Shiri (Swiri/쉬리 -1999)

Starring:
Suk-kyu Han ... Yu, JongWon
Min-sik Choi ... Park, Mu-young
Yunjin Kim ... Lee, Myung-hyun (Lee, Bang-hee) (as Yoon-jin Kim)
Kang-ho Song ... Lee, Jang-gil
Johnny Kim ... Jung, Dae-Ho (as Derek Kim)
Jeong-min Hwang
Hyeong-seong Jang
Su-ro Kim
Jong-hyeok Lee
Seung-Shin Lee
Yong-woo Park ... Sik
Dae-han Ji
Ju-sang Yun


Locked in a fragile détente with its famine-wracked, communist neighbor to the North, South Korea lives in a state of constant national emergency. It is policed by a task force of special agents whose personal lives have withered and died as they root out infiltrators and sleeper agents, rush from crisis to calamity, pursue rumors of war and chase terrorists who vanish like ghosts. One particular phantom, a female North Korean sniper named Hee, has led agents Ryu (Han Suk-Gyu) and Lee (Song Kang-Ho) through a nightmare of burnt corpses and bloody crime scenes for ten years before suddenly vanishing. One year later she resurfaces, and with her comes a squad of North Korean commandos who have infiltrated Seoul and master-minded the theft of an experimental explosive.

A whirlwind of fear and paranoia engulfs the city as civilian targets are bombed and Agents Lee and Ryu chase an enemy who is always one charred and blackened step ahead of them. As Agent Lee is pulled in two directions by his fragile fiancée, Hyun, and the dead-eyed terrorist, Hee, the personal becomes the political and in the blink of an eye affairs of the political and in the blink of an eye affairs of the heart become affairs of state.

This was a freaking awesome movie!!! OMG! The action was unbelievable. The very beginning of the movie we witness the making of a female sniper in North Korea. It was the coolest thing. That tipped me off that this was going to be good!

I will admit withing the first 30 minutes of the movie I figured out some of the story on my own. I'm sure of you will figure it out...and some of you will still be beating your heads against the wall. Even figuring the plot, it was still an awesome movie.

The ending was perfect. Totally perfect in everyway! Which I can't divulge......

If you don't mind a bit of blood, lots of cool action, suspense, mystery, and drama.....this is the one for you. Add a sprinkle of romance...and voila!

The credits listed my man Lee Jong Hyuk but I saw him nowhere. This was made in 1999 so he was probably an extra. *sigh*

Attack the Gas Station (Juyuso seubgyuksageun/주유소 습격사건 -1999)

Starring:
Sung-jae Lee - No Mark
Oh-seong Yu - Mu Dae-po (Bulldozer)
Seong-jin Kang - Ddan Dda-ra
Ji-tae Yu ... Paint
Yeong-gyu Park - Gas station owner
Jun Jeong - Geon-Bbang
Yu-won Lee - Ggal-chi
Jeong-ho Lee - Meek man
Seung-chae Lee
Hak-cheol Kim
Myeong-kuk Kim
Su-ro Kim
Won-jong Lee
So-yeong Jeong (11/16/1976)
Eung-su Kim

Four guys with nothing better to do decide to rob a gas station. When they find out there isn't as much money as they expected, they lock up the employees and take over to make more money. They don't know how to run the gas pumps, and when the customers complain, the guys take them hostage. Everything is more or less under a chaotic kind of control, until they order Chinese food and make the mistake of harassing the delivery boy. He rounds up a bunch of other delivery boys to attack the gas station. Another confrontation with a high school gang and the local mafia provokes a bigger fight. Finally the police arrive for the final showdown.

This was a pretty good movie. It wasn't all that but it was crazy! LOL! The only reason I really watched this was of one particular man....Lee Jong Hyuk!!! His role was very minor, fleeting. He sang and danced and was just as cute as ever. *sigh*

Other than that, this movie was just a fun comedy of mischief. Keep you occupied on a boring day. Might make you laugh or groan. I guess it depends on your taste in action/comedy.

Radio Days (라듸오 데이즈 -2008)

Starring:
Seung-beom Ryoo - Llyod
Jong-hyeok Lee - K
Sa-rang Kim - Marie
Bo-ra Hwang - Myung-wol
Jeong-se Oh - Man-chul
Roe-ha Kim - Mr. Noh (screenwriter)
Ah-sung Ko - Sun-deok

A young radio station manager, Lloyd (Ryoo Seung-beom), undertakes a live drama series which is commissioned by the Japanese rulers. The main voice actors in this show are not professionals. A jazz musician, a courtesan and even a clueless office clerk are invited to perform in the drama, and the scripts are largely ignored, as the actors resort to liberal ad-libbing. Despite the shoddy production quality, the radio show becomes a huge hit. This movie pokes fun at the broadcasting practices of the time, as well as at Japanese rule.


One of the BEST movies I've seen yet. Damn! This was a fresh, refreshing movie. Different. So totally out of the normal Korean spectrum!

Other than my favorite Korean actor ever, Lee Jong Hyuk, being in this movie which in fact adds a zillion kudos...........*sigh*

I don't know what more to say....just get off your asses and watch this movie! It's quirky but not overly funny to make it obnoxious or annoying. It's smartly written and acted. Ryoo Seung Beom was intelligent in his portrayal of Lloyd.

Once this movie makes it to the American market, I'm so on this one in my Asian collection (which I've just recently started......)

I can't say enough about this movie. Damn, it rocked!!!

I'll lay off the Jong Hyuk pics for awhile....LOL! I can't get enough of him and I know there are more to come........*sigh*

Ryoo Seung Beom

Powerful Opponents ( 강적들 (强敌), Kang Jeok Deul-2008)

Starring:
Chae Rim as Cha Young Jin
Lee Jin Wook as Kang Soo Ho
Lee Jong Hyuk as Yoo Gwang Pil
Choi Ja Hye as Jung Yoo Min
Extended Cast
Lee Duk Hwa as President Kang / Kang Min Gook
Lee Kyung Jin as First Lady Shin Ok Hee
Shin Eun Jung as Kang Soo Ri (Soo Ho's sister)
Yim Hyun Sik as Cha Il Sang (Young Jin’s grandfather)
Oh Kwang Rok as Cha Gwang Soo (Young Jin’s father)
Kim Si Hoo as Cha Young Gu (Young Jin's brother)
Kim Hye Ok as Mrs Oh Mi Ja
Kim Yoo Jung as Yoo Kkot Nim
Park Ha Sun as Seo Eun Young
Go Myung Hwan as Kim Byung Wook
Ma Dong Seok as Pyo Chul Ho
Lee Gun as Nam Do Woo
Ryu Jin as (cameo, ep16)
Han Go Eun as (cameo, ep16)

Cha Young Jin is the first female to ever work as a bodyguard in the Presidential resident, Chungwadae. Young Jin and Ryu Gwan Pil work as bodyguards assigned to watch over the president’s son, Kang Soo Ho. They are assigned to guard Soo Ho for 15 months.

A music video...it's hard to find trailers of dramas. Enjoy!


It's over! Ugh! And I'll admit this....the ending sucked big dirt balls! All the crap that Yoo Gwan Pil and Cha Young Jin went through. Damn! That really made me crazy. I knew it was getting bad because the last 3 episodes they started down playing her feelings towards him. What a great story and they absolutely ruined it. All the hours I sat through to see my Jong Hyuk get the girl. Damn! He deserves the girl. He lost the first time when Go Eun loved Soo Ho and raised his child...geez! Yeah, I'm having a hissy fit. I was going to download this series but not now. Ruined! Ugh! I need a chill pill right now. (Listening to Gackt's Redemption....that's making me feel lots better. *sigh*)

The whole series was so great! I loved it. I loved the fact that it was a bit different other than the Korean norm of torturing us to death with triangle and quadrangle love problems. Yeah, obviously that happened here. UGH!

Okay, will chill now! If you can bypass the last 20 minutes of the last part of the last episode...your good to go!!

A Good Day to have an Affair (바람피기 좋은날, Baram-pigi joheun nal-2007)

Starring:
Hye-su Kim - Dew
Jin-seo Yun - Small Bird
Jong-hyeok Lee
Min-gi Lee
Supporting Cast
Eun-pyo Jeong
Yun-hong Oh
Sang-Myeon Park
Eun-pyo Jeong

Two bored housewives have affairs with two different men they meet in online chat rooms. As their relationships developed into offline relationships they often pass each other unwittingly in the hallways of the motels where they meet their lovers.

One day, the lady known as “Dew” is in a room with her aged college lover. Suddenly, her husband bursts through their door, along with police officers that he brought. The other lady known as “Small Bird” is in a adjacent room listening to what’s going on in the other room. Small Bird whispers to her lover to be quiet, because the police officer in the other room is her husband. -- Lunapark6



Okay this movie was disappointing. Eergh! First off, they made "my man" into a jerk. At first, he comes across as a deprived, frustrated, first timer in sexual affairs. Kind of endearing at the beginning. Then "poof!" WTF! Then he just dumps her and takes on another chick. In the end, it was all about the sex. Then they take his "Tweetie" and make her a scared pussy cat into a caged up tiger at the end. Uh-wuh?

The connotations of this movie can lead some of those whose hearts are teetering on infidelity to believe that it's okay. NOT!

It was supposed to be a comedy and it was funny at times as "Fox" tried to get into "Tweetie's" skirts. Or "Dew" and college boy and their sexual romps and playtime. But the real moment of this movie showed that their was no real consequence to what breaking the marriage contract can do to the other halves and the children involved. Sad. *pouts*

And this had my "Fox" and he was all that and then some.........*sigh*

Lee Min Ki

Miss Gold Digger (Yonguijudo Miss Shin, 용의주도 미스 신-2007)

Starring
Ye-seul Han - Mi-su Shin
Bachelors
Jong-hyeok Lee - Dong-min (neighbor)
Oh-jung Kwon - Jun-seo Lee (rich guy)
In-kwon Kim - Yun-cheol Kim (law student)
Hyo-yeong Son - Hyeon-jun (rapper)
Supporting Cast
Yeo-jin Hong - Dong-min's mother
Gyu-su Jeong - Mr Choi
Ho-jin Jeon - Mi-su's father
Rae-yeon Kang - Dae-ri Yang
Ye-jin Lim - Mi-su's mother
Seo-won Oh - Hye-jeong
Ju-sang Yun - Dong-min's father

Actress Ye-seul Han offers advice on how to 'shop' for men in her screen debut. In her polygamous romantic relationships, she adopts different personas for each boyfriend, from being a prim and proper lady for her JFK-like boyfriend to a sexy party girl for a young rapper. But when her shopping spree starts to get tangled, the men show their true side when they discover that they have been manipulated.

I couldn't be more happier than I am now. More Lee Jung Hyuk! *shivers*

This movie was alright but not the best. It was quite funny with her going between the different guys and all. I think I was a little relieved she didn't end up with Dong-min. She was too capricious and snobby. She didn't realize she had THE "man" right under her nose.

I'm not for any kind of infidelity of any kind....marriage or dating. Once you choose someone, stick with them till the end and THEN move on. She had too many men on her boat and not one knew which way to row.

And the end really pissed me off.....well, you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Too some it would be funny but to me it was insensitive. *tsk, tsk* Call me a prude, I guess.

Now on to the cuties who make my days a joy to watch everyday.......

Son Ho Yeong

Holy crap! *faints*

*nose bleed*

OMG! *fans self vigorously*

Lee Jung Hyuk *sigh*

I need more pics of him!!!! Ho hum! *waaaaaaaaaaaaah*

Mr. Socrates )미스터 소크라테스, Mi-seu-teo So-keu-ra-te-seu-2005)

Starring:
Heo Jeong-min
Shin-il Kang
Rae-won Kim - Ku Dong-hyeok
Jong-hyeok Lee
Kwang-rok Oh
Tae-young Yoon
Cheol-min Park


"A law is a law, however undesirable it may be."~Socrates

Asking for money to his father imprisoned in jail, threatening a friend who became a murderer by mistake, stealing money from his friends…KU Dong-hyuk (Kim Rae-won) is the worst scumbag you can ever imagine. Living a low-life like a street dog, one day, Dong-hyuk gets kidnapped by a mysterious gang. Being captured out of no reason, the gang trains Dong-hyuk in a secret and inhumane way repeatedly. Dong-hyuk tries to escape but fails, which makes the training more harsh and cruel than before. After finishing all the training, the gang orders Dong-hyuk to become a police detective as their secret connection.


This movie was bad ass! The perfect girl/guy watching movie. Kim Rae Won was perfect as the bad boy. It was strange because he's always been bad but with a tender heart. Not this kind of bad boy where he starts out with a heart of stone. Wow! It was so strange.

I truly laughed out loud when he was searching for that first suspect after getting his detective promotion into homicide. That poor guy with the long hair....hehe....that was a riot. I swear I spewed my Diet Mountain Dew out my nose. LOL!

Definitely a favorite of mine.

Kim Rae Won



Lee Jong Hyuk

I don't know what it is about Jung Hyuk. I really don't but he makes my toes curl and my heart beat faster than normal. He isn't the cutest of all Korean men but there is something about him that makes me think there is something beyond for him. Maybe it's the tender, intelligent eyes but the bad boy body. Heck, I don't know but he's got that something-something that makes me want to go and run away to Korea....right.....NOW! I get all excited when I find a movie that has him in it...even if it's for a brief second.

Yoon Tae Yeong

Once Upon a Time in High School (Maljukgeori janhoksa, 말죽거리 잔혹사 -2004)

AKA: "Spirit Of Jeet Keun Do"


Starring:
Sang-woo Kwone ... Hyeon-su
Jeong-jin Lee ... Woo-shik
Ga-in Han ... Yu-jin
Hyo-jun Park ... Hamburger
Jin-ung Jo
Won-kwon Kim ... Jiksae
Jong-hyeok Lee ... Jong-hun
Dong-won Seo ... Seong-hun
Byeong-chun Kim
Bu-seon Kim
Han-seok Yang
Nae-sang Ahn
Ho-jin Cheon
Yeong-im Kim

In the spring of 1978, Hyun-soo transfers to Jungmoon High School in Kangnam where his mother thinks the land price will skyrocket due to the development of the area. Yet, Jungmoon High School is notorious for its severe corporal punishment by teachers and power struggles between school gangs. On the first day, he gets spanked with an aluminum baseball bat for violating the school¡¯s dress code. Then, one day, he plays basketball with his classmates and brings his team a victory, which allows him to become chummy with Woo-sik, a kingpin of the school. Before long, they find out that they both are huge fans of Bruce Lee and become best friends.

After school, on the bus, Hyun-soo and Woo-sik see a girl who resembles Olivia Hussey, the most popular foreign actress in Korea at that time. Her name is Eun-ju, a senior at a nearby girls¡¯ high school. Both fall in love with her at first sight. Hyun-soo is gentle and kind, while Woo-sik is tough and charismatic. Knowing Woo-sik is so different from her, she can¡¯t help but becomes attracted to him.

Hyun-soo endures the pain of his secret love for Eun-ju. However, Eun-ju and Woo-sik begin to bicker over petty things. While she¡¯s in pain over Woo-sik cheating on her, Hyun-soo sees a chance to win her heart. In the meantime, Woo-sik and Jong-hoon, a student patrol captain, get into a fight. In the duel, Jong-hoon cheats and beats up Woo-sik, who leaves school in the aftermath of his defeat. With Woo-sik gone, Jong-hoon abuses his power as student patrol captain and bullies whoever gets in his way. Hyun-soo falls into an Inferior Class, and Jong-hoon keeps bullying him. The corporal punishment and favoritism by the teachers gradually become worse. To make matter worse, Eun-ju chooses Woo-sik over him. Driven to the wall, Hyun-soo explodes. With nunchakus tucked in the back of his pants, he goes up to the roof after Jong-hoon.



OMG! Another freakin' good movie. I wasn't all that impressed with the ending...kind of left me with a "WTF?" But 99% of the movie rocked. OMG! Watch out for Kwon Sang Woo training for his big fight. I'm still in a dizzy after seeing him able to do some reverse crunches from hell that a normal person in their right mind could or would never do. I wanted to reach out and touch that stomach. OMG! I'm falling in love............

I was happy to see Lee Jong Hyuk (Powerful Opponents). Okay, he wasn't a good guy in this one...KSW kicked his butt and took some names. Whew!

This wasn't really a comedy by far. Definitely serious but some cute parts especially when they imitated Bruce Lee. This movie was inconjunction with Bruce Lee's life. Not a movie about him but about his famous martial artwork. Really good.

Lee Jeong Jin

Powerful Opponents

I'm in love with this show even though reading that it hasn't gotten a huge audience in the first 8 episodes so far. I don't care. I love the premise of the show and Lee Jong-hyuk is to die for! So far I've only seen 4 episodes but am anxious to catch up with Korea! Personally I'm routing for Cha Young Jin and Yoo Gwang Pil. I love their chemistry together.

Starring:
Chae Rim as Cha Young Jin
Lee Jin Wook as Kang Soo Ho
Choi Ja Hye as Jung Yoo Min
Lee Jong Hyuk as Yoo Gwang Pil

The gist of the story is about two newbie bodyguards, one being the first female for the president's secret service, who are assigned to protect the president's son who happens to be a royal pain in the....uh...butt. The three characters eventually form a love triangle as they begin to know each other better.

Powerful Opponent is a fun and comical drama about two agents that can't stand one another even if it meant their life! Cha Young-Jin (Chae Rim) is reputedly one of the best agents around. However, her credibility is easily discredited by the cold and heartless Yoo Kwan-Pil (Lee Jong-Hyuk). Young-Jin swears he's sexist and is only trying to beat her by trying to be the best; on the other hand, Kwan-Pil can't seem to stand women who tout "sexism" whenever they feel cheated.

While the two continue their battle with one another they are eventually forced to work with each other on a high priority assignment - to guard the President's son, Kang Soo-Ho (Lee Jin-Wook). Soo-Ho is a wild child that can't be controlled by even the best agents. When he sees Kwan-Pil he seems to recognize him...is there history between the two? If so what? How will Young-Jin play a role between these two men?

More importantly, will Young-Jin and Kwan-Pil be able to break through to Soo-Ho and tame him from his wild ways?

Lee Jong Hyuk