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!

January Books

I only read three books this month which is not great but not too bad either. I have had a severe case of the January blues this past month so I have struggled to motivate myself to function let alone read books. But luckily the days are getting longer day by day and spring is on the horizon so maybe February will be a much better month overall and in terms of reading.

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide

A little bit of Japanese short fiction to get my year started, it was an easy and cute read but I would say that it was nothing particularly special. The Guest Cat tells the story of a Japanese couple who are bought closer together by the frequent visits of a neighbours cat.

The Power of Nunchi by Euny Hong

I picked up this book as I felt like I needed some wisdom to start off the new year and the new decade. I don’t think I received said wisdom I was looking for if anything this book felt like a bit of a cash in on the rising global popularity of Korean media. I think Nunchi is probably far more complicated than Hong makes it seem and as I am not Korean I probably don’t even understand 1% of what it actually is.

The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford

I have mixed feelings about this book. I hated it but I also kinda liked it. It’s a complicated relationship and we are working on it as I write an essay on it this coming week. Modernist and impressionistic, The Good Soldier is one of the most meandering books I have ever read. But that’s the point. The narrator is struggling to get his story out so that’s why the plot is a bit like a Jackson Pollock painting, which is infuriating but utterly mysterious at the same time. It’s a modern classic so you should feel compelled to pick it up, so go do that!

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.

December Books

In a desperate bid to finish my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 50 books, I managed to finish 5 books in December.

Act 1, Scene 1 by Lee Mu-young

Another of LTI Korea’s free short stories that are available on Buk. I decided to read this short story as it is of the pastoral genre and I myself had in the middle of November moved with my family to the countryside so it just felt fitting to read something of this ilk. The story followed a man named Sutaek who gave up his job as a writer in the city to relocate to the countryside of his youth to become a farmer. In the process, he reconnects with his father and becomes inspired by his new way of life.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

I’m still working my way through the series on audiobook read by the wonderful Stephen Fry. I am rather excited by the conclusion of this book as it is a turning point in the series, Voldermort has returned!!! So it’s probably going to be a crazy ride from here on out! Love the writing, as usual, it’s just a fun and easy listen that makes my day a little nicer

Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki

The irony of buying a physical book on minimalism is not lost on me. I really enjoyed this little read which I read on Christmas day and boxing day (it was a present). And it has reaffirmed my desire to declutter and minimalise my life.

Love for Imperfect Things by Haemin Sunim

Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim’s follow up to his bestselling book The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down is another essential read if you are looking to become a little wiser and kinder to yourself and those around you this new year. This book is like a little ray of sunshine and so unbelievably soothing to read.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This little novel was the perfect conclusion to the year (and the decade) as it deals with the past, and how our actions shape our future. In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Timetravel is possible. But there are rules and regulations that deter most people from partaking, one major rule is that you can’t change the present by going back. But four different characters still go back and by joining them on this journey you are forced to consider your own life and decisions and how you could be at any moment making decisions that affect your future. It’s a heartwarming and emotional read which I didn’t expect when I picked it up at my local Waterstones.

Goals for the New Year and Beyond

Today is January 1st 2020. It’s a new year and a whole new decade. I think this is something every single person on the face of the planet is aware of right now. Well maybe nearly every single person, there have probably already been so many new lives bought into the world today…what a magnificent thought. I digress.

As per tradition resolutions are made (and swiftly broken) so in the spirit of the season, I have 10 goals I want to work towards this year and for the rest of the decade and maybe even further after that depending on how fast I am at achieving them!

My Goals for the New Year and Beyond:

1. Finish your degree with the best grade possible (for you)

2. Travel more, see all the wonders this world has to offer you.

3. Become Trilingual or maybe even a Polyglot - that means practising French & Korean every day without fail! And you’ll add Japanese and/or German to that mix if you decide you are ready to learn more languages.

4. Become a minimalist - Zen Buddhism has helped you to become a much better person since you became fascinated by it back in 2009 but you still put too much desire and focus on material possessions, in this year and the years to follow you will change this.

5. Become better at Photography and Cinematography - Get out into the world more and capture photos and videos of what you see and experience.

6. Cherise the small moment in life - All those tiny moments add up to make your life, so have gratitude and love for the smallest of things that happen to you.

7. Say ‘Yes’ more - It’s about time you overcome your anxieties, especially social ones…and as clichéd as it sounds ‘The magic happens outside of your comfort zone’ is very true.

8. Create more - Write a book, paint a portrait, dance before the setting sun - you are a creative being as that is what gives you the most joy, so take the time and take risks to create.

9. Find love - Deep down inside you’re a romantic, you always have been, but you hid it deep within yourself as you worried that it made you silly, pathetic even. And well, you're quite sensitive, so the idea of rejection has kept your heart closed off for far too long…so its time to seek the possibility of love.

10. Do more for the Planet - You can always do more to preserve this beautiful planet as it is the only home we have!

What goals will you set yourself for this New Year and beyond?