october 2024 BREAKDOWN
- 12 films/series total (not including Hallmark films)
- 10 foreign films/series
- 2 classic film
Biggest Disappointment: Call It Love
Favorite Discovery: What Comes After Love
Foreign Films & Series
Dinner Mate (2020) – The plot concept of two strangers meeting up to eat dinner without exchanging personal information really intrigued me. Of course, this being a drama the two eventually fall for each other. The strong, quirky heroine really appealed to me as did the food therapist hero who is also strong, but sensitive. The show gave their stalker exes waaay too much screen time. However, the time spent delving into the ex-boyfriend’s psyche allowed me to empathize with him in his mental illnesses. It did seem like there were several points of conflict of interest when it came to him being treated by the two doctors in the show. I also really loved the heroine’s mentor/boss/bestie. That actress excels at playing offbeat women like she does here and it is always a pleasure to watch her work. I feel a bit cheated however, because this series seemed to have quite a bit to say about how food brings people together and using it as therapy, but most of it went over my head.
Moon in the Day (2023) – For a plot about a supposedly epic love story spanning 1500 years, the leads have no chemistry and the writers failed to set a solid foundation for the romance. Still I don’t feel my time is too wasted being able to stare at Kim Young Dae trying to be all fierce and serious, though I do like him better in the comedic scenes.
A Familiar Stranger (2022) – This brief fantasy historical mini-series about two women who swap identities includes a reunion romance between one of the women and the general who rescued her years before. It’s entertaining, sensual and a bit exotic and wastes no time on superfluous plot lines or characters. The adopted daughter of the general was super cute and wise for her age in plotting to bring her dad and new mother together. Just a great little bite sized snack of a show.
You Are My Lover Friend (2024) – What a great depiction of the journey two long time friends experience when they develop feelings for one another. It even shows that awkward stage of transition from friends to lovers in such a realistic way. There was so much to love about this show from their larger friend group, to their mothers who are best friends even to the balanced blending of their work and personal lives. Seeing the friends gather and bond over food was so true to life and how food tends to bring people together. And the way the male lead dotes on the heroine was just so sweet! It was so cute how their mothers were convinced there was no way the main couple could be interested in each other “that way” and then were so excited to be proven wrong. I even found myself interested in the second and third lead couples which is rare.
Cheat on Me, If You Can (2020) – I really enjoyed this off beat and quirky drama about a mystery writer who is embroiled in a murder case that touches the interests of many parties, including the National Intelligence Service and her cheating husband. The heroine is an unusual, but highly intelligent character who is very difficult to read. The writers did a great job playing with perception of both the characters involved as well as the unraveling of the mystery so that I was never quite sure who was guilty and who was innocent.
Call It Love (2023) -Many reviewers loved this show, but it definitely was not my cup of tea. The premise of a young woman taking revenge against her father’s mistress by targeting her son intrigued me, but I found most of the characters very frustrating and the lack of communication even more so. There were so many long scenes of people just staring at each other or walking around lost in their thoughts. It was just interesting enough to keep me watching, but for the most part I was bored.
What Comes After Love (2024) – With my recent interest in cross-cultural romances, this one between a Korean woman and a Japanese man piqued my interest. The writers did a fantastic job deconstructing the course of love from the meet cute, through their romance and to the breakup and finally the aftermath. I felt every one of the emotions this couple experienced thanks to outstanding performances by the lead actors. Though the pacing was slow and it had a bit of a melancholy edge, I was completely sucked into this drama and never bored. Since it is only six episodes, it is one I won’t feel guilty re-watching.
Love Next Door (2024) -With so much hype, this Netflix Kdrama failed to live up to expectations. The friends to lovers trope was much better done in You Are My Lover Friend, the Chinese drama I also watched this month. The heroine should have been a sympathetic character with all the challenges she faced and her gritty perseverance, but instead she came across very annoying and selfish. The second leads had a much more believable romance. In fact, the secondary characters and their relationships were much more compelling, especially the mothers’ friend group. It’s rare to see middle age-older friendships get their share of screen time and you can tell those friendships were written with love.
The Best Day of My Life (2024) -The first half of this mini-series romance was cute, unfortunately there was not enough substance to sustain it for the rest of its’ short length.
Blossoms in Adversity (2024) – Despite a slow start in which I struggled to remain interested, this historical Chinese drama grew on me a little bit at a time until it finally won my heart. I was looking forward to the romance, but fell in love with the women of the Hua family who are forced to survive on their own when all their men are exiled and their assets seized. It’s rare to see such a female-centric drama which respects and honors the strength and relationships of women. I loved seeing these ladies grow from protecting their own self interests into a cohesive group who utilized their individual strengths and respect each others’ differences. The final reunion scene the women have with their men at the end actually brought tears to my eyes. Unfortunately once the focus shifted from the family to the romance and political shenanigans, the show lost what made it really special. I was able to finish it, but fast forwarded through the last several episodes.
Classics
One Touch of Venus (1948) – There’s not much to this little film in way of character or plot development. It seems its purpose is simply to showcase Ava Gardner’s beauty and charm as a Venus statue who comes to life. She’s very mis-matched with co-star Robert Walker. Plus his character is such an idiot it makes the fact that she’s in love with him ridiculous. Then there’s the fact that this is a quasi-musical with three songs that take up part of the short run time. Still, I’m happy I had the opportunity to see this as it has been on my wish list for a while and rather difficult to find.
The Many Who Talked Too Much (1940) – I’m a completist so I forced my self to sit through this George Brent drama about an attorney who starts out as an idealist but then becomes a slick lawyer for gangsters and criminals. There was very little to recommend this film except to check it off my list.
