When Romance Meets Destiny (Gwangshiki dongsaeng gwangtae / 광식이 동생 광태 -2005)

Starring:
Tae-gyu Bong - Yu Gwang-tae
Kyeong-ho Jeong - Kim Il-wung
Ah-jung Kim - Lee Kyung-jae
Ju-hyuk Kim - Yu Gwang-shik
Yo-won Lee - Ko Yun-kyung
Cheol-min Park

Roughly divided into three equal parts, film kicks off with the decade-long inability of mild-mannered photographer Gwang-shik (Kim Ju-hyeok) to express his love for high-school sweetheart Yun-gyeong (Lee Yo-weon). When Yun-gyeong is ready to make her affections plain, Gwang-shik's drunken brother, Gwang-tae (Bong Tae-gyu), accidentally foils their romantic progress. Second chapter discloses Gwang-tae has little problem bedding babes, but his pursuit of sexy and intellectual marathon runner Gyeong-jae (Kim Ah-jung) reveals he's emotionally stunted. Final section blends the two strands. Helming is inventive and astute, though the script lags slightly as meller elements gain ascendancy. Performances all ring true, and tech package is up to the usual Korean high standard. -- Variety


This movie started out with a bang and ended with a "WTH?" I'm so dissappointed with this movie. I watched this in the hopes of some sweet romance and comedy. Oh yeah, it had that in abundance but I didn't quite like the feeling of being betrayed at the end.

Viewers in movies go in hopes of trading their lives for hope, peace, and enjoyment while spent in a theater lost in the new world of cinema. Okay, so I wasn't in a theater but in my living room lounged on my sofa while my kids run amok and my mother lies on the other sofa reading a book. But I'm still lost in the world of cinema via my high-speed internet computer.

So I'm laying there, anticipation abound. I enjoyed the first half of the movie and my hopes are leaping and my heart is pounding waiting for Gwang-shik to finally confess his love. We are almost there....almost....almost....he's at the alter....arm outstretched....palm is up....reaching....reaching......he grabs the microphone??????? WTF!??!

I won't give away the rest of the end of the movie but lets just say that both brothers got screwed in the end and so did the viewers. Romance my ass!!!!

Why can't the Korean romance/drama writers give us a happy ending? Is that tooooo much to ask for? I'd say that 1 out of every 20 movies, Korean movies, have happy endings. Why do I even watch? It's like the lottery....you hope you get the winning ticket........................

Surprise Party (Seopeuraijeu/서프라이즈-2002)

Starring:
Ha-kyun Shin - Kim Jeong-woo
Yu-won Lee - Wang Ha-yeong
Supporting Cast
Min-hie Kim - Hwang Mi-ryeong
Hyeong-jin Kong - Du Hyeong
Hyo-jin Kong - In-ju
Hak-cheol Kim - Mi-ryeong's husband
Young-jin Lee
Seung-su Ryu
Yeon-ju Lee

How do you go about detaining a total stranger for 12 hours? This is what Ha-young (Lee Yo-won) has to do for her best friend, Mi-ryung (Kim Min-hee). Mi-ryung has been planning for a surprise party for her overseas boyfriend Jun-woo (Shin Ha-gyun), but her plans are stopped short when her father finds out that Jun-woo is half-Hawaiian, and forbids the party from being held. Mi-ryung is put under even greater pressure when Jun-Woo tells her that he would arrive early, and she pleads with Ha-Young to intercept Jun-Woo at the airport, and to keep him from turning up at Mi-ryung's place before she can iron things out.

Thus begins Ha-young's misadventures, as she gets herself and the intercepted Jun-woo into increasingly absurd and embarrassing situations, and only in the movies would she not have been proclaimed insane and carted off to the nearest jail cell to contemplate her actions.

However, Jun-Woo is mildly amused by the whole affair, and he finds himself won over by Ha-young's shenanigans. The duo starts to develop feelings for one another over the day, but Ha-young is constantly mindful of the fact that this is her best friend's boyfriend she is falling for. However, she cannot deny the feelings she has for Jun-woo, and it's threatening to wreck the friendship between her and Mi-ryung.

This was a cute movie. At first, it annoyed me. I was like "just tell him who you are because no person in their right mind would follow along with this stupid idea!" Finally after about 30 minutes it started making sense. I do have to say that I sort of figured it out during the middle of the movie. This wasn't a mystery movie by far so if you figure it out don't turn away because it has a sweet ending.

Again this could be considered another "fate" movie. Sometimes these types of movies go wrong....tragically. I'm happy to say this doesn't but you have to wonder if life isn't controlled by you but the strings that bind you.....................

Shin Ha Gyun

May 18 (화려한 휴가, Hwa-ryo-han Hyoo-ga-2007)

Starring:
Sung-kee Ahn - Heung-su Park
Sang-jyung Kim - Min-woo Kang
Jun-gi Lee - Jin-woo Kang
Yu-won Lee - Shin-ae Park
Jae-ho Song - Priest
Won-sang Park
In-gi Jeong
Eol Lee
Cheol-min Park

Having lost his parents at a young age, Min-woo takes care of his younger brother Jin-woo much like a father would. He harbors a secret crush on Shin-ae, a nurse he meets at a church gathering, and persuades her to go on a date with him to the movies. But not long after the film begins, they hear the sound of sirens and are rushed out of the theater. Outside they find chaos in the streets : Tear gas dances wildly and soldiers mobilized for crowd control have taken to violent beatings. Bewildered and enraged, the citizens form a militia, determined to protect the ones they love - and Min-woo finds himself in the middle of it all.

Sad but true:

May 17, 1980
After the Coup d'état of December Twelfth (1979) in Seoul, ROK Army Lieutenant General Chun Doo-hwan, commander of Security Command, declared martial law on May 17, 1980 to suppress student demonstrations around the country. The next day, students in Gwangju protested at the gate of Chonnam National University against the closing of the university, when armed forces blocking the university responded with violent means. After the incident, students moved into the downtown area, where they were joined by the citizens of the city. The growing crowd was met by the use of force, including gunfire, that caused some fatalities.

May 20, 1980
As the news of the fatalities spread, on May 20, protesters burned down the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation local station which, under effective government control, portrayed the protests as hooligans led by Communist agents. By May 21, some 300,000 people had joined the protest against the General's power; weapons depots and police stations were looted of their weapons and the civil militias, known as the Citizen Army, beat back the armed forces, killing several soldiers.

With all routes and communications leading in and out of the city blocked by armed forces, a civilian body was formed to maintain order and conduct negotiations with the government. Although order was well maintained, a number of negotiations to resolve the situation failed to achieve any results.

May 27, 1980
On May 27, airborne and army troops from five divisions were inserted and defeated the civil militias in the downtown area in only 90 minutes.　


I'm telling you right now, I didn't expect to sob as much as I did during this movie. It's heavy on emotion, national pride, love, brotherhood, friendship, and faith.

I hope that my two sons will be as close as Min-woo and Jin-woo were in this movie. The bond was intense. The scenes were bloody and loving.

I only thought you would only see this in America. But to see this, and for it to happen in 1980 was just insane. At that time, I was blanketed in the security of believing in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and that Rick Springfield was god. To think, I don't want to think about it, it's just unbelievable.

I guess at that time, the Communist scare was hidden in the shadows and for the government to lose control on this one town....it stinks. I can only hope that, not just S. Koreans, but the world at that time learned something. I'm saddened.......and I weep for those who died for that cause.

Okay, tears are forming again. I feel my chest tightening.....sobs are about to escape.

Lee Jun Ki