Korean Movies: November 2009

Saturday, November 28, 2009

You Are My Sunshine: He's Not So Happy When Skies Are Gray

Don't get me wrong. I'd love it if every prostitute met the man of her dreams and left the biz for a better life. But the "lovable whore" -- not to mention the "gentleman john" -- is a fantasy that rattles me. Can there really be a happily ever after for a hooker and her customer? I can't help but predict disaster. From the looks of You Are My Sunshine, director-writer Park Jin-pyo basically agress. Here, the woman-in-question is sweet, young cynic Eun-ha (Jeon Do-yeon) who wears H&M dresses and delivers coffee (with blow jobs) when she isn't being courted by country bumpkin Seok-joong (Hwang Jeong-min). Eventually, the two pair up for wedded bliss only to find their love knot untangled by the return of her other husband and a frightful diagnosis of AIDS. Before you know it, Eun-ha is back to turning tricks and Seok-joong is in a tailspin that even his well-meaning mother (Na Mun-hee) can't set right. When Eun-ha ends up the Typhoid Mary of HIV, one farming family's tragedy becomes the stuff of tabloid fodder. (There's a great scene in which a photojournalist instructs the grieving Seok-joong to walk away with his shoulders slumped to look sad.) A weepie if there ever was one, You Are My Sunshine nevertheless ends optimistically. These two renew your faith in eternal vows.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

My Mighty Princess: She's Even Cuter When She's Kicking Your Butt

A martial arts teen romantic comedy with a dash of evil sorcery? Yes, that's right. Kwak Jae-young's My Mighty Princess is just the mash-up that you've been waiting for. But boy, is it complicated. So-hwi (Shin Min-a) wants to hook up with cutie Jun-mo (Yu Geon) from the school hockey team but she's constantly distracted by a family legacy which involves recapturing The Green Destiny Sword and mastering The Lightning Stroke technique perfected by her mother, now dead. She's also got stiff competition for her man by way of a no-nonsense lady cop who her prospective boyfriend is obsessed with. And then there's that pretty-boy childhood friend (On Ju-wan) who says he loves So-hwi but is really more enamored of getting a Kawasaki motorcycle. Will she ever be able to get a kiss from the dude with a mother complex? Will she stop being a brat long enough to learn the sword fighting skills dictated by her dying mother to her telepathic dad? One of the pleasures of My Mighty Princess is how the story keeps incorporating more and complications without ever letting them slow the momentum. Another is Shin's performance which is effortless adorableness even after she's drawn on a mustache to fight incognito to save her man.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Jawaban quis 4

Ini dia jawaban quis 4

Soal no 1

Artis no 1 : Jung Da Bin

Artis no 2 : Lee Eun Joo

Artis no 3 : Choi Jin Sil

Soal no 2

Picture 1 : A moment to remember

Picture 2 : Thank You

Picture 3 : Hello Schoolgirl

Picture 4 : Snow Queen

Soal no 3 :

A. Artis Korea Yang namanya berawalan KIM, serta judul movie/serial yang dibintangi
1. Kim Rae Won, Serial drama korea : Gourment
2. Kim Kap-soo, Serial drama korea: The World Within
3. Kim Ah Joong, Serial drama korea: That Fool
4. Kim Bum, Serial drama korea : Dream
5. Ki, Ha-neul, korea movie : My Girlfriend is an Agent
6. Kim Hee Sun, serial drama korea: Smile Again
7. Kim Hyun Joo, serial drama korea : Partner
8. Kim Hyun Joong, serial drama korea : Boys Before Flowers
9. Kim Jeong Hoon, serial drama korea : Goong/Princess Hours
10. Kim Min Jong, serial drama korea : The Return of Iljimae
11. Kim Seon-ah, serial drama korea : The City Hall, My Name is Kim Sam-soon
12. Kim Sung Soo, serial drama korea : My Precious Child
13. Kim Tae-hee, serial drama korea : Love Story in Harvard
14. Kim Shin Ah, korea movie : Legendary Libido
15. Kim Ki-beom, korea movie : Attack on the pin-up boys
16. Kim Nam-jin, serial drama korea : Ice Girl
17. Kim Da-hyeon, serial drama korea : Biscuit Teacher And Star Candy
18. Kim Dong-uk, serial drama korea : Coffee Prince
19. Kim Jae-won, serial drama korea : Hwangjini
20. Kim Jeong-eun, serial drama korea : Lovers in Paris
21. Kim Jeong-hwa, korea movie : Spy Girl
22. Kim Ji-hoon, serial drama korea : Why Did You Come to My House?
23. Kim Ji-seok, serial drama korea : The Man of the Vineyard

B. Artis Korea Yang namanya berawalan LEE, serta judul movie/serial yang dibintangi
1. Lee Bo Young, serial drama korea : Queen of the Game
2. Lee Byeong-Heon, korea movie : The Good, the Bad, the Weird
3. Lee Da Hae, serial drama korea : My Girl
4. Lee Dong Gun, serial drama korea : Smile Again
5. Lee Eon, serial drama korea : Coffee Prince
6. Lee Eun Joo, serial drama korea: The Fire Bird
7. Lee Ji Hoon, serial drama korea : Billie Jean, Look at Me
8. Lee Jung Jae, serial drama korea : Triple
9. Lee Jin Wook, serial drama korea : Powerful Opponents
10. Lee Jun Ki, serial drama korea : Iljimae, Time Between Dog And Wolf
11. Lee Min Ho, serial drama korea : Boys Before Flowers
12. Lee Seung Gi, serial drama korea : Brilliant Legacy/Shinning Inheritance
13. Lee Wan, serial drama korea : Swallow the Sun
14. Lee Yeon Hee, korea movie : Hello Schoolgirl
15. Lee Yo Won, serial drama korea : Queen Seon Duk
16. Lee Young-ae, serial drama korea : Dae Jang Geum
17. Lee Min Ki, korea movie : Haeundae
18. Lee Min-jeong, serial drama korea : Boys Before Flowers
19. Lee Soo-kyeong, serial drama korea : Loving You a Thousand Times
20. Lee Ki-woo, serial drama korea : Star’s Lover
21. Lee Dong-wook, serial drama korea : Partner
22. Lee Yoon-ji, serial drama korea : Stay By Me
23. Lee Seon-gyun, serial drama korea : Triple
24. Lee Ji-ah, serial drama korea : Beethoven Virus

Dan masih banyak lagi....

Terima kasih atas partisipasinya ya..............

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Happiness (Movie-2007)

Directed by

Heo Jin-ho

Produced by

Jo Sung-woo (executive producer)

Kang Bong-rae

Eugene Lee

Written by

Heo Jin-ho

Lee Suk-yeon

Seo You-min

Shin Joo-ho

Starring

Hwang Jung-min

Im Su-jeong

Music by

Jo Sung-woo

Editing by

Choi Jae-geun

Running time

124 min.

* Hwang Jung-min as Yeong-su

* Im Su-jeong as Eun-hye

Yeong su adalah seorang lelaki yang hobynya bersenang-senang di club dan minum (maksudnya minum bir, soju, arak, dan lainnya). Apalagi setelah ia putus dari pacarnya Su Yeon. Ia menjadi alkoholic dan itu membuat ia terkena penyakit cukup parah. Akhirnya Yeong Su pergi ke suatu desa yang tenang. Di desa itu ada rumah perawatan bagi orang-orang yang memiliki sakit yang cukup parah.

Awalnya Yeong Su tidak bisa beradaptasi dengan lingkungan di sana. Mungkin karena ia belum terbiasa dengan kehidupan desa yang sederhana. Namun karena Eun Hye, gadis perawat di rumah itu, perlahan-lahan Yeong Su mulai bisa bergaul dengan pasien lainnya. Eun Hye adalah gadis yang ramah dan friendly. Makannya Yeong Su pun tertarik padanya. Tapi ternyata Eun Hye juga mempunyai penyakit yang cukup parah.

Seiring berjalannya waktu, hubungan Yeong Su dan Eun Hye pun berkembang seiring berjalannya waktu. Mereka menjadi sepasang kekasih dan bahkan memutuskan untuk tinggal bersama. Namun setelah sekian lama mereka tinggal bersama, Yeong Su mulai merasa jenuh dengan rutinitas yang ia jalani. Apalagi ditambah denga kedatangan mantan kekasihnya, Su Yeon, hatinya mulai tergoyah. Yeong Su akhirnya memutuskan untuk meninggalkan Eun Hye dan kembali ke kota untuk tinggal bersama Su Yeon.

Sebenernya pada awalnya aku ngerasa bosen nonton film ini. Tapi menjelang akhir mulai terasa bagus dan mengharukan. Suka banget ma aktingnya Im So Jung di film ini. Kasian, dari awal ampe akhir menderita. Tapi itulah yang bikin film ini jadi bagus. Setidaknya dia pernah ngerasain apa itu Happiness walau sebentar. Sedih.....

Sunday, November 15, 2009

White Badge: Survival Is Not Always a Reward

Americans know all about the Vietnam War. They also know something about the Korean one. Yet they probably know nothing about South Korea's role in the former, a participation that was both alongside U.S. troops and at their behest. And if Vietnam remains a haunting conflict in American consciousness, it also appears to have wreaked havoc on the Korean psyche as well. In his allegorical fright flick R-Point, director Kong Su-chang equates that war's terrors to supernatural horrors; in White Badge, Jeong Ji-yeong takes a much more naturalistic approach by exorcising those same demons in a grimly nostalgic memory piece. Grounded by a terrific performance by Ahn Sung-kee as a heavy drinking journalist reluctantly writing a novel about his experiences in Vietnam, White Badge neither shies away from the absurdities of the battlefield (the troops mistake a herd of water buffalo for the enemy) nor minimizes the psychic damage to the soldiers who survive. (Pfc. Pyon (Lee Kyeong-yeong) is a basket case unable to salvage his relationship with a prostitute who was his wartime pen pal.) Children as scavengers, bulletproof panties, the paparazzi of the frontlines... White Badge's imagery is so rich, it really does insist on repeated viewings.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

The City of Violence: A Mediocre Movie That Packs Extra Punch

More than one not-so-hot movie has been rescued by a flashy martial arts finale. Ryu Seung-wan's The City of Violence takes this approach to the extreme: Every fifteen minutes or so comes another playfully shot, precisely choreographed battle that's as visceral as it is gymnastic. There's one great free-for-all in a police station, an unrelenting rumble with an ever-growing street crowd of baseball players, break dancers, and the girls' field hockey team, and an extended fight-to-the-finish that incorporates sliding doors, hilarious hair-pulling and one suddenly fingerless hand. The connection between all this killing and the founding of a casino feels negligible at best and the villain (Lee Beom-su) is neither clever nor charismatic. But ultimately, the WHY behind each punch and kick proves irrevelant. Every time Seok-hwan (Ryu) and his buddy, the detective Tae-su (Jung Doo-hong who's also the fight choreographer), decide to exact physical revenge on behalf of their old pal Wang-jae (Ahn Kil-Kang), you're too busy admiring the roundhouse kicks and wincing at the mouthfuls of blood to worry about something as simple as character motivation. If you need more than fisticuffs, focus on the costumes and the sets which are also thoughtfully executed.

Friday, November 6, 2009

...ing (Movie - 2003)

Directed by Lee Eon-hee (이언희)
Screenplay by Kim Jin (김진)
•Drama •Romance
102min | Release date in South Korea : 2003/11/28

Kim Rae-won 김래원
Im Soo-jeong 임수정
Lee Mi-sook 이미숙

Synopsis

Min Ah adalah seorang gadis pendiam dan penyendiri, Ia terbiasa sendiri karena ia merasa berbeda dengan yang lain. Sejak kecil ia sudah mempunyai penyakit yang cukup parah sehingga ia lebih sering menjalani perawatan di rumah sakit daripada bergaul dengan teman sebayanya. Selain itu ia juga punya kelainan pada tangannya sehingga ia selalu menggunakan sarung tangan.

Teman satu-satunya Min Ah adalah Mi Sook yaitu ibunya sendiri. Ia terbiasa memanggil ibunya dengan nama Mi Sook daripada memanggilnya dengan sebutan Ibu karena dengan begitu Min Ah merasakan mempunyai teman.

Suatu hari Min Ah kedatangan tetangga baru. Tetangga itu adalah seorang photographer bernama Young Jae. Tingkah Young Jae yang gampang akrab membuat Min Ah menaruh perhatian padanya. Akhirnya hubungan mereka pun semakin dekat.

Menurutku film ini cukup bagus. Apalagi cerita tentang si ibu anak Min Ah dan Mi Sook. Kerasa banget ma deh tema familynya. Apalagi pas adegan terakhir, pas Mi Sook menggenggam tangannya Min Ah ketika di rumah sakit. Adegan saat itu di foto oleh Young Jae dan fotonya dipajang dipameran foto. Di foto tersebut terlihat tangan Min Ah yang tidak memakai sarung tangan sedang menggenggam tangan sang Ibu. Kesan dari foto tersebut tuh kerasa banget kalo ibu anak itu saling menyayangi. Bagus deh.