Reviews

Korean Drama '' The 8 Show '' is a survival thriller in the form of a game.

First of all, because a lot of people compare this to Squid Game, The 8 Show does fall into the same category storywise, but it was better than Squid Game, mainly because it was more invested in the characters and less in creating scenes that would shock the viewer. Actually, there were a lot of shocking scenes, but those were the result of human cruelty rather than scenes specifically designed to result in a bloodbath.

That said, the drama has some merits, yes, but fails to have a smooth development, even giving a proper conclusion and explanation to the whole ordeal. Also, the impressive cinematography got tiring after a while.

Still, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, six out of ten.

Korean Drama '' Let's Get Grabbed By The Collar '' is a mystery melodrama.

The series tries to blend a serial killer case, with the family drama, the romance, and the old mystery cases.

However, the story somehow ends up being boring, despite the plethora of plotlines and themes that it deals with. Probably due to the predictability of the plot and the overused twists that ended up being cheesy and eye rolling, the drama didn't offer any surprise.

Also, the romance was neither unnecessary and should have been omitted, or should have more time to develop and not leave it to some flashbacks to do the job of bonding and developing the chemistry between the leads.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable.

So, overall, three out of ten.

Korean Drama '' Hide '' is a mystery melodrama.

The series has a smooth start and it keeps delivering twist after twist, with the family drama getting more and more intense.

The pace was also pretty fast and it kept things edgy and intriguing till the very end.

The performances were, in addition, pretty great by every actor and actress in the cast and the main female lead was especially enjoyable.

There were, however, some boring parts of the drama, especially in the first episodes.

So, overall, eight out of ten for this korean remake of the family melodrama with the plenty of twists and dark themes.

Korean Drama '' Blood Free '' is a sci-fi, mystery, action drama.

The drama gives a lot of food for thought. It deals with a lot of philosophical and not issues and problems and it does a good job of combining them into the story.

The characters were also pretty intriguing and the performances from every actor and actress in the cast were enjoyable and well handled.

The action scenes were, in addition, entertaining and nicely choreographed.

On the other hand, the drama had a rocky pace and didn't allow things to develop smoothly and, therefore, the political intrigued suffered from it.

So, overall, six out of ten.

Korean Drama '' Begins Youth '' is a drama based on the BTS Universe storyline and the '' Save Me '' webtoon.

The drama follows the original story closely, with some variations that don't offset the main plot. It can also be watched by someone who has no clue when it comes to the BTS storyline, so that is another plus for the drama.

On the other hand, the drama tries to combine too many storylines in such a short running time, and therefore, some characters are pushed aside and are not as developed as the rest of their friends. Also, the fantasy element was introduced in the very ending, which would make sense if they added another season, but if they don't, then the ending is left open with many questions left unanswered.

The performances, on the contrary, were pretty great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, six out of ten.

'' The Regime '' is a dark comedy that presents the absurdities of a dictatorship.

The drama has its moments when the satire just nails what they want to get through. On the other hand, there were things that didn't make sense, mainly because the series didn't allow any of its plotlines to develop smoothly. They didn't even give any background to the whole ordeal, they just throw the viewer in and have them figure things out as the story progresses.

On the other hand, the performances were all great by the A listed cast who gave their all to their characters and didn't overdo it with their performance.

'' Practical Magic '' is a classic witchey movie with all those autumn vibes.

The movie does have the perfect atmosphere, with magic, witchey aunts, a small town, a magical house, and small quirks, like that spoon that kept spinning on its own!!

The story is also good enough, though they were attempting to cramp in too many storylines, a romance that was more or less halfbaked and didn't make sense, a crime story, a family drama, and the sistery bond, along with how the people of the small town were bullying the women of the family.

Still, the movie was enjoyable enough and the performances were all nicely handled.

'' Brats '' is a 'documentary' about the Brat Pack, a group of young actors and actresses who were the stars of 80's movies and were characterized as the Brats after an article for one of them.

So, as a documentary, this show does a really poor job giving any information about:

-who were the actors and actresses who were in the Brat Pack

-what had happened back in the 80's

-what is the porpose of this doc

So, if you had no idea about the Brat Pack, this show won't give you any info, but let you swim on your own, while Andrew McCarthy and some of his friends go on and on complaining about how this Brat Pack has ruined their careers, while some of them were like 'it wasn't That big of a deal in retrospect...'

'' Abbott Elementary '' is a comedy series that resembles ' The Office ' but this time it takes place in a public elementary school.

The series has a rocky start, with some over the top twists, but it quickly settles in. The characters are interesting and they create the perfect vibes so thar the story flourishes and becomes a cozy watch. Their relationships also create plenty of sweet moments.

In addition, the series is a fun ride, with some funny scenes and clever script.

Finally, every actor and actress in the cast do a great job with their performances and their chemistry is oozing and aids the series a lot.

'' My Fair Lady '' is a musical comedy with some strong leads.

The songs, first of all, were all enjoyable and to the point, and the music acts, the dancing and the performances were all masterfully executed.

The perfomrnaces, overall, were all enjoyable and the actors and actresses did a great job with their characters. Audrey Hepburn, especially, was exeptional.

The story, in addition, was smoothly paced and the had plenty of funny and entertaining moments. The script was, also, clever and the lines fired one after the other.

Finally, the ending was interesting and original, leaving things to the audience's imagination.

'' Bodkin '' is a crime solving series that resebles other hit dramas like '' Only Murders in the Building '', but only because one of the main characters is trying to make a podcast out of a mystery taking place in Ireland.

The rest, is a dark comedy, intense mystery about a small town well kept secret. The so called mystery is well presented, but the ending episodes were less enjoyable comapred to the rest of the series. Also, it was nice that the series included the stories of the main leads. The ending, finally, was rushed.

In addition, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.

'' Maxton Hall - The world between us '' is a tv series from Germany, based on a book series.

The series has a more or less predictable plot, using many cliche plot twists, as the storyline narrates the relationship between a rich arrogant boy and a clever but poor girl. And sure, the plot is unoriginal, but the series handled it nicely as to give out older romantic comedy vibes.

The performances were, in addition, pretty great, especially by the leading lady who was exeptional. The side characters were nicely handled as well.

The first season (this is a review for the first season), left out a lot to be explored in the second season, so let's see how it goes from there on.

Korean Drama '' Wonderful World '' is a melodrama-thriller.

The drama has quite a tragic story and it easily gets emotional and bittersweet when it deals with those matters. With an intense start, the drama slowly unfolds into a political thriller, with the main couple (not a romantic one though, fortunately!!!) having lots of chemistry and enhancing the intensity of the story.

Also, the performances were all great by every actor and actress of the cast. The characters were interesting as well and had depth. In addition, the family drama had many layers.

Finally, the ending was nicely handled, though the final episodes seemed like they were losing momentum.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

Korean mini series '' Under The Gun '' is a school romance - melodrama.

The drama has a strong start, with introducing the characters and establishing the romantic relationship and the love triangle. Those characters were, actually, quite interesting and the actors and actresses did a good job handling them and giving us solid performances.

Unfortunately, the drama suffered from its length. Hence, everything happened fast and the development was unsteady. Especially when it came to the romance, it felt like the main girl was forcing the relationship on the guy, as she was following him around like a puppy. Also, the whole rivalry could have been handled better.

So, overall, four out of ten.

Korean Drama '' Midnight Photo Studio '' is a fantasy romantic comedy.

The drama has many funny moments, with the side characters adding their special flair to the mix. The ghost stories were also quite emotional and bittersweet, and, fortunately, plenty.

The romance was also enjoyable, with many sweet moments between the leads, though the final episode had a cheesy twist, but, still, the couple was adorable. The side couple was a bit awkwardly handled.

The performances were, in addition, pretty enjoyable by every actor and actress in the cast.

So, overall, six and a half out of ten for Midnight Studio.

Korean Drama '' The Impossible Heir '' is a melodrama about the relationship between two young men.

On paper, the storyline sounds fantastic, however, the first part of the drama is quite a let down. The drama actually takes a bit to settle down and find its way. With the family drama being lukewarm and the weak romance trying to take the main place in the plot, the series was quite boring for that part.

The second part, on the other hand, was quite intense and enjoyable. With the main lead taking a turn and embracing his dark side, the thriller got better and more action scenes were added.

Finally, the performances varied from good to wooden.

So, overall, five out of ten.

Korean Drama '' Queen of Tears '' is a dark comedy melodrama.

The story is pretty unexpected, especially at the start of the drama, which was more on the comedy side. Slowly, they introduced the dramatic scheme involving the villain and the family, as they go through unexpected changes. Then, the series turns towards the romantic side, with many moments between the couple. The plot gets darker towards the end, with the final episode being quite dramatic. However, it must be noted that the last episodes, especially the fourteenth, were rather boring and felt more or less like fillers.

Another perk for this drama was the excellent side characters that were interesting and helped the story a lot.

Also, the performances were excellent.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

'' Moster of the Bride '' is a romantic comedy with Brooke Shields.

The movie has a typical story to share, which is more or less predictable and doesn't go deeper than the surface.

Thus, the romance was not convincing and the relationship between the mother and the daughter was weak. Also, it was not well explored the whole social media compaign that the bride tried to pull off and the impact of that on her own wedding and her family.

Other than that, the performances were enjoyable, and Brooke Shields was excellent. The setting was also pretty beautiful and help a lot to cover up many misfortunes that the story had.

'' Back to Black '' is a biography film for the singer-songwritter Amy Winehouse.

The film has a killer cinematography, with sharp shots and moody atmosphere, which fitted perfectly with the story and the songs. The songs were also all there, at least the hits, and they enhanced the experience.

Marisa Abela, in addition, did a great job with her performance and her singing was enjoyable.

That said, the movie was just okay. To be honest, the Amy Winehouse documentaries were more engaging than the movie, that focused on her relationship and less on her carreer and her progress as an artist...

'' Palm Royale '' is a period drama about a woman who tries to fit in with the ''royalty'' of Palm Beach.

The start of the drama is a bit awkward, but the series settles in after the first two episodes, when it is clear who Max is and what she is looking for. It also starts getting engaging and the drama and scandals were enjoyable.

However, as it progressed, the story added some rediculous twists that felt too unrelealistic to be believable. It also made the series look messy and all over the place. The ending, however, (of the first season) left things with a bang.

The performances, finally, were all enjoyable.

Japanese Drama '' Sugar Sugar Honey '' is a short drama.

The story is cute and it has it all: food (delicious desserts), sports, old rivalries, office drama, cute romance, comedy, family drama, etc. And it does a good job blending them, though each episode focuses on one of those genres, as the drama's length doesn't allow it to get more in depth.

Also, the romance, though adorable at first, got unnecessarily dramatic with an eye rolling twist in the end.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable by every actor and actress in the cast, especially the main leads.

So, overall, five out of ten.

Korean Drama '' Wedding Impossible '' is a romantic comedy about a contracted marriage.

The drama starts out nicely, introducing the main characters and their situations. However, as the story progresses, the main plot is ditched and the drama becomes something completely different. And boring to boot.

The romance, therefore, which was cute at first, got overdramatic for no reason and the second male lead was pushed aside, as the drama mainly focused on the main couple.

Also, the family drama was predictable and unoriginal.

At least, the performances were enjoyable for everyone in the cast.

So, overall, two out of ten.

Korean Drama '' Yellow Boots '' is a melodrama with a revenge plot.

Though the drama starts a bit awkward, introducing the characters and their relationship between them, things get better and better as the drama progresses. Without unnecessary overdramatic scenes and outbursts, the story truly gives a satisfying result in the end, which is quite dramatic. However, the final episodes were roughly chopped and edited, which made the drama look like a low-budget one, which was not the case, as the rest of it was smooth and the pace was just perfect.

Also, the performances were great, and, the characters' development was nicely handled. The characters were interesting to boot.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

'' Inventing Anna '' is a drama based on a true story about an impostor.

The series relies heavily on the mystery around Anna and whether she was the rich heiress she claimed to be. Anna Clumsky's character enhanced that experience, as she chased down the lead and started bonding with the Anna. However, that transision felt fake, as she kept obsessing over the girl who, she knew, was playing her.

Also, I found Julia Garner's accent forced and didn't flow nicely with the rest of her performance, which was pretty enjoyable as a whole.

In addition, there were some episodes that kept things thrilling, however, the begining of the series and the end was awkward and boring.

Korean Drama '' Queen of Divorce '' is a dramatic law comedy.

The drama, first of all, focuses mostly on the female lead's story and her efforts to redeem herself and bring those who hurt her to justice. Therefore, there weren't a lot, or even any, legal cases other than the main one, which was a letdown, as the main lead was supposed to be the queen of divorce, even though she couldn't be a lawyer.

The romance, in addition, felt forced and it was boring, especially since they were trying to base it on a past that the viewer had never watched.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable.

So, overall, three out of ten.