Tag: what to watch on netflix

Doom At Your Service

Published on by cinemadilemmaLeave a comment
https://www.netflix.com/

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Starring: Park Bo-young, Seo In-guk, Lee Soo-hyuk, Kang Tae-oh, Shin Do-Hyun
Where to watch: Netflix
To watch or not to watch: It is one of the best Kdramas out there. It shows the maturity in storylines and side character development we have been asking to see

Tak Dong-kyung (Park Bo-young) lost her parents when she was very young, and had taken the responsibility for her younger brother early, with the help of her aunt. Currently, she is working as an editor for a web novel publishing company. One fateful day, on the anniversary of her parents’ passing incidentally, she discovers that the man she was in a relationship with is married and is expecting a child, and that she has glioblastoma and has about 100 days to live. She goes back to her home all alone, gets drunk and in anger wishes upon a shooting star for the world to end (understandably). As fate would have it, Doom (Seo In-guk) is actually listening, and decides to meet her to fulfil her wish. He introduces himself as Myul Mang, and Dong-kyung makes a deal with him that gives her pain-free 100 days to live as she wants, in exchange for the world to end or someone she loves will die. The rest of the movie is about how she navigates her fate, ironically finds love in Myul Mang and wants to live. In turn Myul Mang starts appreciating humans and their emotions, realises the worth of a life and looks for redemption for himself. The supporting cast in Lee Soo-hyuk as Cha Ju-ik, Dong-kyung’s boss is heart-warming without the drama and his relationship with Na Ji-na (Shin Do-hyun) is also relatable.

This drama defies the standard love triangle which are the norm in Kdramas and by that alone this series sets itself apart. It is also low on comedy and high on emotional drama, making it not similar to the popular Bo-young’s work, Strong Woman. There are some genuine themes touched in this one, like mortality, the futility of life, hope or lack thereof, and world’s fate. In between this, we humans need to find our purpose in life and do everything to achieve it, no matter the grief it brings. It is profound.

Bo-young and In-guk had a good chemistry in the series, and though Bo-young’s screen presence is difficult to equal, In-guk does stand on his own, even though in the story he exists because of and for Bo-young. This is not a typical love story of boy-meets-girl or enemies-to-lovers trope. It is a story of growth, of reliving, of suffering but smiling through it. The side characters are kind of annoying in this set-up, as their story is not as deep or holistic and that is kind of a bummer, but it still offers a relief from the heavy topic of our main characters. Watch this to appreciate the growth we are seeing in Kdramas, let them know that their efforts are seen. It is actually a good story.

The Residence

Published on by cinemadilemmaLeave a comment
https://www.theguardian.com/

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Starring: Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Molly Griggs, Ken Marino, Randall Park, Susan Kelechi Watson, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Edwina Findley
Where to watch: Netflix (8 episodes, 50-odd minutes each)
To watch or not to watch: A closed mansion mystery with multiple suspects and Rian Johnson style storytelling. It is highly recommended for fans of typical whodunnit.

It is the night of Australian state dinner at The White House, rather THE WHITE HOUSE, where Hugh Jackman and Kylie Minogue are also present. In the middle of this, they find the chief usher AB Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito) dead on the third floor. The chiefs of all the major intelligence/security/investigation agencies are at the scene and are quick to call the death a suicide, except Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba), the greatest detective in the world (not unlike Poirot, only she is female and has less differentiated mannerisms) is called upon. She declares the death a murder and presents compelling evidence or lack thereof to boost her statement. What follows is a non-linear sequence of statements, evidence, lies, corroboration, congressional committee, exposure of personal lives and bird-watching to arrive at the truth. Oh! And Kylie Minogue performs. She is chiefly assisted by Susan Kelechi Watson (Jasmine Haney) who was Assistant Usher until Wynter’s death, and Edwin Park (Randall Park), an FBI special agent. Did Jasmine murder Wynter to quicken her promotion, or was it Harry Hollinger (Ken Marino) who was suspected of having a fight with the victim sometime before the “incident”, or was it the drunk butler Sheila (Edwina Findley), or even the pastry chef?

The brilliance of the series lies in the manner of storytelling ie, the pacing. It is quite like Knives Out, with the opening scene being the discovery of the body, fun quick cuts to scenes which lead to non-linearity and dizziness in the viewer, also making the viewer’s attempt to solve the crime difficult. Cordelia follows clues, which are lost on everyone, gets people to talk by not asking questions, push people into the corner by questioning everything, all in all, the fast-paced movement of scenes and dialogues and characters themselves, make for a really fun viewing. There are multiple characters and storylines, complicated by lies and small incidents deemed insignificant but turn out to be the real crux of the matter, Cordelia’s shifting focus to bird-watching, ensuring the viewer is kept on their toes. The show doesn’t take itself seriously and is self-aware enough to acknowledge the heavy borrowing from Christie and Johnson and what-not, it is funny despite the fact it is based in The White House, not because of it.

This show is a brilliant first watch, testing the viewer’s willpower to not binge it in one sitting, but only the first time. After that, the plot holes, the ridiculousness of the setting and extravagant mannerisms are easy to see through as distraction tactics. Aduba is good at her job and has an engaging screen presence, but someone alluding to her ability to solve unsolvable cases is not entirely believable, we are expected to just accept it. Then there is a whole origin story in the middle of the series, which was only a filler to make it last 8 episodes. The uncovered truth about the murder and the murderer is underwhelming so adjust the expectations accordingly. This is also the point where the series loses a score in the rating. There is so much underhanded display of female empowerment, that it is tiring. If you want real female empowerment in cinema, start paying equal wages, but putting men down only reverses the problem. Sigh!
Shonda Rhimes has made women-centric content in the past, while they were highly superficial, this is much, much better than the convenient, self-congratulatory plotlines of series like Scandal. It is flawed, but there is progress. And it is a good watch for all the mystery-starved people out there.