  think "I'll not cry watching this episode", I end up crying anyway.

Thousand Day Promise Eps.6-7, Nefes Nefese - End, Standing in Another Man's Grave

Well, Nefes Nefes ended and as soon as it did I have started the new Ian Rankin and I missed Rebus. The beginning of the book is like a warm hug from a relative you missed.

Thousand Day Promise continues to be awesome. Ji Hyung finally announced that he will not marry Hyang Gi and Seo Yeon when she found out tried to stop him from being involved with her and instead live his life but he can't leave her, especially knowing that she will get worse. It is so sad but at the same time realistic too. Seo Yeon is an amazing character, I really like her.

Thousand Day Promise Eps 4-5, Standing in Another Man's Grave

Thousand Day Promise is going so good. I love the soundtrack - I may even have to buy it at some point if/when it becomes cheap- the acting, the strong female lead and how she refuses to collapse under her sad fate. But eventually she'd have to and it is such a torture to know that you'll lose your mind and be dependant to people - which is something she hated right from the start when her dad died and her mom dumped her and her little brother, just upped and left them to fend for themselves, when she was just six year old*, her Aunt is such a good woman but it must have been difficult to add to the worries of a family not economically well off. It is really so sad that I'm tearing up as I write this. And Su Ae is making such a good job of it and I really like Kim Tae Won who has the thankless role so far which I know will change very soon but he is a great actor and has the gift of chemistry. I believe in this couple and root for them even though they are cheaters and liars. Their love seems so true. And I do believe that it is better to know the truth rather than being deceived by a well meaning lie, so I think it will be better for Hyang gi to know that her fiance does not love her and the sooner the better. She will be crushed of course but will have a chance to make a new life with someone who does no?

Nefes Nefese is also going good. Ayşe Kulin, the author is such a generic writer but a good story teller and I find myself being sucked into this but not as strongly as Adı:Aylin or Veda. Maybe because I'm getting used to her prose and it started to bore me. The remedy for that would be to pace out her books since I enjoy the stories she tells.

Meanwhile, thank God for my good hearted colleagues I have got the latest Ian Rankin novel Standing in Another Man's Grave. This is Rebus' return. Well I don't support returning finished characters but Rebus is someone I really like so I don't mind this time. So far I'm optimistic and eager. I hope the book will not fail me. Another interesting thing is that this book is loaned to me in Kindle form. It will be the first time for me and I'm a bit worried; a) I hope I'll be able to return it intact b) I hope it will be a great to read it in this form and c) what if I like it so much that I won't be able to suppress the urge to get one? I hope Amazon will come to Turkey soon!!!!!

* This is the second time a mother just ups and leaves her small kids to fend for themselves. The other one was Nobody Knows, and it was such a heartbreaking film and I keep remembering that film in relation with Thousand Day Promise which makes me cry.

Appassionata - End, Nefes Nefese, The Avengers, Thousand Day Promise Eps.I-II-III

Appassionata ended very nicely. Although it is not as good as the sonata whose known title it shares, I like the book because I have fondness for English chick novels.

Now I have started a Turkish chick novel called Nefes Nefese (we can translate it as "Breathless") I suppose but no, it is not a bonk buster, it is about second world war and the Turkish diplomats who helped Jewish people to escape from Europe. The story's focused on a couple - woman Muslim and very rich, man Jewish and from a good family but not as rich. When both families equally oppose to their union (rich Muslim family wants a Muslim son in law, otherwise this guy is perfect - Jewish family wants a Jewish daughter in law - she is otherwise a great catch). So the couple get married without family approval and then move to France but now it is second world war and France is under invasion.

Also I have finally watched The Avengers and I'm not really impressed although it was fun to watch. I didn't think it was all that. But then again I never really liked the other Avenger films with the exception of Hulk one and two (I think the second one was the real Avenger film) which makes me the only person who is not that fond of Ironman.

And I have started yet another Korean melodrama called Thousand Day Promise. I got this one cheap in LA and despite the fact that I know what's going to happen - having read the recaps at dramabeans- I'm really enjoying this since it has great leads. Su Ae is not an actor I consider pretty but her performances are always top notch. In this one she is a woman who had been in a relationship with an engaged man planning to end it when the wedding date is set. The man is in love with her for a long time but they kept themselves apart because of their different social standing. Man is rich but his father is working for a rich cheabol whose daughter he is engaged to. This fiancee is one who loved him for a long time and he sort of responded by sleeping with her. He never thought to follow up his feelings for our heroine who is an orphan (well her mom left her and her brother and dissappeared - this happened when she was six) raised by her paternal aunt and recently moved to another house (flat) with her brother. They were well looked after, the Aunt is loving and Uncle in Law is not bad either. Despite the extreme jelaousy of the female cousing, the male cousin (our hero is his close friend, and that is how they first met) treats them like a good brother.

And right after she ended her affair she finds out that she has Alzheimer's. No cure. Well one would expect makjang with that but the melo is suprisingly clean. I'm loving it for a change because the performances are very good, the PD has a great artistic eye and the music is lovely. 

Muhjse Fraandship Karoge

Muhjse Fraaandship Karoge This one was expectedly sweet and charming. I liked the leads and their chemistry. I didn't like the music. Shed some tears at the end (happy tears!!).

Meanwhile I'm still reading Appassionata (and I listened to the piano sonata 23 Opus 57 aka appassionata) I love it when books take me to other places. And in no connection to the book I'm loving Beethoven more and more with each day.

Maybe I should start watching Beethoven Virus, since it is also about an orchestra (which is the background for Appassionata) but then again I doubt that mild mannered, social convention compliant Korean orchestra members would be similar to wild Brits that are hillariously depicted in the novel.

Kaseifu No Mita - End

Last night I have watched the final one and a half episodes of Kaseifu no Mita and I thought I'd never cry - since yesterday I actually fell asleep. But it turned out that I have cried so much so that I needed the tissue box. This show hit all my kinks and I love every second of it.

Kaseifu No Mita Eps 8-9

I thought I was finished with the tears but Kaseifu no Mita and her utter melo managed to cause new ones. I love this kind of viewing where silent tears flow during scene after scene and you just know that everything is going to be alright and the children would be happy. I don't know if I'd be able to feel like it if I watch this sort of thing every day but it sure is good once in while.

But sadly I fall asleep during episode 10. This is not due to show's performance but more about me being tired. And I was drinking coffee too. It's supposed to keep you awake no?


Appassionata meanwhile is a really fun read. I don't see where the novel is going but it feels strange that the villains are clear cut and we already know who we are meant to root for. It is like a Korean drama :)

Melancholia, Mystic River, Kaseifu no Mita Eps.7

This weekend was one of the more productive ones film wise.

Melancholia it has become interesting to me how one's tastes change as time goes by and one gets older. I used to love Von Trier films. Maybe they were better or maybe I was trying to be more intelligent by loading more meaning to them, I don't know. But with Anti Christ and now Melancholia, Von Trier kind of lost me. I still love his powerful imagery though, many of the scenes in the film are almost paintings and I don't think I yawned once during. Kirsten Dunst and Alexander Skarsgard are both faves. I think Charlotte Gainsborough is one of the best living actors but I can't like her and do not active seek the films she is in out. But whenever I watch anything she is in, I'm awed by her talent. Anyway this film was interesting to watch but I didn't feel any of the previous thrill while I watch other Von Trier films.

Mystic River this one too left me cold. It is very loyal to the novel but in the end, ended up being not a good film. The most guilty is the dialogue. The leads are all accomplished actors but the dialogues were silly and I don't think anyone would have made them sound better. This one Eastwood film that I don't really care for. The novel, on the other hand is very good and highly recommended. All the sentences that feel so fake in the film are organic and alive in the novel.

I have also started Kaseifu no Mita, a Japanese drama. The title translates as Housekeeper Mita. The story is that an unusual housekeeper starts work at the house of a dysfunctional family and changes the lives of family members for the better (yeah it does sound like Mary Poppins or the The Sound of Music no?). Mita is very odd and the family is not your usual one. The mom committed suicide the night after Dad asked for a divorce (due to an affair with a subordiante where he works). In the first episodes they hide this from the kids but at the end of episode 7 everyone knows everything and now we are slowly getting into Mita's story. Meanwhile Dad is fired from his job, kids suffered through some serious issues but came out in flying colours with Mita being on hand supplying the things they need.
There is also maternal Grandpa (who understandably doesn't like his Son in Law very much) and Clumsy Aunt, who manages to look at things more wisely and tries not to judge anyone. She is the only one who voices my thoughts being suprised by her Sister's suicide just because her husband asked for a divorce. How can he leave her children behind like that? Yeah Aunt Urara, that's what I was thinking but then again, I try not to judge.

I have been crying rivers in almost each episode. The kids are adorable (and my weakness in fiction) and the issues sound real.

The Dirty Picture, The Unconsoled - End, Appassionata

Last night I have watched The Dirty Picture and I liked it very much. Not only the music was awesome but the acting, especially from the leading lady was suprisingly good. Well not the leading lady since Vidya Balan is a good actor and doesn't usually give a bad performance but Tusshar Kapoor (who probably got the part because he is Ekta's brother), Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi are all actors I don't really care about. Nasir is best acting among the three but for some reason he is my least fave. There is something about him that doesn't appeal to me, I can't quite put my finger on what though. Anyway the film tells the story of a young girl who gets to be a star of risqué appearances in Southern Indian films. The time period is the 80s and the story progresses as our heroine Silk get more successful with each item song. But of course there is a price to pay and the film does a great job of making the viewer care. Silk is not someone I'd like in real life but on the screen I was rooting for her all the way.

Aaaaannnnd finally last night The Unconsoled ended. To be fair it is a greatly written novel and I do like some surrealism in my literary fiction (for some reason I don't really care for it in paintings and cautiously approach it in film form) but the dreamlike structure made me feel distant and I could never really get into it all the way.

And for an antidote I have started Jilly Cooper's Appassionata. Never read Cooper (probably Sophie Kinsella of her time) but I'm enjoying this "bonk buster" as the Brit's call chick lit there. I got this book at the second hand book fair and am very very happy with my choice so far. It has that certain British jeu ne se quoi and the generic prose felt like balm over my meta dissapointment of Ishiguro. Well it felt like I ate a fantastic fillet mignon which was unfortunately too rare for my liking and now I'm recuperating with masala chai :)

Doc Martin Season 5 - End.

Well it was another Doc Martin usual. I like it despite its many flaws and had a good time with Season 5.

The Unconsoled is nearing its end and I feel so detached from the characters that the beauty of the prose is almost lost in me. Almost but not quite since I actually didn't realise we arrived at work because I was so engrossed in the book. Mr.Ishiguro just writes so beautifully. I just wish it was not so dream like which kind of disabled me to get interested in any of the characters but the situations they are in, especially the emotional detachment (which is a feeling so well told in other Ishiguro novels) do hit home.

The Vow

New year's eve was uneventful and peaceful just as I want it. Yummy food too!

I have watched

The Vow which I only wanted to see because of Rachel McAdams. I love that girl. Her co star is Channing Tatum who is not my type of ideal man but everytime I watch him on screen I sense a (probably not there in actuality) vulnerability that appeals to me. All in all I liked this film because the chemistry was good and the interesting story kept me going. I don't know whether I'd have liked it as much with different actors though.