What happens when you pit two rugged all-star casts against each other? It’s a survival race of the ages in Running Man as our cast faces the Law of the Jungle team for some variety fun. They’ll laugh and cry with each other through the funny and the tears, through excitement and the pain. Which cast will reign supreme in this heated battle for pride and glory?

EPISODE 145. Broadcast on May 12, 2013.

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Read the rest of Running Man: Episode 145 (2,606 words)

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Post tags: featured, Haha, Ji Suk-jin, Kang Gary, Kim Jong-kook, Lee Kwang-soo, Running Man, Song Ji-hyo, Yoo Jae-suk

EPISODE 438. Broadcast on May 12, 2013.

javabeans: We kick off Part 2 of our “romantic backpacking trip” with special guest Choi Kang-hee, and the captions prompt the question: What do you need with you on a backpacking trip? Tae-woong says a camera, Tae-hyun says music, and I’m hoping somebody said food and shelter.

girlfriday: Maybe they assumed it would get taken away anyway.

javabeans: Am I the only one who’s like, But is that reason to stop trying? C’mon, years of this stuff, weekend after weekend, some lazy PD’s gonna slip up someday.

girlfriday: One missed bag check later, Shi-kyung’s sitting in the corner with a mound of candy bars and Joo-won’s playing video games?

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Read the rest of 1 Night 2 Days: Episode 438 (3,253 words)

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Post tags: 1N2D, Cha Tae-hyun, featured, Joo-won, Kim Jong-min, Lee Su-geun, Sung Shi-kyung, Uhm Tae-woong, Yoo Hae-jin

Sweeping almost every award ceremony since its release last year, Gwanghae, The Man Who Became King (also titled Masquerade) was unsurprisingly a major box office success, going on to become the fourth highest grossing Korean film of all time. High box office ratings and oodles of awards (in one case, maybe too many awards) don’t always guarantee a fun viewing experience, and can sometimes have a negative effect on how an audience goes into the film after the release has come and gone. However, I’m happy to report that for the most part, Gwanghae lives up to all its considerable hype.

Starring Lee Byung-heon in his first sageuk role, Gwanghae is admittedly only the second historical film I’ve seen (the first being Bow, The Ultimate Weapon), so I was pleasantly surprised to see the subject of monarchical reign tackled so often in sageuk get the big screen treatment. There are plenty of similarities to its television counterparts, sure, but what makes Gwanghae stand out isn’t just its gorgeous visual appeal or its masterful acting—it’s the message it conveys, one which many dramas scratch the surface of but have a hard time delving into.

Why are things different here? Because we’re not dealing with a progressive king made so by birthright who just happens to be ahead of his time, but of a man from humble beginnings who suddenly finds himself the ruler of a country. (Unfortunately, unlike all our childhood fantasies, being a king or queen for a day =/= the best day ever.)

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Read the rest of Movie Review: Gwanghae, The Man Who Became King (2,229 words)

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Post tags: featured, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Byung-heon, Ryu Seung-ryong

javabeans: Uh-oh, bad news for Joo-won, who just suffered an injury to the nose while filming an upcoming episode of 1 Night 2 Days. Apparently he was knocked unconscious mid-shoot, then taken to the emergency room while filming stopped.

girlfriday: Eeeeeep. I know we always joke about wanting the games on 1N2D to be violent, but not this kind of violent.

javabeans: Yes, like forehead-flicking and shin-kicking. Not face-disfiguring. He was reportedly playing the “king” role in a “game of pride” involving football when he hit his nose on someone else’s head and was unable to get up. He reportedly also hurt his nose while filming Level 7 Civil Servant, but I don’t think that was a big injury. Still, not the face!

girlfriday: It’s like Rule No. 1. Don’t mess with The Pretty. They violated Rule No. 1.

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Read the rest of Joo-won injured while filming 1N2D (405 words)

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Post tags: 1N2D, conversation post, Joo-won, star accidents

Who could resist that face?

…and I just realized that that applies to either one in this case. But Rang’s unexpected bond with Jung-hwan is turning into one of those heart-tugging gems that never fails to make me smile. There’s something to be said about the sincerity of a child’s pure heart, and it turns Jung-hwan into putty in her hands, I swear. He may growl like a bear, but in her eyes he’s strictly of the teddy variety.

SONG OF THE DAY

Yoo Seung-woo – “Hello” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Mandate of Heaven: Episode 8 (4,006 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Im Seul-ong, Lee Dong-wook, Mandate of Heaven, Song Ji-hyo, Song Jong-ho, Yoon Jin-yi

It looks like Uhm Jung-hwa (Dancing Queen) has another box office hit on her hands with her suspense thriller Montage, which opened yesterday in second place against Hollywood blockbusters The Great Gatsby and Iron Man 3. The film stars Uhm Jung-hwa as a mother who lost her child to a kidnapper fifteen years ago, and Kim Sang-kyung (Tower, White Christmas) as the detective who failed to close the case and remains haunted by it to this day.

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Read the rest of Uhm Jung-hwa and Kim Sang-kyung’s thriller Montage (252 words)

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Post tags: Kim Sang-kyung, Uhm Jung-hwa

 
Juniel – “잠꼬대” (Sleep talking) [ Download ]

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 388 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Aw, does the vengeance mastermind need a hug? A snuggle wasn’t really the concept I was expecting when KBS released the character posters for its revenge thriller Shark, but hey, every wronged-hero-turned-mysterious-avenger needs to cry on somebody’s shoulder, right? The new Monday-Tuesday drama is gearing up to premiere in just over a week, and even though I’m still not convinced it’s not Bad Guy all over again, I guess I won’t really care as long as it’s Bad Guy: Bigger, Better, Badder.

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Read the rest of Revenge drama Shark’s character posters (309 words)

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Post tags: Ha Suk-jin, Kim Nam-gil, Shark, Sohn Ye-jin

A strong episode for our good guys, who finally get a leg up in this whole murder-conspiracy-intrigue business after letting the baddies run around them in circles for a while there. Not that I blame them for their ineffectual defenses thus far—their opponents have just been too powerful to manage—but it’s refreshing to see the pendulum swing the other way, and our heroes outsmarting their enemies. It’s doubly satisfying to see the feeble crown prince coming into his own somewhat, standing up for himself and making strides into fighting back.

SONG OF THE DAY

Peterpan Complex – “건축가” (Architect) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Mandate of Heaven: Episode 7 (4,256 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 45 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Im Seul-ong, Lee Dong-wook, Mandate of Heaven, Song Ji-hyo, Song Jong-ho, Yoon Jin-yi

It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it. The new sports movie No Breathing starring Lee Jong-seok (School 2013) and Seo In-gook (Answer Me 1997) as rival swimmers has finally locked in a confirmation for a leading lady in Girls’ Generation idol Kwon Yuri. This will be her first major starring role in a film, after playing the second lead in last year’s Fashion King.

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Read the rest of Yuri cast as Lee Jong-seok and Seo In-gook’s love interest (263 words)

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Post tags: Lee Jong-seok, Seo In-gook, Yuri