Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
If you watched Sylvester Stallone’s 1987 arm wrestling film “Over the Top” and hated it, don’t let that deter you from giving “Champion” a shot. Starring Ma Dong-seok (“Train to Busan,” “Eternals,” “The Roundup” films), the buff actor has a knack for comedy.
“The Hymn of Death” is a bittersweet three-hour mini-series that tells the real-life story of Yum Sim-Deok — Joseon’s first soprano — and Kim Yoo-Jin, a renowned writer and playwright. Set during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, the tragic story is familiar to many Koreans.
Based on the 2016 K-drama, “Cheese in the Trap” — which was based on the webtoon of the same name — this film adaptation is a good primer, but it’s lacking in telling the characters’ full stories.
A team of doctors struggle against a conglomeration that is set on privatizing their hospital to optimize profit. As Lee Dong-Wook’s character points out, the chaebol in charge wants to turn the hospital into something that only the wealthy can afford.
“Prison Playbook” is a dramedy I never wanted to watch. But I’m so glad I did, because it handled social injustice in a way that was palatable to digest, while offering a satisfying ending.
The Korean adaptation of “Suits” is an exciting series that shows off Park Hyung-Sik’s acting range and beautifully expressive face.
The saving grace of “Come and Hug Me” is that it drives home the point that bloodlines don’t define who you are or who you will become — and that just because you passed your DNA onto a child, that doesn’t make you a good parent.
“My Ahjussi” is a satisfying K-Drama focusing on Dong-Hoon, a mid-level engineer who lives a mundane life. He works hard, hangs out with his brothers every evening and goes home to a house where his wife is rarely there. And if she is, she holes away in her home office and ignores him. It can’t be a coincidence that the set designer chose an apartment complex that looks more like a prison than a home for their residence.
Like most Korean dramas, there is a love triangle in “Ms. Hammurabi.” The difference is that there are so many interesting plots developing here that I cared more about the human rights issues that the judges were fighting for than the romance.
“My ID is Gangnam Beauty” specifically tackles South Korea’s obsession with physical looks, but the storyline carries over to many cultures, where the standards of beautiful — especially for girls and women — is unrealistic.