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

Baby and Me (Ahgiwa Na / 아기와 나 -2008)

Starring:
Geun-seok Jang - Joon-soo
Byeol Kim - Byeol Kim
Mason Mun - Woo-ram Han (baby)
Supporting Cast
Myeong-su Park - voice of Woo-ram
Jeong-nan Kim - Ms. Cho (Joon-soo's Teacher)
Byeong-ok Kim - Joon-soo's father
Hyeon-suk Park - Joon-soo's mother
Gyu-su Jeong - Byeol's father
Jeong-hee Jang - Byeol's mother
Jae-han Choi - Jun-seong
Se-hong Jeon
Kwang-rok Oh - older man trying to abandon his baby
Mun-shik Lee - Subway attendant (standing by locker)

Joon-soo is the kingpin of the Myungsung High School and an all around troublemaker who makes his parents even leave home in desperation. While shopping for a party at his now-empty home, he discovers a baby sitting in his shopping cart, with a name tag "Han Wooram" which points to Joon-soo as his father ...



Hmmm? This movie started off really cute and funny but it lost something near the end. I'm not saying this is a bad movie not at all. It was quite good but the ending just didn't satisfy me.

Was there supposed to be a romance going on between Joon-su and the girl? I really didn't see where she was supposed to be in the story except as his personal babysitter. That was just a waste of talent. Yeah, definitely. I was really hoping more from them both in that aspect.

I will admit I liked the twist at the end when we find out who the "real" father was. Wasn't really expecting that. That was really good how they through that in there.

Anyway, I was hoping for more out the ending but it was cute and sweet anyway. I cried a bit. Okay? There.

Jang Geun Seok

Lucky me! I share the exact same birthday as Geun-seok! Well, not exactly....different years. I won't say the age difference. *bummer*

100 Days With Mr. Arrogant (내사랑 싸가지 -2004)

Starring:
Jae-won Kim - Lee Hyeong-jun
Ji-won Ha - Kang Ha-yeong
Tae-hyeon Kim - Yeong-eun
Min Han - Hyeon-ju
Chang-wan Kim - Ha-yeong's Father
Ji-Yeong Hong
Ji-yu Kim
Min-kyeong Kim
Eung-kyung Lee - Ha-yeong's Mother
Yong-geon Kim

After being dumped by her boyfriend just before their 100 day anniversary, Ha-Young, meets a college guy named Hyung-Joon when she accidentally kicks a can that hits him in the face and causes him to scratch his Lexus. He demands she pay him $3000 on the spot. She escapes from him, leaving her wallet behind.

Hyung-Joon stalks her, demanding money to pay for his car. Since she is a poor high school student Hyung-Joon writes up a "Enslavement Agreement" for Ha-Young in order to pay for the damage to his car. Ha-Young is thrown into a nightmarish slave life for 100 days, cleaning his house, running his errands, doing his homework and cleaning his car.

By accident she finds out that the damage to Hyung-Joon's car only costs $10! She then takes her revenge. However, before she knows it Hyung-Joon shows up at her house as her new tutor! He once again takes advantage of her, but soon Ha-Young finds herself falling head over heels for Hyung-Joon.

But what happens when he drops out of her life just when she needs him most?



I loved this movie. I thought I had already posted about this. Nope! I watched this for a second time since some of my favorite dramas hadn't been updated and I was terribly bored. LOL!

This was a terribly sweet movie and Kim Jae Won was hilariously funny!

A tender romance that started out with a love/hate relationship between the two main characters. A typical Korean movie for the young masses. Such a feel good movie that leaves you happy on a crappy day.

Kim Jae Won

My Mighty Princess (무림여대생 / Murim yeodaesaeng -2008)

Starring:
Min-a Shin - So-hwy
Ju-wan On - Il-young
Geon Yu - Jun-mo
Supporting Cast
Jae-sung Choi - Kap-seong
Ye-jin Lim - Hye-in
Dae-kun Lee - Cheon-pong
Jeong-se Oh
Ji-su Lee - Ji-yeon
Kwang-kyu Kim -
Dion Lam - Keol-wang

KANG So-hwi, a beautiful martial arts prodigy, is about to embark on a journey into adulthood. But her journey is like no other. Her super-human strength and martial arts prowess scares away her fellow undergrads and even the boy she has fallen for. Devastated, So-hwi decides to give up martial arts and takes a different path. Her father, a martial artist himself, is afraid of losing an heiress to the family’s martial artistry, and missions So-hwi’s old buddy Ilyoung to persuade her to stay in the field. Meanwhile, the evil Heuk-bong provokes a war to conquer the martial arts world with the legendary Fine Blade he stole in the past, killing every swordsman one after another. So-hwi’s father comes to a showdown with Heuk-bong, but the battle leaves him fatally injured. On the brink of her father’s death, So-hwi picks up a sword again with a burning desire for revenge.



Where do I start with this movie? There were so many sweet and stunning parts but they don't make up for the stupid mistakes of the production staff. This movie lost focus at the end. So-hwi had an unclassified crush on Jun-mo. This crush was so outrageous. I'm surprised Jun-mo didn't up and run from the fear of stalking this girl put on. Jun-mo on the other hand was in love with an older female cop who saved him.

Story from this point on, seemed to keep focus. So-hwy and her "almost" harassment of Jun-mo and Jun-mo's almost stalker like infatuation of the older female cop. Seemed okay. Then enters our other male stud.....Il-young. He has had a crush on So-hwy from the times when they were small children training in martial arts. His stalking was almost on par with So-hwi's with Jun-mo.

Once the male, antagonist enters the picture the story loses grip. What happened with So-hwi's crush? He falls off the face of the earth while she retrains to fight. We learn that Il-young is not who he seems. Somewhere in the story, So-hwi remembers she loved Il-young and tries to save him but somehow the story....something was lost. Don't get me wrong. This was a tooooo cute movie, but I just wished they hadn't rushed the ending.

Okay, the very best part of the movie was when So-hwi does save Il-young. It was a very sweet moment.....but it would have made me cry if they added more. Damn them!!!

Who Slept With Her (Nuga geunyeo-wa jasseulkka? / 누가 그녀와 잤을까? -2006)

Starring:
Sa-rang Kim
Seok-jin Ha
Supporting Cast
Sun-yeong Ahn
Il-seob Baek
Dong-hoon Ha
Won-hie Kim
Hyeok-jae Lee
Ju-sil Lee
Hyeong-jun Lim
Cheol-min Park
Jun Gyu Park
Hyeon-jun Shin
Yi Shin
Chae-yeong Yu
Hae-gon Kim
Kyu-pil Ko

"Who Slept With Her?" takes place in a boys high school, where a bunch of male students and teachers are fascinated by a new student teacher at the school. As is expected, they all fight to get her. But when a rumor spreads that she slept with one of the men from the school, a group tries to find out his identity.

Beautiful, sexy Ji-young is placed at an all boys’ high school as student-teacher. Teenage boys in puberty think of her as a sex goddess and fantasize about her. Then from one of the classrooms, Dean of Students sees a silhouette of a couple embracing and hears a woman moaning. He goes to the classroom only to discover a pair of red stilettos. He suspects Ji-young and is resolved to protect the boys from her sexual charms.


This was an okay movie. Okay, there were some really absolutely funny moments. Ha Dong Hoon is a riot. I was totally so happy to see him in this because I love him when he's on Xman (Korean variety show).

This could have been a little better. The story was a little too farfetched, that is why it wasn't as good as I was hoping for.

I won't go on and on about this movie. It was cute. It was funny. It was something to watch when I had nothing else to watch when all my other dramas hadn't been updated yet. So yes, it was an equally good time waster. There. I said it.

Ha Seok Jin

Show Show Show (쇼쇼쇼-2003)

Starring:
Jun-Sang Yu - San-hae
Seon-yeong Park - Yun-hie
Seon-gyun Lee - Sang-cheol
Jae-hwan Ahn - Dong-ryong
Se-a Kim - Suk-ja
Bo-eun Choi - Kyeong-a
Yong-geon Kim - Yun-hie's father
Byeong-gi Jo - Dong-shik
Eun-pyo Jeong - Yong-man
Seo-rin Cha - Maeng Suk
Min-a Jang
Seon-mi Yeon
Su-hyeon Kim (02/20/1970)
Cheol-jin Shin
Ji-su Shin
Moon-sik Yun
Hye-ok Kim

San-hae has a habit for chasing unreachable dreams but never attaining them. His best friend, Sang-chul, is yet to find direction in his life but always lives by his life motto: to live and die for his friends. Dong-leung, a naive and timid student, consistently lacks the courage to live on his own and always submits to his father's orders. Although radically different in personalities, San-hae, Sang-chul, and Dong-leung are the best of friends. Then one day, while gambling on a card game, they inherit a run-down bar. Initially excited about their earnings, the three friends later realize that running a bar is far from easy. Then San-hae comes up with an idea to bring in customers; he decides to create a bartending extravaganza entitled "The Show", a brand new concept in Seoul during the 1970s.

Hm. This movie was actually pretty boring at the beginning. It was rather stupid. Sang-chul and his farting was ridiculous, NOT funny. If that was supposed to be a comedic act...it wasn't.

There was a supposed romance between Sanae and Yun-hie but I felt nothing. He started out indifferent towards her. I have no clue when it became love. It was too weird. All of a sudden it was a Romeo and Juliet love story but I can't figure out when it happened. It wasn't a fun romance that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

The bottle tricks...were okay. Some came out clean where the others were fumblish.

Okay, this movie, after I've read what I've typed....sucked! Suck is a harsh word. This movie just wasn't fun like I hoped it would be.

Watch at your own risk. You've been warned.

Taming of the Shrew (Nallari Jongbujeon / 날나리 종부전 -2008)

Starring:
Jung-ah Park - Yeon-soo Jeen
Jin-woo Park - Jeong-doo Lee
Supporting Cast
Sang-gu Jo
Won-jong Lee
Hyeon-ki Kim
Geum-seok Yang
Il-hwa Lee
Il-jae Lee


Inspired by Shakespeare's classic of the same name. Beautiful and rich, Yeon-su (Park Jung-a) lives a life of freedom and indulgence, having any man she wants. That is, until she meets and falls for her polar opposite in Jung-do, an awkward and polite young gentleman. Meeting her future in-laws is a baptism by fire as she learns to become a proper lady. Little does she know that the family is actually the head of a notorious mob, setting up a blood feud.




LOL! This was a very cute movie. I will say the beginning was a little messed up. I couldn't figure out why she was meeting up with Jeong-doo. Something about him having her phone or something. That had me a little confused. Ah well.....

.....Other than that, this movie was a cute Korean comedy. Mainly about family, trust, and learning to live with the in-laws. I would say that this could be another "never judge a book by its cover" movie. Yeon-soo was a little spoiled brat at the beginning but genuinely good at heart. Eventually she wins the in-laws over, but more importantly she learns that maybe, just maybe, she loves her father.

This was something fun and sweet. More of a girly movie....luckily I'm a girl. Totally enjoyable and Park Jin Woo was freakin' darling in this movie. He's got such sweet and innocent features.....he's just got to be a good boy. LOL!

Park Jin Woo

Magang Hotel (2007)

Starring:
Seok-Hun Kim
Seong-eun Kim
Sang-ki Jo
Hee Jin Park
Roe-ha Kim
Il-seob Baek
Hyeon Woo
Kil-soo Park
Dang-hyeong Lee
Hee-seon Son
Ki-seok Do

Korea's crime world is in turmoil after its biggest gangs have decided to go corporate--eliminating redundant "employees" to cut costs! Now one gangster in danger of losing his "job" must prove his worth by extorting a huge sum from a local hotel.

Two rival gangs decide to send two men each to a rural hotel to force the owners to repay their debts, but they underestimate the will and resourcefulness of the hotel staff.



LOL! This was a cute movie! I wasn't so sure but I saw a few reviews that said it was worth watching....so I gave in.

It has an interesting plot, good characters, and a surprising momentum that keeps you interested.

Sometime the comedy went a little over the top but that was okay because it kept you laughing at some really outrageous moments and kept the story from getting boring.

This was a great boredom buster. Enjoy!

Mothers and Daughters (Heukshi monyeo / 흑심모녀 -2008)

Starring:
Hye-jin Shim - Nam-hee Park
Su-mi Kim - Kan-nan
Da-hee Lee - Na-rae
Sang-woo Lee - Jun

Nam-hee (Hye-jin Shim) is going about selling fruit from her truck, when she nearly runs over a young gentleman, Joon (Sang-woo Lee). Joon finds his way to Nam-hee's house, where he meets her mother Gan-nan (Su-mi Kim), and her 20-year-old daughter Na-rae (Da-hee Lee). Through a series of circumstances, Joon comes to live with the three women, and with the introduction of a handsome man in their house, the three use their own skills to vie for his attention and compete for his affection.



This movie was really good but yet it bothered me. I can't really accept a "love" relationship of a middle aged woman to a man half her age especially if she has a daughter of the same age as the man.

I couldn't really enjoy this movie and dig down into it. I'm sure others will say differently because the age thing didn't bother them. So I sat there and grimaced everytime the "two" had a heartfelt moment. I actually hoped this was a freak thing and in actuality the man (Jun) had the hots for the daughter. He was kind to her but there wasn't a connection except that of a brother and sister type feeling. Ugh!

The casting was good in general. I loved Grandma. Hehe! She was sooooo cute. I think she made the whole movie in general. Her comedic timing is genius! Hugs out to her!

So my own inhibitions to this movie ruined it for me. But don't let my inhibitions bother you. Jun was a darn hottie!! I hope to see him in some better roles though. I really think he can pull something off in his performances.

Lee Sang Woo

Never to Lose (Kangryeok 3Ban / 강력 3반 -2006)

Starring:
Jun-ho Heo - Mun Bong-soo
Hang-Seon Jang - Yuk Chul-gu
Min-jun Kim - Kim Hong-joo
Tae-wook Kim - Oh Jae-chul
Sang-mi Nam - Lee Hye-ryung
Sang-Myeon Park
Hae-jin Yu
Ji-hye Yun - Tae-hee Kim
Eung-su Kim
Jeong-tae Kim - Jae-chil Oh
Sung-ha Cho
Tae-yeong Yun - Tae-do Seo
Nae-sang Ahn - Sil-jang Park

“Never to Lose” concerns the men of Homicide Unit 3, who are in dire straits at the moment. While Unit 3’s cops are full of ambition and talent, they never seem to crack a case. The team is comprised of Detective Koh, a 15 year veteran, Detective Kim (Min-jun Kim), a rookie eager to make a name for himself, Detective Koh, a married man who spends more time on the job than with his wife, and Detective Ryung ( Sang-mi Nam ), who can’t get taken seriously by her peers because she’s a woman. While at a party with his girlfriend, Kim happens upon information about a drug deal that could get the team the respect they’ve been looking for. But what the team gets into turns out to be not just a big drug bust, but a case that makes Homicide Unit 3 the target of the largest drug lord in Korea .



This movie was a freakin' riot. I really liked it. It wasn't a blockbuster but it kept me on my toes and it was fun. Okay, I'll admit Kim Min Jun was freakin' hot!

I'll admit there were a few scenes that were funny but I don't think was really supposed to be a comedy. Okay, I cried when one particular cop was killed. I couldn't believe it. I think it was the quote that he said that made my heart hurt.

I did think that a romance was supposed to have evolved between two particular cops but I think they didn't want to make this movie into something like that. So the romance was on the downlow. Which was okay. But I was hoping.................

The movie had a great start, good middle, and a rewarding ending. So this movie wasn't half bad.

Kim Min Jun

Boys of Tomorrow (Woo-ri-e-ge Nae-il-eun Up-da / 우리에게 내일은 없다 -2007)

Starring:
Jae-sung Choi - Mr. Kim
Byeong-seok Kim - Ki-su
Dong-ho Lee - Yo-han / Jong-dae
Ah-in Yu - Jong-dae


Kisu, a sincere and reserved young man, lives in a tiny basement studio flat and earns his living as a driver. When he feels suffocated by this world that is too small for his dreams, he concentrates on his real passion in life: drumming.
Although his material living conditions are somewhat precarious and his future does not look that promising, Kisu never loses hope, his watchword being: «There is no road one cannot take». This apparent optimism however hides a deep trauma: he is eaten up by guilt at having been the cause of his brother Jongdae’s impotence, following an accident that happened when they were children. In atonement, Kisu has set himself the task of protecting him for life.
As for Jongdae, he dreams of owning a gun, which would make him, feel stronger when faced with the town’s petty delinquents. In these oppressive circumstances, Kisu is given his young nephew to look after. An intense friendship develops between the brothers and the child, in which two generations confront one another in order to understand and support one another better.

Boys of Tomorrow paints a picture of suburban boys who believe their future is elsewhere but who have no means by which to achieve their dreams. The childhood scenes combined with those of adult life anchor the film in a hazy temporality, suggesting that one generation’s future is strangely similar to those that came before and will come after....



This movie was strange but yet intriguing all the same. I really thought Yu Ah-in nailed his character as well as the guy portraying Ki-su, Kim Byeong-seok. This was totally delving into the rough lives of two teens having to grow up sooner than most should but yet still left with enough innocence to keep them grounded.

A very heart wrenching movie to say the least. The story totally twists out of control and left me crying at the end. I felt it shouldn't or didn't have to happen but seeing this is a Korean movie....they would have to make me feel like crap at the end.

This is an emotionally gripping tale. Some adult situations especially for two young males left to grow up on their own. But damn if I didn't fall in love with them. I'm left as a mother wanting to hug them tight and cry with them...................

Typhoon (Taepung / 태풍 -2005)

Starring:
Dong-Kun Jang ... SIn
Jung-Jae Lee ... Gang Se-jong
Mi-yeon Lee ... Choi Myeong-ju
David McInnis ... Somchai
Kap-su Kim
Chatthapong Pantanaunkul ... Toto
Il-hwa Choi

Sin (Jang Dong Gun, who also played the lead role in “Friend”), a North Korean who as a child attempted to defect to the South with his family but was betrayed, resulting in the deaths of his parents. Plotting genocidal revenge, Sin takes up with a group of Thai pirates, and steals a U.S. ship carrying nuclear devices which have been secretly manufactured in Taiwan . He is pursued by Kang Se Jong (Lee Jeong Jae, also in the 2000 romantic hit “Il Mare”), a naval officer who attempts to bring Sin to justice, though who gradually comes to understand, and even sympathise with his foe.



This move was freakin' awesome! Totally freakin' awesome! I loved it from the beginning to the very end. Oh yeah...I was a blubbering idiot but then if I cry that means it had to have touched me in some way.

In actuality, you couldn't help but eventually fall for the bad guy. In actuality, was he really a bad guy? Okay, he was threatening to kill every South Korean with nuclear explosives. Okay, he killed a bunch of people in the process of getting said nuclear weapons.

But as the story flashed back and forth between his life as a kid and adult, you actually wonder if he wasn't doing the right thing...sort of. Okay, not every South Korean should die but the person/people who made his life and family's life a living hell. Yeah, they should suffer a gruesome death. But he was so "messed" in the head, filled with hatred, well......you really couldn't blame his feelings at the time.

So in this same process, our hero starts to understand the same things you as a viewer will feel. He understood Sin's desire and will to finish what was started 20 year's earlier. The movie was way to good to give up. I really loved it. Again, for us girlies....make sure you have some tissues handy. God! Was it good.

South of the Border (Gukgyeong-ui namjjok / 국경의 남쪽 -2006)

Starring:
Seung-won Cha - Kim Sun-ho
Yi-jin Jo - Yeon-hwa
Ah-Hyeon Lee
Hye-jin Shim - Kyung-ju
Jae-ho Song
Hae-jin Yu
Sang-ho Kim

Sun-ho, a horn player for the Mansoodae Art Company, Pyongyang’s state propaganda troupe, is a man who has everything: he’s from a well-to-do family and has a beautiful fiancée, Yeon-hwa. However, his world turns upside-down when authorities discover a letter from his grandfather in Seoul. His family has to flee North Korea and they take refuge in Seoul. Now with no money or friends, Sun-ho’s only hope is to make enough money to bring Yeon-hwa from North Korea.

This movie was really good. But the romance was a little messed up.

The story was strong. The actors were good. The movie was focused. But something wasn't quite right. I can't put my finger on it.

I was really into the movie as it went along. But once Sun-ho's girlfriend from years past shows up, Yeon-hwa, the story gets messy. All of a sudden Sun-ho's wife disappears (not literally from the story) but it was like she was forgotten. All of sudden we just see her getting confused, waiting, or helping the family. Was there any love between his wife and himself? There had to be something. Maybe it wasn't that first kind of love between he and Seon-wha but still..............

I didn't really like the ending. I got the feelings, yet again, that even after they (Seon-hwa and Sun-ho) dissolved their relationship...it wasn't over. He shouldn't be yearning for something that can never be. Ehhh. That is just me.

Host and Guest (방문자 / Bang-moon-ja -2005)

Starring:
Kim Jae-rok
Kang Ji-hwan
Lee Dong-gyoo
Kim Tae-yun

Seoul, winter.

Ho-jun, a recently divorced, part-time film-studies lecturer, moves to a small and shabby one-room flat. Having left his only son Gun with his ex-wife, Ho-jun lives a cheerless and destitute life. His negative and cynical attitude and his miserable situation drive him into a desperate depression.
Source http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/



This was a beautifully scripted, directed, and acted movie. A very, very, very, very slow movie at the beginning. Don't let that fool you one bit. There is a reason for it.

Ho-jun is depressed. We watch at the beginning how his life is a monotonous, boring existence, until..........

Gye-sang shows up to save Ho-jun a death from solitude in the bathroom.

The story goes on as the two become friends that probably would have never happened if not for that fateful day.

I'll admit, at first, I wasn't sure if this was a joke plagued by President Bush. Trust me, you'll find out why. I didn't know if this was anti-Americanism, anti-war, anti-terrorism. I wasn't sure. This has definite political undertones surrounding the ending of the movie. What saved this movie was Gye-sang's speech. Can't tell you what it was about because then I've blasted the whole movie for others to see. I cried. Boy, did I cry. Then to top it off....the end. OMG! This movie will have you wondering what in the hell Korea has up it's ass for it's male citizens who are forced to servitude in today's military.

Eric Mun popped into my head. He leaves next month. Oh God, I'll be crying like a freak on a leash. I understand the threat of the North breathes down the South's neck. Why in the hell is the American military over there if the average Korean male is forced to serve his country for 2 years...or longer if they so choose?

This movie goes in this direction of what the average Korean male has to ponder in his life and decide to serve his country or time in jail. Geez-a-lou!

This movie was just brilliant. I can't describe how brilliant this movie is. There are no words but to just say that to watch it will quench your desire of wonderment.

Kang Ji Hwan