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Agent12358
Reviews
Cheongchun-manhwa (2006)
Not Another "My Tutor Friend"?
As my family was watching this video, my father constantly asked me, "Is this a sequel to "My Tutor Friend"?". Sure, the main two characters are played by Kwon Sang-woo and Kim Ha-neul in both movies. And I honestly don't see the difference between the characters in both movies, maybe except the fact that Kwon Sang-woo's character is much dorkier in this movie.
But, this is not another "My Tutor Friend"! The movie is about two childhood friends Ji-hwan (played by KSW) and Dal-rae (played by KHN). Typical, typical set-up. Two are obviously meant for each other, but there's the too-perfect-to-be-true boyfriend in the way. Ji-hwan is a Jackie Chan wannabe with a job-drifting father. Dal-rae wants to be an actress- but she has to get over her tremendous stage fright first. The first half of the movie was a snoozer, filled with slapstick comedy, typical plot and countless cliché situations.
Then comes the second half of the movie, which really surprised me. This movie, literally translated, is called "Teen Girl Manga" or something close to it anyway. No way did I expect all that melodrama after a first half of cheap comedy. Though it was really out of place (in my opinion, at least) this part proves to be worth sitting through 50 minutes of comedy. I have never seen Kwon Sang Woo act better. It just blew me away because all of his acting before this seemed mediocre.
The scenes with those child actors are pretty good (the kid who plays Jihwan is that kid from "Annyeoung Hyeonga", right?) and the supporting cast is great. This movie is pretty hard to swallow, though, being that the best part is the last 20 minutes or so. Otherwise, the stars don't really get a chance to shine because everything in this movie is so cliché. Another romantic comedy with a sugary happy ending. Just like "My Tutor Friend", ain't it? (starting to notice this trend in Korean movies. Whatever happened to the really sad ones?)
Great Expectations (1974)
is this really a movie for "Great Expectations"?
The story is hardly any close to what the book has. The acting is pretty dull, not interesting at all. Even Pumblechook and Jaggars (who seemed to be put in as a comical figure then a shrewed one) bored me with their performance. The only character that stuck to the book was Miss Havisham. Michael York's performance is not a good one but the way Estella, Biddy and Joe are portrayed is hardly any better. Those three characters are completely against the characters in the book- they are much older then they should be.
For those of you who might want to watch this movie instead of the book for a class, don't even bother. The plot is so far off and you miss tons of important events. You're also probably going to have much better time reading the book then watching this movie. The movie is just as tedious and wordy as the book and the plot is way off.
Yeopgijeogin geunyeo (2001)
Enjoy a Date with the Sassy Girl...
This movie exceeded my expectations. It was the first work of Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-Hyun that I saw and I was impressed. I've only seen Cha Tae-Hyun a handful of times and he did not make much of an impression. Jun Ji-hyun, however, gave me an idea of "a pretty girl who can't act" through all the commercials she did. HOWEVER, both the actors in this movie and the plot surprised me because they dared to be "sassy" The only thing I was really disappointed with was the ending. I heard that this was a REAL account of some guy who posted it on internet. I was disappointed to find that the ending didn't follow the truth. In that way, I guess, I can compare it to how disappointed I was with the revised ending of "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. I always find that the original story is better- that not everything has to be a fantastic fairytale that ends with a happily ever after... or even a gloomy story that ends with someone dying...
Welkkeom tu Dongmakgol (2005)
Simply Brilliant
I thought that this film would be another one of those feel-good touchy storyline that seems to be dominating Korean movies lately. But the way that this movie displayed the story in a simple manner, not overdoing too much war story but not completely overriding it with the human story, impressed me.
The year is 1950 and the Korean War is at its climax. An American pilot lands near a small, isolated village, located in the mountains. Meanwhile, a troop of North Korean soldiers are attacked and only 3 live to trudge through the harsh mountains. A South Korean soldier who ran away from his troop meets another soldier in same position. These soldiers meet together in a small village called "Dongmakgol" where innocent and very old-fashioned villagers are surprised to hear that there's been a war going on.
I loved seeing the scenes where the audience gets to know the good side of characters who seem harsh on the outside. This movie has some great acting. The scenes are not only touching, they have some amount of dry Korean humor as well. I laughed and cried.
The one thing I can specifically point out as a fault in this movie was the portrayal of Americans or the Allies troops. The dialogue wasn't so bad, considering it was made in Korea. I've heard a lot worse. But the Allies had a typical one-dimensional feel and I was disappointed to find that they were viewed in such a way. It only showed what some Koreans like to call a "kojeng-eeh" image. The movie explained why they had to take certain actions, but I still felt it was something that could have been improved.
Jeni, Juno (2005)
Unbelievably Funny, But Serious
As a Korean-American, I was surprised that this movie did so good at the Box Office. Movies there rarely deal with teenagers and sex. However, this movie deals with teenage pregnancy and shows teenagers in a responsible light.
The story seems a little unbelievable. How the young teenage girl Jeni dealt with the pregnancy is unbelievable. How did she deal with the morning sicknesses and the pressure of having to attend school and hide her pregnancy for nearly 5 months? She curiously stares at her stretch marks while full-grown woman are sometimes horrified by their appearance. And how did a couple of 15 year old manage to hide the pregnancy without anyone noticing anything unusual for such a long time? But yet, Jeni and Juno's efforts to keep the baby and their relationship from falling apart is so sweet and innocent. This movie respects teenagers and their seriousness about things like love, while many movies portray teenage love as a fickle puppy love. Their little "wedding" at the end is sweet too.
I was kind of disappointed at the ending because it seemed so unreal- Their parents take care of the baby while they go to school? It wasn't believable at all. But keep in mind that while this movie tries to speak to teen about dealing maturely with sex, it's also a funny comedy piece at the same time.