Time for the weekend, time for MOVIES!!!

It’s the weekend – Woohoo! I really enjoy watching movies over the weekend, especially if I’m in the need of a mini drama break …it does happen!

I’ve written an article giving you a couple of movie suggestions that’s currently on mydramalist.com if you want to check it out.

The movie recommendations I give are Miss Granny, Koizora and Rough Cut. Miss Granny is super funny, Koizora is a very emotional, tear-jerking romantic Japanese Movie and Rough cut is action packed and has an amazing cast.

Full article on MDL: Zhaoul’s Weekend Movie Recommendations to Suit your Mood

Has anyone seen any good movies lately? I’d love to hear your recommendations.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Super Quick Movie and Kdrama Reviews

I watch more than I review these days. I must do my blog justice and give you all a peek into my drama mind.

I’m listing all the dramas and movies I’ve watched since January that I haven’t reviewed and will give you a very brief rundown on my thoughts. Perhaps at some point I’ll elaborate more on a few of these dramas. You’ll be able to tell that I’ve gone through a Jang Keun Suk phase. I pretty much watched him in everything I could fined with a couple exceptions.

Without further ado, here’s a quick rundown on what I’ve been watching.

Austenland – A Delightful, Hilarious Submersion into the World of Jane Austen: Movie and Book Review

I’m going to let you all in on a little secret (an embarrassing secret). For the last two weeks I’ve developed a new (teeny-tiny obsession) I will name Austenland. It started with boredom. I wanted to watch a movie. Something, cute, sweet, simple and in which didn’t require to much thinking. Then I stumbled upon Austenland.

It’s adorable, tender and simply put, absolutely ridiculous (insert British accent here). I’m not going to claim that it’s a masterpiece, but rather it fulfilled my desire for a little bit of romance, a splash of over-the-top comedy, some sexy British accents and total submersion into the very prim and proper regency era.

So what’s it about? I’ll start by strictly referring to the movie, and will afterwards mention the book (which I have also read and enjoying immensely).

Quick Synopsis

Jane (played by Keri Russell) is obsessed with Jane Austen’s novels, or more specifically speaking, she is obsessed with Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. Even more specific than that, the obsession really stems down to Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 Mini Series, Pride and Prejudice. Jane is in her 30’s and is stuck with this fantasy of Mr. Darcy. As a result, she has had many failed relationships and finds herself longing for that perfect, happily-ever-after romance. She decides to spends her life savings on Austenland, a truly Austen Experience where the Regency Era comes to life through costume and the rules of etiquette and society at the time. There is promise of romance, and the whole ordeal ends with a ball. There are, of course, paid actors in the mix that are there to please the guests, and make their fantasies become reality. So off Jane goes to Austenland, but the lines between fiction and reality become very blurred as she tries to sort the two.

So what I loved about the Movie

The Soundtrack

The Soundtrack to this movie is really cute, sweet, and fits perfectly with the film. Some of the moments where the music comes in, really adds to the scene. I liked it so much, I bought the soundtrack (I really am becoming more and more like Jane).

Jane

Alright, I see quite a bit of myself in Jane. When I like something, I really like it to the point of borderline obsession. I mean, come on, let’s be honest, this blog is littered with obsession, whether it be Korean Drama reviews, actors or movies. If I had the opportunity to experience something like Austenland, I would probably jump at the chance. Perhaps not specifically an Austen Experience, but to cosplay a character I love from something I’ve watched, and live the experience myself, that is very tempting.

The Love Triangle

What is a good Rom Com without a love triangle? This one is especially alluring because both men are attractive and charming in their own sort of way. Also, as viewer, I felt the same way Jane did, unable to decipher fiction from reality. This kept me guessing who she would end up with.

Mr. Nobley

Alright – Breathe. Mr. Nobley (played by JJ Feild) is the equivalent to Mr. Darcy. He has the same temperament and personality traits. But he’s an actor. Where is the line drawn between actor and person? Jane and Nobley have some deliciously tense banter similar to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. They are constantly challenging each other.

Mixed in with Nobley’s insufferable personally, is a very considerate gentleman with a cute, half-turned sincere smile and eyes intensely always watching Jane. He is mysterious, handsome and yummy, if I dare say.

A few of my favorite moments

Without giving out the movies outcome, I want to highlight a few moments in the movie I thought were really great.

Mr. Nobley comes to Jane’s rescue in the rain

Okay, I think this might seriously be my favorite moment in the entire movie. She’s stranded in the rain, and here he comes like a Knight in Shining Armor. He rips apart her dress so she can properly ride the horse, scoots her forward and off they go. The whole scene is very scrumptious. The end of the scene is pretty hilarious as she walks away with her britches exposed.

Jane and Martin and their daytime date

Martin (played by Brett McKenzie) makes Jane feel normal in this fabricated Jane Austen world. They spend the day together, laughing, enjoying each other’s company and kissing. He may not be Mr. Darcy, but he feels real. He’s also funny and charming in a rugged way with a very sexy accent.

Jane Decides to step up her game and seize her own destiny

So Jane sort of got gypped with the whole vacation. She finds out she bought the cheapest package and is treated like lower class. She decides to take control of the situation and not let this keep her down or stop her chances of finding love.

Mr. Nobley and Jane in the garden

Jane and Nobley have a little chat about what is enjoyable in Austenland. Nr. Nobley grabs Jane’s sketch book and finds out that most of her drawings are of him and his stern face. They have very awkward conversation where Nobley pries a little bit into Jane’s possible feelings.

Final thoughts on the movie

I really like it but it does have some flaws and a few awkward delivery of lines. But, it was really funny and heartwarming. A feel-good, light and fluffy romance.

Movie Review Rating 4/5 (maybe 3/5 for the skeptical)

Now, onto the Book Austenland by Shannon Hale

I do recommend this book. I purchased this book after having first watched the movie. It’s a short and easy read. Some of the best lines from the book were kept in the movie version. There were a couple of great scenes, however, that didn’t make the final cut of the movie. The characters are pretty much the same with one main difference with Mr. Nobley, but it doesn’t in any way change his personality or the way he is portrayed. In the book, Jane seems to be more embarrassed of her obsession. She really doesn’t want to admit it, or for anyone to know about it. It seems to be a big shame she is carrying. The book is well written, difficult to put down, and easy to put yourself in the heroine shoes.

Book Review 4/5

Windstruck Quick Review

          

First of all, romantic comedy? Yea right! They tricked me! This movie is not a romantic comedy. Here I thought, okay, I’m going to check out an older romantic comedy, this should be a light watch to pass two hours of my time. Well, I should have known better. The cover photo doesn’t exactly scream romantic comedy. Yes, there would comedic elements, but I would not call this a romantic comedy.

Sypnosis: Yeo Kyung-Jin (played by Gianna Jun) is a police officer who’s super tough. She tries to catch someone who steals a purse but grabs the wrong guy by mistake (Myung-Woo played by Jang Hyuk). They end up falling for each other and then .. well… spoilers happen.

So the first half is pretty funny and light hearted, with a few more serious scenes in it where there’s foreshadowing of later events.

Favorite moments

Their were four moments in this movie I thought were really great. The first one was when they are handcuffed together and they are trying to freshen up in the bathroom. It’s a super cute scene and I really liked it. It also set up the stage to believe that yes, these two are going to like each other, or are starting to like each other.

The second moment I really liked was when they were laying down each on a separate bed with their handcuffs on. Then at the end of these scene she slips her hand out, and then puts it right back in the handcuff. I was like “What!!”. It was pretty funny. Caught me off guard.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Now, this was obviously a clue to what was about to transpire; Myung-Woo (Jang Hyuk) talks about how when he dies he wants to become the wind. I didn’t want to think of him dying, but I thought it was a beautiful moment. He looked very blissful with his arms stretched out wide and I thought “Ya, being wind wouldn’t be so bad”. It’s also a pretty romantic notion that you are always with your loved one even if they can’t see you, they can sense and feel your presence.

The last scene I enjoyed (and had me bawling uncontrollably by the way) was when the wind is fiercely blowing through her apartment and then he shows up. I don’t know why I got so emotional with this movie. Honestly, I thought this movie could have been so much better. I’ll explain why in a moment. But it was so strange, that I didn’t really like it, but I was an emotional wreck watching it. I think it’s because the cast did well.

Cristisms

1) Pick a genre, any genre and stick with it. This movie was inconsistent.

2) Lack of character and script development

I wanted to know more about Myung-Woo. What was his upbringing like? What did he love about her? What did she love about him? We know about her twin sister that passed away but I feel like we didn’t get to know Ko Myung-Woo enough. He died before they really established his character. I’m not speaking poorly of his acting (Jang Hyuk is my favorite actor, I wouldn’t criticize him, I love him!). I just felt the whole thing was too rushed. Like maybe this would have made a really good tragic drama series rather than a movie. They were too many holes for me to fully enjoy it.

3) Really.. So dramatic and no kissing?

Oh common! Now that was just too cruel. He goes to kiss her and she burns his lip? I admit, it was kind of funny, but if you are going to show such a strong connection between them despite death, then you need to convince and show us some of their love an physical attraction. I bet you she regretted not kissing him afterward though. I know I would.

Final thoughts

It’s not a bad movie but it could have been better. The concept was interesting, and sad but the script just didn’t tie it all together for me in a way that I was satisfied. There were some really good scenes though so I do think it’s worth checking out. I thought Ko Myung-Woo was funny and cute. It was neat watching Jang Hyuk in a bit of a goofy role.  The two of them were cute together, but it they should have developed this relationship more before killing him off.

My rating 2.5/5