In Korea, it is called a “snack movie,” a short film shown in theaters or at festivals. Actor and newly minted production agency CEO Son Seok‐gu is releasing a 12‐minute film, NIGHT FISHING, for the theater admission fee is only 1,000 won. He is returning to the screen with unique directing and story with no dialogue which is set entirely inside a car. One can say this sounds like an experimental film.

Then, I guess this could be considered an “appetizer movie.” TAROT’s three-episode film release is today in Korea. All original reports had it as a 7-episode web series, but now that it is 3 story bundle for theater release. The producer/director is pushing back on the apparent change in distribution. “The film is a hybrid between a drama series and a film, which was initially planned out,” according to director. The producer denies that the film is just an advertisement for the entire series. “It was planned from the start as a mid-form series, aiming to kill two birds with one stone by creating it into both a film and drama series,” he said at this week’s premiere press conference. In any event, it appears the studio is trying to get two bites at the consumer apple.

It is strange time in K-entertainment. People are going back to movie theaters the TAROT producers must think they can grab an $4/viewer admission fee share instead of or in addition to a flat license fee from a local mobile platform.

Bookish Beanies, I read a book recently that I thought might be of interest to others. I remembered a post a few weeks (months?) back in which someone suggested a What We're Reading or some such thread. Where can I find it? Or was I imagining it?

@reply1988 I thought it might be on your fan wall, but I didn't see it. Tho phew, I appreciated the reminder about our July DB Bookclub read The Sense of Wonder. I'll be there @lapislazulii

The hype around Byeon Woo Seok seems to have reached fever pitch, tvN has even sold the broadcast rights to Lovely runner to multiple broadcasters around the world. He is a bonafide star.

Happy Friday, Beanies! It suddenly gotten very hot here, which makes me feel doubly bad for poor LYN suffering on ADWAD filming set from both thick fur-lined robes (they're filming winter scenes mostly for whatever reason) and plot that just doesn't let his character catch a break – he's been stabbed, beaten, stabbed again, slapped, poisoned (?), forced to kneel in the snow barely dressed (so TTJ-core), whipped and finally dumped by FL... Just another Tuesday in cdramaland, but let him live a bit, dammit! Lighthearted romcom, they said Oh, and he also caught a very real summer cold – this walking disaster! That's how we got today's theme – intense emotional singing. Not all these songs are about love, I suppose, but as long as he's suffering through it, this counts^^

The first song is a mass destruction weapon in his voice – not only he's obsessed enough to perform it again and again, but the way he goes about it is just... Bloody. Extra. Every damn time. Actually, he gets more and more unhinged into it with every new video I watched, it's borderline alarming. These lyrics must be striking a chord or two, right, Ning-ge? Whomever he's “Suddenly missing you” so intensely is one lucky fool))) With subs so we can understand his heartbreak better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQqkiK7_Ko

In case you didn't believe me – take 2 (I've found like 15 20 more and decided to stop at that for my own sanity). Btw, that was quite a look – just as extra as his delivery, hah! Would've love to know what he's joking about in the beginning...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qrrdF4webw

Another one of “mad passion, mad fashion” variety - “Wrong man” (technically “person”, idk if lyrics specify further):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOyqPQme6Pk

And some more! He never goes wrong with glasses, but this overall look is sooo him, awww))) Song is called “Goodbye, just a stranger” - yep, subtlety of a brick in the face is our motto today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abjdNI07m6Y

I don't quite understand how that streaming app from his old days worked – those pop-ups are what, likes? donations? rating system as in karaoke? - but he seems happy getting them, so all is good. Song is “White plum/Plum whiteness”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hwkVFCYttY

I may have chosen a little too broadly – when he did NOT sing with all his emotions into it? Hah, joke's on me then))) But this one certainly gets him - and our giant human snowman is sooo melting in that summer heat, just like we are now, but that's not important. OK, maybe just a bit, for disrespectfully looking purposes... Song is called “Stardom”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUmXTYjy-k4

I am going to write more frequent reviews on my site from now on. Here's my latest one:
https://allthatdrama9201424.wordpress.com/2024/06/11/the-atypical-family-spoiler-free-review/

Good morning everyone,

Before, I go back to lurker mode. Yes, I am alive and well. I am finally be able to relax and not think for a while. Last two week, has been busy with real life. As, May 30 was my oldest son graduate his Catholic High School. Last Saturday of June 8. It was my younger sister officially engagement party with her Korean Fiancé. From what she told me. She is not going to wear Hanbok. Due to her fiancé is Americanized Korean. My mom is happy he is catholic at least. However, for a long time, she did not like him of his career and nationality. Due to, she expects my younger sister married a Vietnamese and catholic guy who is a doctor or lawyer. My younger sister is a dentist.

Therefore, it was nice party. Me and kids come late as my autistic daughter did not like big crowd. We came late afternoon and hang out with my family of aunts, uncles and cousins.

In another news, my youngest sister is engage too with her Americanized Jewish fiancé. We do not know when they will have officially engagement party yet. I know my younger sister will get married in April 25, 2025. That is about it. Oh, I forget to mention my youngest sister and her fiancé is like main lead couple of Lovely Runner. She is short and he is tall guy.

In other news, I just watch The Lovely Runner and Moving. Both of them are really good. Right now, I am watching The Double. I know they will recut it the previous episodes and new episodes to fit the 45 minutes. Due to it is a web novel. I am not sure of episode 5 and 6 as it is 47 minutes. I am already on episode 11 of The Double.

@ally-le My youngest son is smart boy. One of his friend is a genius/prodigy kid. From what I talk to his mom. She told me that he is upset because all the teachers in Freshman honors classes hate him. Which makes me sad. His prodigy friend is really sweet guy. My youngest son is upset too because he is piss off that two of his teachers is an Honors Teacher but do not know squat about what they teach them. When, they ask questions. They even don’t know how to answer the questions the student ask them.

I have talked my friends who is in Education departments. They told me that you can’t buy intelligence. No matter what connection or money or power you have in the world. Someone will be smarter then you or they lack it even though they have go to Prestige colleges and high school. I told my son that and told my son friend mom that. Therefore, I would like to know what you and everyone think.

That is about it in real life. I am preparing my oldest son going to college. He will be close. Due to he is going to Cal State Fullerton. He is going to stay at my parent’s house and the weekend he be home. Therefore, I am happy. My youngest son is taking Geometry Honors which is a lot of money but makes no sense that it is only 3 days of the week and it is only one hour in class. The homework and quizzes online. This is for both summer school session. Oh well, I just hope...

Oh I have so many thoughts during the week that I wanna share here and then I forget about it only to maybe remember on Sunday. By then either no one really engages with an old post or I try to wait til the following Friday but the cycle continues haha.

I've tried saving whatever I was thinking of somewhere else, like a memo, but then I forget about it haha

I do not know how the SK enlistment goes but I feel like it seems to have changed in recent years ESPECIALLY when it came to BTS. I could totally be wrong; it's not like I keep up with kpop or idols (or even knew who they were until a couple of years ago).

But it seemed as if in the past, when celebrities did their service, they were genuinely out of the spotlight for about 2 years and they were just kinda "normal" guys (aside from the instances of them being taken advantage of, harassed, etc). They supposedly didn't make money other than their soldier's salary. (Which is why some entertainer tried to evade his service (at least in part); he said he was the only one making money for his company and couldn't leave it during for that time)

Yet nowadays, especially with BTS, it was like things were different. I can't stress enough that I could be wrong about the timeframe or whether this stuff has happened in the past.

It seems the default service time is closer to a year & a half than 2 years. The BTS guys were always having articlces mentioned about how they were exemplary soldiers. I could've sworn at least one of the guys had music being pushed.
Even Lee Do Hyun (is that his name? The guy from The [Good] Bad Mother) was featured on some award show (I think via a video feed or something after he won an award). A variety show also happened to be filmed where he was stationed and he was featured in that a little.

Like I said, I don't know if this is the norm but it just seems like this have been changing for celebrity enlistments.

I recently learned of the term/concept "girl crush" and of Lee Hyori haha
I had seen here in some clips and complilations saying how she was a "savage queen" and she is the only one who can scare Yu Jae Seok and Kim Jong Kook but I'd never seen her as an idol until recently. She is so wow haha

I could totally see why folks would be intimidated by her but then she's also so cool that you can admire and wanna be like her. Especially for these newer generation idols. When I saw how she spoke and carried herself, I kept thinking she would be such a good mentor for young women & young idols.

Do actors tend to switch between lead & second male lead?
I recently saw High Society and it stuck me that in it Sung Joon was the lead actor while Park Hyung Sik was the SML. Fast forward and I think Hyung Sik typically plays lead roles and Sung Joon plays SML

Am I totally wrong about this?

Can actors switch between being a lead and second lead? The only example I have an actor who is typically a lead but was billed second is Lee Joon Gi and I think it could be argued he was definitely more of a co lead plus he was a replacement so it makes sense he was billed second.

In a webtoon I read, an actor was HIGHLY offended when he made an ass of himself on a variety show and started getting second lead roles rather than lead roles.

This is a long shot request, but, I am FINALLY allowing myself to watch The Red Sleeve. I know I will be traumatized, but I really want to watch it and have been putting it off forever. I did the same thing with "Moonlovers SHR" and now realize that I can't find it anywhere and I don't want that to happen to TRS! So, now, I am very upset to find out that DramaBeans did not do a recap of TRS!! What am I going to do??? I did see that there was a fanwall somewhere that Beanies were discussing each episode but I can't find it. Can anyone help me? Is it still around? Thanks!

NOTES FROM 9TAILEDVIXEN'S 2ND WEEK OF JUNE:

1. Aerial Yoga Progress Report

I fell off the silks this week BUT the good news is that my arm strength has now developed enough that I could use my arms and hands to grip the silks to break my fall. Nothing bruised by my ego since I had classmates witnessing my fall. HA!

I can, however, do yet another variation of the Tinkerbell pose now which involves climbing up, getting silks locked around my leg, swinging backwards, removing the silks from one of my feet while using my arm to hang on, then hooking the silks around my shoulder for support and posing prettily in mid-air.

2. BTS-Mania

BTS's Jin has been discharged from the Korean military and my friends who are ARMY have been bombarding my social media feeds with everything Jin.

For anyone who missed it, this is Jin's live right after he left the army:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa1oGheMFg8

3. This Week In Korean Women's News

(b) UN Women, British chamber collaborate to foster gender-inclusive workplace in Korea

As part of collaborative efforts, U.N. Women, together with the BCCK and the British Embassy in Seoul, launched the second year of the "EMPOWER" program on Monday. Since its inception in 2023, the program has effectively offered mid-career women in Korea valuable networking and capacity-building opportunities.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/06/113_376640.html

Happy weekend Beanies and keep Beaning On!
I am late, but if I allow that to stop me from joining the OT I probably will disappear instead. I am nearly two months on the new job, and only now am I able to start experimenting with possible routines. Managing the chaos day by day has been fine, but scheduling OT and stuff was a different matter.😅
In short: the best time to be in a slump. There was either no time to get obsessed, or I was longing for my bed instead. Whenever the slump won out, I read to distract myself, and here we are now. Reading again, sleeping and relaxing during weekends, grinning because a batch of 4-5 shows is premiering as we speak!🥳

@kas61

Minnie, I just wanted to pick up on your point about Park Seo-joon. I utterly agree with you that it is very sad to see a wonderful talented leading man being reduced to a bit of exotic colour in a Hollywood movie. I understand that Song Joong-ki has been unsuccessfully auditioning in Hollywood as well. You couldn't get more handsome and charismatic leading men. It makes me sad that they feel they need to do this, that the peak of their ambition should be Hollywood. Given the quality of a lot of Hollywood's output these day, why would they bother?

Then again, you could look at what's happened to BTS. Repeated Grammy nominees but no success. I sympathise with one of the band members who rather cynically suggested that BTS get nominated and invited to perform at the Grammys to boost the show's flagging ratings (which they surely do) but with no intention of rewarding them for their achievements. And now there's word of a separate Grammys for Asia, so k-pop stars can forget about being recognised at the American Grammys.

I'm not quite sure what annoys me more -- the wonderfully talented stars of Korean stage and screen thinking they need to win over the US entertainment biz to feel like they've really made it. Or the US entertainment biz being reluctant to reward a k-pop band whose success and quality deserve it, and instead palming them off with an Asian award show.

It's really not a happy place to be. I remember how excited I had been about Park Seo Joon that finally we would have a bonafide star heading a mega project.

But no. We still are exotic creatures with great costume and bad hair.

For an artist, acknowledgement to their craft is their ultimate goal. Every orchestra wants to play in Vienna, and every artist wants to be recognised in Hollywood. I guess Hollywood is the ultimate goal only because they have the pockets to reach the audience world wide. People see Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, and perhaps that's who they want to be. I don't blame them, never mind both the stars were always othered by Hollywood, playing the same characters all their life.

Honestly, Donny Yen was such a pleasant surprise, and I was thrilled that he was not playing some kind of a caricature, and instead brought on the layered portrayal his character needed so deftly. He was the only reason I watched John Wick 4, and my word, the man is as good now as he was in his 30s.

A small thing that has been niggling me for a while - when you search for Netflix Top 10, they have this two categories: Top 10 English, and then Top 10 non-English....

Could this be because of my geographical area. Would Netflix Top 10 show up differently in say, Korea? Would it be Top 10 Korean and then Top 10 global non Korean? Can anyone confirm?