Reviews

Don't expect to enjoy this unless you are a Cassie. It has quite the thin, holey plotline, makes very little sense, and is all around a bit silly. However, the cast of course is very nice to look at and if you already love DBSK then you will enjoy spending a little over an hour ogling and laughing at/with them. The acting is not terrible so much as the story is poorly constructed, so it is not horribly painful to watch (the strongest actors of DBSK get the lead roles, so that helps) but don't expect the feeling of "what a great movie!" after watching so much as "that was kind of amusing!" The best part, without a doubt, is definitely that the OST is 100% DBSK :) And of course, no matter how their acting skills may be, no one can deny their superior musical talent, so that is definitely a plus.



Overall, this was not -so- bad, and it was an entertaining way to waste some time, but unless you are a diehard Cassie or are just curious about DBSK, there are probably better things to watch out there.

Lees verder

In a word: beautiful.

Duelist is a painting in motion, where a lot is hinted and nothing is explained.



Some may lament the lack of a true plot, but on my part I believe a movie has different means of portraying a story than a book or a drama. It's based upon images, not necessarily on twists and events. Just like poetry is based upon the evocative power of words, not on facts.

And the direction used the cinematographic tools to its full potential in this movie.

I watched it with my mouth open. Beautiful screenplay, beautiful dance-like fights, beautiful just-hinted erotism.



Yes, the plot can be reduced to a 10 minutes narration. But so are a lot of theatre pieces, played upon style, movement, colour and photography.



Acting is wonderful, and so is the music. This is a ballet, after all.

Rewatch value is obviously high: I'll go back to it whenever I want to just sit and admire a beautiful, colour filled painting.

Lees verder

I thought this movie started off cute (like the other reviewers). The problem I had with this movie is that it seemed rushed. It seemed that events started to happen quickly, and the last 2O minutes of the movie dropped what might have been a 9 down to a 7 for me. The reason I say this is because it just seemed to happen randomly and the scenes went by quickly, feeling rushed. Aside from that, I think I would've liked this story a lot better as a drama, or maybe even a special, because things would've been explained more and you wouldn't get the feeling that you were missing something as you were watching it.



The Cast did a great job, though. The acting was done really well. Part of the reason I watched this was because of Jang Geun Seok haha, and he didn't disappoint. The other actors did really well, too.



The music was absolutely wonderful haha. I downloaded the soundtrack after watching this movie. I loved all the songs that he sang (:



As for rewatching...I'm not sure if I will rewatch it at the moment. I might, might not.



Overall, do I think it's worth watching? Yes, at least for the music and the acting. Well the story, too, just be prepared for some scenes to seem to come out of nowhere, especially towards the end.

Lees verder

If you're into undisciplined drugs, sex and violence, this is the movie for you. Writer/Producer Kim Hae-Gon weaves a tale of the most dysfuntional characters I have ever seen on screen.



The story opens with 4 friends who plan to rob a local casino. However, the The robbery goes bad and the guys are forced to deal with the consequences of their actions. One turns traitor, the other becomes a junkie and one a recluse. The main character, who takes the fall for them all, serves a 2 year prison sentence and returns to a world that has changed drastically. What follows is a rollercoaster ride of greed, paranoia, revenge and a grudge match that becomes the highlight of this film.



The action sequences are truly remarkable and so realistic; so much I found myself flinching with each punch and kick delivered. Sadly, the actress roles are reduced to 'doormats' and very little respect is shown them. This film would have rated a 10, in my opinion, if the witer would have delved more into his character heads and shown a bit more of the past of the 4 men.



All in all, it was a great film and I highly recommend it, if you only see it once.

Lees verder

I loved this movie. It was amazing. The character progression was really good b/c there r so many elements that end up coming together. The love triangle was daring & lots of things were hard to understand in the beginning. B/c of the relationship b/t the 3 main characters it is hard to not be moved by this movie. There is a seceret that comes to light b/t the 3 leads, and it makes things even more difficult for every1 on some lvl. I really enjoyed watching this movie & suggest that others watch it as well. It will make u rethink love & the many ways it can be recieved.

Lees verder

I remember only the sound of the rain and...the sound of the rain from this movie...

Nothing happens... I mean it...nothing...

It's raining...the woman is packing her things to leave her too nice husband (she's at least mental, as her husband is Hyun Bin, and you should be at least mental to leave Hyun Bin)...it's raining...the guy us making coffee for his cheater wife...she's suddenly hitting his chest with her hands...a cat appears...then their neighbors come to look for the dat...then again they are alone (though the cat is somewhere in the house)...the guy is again cooking for his cheater wife...then he is washing his face...she's decorating the pasta they're going to eat...the cat appears...it's raining...the end...

Lees verder

This was the first historical/periodic k-movie I'd watched and it created a significant impression in my mind. Here's my review of the movie:



Story: A straight forward and simple story - a nation's in crisis, they need a king, but assasins have been killing off all potential candidates until there was only one possible candidate left: an exiled prince. A fighter was sent to search and protect the exiled prince. Excellent fighting scenes followed. There was a budding romance between the prince and his protector and the unrequitted love between a vassal and her lord/leader. All these come together to form a solid storyline for a movie.



Acting/Cast: Very convincing, excellent fighting scenes and good script. What can I say: I am drawn into the world of war, assassins and martial arts by the cast.



Music: Not much to comment there. The music suited each scene but because most of them are instrumental with either sombre mood or fight mood, the music did not stand out in this movie.



Rewatch value: An excellent and quick 1 hour plus entertainment that you can rewatch whenever you feel bored. I enjoy watching the fighting scenes. They were well choreographed.



Overall: Highly recommended!! It is truly a gem that was not given its due recognition!!

Lees verder

I was expecting to not like this movie, and I was right. However, my reasons for disliking 200 Pounds Beauty were different from what I had anticipated.



I'm always a bit weary of movies that play with the whole fat-to-skinny dynamic since they tend to lazily default to tasteless jokes around how disgusting and lazy overweight people are. To this movie's credit, apart from one awkward joke in the beginning, it navigated around that tension well, finding humor in both Hanna's post and pre-surgery appearance and focusing more on the absurd reactions of those around her as opposed to making her the butt of the jokes. Well done, film.



Where this movie lost me was in the writing and the characterization. The plot barely has such a haphazard framework that the scenes seemed to be just random occurrences with barely any connection between them. Worse, the characters were extremely 2-D. The main antagonist barely has any screen time, and her machinations occur off screen so tension never really develops between her and our heroine. In fact, she's not even the catalyst for the movie's climax: why have an antagonist at all? As for the main love interest... Well, don't watch this if you're looking for a love story. His flat performance and inability to garner any sympathy would have ruined it for you anyway.



The exception to the above is main actress Kim Ah Jung, who perfectly captured the artificiality and fragility of "plastic" women that I found myself wincing and worrying that her nose would just pop off mid-line. Her singing voice is also beautiful and saved the terrible Korean covers of various English songs from being too torturous to my ears. I expected better from a movie set in the music world. Unfortunately, Kim Jung Ah could not escape the terrible script, and her character also suffers from 2-dimensionality. I had no idea that she was suffering an identity crisis until the climax, and because of that, the ending seemed forced, insincere, and just plain cheesy. Once again, honest words and tears smooths over all problems, believability be darned.



I do think 200 Pounds Beauty had the potential to be a good film if it had more weight to it. There were laugh out loud moments, but there could have been more, especially given the unexpected dark turn the movie took toward the end. A drama adaptation, in which characters and back stories are explored in more depth, would be more than welcomed on my part in the perhaps misguided hope that this story can be done justice.

Lees verder

The Recipe is laid out almost like a treasure hunt; with the treasure being a woman who makes the most delicious Doenjang Stew. The search for her yields clues to the recipe for the stew and the story of the woman, both being intertwined. It also uncovers a love story within.

Almost the whole first half is the reporter looking for and discovering clues that lead to her, step by step, person by person that touched her life. Once he gets close enough, you get a glimpse of her life and her love and the story of how her delicious recipe came to be. It's a little slow going at first but don't let that stop you.

This movie has an ethereal, magical quality to it and it made me want to eat Doenjang Stew really bad...even though I've never had it in my life.

The story is beautifully written and very well acted. The Ume tree forests, the soybean fields and the mountains are all shot beautifully. Once again, Lee Yo Won does a great job and Lee Dong Wook is wonderful. Ryu Seong Ryong plays the reporter and I really like him in this. (He played the gay art gallery owner in Personal Taste) This is a very different role. I didn't recognize him at first.

This is a small, quiet movie but it's a lovely story. I wasn't bored at all but I think you have to be in the mood for quiet.

Lees verder

This movie is so fun! Another thing that solidifies my love for Lee Sun Gyun. It is about an adult comic book artist looking for a writer. He needs to win a contest for the prize money. When they meet their relationship is antagonistic at best. But those sparks turn into something more.

As typical as this set up may sound, it's so well done and enjoyable to watch it doesn't matter. I've actually never seen a movie premise like this. Well that's not true. A few years back there was an American movie about a ghost writer helping an author to pen a book but it was done poorly and there is no comparison.

Remember that they are writing an adult comic. There are a lot of sexual references but it's done very tongue in cheek as the female writer is faking 99% of her sexual experience. Most of the graphic sexual images are in fact, in graphic (comic book) form.

Watching Jung Bae get wise to her act...I loved it! Dae Rim is such a character and Jung Bae finds her tough to take at first. But when he begins to draw...it's her face that appears on paper. As the two leads gravitate toward each other and their feelings grow...it's so cute!

Lee Sun Gyun and Choi Gang Hee make a great pair. Able to be comedic and have you believe when they are sincere.
I recommend this movie highly.

Lees verder

My first impression: WOW! What an amazing movie! I've been postponing watching this series for quite a while (both the anime and the movie) since I'm not really a fan of most "serious" movies(comic relief in this movie is as good as non-existent), but I finally left my prejudice aside and saw it. This movie in a single word; "Brilliant". Actually speaking, its the plot that's brilliant, so full credit to the mangaka who wrote this amazing story(Death note was originally published as a manga and later made into an anime series as well).



The plot is gripping, and it had me sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the movie. The movie raises the important question, is killing justified if the people killed are criminals? The lead character(Light Yagami) is a superb protagonist( I love 'em smart dudes :D ), and "L" is the perfect antagonist to counter Light's intelligence. "Light" who sees himself as a new age God, striving to rid the world of evil, and "L", the sharp detective who sees such killings in the name of righteousness as murder, both provide interesting and contrasting views on "justice". This was one of the few movies that had me rooting for both; the protagonist as well as the antagonist. "L" was a refreshingly new character for me; I fell in love with his eccentric personality and investigative skills and "Light" aka "Kira" gives a whole new definition to the word "genius".



Its glorious to watch these two masterminds battle each other, in a war of wills and belief; in addition to the mysterious and thrilling "death note" and "shinigami" ( Ryuk in this movie, a wonderful CG character whom I love :)).



Acting: I think both the leads did an amazing job and made the story believable.

Rewatch: I don't think watching this movie again will be as much fun as the first time since the most amazing thing about this movie is its unpredictability, and that will be lost while rewatching.



I recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys a brilliantly written plot. Watch to find out who triumphs in this epic battle.

Lees verder

Hmmm.....I'm kind of disappointed with the movie and I liked it at the same time. Disappointed because I was very confused about the whole plot of the story. What were they trying to say? The whole story is supposed to be about how four best friends try to find their way of life after they graduate college but somehow they didn't really portray enough events to really make you understand what was going. It was kind of confusing too. I expected more since they said it was the korean version of Sex in the City. Although I was disappointed, I still very much liked the characters and how the actors and actresses played them. I envy the girls in the movie. It's nice to have someone there to talk to and share each others pain like what true best friends do. I still really expected more from the movie...

Lees verder

It is a cute story, and I enjoyed watching it. I was laughing and grinning like an idiot through most of it(It is one of those feel good movies :))



The leads make a really sweet couple, and "Junk-Man"(lead actor), is super cute ^-^ . The story is simple; Junko(lead girl) comes to korea in search of her crush and ends up getting lessons in Korean from the son of the guest house owner(Jungmon/Junk-man). The lessons were hilarious, and the aftermaths of the teaching even more so :D. I definitely loved "Junk-Man's" style of teaching. The succeeding situations where quite funny, where Junko ends up spouting sentences which are truly comedic :).



But the story is nothing new, we've already seen similar plots in many movies already. The refreshing thing about this movie was one of the supporting cast members, "George". He was a delight to watch in action!



I would have graded the movie higher, but I guess it just didn't live up to its prequel (My tutor Friend, with the amazingly hot Kwon Sang Woo in the lead )



Note:

I didn't really notice the music, which would explain the rating for it.

Rewatch value: I didn't give it much coz the story is simple, watching it again will just be redundant.

Lees verder