Duelist

Also known as 형사 (Hyeong-sa), produced in 2005, and the Korean word actually translated to The Detective but the posters seem to contain the English word already. It was borrowed off a friend (and she said she needs it back soon but I kinda doubt her understanding of soon now). I wasn't too interested in viewing it until tonight when I decided to sit down, take a rest and watch something.

Synopsis: The story is very simple really, the woman is a member of the police whereas the guy is an outlaw. The story begins with the woman, named Nam Soon, and members of the police tailing a group of counter-feiters of money in the act of transaction with another person, but before they could act a man in mask who they presumes is a performer, stops the transaction by killing the counter-feiters, strikes the horse cart, made the counter-feited money scatters on the ground and runs away. But unable to capture the man the investigation continues. And soon Nam Soon and the man (only known as Sad Eyes) meets again and a certain bond develops. But in the end it's really a complicated love story really. Anyway that's all I could afford to say for more information I suggest you go and check out the Wiki's version of the synopsis.

Casts: Kang Dong-Won as Sad Eyes, Ha Ji-Won as Nam Soon, Ahn Seong-Gi as Detective Ahn

Review: As soon as I laid eyes on Kang Dong Won's character's face I melted. For real! I giggled like a little girl so much thank god I was watching it in my own room. But besides that very unreliable review I have to say I quite like the cinematic approach the director, Lee Myeong-se, took with the movie. Like the review in Wiki said it was very impressionistic with "extensive use of slow motion, freeze frames, multiple images, and varying perspectives." The story isn't laid out too well but the weaponry choreography should be taken notice of in this movie. It was choreographed beautifully, I personally like the choreograph of the sword dance by Sad Eyes in front of the Defence Minister and the fight scene between Nam Soon and Sad Eyes. With that aside the film is often not too melodramatic or even violent (so don't expect any sword fighting or extreme violence) there's a bit of quirk, humor and wit; the film is certainly not a reflection of that period in Korea's history it feels more like a modern espionage set in periodical time. I thoroughly enjoy the cinematography of this movie and don't expect too much violence or even much of a story, I think the most important element in this movie is the direction and the overall feeling of the movie, it almost feels like watching a moving painting for me, it was very inspirational I must say.

Ratings: 3/5 stars

Post Script: Maan everytime they did a close-up shot of Kang Dong-Won I seriously melted *sigh* if only I can put that shot in here, I couldn't take a screenshot because it won't let me so I guess you just have to watch the movie yourself. And by all that I meant Kang Dong-Won is sexy in this movie XD oh yeah...

Super Rookie

Also known as 신입사원 and New Employee, the first time I saw an episode of this series is when I went to Hong Kong and being unable to understand Cantonese I did not take the series very seriously. I finally revisited this series when I stumbled onto it on the world wide web. The other reason why I wanted to watch this series is because of Eric Mun from Shinhwa (a Korean singing group), and no not because I like him from the band, I just know that he was starring as the main male lead in Super Rookie. So when I had my semi-break period in between end of Autumn and Winter semesters I watched it.

Synopsis: Kang Ho is a 30-year-old man without any job. He rarely holds onto any job and often skip from one job to another for scraps of money. One day due to a high-school friend's reunion he was utterly humiliated for being unemployed among all the high-earning buddies (along with a friend of his), he decided he would take a chance in applying for a job at LK Corporation (a supposed biggest and most prestigious company in Korea) with this friend. Through a computer error and luck he was employed by the company even though he has the wrong qualifications. The series go through his trial and tribulation of making it into the big corporate world with his wit, luck and sheer determination. The series delves deeper into the other characters' difficulties as well, we have Bong-Sam who is a successful LK employee who came from a sad background but ruthless in his way of working, Mi-Ok who is always tormented by her boss, Sung-Tae who graduated from the prestigious Seoul University but still unable to find work, even Kang-Ho's dad who is unemployed and always get oppressed by his wife (Kang-Ho's mom) and Kang-Ho himself.

Casts: Eric Mun as Kang Ho, Han Ga-In as Lee Mi-Ok, Oh Ji-Ho as Park Bong-Sam and Lee So-Yeon as Soo Hyun-Ah.

Review: What can I say? I am in love with this drama, it doesn't have the too much cluttered feeling and excessive use of flashback, which Korean dramas seem to have most of the time (well at least the ones that I watched anyways). It also speaks on so many level regarding trying to make it into a large corporation solely on your ability and experience not qualifications, it might not speak too much about western countries but it does reflect a lot on Asian countries. Not only that the series delves deeper into the different difficulties people have to deal with regarding employment, social humiliations, oppression and life itself. The series speaks to many different levels of dynamics and societies, insights into these people were also done on a personal level, allowing us the viewers to understand each characters, not just Kang-Ho's trial and tribulations. On another note, Eric Mun in this series is just adorable as the slightly cocky, innocent and brave man trying to find his way into the world. Even though his character is always comical he doesn't give out the feeling that it was too overdone and exaggerated. The plot was always a surprise and edited very well, each episode wasn't left hanging too much but it always makes you beg for more (as in my case). I enjoy this series tremendously and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys feel-good dramas.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Post Script: I just absolutely fell in love with Eric Mun now, he's adorable XD



Post Post Script: There's also a sequel to this called Super Rookie: Secret Agent. Though I'm not too sure on the details since the pictures don't really appeal to me. Apparently it's based around the same concept of the character landing a prestigious job as a high-class secret agent through error in the employing process (correct me if I'm wrong, I wasn't too sure) and Eric Mun also comes back as the lead character, the story is completely different to the prequel, the sequel is based upon the same concept as the prequel but the story and characters are completely different. Also in this drama Eric Mun will be donning cropped hair because of the requirements of the character. (boohoo he cut off his gorgeous long locks TT__TT)

A look-alike?!?

This actually won't be a review post but rather an oddity that I somehow discovered while watching one drama and found something quite interesting that somehow reflects on another drama. I have to say I'm writing this when I'm barely awake and my intellectual level is at crisis level. Anyways, getting straight to the matter, I'm currently watching a Taiwanese drama called Smiling Pasta and somehow the lead male character, He Qun aka Nicholas Teo reminds me of the drama Full House's lead, Bi. AND to make matters even more interesting someone said that Smiling Pasta is very similar to Full House. Also I can't help but smile that another similarity that is almost disturbing to me is that Nicholas Teo and Bi looks very similar!!! If you don't believe me look at their photos below. I deliberately pick photos that have them donning similar hair styles and err... styles so you will see what I mean.

SEE WHAT I MEAN?!? Don't they look surprisingly similar?!? (btw if you still don't know who's who, the top one is Bi aka Rain while the bottom one is Nicholas Teo)

Anyway I just thought I might point out this one bit of suspicion. Hehe and just to think that there's always another person that almost look like us somewhere out there *shiver*.

And so this is it for now. I shall go on with the reviews sometime later coz right now I'm enjoying my time too much :) and busy with uni of course... Drama is just another form of escapism as one friend put it, and it's just another form of denying the fact that we got projects and exams due in the upcoming weeks I add :)

My Sassy Girl

Or otherwise called 엽기적인 그녀 in Korean literally meaning That Bizarre Girl. I have been wanting to watch this movie for sometime but never had the chance to due to my forgetfulness. So in the 2 days that my brain stopped functioning I decided to labour all my will into watching Kdramas for the entire 2 days or I will go insane from the neverend work piling up. Besides from the useless rant I can only say I regretted not watching this movie earlier considering it was released in 2001.

Synopsis: The story is often told in first person by Gyeon Woo, a pathetic college student. It tells the story of the relationship (often violent but funny as!) between Gyeon Woo and the Girl (her name is never revealed throughout the movie). It tells the story into 2 parts of the movie. I guess the only way to describe the movie is to actually just watch it because most of the part consisted of how the met, and how their relationship developed through, often, strange occurences.

Casts: Chae Tae-Hyun, Jun Ji-Hyun

Review: I love this movie! The interaction between the characters are honest and the Girl is just well... cool! I just thought they have one of the most unusual relationship I have ever seen. But the movie is not all about humour and comedy of a relationship but also trying to go through different types of hurdles such as family and uncertainties. Overall, I think this was a great movie and I enjoyed it tremendously, it has a very honest sense of humour and the selfishness of the Girl really doesn't seem so bad but rather funny. I would definitely recommend this. But there was a bit of editorial problems that maybe might have occured just on my version of the movie but understandable regardless.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Additional Information: I never knew this but apparently it was inspired by a true story written on the net by a guy. And also they will be making a western remake of the movie (of which I don't think would succeed as much as the Korean one maybe because of cultural differences but who knows...). Also for more info I found several infos on Wiki so check it out if you want to.

The King and The Clown

One of the best movie I have ever seen. I may not be Korean nor speak the language but the effort that has been poured into the movie is just amazing. The casts are brilliant! It was rather controversial when it was premiered in Korea for its hint into homosexuality, but nonetheless it went on to become box office hit with 1/4 of the population went on into watching it (courtesy: seoulstyle.com)

Synopsis: taken from seoulstyle.com because I'm not particularly familiar with the historical periods of Korea,

"The King and the Clown takes place in the Joseon Dynasty, like so many other generic Korean dramas, but the plot has a very original spin. The story centers on a band of impoverished traveling entertainers. The two main characters Jang-Saeng and Gong-il are lovers. The fact that they are both men should be shocking to Koreans, but Gong-il played by actor Lee Jun-ki is looks so much like a girl; you almost want to believe that he’s female. It’s obvious the two have an amazing bond as they really look out for each other. They decide to go to Hanyang (now Seoul) where they can put on a bigger and better show. There, they find other talented minstrels to join their act.

In order to draw a crowd and make more money, Jang-Seang, the default leader of the troupe, decides to stage a show mocking the King and his favorite concubine Nok-Su. One of the King’s officials gets wind of the show and has the troupe arrested for treason. The official agrees to let them perform for the King with the agreement that if the King enjoys the show, their lives are spared. In fact, the true motive the official has in taking the troupe to the palace is to expose the corruption plaguing the King’s regime.

Enter the tyrannical King who is brilliantly played by actor Jung Jin-Young (This character is based on a real-life king). The king becomes psychologically marred as a result of a childhood trauma when his mother was forced to commit suicide by the royal family. As a grown man, he exhibits the unstable caprices of a spoiled and profoundly wounded boy. However, after seeing the clowns perform, instead of being insulted, the King is so amused that he decides to invite the troupe to become court jesters in the palace. In fact, is seems as if the king himself is a frustrated theater actor who unfortunately just happened to be born into a royal bloodline. Eventually, the King becomes enamored with Gong-il’s talent and androgynous beauty, and this infuriates Jang-Saeng, Nok-su and the ministers."

Casts: Lee Jun-ki, Kam Woo-seong, Jeong Jin-Young

Review: Brilliant! Without the slightest doubt one of my most favourite movie I have ever seen foreign or not! Considering that none of the lead actors are big name actors the movie is very impressive and the actors are just amazing to watch. Whether you are conservative or not towards the matter of homosexuality I think the movie does not hover around the theme too much but rather the storyline. It is a heartfelt movie full of emotions and an amazing plot that does not drag around. I love it without a doubt!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Additional Information: for more information or if you are interested in another review as well as additional information click at [link]

Seducing Mr. Perfect (aka Seducing Mr. Robin)

Do not ask me why there are two titles to the same movie. This was probably one of the very first movie debut for Daniel Henney, one of the most gorgeous Korean (half-Korean that is) man I have ever laid eyes on :)

Synopsis: Min-Joon is a believer of true love, whilst Robin Heiden believes it is a game of power. One fine day Min-Joon bumped her car onto Robin's. Robin insisted (through english) on getting compensations for the damage, assuming Robin knows no korean Min-Joon rude-mouthed to her horror the newly transferred manager of her company, who understands korean though have difficulties in speaking the language. Robin decided to make Min-Joon his assistant because of the incident and thus friendship develops, though at this point Min-Joon is still in love with her boyfriend and cannot let him go even when she saw him with another woman. Desperate to correct her 'faults' she decided to seek love advice from Robin. And I will stop there.

Casts: Uhm Jung-Hwa, Daniel Henney

Review: I cannot say this was one of the best movie I have ever seen, nor can I say it was too bad to be seen. Of course with the slightly cliched storyline doesn't help either to convince me to give it a good rating. I can only say that it is an OK movie. Daniel Henney didn't give out a bad performance he was rather believable as the suave, charming foreign manager, his voice just makes you swoon at times, he has such a rich baritone (if you understand what I mean, I'm not exactly music terminologically savvy). He also took part in an MV with Alex from Clazziquai, with a feature with Uhm Jung-Hwa. One thing that I love about this movie are the songs, it has a jazzy quality to them with great singers, I'd love to find the OST but unfortunately couldn't *sigh* o well maybe next time.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Below is the MV where Daniel sang Kissing Me.

200 Pounds Beauty

One of the most exhiliratingly funny at times and humiliatingly real movie. Truthfully I'm a sucker for all rags to riches themed storylines, but not on how a poor person suddenly become rich, just someone who is emotionally lost found their place to be. And this can be considered as one of those movies.

Synopsis: It's a Korean movie revolving around Kang Hanna, an (artifical-looking) obese young woman who has an amazing voice and found herself a job as a singer, in voice only. She became the singing voice of Ammy, a popular korean singer that found fame through Hanna's amazing voice. Hanna is an honest, warm-hearted although naive girl who fall in love with Ammy's (and consequently Hanna's) music producer, Sang-Jun, but one day she was humiliated by Ammy on Sang-Jun's birthday. (a part of the synopsis is stopped here due to my fear of spoiling the plot) And thus Hanna's determination to get a plastic surgery makeover. And thus the new person, Jenny was born. Through the makeover she learnt of what she gained and lost, she experienced inexpressible joy and indescribable pain. The movie follows one big-hearted girl's emotional journey through the fear, joy and pain of gaining a new physical body and yet her inability to lie to herself on who she truly is.

Casts: Kim Ah-Joong, Joo Jin-Mo

Review: As I have said up there *points up* I quite like this movie, I squirm with delight when Hanna was being Hanna and hide in embarassment when things started to go wrong for her. The light-heartedness of the movie came with modest humility through the casts, especially Kim Ah-Joong's performance, she was a delight to watch, and her singing voice was just amazing to listen to (check out her MV for Maria, notice the voice). Somehow I have a feeling I was cheated from the movie because I didn't recognise some scenes in the MV, they must've edited it or something. But besides that it is a feel good movie that you should watch when the rain's pouring outside with a warm hot cocoa sitting on a huge sofa :)

Rating: 4/5 stars

And below is the MV just for your convenience.



Enjoy!