Pearl Cinema Review - Asian Dramas Worth Watching

    Just finished watching "President," a Korean drama released in 2010. It is the story of a candidate Jang Il-Joon, played excellently by Choi - Soo-Jong.  It is a behind the scenes look at what happens when you decide to run for the highest office in the land.  Perhaps this movie had every thinkable sequence in it, from the murder, bribery, betrayal, lying, spying, attempted murder, broken promises, misunderstanding and the fast paced, stressful atmosphere of a campaign committee.      But it was really fascinating.  There is enough twists and turns to keep you interested.  During the drama there are various references to American politics.  At first I thought they were talking about our fake news media and President Trump.  But this movie was produced in 2010 way before our news became fake.      There are many great statements and lessons to be learned in the ugly world of politics. And those politicia...

I love dramas that make sense and that mirrors real life drama in a fictional story. Designated Survivor is one of these Korean-made dramas that will keep you glued to your computer or Smart TV, episode after episode. The opening chapter immediately takes you to the terrorist bombing of National Assembly Building in Seoul.  For me it looked very realistic having been there twice and once inside the assembly hall. From Wikipedia, "Park Mu-jin (Ji Jin-hee) is the Minister of Environment who has little ambition as a politician. One day, an explosion takes place during an official gathering at the National Assembly building, killing many of the high-ranking officials present including the President. As Park Mu-jin happens to be the highest ranking government officer left alive, he becomes the reluctant acting president for sixty days. As he chases after the people responsible for the explosion, he gets to grow as a national leader.[6]" I know there is an American Vers...

Father Forgive Them for They Know Not What They do 04/11 by Power Networking | Education : Unity in Christ is Built on Forgiveness Ephesians 4:1-7 I therefore, a prisioner for he Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call. One Lord, one faith one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and inall.

This was an excellently filmed drama on Amazon Prime.   From (wikipedia) this drama was based on a novel by Xue  Man Liang Yuan, filmed in Xiangshan Film and Television town in Zhejiang, China.  You will notice as you watch Chinese dramas, that they use similar sets.  It's like the old days of filming during the 1930's when you saw the same western town in several different movies.  Also you saw the same actors and actresses in other dramas. Rrminds me of the Hollywood studio system in the 1930’s when contracted actors would be seen in many of the movies in various parts as characters. The two main stars were outstanding playing exceedingly demanding emotional roles Lou Jin as Xiaowei Dingquan the misunderstood Crown Prince and Li Yitong as Lu Wenliang his first and only love whose family is slaughter by order of the Crown Prince’s father. It is the story of a young crown prince that goes through increasingly unfair betrayals, deceptions, misunderstandings by m...

Netflix offers a Korean drama called “Vagabond” in sixteen episodes starring  Lee Seung-Gi and Bae Suzy. It is a fictional look at how the “deep state” operates using government as its shield. I was impressed with the acting of several of the characters in the drama especially Lee Seung-Gi.  Seung-gi who in  “ February 1, 2016, Lee began his 21 months of  mandatory military service  as active duty soldier, entering  Nonsan  Army Recruit Training Center in  Chungcheongnam-do . [81]  After training there for five weeks he was dispatched to his assigned role following the completion ceremony. [82]  Lee was formally discharged on October 31, 2017 from the military at Jeungpyeong County in North Chungcheong Province where he was a member of the special forces (13th Special Forces Brigade 'Black Panther',  Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command ). [  “ (quote from Wikipedia”.  Very few ROK soldiers achieve this sta...