Dance of the Dragon

“A young boy in Korea discovers a dream. A dream he would follow. A dream that would lead to love. Only one thing stands in his way; he must fight for what he loves. Dare to dream, dare to love, dare to fight…Dance of the Dragon.”

Dance of the Dragon starring Jason Scott Lee, Fann Wong and Jang Hyuk is the story of a poor Korean country boy Tae (Hyuk) who since childhood, dreams of becoming a ballroom dancer. Life circumstances all but crush this dream from Tae until he has an opportunity to go to Singapore to a dance school.

There, he meets Emi (Fann Wong), a once champion retired dancer who runs the school. She is romantically involved with Cheng (played by Jason Scott Lee), a former fighting champion who now runs a dojo. But it is apparent that she is restless in her life and very unhappy in her relationship with Cheng.

When an attraction grows between student and teacher, Cheng confronts Tae and challenges him to fight – fight to stay in the studio, fight to stay near Emi.

I enjoyed this movie – was prepared to like it simply because of Jang Hyuk ~ my favorite Korean actor hands down. He’s got a charming face and a smokin’ body, but beyond that, he’s an incredible actor. I’m familiar with Fann Wong from two Singapore series; “Heroes In Black”, and “Out to Win”.

The storyline unfortunately seemed one dimensional to me - after seeing Tae and Emi dance once Cheng (Jason Scott Lee) is absurdly jealous. Had we had more scenes of Emi teaching Tae and a gradual build up to their attraction to each other I could have bought the jealousy. The Tae and Emi thing had much more potential for development too, than it was given which was regrettable. There was so much heat between Jang Hyuk and Fann Wong that I would really have enjoyed watching that evolve. Would have been nice to give them scenes "after hours" where she's teaching him to refine his gift, we could have got some of her back story from her side.

Cheng’s anger – wish we could have gotten more on that too. I was confused – he seemed at once to be a brutish creep but then a sensitive guy just trying to keep his relationship intact. We are suddenly treated to him sitting at a diner table, with a dude we’d never seen before, paying Cheng to rough up a guy who owes him money. Since when did we know Cheng was a mob leg-breaker? When did that happen?

You know, there was beautiful chemistry between Tae and his father - their relationship was a complex one - as many father/son relationships are. The ball was dropped there – this should have been broadened to add more depth. I came away feeling like the "dare to love" tag line was more about Tae going against his father's wishes in learning to dance (his lifelong love) than it was about the hotness between Tae and Emi. Sigh*

Jang Hyuk was the stand out as far as I was concerned. His English was - I could understand him - so often I can't (coughTheLobbyistcough) and the guy can emote without needing to say a single line; such subtlety in his face! He's a child in the face of his father's disappointment, he's full of wonder looking out of the taxi in Singapore, gripping determination in his face as he tells Cheng he'll meet his challenge, intensely focused during the dance and fight scenes. I would have liked to see him smile more, to blossom in his love for Emi. But alas, the movie was too short and underdeveloped.

Overall, a nice movie ~ not one I would have cared about if Jang Hyuk had not been in it. I really hope that he finds another vehicle someday that will propel him into some international attention. He’s gifted and has a great deal of charisma. I’ve yet to see him in anything (post Army) that has been bad. Dance of the Dragon wasn’t bad, but Jang Hyuk was the only element that made it good.

The War of Flower / Tazza; High Rollers: Review

The War of Flower (Hwatoo) is the story of two best friends and the depths each one descends through the art of being a tazza (sort of a finely honed card shark, who cheats for the beauty of the cheat. Other’s are just cheaters).

Playing the game “Go/Stop” (or Hwatoo) Goni, is passionate, could easily become addicted to the game – he’s the “Go” guy. The other friend, Young Min, is more calculating and has a better instinct for the cards. He knows when it’s time to quit. He’s the “Stop” guy.

Ponder Angst – 20. There was not a single moment in the series that I sat there and thought, “Oh for Pete’s sake, get on with it already!” This series was so fast paced and smart – we had moments of the ponder, but it was pointed, we got to see how a cheat was done, we got the Aha! moments and I enjoyed it. I may have to go back and check the ponder meter; I don’t know if any other series got all 20 points.

Love “ – “ Angles – It’s another 20. Goni loves NanSook. NanSook loves Goni. Young Min loves NanSook. Madam Jung loves Young Min. It was pretty clean as the angles go.

Sizzle – 25. The only place that Tazza would have lost sizzle points was in the relationship between Goni and NanSook. Romantically, these two never got out of high school (except at the end, you figure they’re hooking up). The kisses were modest and chaste, but I wanted a little more desperation. The sizzle we get comes from the separate character performances, the cheats and stings, the writing and the atmosphere of series. And woooof - Jang Hyuk and Kim Min Joon. Both hot with a smoldering sexiness that oozed off the screen.

Physical Intimacy – 5 – we had those chaste kisses I spoke of, and a little bit of couch time with Young Min and Madam Jung. I'm not looking for full frontal or anything – but the connect could have added another layer of punch to an already great series.

Tragic Heart wrenching Disease and/or Character Death from Same – 20 – We got a few murders and one Grandma death from natural causes that catapults our protagonists down this path of greed and twisted desires. It is to be expected in the life of the high roller. We did get sacrificial main character death which upped the pointage here. The heart wrenching part was watching Goni’s face as he deals with all of the pain. Jang Hyuk is exquisite.

Going to the Beach – 0 – there was no beach trip in Tazza. It’s ok. I loved the series without it.

I’ve already mentioned the really superb performances here with Kim Min Joon and Jang Hyuk; JH with his beautifully expressive face, KMJ with his wonderful Shakespearean neuroses. But the supporting cast was all top notch too. Madam Jung, Aghui, Aghui’s toady, Goni’s prison friends, his mentor Pyung Kyung Jang, the little guy I called Moe Howard since he looked like Moe from the three stooges. As with other k-dramas I’ve watched, the really good ones invest me in the characters – all of them, good and bad. Tazza, in only 21 episodes, did this for me beautifully.

I liked the ending and thought it was appropriate. Early on, Goni’s uncle (a tazza as well) could read him and he knew instinctively that Goni was a guy that wouldn't be able to stop, indeed, Aghui could read that too which is why he chooses Young Min to be his apprentice. That, and the fact that Young Min shows he can be ruthless if he has to. Goni shrunk at conning a palsied man. Young Min has no problem.

Eventually Goni breaks that ugly cycle of “revenge breeds revenge, cheats breed cheats”. Taunted throughout the series that he’ll never be able to give up the exciting and lucrative lifestyle, Goni understands better than anyone the excitement and the tingling that gambling offers. But in the end he says to a woman who is concerned with her son’s card playing; "If he can stop when he should stop, then nothing bad will ever happen to him." He has found peace and contentment.

Annoying tics? Throughout the whole series, Goni’s woman NanSook was not a favorite of some viewers. She didn't bother me. I was pretty apathetic really. That was until the last 10 minutes of the finale when she kept nagging at Goni not to shoot Aghui. Nag nag nag "don't do it Goni!" nag nag nag "Goni!" nag nag "Goni" NaGoniNaGoniNaGoni. I just wanted him to shoot her and shut her up and then shoot Aghui. That last ten minutes totally ruined the character for me and now I hate her. If I watch this again, I'm going to hate her through the whole thing and pretend he hooks up with someone at the fish market in the end.

So Tazza scores 90 out of 100 on the E-scale. This series should have gotten more kudos than it did. Highly recommended.

War of Flowers/Tazza: Overall Impressions

“Hwatoo is like life…you can’t take back your move during a game even if it was a mistake. It teaches how painful a moment's mistake can be.” – Kim Goni

Hwa – Fighting Too – Flowers - “The War of Flower”

A tazza (according to character Pyung Jung Kyang) is someone who appreciates the art of manipulation through the game. A tazza appreciates it as elegance: "That's why there are so many cheaters and so few tazzas."

Hwatoo is a Korean card game (the cards are called go-dori). There’s flowers and numbers and months and all sorts of analogies to life through hwatoo. Not a good life though. Nope. Not one little bit.

I came in a Hwatoo virgin – not even knowing there had been a smash hit movie in 2006 or a series of manhwa (comics) from which the series had been based. I came in fresh and was entranced by the first episode. The cast was first rate, the chemistry was good, the energy level of each episode was high. The hour went by so quickly, I was surprised when it was over and couldn’t wait to watch the next.

Our main character is Kim Goni, played to perfection by Jang Hyuk. I simply cannot say enough about this man’s acting or his naked upper body. Both are absolutely thrilling; I could sit all day watching him do chin ups with the same enthusiasm as I could sit all day and watch him play in character. Any character. I just want to watch him emote. With no shirt on.

Sorry. No, not sorry. But if this is going to get written, I need to focus.

Goni and NanSook are in love, always have been. If you are ever confused over who truly loves who in a Korean drama, you have only to follow the pretty red thread back to the old necklace exchange when they are 11 years old (#55 on the list). It’s easy when you know how to read the signs.

Goni and Young Min (played by the very attractive and charismatic Kim Min Joon – third picture from the left) are best friends in high school. We know this after seeing them pull a con in a billiards hall together, run away, and gleefully jump off a bridge into the back of a garbage truck. Goni is fiercely loyal and would do anything for those he loves. Young Min seems a little proud, won’t take his share of the get from billiards, he’s a little stand offish.

Circumstances arrange themselves so that our friends become mortal enemies up against a slick backdrop of casinos, gambling dens, desperate addictions, and twisted passions. The series played on the success of one of the best buddy movies ever made - “The Sting” starring Robert Redford and the late Paul Newman. The plotting toward the end had a distinct “Ocean’s Eleven” flavor, though not as polished.

The series missed an opportunity there, I thought. There was tragedy, there had to be, but the end con could have been handled differently. The direction of the film was different, with a different message at the end, not one that glorifies gambling, not one that shoves the evil of addiction down your throat, but more about greed and it’s destruction.

The love affair between Goni and NanSook was lacking as well. We are meant to believe that it is genuine and powerful. For the most part, while it was sweet and endearing it lacked punch as our characters matured. Their first kiss, shared when in their twenties, was chaste and almost embarrassed. OK, I might buy that ~ this is Korean Drama afterall. But later on, our lovers should have poured a little bit of the desperation of their circumstances into subsequent meetings ~ I'm thinking specifically of when they meet after Goni escapes from the pen. If a hot Jang Hyuk, fresh out of prison risks discovery and an arm by forcing his way into my elevator, you can bet I'm going to be all over him like egg in a bowl of bibimbap. A naked egg in a hot HOT bowl of bibimbap.

But then THAT wouldn't be k-drama, would it?

Young Min throughout would appear to be driven by greed and power. I kept comparing Young Min to Yeom Moon in Emperor of the Sea. Another orphaned youth taken under an evil wing (amusingly enough, also played by Kim Kap Soo, Yeom's Moon's Master Yi in that series), Yeom Moon is fiercely loyal to his adoptive "father", desperately in love with the protagonist's woman Jung Hwa and smoking ruthless as played by the charismatic Song Il Guk. It was either the power of Song's performance or the gift of the writers that brought that dynamic to a weeping climax as the audience wanted Yeom Moon's redemption more than it wanted to see the hero Bogo win the day. And as much as I liked Young Min, I didn't get that same spine tingly feeling in the character.

I really enjoyed this series. There were some fine cons played with excellent twists. I bled with Jang Hyuk as he wrestled with his guilt and loss. I ached for Young Min each time he betrayed his friends, and kept hoping for his redemption. I delighted in all the side characters ~ and I enjoyed the bitch-play between Madam Jang (Kang Sung Yun) and Lee Nan Sook (Han Ye Seul).

Madam Jang by the way? Absolutely fabulous.

I’m irritated that this series didn’t get the recognition that it deserved. The acting was first rate and the storyline energetic. I haven’t been this enthusiastic in a while about a drama in some time and I think it deserved more kudos than it got.

Review will be up later.

Jang Hyuk Weds!

Posted online May 28; translation by a fan on soompi forums

http://www.soompi.com/forums/

Jang Hyuk getting married on 2 June discloses the face of his bride to the public (for the first time) through their wedding photos, but ‘slightly’ (deliberately blurred photos).

They already registered at the marriage register last winter and had a baby boy born on Feb. 8. Jang Hyuk and Kim Yeo Jin said in the wedding invitation “We are starting a new family and hope to make it a sweet home with peace and harmony. We are preparing this ceremony to have you witness our commitment to live in one unity, looking at each other with caring and warm-hearted eyes forever.”

He has been together with his bride, Kim Yeo Jin, 2 year older than him, for 6 years from 2002. They met first at a fitness club in 2002 and finally get married after 6 year courtship.

Jang Hyuk said in the press release,

“We are thankful to all those who send us love and support. We hope you understand our decision that the wedding ceremony will be the non-open-to-the-public one. We are so excited and elated at the wedding, the would-be-the biggest event to our life.

Frankly I feel a bit abashed about this belated wedding as having a baby already, but because of that, this wedding will bring more significance to me. As a husband and a father, the more I feel like committing myself to my resolution to work harder to make a sweet home. I think the wedding is a new start in my life. I promise I will care, respect, adore, and love my family along this new road.”

God Bless them both; I wish them luck and happiness forever!

Song Il Guk - Tying the Knot!

WTF? My OTHER favorite kdrama actor; Song Il Guk has officially announced that he's tying the knot. First Jang Hyuk (at your right ladies), now, SIG. Now I'm convinced that 2008 is going to suck.

Actor Song Il-kook to Wed This Year

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Song Il-kook, 37, hero of the widely popular epic drama ``Jumong'' (2006) and ``Lobbyist,''(2007) will tie the knot in the first half of the year.

Song and his girlfriend met two years ago when the actor was still shooting the MBC drama ``Jumong''. His fiancee passed the state-run bar exam last year and is currently a student at the Legal Training and Research Institute.

Dates and other specific plans have not been decided yet, according to his agency.

When rumors about Song's wedding surfaced in 2007, the actor and his agency denied the stories and said that the he was seeing someone but there were no plans of a wedding any time soon.

Song, also the son of actress Kim Eul-dong, became a hit star with his acting in ``Jumong (2006),'' where he portrayed the historical hero Jumong, the founder of ancient Goguryeo (37 B.C-A.D.660). He also filmed the movie ``The Art of Seduction'' with Son Ye-jin, which was a big success in 2005.

sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/01/178_17014.html

I wish them both well. 'Bout time for Song.

Congratulations Jang Hyuk!

Charismatic actor of "Thank You" and "Volcano High"- my favorite Korean Drama of all time - Jang Hyuk announced yesterday that he and fiance Kim Yuh Jin are expecting their little girl Tee Hae, to be born in February. The couple will be married in June. I thought he looked uncharacteristically exuberant in the recent press conference promoting his new series with Lee Da Hae "Robber". May she be born healthy and well and bring her parents happiness.

Actor Jang Hyuk (31) will marry a dancer, who is two years older, on June 2nd of next year.

Bride-to-be dancer Kim Yuh Jin (33) met Jang Hyuk is 2002 at a fitness center and has been dating him for 6 years now. Kim is expecting to deliver a baby in February.

They met last June with their parents and had a small but cozy engagement party. After Kim has delivered the baby and recuperated, the couple will marry in June.

Jang Hyuk's bride-to-be, Kim, was a dance major and has been performing as a dancer within the country. When she first met Jang Hyuk at the fitness center, she was giving pilates lessons.

Jang Hyuk said, "In 2002, I went to learn pilates. There were 40 women and I was the only male. At first we weren't friends. She was a teacher, and I was the student. We had a meal together maybe once a month, but slowly we got to know each other naturally."

He added this to say about Kim. "She has many similarities with me and she has many differences with me. She doesn't have a lot to say, but she's not that quiet. Her heart is warm, her understanding is large, and most importantly, she has faith. As more time goes, I feel that she is a good person, a person I'm thankful for. We might not have the nervous feeling as we did when we first met, but now we have more memories and affection with each other and that's a good feeling too.

Especially in 2004 when Jang Hyuk went through a hard time with the military duty scandal, he commented that he made it through with her by his side.
He said, "When I was in the army, she was with me. When I was having a hard time, she let me rest on her shoulders. I can't explain how thankful and moved I was. After facing a difficult time together, I feel like our relationship deepened."

To Kim, Jang Hyuk said, "Thank you for being with me for such a long time. Let's be thankful for every little thing that comes along the way and find happiness in the future together, since the future is more important. I'll try my hardest to fill that portion well, and I don't know how many obstacles lie in our way, but I promise we'll get through it together…I'm always touched just by being with you, and I thank you again and again."

For the baby, the father-to-be said that baby will be named "Tae-Hee." (Big tae, and Joyful hee). As the name says, he wants their baby to be a person with a larger heart, a person with a lot of laughter, and a person who will live a joyful life. "I want my baby to be healthy and be born quickly, so that I can hug her soon."

Go mab seub ni da!

Jang Hyuk from “Thank You” fame previously mentioned. Just finished wrapping up his new movie “Dance of the Dragon” with Fann Wong and Jason Scott Lee. Due to release in the US in early 2008.

For my very Caucasian friends go mab seub ni da means "Thank You" in Korean.

Thank you, Jang Hyuk!

More Jang Hyuk and a Movie

Bee Gees Song of the Day: Run to Me

Run to me whenever you're lonely. (to love me)
Run to me if you need a shoulder
Now and then, you need someone older,
so darling, you run to me.

Earlier this month, I reviewed "Thank You", a Korean Drama full of romance and pathos. I liked it a lot at the time and gave it a 92 on the scorecard.

Since then, I spent some time in the dentist's chair and have had a couple of pretty painful days and while recuperating, decided to re-watch this series. It was showing on AZN and the translation was better than my dvds. I was captivated by Jang Hyuk all over again.

I found and watched one of his earlier series, "Bright Girl's Success Story". Unfortunately, I was so disappointed, I'm not even going to review it. The most notable thing was it had a Love Angle of 6 - what do you call a shape with 6 sides? I don't even know. It's the math.

Anyway, I will say that in the two and a half years Jang was in the mandatory Korean military he matured...and nicely. I don't know if he took his critics to heart, but his acting is infinitely more refined and moving in TY. I'm planning on watching a few of his movies - "Windstruck" and "Volcano High" just to continue my comparison. It won't hurt if I get a beefcake shot out of it either. :)

I don't know how popular his singing is in Korea, but I watched two of his music videos and found them entertaining. He's got a wonderful searing look...very intense and focused. You just want a guy to look at you like that.

Hyuk Hyuk (as my friend and I call him) is currently filming a movie with Fann Wong (HA! Of "Heroes in Black" fame...she's been in much more mainstream stuff - like "Shanghai Nights") called "Dance of the Dragon". Am looking forward to it.

I also re-watched "The Lakehouse". I just love that movie. When I realized that it was a remake of a 2000 Korean movie called "Il Mare", I had to see the Korean version. "Il Mare" was more beautifully and artistically filmed than "The Lakehouse", but "The Lakehouse" had a better payoff in the end. I love the tension between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. At the end of "Il Mare" our male protagonist meets his love before she knows who he is, has her letters in his hand and asks her indulgence in believing a magical tale.

I prefer the hot kiss at the end of "The Lakehouse".

K-Drama: Thank You

Really good. It’s a little hard for me to be glib about this drama since I just finished it and was very touched. I can say overwhelmingly that Jang Hyuk as our male protagonist was incredible.

I was not immediately captivated by JH. But as the series continued, I got lost in the character of Min Ki Seo. The change from cold, hard and embittered gradually melted into warm, giving and beautiful.

Quite briefly, it’s the story of a whole village of flawed individuals primarily motivated by fear. Fear of AIDS, of being alone, of loss, of life, of death, and love. While the finale was left open ended, I like to imagine that it ended happily ever after. Just like I like ‘em.

Repeating themes: People who sleep in cars, eat chocopies, and run away. Every other day.

Now that I’ve moved a little away from some of the emotion, let’s get to the review, shall we?

Ponder Angst – 15. We had ponder angst. By the ocean, in their cars, during the ferry ride (when they weren’t vomiting something white), after the ferry ride. But it did not annoy me this time. Had I not been forced to ffwd through some of the angst, it would have gotten a 20.

Love “ – “ Angles – 12 – A triangle. Choi Suk Hyun doesn’t know he’s little Bom-ah’s Dad. Figures it out, wants back in, just in time for our hero Min “I will never practice medicine again” Ki Seo to enter the picture sewing people up. They both fall in love with little Bom-ah as well as her mom Lee Young Shin. Young Shin is conflicted and pulled in like 7 different directions. It’s messy for just the triangle.

Sizzle – 15 - You know, the leads had some chemistry, but not a lot of sizzle. All the heat goes to JH for being so darn achy and beautiful. I was impressed and loved it when he was on the screen. When he wasn’t on the screen, I wanted him back. Oh, ummmmm, Jang Hyuk in the shower? Six pack? Szszszszszszszl baby!

Physical Intimacy – 10 – we had actual kissing (no tongue), inferred sex and hugs.

Tragic Heartwrenching Disease and/or Character Death from Same – 20 - Holy cow! This series started off with cardiac arrhythmia, graduated to pancreatic cancer, AIDS, and a severed femoral artery which led to amputation. We had Alzheimers, depression, fainting spells, pneumonia, near-death internal bleeding, blood transfusions, physical and emotional breakdowns. Had they included constipation and anorexia they just would have been showing off.

Going to the Beach – I gotta give 10 in the bonus round. There was a suicide attempt, ”at the beach”. Depression wanted out of this mortal coil. Alzheimer tried to stop Depression by offering to kill himself, also via ocean. Depression pushes Alzheimer down in an effort to complete her task, rendering Alzheimer an immediate floater. Depression starts screaming, someone saves Alzheimers, however, he dies in his sleep the next night after delivering chocopies around town to make everyone happy. Depression lives, much to her chagrin.

Annoying tics? Well, we had another Dr. Whiny Crybaby, a la White Tower, which was tolerable, but the effing nurse! Not a patient walked into their clinic that she didn’t throw herself across their prone chest and scream “What are we going to do?” Just slap her already. I also thought someone should have just chained little eight year old Bom to a wall. She ran away countless times, once causing her mother to collapse from exhaustion and pneumonia. Another time, a limb or something fell on Momma causing internal bleeding that nearly killed her. AND THEN THE BRAT RAN AWAY AGAIN. Nail the kid’s shoes to the floor. Someone. Please.

I was also disappointed in the subs. I’ll say up front that I have nothing but respect and gratitude toward those who take their precious free time to translate these shows so dopey anglos like me can watch kdrama. And up to about episode 8, I thought the subs were fantastic. After that, I think names were spelled with a Chinese flair and the translations were quite poor. Toward the end, I was certain I was missing significant aspects of the program. My friend dramaok’s name was mentioned as having translated a song. That made me happy.

A score of 82 just isn’t enough for this series. I’m giving it another 10 points for the emotional impact (What? It's my review. I can add points if I want.). I found “Thank You” to be well written and well acted. JH expressed more with his eyes than words could have transmitted. When her neighbors stopped YS from moving to Seoul, I cried. When JH looked at YS near the end, his face full of love and yearning, willing to accept what she was able to give, I wanted someone to look at me like that.

So “Thank You” gets a 92 on the E-score. I don’t think I’ll watch it again in full just because it took so long to get to happy. I was captivated though and was sorry when it was over. I won’t look at chocopies the same way (the Korean brand for Moon Pies ) and I think I might say thank you a whole lot more.