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Lee Jong Suk 이종석 イ・ジョンソク ♥ Drama 2022: Big Mouth, 빅마우스 | Movie 2022: Decibel, 데시벨


hilllllllly

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7 hours ago, hilllllllly said:

I'm actually quite surprised Hymn of Death got a Director's Cut -- even more surprised that JS did the commentary for it. I'm not complaining though. It's great to see him laughing so much in the preview clip. It's definitely a sight for sore eyes. :wub:

 

Yeah, there was a much larger drama recently, forget which one, that apparently did not garner enough interest, and the Director's Cut was cancelled. I was also surprised they were able to do this for HoD, especially with JS's military service so imminent. Maybe because it was small and wouldn't take as long to create. And also because they knew fans would buy because they missed JS so much?

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3 hours ago, frozentundra said:

 

Yeah, there was a much larger drama recently, forget which one, that apparently did not garner enough interest, and the Director's Cut was cancelled. I was also surprised they were able to do this for HoD, especially with JS's military service so imminent. Maybe because it was small and wouldn't take as long to create. And also because they knew fans would buy because they missed JS so much?

 

I think I saw something about Memories of the Alhambra being cancelled when I was researching. 

 

The fact that JS is away right now definitely makes both Hymn of Death and Bonus Book very lucrative.  I wouldn't be surprised if the box sets for all his past dramas are in higher demand as well. Even I splurged on one of the directors cut's recently.

 

The panic that Bonus Book won't get one has definitely creeped in. It looks like there is more interest for it than HOD, but I still get this sinking feeling that it won't happen. It's definitely in high demand (even just in theory based on the current circumstances) so I don't know why they wouldn't jump at the chance. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe the silence and lack or coordination with the cafe is because they're in the process and didn't have a doubt about it's demand? Wishful thinking.

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6 minutes ago, hilllllllly said:

The panic that Bonus Book won't get one has definitely creeped in. It looks like there is more interest for it than HOD, but I still get this sinking feeling that it won't happen. It's definitely in high demand (even just in theory based on the current circumstances) so I don't know why they wouldn't jump at the chance. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe the silence and lack or coordination with the cafe is because they're in the process and didn't have a doubt about it's demand? Wishful thinking.

 

This is one I wonder about, because while yes, I think it would be in demand, it also requires a lot of effort on the part of the cast. Even when you are not in the military it can be hard to schedule that much time. (For example, JS filmed his part for the director's cut of W separately from everyone else because I think he was also shooting VIP at the time; in any case, his existing schedule caused some complications). Additionally, there are some strong restrictions on working while you are in the army. Yes, he is doing public service, yes, he can go home at night, yes, it appears that on his off days he can wander off to places like Jejudo. And yes, he owns a cafe and an agency. But I think he can't actively work in his career, so he can't shoot a movie or do a cf. And this may fall under those restrictions as well, you know? He did the HoD one before he left. 

 

(I just remember that Psy was caught promoting himself and they made him repeat his ENTIRE military service. And we definitely do not want that to happen to JS!!)

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16 minutes ago, frozentundra said:

 

This is one I wonder about, because while yes, I think it would be in demand, it also requires a lot of effort on the part of the cast. Even when you are not in the military it can be hard to schedule that much time.

 

I guess I always figured they'd just keep him out of the commentary and perhaps use interviews they conducted while filming instead of after. Maybe I'm biased about the inclusion of those things because I can never understand what they're saying anyway, so my main reason for buying the box sets is the making of. It also seems like that makes up 85% of the bonus content anyway. 8 hours of the 12 typically seen in box sets is footage from the set and commentary/interviews can still be conducted with Lee Na Young and others. 

 

I certainly don't want him to do anything wrong and it looks like he's being as careful as humanly possible. The pictures we got from his manager can't be positively identified as him and the message he left at 89M lacked a signature or even words (like "I miss you") that would indicate it's him (thought we got the "ㅠㅠ" to make up for that). I've seen articles about other k-pop/drama people sending letters and taking pictures to their fans during their enlistment. I'll gladly sacrifice that to insure JS doesn't get into any trouble and I'm really glad he's being smart. 

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There was a singer who recently got out, I mentioned him a few pages back--he also did public service,  and he posted maybe 6-8 times over the entire span of his service (including a trip to Jejudo). I mean, I think maybe they can *occasionally* make contact, but really not so often. I don't think anyone is going to come after JS with pitchforks for leaving unsigned writing on the walls. But I also notice that he has been exceedingly careful. There have been other high profile actors whose fans have waited outside the office every morning and every evening, and...that seems the dead opposite of what JS wants (since he doesn't even want people to know where he is stationed. Obviously the people who come in contact with him know, but they've kept it more or less quiet.) Everyone in that country has to do military service and basically everyone hates it, so if it seems that someone is getting off lightly, they resent it. And there have been a few cases of people using their power and influence to do just that. So the fact that he HAS to do public service instead of active...well, I don't know him personally, but I suspect he is trying to be as exact and careful as possible so that nobody gets their nose out of joint. 

 

As for a director's cut, hm, yes, I guess that would be possible (leaving him out), although it would be a bit strange, too. I agree that most people want to see the making-of, and that footage has already been shot. But it would still be a bit odd for him not to be in the commentary. I wonder, has this been done before? Having your lead actor get sucked away into the military is not a new experience for this industry. I wonder what people have done in the past? 

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1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

There was a singer who recently got out, I mentioned him a few pages back--he also did public service,  and he posted maybe 6-8 times over the entire span of his service (including a trip to Jejudo). I mean, I think maybe they can *occasionally* make contact, but really not so often. 

 

Knowing that and seeing other's reaching out more than JS, I do have to wonder what kind of special pressure he's under to be as careful of possible. I'm not delusional enough to believe he isn't somewhat enjoying the break, but I also know his very vague attempts to reach out wouldn't have been so hush-hush if he wasn't hesitant to post. I know he has added pressure to do things right because he had to do public service, but you mentioned that singer who was under similar circumstances and he wasn't as careful. Could there be another reason that he's under more pressure?

 

1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

As for a director's cut, hm, yes, I guess that would be possible (leaving him out), although it would be a bit strange, too. I agree that most people want to see the making-of, and that footage has already been shot. But it would still be a bit odd for him not to be in the commentary. I wonder, has this been done before? Having your lead actor get sucked away into the military is not a new experience for this industry. I wonder what people have done in the past? 

 

I just think it would be awful (and kind of petty) to lose 8/9 hours worth of content because he couldn't attend a 1 or 2 hour commentary session that everybody else involved could still attend. I agree that it would be weird for him to be absent... but he just is. It seems even weirder than this drama would miss out on a highly anticipated Director's Cut because of something so small that nobody can control. Even the way Bonus Book finished filming without him was unusual, but they made it work because that's how it had to be. Shouldn't this be the same way? I know it might not be, but it seems unfair.

 

I was thinking of Lee Min Ho because he filmed Legends of the Blue Sea before enlisting, but that ended in late January 2017 and he didn't leave until May. I'm sure he was able to do the commentary before he had to go. I should do some research about other situations like this because I really am curious if it's been done. 

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I don't think he's under any extra pressure more than any other celebrity. Was looking at Ji Chang Wook's IG while he was doing ms and he also only rarely posted. And most of them were clumped around what looked like a few days' leave. So far I'd say JS falls well within the range of normal when it comes to fan contact. But yeah, he seems to be trying to do a good and careful job with this whole army thing.

 

As for letting him out to record for a DVD... since they already gave him an extension of over a year so he could wrap up career responsibilities, I kinda doubt they would let him out to do this. The military board has gone erm, rather hardline in the  past year or two, trying to show the agencies that they have more control, and shutting down a lot of exceptions. I'd love to be proven wrong here, though! So if you do find anything, please let us know, @hilllllllly. Like we said, this can't be the first time this has happened. (Speaking of JCW, did they do a director's cut of Suspicious Partner? Cause he barely had time to shoot that before diving into the army.)

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1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

As for letting him out to record for a DVD... since they already gave him an extension of over a year so he could wrap up career responsibilities, I kinda doubt they would let him out to do this. 

 

I definitely don't think they'd let him film commentary for the DVD. It's either going to be without him or they just aren't going to do it. I suppose there is a small, small possibility that he knew this would be an issue and made sure to film commentary while they were still shooting. Obviously, the selection would be limited, but from what I've seen of commentary, it's always for random episodes or specially selected clips anyway. If in the past he was able to film a movie and a drama at the same time, it's certainly possible... though probably still more likely that he didn't.

 

1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

(Speaking of JCW, did they do a director's cut of Suspicious Partner? Cause he barely had time to shoot that before diving into the army.)

 

They did release a directors cut of Suspicious Partner. I'm not sure if JCW is included in the commentary, but he enlisted in mid-August and the show aired until mid-July. So he had a month to squeeze it in. Though I did read something about the director of the show wanting to do the directors cut but having an issue with his schedule, so the release date was pushed back. I found that interesting.

 

JS really cut it insanely close. I'm not sure I'm going to find another example like him, but I will continue looking and let you guys know. The same about whether JCW was included in the commentary for the directors cut of SP. 

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So, I did some research. 

 

Suspicious Partner aired between May 10, 2017 and July 13, 2017. The directors cut DVD set was released April 11, 2018. So almost a year later. I couldn't get a clear answer about whether JCW did the commentary, but looking at the list of extras included, he seems to be missing from the list of interviews. They often conduct the interviews the same day as the commentary is filmed, so that's probably our answer. Both the super late release date and fact that they went ahead without an interview/commentary from one of the leads is good news for Bonus Book. 

 

I looked into Legend of the Blue Sea's director's cut DVD and couldn't find any indication that there was any commentary at all. It didn't even have subtitles. Some have deleted scenes, some specific special features. It really just depends. In any case, that did make me feel better about the possibility of a Bonus Book director's cut. 

 

My main concern now is whether or not the demand was high enough and it was as popular as it should've been. For some reason, I get the feeling it was very underrated. Maybe I'm wrong?

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@hilllllllly Thanks for the info! That's good to know. So it could be missing a few interviews, but it's still possible that they could make it. Whether they will or not, I haven't heard either way. (It was a cable show and not from one of the main networks, I don't know what effect that might have.) 

 

Thanks for doing further research!

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As an actor, your smile will stand in for all human happiness.

Your tears will be a model for everyone else's sadness.

People will repeat your lines, wink your winks, imitate your laughter.

This is the secret power that actors hold.

It is almost like being a god.

 

- quote from quotes

 

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1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

 (It was a cable show and not from one of the main networks, I don't know what effect that might have.) 

 

I've seen quite a few director's cuts available for shows that aired on TvN, so that shouldn't really effect anything. Here's hoping!

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