Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
A fast-moving action film, “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations” is a spy thriller full of special ops, backstabbing and political intrigue. Last year, I stopped watching about 20 minutes into the movie, because it didn’t hold my interest. But when I went back to it this year, I found it to be thoroughly entertaining. Is this a prestige film? Absolutely not. But it was a fun ride with a (straight-laced) fish-out-of-water concept.
Describing “Reborn Rich” is tricky without giving away the ending. Is this K-drama a time-traveling thriller? Or a revenge series with the poor battling the obscenely wealthy? Maybe it’s a tale of repentance? It’s all that and more. Smart and calculated without resorting to tired tropes, “Reborn Rich” offers powerhouse performances by Song Joong-ki (in two roles) and master actor Lee Sung-min (“Misaeng”), who at just 54, convincingly portrays the former’s grandfather.
“When My Love Blooms” started off so strong and promising that I had high hopes for this years. You usually can’t go wrong with Yoo Ji-tae and Lee Bo-young in the lead roles. But while the actors did a great job of embodying their complicated roles, I ended up not appreciating either character very much.
The second season of “Yumi’s Cells” picks up where season one left off. After Yumi and Woong’s breakup, she ventures into a new relationship with an exceedingly attractive colleague named Ba-bi. They go on sweet dates and slowly fall in love. But when things seem too good to be true, Yumi almost anticipates their breakup. That’s what she has come to expect from men.
Yumi is a woman in her early thirties, who had spent most of her twenties with a man who used her financially, cheated on her and then left her after seven years together. She viewed those as wasted years and, in some ways, is correct. Doting on a partner who doesn’t value you is nothing to be proud of. But there’s also something to be said for learning from negative experiences.