Tag: television series

The Korean Wave: K-Dramas

- Elena Leave a comment

Have you heard the term “hallyu?” “Hallyu,” also called the “Korean Wave,” refers to the increasing global popularity of South Korean pop culture, including music, film, television, and comics.

This popularity includes Korean television, better known as “K-Dramas.” K-Dramas typically run for a single season and span a wide variety of genres, from romance comedies to historical period dramas to crime thrillers. Interested in learning more about K-Dramas? Davenport Public Library has you covered! Check out the following K-Drama titles, available for checkout on DVD at the library. (Descriptions below provided by publisher.)

Queen of Tears
The queen of department stores and her small-town husband weather a marital crisis — until love miraculously begins to bloom again. Baek Hyun Woo, who is the pride of the village of Yongduri, is the legal director of the conglomerate Queen’s group, while Chaebol heiress Hong Hae in is the “Queen” of Queens group’s department stores. “Queen of Tears” will tell the miraculous, thrilling, and humorous love story of this married couple, who manage to survive a crisis and stay together against all odds.

See You in My 19th Life
Ban Ji Eum has the ability to remember all her past lives, living through countless reincarnations for nearly a thousand years. After a tragic accident ends her previous life, she seeks to reconnect with the people from that life, focusing on Moon Seo Ha, whom she met in her 18th life. As she navigates her 19th life, will memories of her past hinder her romance, or can love endure across lifetimes?

A Business Proposal
Shin Ha Ri, nursing unrequited feelings for a male friend, discovers he has a girlfriend. Seeking solace, she agrees to impersonate her wealthy friend, Jin Young Seo, on a blind date. To her surprise, her date is Kang Tae Moo, the CEO of her workplace. Kang Tae Moo, pressured by his grandfather to marry, decides to wed the next woman he meets on a blind date to end the interference in his work life. Unaware of Shin Ha Ri’s true identity, he proposes to her the next day, setting the stage for a romantic entanglement.

Reborn Rich
After serving the Jin family and Soonyang Group faithfully for years, Yoon Hyeon Woo is embroiled in their succession battle and tragically murdered as collateral damage. Miraculously, fate gives him a chance to exact his revenge when he finds he’s brought back in time inside the body of Jin Do Jun, the youngest grandson of Soonyang Group. Using his new identity and knowledge of the future, Do Jun plots a hostile takeover of the Soonyang Group. Will Do Jun succeed in his revenge and find his murderer?

Perfect Marriage Revenge
Han Yi Joo naively tries to see the best in everyone, though she’s shunned and betrayed by a family who never loved her. After a terrible accident at the hands of her mother, Yi Joo unexpectedly finds herself transported back in time. Realizing she has a second chance to change her fate, Yi Joo teams up with wealthy tycoon Seo Do Guk to exact revenge on those who’ve wronged her. Will this new alliance allow Yi Joo to create the life she’s always wanted?

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract
As a newly married woman in 19th-century Korea, Park Yeon Woo’s life should have been a happy one. But when her new husband dies shortly after their wedding, her life goes from bad to worse when she’s kidnapped and thrown down a well. What should have been the end of her story turns out to be just the beginning when her fall into the well lands her in a swimming pool in modern-day Korea. Fished out by Kang Tae Ha, Yeon Woo soon finds herself presented with a strange request: to join him in a contract marriage. Lost in a strange new world, will Yeon Woo agree to make a dying man’s wish come true?

During the month of May, look for the “Hallyu: The Korean Wave” displays at all three branches for more Korean pop culture recommendations.

Halfway Home – Online Reading Challenge

- Ann Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

In the midst of all the festivities and bustle of the holidays, have you been able to find some time for yourself to read? Have you found something set in New York City? We’d all love to hear what about what you’re reading!

If you just don’t have the time (or energy!) to read right now, how about a movie? Take a break from the holiday madness and watch a movie (or two). There are lots set in the Big Apple. Bonus! These have a Christmas backdrop as well!

You’ve Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks is that rare rom-com that is funny and sweet without being mushy. The Christmas scenes will make you nostalgic for the past and who doesn’t love Meg Ryan’s apartment?

Elf with Will Ferrell doesn’t really need an introduction. It’s become a family tradition for many and for good (hilarious) reason.

Home Alone 2 with Macaulay Caulkin uses New York City as it’s playground with iconic scenes in the toy store and Central Park. Christmas in New York never look prettier.

Miracle on 34th Street. And of course you can’t forget about this classic. It hits all the iconic New York City Christmas moments (and probably was responsible for how many of us imagine New York City to be at Christmas)

But what if you’d had enough of Christmas madness for the moment and just want to escape for a bit? Try some television shows – Friends will never get stale (in my opinion) and Sex and the City still pushes the envelope. Then there are cop shows – several billion seasons of Law and Order and it’s many offshoots, Blue Bloods, NYPD Blue. And there’s no shortage if comedy is what you crave – Seinfeld, Will and Grace, 30 Rock. No excuses – there’s plenty of New York City for everyone!

 

New Comedy and Action Series

- Bianca Leave a comment

jane the virginJane the Virgin is a romantic dramedy so there are both comedic and dramatic elements to the show. Gina Rodriguez stars as Jane, a young Latina woman who is very religious. Jane is hardworking and has vowed to save herself until marriage. During a routine exam, Jane is accidentally artificially inseminated. Coincidentally the donor is not only a married man, but the owner of the hotel she works at. Gina won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy in 2015 and the show was nominated for Best Comedy. The second season begins October 12 on the CW.

 

izombie

iZombie is a comedy crime series. Rose McIver stars as Liv who has recently been turned into a zombie. She now finds herself hungry for human brains. To appease this appetite, Liv takes a job at a morgue where she is free to eat lots of brains. The twist is that every time Liv eats a brain, she gets snippets of memories and takes on a bit of that person’s personality. Liv uses her ability to solve murder crimes by eating the victim’s brains. It may sound strange, but the show has received great reviews. Season 2 premieres October 6 on the CW.

 

The Flaflashsh is an action super hero spin off series. TV viewers first met The Flash on the action TV show Arrow where he appeared twice. Grant Gustin plays Barry Allen/Flash as crime scene investigator with superhuman speed. An exhibition gone wrong creates a man made thunderstorm. Barry is turned into what is called a ‘metahuman’ after he is struck by lighting. Barry soon learns there are others like him causing trouble  in his town of Central City. He vows to use his power to stop the other metahumans. The Flash won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama. Season 2 starts October 6th on the CW.

Broadchurch

- Katie 1 Comment

BroadchurchKellyBroadchurch

It is rare that a novel based on a successful television program amounts to anything more than a slap-dash rehash designed to turn a profit, but in the case of Erin Kelly’s Broadchurch: A Novel the story is as finely fashioned with words as the 2013 British crime drama is with moving images. Both explore the ramifications of an eleven-year-old boy’s shocking murder on the life of a coastal tourist town in Southwest England as two detectives gradually uncover a complex network of closely-held secrets.

At the center of the story is the relationship between the two investigators assigned to the case. Detective Ellie Miller, an integral part of the Broadchurch community, struggles with the need to delve into her friends and neighbors’ affairs while suffering the loss of young Danny alongside them. She is at odds with DI Alec Hardy, unexpectedly brought in to fill the leadership position on the police force that Ellie had been promised. Alec takes a cold and cynical attitude in conducting the investigation and is skeptical of Ellie’s ability to remain objective. He bristles and becomes more defensive under the watchful eye of the press: both local and London-based journalists are suspicious of his handling of an earlier child murder case. With each question the detectives raise, each encounter they have with a Broadchurch resident, further suspicions mount. In a cascading effect, relationships begin to falter, irretrievable words are spoken, and yet more harm is unleashed.

Kelly relates the story through the eyes of other main characters as well, including bereaved mother Beth Latimer and opportunistic reporter Karen White. She takes full advantage of the novel form to explore the principal players’ internal lives: their memories, their questions about the case as more information is gathered, their reflections on their own behaviors and interactions with others in the community, and their concerns for the future once the truth is finally revealed. She deftly weaves these musings into the action and closely examines the consequences of the investigation on each character without sacrificing suspense.

In addition to Chris Chibnall’s superb writing, the award-winning television series Broadchurch (BAFTA Best Drama Series) features Olivia Colman (BAFTA Best Actress) and David Tennant’s nuanced performances, Olafur Arnalds’ evocative music, and cinematographer Matt Gray’s gently charged contemplation of the Dorset landscape.

Read Broadchurch: A Novel and watch Broadchurch the series, in no matter what order. The experience of one enriches that of the other.