Hand Phone (핸드폰-2009)

Starring:
Tae-woong Eom -Seung-min Oh
Yong-woo Park -Lee-gyu Jung
Additional Cast Members:
Sol-Mi Park - Jeong-yeon Kim (Seung-min's wife)
Bo-yeon Hwang - Dae-jin Kim (Seung-min's assistant)
Se-na Lee - Jin-a Yun (actress - Seung-min's client)
Kil-soo Park - Choi (loan shark)
Ku-taek Kim - Choi's bodyguard
Nam-gil Kim - Yun-ho Jang (model- blackmails Seung-min)
Yu-seok Kim - Jun-su Han (attorney)
Jin-mo Ju - Captain Kim
Seo Woo - Lee-gyu's sister
Jong-seok Kim - Wedding toastmaster
Ku-ra Kim - Radio DJ (interviews Jin-a)
Bae-su Jeon - Sound enginer @ Radio Station
Man-dae Bong - movie director
Ju-bong Choi - man who lost dog in the store

Talent manager Seung-min sees YOON Jin-ah, a rising actress, as his one last hope to turn his life around. Just as Jin-ah is on the path to stardom, he receives a threat from her former lover and gets her sex clip on his phone. Seung-min tracks down the culprit and retrieves the tape but ends up losing his phone. He realizes there is one last evidence of the sex tape on his phone and anxiously looks for it. Lee-gyu, who found Seung-min's phone, calls Seung-min's wife and asks her to come pick it up. On the night the phone was suppose to be returned, Lee-gyu doesn't show up. Now Lee-gyu is the one holding the leverage. Seung-min tries to do everything possible to get back his phone but Lee-gyu's demands are escalating to the point of no return.

Oh let me count the way of how freakin' awesome this movie was. I will tell you that I had this downloaded for months....sitting quietly on my hard drive....waiting for me to watch. One afternoon, I was bored. No drama updates to be had. Fail safe....the downloaded movies out the wazooie on my ever trusty laptop.

I double click Hand Phone and what I watched was totally amazing.

I will tell you that I was really hesitant with this movie. I only downloaded it because it had Uhm Tae Woong in it. That was it. This movie was over powering. It was non-stop. No time to breathe. I was on the edge of my seat the whole damn 2 hours.

Just like my previous post about Keitai Sousakan 7, we are totally deluded into believing that our cellphones are our life and we can't live without them. *Okay, okay.....I admit my beloved Pantech sits lovingly by my side....shhhhh!*

Just one cellphone wrought havoc to this one man's life. OMG! At first it was kind of funny but as the movie got momentum....what was funny was really quite scary. This one phone changed the lives of many people and became a hell on earth. As time has gone on, our cellphones have progressed from just being phones but cameras, video recorders, mp3 players, voice recorders, maps, computers, typewriters, and memos. Think about it for one second. With all this information that can be established into one phone, what was once safe can be your life taken in a split second.

This is about that one person who saved information into his phone.....and what became a private affair became one person's twisted fate. But not just himself but of the lives of people around him who had to suffer along with the insane escapade of cat and mouse.

All I can say is.......watch this freakin' Grade A movie. You won't be disappointed one iota.

A Frozen Flower (Ssanghwajeom-2008)

Starring:
In-seong Jo -Hong-Lim
Jin-mo Ju -King
Ji-hyo Song -Queen
Additional Cast Members:
Ji-ho Shim
Ju-hwan Im - Han Baek
Min-woo No
Wook-hwan Yeo
Se-rang Lee
Jung-ki Song

Under the pressure of the Yuan Kingdom, the King of Goryeo is pressured to produce a successor to the throne. But the king is in love with his loyal general Hong-lim. After seriously pondering the issue, the king asks his lover Hong-lim to sleep with the Queen, with unexpected consequences.

Notes
*"Ssanghwajeom" is an epic drama set at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).
*The characters played by Jin-mo Ju and In-seong Jo share a homosexual relationship.

Oh. My. God! I have been waiting patiently for this to be released and subbed. Today was a happy day for me.

The first 30 minutes of this movie was..........intense! Sexually provacative. In my case, if I wasn't horny before.....I was then. I never thought I would see Ju Jin Mo and Jo In Sung....naked, licking, touching, sucking....(Oh my eyes! My eyes!). I think my panties are wet. Can I exhale now. I must have held my breath for over 2 hours. Do I love a yaoi movie or what? I do. This movie, if it came out in the US of A would have been rated NC-17.

The beginning of this movie was sweet and yet sexually thrilling. Yeah, the second paragraph should have given you that hint. Then, maybe it was just me, but the movie slowly fell apart in my eyes. Don't get me wrong. There were some seriously awesome fight scenes too. I just couldn't believe that Hong Lim fell in love with the queen after having sex with her. Because...well, because....he'd loved the king since he was a child. To have that change overnight....was totally unbelievable. Anyway, I have to say is that I actually felt sorry for the king. Throughout the movie, I was on his side. He fought for his love even though he got a little crazy at the end. And......for Hong Lim to say what he did....near the end (can't give the ending away) was totally unbelievable. When the king asked if he had ever loved him and Hong Lim said, "????" (sorry can't give that answer either) Aaaaiiiieeeesh! Then at the very end they are riding off in the sunset. WTF? So if someone saw this movie.....was something lost in translation? I need some clarity.

Ohhhh! Let's just say something drastic happened to Hong Lim. Ummm......well, can't say again....but I just don't understand how he was able to ride a horse within a day's time. That part was the most unrealistic out of the whole movie.

In all, I'll give the movie a 4/5. Why so high when I thought it failed at the end? Hello. The answer should be sooooo obvious. Ju Jin Mo + Jo In Sung = sucking face! That got my rocks off in a rush. LOL!


Ju Jin Mo


Jo In Sung

Musa (무사 -2001)

Starring:
Woo-sung Jung ... Yeo-sol
Sung-kee Ahn ... Jin-lib
Jin-mo Ju ... Choi Jung
Ziyi Zhang ... Princess Bu-yong (as Zhang Ziyi)
Yong-woo Park ... Ju-myeong
Jeong-hak Park ... Ga-nam
Hye-jin Yu ... Du-chung
Seok-yong Jeong ... Ha-il
Du-il Lee ... Ji-san
Yeong-mok Han ... Dan-saeng
Jae-ho Song
Hae-jin Yu
Rongguang Yu ... Rambulhua, Yuan General

In 1375, China was in a state of chaos because of fighting between the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The korea dynasty, one of Korea's ancient kingdoms, sent a delegation of many diplomats, soldiers and a silent slave as envoys to make peace with the new Chinese government, Ming. However, this delegation was accused of spying and sent in exile to a remote desert. On the way, they were attacked by Yuan troops who killed all the Ming soldiers, leaving only korea warriors. The head envoy General CHOI Jung of the Royal Guard decides by himself that they must return to korea. Vice Envoy LEE Ji-hun dies from the strain of the march, and tension builds between LEE's bodyguard slave Yeosol and CHOI Jung.

After overcoming countless obstacles, the Korea warriors arrive at a peddler's inn in the middle of the desert and run into Yuan cavalry who have kidnapped Ming's princess Buyong. CHOI Jung falls in love with Buyong the moment he sees her. Meanwhile, Yeosol arrives later, dragging vice envoy LEE Ji-hun's body. He cuts off the head of a gypsy who spits on the dead body. Yuan general Rambulhwa sees Yeosol decapitate the gypsy with one strike. Princess Furong also looks on from her wagon. Yeosol is eventually taken captive by the Yuan cavalry. CHOI Jung picks up a note from Buyong written in her blood that says 'Help', and he decides to rescue her so that they can get a boat bound for Korea. CHOI Jung's aide Ganam and a warrior from the Commoner's Army, Jinlip, oppose the idea, saying it would be futile. However, they end up proceeding with the rescue with Jinlip shooting the first arrow. Buyong is rescued, but only at the expense of many korea warriors' lives.

Princess Furong and the Korea warriors, whose destination is Nanjing (the old southern capital of China), arrive at the Yellow River Valley where they find all the ferry boats burnt by Yuan soldiers. There they run into a group of Han tribe refugees. Furong feels empathy for her people and promises to give the warriors a boat to Korea if they take the refugees to the coast next to Mud Castle. They arrive at Mud Castle after even more trials, only to find the castle in ruins and no Ming soldiers. By this time, the Yuan soldiers have caught up with them and the Korea travelers become increasingly nervous. The underlying conflict between CHOI Jung and Yeosol over princess Buyong also deepens. Now they must choose. Give up princess Buyong or fight to the death together. The moment of truth approaches Can they return to Korea safely?

This was a pretty good movie. It wasn't what I thought it would be. I guess more dramatic would be the interpretive word. The copy I saw lots of blank areas for subs so a lot of translation was missed but the idea was still there.

I was a little irritated with the Princess. I had to agree with the guys to drop her off with the Yuan army and leave for Korea. But no.....General Choi Jung believed that saving her was more beneficial for them seeing as she promised them a boat if they got her to the "mud castle". Eeeergh!

Then we have Yeosol. I really loved his character. He was awesome with the lance! Totally cool choreograpy! But damn what is it with the Princess. She was all nice in the beginning but then her "niceness" was getting them all killed! Then she got all hoity-toity! Yeah, should have just fed her to the Yuan army. The whole movie would have ended quickly but then there would have been less dead people!

Then I cried when a particular member of the envoy was killed. I won't say who as to not ruin the movie for everyone else. But that was such a sad moment that I was all weepy. Then from that point on.....I was waiting for the guillotine to drop. I knew this had a sad ending but I wasn't sure how it would go down.

Now on a good note...even though his character was a little messed up was...Ju Jin Mo was so damn hot in period clothing. Oooh-la-la! And speaking of eyecandy, yo!............Jeong Woo Seong was looking all fine with the long, straight black hair. Kind of reminded me of another particular Korean in the Duelist! I've seen other JWS movies but this one he looked totally the best!!

Tazza: The High Rollers (타짜/Tajja -2006)

Starring:
Seung-woo Cho ... Go-ni
Yun-shik Baek ... Pyung Gyung-jang
Hye-su Kim ... Madam Jung
Dong-hun Choi
Jong-ryol Choi
Yeong-min Ha
Sang-geon Jo
Jin-mo Ju
In-gi Jeong
Eung-su Kim ... Kwak
Jeong-nan Kim ... Se-ran
Kang-woo Kim
Kwang-gyu Kim
Kyeong-ik Kim
Sang-ho Kim
Yun-seok Kim
Tae-won Kwon
Jae-gu Lee
Su-kyeong Lee ... Hwa-ran
Jeong-eun Lim
Hae-jin Yu

Tazza: The High Rollers is director Dong-Hun Choi's glitzy, fast-paced spin on a popular comic book about Korea's gambling subculture and its assorted denizens, replete with an innocent all too eager to be corrupted, his wise mentor and the no-good woman whose main occupation is betrayal. All the familiar pieces are there but the filmmaker upends them, refreshing the conventions of crime/con films and turning his material into something of an epic journey where everyone appears to be interconnected. Tazza kicks off with a creative and virtuosic use of split-screen to showcase a game of hwatu, a card-playing session. In this tour-de-force sequence, the overlapping images are shuffled breathlessly like a deck of cards. The young hero, Goni, loses his money to a tazza, a high roller, and throws himself into a search of gambling dens to find the player who took his money. Along the way he meets the veteran tazza, Pyoung, who teaches him the tricks of the trade, and the formidable Madam Jung (the fabulous, scene-stealing Kim Hae Soo), a classic femme fatale who lures foolish men into losing games. In keeping with the material, the film looks like it's been backlit with neon, a touch that contrasts brilliantly with occasional monochromatic imagery.



That was a pretty good movie. I wasn't really going to watch it but Cho Seung Woo was cast as the lead and damn if he didn't impress me in the Classic and Marathon. So I broke down even though the synopsis wasn't my thing.

I was pleasantly surprised and amazed at how smooth and well the movie flowed. I love me a good Texas Hold'em so the game they played sort of reminded me of it. Maybe it's the same thing. Not sure.

It was really hard to see Seung-woo cast as a tough and rugged kind of guy since all the movies I've seen him in have been sweet and innocent characters. And dang if he didn't look good. I really like this guy. He's an amazing actor with major abilities in changing his character. Marathon was probably the best because playing an autistic person has got to be emotionally draining to do.

This was a fun movie. Oh, and hey......he was naked! Great butt shots. LOL!

Cho Seung Woo


Ju Jin Mo

Puzzle (Dodoiyuheui peurojekteu, peojeul/두뇌유희프로젝트, 퍼즐 -2006)

Starring:
Seok-cheon Hong ... Noh
Jin-mo Ju ... Ryu
Hyun-sung Kim ... Jung
Seong-kun Mun ... Hwan
Jun-seok Park ... Kyu
Ha-kyun Kim

Five complete strangers are brought together through the guise of one unknown man. They have been summoned for a project – a project of which success would guarantee them riches and a life beyond their wildest dreams. They’ve been given no information, no data, no identity. The project is dubbed X. The five men jump onboard. Finally, the fateful day arrives. Ryu, Roh, Jeong, and Kyu gather at the bank where the plan is to be carried out. Under Hwan’s leadership, the process is executed smoothly, until a minor slipup grinds the plan to an unexpected halt. Police swarm to the scene of the crime, and the men barely manage an escape by taking one of the captured people hostage. They quickly run to the place where they are to meet Hwan. When they arrive, however, they discover Hwan’s body – dead. Slowly, they begin to realize something is going wrong. In light of the shocking circumstances, suspicion falls on each other, as the men stealthily attempt to find who X is. Who is this X? What exactly does he want? Why did he bring these men together? Who is the architect behind this grand, master plan?


This had an ending that I didn't expect...well, the most part. I had already figured out who X was prior to the finish. I'd say 30 minutes before the show ended. But the rest of the ending was so unexpected. I even cried a bit. Not that it was sad but just hurtful.

I loved the twist and turns of the characters. It was exciting to watch and learn about each character and how they ended up being chosen. All of them had some connection to a man named Nam.

As the scenes past scenes pass by, X is a part of one of the men's past. I still don't know why these particular men were chosen but they were outstanding.

The main point of the story, I think, had all to do with trust. These men had so many problems with the other because the other didn't trust. That in the end was their downfall. That is what made the movie so painful at the end. Ugh!

This was an excellent movie. Not a comedy. This was a seriously thought out movie and oh-so exciting!

Ju Jin Mo