June 2020 TV Watchlist

Summer is here and Netflix is the king of content with quite the line-up of TV Shows that have caught my attention this month. We Have the final chapter of Netflix’s mind blowing German time travel series Dark. Every Korean Drama fan is probably counting down the days until Kim Soo-Hyun's new drama comes out. Queer Eye is back as the world celebrates Pride Month, and Michaela Coel’s new tv series I May Destroy You explores a post #MeToo era story from the point of view of a Black Woman.

Devs - BBC iPlayer - Full series, aired back in April! (way to go Cate)

I don’t know how I missed this show completely for like 2 months as I love Alex Garland’s films (Ex Machina and Annihilation) and I really like Sonoya Mizuno’s work (several being Garland’s projects). I am so annoyed at myself for just being totally oblivious to this shows airing as I found out about it ages ago when it was first announced! Nevermind.

Devs is a sci-fi infused mystery that follows Mizuno’s Lily Chan who is trying to find out why her boyfriend suddenly disappears after being put on a top-secret project at the tech firm they both work at. From the trailer, it looks like the show will explore ideas of fate, free will and determinism.

Queer Eye Season 5 - Netflix - June 5th

I love love love Queer Eye, it may just be the most wholesome and positive reality tv show I have ever watched. The Fab Five (Antoni, Bobby, Jonathan, Karamo and Tan) help a person each episode to transform into the best version of themselves and it’s just so damn inspiring to see people regain confidence and love for themselves.

I May Destroy You - HBO/BBC iPlayer - June 7th/June 8th

Written by and starring Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You is quite frankly essential viewing. This series tackles the issue of sexual consent and exploitation in a post #MeToo world and explores these subjects through the eyes of a black woman in London. From the trailer, it looks like this will be a comedy-drama, offsetting the dark subject matter with humour as a palatable way to engage in a meaningful conversation about a serious issue.

Curon - Netflix - June 10th

Netflix just keeps rolling out exciting international content! Curon looks like a cool supernatural thriller that has taken cues from shows like Stranger Things and Dark, by setting it in a small community full of mystery and intrigue.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (사이코지만 괜찮아) - TvN & Netflix - June 20th

Interestingly the titles of this tv show do not match up, when you translate 사이코지만 괜찮아 to English it's ‘Psycho but it’s OK’ - which I feel is a riff on Park Chan Wook’s film I’m a Cyborg, But it’s OK (in my opinion anyway). What will this mean for the show? No clue but there could be some fantasy elements or ‘delusions’ in a similar vein to Park’s quirky comedy. That’s enough speculation…

The official synopsis is that its a romance between two people, Go Moon Young (Seo Ye-Ji) an antisocial children's book author and Moon Kang-Tae (Kim Soo Hyun) a Selfless man who works on a psychiatric ward who heal each other. Also, this series is Kim Soo-Hyun’s first drama since being discharged from the army so obviously I am super hyped.

Dark - Netflix - June 27th

This may be bold of me to say but Dark is probably not only the best show on Netflix but one the best tv shows ever created. I have been obsessed since the first episode and have rewatched it periodically trying to get my mind around all the stuff that happens. It’s a mind f***k and a half and that’s what makes it so compelling. In Season 1 the question was not where but when, then at the end of Season 2 another massive curveball was thrown at us ‘What world?’! Ahh Alternate realities exist too!

May 2020 TV Watchlist

If you're looking for something to watch and you’ve already watched all of Netflix, I’ve got you. This is my May Watchlist, a break down of all the TV shows I’m anticipating this coming month

When My Love Blooms (화양연화 – 삶이 꽃이 되는 순간) - Viki & tvN - Already Airing

I would have included this drama in my April watchlist but I didn’t know whether it would be available in the UK due to how the licensing works on Viki. Thankfully that is no longer a mystery as the first two episodes are up already.

This drama follows Han Jae-Hyun and Yoon Ji-Soo at two different times in their lives, back in the 90’s when they were both in their 20’s and the present day in where they are now in their 40’s. It’s a love story, but an understated and raw one. And just like I'll Go to You When the Weather is Nice and Chocolate have been my favourite dramas recently, I feel like this one is going to join the list as it’s a soothing, heartfelt story with beautiful poetic cinematography and great performances.

Good Casting (굿캐스팅) - Viki & SBS - Already Airing

Good Casting is a light-hearted spy comedy, a Korean Charlie’s Angels if you will. Two episodes have aired so far and it’s just so much fun. The premise is that a mismatch of three female agents are bought into a mission to find a corporate spy before he steals intellectual property from one of the largest firms in Korea. The three women are a workaholic who got a fellow agent killed, a young single mum who is a total rookie and an ageing spy who has been stuck in a desk job for years. You can expect cool choreographed fight scenes and pitch-perfect comedy, just what we need in these testing times.

The Eddy - Netflix - May 8th

From Damien Chazelle, the director of La La Land and Whiplash comes another Jazz infused creation. The Eddy is an 8-part series set in Paris featuring a wonderful cast of actors from André Holland (Moonlight, Selma) to Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give) to Joanna Kulig (Zimna wojna) to one of my favourite French actors Tahir Rahim (Un prophète, Le passé). The cinematography looks like it will have frenetic energy to it, almost a documentary style which matches well with the improvisational style of Jazz.

Homecoming Season 2 - Amazon Prime - May 22nd

Full disclosure, I haven’t actually watched season 1. But I love Mr Robot and Sam Esmail is the mind behind both of these TV shows and I am a massive fan of Janelle Monae’s music so I feel like I need to watch it. Also the trailer has me intrigued, so I think a binge of season one is on order this month too.

Snowpiercer - Netflix - May ???

Netflix doesn’t even show a release date but according to TNT its May 17th and according to Geektown its May 25th.

This is a wildcard watch, or shall I say an ‘out of curiosity’ watch. I love the Bong Joon-ho film and recommend it to pretty much everyone so I’m interested to see if this American tv adaptation is a complete f-up or if it’s actually any good.

Let me know in the comments section what TV Shows you have on your watchlist this month.

April 2020 Watchlist

Kim’s Convenience season 4 - Netflix - April 1st

This comedy about a Korean-Canadian family that runs a Convenience store is actually hilarious and I binged the first 3 seasons at the beginning of the year so I am looking forward to revisiting this sitcom. Also, Simu Liu who plays Chung is Marvel’s Shang-Chi so check out this show if you're looking forward to that movie!

Killing Eve Season 3 - BBC America & BBC iplayer - April 13th

Yes! We are actually getting Killing Eve Season 3 a lot sooner than expected, normally we (here in the UK) have to wait for aeons after the US to watch it but luckily we are getting each episode the day after the US showing on BBC iPlayer! I love this show so much, its hilariously dark and Villanelle is one of the best characters on TV at the moment. If you’ve never watched the show buckle up for an adventure.

Run - HBO & Now TV/ Sky Comedy - April 15th

Phoebe Waller-Bridge aka everyone’s favourite writer at the moment has a new TV show coming out. And it’s an intriguing premise about reconnecting with an old acquaintance due to a pact that was made 17 years earlier. It’s apparently a black comedy thriller which in itself is rather appealing.

 The King: Eternal Monarch - SBS & Netflix - April 17th

This new drama is from Kim Eun-sook the creator of Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (aka Goblin) and Mr Sunshine which are some of my all-time favourite Korean dramas. The cast is great with Lee Min-ho, Kim Go-eun, Woo Do-hwan and Jung Eun-chae to name a few. And it’s about parallel worlds!!! Count me in!

Normal People - BBC iPlayer - April 26th

As a fan of this book and just Sally Rooney in general I have been waiting for this adaptation ever since it was announced. I’m intrigued to see whether there will be any dramatic changes and just how faithful it will stay to the book. Rooney is very much a literary voice of my generation and I love how she captured the two main characters so rawly in the book… so let’s see if this drama does the same, although from the trailer I feel like it will which is a relief.

March 2020 Watchlist

This is my March watchlist. It is a good month to be a Korean drama fan as we are spoilt with so many new and awesome shows. And of course, Westworld is finally back on our screens! And Netflix has a new German-language drama that I’m intrigued by.

Hyena - Netflix & SBS - Already airing

Yes, March is very much the month of Ju Ji-hoon (Kingdom S2 is also coming out this month! see below), who is one of the most versatile and intriguing actors in Korea (my opinion anyway). Hyena sees Ju portray hotshot lawyer Yoon Hee-Jae, who comes into conflict with a scrappy willing to do anything for money lawyer Jung Geum-Ja (played by Kim Hye-Soo). From the preview and the first few episodes that have already aired this drama feels like it’s going to be so much fun and the dynamic between Ju and Kim is already epic!

I'll Go to You When the Weather is Nice - Viki & JTBC - Already Airing

The synopsis of this drama is that a woman moves back to the countryside to escape the pressures of city life where she encounters a handsome bookshop owner she used to know. I’m sold already. The first couple of episodes have set the scene beautifully and I can feel that this is going to be one of my favourite dramas this year as the vibe is a mix of Chocolate and Romance is a Bonus Book (both on Netflix! so go watch!).

Castlevania Season 3 - Netflix - March 5th

Castlevania is finally back! I love this anime and season 3 looks like it’s going to be just as epic as the first two. I don’t have any more to say other than amazing animation, awesome voice acting and vampires!

Kingdom Season 2 - Netflix - March 13th

After that season 1 cliffhanger I have been itching to watch season 2 and its finally almost here! I wrote a blog post last year as to why I am obsessed with this show so if you haven’t read that go do it now and if you haven’t watched season 1 yet, get on netflix and binge it!

Westworld Season 3 - Sky Atlantic/Now TV & HBO - March 15th

The stakes have got even higher for Westworld Season 3 and I am all for it. I am excited to see where this journey into the world outside the theme park takes the characters, and it looks like Dolores is going to go full-on revolutionary mode. Also, some cool new additions to the already impeccable cast include the dude from breaking bad and Vincent Cassel. Said dude from Breaking Bad is Aaron Paul..it took me a while to remember his name.

A Piece of Your Mind - March 23rd - Viki & TvN

Jung Hae-in is back in another romance drama! Yay! I swear he always plays the most swoon-worthy characters, so hopefully, the trend continues. A Piece of Your Mind follows Ha Won a programmer who falls in love with Han Seo-Woo, a classical musician. I am all about random romantic partnerships as it’s interesting to see how people from completely different worlds connect.

Freud - Netflix - March 23rd - Netflix & ORF

This Austrian TV show follows a young Freud as he uses psychoanalysis to solve an occult murder mystery in late 19th-century Vienna. Oh count me in, this show feels like it could be the new Penny Dreadful mixed with Hannibal. Hopefully, I am right.

Let me know in the comments what TV shows your looking forward to this month!

Best Films and TV Shows of 2019

It’s that time of year again, this is my list of the best of all the movies and tv shows I watched in 2019.

Films

All the films I am listing have had their wide release in the UK in 2019, so films like Burning which was released in Korea in 2018 still counts for 2019

Joker

Joker may have been the most buzzed-about film of 2019, well besides Avengers: Endgame that is. It’s the compelling proposition of Joaquin Phoenix as Joker that put the film on my radar when it was first announced.

A bleak and unforgiving look at how society and mental illness can warp a man. This is the darkest incarnation of the iconic Batman villain yet. Of course Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t surprise with his unflinching portrayal as a man at rock bottom. The film also rejuvenated my faith in DC as the Justice League Movie was underwhelming and while Aquaman was fun I do like a dark brooding superhero story. So this feels like a hark back to the Nolan trilogy in the best way possible.

Burning

A Korean film based on a Haruki Murakami short story. A winning combination if you ask me and if you add into the mix Director Lee Chang-dong and actors Yoo Ah-in and Steven Yeun, then you have one of the best thrillers in recent memory. It’s a poetically shot film with a powerful underlying sense of dread that builds and builds until it all comes to a crescendo at the end. I reviewed the film back at the beginning of last year so have a read if you want a full unpacking of my thoughts on the film here.

Midsommar

This film is more than just a film it’s an experience, a WTF am I watching experience that just keeps giving you weirdness after weirdness. It’s also one of the best experiences I’ve ever had watching a film at the cinema as the audience was audibly cringing and gasping together at the craziest parts of the film. My sister kept leaning over and whispering in my ear ‘what are you making me watch?’, well dear only one of the best movies of the year!

Ad Astra

James Grey’s Ad Astra is a slow study on loneliness and emotional wounds that is beautifully complemented by a symbolic journey into the furthest parts of our galaxy. Existential and awe-inspiring, Ad Astra also feels so thoroughly human and personal. Family is at the heart of the film which challenges the audience to take a closer look at what is just in front of them rather than miles and miles away.

Exit

Thanks to the London East Asia Film Festival, I won tickets to the European premiere to see this rather hilarious and smart film from Korea. Exit is a disaster action-comedy, yes that is a thing, and yes this film balances all of these genres tremendously well. The film follows Yong-nam a talented but unemployed rock climber as he tries to save his whole family and his crush from a deadly gas that has been unleashed in downtown Seoul.

Knives Out

Funny, clever and thoroughly entertaining. Knives Out is an all-star comedy whodunnit in the style of Agatha Christie but for the modern age. Ana de Armas stole the film as Marta a nurse caught up in the mystery, and Chris Evan’s first post-Captain America role as Ranson the spoiled playboy of the family was a refreshing and thoroughly un-typecasted role for the actor. Twists and turns abound and no more can be said so go watch it!

TV Shows

Watchmen

HBO’s Watchmen is a fresh and compelling entry in the myriad of superhero centric stories out there at the moment. Rather than be a retelling of the graphic novel, the Watchmen series is its own thing with a storyline that centres around race rather than the cold war. Regina King as Angela Abar/Sister Night is one of the best black female characters I have ever seen on TV. I also think the show was absolutely fantastic, exciting and kept you guessing and in wonder, as the plot twists unfolded.

The Witcher

While Game of Thrones was epic, brilliant, groundbreaking TV it lost its way towards the end due to rather strange creative ideas regarding the plotting of events and the most lacklustre ending of Bran being the one to claim the iron throne. But not to fear Netflix swoops in with the exact remedy we all were seeking, an exciting new fantasy series in the form of The Witcher. This series is so much fun, Henry Cavill is amazing in the role of Geralt of Rivia, not just because he is mind-blowingly handsome but because he inhabits the role so convincingly. Also, the crisscrossing timelines create an interesting jigsaw puzzle of events that you have to slot together to make sense of the story which makes for an enjoyable watch. Love it: the humour, the cinematography, the world-building, the character development, everything.

Chocolate

Heartwarming, tragic, life-affirming are a few ways to describe the Korean language drama Chocolate. The drama follows Lee Kang and Moon Cha-young, a neurosurgeon and a chef as they fall in love while working at a hospice together. They have a complex history that adds another layer of intensity to the story, but the magic of the show is in the way everyone’s lives at the hospice intersect and everyone ends up teaching each other a valuable lesson about life, from the patients with limited time to the cold Lee Kang who softens over time. And at the heart of the show is food, the characters eat according to feelings and elevate food to more than just sustenance, its a way of bonding, of remembrance and of recovery. I wept my eyes out at most episodes because the story touched my heart so much and it became a cathartic and heartwarming moment each week for me, and the soundtrack is beautiful and it’s the only one I’ve listened to on repeat since One Spring Day and Something in the Rain. I will hands down say that this is one of my favourite Korean dramas to date, and I have watched an awful lot of them so that definitely says something about this one.