Sherlock

The 2010 rendition of the original by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as reinterpreted by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen) and Steve Thompson (Whipping It Up) is an absolutely fantastic retelling of the original classic into a contemporary context. Fabulously reintroducing Holmes and Dr. Watson in a modern context but by no means forgetting the original spirit of their Victorian counterparts. Before I proceed any further, I do have to remind anyone reading this that there might be some spoilers ahead. I try to conceal certain things such as series plots but sometimes things do slip. So proceed with caution, I suggest.

Now, something that I truly enjoy in the mini series is the use of bokeh (or focusing on only the essential part of the visual, or something similar to tilt-shift photography I suppose) to produce a very different way of introducing parts of London, it definitely differs from the ones I'm used to, namely the use of zooming and panning from one part of the location to the other. To add, the visualisation of a very grimy and gloomy London gives a gritty aesthetic to the series and it also adds mystery to the already puzzling crimes Holmes and Watson have to face. There's also one other visual aid that I truly enjoy in this movie that is the addition of appearing types when a character is sent a message to their mobile devices or the trail of thoughts by particular characters or the notes and messages the characters are reading, instead of using cuts to the actual paper or devices. It somewhat reminds me of Stranger than Fiction's use of types and infographics to aid the viewers. Truly enjoyable.

Anyway, besides that rambling what I truly enjoy is how the stories were reinterpreted, they differ but certain elements stayed true to the original. Having said that, for those who are not very familiar with Sherlock Holmes' original adventures shouldn't worry because the story will most probably not deter you from enjoying Sherlock's antics and Dr. John Watson's perplexity at his roommate's behaviours and strange occupation. And on another side note, I truly enjoy the lack of technological scientific gizmos that seems to encompass most of today's TV series. The series doesn't rely heavily on technology under most of the circumstances but rather on Holmes' amazing amount of resources and knowledge stored in his mind. It was truly enjoyable to watch how Holmes arrive at his conclusions mostly in terms of how he deducted certain characters'/ victims'/villains' personalities and character traits. It might be perplexing at first but suddenly it all made a lot of sense. As is always the case when you read the novels.

Now let's move on to the actors, Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman is exceptional as Dr. John Watson. And they managed to portray the characters so well in terms of adjusting these fictional classics and transfer them into a modern era. Perhaps what intrigued me a lot was the way Freeman interpreted Watson, in the novels I always thought of Watson as a reserved person who gives occasional warnings to Sherlock but for the most part becomes a quiet observer and student of Holmes, in this series he is still as reserved but perhaps shows a lot more human character compared to how Doyle seems to portray Watson in the books. I actually prefer how Freeman portrayed Watson in the series, truly truly adore him. Cumberbatch is compelling as Holmes, the way he walked, talked and acted is perfectly in tune with how I always pictured Holmes. Perhaps I also think that is partly why I didn't extensively take much notice of Holmes, because he is just the way he is. I'm not sure whether that was a critique or a compliment but all in all excellent actors have to be saluted.

The story is fast paced and have quite quick in-between transitions but otherwise it is nicely structured. It gives enough glimpses for us to understand without feeling being left behind nor overwhelmed. Of course, perhaps I am just singing it praises but for someone who truly loves the original books I would definitely recommend this to anyone who love detective, crime stories and intriguing mysteries (perhaps you may already well aware of who the culprits are because some of them do indeed stay true to the original so it might not be much of a surprise). Now, to look forward to Gareth David-Lloyd as Dr. John Watson in the US production of Sherlock Holmes TV series. I am very much looking forward to it. *tips hat*

Personal Taste

I initially didn't want to write anything about this drama since I hardly have been writing reviews for quite a long while. And to be quite honest I haven't been watching a lot of drama for the last couple of years. Mostly because they tend to not be very entertaining and full of cliches, which for the most part is right for most dramas these days. Admittedly, I have a very short attention span so for the most part I may start something and never finish them having no curiosity whatsoever about a particular series' ending.

This drama I have to say really falls into the category of dramas where I can easily watch but perhaps won't pick up again anytime too soon (unless I am utterly desperate). And this is also the most recent drama that Lee Min Ho starred in after Boys Before Flowers.

And so thus, this is my (initial) review of Personal Taste (개인의 취향).

Synopsis: (I wanted to just copy and paste the Wiki version here but really the plot was a little inaccurate) Jeon Jin Ho is the head architect of a small architectural firm who constantly has to fight against the Mirae Corporation whose boss is attributed towards Jin Ho's father's death. Park Gae In, meanwhile, is a furniture designer who is every cliched girl character you could ever dreamed of of Korean TV series, beautiful but hiding behind overlarge comfortable clothes and donning geeky Superman glasses type of girl, ditzy, clumsy and just about a hopeless (romantic too).

Through several events Jin Ho and Gae In met in unforeseen circumstances and through a misunderstanding Gae In makes the assumption that Jin Ho is gay even though he is actually straight. Meanwhile, Gae In desperately needs a roommate to cover the debt she found herself in and coincidentally Jin Ho needs to see the inside of Sang Go Jae (Gae In's house that was built by her renowned architect father but was never open for public viewing) and so the two began to cohabitate. Can Gae In the perpetual mess and Jin Ho the perfectionist ever be able to overcome their differences (and misunderstandings) in order to live together?

Casts: Lee Min Ho as Jeon Jin Ho, Seon Ye Jin as Park Gae In, Kim Ji Suk as Han Chang Ryul, Wang Ji Hye as Kim In Hee.

Review: I have only viewed until episode 4 and cannot believe how much of a stereotypically cliched clutzy dimwitted girl Park Gae In is, to the point of annoyance every time I watch it. And there were just too many improbable misunderstandings in this series that are utterly infuriating at times, though I suppose are quite fitting, but for the most part had me tearing my hair out trying to understand why can't they just straighten things out by being honest. But alas, if the characters do that I suppose the series would end too soon given that it has 16 episodes altogether.

But having said that, I can understand why Jin Ho didn't really want to straighten (hah!) the misunderstanding Gae In has regarding his sexuality. After all Gae In accepted Jin Ho into the house due to the presumption that there will be no attraction between the two given that Jin Ho is 'gay', and Jin Ho, on the other hand, desperately needed to see the interior of Sang Go Jae (Gae In's house) for a project he was working on.

And I cannot believe how inexcusably ignorant Kim In Hee is for... oh well. I suppose I shouldn't really spoil it for the people who wanted to watch it but either way it doesn't matter because it is pretty much obvious from the get go that Kim In Hee and Han Chang Ryul were going to wed and In Hee is really Gae In's childhood friend and Chang Ryul was Gae In's ex and so on and so forth. Also, this is actually the acting debut of Im Seul Ong, one of the members of 2AM, a Korean singing group (or should I call it a band) and I kind of wished the character he played wasn't portrayed that way but I suppose you can't help it. I have to say Lee Min Ho in this is so static and pokerfaced but given the personality of the character he is playing seems quite fitting.

Though, I have to say the only character who I truly loved out of what I have watched so far is Han Chang Ryul. I somewhat feel that Kim Ji Suk nailed the character perfectly.

Well, enough about the characters as for the plot and series itself the pacing is actually quite sensible with not too much being revealed too slowly and the plot itself is pretty interesting, I somehow just feel if they have changed the characters and not make it so... typical of dramas it would've been a lot more interesting. But again, this is really just my own selfish wish that next time they make a drama they better not be using the same cliched girl because I am thoroughly tired of having to shake my head at how ridiculously stupid some of these characters are (and I can confidently say it is not entirely the fault of the actors, I totally blame the scriptwriters for concocting such characters in the first place). I just hope I never have to befriend such a character in real life and I shall be fine. Oh wait... a little too late isn't it? *sighs*

Overall, it was interesting but I wouldn't say very original. The only thing that caught my attention (and prompted me to watch it) was perhaps the 'supposedly' gay character in the synopsis when I first came across the series. But alas, in the end it is still not original enough but I suppose I should keep watching since I have started already.

Ratings: 3/5 stars