When we took this photo last October 2012, I was still very much against the idea of my most-loved Korean drama having a sequel (the term “sequel” being used loosely). That was before. I now humbly apologize to the people behind Full House Take 2, because my initial assessment was totally wrong.
I do believe, though, that it would’ve served them better if they totally shied away from the original Full House. This drama had to suffer the unfair comparisons with the Rain-Song Hye Kyo starrer. Most Full House fans – myself, included – even vowed never to support it unless they cast the original actors. Although the use of the phrase Full House in the Take 2 edition was not forced through, still, on a marketing stand-point, it was a huge risk on the part of the producers. It’s either a good idea to latch onto something famous (albeit, the popularity might have dwindled down due to current circumstances; I mean, as a BiKyo fan, it would be so painful to keep watching that drama. Or was it just me?), or a bad idea because it would have to live under the shadow of the first one’s immense popularity. In this case, it was the second one. And it’s just too bad because Full House Take 2 is a great drama. In fact, I’ll go ahead and say that story-wise, it’s a much better drama than the first Full House. 
Yeah, feel free to throw stones at me now.
The central plot is essentially the same: The main protagonists had to live under the same roof and participate in a contract relationship. But the great thing about Full House Take 2 is, the scenario was well-presented that the contract relationship and the fact that they had to live under the same roof was more realistic than the completely absurd scenario of Full House 1 (I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who is still scratching her head at the scenario of the house being successfully sold by people who don’t own it). Every scenario was fully justified in FH Take 2. Even my biggest K-drama pet peeve, that is, people talking in different languages yet managing to understand each other, was explained here.
However, I do think that while Full House Take 2 had the better story and screenplay, it did not have characters whom you can root for and remember for years to come. Sure, Noh Min Woo, Hwang Jung Eum and especially the adorable Park Ki Woong did a great job at tackling the roles of Lee Tae Ik, Jang Man Ok and Won Kang Hui, respectively. But I immediately forgot about them after the last episode. They weren’t able to sustain my attention the way Kim Soo Hyun or Micky Yoo Chun did. It could be because I’m not fond of flower boys (then again, Jung Il Woo is a flower boy and his roles in 49 Days and Moon-Sun are still making a mark in my consciousness), or because every time I see those three, I crave for ramyeon noodles. 
Which reminds me, there goes another thing that I’m not too fond of in FH Take 2: the clothes. 
I thought I’ve seen the worst in Full House 1 (that hideous neon-green V-neck of Lee Young Jae still haunts me to this day), but Take 2 runs away with the prize for the fugliest clothes ever worn in Korean drama. At least Han Ji Eun had cute clothes in FH. I’ll never forgive Jang Man Ok of FH2 for wearing the Adidas tracksuit with lace (try putting that on Glee‘s Sue Sylvester and let’s hear what she will say) (ironically, that hideous outfit paved the way for her to work as coordi for a Hallyu star) and the teddy bear necklace. Or was that her neckline? Whatever, it’s the type of clothes that should not be worn on a daily basis, unless you’re Lady Gaga. Then again, the character is supposed to be stylist who makes her own clothes, so maybe that’s just her style. However, I’ve seen enough stylists to know that they don’t wear stuffed animals on their necks as they go by their business. (Or maybe I’m just not fashion forward? Any opinion from an actual stylist is welcome on this blog.)
But all the fugly hair and outfits aside, it’s very engrossing to watch. If you’re a fangirl, you’ll also be able to relate to some scenes here. Acting-wise, the cast is generally good. I think the weakest link here is the female villain Yoo Seoul Ah as World Star Jin Se Ryeong, but she managed to make me hate her so much that it came to a point when I wanted to pull her by the hair and slap her silly, so good job, I guess?
So yeah. I know it’s blasphemy and all that, but I highly recommend Full House Take 2.
Hugh scared me in the first few scenes as Prisoner 24601. As for Ms Hathaway, she could run away with all the Best Supporting Actress statues just for that super-awesomely heartwrenching rendition of I Dreamed A Dream. 
It was nothing like what we see on the movie trailers. It was just one long scene just focusing on Anne’s face, and the viewers can clearly see the emotions on her face as she sang. It’s the best scene in the entire film for me.
That role requires someone oozing with charisma, and he definitely has it.
), and of course, the equally amazing duo of Helena Bonham-Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen as the Thenardiers. 
He’s now on my list of potential replacements to You-Know-Who in case he decides to totally quit showbiz (or he totally annoys me that I decide to quit being his fan for real – I wonder if and when will this happen?), alongside Kim Soo Hyun and Big Bang. (NOTE: I should stress, though, that my liking for Park Yoo Chun is only on his acting. I would have to try and watch his performances in JYJ before I decide if he will take You-Know-Who’s place as a singer, as well.)
Not bad for someone who’s supposed to be a misbehaving fan whom people wanted to un-Cloud, ‘no? 
)
I had a few doubts at first – I mean, it’s been a while since I last saw Top Gun, after all – so I downloaded Top Gun and re-watched it, just to confirm my observations. This proved to be a big mistake on my part because as the movie unfolded, I found myself shaking my head many times because R2B proved to be not just an hommage to Top Gun. It was a total rip-off. 
They might as well just call this movie Top Gun 2 (or more accurately, Top Gun in Korea). Just an example: That scene where Jung Tae-Hoon (Rain) flew so close to the control tower. It’s one thing to replicate that scene from Top Gun, but do they have to replicate it down to the coffee-spilling part?
I had a DUH moment when [spoiler] Jung Tae-hoon’s plane crashed and they didn’t know whether he survived or not because, thanks to that marketing failure, we already know the answer. Besides, as I’ve said, the movie is one huge cliché. There’s no way they’re going to kill off the main character just to have a plot twist.
Wanna bet?) 
because I can SO relate to it: that scene where Hak Chan (Eun Ji Won) was downloading a hi-res photo off the internet, and he was waiting anxiously for the photo to finish loading when someone else picks up the phone and the internet automatically gets disconnected. 
That certainly brought back so many memories of my dial-up days when I would try to download hi-res photos of Ricky Martin and it would take me hours to load just one photo.
Also, for a 35-year-old man, he certainly looked convincing as an 18-year-old.
There have been many commentaries regarding idols becoming actors only by virtue of their popularity as idols, but they really don’t have the talent for it (do I still have to name names?). These two are clearly exceptions to that notion.
It’s particularly evident in the latter parts of the drama.