Latest news with #TheHandmaiden
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Criminal minds
DISNEY+ continues to cement its place as a hub for quality K-dramas with Nine Puzzles, a gripping psychological crime series directed by Yoon Jong-bin and penned by Lee Eun-mi. This 11-episode thriller packages emotional trauma, criminal profiling and unresolved mysteries into a layered narrative that keeps viewers guessing. At the centre of the story is Yoon E-na, played with haunting intensity by Kim Da-mi. As a teenager, E-na stumbled upon the lifeless body of her beloved uncle with a single puzzle piece ominously left at the crime scene. Although the case never led to charges, E-na became the prime suspect in the eyes of detective Kim Han-saem (Son Suk-ku). The stigma stuck and the case went cold but the emotional scars remained. Years later, E-na has transformed into a profiler for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, working to understand the minds of criminals while struggling with her own unresolved trauma. When a new murder emerges with disturbingly similar characteristics to her uncle's case, E-na is forced to reopen old wounds. She is also made to partner with Han-saem, the very man who once believed she was a killer. Their dynamic is at the core of the drama. Da-mi portrays E-na with restrained fury and calculated calm, while Son delivers a subtle performance as a detective grappling with guilt, doubt and professional duty. Their uneasy alliance is less about redemption and more about recognition of each other's pain and shared obsession with the truth. Visually, Nine Puzzles leans into darkness. Jong-bin's direction favours long silences, dim lighting and slow reveals, crafting an atmosphere that is as unsettling as it is intriguing. Composer Jo Yeong-wook, known for his work on Oldboy and The Handmaiden, heightens the mood with a chilling score that creeps in at the right moments. The pacing is slow in the first few episodes, but purposefully so. Each scene, line of dialogue and expression is loaded with significance. What might feel like a lull is actually the show laying down the emotional groundwork for the twists and turns that follow. Viewers who stick with it will find themselves rewarded with a thriller that values psychological realism over flashy dramatics. Supporting performances from Kim Sung-kyun and Hyeon Bong-sik add balance and weight to the cast, helping ground the series in procedural reality while E-na and Han-saem pursue a more personal kind of justice. With just enough questions answered and more still unresolved, the first half sets the stage for an intense escalation. Nine Puzzles is now streaming on Disney+. The final two episodes will air this Wednesday. DIRECTOR: Yoon Jong-bin CAST: Kim Da-mi, Son Suk-ku, Kim Sung-kyun, Hyeon Bong-sik E-VALUE: 7 PLOT: 7 ACTING: 8
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Nine Puzzles delivers gripping psychological thriller
DISNEY+ continues to cement its place as a hub for quality K-dramas with Nine Puzzles, a gripping psychological crime series directed by Yoon Jong-bin and penned by Lee Eun-mi. This 11-episode thriller packages emotional trauma, criminal profiling and unresolved mysteries into a layered narrative that keeps viewers guessing. At the centre of the story is Yoon E-na, played with haunting intensity by Kim Da-mi. As a teenager, E-na stumbled upon the lifeless body of her beloved uncle with a single puzzle piece ominously left at the crime scene. Although the case never led to charges, E-na became the prime suspect in the eyes of detective Kim Han-saem (Son Suk-ku). The stigma stuck and the case went cold but the emotional scars remained. Years later, E-na has transformed into a profiler for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, working to understand the minds of criminals while struggling with her own unresolved trauma. When a new murder emerges with disturbingly similar characteristics to her uncle's case, E-na is forced to reopen old wounds. She is also made to partner with Han-saem, the very man who once believed she was a killer. Their dynamic is at the core of the drama. Da-mi portrays E-na with restrained fury and calculated calm, while Son delivers a subtle performance as a detective grappling with guilt, doubt and professional duty. Their uneasy alliance is less about redemption and more about recognition of each other's pain and shared obsession with the truth. Visually, Nine Puzzles leans into darkness. Jong-bin's direction favours long silences, dim lighting and slow reveals, crafting an atmosphere that is as unsettling as it is intriguing. Composer Jo Yeong-wook, known for his work on Oldboy and The Handmaiden, heightens the mood with a chilling score that creeps in at the right moments. The pacing is slow in the first few episodes, but purposefully so. Each scene, line of dialogue and expression is loaded with significance. What might feel like a lull is actually the show laying down the emotional groundwork for the twists and turns that follow. Viewers who stick with it will find themselves rewarded with a thriller that values psychological realism over flashy dramatics. Supporting performances from Kim Sung-kyun and Hyeon Bong-sik add balance and weight to the cast, helping ground the series in procedural reality while E-na and Han-saem pursue a more personal kind of justice. With just enough questions answered and more still unresolved, the first half sets the stage for an intense escalation. Nine Puzzles is now streaming on Disney+. The final two episodes will air this Wednesday. E-VALUE: 7 PLOT: 7 ACTING: 8
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"Give him both": Legendary director thinks Robert Pattinson should win two Oscars for his dual performances in new sci-fi movie Mickey 17
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Bong Joon-ho's new movie Mickey 17 is starting to come out, and it already has some big fans. Park Chan-wook, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Oldboy and The Handmaiden, is particularly enamored by leading man Robert Pattinson, petitioning for the Batman star to get two Oscars at the next Academy Awards. As part of Mickey 17's release in South Korea, Warner Bros shared a selection of reviews from prominent filmmakers in the country. Among them is Park Chan-wook, whose message of adoration comes with a clear directive for anyone voting on the 2026 Oscars. "To the Academy members please give Robert Pattinson the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards," his blurb reads, before clarifying: "Give him both!!" In many other circumstances, this would seem like mere fawning, but the premise of Mickey 17 is such that it could theoretically happen. The sci-fi movie has Pattinson play clones of the titular Mickey. The protagonist, as you may have guessed, is the 17th clone, who forms a slightly hapless duo with Mickey 18 to challenge the oppressive conditions of the colony they're forced to work in. Pattinson has ample screentime as both the lead and co-star, and the Academy's rules dictate that two distinct performances can be nominated across the categories. This has happened on quite a few occasions, the most recent being 2020, where Scarlett Johansson was up for Best Actress for Marriage Story and Best Supporting Actress for her work in Jojo Rabbit. Nobody's done it for two roles in the same movie, so Pattinson would be a gamechanger in that regard. Then imagine if he managed to win both statues. Seeing the former Twilight icon give two different acceptance speeches during the same ceremony would be nothing short of magnificent. We can but dream. Mickey 17 is Bong Joon-ho's follow-up to Parasite, the jet-black satire that won Best Picture in 2019. It's based on Edward Ashton's book Mickey7, and Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, and Steven Yeun join Pattinson in the star-studded cast. Mickey 17 arrives in US and UK theatres on March 7, 2025. We have a guide to all the best underrated sci-fi movies and a list of the best sci-fi horror movies if you'd like more performances that may have gone under the radar.
