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KayDrama
Reviews
Ildan dwieo (2002)
Points for the cast
I rated this movie an 8. Had I watched it when it originally released, I probably would have rated it a 6 or 7.
But to see the "oppas" that I've only recently become fans of who are currently in their very late 30's, being so loose and having so much fun was just delightful.
Especially Song Seung-heon who manages to be silly, goofy and still have that "Mr. Cool" demeanor is especially fun to watch.
I'm familiar with SSH playing the sensitive leading romantic or the tough- as-nails gangster or a combination of both. Here, he's believable as a high school student (unlike "He Was Cool" where I thought he looked too old for the role).
Kwon Sang Woo is hilarious as the guy with the over-the-top libido.
I enjoyed it.
Slaves (1969)
Gave it a 10 despite...
Despite, or maybe because of the budget, I gave this movie a ten. I am really surprised by the maturity of the subject matter and the fact that it didn't gloss over certain relationships. I am always surprised by movies such as Tomango and a very few others that dealt with the horrors of slavery. While Roots was epic and had the backing of the changing attitudes of the era it was produced within' these earlier films, and the actors who starred in them - both black and white - are to be commended.
By the way, despite some reviewers here saying it is loosely based on Uncle Tom's Cabin - it's not at all. I can only suppose they came up with that because, like all slaves were - the main character cites that to be a good Christian, you must do as the Bible says and be a good servant to your master. All slaves were endoctrinated and manipulated thusly.
Undercover Brother (2002)
Anti-white propaganda or parody question? REALLY?
I'm quoting a reviewer here on IMDb that said "is this film really anti-white propaganda or some silly parody?"
Wow! I'm shocked that's even a question in anyone's mind. If anyone thinks this film is "anti-white propaganda" or "anti white" in any way knows absolutely NOTHING about black people. I could see coming away with that perception from a movie like Django, which is more of an example of black fantasy rage that 99% of black people would never act out in real life. But Undercover Brother is nothing but fun! The movie is based on an online comic strip meant for cubicle workers to goof off online at work. Similar to Lazy Larry. The online comic was not very funny but if you're at work and bored, it was cute little chuckle and good diversion. Now imagine someone took Lazy Larry and fleshed out a script this funny and you'd realize how brilliant this adaptation is of the online comic.
If anything, the movie pokes fun at Black people while white people (and our difficult history with them) is barely a backdrop. Example: when Undercover Brother realizes that all the conspiracies that have circulated among the black community for decades are "true" but then he says "and OJ DIDN'T do it!" And the other agents all turn their heads and look uncomfortable because that's one rumor they can't confirm. That is a joke poking at all the conspiracies wcirculating in our community (some of which I personally believe too, but it doesn't change that is funny and is poking fun at black people.
This movie is HILARIOUS!
So to answer my fellow member's question - this is mainly a parody of 1970's blaxploitation movies as we see Undercover Brother watching a movie and obviously hero worshiping Jim Kelly, a black action star of the era.
Star Trek: The Cloud Minders (1969)
The gas solution
I disagree with most of the reviewers here that the "gas" solution is a cheat. While this may tie-up the episode too quickly and neatly in a nice little bow, it is television after all. And television before there were story arcs that continued throughout a season. But having the gas be the culprit causing the aggression and retardation of the lower inhabitants is a good beginner's start to understanding how circumstances can make others that are different from you SEEM to be inferior. In the 1960's (and even today), southern whites (and some liberals) assumed they were superior to minorities without taking into account the role poverty and mistreatment and environment play in intelligence (nutrition), attitude and behavior. Given the same even environmental/physical playing field, human beings tend to be pretty much equal not only in good qualities, but bad also. As usual, Star Trek was ahead of it's time in even attempting to address the issue.
Star Trek: Plato's Stepchildren (1968)
Humiliation not to be taken lightly
In response to the reviewers who ridiculed this episode for being ridiculous, the entire point of the crews "performances" was to humiliate them while providing entertainment to the Platonians. And one must remember when watching TV shows/movies that pre-date the 1970's, that you must read between the lines that are allowed to slip past the censors. The scenes between the male/female members of the Enterprise crew would be equivalent to an actual explicit S&M orgy. They would seem funny and lightweight to generations today who are used to seeing gratuitous violence and sex played out before them.
As others have said here, Star Trek was leaps and bounds ahead of its time and, frankly, I'm amazed at how much they were able to "get away" with throughout the series. Even the line from this episode that "where I come from people are not judged by the color of their skin...or size" would have caused an outrage in some people during the time who did not believe that all people are equal. Thank goodness for the famous interracial kiss to keep the bigots distracted from protesting that "inflammatory" statement.
District 9 (2009)
Alien Nation movie/TV series did it much better!
If you wish to watch something with the exact same premise only with fully fleshed out characters, both human and alien, check out the movie and television series entitled "Alien Nation." I can usually enjoy all science fiction and can allow for some plot holes(as long as they're not so big that you spend the entire rest of the movie going "this is too stupid"). District 9's biggest plot hole - that the alien space ship's fuel would turn someone into an alien caused D9 to fail in the number one requirement of good science fiction - make the audience enter the world and believe it "could" happen. And even if I bought the whole "fuel turns you into an alien", why wouldn't the aliens turn all the humans into their own kind to avoid oppression?