Pethushka

Predictable from the very beginning, but still pretty good. Thanks to the brisk opening, I was hooked pretty much right away, and by the first time that beautiful, moving song played, I knew I was going to cry more than once.  By Korean standards, the smaller number of episodes certainly didn't hurt in this case. 4 stars.

A lovely four star comedy that opens up a lot, but sadly doesn't have a proper ending. Still, it's the kind of film I'll want to talk to my friends about, to let them know about it. It's all because of the great dialogue, good acting, and such a terribly ordinary yet serious subject.

It did bum me out that the series was so predictable, because clearly that’s won’t get by in today's competitive landscape, but Sienna Miller had me so completely wrapped around her finger that my criticisms of the script took a back seat. This was also partly due to the atmosphere, the beautiful English, the psychological aspect, and the suspense, which kept my hopes up that there would be at least a little something more at the end. Too bad... 3.5 stars.

What I would have liked as the main theme of the film serves here more as the impetus for a fight that is long but not particularly intense or (by Korean standards) rough. On the other hand, I would have preferred more depth to the issues, more from the experiences of the victim, and less of the gangster background. Yo-han was pretty good, though.

A romantic – let’s call it that – comedy that is very average and practically devoid of a concept. But with a nice and likable main couple. Whether that's enough is up to the viewer. I didn't mind it for one viewing, I won't likely find a reason for another.

For the most part I enjoyed the series, and for a long time I liked how the main character got away with everything he touched. But when he was suffering the first few slings and arrows, I started getting a little bored with the "one-man show". A lot of the characters that left an impression on me at first started losing their motivation and most of them just seemed to be waiting around for instructions. Their charisma – and many of them did indeed have it – completely fizzled out in the finale. And it's such a shame, because it had such a nice setup. Overall, I’d rate it pretty high, but the ending feels unfinished, and that bothers me. I mean... shouldn't the filmmakers have explained it to us just a bit more?

I'm not entirely happy with the overabundance of unnatural drama in some scenes and I didn't find the ending very believable, but I certainly wasn't bored and the story completely sucked me in. The atmosphere as well.

A visually beautiful, sensitively made film that would be perfect if it just had a decent story. Still, it's an entertaining and at that slow pace surprisingly suspenseful romance that's easy to fall into. I had to figure a lot of things out in the end, and much of it will remain shrouded in mystery forever, but when all’s said and done that doesn't really bother me.

The series has such strong competition on Netflix alone that it almost seems unfair. Though it picks up very nicely towards the end, and it would annoy me a lot if I couldn't finish The Girl from Oslo, it can't hold a candle to the likes of Caliphate. Unfortunately, I also had a problem with the kidnapped girl's mother, whose character did not appeal to me at all. And since she was given the most space in the beginning, It took a long time to get through the first few episodes. The way the action was paced I managed to avoid focusing too much on her behavior, but I'm still convinced that her cold personality affected the experience for me.

You pretty much get what you expect. So don't be a dreamer – like me – and entertain the hope that the creators have given us anything above standard. If you do you will – like me – be disappointed. The actors don't have much charisma either, and funny scenes are few and far between... in the end the best the entire film has to offer is the playlist.