Scout (스카우트 -2007)

Starring:
Chang Jung Lim - Ho Chang
Ji-won Uhm - Se-Young
Dae-yeon Lee
Cheol-min Park - Gon-Tae
Il-seob Baek
Hie-kyeong Yang
Hui-won Kim
Won-yeong Jang
Kook-huan Chun
Won-yeong Jang
Cheol-min Park

Set In 1980, Ho Chang works as a staff member for a college baseball team. He’s planning a dream vacation but his plans get derailed by a new assignment. He’s ordered to scout Sun Dong Eul, the most sought after high school baseball player in Korea.
Ho Chang goes to Kwang-Ju to scout Sun Dong. He finds it more difficult than expected as rival scouts from other universities are hindering his plans. Furthermore, he meets his ex girlfriend and her low-life boyfriend who starts threatening Ho Chang.
To make things worse, the baseball player’s parents do not appear to be on Ho Chang’s side. Rumors also say that Sun Dong was already scouted by rival teams. Ho Chang is unable to even get a meeting with Sun Dong, so Ho Chang takes matters into his own hands. He decides to kidnap him! -- Lunapark6


Hmm? Not so sure about this movie. Yeah, it had some comedic moments. Yeah, there were some tears. Yeah, some action too. But there was just too much going on. I didn't realize this film would have historic moments in Korean history. I'm still learning this stuff myself. But I haven't read anything about the Korean Martial Law enforcement in any review yet. I'm sure there are some out there but I just like the short and sweet ones because some of those reviews give out toooooooo much and the movie then becomes ruined.

In this case, though, I thought I would be seeing a typical Korean comedy and that wasn't so. All of the sub stories within the main story were falling apart. The "love" story, well, that was messed up. Did she love him or not?

Anyway, it was alright but I was looking for the typical comedy, romance thing and got a history lesson instead. Damn! This wasn't a dud like the previous movie I've already mentioned but I was looking for a happy and bright...not reminiscent and meloncholy. Errrgh.

Mutt Boy (똥개, Ddong gae-2003)

Starring:
Woo-sung Jung - Cha Cheol-min
Kap-su Kim - Cheol-min's father
Ji-won Uhm - Jeong-ae
Ji-Yeong Hong
Sang-ho Kim
Kap-su Kim

This film is a story about a young man who has a good heart and is a good fighter, even though he does not have much social competence. It has a warm and emotional perspective. Like his nickname ‘mutt boy’, he can not escape from the low life status but his constant boldness in both speech and deliver a kind of emotional sense of affluence that has long been lost to those living in the big city. Although the film does not have much aesthetic or commercial ambition, it has a warm and emotional aspect to it making the hero acceptable in this profound fairy tale for the adults.


This was a surprising movie. The pace was great. I never got bored once. It wasn't what I expected. I guess the synopsis sort of bored me a bit but I gave it a try. It was one of those movies that was a surprise.

This movie had all emotional elements deep within it. I have to say there was one point when Ddong-gae confronted his dad while he was in jail for a fight when he asked if his dad really meant if he wished he was never born. I tell ya, I sat with baited breath for that answer.

The only thing I couldn't figure out was the girl in the movie. Was she a love interest? A sister figure? A prostitute? There were questions that were never answered with her character which sort of pissed me off. But if you ignore her character, otherwise the movie was great!!!

Jeong Woo Seong