The Longest 24 Months (기다리다 미쳐 /Gidarida micheo -2008)

AKA: Crazy For Waiting

Starring:

Couple 1
Tae-yeong Son - Hyo-jeong (Physical Therapist)
Geun-seok Jang - Won-jae

Couple 2
Hie-jin Jang - Bo-rang (Keyboardist / Singer)
Danny Ahn - Min-cheol

Couple 3
In-yeong Yu - Jin-a (College Student)
San-ho Kim - Eun-seok

Couple 4
Yeo-reum Han - Bi-ang (lived in Wook's Apt.)
Seung-min Woo - Wook
Supporting Cast
Young-jin Lee - Ha-na (singer)
Ki-woo Lee - Ki-sung (in love with Jin-a / best friend of Eun-seok)
Tae-hyeon Kim
Ji-min Hong


Most male students head for the military barracks after finishing their first or second year in college, and many of them go through relationship troubles when they leave their girlfriends behind.

The film presents four different couples and depicts how they cope with the challenging period in a largely lighthearted fashion. The first couple is Won-jae (Jang Geun-seok), a college student who is officially in his early 20s but looks like a teenage boy, and his girlfriend Hyo-jeong (Son Tae-young), a physical therapist who is pushing 30. Apparently, their conflict revolves around their age gap, even when they remain apart due to Won-jae's military service.

The second couple is in the same music band. Bo-ram (Jang Hee-jin), a shy keyboardist, has a crush on Min-cheol (Danny Ahn), a tall and handsome band leader who is showing affection to another female band member, even when he is in the military. The emotional tug-of-war between Bo-ram and Min-cheol is a little bit more convincing than other couples, thanks to Jang's delicate performances throughout the film.

A very typical love triangle unfolds for the third couple: Jin-a (Yu In-young), who believes she's the prettiest and cutest girl in the world, and her faithful boyfriend Eun-seok (Kim San-ho). When her boyfriend has begun his service, Jin-a sends him a nice gift package including what she calls "Love Candy," but her devotion turns out to be not so solid when she feels lonely in the absence of her boyfriend and in the presence of his close friend (played by Lee Ki-woo).

But this is the fourth couple that goes to the extreme. Or the fourth girl, to be exact. Bi-ang (Han Yeo-reum) is living in her boyfriend's house -- Hur Wook (Woo Seung-min) -- and she takes full advantage of his absence to seduce another man and even invites him to live with her.


Okay, this movie was so truthful, I will have to tell you.

How do I know it's truthful? I am a military wife. For a person who has never seen their loved ones leave you for an extended period of time, will not understand this movie at all. But...it will give you a general idea of what we face and what our loved ones face while being deployed.

My husband's first deployment almost killed me. He was sent to Korea for a year. I, at that time, was a weepy wife with a toddler.....and we were left behind. My husband's second deployment, he was sent to Bosnia/Kosovo on a joint mission for 9 months. While in Kosovo, 9-11 happened and it was an awful time. Worried that my husband, an American soldier, would be targeted by Al Quaeda. Again, I was a weepy wife. Within 6 months of my husband returning home, he was sent to Afghanistan. He was gone 9 months. At that time, it was even scarier because they were sent to flush out Bin Laden. Again, the weepy wife. Not even two weeks of returning from Afghanistan, my husband was immediately sent to Iraq. He was gone 12 months and 2 weeks. Let's just say I was persistent in keeping the cell phone on my person and fully charged at all times. But I will say this, everytime he left, the feeling of loneliness wasn't as long. My husband has gone to Iraq an additional 2 times since then. He is currently in Iraq right now. This time, I'm not worried and I have my kids to keep me busy and occupied.

On a sad note, some of those women portrayed in themovie are true to form. I have known many a wife/girlfriend who betrayed their husband's, lost love, or just couldn't cope being alone. Each one of those women, I have known. Each one of those guys, I have known.

These guys need support from us from all sides of family and friends. Sometimes we forget that their jobs are more stressful and are more alone than we are. Yes, they have their friends in arms, but those friends are having to deal with the same issues as well.

From this army wife........"HOO-AH!"

So, yes this movie was touching and realistic in a Korean fashion. And sometimes I forget that it isn't just the U.S. that goes through these hardships too.............

Shim's Family (좋지 아니한가 /Johji-anihanga -2007)

AKA: Skeletons in the Closet

Starring:
Ho-jin Jeon
Hie-kyung Moon
Hye-su Kim
Ah-in Yu
Bo-ra Hwang
Yu-mi Jeong
Ki-woo Lee
Hyeok-pil Lim
Hae-il Park

The Shims would be in the top five for being indifferent and apathetic for each other and in the top three for lack of love in a family. The five members of the family have absolutely no common ground. The family consists of the cheap, stubborn mom (MOON Hee-kyung) and the father (CHUN Ho-jin) who is down because of her, their son Yong-tae (YOO Ah-in) who thinks he was a king in his past life and their daughter Yong-sun (HWANG Bo-ra) to whom existence itself is a mystery, and the out of work comic book writer aunt (KIM Hye-soo). Because they share the same blood, they all live awkwardly together in one house. And they wonder time and time again…why they have to live together when they don’t even love each other…

One day, the Shims come face to face with calamity. Mom falls for a guy at the karaoke shop (LEE Ki-woo), Yong-sun meets a teacher (PARK Hae-il) who is more of a mystery than she is, and Yong-tae falls in love with the worst girl (JUNG Yoo-mi) in the universe. But most shocking is Mr. Shim, who is second to none at being cautious and straitlaced, and his most obscene incident! To make matters worst, Yong-gu their playboy dog gets a pure pedigree pup pregnant and the Shims fall in a calamity that could almost make one die from embarrassment….


This was a very good, down-to-earth slice of life (sort of) movie. Ingenioius!

I related to the entire family. Especially the parents. I've been married for a long time and understand how sometimes family life just sort of takes over and married life sits back on the shelf and collects dust. It just happens. The kids rule your everyday life. It's not like you love your spouse less, but sometimes sex justs cools down. I totally understood where that couple was coming from.

Then there was the kids. LOL! I related to them also. LOL! My life was just like theirs growing up.

Being not to overly funny, to downright serious, to not to overly funny again, you would like this movie. I'm sure there is at least one character you can relate too. With just enough class and humor, it's enjoyably fun to watch. And, maybe if you thought your family was insane, this movie might make you think about it again. LOL!

Spin Kick (Dolryeochagi/돌려차기-2004)

Starring:
Dong-wan Kim - Yong-gaek
Bin Hyeon - Min-gyu
An Jo - Su-bin
Tae-hyeon Kim - Jeong-dae
Ji-yun Mun - Hyeok-su
Jae-hyeong Jeon - Seong-wan
Ki-woo Lee - Seok-bong
Ji-Yeon Park - Mi-ae
Yeong-ho Kim - Chung-geun
Kap-su Kim - Principal

The trophies lined up in the training hall bear witness to the past victories of the Manseh Taekwondo Team, but these days the team is but a shadow of itself. Only one member, the quiet reclusive captain Min-kyu, is even remotely capable. The coach Koh demands that the team reaches the semi-finals of big upcoming tournament, but Min-kyu is the only one who hasn’t already given up.

When the team runs into a local group of street thugs, they are all beaten to a pulp, and the thugs are throw in jail. In sheer frustration Koh quits, saying there’s nothing more he can do for the team. When he leaves he advices Min-kyu to come with him, but the young student will not abandon his team.

The school administration is in a rut. Still, they feel they can’t give up on the team, because that would mean sacrificing 50 years of legacy. The Taekwondo team was once the pride of the school, and if they give that up they have nothing.

As a last desperate resort, the headmaster of Manseh turns to the thugs who beat up his team. He offers them a simple choice: Either be expelled from school, or join the Taekwondo team. Standing behind bars in prison the offer suddenly seems very appealing.

The thugs turn up at the training hall, but they are met with no love from Min-kyu, the only remaining member of the old team. He feels that the thugs degrade the team with their attitude, but unless he quits he’ll have to accept their presence. *OMFG! Look at the pecs on Kim Dong Wan! Hello? I want to touch them sooooooooo badly!*

But one thing is still missing: A new coach. The team’s hardworking assistant Su-bin seeks high and low for anybody even remotely interested in the job. The desperate search yields only one candidate: The burnout junior coach Song Chung-kun, who volunteers simply because he has no other options.

The team only gets though the preliminary rounds because they intimidate the other teams, but suddenly the thugs realize they can’t win the tournament this way, and they actually start to take the whole thing seriously.

Three of the thugs soon emerge as serious contenders. First there’s the uncrowned king of the school, Yong-geak. Then there’s his lieutenants, the solid Hyuk-soo, and the whimsical Jung-dae. Along with Min-kyu, and the understudy Sung-wan the 5 man fighting team of the Manseh School is ready to fight. Or are they?

Will the thugs be able to put their street fighting ways behind them and restore some dignity to the team? Can Min-kyu step up and work together with his new team-mates? And do any of them stand a chance against the powerful opponents that await them towards the end of the tournament?



I so loved this movie. I'm a fool for hot guys, action, boys-coming-of-age-learning-responsibility, and, again, hot guys. LOL!

This movie was fun, the action seemed real not rehearsed, and the story was respectable. It's the traditional underdogs defeat the hot dogs on top. If you don't mind that type of movie which is so mainstream in everyday society.

I love that stuff so it wasn't like I wouldn't like it.

I love Shinhwa and Kim Dong Wan leads the cast. He isn't my favorite but as long as he is with Shinhwa then he's cool with me. I was more for Hyeon Bin. He was adorable in Kim Sam-soon!

Kim Dong Wan


Hyeon Bin


Lee Ki Woo