Today’s Talk

March 16th, 2008 by CD

Yi San, one of the top rating dramas in Korea right now. This drama is simply amazing and reflects some of the best and worst times in Korean history.

Synopsis
This drama is about the life of King Jeongjo, Joseon Dynasty’s 22nd Monarch, who is remembered in Korean history as one of Korea’s greatest Kings who loved the people and reigned for the commoner, not the high-class people.

The drama starts with the King’s early years in which he befriends two children working in the Palace who are later expelled. The king of Joseon, Jeongjo’s grandfather at the time puts Jeongjo’s father, the next crown prince, in a box with no food or water because he fears that the crown prince will rise up against him. Jeongjo wants to save his father and begs his grandfather to save him with the help of his two friends. The drama then skips forward to Jeongjo’s adult years when he and his friends re-establish contact with each other. Throughout, the Jeongjo’s position as then Crown Prince is threatened by palace intrigues.

While still the Crown Prince, Jeongjo begins to fall in love with one of his childhood friends, Seong Song Yeon, the daughter of a palace artist who died when she was very young.

Similar Post
• Yi San: The theme song

October 4th, 2007 by CD

War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. Narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn, the film exhumes remarkable archival footage of official distortion and exaggeration from LBJ to George W. Bush, revealing in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated the pro-war messages of successive presidential administrations.

Read more…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5CF5pfVzLI[/youtube]

March 16th, 2007 by CD

The Curse of the Golden Flower is a great movie. The storyline will keep you awak along with the supence. I haven’t done many international movie reviews lately but I am pround to let everyone know about this one!

Curse of the Golden Flower

China, Later Tang Dynasty, 10th Century. On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) returns unexpectedly with his second son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou). His pretext is to celebrate the holiday with his family, but given the chilled relations between the Emperor and the ailing Empress (Gong Li), this seems disingenuous. For many years, the Empress and Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson, have had an illicit liaison. Feeling trapped, Prince Wan dreams of escaping the palace with his secret love Chan (Li Man), the Imperial Doctor’s daughter.

January 23rd, 2007 by CD

This year the President will speak once again to the American public on how much he is committed to social and economical development.  Last year he boldly announced in his speech about developing alternative fuel from switchgrass and other sources.  Well here we are in 2007 and no research or developments have been made in that area.  The President is full of lies and empty promises.  He is all talk and no action when it comes down to providing and enhancing middle and lower class Americans.  

So, when he speaks tonight on how much he plans to do in terms on energy, social and economic developments, I would say “Mr. Bush, what exactly have you done for us in those areas. Did you not say the same thing last year and the year before that….?”

A report done by Jennifer Parker of ABC News found out the following on the empty promises of President Bush .

Promise Not Kept:
• Making Bush’s First-Term Tax Cuts Permanent
• Passing the Line-Item Veto
• Guest Worker Program
• Affordable Health Care
• Medical Liability Reform Legislation
• Baby Boomers Commission
• Make the Research and Development Tax Credit Permanent
• Pass Legislation to Ban Human Cloning
• Switch Grass and Other Fuel Technologies
• End Waiting Lists for AIDS Medicines in America

Now in all fairness he has made progress in the areas of hybrid car research and new technology for zero emission plants.  It’s good that the Americans are investing hybrid car technology.  But, in all honestly, we are far behind the Japanese in that area.  The Japanese are at least 10 years ahead of American companies like Ford and GM with being able to produce efficient hybrid automobiles.  One only needs to take a look at why Toyota and Honda are the best selling.  Soon, Ford and GM will no longer be able to compete with better cars made from Japan.  

In any event, I think we can be assured that the domestic issues that Mr. Bush is set to talk about tonight will be nothing more than a qwaking duck.

January 18th, 2007 by CD

Iraq for Sale is an amazing film about corporations and their influence within the U.S. government. How has Vice President Dick Chaney’s former company profited from the war in Iraq? Well, the connections are made in this 75 min film. The official press release about this film is:

Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.

This is a very striking and informative piece which I encourage each and everyone of you to watch. You can watch the trailer below and if interested either buy a copy here or download the movie here (real player format).  You can also watch it online here.

What are your thoughts on the possible connection between private corporations and our government officials?

January 2nd, 2007 by CD

I have not watched this yet, so I don’t have an opinion on it. But I want to let everyone know that if they want to watch it, use the link below while it still works. In otherwords, BE QUICK!

DEATH OF A PRESIDENT follows the investigation of the fictional assassination of President George W. Bush in October 2007. Combining real archival footage with a credible but fictional story, Death of a President presents a fascinating and thought-provoking political thriller.

Watch it NOW

January 2nd, 2007 by CD

Welcome to another post on the newest international movies hitting the charts. Today’s Talk will feature a brand new film titled “The Banquet”. The official release describes it as a loose adaptation of “Hamlet”, featuring royal conflicts and revenge set in 10th century China. The new Emperor (Ge You) has usurped the throne by murdering the previous Emperor. He marries the Empress (Zhang Ziyi), wife of the previous Emperor and stepmother to the Crown Prince (Daniel Wu). At first, the Empress seeks only to protect herself, but as the new Emperor grows suspicious of all those around him, she realizes that only by helping the Crown Prince kill him can she hope to survive. Together with the Chief Minister (Ma Jingwu) she tries to carry out this plot, but when the Prince is wracked by indecision she devises a new plan and seeks the throne for herself. As the plot move towards its climax, the Emperor calls for a lavish royal banquet, where each will seek the end of their enemies.

Cast:

Zhang Ziyi… Empress Wan

Ge You… Emperor Li

Daniel Wu…Prince Wu Luan

Zhou Xun… Qing Nu

Ma Jingwu… The Grand Marshall

Huang Xiaomoing…The Marshall’s son

Buy it here:
DVD Version with English subs
VCD Version with No English subs
Buy Soundtrack here:
CD Version 1
CD Version 2

Watch the trailer here.

October 5th, 2006 by CD

Welcome back to another blog day free of political news! As you can already see we are going to be talking about Winter Sonata! For anyone who has not heard of this drama yet, have you been living under a rock for the last four years? Do you have a television set? Well, if so let me introduce you to only one part of pop culture in Korea that has taken over by storm.

Those of you that have no idea what you are in store for, let me give you a quick summary of drama series. Drama series are LONG! This is not a video that you can just sit down and watch in 2 hours. Korean dramas are NOT Hollywood films involving tons of violence, sex and things exploding. This is not typical of Korean culture.

Winter Sonata has 20 episodes about one hour each. So yes, if you watch it non stop it will take you about 20 hours! It took me less than 1 week to watch this one only because I became addicted and could not stop myself from seeing what would happen in the next episode.

Korea dramas are certainly better and have risen in popularity against the famous Chinese TVB dramas. Not to mention the fact that since Korea dramas became so popular they are translated into so many languages. English, French, Italian, Vietnamese (Bản Tình Ca Mùa Đông), Chinese, Japanese, Cambodian, Tagalog, Malaysian…. just to name a few. This movie will have you hook on Kang Joon Sang (main character) and the rest as they search for the answer “What would you do if your true love came back…?”

So be prepared to cry and laugh cause this movie has it all! It is truly an emotional film!

Storyline

Winter Sonata is a tragic, but romantic drama that stars Choi Ji Woo as Jung Yu-Jin and Bae Yong Joon as Kang Joon-Sang. Joon-Sang transfers into a school in Chuncheon to look for his “dead? father. Through his extraordinary talents, he acquires thorough attention in his new school. Among them is a girl named Yu-Jin. Although she despises Joon-Sang’s attitude at first, she realizes that she is truly in love with him. Despite their love, however, it suddenly ends one night as Joon-Sang involves in a terrible automobile accident. Joon-Sang dies and Yu-Jin falls into months of dark heartbrokenness. Ten years later, she is dating a man named Kim Sang-Hyuk and is about to get married. However on the engagement day, she sees a man that looks just like Joon-Sang. She runs after him but loses him. Could this be Joon-Sang?

So follow Kang Joon Sang and Jung Yu Jin from their early days in school to early adulthood as love continues to follow each of them.

For all those who have watched it…what were some of your favorite scenes? I have to say that I really like San Hyuk! His true undying love for Yu Jin was something everyman should do for his girl! Do you guys remember when he was in the hospital and he try to commit suicide. That was such an emotional scene. Lets take a walk down memory lane and listen to one of the MV for Winter Sonata!

Buy it here