Tag: Drama

  • Welcome To Samdal Ri: Ji Chang Wook & Shin Haesun Give Us The Perfect Comfort Watch | Movies News

    “Does it hurt your pride to see your friends again? It doesn’t matter why you came back. We’re just happy to see our friend again.” says Ji Chang Wook’s Cho Yong Pil to Cho Sam Dal (Shin Hae Sun). A poignant statement in “Welcome To Samdal-ri , a slice-of-life drama, which revolves around these two characters, one who wants to soar and escape her life on Jeju Island, and the other who is content and makes the most of where he is.

    Cho Sam Dal is a hotshot photographer in Seoul until a conniving and manipulative assistant accuses her of bullying. Overnight her one soaring career is in shambles, and Sam Dal also discovers her boyfriend has also been cheating on her with the very same assistant.

    She along with her two sisters move bags and luggage back home to Samdal-ri, a small town in Jeju Island. Though her pride in tatters and her spirits down Sam Dal is also hiding from her ex-boyfriend Yong Pil.

    Yong Pil is a forecaster at the Meteorological Department, a bit headstrong when it comes to work, but the town favourite. Everyone loves Yong Pil for his caring nature and have been fiercely protective of him, ever since Sam Dal broke his heart.

    It is not before long the two come face to face, and old feelings are bound to resurface. Sam Dal who had changed her name in Seoul, and has always seen her destiny away from her hometown, is confronted with a surge of emotions. Was she running away from the town and its people, or herself? Why is she putting up fake pretenses in front of her people?

    Yong Pil seems like her alter ego, telling her truths that she would rather not face. Sam Dal, who always aspired to be a dragon that arises from a small stream, understands that it’s Yong Pil who wants to be her small stream.

    In the meanwhile, their mother played by veteran actor Kim Mi Kyung who is the leader of the “hayenos”, (female divers of Jeju) has to contend with not only the town gossip about the return of her three daughters but also her health condition. which keeps hidden. Sam Dal’s two sisters, one a divorcee and the other a single mother too, are dealing with their issues and seem unaware of the plight of their mother.

    Welcome To Samdal-ri is a feel-good drama which envelopes you in its warmth. Set in the lush landscape of Jeju, the scenic visuals are the healing balm to the emotional wounds of the lead characters.

    Sam Dal’s situation highlights the rampant bullying and the cancel culture which has become a part of S Korean society especially when it comes to famous people. How careers are destroyed and the toxicity of social media only amplifies the same. Shin Hae Sun once again gives an uninhibited performance. A moving moment when she confronts her assistant and asks, “Did I compel you to die”, you feel her pain,

    Yong Pil may come across as a man not driven by ambition, but he is very secure in himself. Ji Chang Wook is endearing and the actor who has a remarkable screen presence once again shines as the simpleton.

    Written by Kwon Hye Joo, who once again brings out the emotional dynamics between the characters to the fore in a subtle manner.

    Produced by SLL, “Welcome to Samdal-ri”, endeavors for its simplicity, and is relatable at so many levels. Bogged down by the pressures of a competitive world, one tends to lose one’s way. Seek your tribe, find your people and self is the message loud and clear.

    The bonus being the chemistry between Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hae Sun, which gets top points.

    Welcome to Samdal-ri is streaming on Netflix.

  • Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon  slated for 2023 release

    By Express News Service

    Martin Scorsese’s western drama Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro will be hitting the screens in 2023. 

    Despite wrapping up the shoot in September 2021, the film won’t be ready in time for this Oscar season, according to reports. Instead, it’s now rumoured to be eyeing a big 2023 festival debut at Cannes, Venice or another event.

    Following this premiere, the film will get a full theatrical release through Paramount. Eric Roth’s script is adapted from the best-selling novel Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann.

    Martin Scorsese’s western drama Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro will be hitting the screens in 2023. 

    Despite wrapping up the shoot in September 2021, the film won’t be ready in time for this Oscar season, according to reports. Instead, it’s now rumoured to be eyeing a big 2023 festival debut at Cannes, Venice or another event.

    Following this premiere, the film will get a full theatrical release through Paramount. Eric Roth’s script is adapted from the best-selling novel Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann.

  • Emily VanCamp, Sebastian Quinn join court drama Miranda’s Victim

    By Express News Service

    Michelle Danner’s court drama Miranda’s Victim cast has expanded. The Resident actor Emily VanCamp will headline the project which also has actors like Sebastian Quinn, Enrique Murciano, Brent Sexton, and Josh Bowman. Together, they’ll join the film’s lead Abigail Breslin along with the previously announced ensemble of Luke Wilson, Andy Garcia, Donald Sutherland, Ryan Phillippe, Mireille Enos, Kyle MacLachlan, and Taryn Manning. 

    Miranda’s Victim is a true-crime drama that revisits the case that led to the formation of what is now known as the Miranda Rights. Trish Weir (Breslin) was the victim of the case whose life was demolished after being kidnapped and brutally raped by Ernesto Miranda in 1963.

    Quinn is set to co-star opposite Breslin as the titular criminal Miranda while VanCamp will appear as Trish’s sister Ann who supported her during the trial. Murciano, Sexton, and Bowman will be playing Detective Cooley, Sergeant Nalis, and Trish’s unknowing husband Charles respectively.

    George Kolber and J. Craig Stiles wrote the film and it is directed by Danner, who is best known of late for her film The Runner. Apart from directing the film, Danner also produces with Kolber, Valerie Debler, Brian Drillinger, and Alexandra Guarnieri. Production is currently underway on Miranda’s Victim in New Jersey.