Harper Kingsley blog

January 27, 2012 0 comments

MOVIE REVIEW: A Frozen Flower [Korean movie] mm

Movie: A Frozen Flower
Genre: mm, Korean, historical
Rated: R for graphic violence, sex

Director: Ha Yu
Writer: Ha Yu (screenplay)
Stars: Jin-mo Ju, Ji-hyo Song, In-seong Jo

IMDB says: A historical drama set in the Koryo dynasty and focused on the relationship between a king and his bodyguard.

HanCinema says: Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr Synopsis: In the end of Goryeo era politically manipulated by the Yuan Dynasty, the ambitious King of the Goryeo Dynasty organizes Kunryongwe. Hong Lim, the commander of Kunryongwe, captivates the King of Goryeo, and the Queen keeps her eyes on the relationship between Hong Lim and the King with a reluctant view. Meanwhile, the bilateral relation between Goryeo and the Yuan gets worse as Yuan demands to install the cousin of the King in the Crown Prince of Goryeo with ascribing it to no son the King has. The King refuses it resolutely, so the high-ranking officials of Goryeo, who are in submission to Yuan, are discontented with the king. One day, the King gives Hong Lim a covert yet unobjectionable order to sleep with the Queen instead of himself to protect the independence of Goryeo from the Yuan by making a son, the successor to Goryeo throne.

———————-

January 26, 2012 0 comments

#amwriting Or at least, I’m trying to write. Too bad the world keeps sucking me away :(

Bought the Blu Ray of “Kingdom of Heaven.” It’s such a great movie that I can’t believe it didn’t do any better in the theater. It must have looked truly awesome on the big screen. Beautiful scenery, an engaging story, and Orlando Bloom was incredibly hot in this movie; Liam Neeson wasn’t too bad either for an old dude ^_^; Lots of sword action and the extended edition has a whole sidestory that is pretty fascinating too.

January 25, 2012 0 comments

RESEARCH: Joseon, gache, cloisonne

For “The Brand,” I’ve been forced to indulge in the horrors of research. Yeah, I know :)~

Since I’ve been watching a lot of kdramas and movies that take place in the Joseon period, somehow the concubines have ended up wearing hanbok-inspired formal robes. A lot of the hairpieces and accessories feature cloisonne decorations, as do some of the vases and statues.

I have also discovered a love for gache, or the Korean wigs mostly worn by gisaeng. Here’s a video I found HERE. I really wish the vidder had added citations, since some of the clips have perked my interest 🙂 Honestly, I fell in love with the gisaeng look while watching Sungkyunkwan Scandal, a show I highly recommend.

I am desperately seeking a book of clothing through the ages, so if anyone knows of a good one, I would really appreciate it. Full-color illustrations so I can get a good visual idea of what I want to use. Or if someone knows a good website, that would be good too.

For the concubines: hanbok-inspired robes for formal occasions. They have regular clothes for the everyday.
For the nobles: doublets, jerkins, and breeches. The “hoity-toity” might wear hanbok, though I’m not a hundred percent on that.

Any help would be appreciated.

January 23, 2012 1 comment

What I’m watching on TV

Great shows I recommend:

Better Off Ted
Big Bang Theory
Dead Like Me
Pushing Daisies (I love Lee Pace, so that’s a plus. But even though I really loved the first episodes, I didn’t like it nearly as much later on.)

I’m currently watching “Better Off Ted” and just laughing and laughing. It’s so ridiculously funny, everything made so extravagantly large that even the most ridiculous of things seems plausible.

I enjoy that sense of whimsy.