Slow and Steady

2nd Highest Grossing Japanese Live-Action Film of All Time, The Power of the Miracle Original In 2023, a Japanese film caused a quiet sensation in domestic theaters. It was Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight. Based on a Japanese novel, this film set a massive record by mobilizing over 1 million viewers, becoming the second highest-grossing Japanese live-action film of all time in Korea, despite being released in November, typically a slow season, and overcoming the limitations of the romance genre. It is by no means easy for a live-action film, not an animation, to surpass the 1 million mark in the Korean market. I also watched this movie in the theater at the time, and I remember being greatly shocked by the powerful twist in the second half that overturned my expectation of a cliché terminal romance. Thanks to that ending, which hit the audience in the back of the head and pierced the heart just when it seemed to follow standard romance formulas, I remember the deep ...

 Unconventional Friday Double-Header, Can It Cross the Swamp of Low Ratings? JTBC has attempted a quite adventurous programming strategy by launching the new Friday drama 'Love Me'. Airing two episodes back-to-back on Friday nights is, in fact, a very unusual and unconventional decision in the domestic broadcasting environment. Usually, targeting weekend nights or weekday 10 PM slots is the norm, so this "binge-watch style" scheduling seems to be conscious of OTT viewing patterns, yet it is also a risky gamble regarding TV viewership ratings. The fact that JTBC pushed ahead with this persistency, despite previous works not having much fun in this time slot, suggests a confidence underlying this specific work. For viewers, it is welcoming news to be able to breathe with a new drama for a long stretch to start the weekend. Attention is focused on whether this unconventional strategy will shine through 'Love Me'. Trusted Actor Seo Hyun-jin Returns with Heart-Wren...

The Unfortunate Drama Locked in the Warehouse Finally Comes to Light A new original series, Villains, has been released on TVING. In fact, this drama went through quite a rough process before seeing the light of day. It was a highly anticipated work that had already finished filming in 2022 and was targeting a release in 2023. However, everything went awry when one of the lead actors, Kwak Do-won, was involved in a drunk driving incident. It was a bolt from the blue for the production team, and the drama was indefinitely relegated to the warehouse. Usually, when a lead actor causes a social scandal, the work itself is often scrapped or re-filmed, but since filming was already complete, they were in a difficult situation where they couldn't do either. Now, after nearly two years have passed, TVING has cautiously unsealed it for the year-end season. Kwak Do-won's Declaration of Return, and the Subtle Timing of the Release Coincidentally, Kwak Do-won announced his return to the in...

The Shock of 2009, and the Nostalgic Return of 3D Do you remember 2009, when the 'Avatar' series was first revealed to the world? At that time, theaters were truly a crucible of revolution. The experience of images, once confined to a flat screen, pouring out right in front of your eyes the moment you put on 3D glasses was nothing short of a shock. 3D technology, which was unfamiliar until then, seemed to become the new standard for the film industry starting with Avatar. The immersion provided by the depth gave audiences an "experience" beyond simple viewing, acting as a catalyst for countless movies to be produced in 3D and 4D formats afterward. However, do trends come and go, or was it a limitation of technology? At some point, even sci-fi movies began to avoid 3D production, and stereoscopic movies felt like fading relics found only in theme parks. But I faced that forgotten sensation once again through this film, 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'.   Unexpected 3D Gl...