Sunkyunkwan Scandal: Korean Drama Review

After my family trip to Seoul, I found it hard to let go of the city that has been so good to me with the friendly people, the cool air, and the excellent shopping that when I got back, I wanted immediately to catch up on my Korean dramas. I still had a couple on my TBW pile and immediately, I zeroed in on the Sunkyungkwan Scandal starring Park Yoo chun and Park Min young. I wanted to see Yoo chun’s Rooftop Prince (which I believe was more popular but a friend spoiled the ending for me so I decided to go with Scandal) but as it turned out, I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

Kim Yoon Hee (Park Min young) is a girl burdened by having to provide for her mother and ailing brother when her father passed away at an early age. In order to do so, she assumes her brother’s identity to work at the bookstore transcribing old books and making study guides for Sunkyungkwan university scholars, sons of noblemen who will soon take positions as government officials. But when their landlord, the Minister of War pressures the family to pay their debt worth 100 nyang or face eviction, Yoon Hee becomes desperate and she takes on the offer to become a substitute exam taker at Sunkyungkwan. A case of mistaken identity lands her face to face with Left Minister’s only son, the uptight, bookish and friendless Lee Soon Joon (Park Yoo Chun), who takes a special interest in her talents and forces her to take the exam and become a scholar herself.

I finished the entire series in a total of one day and two nights because I was just so engaged with this series. The story was pretty generic, girl disguises herself as a boy to get better opportunities, gets close to the lead guy, while another gets interested in her, forming a triangle of sorts in which the story revolves but despite the fact that this storyline has been used countless times in other dramas, it still worked out, mainly because it was set in the Joseon dynasty period in Korean history so this injected a different flavor to the execution.

Aside from being a love story, the drama touches on major political issues that people in ancient Korea had to deal with such as inequality, politics, discrimination – things that most people of today take for granted and it was blended so well that viewers get immersed in what is happening and they get invested in the characters and the outcome.

The drama was depicted in such a way that it also became a history lesson, a lesson in friendship and a lesson in family. A father’s love for his offspring, a teacher’s love for his students, a king’s love for his people, and the loyalty of good friends who will risk their lives to protect one another.

I loved the chemistry between Soon Joon and Yoon Shik/Yoon Hee. Park Yoo Chunwas awesome as the awkward and uptight nobleman who was overly optimistic and naïve to real world, and Min Young provided a perfect complementary character to his stiff and bookish Soon Joon, with the resilient, headstrong, smart and sassy Yoon Shik, who despite being disguised as a man, manages to capture Soon Joon’s heart. The two other characters who made up the Jalgeum Quartet, Geol Oh (Yoo Ah in)  was equal parts tough, sensitive and adorable, while the cunning charmer Gu Yong Ha (Song Joong Ki), kept things very interesting. He had this devilishly wicked smile that makes viewers wonder what he’s up to and this added levels to his character that one would not have expected from the beginning. I loved how their different personalities blended together, but my favorite moments were actually towards the beginning when Soon Joon and Geol Oh were both becoming confused about what they were feeling for their roommate, and how the truth was eventually revealed. The fighting about the sleeping positions were particularly hilarious. Even the main villains had their fair share of humanity towards the end, when everybody eventually stepped up their game to achieve the new Joseon that the king dreamed about.

I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. Towards the end, even when I wanted to find out how it was going to turn out, half of me wanted the drama to go on and on. The only regret that I have right now is that I didn’t watch it sooner. I have no doubt that I will be seeing it again, and again, and again in the near future.

Must Be Love: Movie Review

I caught the last full show of this teenybopper rom com on its opening date along with my co- workers. From the minute I plopped down on the seat and opened by popcorn, I braced myself for an hour and a half of lighthearted entertainment filled with LOLs and an occasional dramatic scene which is the trademark of Star Cinema, the studio that produced this movie. True enough, all my expectations were met.

Ivan (Daniel Padilla) and Patchot (Kathryn Bernardo) have been friends since they were kids. They have been through a lot together. Ivan was there when Patchot’s beauty queen mother left her family for loftier career opportunities, and Patchot stood by Ivan when his father ran off with another woman. When they grew up, their familiarity starts to pose a problem with Patchot, who starts to develop feelings for her best friend, who finds it hard to see her beyond the friend zone. Worse, Patchot’s cousin Angel (Liza Soberano) arrives from the US and Ivan immediately falls for her. Even worse, Patchot’s dad (John Estrada) would not allow her to explore her femininity because he fears that Patchot would turn out exactly like her mother, the deserter. When Ivan’s gay uncle (John Lapuz)  decides to help out the lovelorn teen, Ivan begins to see a whole new side to the friend that he has known forever.

The plot was predictable — a no brainer, the stuff formulaic mainstream movies are made of.  On all counts, this should have accounted for a boring disaster.

However, I found that I liked the film a lot despite the recycled plot. It seemed that the excellent direction of Dado Lomibao and the witty script of screenwriters Melissa Chua and Roumella Monge made the film seem fresh and fun, entertaining and relateable to the audience. The script was peperred by a whole lot of acronyms and delivered with a certain sense of coolness which will surely start a fad among teenage members of the audience. Terms like YOLO (You only live once), MTB (Meant to Be), MBL (Must Be Love), slow mo and fast forward will surely dominate the walls of facebook in a couple of days. As for the family element, was incorporated into the film early on so when the focus shifted from the love story to the family drama side, it did not seem awkward and blended seamlessly into the narrative.

The best part of the movie however, was the great chemistry between the lead stars and among the supporting cast members. Young heartthrob Daniel is a natural born charmer and he carries with him an appeal that is not common among young stars of today. When he delivers his lines, it is with great abandon to self consciousness that when he does goofy, it turns out endearing. His dramatic acting could still use some work but there is great potential there. Teen princess Kathryn, on the other hand, maintains a good girl image that is such a foil to Daniel’s effortless cool that makes their pairing work so well. Perhaps, because of working together many times before and establishing a rapport (or something else), the two stars seemed very comfortable with each other which made their scenes appear very natural and heartwarming. The supporting cast, which mainly provided comic relief, lent barrels of laughter rifting through the audience. All this was reinforced by the magnificent backdrop of Cebu as the setting for the film. Surely, this will be a boon to potential tourists who want to revisit the places the scenes were shot.

If I were to post any complaint about the movie, perhaps , it would only be overselling of the tomboy angle for Patchot in the beginning. It is one thing to be boyish but it would seem that her character was also oblivious to the basic tenets of personal hygiene, appearing always caked in dirt, sweat and charcoal. Also, the speed of the courtship between Ivan and Angel seemed to proceed at too fast a pace.

All in all, Must Be Love had a very simple story that carried a very positive message. It spoke about love between friends, family and and love for oneself — looking beyond the superficial and appreciating a person for what he/ she is. Its a bit cliche but for a movie that targets mostly teens, its still a great lesson to impart. A great date movie, or just to see with a bunch of friends. Loads of fun and an awesome way to unwind and spend the better part of two hours. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again, given the opportunity.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Movie Review

Before I wrote this entry, I re-read my review of the book so that I can refrain from saying the same things again. Why? This is one of the best book to movie translations I have ever seen and both the literary source and on screen material were mind blowing. This early in the entry, I would like to give a big kudos to author Stephen Chbosky who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Saying that he did an awesome job is an understatement of epic proportions.

The movie centers around Charlie (Logan Lerman), a 15-year old who is starting his freshman year in high school coming from a painful experience. His best friend Michael committed suicide over the summer and he was pretty much the only friend Charlie had. Charlie is pretty smart but he does not “participate.” He chooses to be alone most of the time observing people. But one night during a football game, he lucks out and meets seniors Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his stepsister Sam (Emma Watson), who take him under their wing and help him navigate through the jungle that is high school (read — smoking pot, drinking, hanging at parties, dating and love).

THE ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS. From top left: Bob (Adam Hagenbuch), Patrick , Sam, Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), Charlie and Alice (Erin Wilhemi).

I loved this movie because it interpreted the core essence of the book so fully not only with excellent dialogue but with a cast that totally reflects the characters in the book. Emma Watson was the biggest name in the cast and she did an amazing job but Ezra Miller as Patrick totally stole the show as the openly gay character secretly seeing the star quarterback Brad (Johnny Simmons). I love his vulnerability and his strength and his sweetness to Charlie. Logan Lerman on the other hand, was the perfect Charlie. He was endearing and charming and so darned innocent that audiences would feel the strong urge to step through the screen and hug him to take his pain away. This might be one of the best casting moments on film (thanks hugely to Venus Kanani and Mary Vernieu). This group is magic. Their pain is palpalable, their joy infectious. They make audiences laugh and cry and pretty much draw the audiences into their circle for the duration of the film. One can’t help but feel like they are part of this group. One can’t help but want to.

The story itself is not quite the regular coming of age staple. It runs deeper and deals with characters that are flawed and struggling. It shows high school as a time of depression and a time of hope. It puts a face to the darkness that some people have to hurdle in order to be normal. It is not for the faint of heart.

It is a story of love but not just the romantic kind but also one that springs from deep understanding and empathy and shows the wallflower in a positive light. It is a story of loyalty and friendship that inspires people, teens and adults alike to overcome their demons as these young people have.

The movie’s story deviates somewhat from the novel, perhaps due to cinematic restrictions, but it was still able to communicate Charlie’s life completely, albeit with smaller focus on his family, which took up a huge chunk of the novel’s backstory. The ending though, is more definitive than the novel’s open ending, so audiences might like that.

One other thing, the soundtrack was kickass. When I was reading the book, I had to research each song as it popped up (I think I may be of the same generation as Charlie but there were songs I was unfamiliar with) but hearing them being used in the specific scenes totally brought the novel to life.

WE ARE INFINITE. Charlie, Patrick and Sam celebrate Patrick’s C- on shop class.

All in all, a poignant film that has no sense of artifice and false bravado — just a barebones chronicling of the life of a troubled teen who had his fair shake of tragedies and triumphs. It connects with the audience in a different level whether or not one has read the novel or not. There’s just something about this film that clicks. I can’t put a name to it. All I can say is that it makes me feel infinite — and it has just earned a place in my list of favorite movies.

Letter Writing: A lost art

This morning, while I was rummaging through some old stuff, I decided to open my box of treasures, a huge box of letters and greeting cards given to me over the years by people close to me.

While I was browsing through the older ones, I realize that I have been really lucky to be born in the era of cheap but cute stationery from Japan which encouraged my friends and I to write to each other almost every day to 1. to show off our cute notepads, and 2. to talk about teenage stuff that seem awfully funny now but meant a whole lot during those times.

I was lucky to get greeting cards on my birthday, some personal some by group, some collages and some videos that were very personal in nature, sent by post and written by hand – even if some words were not legible, it feels good to be remembered enough and regarded with that much care that people will spend time to create something special just for me.

Its always challenging to come up with something to write, especially to fill a blank piece of paper and in doing so, one really has to share something of himself in order to make the page come to life, to speak to the person he is writing to and for this, letter writing is indeed an art. Most often than not, even a simple Happy Birthday from a person you least expect to greet you becomes a big deal. It always means something. It touches the heart.

When I moved to the province after high school. It was an especially difficult time for me, living all my life in Manila and through this time, I realized that many of the letters I kept were mailed from my elementary and high school friends, asking how I was or how I was holding up. I really did not think that my friends would take the time to share with me what I’ve been missing but they did, and their words helped me find the strength to meet new people and establish new friendships. Suffice to say, that even though we are not always in touch, we don’t forget each other’s birthdays. We also touch base every now and then but every time, we catch up like we’ve never been apart.

I am quite thankful that I have kept these letters all this time, even if it takes a huge amount of space on my drawer. Reading them makes me feel closer to that time when waiting for the final bell is the best part of the day, because it meant that we would be free to hang out and tell stories, go to the mall and horse around some more. They bring me to a time when I had to wait an entire month before I got a letter from my cousin abroad and I would find in it pictures enclosed in the envelope about places she’s been and friends she met along the way.

I have been blessed with a lot of people in my life, some I have not much contact with, but these letters serve as a link to our relationship at one point in our lives and refreshes memories of school, and work, happy times, not so fun times.

I am sad that these days, because of emails and social networks, people hardly write letters to each other anymore. Worse, some bookstores don’t even have greeting card sections now which is weird. Its sad that this art of showing people your love and concern is slowly fading because of technology. People hardly write in shorthand anymore, preferring to type their messages on their keyboards and their tablets, texting on the phone and posting on facebook rather than making that extra effort to purchase that greeting card whose message reflects his feelings for you, writing a personal message and going that extra mile to go to the post office to mail it. I’m afraid that pretty soon, social networks, whose intention is actually bring people closer together will serve to deteriorate their relationships as all communication will be facilitated online.

Call me old school, but I just miss the good old days when we wrote letters. It is good that one day, when I grow old or die, I will be able to leave something behind to my children and grandchildren that will give them an insight as to how I was when I was a teenager, how I dealt with people and how they saw me. It would be nice to leave behind mementos that other people made for me, those that were sent without being prompted by birthday alerts and electronic memo pads — things that don’t have the same impact when they’re printed from the computer or posted online (even though it reaches a wider audience like this blog).

Thank you to all of my family ad friends who wrote me letters/ notes, and sent me cards throughout our relationship. I do keep them and consider them my treasures, much like I consider you all as gems of my life. You have brought me great joy and a lot of happy memories that I relive each time I read your words. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.