Korean Drama Series Review: “The Killing Vote” (2023)

“The Killing Vote” grabbed the viewer's attention right from the start. You think a violent crime is taking place. But then you realize that it's an angry father, Kwon Seok-Joo, going after the man who violated his child. The justice system let that criminal walk the streets again. The father took it upon himself to render what he believed was just punishment. He stabbed the man to death.

Is it murder or is it justice? 

The Killing Vote; released 2023; 12 episodes; Legal Drama, Crime, Thriller

Of course, the father was sent to prison. In prison, the prisoners show him great respect and call him Professor Kwon.

But the professor is not the only one who decided to take justice into their own hands. Somebody developed an app that allows the people to vote on whether or not a criminal should be executed. Vote Yes or No. Initially, the police didn't take it seriously until 84% voted Yes and the criminal was found dead.

To the police, the execution is not justice, it's murder. So a special investigations unit is set up. The unit is headed by Kim Mu-Chan, a detective who struggles with his conscience. There have been many times when he felt that he failed to do his duty as an officer because the criminals he worked to bring to justice were set free. But he knows you can't just work outside of the justice system and vote for a person's execution.

Joo Hyun also understands why. Her co-workers steer clear of her because she blew the whistle on her team leader. It was a matter of conscience and the right thing to do. When it comes to cybercrime she has a keen eye and a talent for tracking the computer activity to its source. She developed a lead regarding “The Killing Vote” app and took it straight to the Special Investigations Unit. Because it was such valuable information she was allowed to become a member of the SIU (Special Investigations Unit).

How can there be a fair and equal justice system based on votes that approve murder?

Main Characters:

• Kim Mu-Chan (played by Park Hae-Jin)

• Joo Hyun (played by Lim Ji-Yeon)

• Kwon Seok-Joo (played by Park Sung-Woong)

Where to Watch

K-Playlist. “The Killing Vote – Full Trailer | Park Hae-Jin, Lim Ji-Yeon.” YouTube Video. YouTube, August 1, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpg_efJRBJs.‌

My Perfect Stranger is the Perfect for Time Travel K-Drama Lovers

Korean scriptwriters often come up with some very interesting time travel plots.  My Perfect Stranger is a perfect time travel K-drama.   

Two perfect strangers end up traveling back to 1987, both with two completely different objectives they wish to accomplish.  But as they begin to unravel certain events, they discover that their purposes are connected.  

However, it's the past.  Everything has already happened.  Can they really turn back the clock?  If they could it would be wonderful,  Especially since turning back the clock would result in preventing a serial killer from ever committing the crimes in the first place.

Hae Jun (played by Kim Dong Wook) works as an anchorman at a news station. One day as he is driving his car, his GPS starts acting weird and the voice announces that the directions have changed. Why do weird and strange things always happen on dreary rainy nights? Following the GPS directions he drives into a tunnel and is blinded by a bright light. He stops his car, gets out, and finds an abandoned car. At least …??? It looked like a car. It was actually a time machine. So he did what anybody else would do if they found a time machine. He got inside and tested it to see if he would really travel through time. First, he went to the future and then he went to the past. It was a blast!

But then he decided that since he had already made plans for what he would be doing once he retired, might as well travel to the future life to see if his life had worked out just the way he planned it. His future was not the way he planned it. He had been murdered! That was not a blast. It was a shock!

So! What would be your next thought? Time machine? My murder?

Go back in time to prevent the crime from happening!

Since he had successfully tested the time travel machine, going back and forth between the past and the present was easy. Just get in the car, set the year, and voila! You're there. But this one time, as he was driving through the tunnel, he sees a young woman standing in the pathway. 

The woman is Baek Yoon-young (played by Jin Ki-joo), an editor who works at a publishing company. He swerves to try to avoid hitting her but somehow they both end up in the year 1987. She is from the same time period that he was from, i.e. the year 2021.

But why was this woman brought back in time with him?

To him, she's a perfect stranger. For her, the feeling is mutual. She doesn't know him either!

They both have two different purposes for wanting to go back in time. However, as they begin to unravel certain events, it turns out their objectives are intertwined. 

• The death of Baek Yoon-young's mother was recorded as a suicide, but it is possible that it was murder. She needs to know the truth.
• Hae Jun is trying to find a serial killer in the hopes of preventing his own murder 30 years later. 

The first murder occurred in 1987 and it took place in Woojeong Village.  He and Yoon-young begin working together to unravel the mystery. They have a clue that is rather cryptic. There was a matchbox from the Boong Boong Cafe found at the scene of the first crime and it contained a note: “A woman who reads is dangerous.”

What could that possibly mean?

My Perfect Stranger is an extremely believable time travel drama and the murder mystery is a riveting crime thriller. The Viki viewing audience rated My Perfect Stranger, 9.5 out of 10 stars. I agree.

Healer (2014) K-Drama TV Series Still Popular!

Healer is a Korean drama series that was released in 2014. Even though it is almost 10 years since its release K-drama fans on social sites all around the web are still buzzing about it. No doubt it's because of the three (3) main characters. As soon as you meet them, you instantly become their cheerleader.  Healer can be categorized as a suspense/thriller, action, and romantic comedy. It is so popular that the story will be adapted into a webtoon version. 

There were 3 main characters, but without a doubt, Ji Chang-Wook was the star of this show. He is a very versatile actor. In Healer, he is very athletic, and a skilled martial artist who is almost like Superman. He even disguises himself as a timid mild-mannered reporter named Park Bong-soo, similar to Clark Kent (Superman's disguise). 

By contrast, in The Sound of Magic (2022) he plays a mysterious magician who can convince any unbeliever to believe in magic. Plus he sings! From action star to a musical? If you want to watch him in a historical period drama, he played a lead role in Empress Ki (2013). That's versatility.

Healer is 20 episodes, currently streaming on Viki.com. Over 86,000 viewers in this audience have given the series a rating of 9.7 out of 10 stars. I agree.

11 BEST Korean Dramas Recreated Into WEBTOON Adaptations – KpopPost

Books: Sidney Sheldon, American Writer ~ Master of Suspense

Sidney Sheldon (1917 – 2007) is an American novelist who earned a reputation as a master of suspense. Crime fiction thrillers were his specialty.

If you enjoy binge-reading, you should set a goal to read several Sidney Sheldon novels. Check out these recommendations by vlogger, Shaloo Walia: Top 7 Sidney Sheldon Books. 

If you would like my recommendation on where to begin, start with his novel Master of the Game (published 1982) and follow it with If Tomorrow Comes (published 1985).

“The future was clay, to be moulded day by day, but the past was bedrock, immutable.” ― Master of the Game

“My ancestors survived famine and plagues and floods, and I’m going to survive this.” ― If Tomorrow Comes

The books will either whet your appetite or disappoint you. If you enjoyed reading them, then go anywhere from there. Choose from 18 novels.

• Link of Interest: Books by Sidney Sheldon and Complete Book Reviews | Publishers Weekly

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About Sidney Sheldon

At age 10, Sidney Sheldon wrote a poem and sold it for $10. He sold a screenplay called "South of Panama" to Universal Pictures for $250 in 1941. He lived through the Depression working various jobs while attending Northwestern University. He served in the US military during World War II. No matter what life's circumstances he was always writing. Mr. Sheldon was in the writing game for decades. His first novel was published in 1969/1970(?). But before and after that, he also wrote Broadway plays, books for children, scripts for films and television shows, and more. He was the recipient of several writing awards and is internationally known. Believe it or not, he even has a few English-speaking readers in North Korea. Several of his books were adapted to film.

Mr. Sheldon passed away at age 89 in 2007 (complications from pneumonia). If you want to know a little more about his character or personality you will probably enjoy this intereview published via Digital Journal ~ 'I find women more fascinating than men' - Sidney Sheldon Interview.; and this interesting bio snapshot published via IMDb ~ Sidney Sheldon Biography.

TV Movie: BBC Masterpiece Contemporary: Page EIght (2011)

Do you fancy BBC Masterpiece Contemporary Mystery movies or television series?

The BBC political thriller titled “Page Eight” is about a British intelligence analyst who refuses to compromise his integrity.

What happens to him is what usually happens when civil servants will not budge on their principles and ideals of Right versus Wrong, and their principles and ideals do not line up with their boss, i.e., the chief executive leader who says: I know what is best for our country and I am the one in charge, with the authority!

In his case, Mr. Worricker (the character masterfully played by Bill Nighy) butts heads with the British Prime Minister. He found some real information on page 8 of an intelligence report that points a finger in the direction of the Prime Minister and … Oh dear!

He has to leave his job? No. Rather he chooses that it is time for him to resign from the MI-5 service and move on. To spice up this not “atypical” political thriller plot, he meets a young woman (played by Rachel Weisz) that he has the power to help because of his access to confidential official government secrets. Does he help her? But of course! She helps him as well. In his line of work, it’s really hard to find someone you can trust.

This BBC political thriller is “Page Eight” is actually part of a trilogy. If it hooks you, you’ll probably want to watch the entire triology: Masterpiece: Worricker Trilogy Collection (Salting the Battlefield; Turks & Caicos; Page Eight)

Page Eight

Worricker: Page Eight

Worricker: Turks & Caicos

Worricker: Salting the Battlefield

Original source

The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) ~ A True Story

Ever see the movie "The Falcon and the Snowman" (1985)? 

I once worked for the federal government. I understand how a young man like Christopher Boyce who came from a typical middle class white American Catholic family ... could become disillusioned he when comes to the knowledge that his beloved country, the United States of America, is not ... "perfect".  After all, that's not what he was taught or raised to believe.  

Even though I'm African-American and grew up in segregated neighborhood, I can empathize with how he felt. I was taught the same thing.  America is the land of the free, the home of the brave,  We're righteous and the other countries should follow our example.  Even though I understand Mr. Boyce, I refuse to justify what he did. Ideals or not, HE WAS WRONG!  

So America is not "without sin". But can any other country say that they are sinless?  You don't like what's happening in America?  Stay here and change it!!  At least you care.  The other country you're selling out to, could care less.

This is a very good movie.  I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.  The soundtrack gets 10 stars!  David Bowie is English but he sang the song "This is Not America", like he was an American

*(View the official movie trailer.)

"The Falcon and the Snowman" starred Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. I think the movie should be incorporated into an orientation training class for all civil servants who work in the law enforcement agencies “ CIA, NSA, ICE, FBI, etc. The movie was intense. Riveting! A favorite word used by official movie critics. The best part of the movie for me is David Bowie and Pat Metheny on the soundtrack. But I digress. The movie is about a young guy (Christopher Boyce, played by Timothy Hutton) who works for the government and learns that "things" are not what they appear to be and feels betrayed by his country. He gets angry about it “ as any red-blooded patriot would - and decides to sells secrets to "The Enemy". He recruits his childhood friend (Daulton Lee, played by Sean Penn) who is a dope head! Long story short. In the end, they both go to prison.  There is also a book written about this story as well.

The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship and Espionage by Robert Lindsey (2002-06-02)

In between, Mr. Lee gets caught and accused of murder. Of course, he didn't commit the murder but that didn't stop the law enforcement authorities who captured him from grilling him, thoroughly interrogating him, and torturing him to get the truth out of him. After all is said and done “ they say "He did!," - he say "He didn't! He's just a tourist, a businessman." - there's a scene where he's about to be released and a man walks in and says something to the effect: "We're going to give you 2 choices." Before the man could tell what the choices were, Mr. Lee (Sean Penn) looks up at the guy, weary, scared, demoralized and says in questioning tone of voice: "Costa Rica?" I CRACKED UP LAUGHING!! I thought to myself: 'Now ain't that sumthin! They done beat the crap about this boy and he is totally weakened and confused, but he still had the clarity of mind to try to negotiate to get sent to Costa Rica!!' :)

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Quick Movie Review: Georgetown (2019)

If you like crime thrillers, you'll like the movie called "Georgetown" (2019). The name caught my attention because there is Georgetown, Texas, a city near where I live and then there is the Georgetown near Washington, D.C. I used to work in D.C. and it's a lively place. This movie was set in the historic neighborhood of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia (D.C.) 

(SPOILER ALERT!)

Image credit

 

The reviewers at RogerEbert.com gave the film 2 stars and Rotten Tomatoes gave it 3 stars.  Not sure why the ratings were so low.  High caliber actors were in this film: Vanessa Redgrave, Annette Bening, and Christoph Waltz. I would give 1 star fir each and the another star for the film.  That's 4 stars!  

I did not realize until The End that it was based on a true story. Yeah. That creep was an idiot and he really did kill his wife.

The real guy's name is Albrecht Muth.
The name of the character in the movie was Ulrich Mott (played by Christoph Waltz).

In April 2014, Albrecht Muth, 49 years old, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 50 years in prison for first-degree murder of his wife.

Even though it would not make my top 10 list, it's a good movie for a Friday night.

RELATED LINKS:

• The Best Crime Movies of 2021 ‹ CrimeReads
• 40 of the Best Crime Movies (That'll Bring Out Your Inner Detective ~ PureWow
• Best Crime Films of the 21st Century, From ‘Memento’ to ‘Zodiac’ | IndieWire

Georgetown (2019) ~ A smooth-talking social climber is under investigation after his wealthy older wife turns up dead. https://t.co/3imal3YOtA via @amazon @PrimeVideo #movies #entertainment #crime #TrueStory pic.twitter.com/mtNMjxjq36

— Joie de Vivre Magazine (aka My Fox Nooze) (@FoxMarks_ATX) July 19, 2022

Signs (2002): Sci-Fi Thriller Starring Mel Gibson And Joaquin Phoenix

There are 2 things the world can never get enough of:  silly love songs and silly sci-fi movies.

Have you ever watched Signs (2002)?  It's a science fiction thriller about crop circles? The crop circles were obviously a “sign”.

Let me tie this in with my daily life. I went to the grocery store and bought a bottle of distilled water. I don't know why … but the water tasted funny! (O.o) 

• MEMORY FLASHBACK: I watched the movie "Signs", several years ago and in the movie Mel Gibson has two kids – a boy and a girl. I'm guessing the little girl was about 4 or 5 years old. But every time she would drink a glass of water, she would always complain that the water tasted funny! Everybody would just ignore her. It turns out that the funny tasting water was actually a “sign”. Earth was being invaded by hostile aliens! AAAAHHHH!!!

Oh no! I hope that water I bought from the store isn't a sign. But just in case, we better cover our heads with coned hats made out of aluminum foil. Better safe than sorry.  LOL. ☺

Image credit: Google Play

If you like sci-fi flicks, or you're fan of Mel Gibson or Joaquin Phoenix, or if you've ever wondered whether there is a connection between those mysterious crop circles and aliens ... this movie is for you!

OfficialTrailer: Signs (2002)

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Related or Similar Links of Interest:

• The Truth About Crop Circles
• Crop circles: Myth, mystery and history | Live Science
• List of Sci-Fi Movies Released in 2002

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Random Mexican’s Movie Reviews: MOVIE REVIEW: UNHINGED (Reblog)

This reblog is from one of my favorite blogs for movie reviews. It's a quick review of a 2020 film which stars Russell Crowe.  I have followed Mr. Crowe's acting career but to be honest I have only really liked him as the Gladiator.  Based on this review, it could be added to your watch list for Friday night movies IF you don't mind movies rated C+.  In other words, you'll watch it only because you like Russell Crowe.

"Unhinged is a 2020 American thriller film directed by Derrick Borte, from a screenplay by Carl Ellsworth. ... It’s a brutal trip into madness that makes this film feel more like a horror film than a straightforward thriller. ..."

Con't reading:

• Random Mexican’s Movie Reviews: MOVIE REVIEW: UNHINGED

Lots of people have shared their reviews.  Some say Crowe is fantastic but the story line could have been better.  More Reviews.

Image credit: Amazon.com