Misc items none of which need their own post

[dangermousie]

1. I checked out the first episode of the British show Being Human (about a vampire, werewolf and a ghost being rommates - sounds like a start of a very bad joke) and I really really loved it. Shall watch more.

2. I am obsessed by one of the books I am currently reading - North of the DMZ by Andrei Lankov. It's the best nonficition book I've read in months. Lankov writes about every day life in North Korea - if you want to read about nukes and politics this is not the book for you, but he goes into everything from market operation to wedding customs to texbooks. (Sample math problem involves having the children count how many "wolf-like imperialist bastards" did the "brave uncles" of the North Korean army managed to kill).

This book is impeccably researched and written but what really appeals to me is that Lankov is a former USSR citizen (currently working in Seoul) who studied at the Kim Il Sung university as an exchange student in the 1980s - he brings a perspective I haven't seen in books about NK before - as someone from a communist country he is able to see the distorted twisted taken-to-extreme parallels with other communist regimes and lacks the sense of shock that I see in so many Western accounts. Maybe I love it because his attitude is closest to mine (I grew up in the USSR too and my best friend's father worked in North Korea - she lived there for a time. I remember Soviet people thought N.Koreans were insane too). Plus, his information on relationship between USSR, China and NK is fascinating. I was especially interested in defectors from NK to Soviet Union in the 1950s - NK allowed a bunch of NK students to study in Moskow and Moskow was paradise compared to NK. A large number defected, Khruschev took them in, and NK clamped down on studying abroad. (I particularly liked the story of a Korean War hero who led the defectors and whom the NK forces tried to kidnap back in Moskow but he escaped, became a journalist and wrote accounts of NK defectors in the 1970s - I want to get my hands on that book).

I cannot recommend this highly enough.

3. Watched the second ep of this season's Doctor Who. I am OK with Eleven and Amy - I am not invested in them but at least they don't bore me. The ep had plotholes the size of Titanic though (really, all the other countries had tech to leave earth but not England? And none of them would share? As this was what was implied as they were the only ones floating on a whale. Bleh). Also, it got so OTT sentimental, I was ready to claw the screen. Still, at least it kept me mildly amused.

4. Ep 8 of Oh My Lady was cute - favorite part being MW buying Ye Eun all those toys and ruffling her hair or watching the tape of her performance and getting all melty and then seeing a little boy pull her hair and getting indignant. And of course his offer at the end to finance the musical so Gae Hwa will have a job. OML isn't a masterpiece or anything but it is enjoyable.

5. They cast Lee Ji Ah as the secondary female lead in Athena. I was so happy for the male cast but their female casting decisions are wrecking this. Don't misunderstand me - I am a rabd Le Ji Ah fan - I've only seen her in Legend but Sujink, the character she played, was arguably my favorite female character ever. That's the problem. They case boring as dirt Soo Ae as the female lead (whom I don't care for at the best of times) and my darling Sujini as the secondary? WTF? If they expect me to root for Soo Ae over LJA, they are insane.

Comments

[cranberrysheep.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the second Doctor Who episode, but I have to agree - plot hole city. Plus, how many times are we going to see the same Utopian city with a secret seedy underbelly plot? It felt awfully derivative and all over the place, like Moffat had a bunch of ideas and threw them in here but never actually expanded on any of them.

Like WHY did they have the Smilers in the first place? Why was the child sent down below when they new the whale wouldn't eat children? Though, I did think the star whale was a really cool idea.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

how many times are we going to see the same Utopian city with a secret seedy underbelly plot? It felt awfully derivative and all over the place, like Moffat had a bunch of ideas and threw them in here but never actually expanded on any of them

The first 2 eps have been very uneven and rocky, IMO (esp. when you compare then to first two ep of RTD's first season). Hopefully Moffat irons out the wrinkles soon.

Why was the child sent down below when they new the whale wouldn't eat children

If you don't succeed at first, try try again?

[fivil.livejournal.com]

Nukes & politics are boring to me - what interests me more about North-Korea or any culture is the lives of ordinary people and what they have to deal with. There was a documentary film on North-Korean propaganda (which is not easily found as it's not like the country is keen on exporting it) I saw at a film festival in Finland some years back (called Dictator's Cut, not sure how available it is) and that definitely shed some light on the kind of ideologies that kids learn at school/via tv propaganda.

Gonna seek that book out, hope it's on cheap paperback or something. I'm trying to do a lot of Korea-related reading, as I might be studying there next spring. (If you got any other recs, shoot. I'll probably do an Amazon order sometime during the summer.)

Hmm I can see we are of two very different minds regarding DW. Oh well! :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

North-Korea or any culture is the lives of ordinary people and what they have to deal with.

Exactly.

I am reading it on Kindle but they have a paperback edition too.

Re: DW: It's not bad, just - plotholes!

[moth5dream.livejournal.com]

There's a book that recently came out, called Living in South Korea by Jonathan Hopfner. It's from the Moon series. I don't have it yet, so don't know how good it is.

I have read a book with differing viewpoints on the whole unification idea. It's an ok book.

There are also a couple of books on Shamanism that I want to read.

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

Being Human! I'm really curious as to what your feelings about it will be now. It's so light and fluffy. And then it hits by the angst. Which should be right up your alley! XD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I like it so far. Shocking especially since I find none of them attractive. But I like them as characters.

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

But... Mitchell! Lol actually, i can see why some might not find him attractive not me in this case but the storyline is just lovely. Also, seriously British.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He looks good in your icon :)

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

Oh there are plenty of occasions where he looks good. ;D

[myrna-nora.livejournal.com]

Being Human!!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It is very entertaining.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

5. Great! I haven't seen her in anything since "The Legend". I like her, I think Soo Ae is a better actress, but they clearly are going for two strong leads. I don't think she will wipe the floor with Soo Ae as much as Kim So Yeon did with Kim Tae Hee; Soo Ae is still better at acting.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The problem for me (and I agree it's a purely personal one) is that Su Ae never appealed to me in anything I've seen her in. She always fades into background. While I adore LJA.

You see, in the original IRIS, I preferred KTH and her character to KSY and hers. Part of it was because I liked Seung Hee as a character better (though I loved Sun Hwa), but part of it is because I genuinely like Kim Tae Hee. I know she is polarizing but I've always liked her in everything I've seen her in even when I didn't care for the drama itself. She has the warm gorgeous vibe I like.

Well, we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised and Su Ae will impress me.

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

Being Human is AMAZING. I didn't post on it that much because I marathoned the first season quite rapidly and haven't seen the second yet, but it is excellent - dark and humorous and great character writing and such a warm dynamic between the three main characters. It can be quite violent/graphic at times on both visual and emotional levels but so good. And I ship vampire and ghost girl like mad, though oddly I am ok if they don't get together for a long time yet - I just don't want them getting with other people.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hmmm - so far not shipping anyone but then I am only an ep in :)

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

I was originally introduced to it through a stunningly good shipper MV of Mitchell/Annie(I'll send it to you once you're farther in if I remember) and thus went in with that mindset.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Sounds cool :)

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

Being Human! ♥ ♥ Its only flaw is that the seasons are so short and always leaves you craving more.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee. It looks very good from little I've watched so far.

[mishane.livejournal.com]

I see a lot of people always talking about Being Human. I might have to Netflix it, hmmm.

I agree with alexandral that Soo Ae is the better actress but I do like Lee Ji Ah better. I'm still probably not gonna watch this. :/

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I will watch it anyway - love spies and the male cast but am not too pleased.

[hanjae.livejournal.com]

I like Soo Ae better than Lee Ji Ah, but then again I've seen Lee Ji Ah in Beethoven Virus AND Style, and believe me, if you want to stay a fan of hers, DON'T watch Style. It was dreadful, and she was so shrill and overacted so blatantly that my fondness for her after watching Legend was utterly destroyed.

I understand where you're coming from about Soo Ae, though. I liked her well enough in 9 End 2 Outs, and she was okay in Emperor of the Sea, but I don't feel any inclination to chase down the rest of her filmography, nor do I have more than a passing interest in anything else she does. As long as she gets a good character, though, I don't think that's a very big issue because she'll at least knock the acting part out of the ballpark.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am NOT watching Style unless there is a gun to my head - I loathe Ryu Shi Won with a passion. And have heard horrifying things about the drama too.

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

Being Human should be right up your alley with the angst and disfunctional relationships etc. :D.

I've seen the first season and a couple of episodes from the second one, and love the series.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That sounds most excellent!