OYEON(오연) - Blank(공백) Mini Album Thoughts(K-indie)

 

  Oyeon is a Korean solo singer in the underground scene. She is a singer songwriter that debuted in 2019. Her talents have not really been recognized yet by the mainstream. However, I feel that she has a spark that could turn into a huge fire for everyone to witness with the right team behind her. Blank is the singer's first mini album after a few single releases. 

Tracklist:
1. 공백 (blank)
2. 남아 (leave)
3. 끄적 끄적 (doodle)
4. 여름오후 (idon’tknow)
5. Stay with me (2023Ver.)

    Blank sounds like a record that was self produced by singer who has big dreams. A lot of the tracks are pop ballad anthems with a bit of soft rock mixed in. These tracks have big intros vocally and they just grow even bigger going into the chorus. The personal feel of her sound place on top of instrumentals that carry her vocals toward the listener is really what stood out to me when I first heard Stay With Me as well as I Don't Know. The title track which is the same as the album; embodies the season of summer with background harmonies. This debut isn't a sleeper album so, I'm glad. 

    Oyeon has some great vocals. If she were to get with a better known record label, then I think they could really help her perfect her craft. Some of the notes she hits are big ones. Not only that, but she attempts them without fear.  Let's hope her music only continues to get better from here.

Broker(브로커) Korean Film Thoughts(2022)

 

    Broker is a 2022 Korean film that was directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda(Like Father, Like Son, Still Walking) and stars a cast consisting of well known actors such as Song Kang Ho, Gang Dong Won, Doona Bae, Lee Ji Eun(also known as IU.). The film was the eleventh film to cross over a million admissions in South Korea. Japan also gave a warm welcome to the film since Kore-eda has made a name for himself there. 

   A women gives her child to a church for the time being. She left a note with the child saying she would be back but the child is still put up for adoption. Not in a normal way.... Her baby is instead being sold by two men and the mother over sees the process as they journey to find suitable parents. 

    Broker is a film that glides along for two hours and some minutes. It doesn't try so hard to be interesting. The script just tries to be itself. There isn't a huge climax to make viewers think Broker is exciting. The characters's interactions and the overall discussion of what is right or wrong carries the film. I haven't seen a film like this in a long time that doesn't have to do anything to be charming. What made me have a warm heart while watching this film was the relationships that formed between the characters over a short period of time. 

    IU has grown as actress. She's still not top actress material however, she's grown into an actress that's becoming more mature with each role she takes. Her looks help her star power at least in Korea's eyes though. Song Kang Ho carries this whole film on his back performance wise. Gang Dong Won feeds off Kang mostly while not really ever getting a time to shine. Doona is more of a side character. She's in the film enough to make you not forget her. 

   Some of the rememberable shots from the film are some of the ones that are recorded from above. Settledness in a lot of the shots bring the story alive.  

   

     Broker was much better than the last Korea film I watched. This is a solid film with sleek emotions all around. Highly recommended to those who like Korean cinema. 

The Lake Thai/Chinese Film Thoughts(2022)

 

 The Lake was the firs Thai film that I have watched in awhile.The previews were what sparked my interest. Lee Thongkham(The Maid: another Thai film that's amazing..) directs the film. I also noticed the same actor who was in The Maid is also in this film. His name is Thiraphat Sajakul. 

A little girl from a remote village takes a strangely big egg off the river bank and the waves of the lake began to stir......

    The first half of The Lake is really good. I actually found myself saying that the film was good out loud as I watched. Then the plot starts to introduce too many characters. The family drama was fine because you need to relate to the characters on screen but, it felt a bit filler ish. Can we also address how the monster was super strong and held back no punched when first introduced, only to feel like a weaker version of itself later on in the film. Those prolonged kill scenes made me want to stop the film at certain scenes. That monster is big as hell and it really takes it that log to break a car window?  No way that would work in reality. I'm not sure if the writer knew what direction he wanted to go in since the ending just seems tacked on. A rushed ending is meaningless if you can't tie everything together smoothly. 

       Monster designs don't look bad at all. I was flipping out when the thing started walking on two legs like a human. I wish the terror of the monster stayed consistent though. I'm disappointed overall. 

Decision to Leave(헤어질 결심) Korean Film Thoughts

 

   Decision to Leave is a 2022 South Korean Film directed by famed director Park Chan Wook and stars Park Hae-iL with Tang Wei. The film opened at the top of the South Korean box office. Then went on to be one of the top selling films that year with over 1 million tickets sold.

    A detective gets involved with the wife of a murder victim. All is not what it seems....

       Decision to Leave lets you know early on that it's an artsy film. From the detailed shots that show a character's point of view, to the attention to detail in the locations. While not one of director Park's best films, something in the overall world captivates the viewer as you slowly are taken on a dark emotional ride. Nothing that happens in this film is good for the characters or those who watch these events. Some of the art direction reminds me of Parasite but not as stable in storytelling. The lack of spark to really make things feel excited at least in my eyes; caused me to do other things as I watched.  I'm not sure what it was that stopped my from being hooked like I wanted to. It was something that just didn't happen for me. Same thing occurred when I watched Parasite. People swear that film is Korean cinema gold and I still don't agree. Decision to Leave can be appreciated for the art that it is while still not quite making the cut as a groundbreaking Korean storyteller. 

   I love how this film looks. I'm sure I can't stress enough how much I love the atmosphere. That's one of the things that Decision to Leave really has going for it. 

   A rewatch might be in my future. Maybe my opinion will change after I take everything in again. For right now though,  I wanted more than what I got. 

Dong Hyun Nam(남동현) - () Album Thoughts (K-Indie)

 

   I saw this guy's album cover and thought that he looked interesting. So, I dove into his latest releases. He really threw me for a loop as I looked at the overall package of who Dong Hyun Nam is. Koreans know him from participating on the reality Kpop idol show called Produce 101. He didn't rank very high on the show and after elimination, decided to start an indie career. 

Tracklist:
1. ( )
2. Blind (Feat. 김농밀)
3. 대저택 (Remastered)
4. Drivers License
5. 공전
6. 갈고리 선장
7. 해적이 되고 싶었던 소년
8. Blind (Inst.)
9. 대저택 (Inst.)
10. Drivers License (Inst.)
11. 공전 (Inst.)
12. 해적이 되고 싶었던 소년 (Inst.)

      Going back to what I said before, Nam's music tripped me up big time. If you look at his image, you would think that he does pop rock. Nope. You would have guessed wrong as this guy's album brings forth drive along dance pop. There's a little guitar in the production but more keyboards and synthesizers are heard the most. I wasn't ready for tracks like Diver's License to groovy bounce out of my earphones. These sound sure did their thing though. I also liked some of the more subdued tracks such as the reprised  version of 대저택. 

    Nam's vocals show why he didn't win produce 101 however, he still has a charm all his own. I think he's found his lane musically so getting to hear even more in the future would be a treat. His vocals aren't the best yet, you can't hate his singing either. Does that make sense?