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best korean romantic films

May 22, 2009 – 11:28 p05 Posted in asian love movie, best korean movie, korean movie, korean romance movie Tagged 100 days with mr arrogant, 2 faces of my girlfriend, 200 pounds beauty, 26

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woong, unstoppable marriage, welcome to dongmakgol, white valentine, windstruck, you're my pet, you're my pet korean movie 2011

Blame my long running inability to like someone, because it caused me to get hooked to this romance videos. This hobby of mine is making me believe that somewhere out there “he” is living, too lazy to look for me… *giggles So for my friends whose hearts are broken, wants to be broken, and pretending to be broken, these are romantic pills that can entertain you and keep your thoughts away…

I still have a handful to watch and review. I’m into romance genre if you will notice. I prefer feel good romance movies, so don’t look for historical or overly hyped films here.

For the ratings there is a page on my blog for that.  ^_^

Initially this is just a page for Korean romantic films, but I’ve added some films that are not really romantic so that you can check whether to watch it or not.

I have included long recaps and short movie summaries for your reference, you can also see it all in my Korean Movie Recap Page.

*wink and 3 hearts - for my personal favorites.

 

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♥ My Sassy girl (2001) - If you haven’t watched this movie, then you haven’t watched a really good romance movie.  Needless to say, this is one of my favorite love films. Captivating, vibrant and worth watching…  A perfect date movie… A girl who has some past love issues was saved by a cheerful young man when she almost got caught by a train.  Fate played with them and the boy slowly became fond of her and decided that he would heal whatever that pain she has.  If I can marry someone like Gyeon-woo, I’ll be damn happy.  *wink ♥♥♥

 MY SASSY GIRL MOVIE RECAP

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♥ Il Mare (2000) - Hollywood made a remake of this movie (The Lake house) but still I prefer how Koreans did it. A man and a woman engaged in a romance as they exchanged love letters and leaving it inside a mail box.  Time element executed perfectly. Addictive love story… Deeply touching and moving… *wink ♥♥♥

IL MARE MOVIE RECAP

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♥ Daddy Long Legs (2005) - Ha Ji Won played a role of a radio scriptwriter who was always dreaming of meeting the guy who helped her pay her tuition in college. She accidentally bumped into emails that tells about a girl’s long time admiration over a guy. She finally had a chance to meet her daddy-long-legs and there she learned that it was his younger brother who asked him to do all the things for her. She also learned that it was her daddy-long -legs who wrote those emails, however he switched his gender when he was writing the emails. Daddy-long-legs lost all his memories including that of the girl’s because he was dying and he asked his brother to make the girl happy once he lost his memory. You’ll never get tired of watching it. Amazingly sweet and mesmerizing. *wink ♥♥♥

DADDY LONG LEGS MOVIE RECAP

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♥ My Little Bride (2004) - An ordinary high school girl who worries about grades and has a crush on her school’s baseball team ace was forced to marry a guy out of her grandfather’s wish. Her being young and the hidden marriage made this movie so charming. Dandy, cheerful, playful… will let you remember that feel you have on the first person you ever had a crush on. ^_^

MY LITTLE BRIDE MOVIE RECAP

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♥ Daisy (2006) - I like how Jun Ji Hyun reinvents herself as an actress, that’s why I love all her films.  Set in Netherlands, Ji Hyun played the role of a street painter that will become the love interest of a secret service agent and a professional hitman… Thrilling, lingering, and romantic elements were put in splendidly… *wink ♥♥♥

DAISY MOVIE RECAP

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♥ Humming (2008) - This is good for those who are in current a long-running relationship. The lead actor was quite tired of the relationship with her gf. He was about to leave for Alaska to avoid her, but she met an accident and fell into a coma. He starts remembering the relationship he had with her. Will he discover the love he has never realized? Passionate, a bit tear jerker with a twist that you may or may not like…

♥ The Classic (2003) - Very nice, enthralling, amazingly unsurpassed romance… I can’t find words to dislike this movie, so just watch it. This is a love story that you will tell your grandchildren rather than “Romeo and Juliet”. 

A young woman accidentally bumped on her mother’s love story and she got deeply engaged with it.  The parallelism was well portrayed and there was just so much love in the air.*wink ♥♥♥

THE CLASSIC MOVIE RECAP

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♥ My BF is Type B (2005) - Nice girl meets a temperamental guy. Go figure what it would be like… Girls always fall for bad guys and you’ll know why. Lively, witty and mesmerizing… A sweet love that turns sweeter at every scene.  ^_^

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♥ Heartbreak Library (2008) - Not really a romance movie for the lead actors… More of feeling the pain of someone who lost his love. A different kind of love story you should not fail to check out. Strikingly fresh and very charming. ^_^

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♥ My Wife Got Married (2008) - I was really amused at this movie. Son Ye Jin was a player who hates marriage until she met a guy who showed her that it’s possible to enjoy being committed. Then she kinda like the idea of marriage so she asked her husband if she can marry another guy and there goes a kind of marriage you won’t think would happen in real life… So playful and mischievously flirty. *wink ♥♥♥

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♥ A Millionaire’s First Love (2006) - Hyun Bin was a millionaire’s heir but in order for him to have his fortune, his dead granny forced him to finish High School in the suburb. There he discovered the past that he erased in his mind, and the truth that money can’t save the life of the girl he loves.  Passionate and bewitching. ^_^

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♥ Windstruck (2004) - They said it was a sort of like the prequel to My Sassy Girl, but I say otherwise. Unconventional storyline, wondrous but will make you cry in the end.  ^_^

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♥ My Tutor Friend 1 (2003) - lazy school boy meets the tutor he would never dream to have. Sweet bickering and a proof that people can accidentally be in love.  Breezy and Fascinating.

 

♥ My Tutor Friend 2 (2006) – A touching story of two completely different students from two completely different worlds who fell in love with each other. Bright, exuberant and charming. ^_^

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♥ 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (2004) - After dumping her boyfriend just before their 100 day anniversary, she met a college guy when she accidentally kicks a can that hit him in the face and caused him to scratch his Lexus. He demanded she paid him $3000 on the spot and wrote up an “Enslavement Agreement” for her in order to pay for the damage to his car.   She got into a nightmarish slave life for 100 days, cleaning his house, running his errands, doing his homework and cleaning his car. Ooops.. I almost told the whole story… Upbeat, enchanting and one of my favorites. *wink ♥♥♥

100 DAYS WITH MR. ARROGANT

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♥ He was Cool (2004) - A cheerful high school student clumsily left a message on the school website to reply to the school bully’s post. She was then stalked by the school bully and while trying to evade him she accidentally kissed him after she jumped in the school’s back wall. Bouncing, breezy and gorgeous.

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♥ Romance of their own/A Wolf’s temptation (2004)-  Two hot guys fought for a sweet naive, girl.  (I swear you would want to trade places with the girl on this movie.)  The twist of the story is quite surprising, and I’m warning you that you might cry.  Tender, passionate and love-affirming. *wink ♥♥♥

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♥ My Girl and I (2005) - A heartwarming story about true love and happiness.  A guy returned to his hometown after ten years to attend a reunion with his high school friends. In his return, he also remembered the sad story of his one great love. Nostalgic and will crawl in your emotions.

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♥ Unstoppable Marriage (2007) - Sweet and easy-going girl who grew up in a normal middle-class household with a strict and traditional father met willful plastic surgeon who was born into a wealthy family, and has the ego to match his income. Their two worlds collide quite literally when they met through a paragliding accident. It’s a classic case of opposites attract as they fight, falter, and fall in love, but their incompatible families are determined to break them apart.  Fancy and Fun.

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♥ Seducing Mr. Perfect (2006) – The lead girl was a believer in true love and always very dedicated to her current boyfriend.  However, men always break up with her. Distracted by the latest break-up, she bumped into a car and a man stepped out of it - He turned out to be her new boss. He has very clear ideas about a relationship and love: both are a game of power and she sought advice from him, as she doesn’t want to get dumped again.  Alluring, seductive, sexy and playful.

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♥ Jenny and Juno (2005) - The plot centered on the relationship of a 15-year-old couple, Jenny and Juno who met in school and fell in love. When Jenny discovered that she was pregnant, she and Juno decided against having an abortion, opted for parenthood instead. They tried to conceal the pregnancy from their families for as long as possible, but the truth was revealed eventually, and their parents do not approve.  Pleasant and heartwarming.

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♥ Speedy Scandal (2008) - I loved Cha Tae Hyun in My Sassy Girl, and he made me fall for him again in this movie. It’s a great watch with your family or friends. Nice humor, storyline and a really feel good movie. Gladdening, vivacious and upbeat.  Cha Tae Hyun works as a local radio celebrity who is sort of a player.  His world was moved when a young girl claimed to be her long lost daughter along with her son.  An instant-father-and-a-young-grandfather, this family will make your movie time so worthwhile.*wink ♥♥♥

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♥ She’s On Duty (2005) - Gong Yoo and Kim Sun Ah were secret agents who played a role of High Schoolers for their police mission. Perky, funny and not tiring to watch.  Great chemistry between the lead actors. ^_^

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♥ My Girlfriend is An Agent (2007) - Kim Ha Neul always brings something new from her sleeves. Sexy, charming and enjoyable to glued at.  And Kang Ji Hwan, you are so hot, we really need to hang out sometime.  ^_^

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♥ Someone Special (2004) - This is REALLY a nice watch… the movie you will force that special someone to watch with you before you decide to tie the knot… *giggles very witty, heartwarming, extraordinarily sweet, comfy and appealing… *wink ♥♥♥

SOMEONE SPECIAL MOVIE RECAP

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♥ Baby and I (2008) - Jang Geun Suk played the role of a young High School student from a well-off family who loves to brawl and a typical mischief maker.  His mischievous life will stop when he got a surprise basket of a baby with a note suggesting that he’s the father.  From there he started his young father adventure trying to give the best life he can provide for his instant son.

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♥ Doremifasolasido (2008) – an engaging, nostalgic and heart-tugging teen movie about a girl who fell in love with the guy who was first mean to him.  They slowly began to fall in love, but a person from the girl’s past who was also connected to her boyfriend will force them to choose between love and friendship. ^_^

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♥ Antique Bakery (2008) - Lively characters, new, fascinating and stimulating. You’ll love how this movie will capture you.  Joo Ji Hoon played the role of a bakery owner who was once abducted when he was a child.  The trauma from his childhood and his unique bakery made this film worth skipping your Sunday nap time.

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♥ A Moment To Remember (2004) - A couple striving to keep up their relationship against the struggle with the wife’s Alzheimer’s disease… A love story of a devoted husband who stayed with her wife even when she was slowly forgetting that he happened in her life.. Poignant, deeply moving, and I cried buckets of tears here. *wink ♥♥♥

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER MOVIE RECAP

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♥ The Beast and the Beauty (2005) - Enticing and pleasing, with a lead actor you can’t help but be fond of.  A not so handsome guy created a different look of him to her blind gf, when the girl was able to see again, he will struggle to fight for his one true love.

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♥ Babo (2008) - Classic Cha Tae Hyun, he doesn’t fail to amuse me.  Ha Ji Won was at her usual best… A story of a mentally challenged man whose optimism in life will move you to tears… Full of love and so heartwarming. *wink ♥♥♥

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♥ Almost Love (2006) - A typical love story of two people who overlooked how they felt toward each other because of the fear that it may just complicate their friendship.  Bubbly, Amusing and gripping…

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♥ Perfect Couple (2007) - I love Lee Dong Wook, that’s why I watched all his projects.  It’s a love story set behind police curtains and eccentric phobia, but the characters were fun and I just convinced myself I have to finish it. At some point I didn’t get entertained, but the characters were fun. Fast moving and free spirited.

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♥ Changing Partners (2007) -  A quadrangle romance of misplaced love… With that one-liner who wouldn’t try to sneak a peek on it?  Sexy, Seductive and Surprising, but lacking substance and story.

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♥ Too Beautiful To Lie (2004) - This is one of my Kim Ha Neul’s favorite portrayal.  Here she played the role of a woman with an excellent deceiving ability who was imprisoned but was able to get a parole to attend her sister’s wedding. 

But cupid played with her and a province guy and they settled to a false relationship arrangement. Light and breezy. Comic cast, will surely grow in your hearts.  ^_^

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♥ Marrying a School Girl (2004) - weird storyline, actually I really can’t say if I enjoyed it or not, but I can remember the story so at least, the movie made an impact on me.  A novelty, quite amusing, sporadic kind of love tale.

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♥ Ride Away (2008) -  Slow moving in the beginning but I was affected in the end.  A relationship surrounded by dreams, being hopeful, and always not failing to trust in love.

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♥ My Mighty Princess (2008) - Fun, exciting and entertaining.   A quirky martial-arts-with-supernatural-spike-love-story that will capture you in so many ways.

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♥ The Art of Seduction (2005) - Amusing, playful, and refreshing… a mischievous tale of seducer and seductress who got eventually a dose of their own medicines…

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♥ Frozen Flower (2008) – I didn’t know what it was before I watched it, but because I’m midway on the movie when I realized that the sex scenes are overly done, I just ended up finishing it. Nevertheless, less the sex scenes, if you’ll look at the love story itself, it’s realistic and appealing…

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♥ Lover’s Concerto (2002) - Stellar acting and a gorgeously written script…  A deeply immersing love story…  Tied with friendship, secret adoration and almost love, this is a little charmer that will fill you up with rose petals. *wink ♥♥♥

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♥ Love so Divine (2004) - This is my favorite Kwon Sang Wo’s movie.  A seminarian meets a charming girl who will let him choose between God and love… It’s like the feeling of eating your comfort food after a very stressful week. Mesmerizing and sweet…

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♥ Hello Schoolgirl (2008) - Reminiscent of a May-December love affair.  Extraordinarily sweet and arresting… plenty of love vibes and heart flutters… ^_^

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♥ Naked Kitchen (2009) - I’m really a fan of movies that are beyond the box, so that’s maybe why I like this film. A dangerous love triangle filled with excitement, addictive attachment and somewhat bliss… gripping and worth your time…

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♥ 2 Faces of my girlfriend (2007) – falling in love with a person with on-off character… stunningly funny and playful… nicely done and never a dull moment. ^_^

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♥Love Impossible aka Love of North and South (2003) - A love story blossomed between a North and South Korean… will it work out?  It’s not really a movie that will leave an impression, but it’s not boring either. Average, but quite interesting.

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♥ Romantic Island  (2008) – I watched it because I got curious that it was shot in my country. Very typical, will sometimes let you feel the emotions, but over all something that will just pass by to your movie veins.

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♥ White Valentine (1999) - I almost fell in it, but when it ended I was talking to the dvd player to tell me if it’s really the end. I was left there between the limbo, absorbing what happened and convincing myself that if there was any consolation it was a Jun Ji Hyun movie.

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♥ Madeline (2002) - Realistic and strangely touching… The couple played their characters so well.  My favorite Shin Min Ah project. Emotion filled and absorbing. ^_^

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♥ Spy Girl (2004) – Predictable, light, sometimes amusing… sometimes annoying.  If not for Gong Yoo, I would have not stayed afloat.  A North Korean spy got involved in a romance she can’t have.

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♥ Doremifasolasido – a nice teen movie. a pure, heart tugging teen romance film.

♥ 200 Pounds Beauty (2006) – Brave, sunny and worth watching with your friends… A voice talent who has weight challenges worked hard to lose weight.  She became prettier and avenged her broken heart.  A love story full of courage and never failed to hope for what love can really offer. ^_^

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♥Insadong Scandal (2009) – It explored the world of Korean art forgery and treachery… A well portrayed characters and Kim Rae Won at his usual best… Entertaining, provoking, pristine storyline…

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♥ 26 Years Diary (2006) – Sad and moving with ear-pleasing music… Not extravagant but worth your time… This is a true story.  ^_^

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♥ Virgin Snow (2007) – Nicely done depiction of the feeling of falling in love for the first time.   Great chemistry between the lead couple… A Korean boy fell for a Japanese girl even with their language barrier.  The blossoming love was cut short though because of some misunderstandings.

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♥ ..ing (2003) -  A young woman secluded herself to her own world because of her frail body and deformed hand, but she met a photographer  who helped her step outside of her world…  Tear-jerker, but worth your time… simple, but not dragging… ^_^

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♥ Crazy First Love (2003) - Endearing, nostalgic, and a classic I’ll-be-what-you-want-me-to-be-to-prove-how-much-I-love-you love story.  It will remind us of the foolishness we all did when we first fell in love.

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♥ Now and Forever (2006) – Quite typical, at times romantic, sweet but not falling apart.  A rich young man who can easily lure girls with his hand fell in love for the first time with a cheerful but dying woman.  ^_^

 

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♥ Finding Mr. Destiny (2010) – very nice, worth your rest day if you are going to watch it.. gives that first-love-why-can’t-i-forget-you and maybe-it’s-time-to-move-on vibe… simple and captivating…”The first love doesn’t necessarily mean the first person.”  ^_^

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♥ Summer Whispers (2007) - It won’t linger, feel good when you are watching it, but you’ll forget it when you sleep… almost plain… gives that typical love-is-just-beside-you-all-along spirit..

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♥ The Warrior’s Way (2010) – Okay I’m guilty that I watched it because Jang Dong Gun is hot and because the producers were those who produced LOTR… but it didn’t give me the beat nor the depth… fight scenes are okay… but at the end of it, I would have picked a different movie…

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♥ Surprise Party (2002) - funny with a cute twist… will take a few minutes to attract you but will catch you eventually… perky characters and candidly sweet story of love and friendship..

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♥ Grand Prix (2010) - I watched it because of Kim Tae Hee, but I should have not… well it gave me a glimpse of the horse-racing world but still I don’t like how they wove the story. It’s just all over and plain, but not boring cause I was able to finish it.

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♥I’m a Cyborg but that’s okay (2006) - how do I put what I felt for this little darling… well for a change it’s something raw for me to have watched such a unique love story of intellectually challenged couple, nonetheless, it crept in my heart slowly and surely…

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♥ S-Diary (2004) - I was not familiar with Kim Sun Ah yet when i first watched this movie… I re-watched it, and I guess at my age right now, I can sort of relate… contemplating, sassy and engaging.. a charmer that will poke you as well if you are single at this moment.

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♥ The Recipe (2010) – very pretty and engaging story telling… splendid and impressive shifting of the storyline… and seriously I was also intrigued by how that stew tasted after the movie… guess I’ll try it some other time with my Korean friends… lavish love story portrayed…

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♥ Petty Romance (2010) – Okay, I like Lee Seon Kyun, but I was really stoic the whole time I was watching it.  I just felt that the romantic elements were not properly placed.  There were some playful memories but you see the premise was so catchy, and they failed unfortunately to nail it.  There was just a nudge missing, it was a very nice storyline but then again you can’t get the best of both worlds I guess.

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♥ Love Phobia (2006) - So I finally got the chance to watch this movie without interruptions.  Who wouldn’t fall for this darling?  I was so fond of the lead couples when they were children and loved them even more when they grew up.  So sweet, priceless and worth remembering.  Watched it with my mom, and she loved it.  It’s a  charmingly woven love story.. and although it will make you cry in the end, I’m pretty sure it will be one of those love movies you will highly recommend.  *wink ♥♥♥

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♥ Dasepo Naughty Girls (2006) - I watched it because of Kim Ok Bin.. It’s a novelty because it’s the first K-musical movie I saw, I don’t know if there are any other out there produced though.  Fresh, fun and flirty but it did not leave an after-effect to me.

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♥ Love me Not (2006) – Tamper the concept of love for a never-been-into-romance-blind-heiress, and feel the pain even more after doing that.  I like that it presented the dark facet of love for a change because we normally get the ever-after kind.  It depicted misplaced trust and love. 

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♥ Closer to Heaven (2009) - A perfectly portrayed and a moving story of understanding the pain that comes when loving someone and loving someone when you are in pain.  With solid acting from Kim Myung Min and Ha Ji Won, this will touch your heart and will make you cry. Quintessential yet saddening, poignant and affecting… ^_^

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♥ Maundy Thursday (2006) – A brave and painfully sweet love film in a “suppressed setting”.  It is a romance of a convicted murderer with an emotionally disturbed woman at a wrong place and time with the right intentions and love.  How life affirming this can be? ^_^

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♥ Cyrano Dating Agency (2010) -  I really love the casting for this movie, but this is really mediocre, and heaven knows I tried to connect with it but it really failed to engage me.  The only thing I will remember would be the bubble gum scenes, but as a whole it was not plain but it’s far from amazing.

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♥The Man From Nowhere “ajussi” (2010) - So I finally sat down to Korea’s top grossing film of 2010, and it blew me away.  This was a different kind of love you will see, the kind of love that sprang from almost losing hope that you can find love again.  Won Bin and the girl’s performance will stir up something inside you.  I’m very picky when it comes to action films, and I was proven wrong when I took time to munch this beauty.  Excuse me city hunter, I think I equally like you and ajusshi.  *giggles *wink ♥♥♥

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♥ Jeonwoochi (2009)-  Superb visual effects, a nice watch with your little nieces or nephew, action-packed in a Jumper-meets-inception kind of way. . Undeniably worth killing your time…

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♥ Heaven’s Postman (Postman to Heaven) 2009- a very pretty and serene love story of moving on from the pain of a broken heart.  This was a breather from the recent k-movies I got a copy of and I tried to watch.  It has a very simple storytelling but with completeness that will touch the side of your heart that was once broken, and that was able to bounce again because of not giving up to the idea of finding love.  It’s one of my favorites from the movies of 2009.  *wink ♥♥♥

 HEAVEN’S POSTMAN MOVIE RECAP

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♥ White Night (2009)- Thrilling and will get you interested and involved at every scene, although I have slight issues with the pacing.  Your multi-tasking skills will come in handy

because shifting time elements were happening throughout the story.  You will learn how dark and twisted a person can be all because of an emotional trauma and love. 

Yo-han and Mi-ho/Lee Jia were victims of a dark past.  When Yo-han’s father was murdered, it left them intertwined with police investigations, murders, deceit and a hope of brighter future for them. 

I watched it after watching Criminal Minds so I have to infuse myself with true love vibes after and got my Sungkyunkwan Scandal CD. 

A film realizing how sad you can be by being consumed over a sin you have to do at that right moment but will not justify the evil act you took.  A sad and stirring film…

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♥ The Day Before (2009) – I was watching it for 20 minutes and I still didn’t know what was happening… The subtitles aren’t doing any cartwheel act so I was wondering if it will lead

me somewhere. There was a glimmer of magic tricks, sex and infidelity… then someone killed someone, someone surrendered, someone got imprisoned, someone got sick, and someone escaped prison.  Go figure!  Then a faint ray of light emerged, and the story suddenly happened, after another 10 minutes it became pitch black.  I have a soft spot for Kim Nam Gil, but the movie was really dull, everywhere and boring.  It has such a feeble storyline and an exhausting acting but still not sufficient enough for you to hate it.

It is a love story between a fugitive and a woman with a haunting past who started having a connection amidst their emotional baggage and damaged existence.

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♥ Secret Love (2010) – I’m beginning to declare this month as “infidelity month” *giggles as I have been watching a lot of love triangle even square love movies.  After coming out of “The Day Before” I took this movie and I was thinking what I’ve done wrong lately that’s why life is giving me confusing Korean movie pills.

But it was short-lived like 10 minutes to be exact because the story picked up its bearing, and with the hot actor I was left uncomplaining and drooling. 

A woman has to deal with the hardship of taking care of his husband who was in vegetative state.  Her husband’s brother helped her coping up, and eventually they engaged in an affair.  But her husband woke up and the three got entangled to the “who-deserved-to-be-together-game”.

Bold, brave and beautiful…

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♥ Maybe aka Rabbit and Lizard (2010) - slow paced, not so good and you don’t know what’s really going on.  If not for Jang Hyuk I wouldn’t have finished it.  The right intention to capture the watcher was there but the execution was lost somewhere.  I can’t remember any lingering scene.   The acting was there but the story wasn’t.  Didn’t like it and it’s disappointing.  *pout

A man with a rare heart condition met a woman who was searching for her past. 

 

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♥ April  Snow (2005) – I’ll make this simple but firm… the film was sad, slow-paced and the proverbial melodrama, but it did not make me cry.  The premise of the story should make your mind and heart stir undeniable pain if it happens to you, but I remained poker hearted, and I even watched it in the dead of the night.  It lacked emotion it should have.

A man and a woman met in a hospital and discovered that their spouses were together in a car accident.  They soon learned that their spouses were having an illicit affair but they still decided to take care of them.  They soon got entangled in a relationship while they were nursing the angst and disappointment they felt after realizing their spouses’ betrayals.  It was a relationship that will never work out given the circumstances of what brought them closer together but they gamble on it anyway.

The man’s wife woke up but the woman’s husband died.  In the end the woman, opted to leave and start a new life, as the man ended his marriage and commence a new life too.

The conclusion was not a happy ending, but I like how it ended.  Although their love for each other can suffice for them to choose to be together, if that love was never good enough for them to begin with, settling to keep that love close in their hearts while giving up on it was an act of really knowing how to love.

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♥ Meet the In-laws aka Clash of the Families (2011) – A usual rom-com but not enough for me to adore it and place it before my hall-of-famers.  I love the dorky male lead, he’s what make the movie cute I think.  Nevertheless, it is sweet, light and at times hilarious.

The main conflict lies from modern-day Romeo&Juliet whose families came from the opposing regions thus their romance will not be permissible.  The man tried to win the girl’s family’s approval more so of her dad who despises anything with Seoul molecular content. They will struggle to fight for their eventual marriage amidst their opposing families.

Worth your afternoon break, but I doubt if it will be listed as one of your favorites.

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♥ Oh My God 2 (2009) - It is your typical rom-com drama with a dying girl conflict. Surprisingly even if there’s nothing spectacular, I found it sweet maybe because the death conflict was revealed at the latter part of the film. 

The conflict was placed safe, but the quirky and defined characters filled up everything that’s missing in the story. I would have wanted a happy ending for them but I took how the movie parted with me.  It gave me a good while it last kind of feel.  I was taken by the guy’s own way of trying to make lady happy, and d taxi convertible scene will be what I will remember most about the movie.Im Jung-hwan was a taxi company heir whose expertise is to splurge money on branded items.  Her mother tried teaching him a lesson so he ended up driving one if their taxis.  When Eun-ji forced him to take her somewhere, it led to a trip orchestrated by Eun-ji’s liking after he lost her ring he forced to take from her when she cant pay for the taxi fare.

Eun-ji got him doing things he didn’t normally engage with as they slowly connected to each other.  But Eun-ji was dying so she snapped back to reality and accepted that the miracle she’s waiting was not another chance of her living again, but the precious memories with Jung-hwan in her last days.

 

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♥ You’re My Pet (2011) - This is my opening recap spectaclefor 2012 and it sure pulled out some effort considering I watched, captured screen and do the recap via online streaming.  Full of wacky and endearing moments, I will give up all my wealth if they will auction a pet like that in EBAY.

It’s a sort of a plain love film, you know where the story is heading but it was not complicated that’s why you will stay with it anyway.  It was light, adorable and super-ish.  Jang Geun Seok made my heart turn 360 degrees because of his cuteness and sassyness… Now that I think of, it gives you the my-sassy-girl-ish vibe but the Gyeon-woo counterpart was mischievous and complaining, but not in a bad kind of way.

You want to see your favorite actors not so much acting sometimes and this is what this movie brought I guess.  It was candid and captivating.  Not bad for my opening salvo this year.  ^_^

YOU’RE MY PET MOVIE RECAP

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♥ Shotgun Love (2011) – Mr. Nice Guy, Sang yeol, has been loving pretty woman, So-yeon, from his work place.  They posed as a couple for a Food Advertisement TV program.   So-yeon is in a relationship with the PD of the show, and when he got her pregnant, she refused to give up the child.  They broke up and one night, she asked Sang-yeol to see her.  She left him drunk afterwards, but he caught up on her when he saw her standing sadly in the side walk facing Han river.  The next day he woke up naked in a motel room and thought that something happened between them.

So-yeon’s friend suggested to use Sang-yeol’s impression that they slept together, thus they ended up in an instant marriage of wackiness, lightning chicken, perky homosexuals, malfunctioning toilet and love realizations. 

But the fun was cut off when the vile ex-lover of So-yeon revealed to Sang-yeol the truth about her pregnancy, and realizing he was made a fool he parted ways with So-yeon.

The main lead was such an adorable dork here, he pulled out the character so well, and although nothing much is happening in the story and you know right away where it will be heading, it was still a fun watch and entertaining.  A comic relief considering its befitting plot, nevertheless it was still amusing and entrancing.

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♥ A Season of Good Rain (2009) – Yes of course Jung Woo-sung was the basis why I watched it, and as always he sent me to dreamy land, but my presence of mind snapped me back to reality.  It was a beautiful love story, the solid portrayal was there, but the connection of the lead couple was missing. 

Dong-ha and May met when they were studying abroad, when he was on a business trip in May’s hometown, he met her and reminisced the good old days.  The love they hid and kept for one another was resurrected but they are both restricted by their personal emotions.

It was not a bad love movie but it was part-boring-quarter-nothing-much-happening-kind-of-film.  The love story happened only in like two or three days but how it slowly moved felt years for me. 

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♥ Sunflower (2006) – I was browsing on my Korean movie DVD’s when I saw this movie, it was Kim Rae Won oppa starring in the role that’s why I got it, but I never had a chance to see it because I thought it was an action film, well sort of..

It was a deeply immersing story of a man struggling to start a new life after being imprisoned for a while.  His love for the family who embraced and accepted him despite of his dark past was overwhelming but the past he is so wanting to depart from kept coming back and no matter how he tried to keep his ground and not go back to his vile ways, he was challenged unfairly by fate.

I cried buckets of tears here and I really liked how the director orchestrated the story from the small sweet details and the heavy scenes.  The cast ensembles deserved applause, I don’t normally go for tear-jerker-slice-of-life but I was so drawn in Tae-sik’s life.

This will be one of my favorites.  *wink ♥♥♥

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♥ My Scary Girl (2006) – Park Yong-woo is a 30-year old man who has yet to experience first love, and when he did the bliss, the kiss, the romance and a secret were all there.

I loved how Choi Kang-hee acted her role in Protect the Boss, but with the two movies of her that I saw, I was not won by her portrayals, but I do like the geeky lead man here, well anyone geek is good for me I guess.

The conflict for me was just crazy – your first love is a sweet murderer… I don’t know, have they brought out how their love will be stronger despite their personal indifferences, it would have been different I think. 

So I don’t like this movie, no matter how adorable Yong-woo was.  Miyane..

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♥ The Wedding Dress – a touching movie of love between a mother and the daughter… well a mother’s love has always been there when the first sign of life happened to us, and sometimes we tend to forget it and get annoyed over things mothers normally do to us because it’s their nature.

This was a deeply moving story and will make you hug your mom after, I did (omma was beside me when I was watching it), I don’t know if you will, I hope you will.

This is quite a tear-jerker and you can feel the mother-daughter connection of the lead characters.  This is best served if you’ll watch it with your mom.

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♥ Come Rain, Come Shine (2011) – The break up theme, the sad tone and the slow pacing are evident throughout the story.  It is such an emotion driven film that if the actors won’t portray their ends well, you won’t feel it, but they did a great job touching my tear nerves.

When you have to share your last day with someone you used to love, and probably someone you still love, how would you react on it?  How would you throw the memories and accept the fact that the love was not really meant to go on?  These questions sum up what this painfully break up movie was about.

COME RAIN, COME SHINE QUICK RECAP

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♥ Champ (2011) – This is my second horse-racing-themed movie, and I kept my fingers crossed that I will not be disappointed.  It started slowly but it sort of won me over at the end.  I have loved Cha Tae Hyun in all his movies, and this might not have been a very strong performance for him compared to his previous works.

A famous horse jockey lost his touch after he met an accident and lost his wife.  He found his way again when he met a sort of hard to manage horse.  Their connection brought him back to the horse racing world and gave another hope in his life, but was interrupted when he became blind.

There were a few points in the movie that were nailed perfectly.  The water scene when the horse jockey and the horse first created their connection was full of warmth.  The competition scenes were shot splendidly, and the tear-jerker scenes of the daughter deserved a decent applause.

So aside from the heavy and well portrayed scenes, the story itself is a typical human interest movie.  The strength of the movie came from the characters, but nothing spectacular or lingering.  It will touch your heart, make you cry and make you laugh, but you will easily forget it when you watch another movie.  It felt like a sticky sweet kiss from your favorite niece or nephew, but not the kind of kiss where you would want something more.

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♥ Hello Ghost (2010) - Tae Hyun oppa once again showed his exceptional acting ability on this comical-sixth-sense movie.  His shifting from different characters is one of the reasons why he’s one of my favorite actors.  I was close to going to Hogwarts Forbidden Forest to attempt to retrieve the Resurrection Stone for the perky family to live through.   I have to watch Tae-Hyun oppa’s Sad Movie, next week.  He has made me cry twice already this week.

Sang-man has been living all alone, and because he has no reason to live, he has been resorting to suicide, but he was rescued from his attempts.  After another unsuccessful trying, he met new friends, and for the first time in his life, he will not be alone as he meets up new friends imported from after-world.   The quest of fulfilling his dead friends’ bucket wishes will be the only guarantee that they will leave him, so off they set to do those wishes as they teach him how to enjoy and value life.

This is an amazingly done supernatural family movie that you will enjoy watching with your family.  The twist won me over willingly and no questions asked.  It was just the perfect icing on the cake. 

The cast ensembles did their respective job in keeping up with the sunny vibe and upbeat tone throughout the movie.  *wink ♥♥♥

HELLO GHOST MOVIE RECAP

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♥ Cyborg She/Girl (2008) -  This is gonna be hard for me because most of Kwak Jae-yong’s movie I really like, but there’s always an exception, not that I didn’t find this flick appealing, but it did not leave a very strong impact on me compared with his previous films.  I’m coming to terms that Director Kwak Jae-yong, either has had his fair share of heartaches or he’s still waiting for his first love to come because his film pattern always involve ever-after

future or present time element story insert.  In this film, the time element was presented intricately and will give you a very pretty climax.

A cyborg girl from the future travels to the present time to spend time with Jiro- the man in the future destined to create her.  This is a beautiful story equally enchanting like that of ET and Elliot with literally a twist of time and fate. 

I felt that the lead girl really stood out in the entirety of the movie, the main lead is adorable but our robot princess was fabulous.  It started with the poignant meeting of two people from different time, crawled steadily through the middle of the film and kicked a very nice climax at the end.  I liked that the story focused on how the character’s emotions grow (well technically, that of the girl revealed super late in the future) and how they evolved in the story as the story evolved around them too.  What I found missing is the spike of a typical rom-com movie, that limbo-like feeling of being in between the character’s love while devouring the duration of the movie.  While the characters connected strongly with each other, they weren’t able to touch my romantic nerves, and the last time I checked, I no longer have faulty romantic veins.

This is sweet and satisfying, and although I didn’t like it so very much I still recommend that you watch this movie because in its own right, it’s a real beauty. 

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♥ My Black Mini Dress (2011) - A friendship tale of four ladies and their challenges as they face the real world.  It is a story of the frustrations of not being able to conjure in reality what you have dreamt, and getting by with it with a little help from your friends and yourself.

It made me miss my girlfriends, I sent them “iluvu” messages after watching it.  *wink 

Most girls can relate to the story of these ladies.  I did, maybe because I was also stuck with the job I was not expecting to have, and maybe because when I and my girls grew up, our priorities changed as our problems became harder.  What I got from this movie was a “friendship check”… a reminder to find some time and catch up with them and see how they have been. 

This was a simply laid movie with minimal light tones.  Not all the characters were strongly portrayed though, that’s I guess what I can fail in this movie.  They presented the struggles of each character and had it solved because of their friendship.  Their own personal struggles were not dealt with accordingly.  At some point it’s really plain and dragging but you have to finish it to realize that there’s an after-effect.   

It is not a perfect friendship movie, but it’s laid back and a few perky notes is enough for you to consider hanging out with these women.

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♥ Lost and Found (2008) - If you are looking for an endearing and vibrant rom-com movie night with your boyfriend, this darling will delight you.  It’s ever moving and no dull moment.  From the feisty main female lead, the cholatey sweet lead man and the oozingly hot second male lead, this is a kind of Christmas gift you’d promise you’ll open on Christmas day, but when no one is looking out, you’ll sneak to see what it is.

Ji-ho has liked Min-woo since High School.  As her luck ran out with her current job, she bumped with her crush again when she was hit by his car while chasing the snatcher who took her bag.  She took that chance to pretend that she can’t remember anything to fulfill her 10-year dream of spending time with her crush.

But her neighbor-friend-who-secretly-loves-her, Dong-shik spoiled her staying at Min-woo’s house and brought her home while she still firmly held on her supposed amnesia.

She finally got Min-woo’s attention but Dong-shik was also determined to win the girl he has loved all her life.

This is about realizing the right love for you and chasing the romance no matter how long it will take.

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♥ Sad Movie (2005) - So finally I was able to watch this star-studded movie.  Due to my attention problems, I like it more if there’s a fewer characters, but I don’t think it harmed the movie by having many characters.  But the stories of the characters here I believe could have stood alone, if it were made to individual flicks.  I think Hollywood had been doing those 4-in-one-intertwining-life-and-love-movies, and I’m not really a fan.

At any rate, this is a movie full of love, and I’m planning to put up a separation agency too, but I’ll be princess cupid, but I’ll handle not just break ups but love second chances too.

Back to the movie… this is about a motherly love and a little boy’s love to his dying mom… a man’s love to a woman but is hindered because he can’t seem to find a stable life… a Snowhite mascot and theme park painter’s extraordinary sweet romance… and a lovestory between a fireman and a woman…

I think they titled it sad movie because of the sad endings, but regardless, you’ll stick to the film’s conclusion.  It’s not that spectacular considering the cast ensemble, but I did like the no complications, flowing narration of the film.  It’s best watched in the afternoon while the wind plays with the foliage behind your windows.  This is saddeningly disarming and calmingly good. 

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♥ Please Teach Me English (2003) -  When government public officials weren’t able to address a foreigner’s electric bill concern, they decided to spin a bottle to determine who will study English to avoid being tested under the same situation again.  The lucky girl who was picked was Young-ju and from there her goal to learn English language coincided with feeling her first ever love who turned out to be the playboy salesman whose drive to study English came from his dream to meet his sister who was adopted abroad.  The conflict rose when Young-ju felt that her first romance was just one-sided, but then again the player Mun-su realized her worth in the end.

This one is cheerful and dandy and one of those mushy train scene endings which will pull a sweet sigh from you no matter how much you hold it in.  I now officially like Lee Na-young as most of the movies I’ve watched of her well are prettily done.  She’s like the female version of Cha Tae-hyun oppa for me.

Truly this is literally your rom-com movie.

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♥  Sex is Zero (2002) – Delving in the exploits and adventures of college life, this has interesting characters, sporadic acts and memory reminder of the good ole days of adult learning.

This for me is the saddest yet sweetest fall back person love story.  I think cupid’s arrows were really unfair.  It only shoots to people with mutual feelings to each other.  If it has special features of making a one-sided love be two-sided, the world will be a better place.

Hilariously presented the yin and yang of college life… those bad choices, the sticky friendship, the thrilling relationships, the dead ends and the coming out of it.  Eun-hyo (Ha Ji Won) played the character of a college girl who engaged in a relationship with a man not worthy of it, and who was adored by another man she doesn’t love.

I have mixed feelings on this movie, it was fun to watch, even engaging at the time you are watching it, but now when I look back it didn’t form an attachment to me considering it is a Ha Ji Won movie.  It was good while it last, but there was no after taste.

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♥ My Wife is a Gangster (2001) -  In order to please her dying long lost sister, ladyboss gangster Eun-jin embarked in a husband hunting adventure, and settled with a good-hearted man Soo-il who was not aware of her kick-ass identity.

I won’t say I didn’t like the movie, the premise is interesting… a kind-hearted man marrying a strong mafia-ish woman, but it will just give you a satisfactory feel.  The fight scenes were neutral and it fit the presentation of the story, if the action sequences were more than beyond it could have totally wiped out the emotion of the film.

Mediocre, sometimes messy, mischievously enjoyable and with a couple of comic acts that will put a grin in your face.

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♥ The Client (2011) – A courtroom thriller that probed on a case of a husband allegedly murdering his wife.

The battle of wits and evidences and the suspense filled investigation will inevitably cause you to stick your attention to the end of the movie.   Just when I accepted the closure and bought the defense’ argument, the end revelation put a cunning smile on my face.

Well done, well played and well ended. 

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♥The Chaser (2008) – I’ll call it a Criminal Minds episode set in the big screen.  It has successfully laid the requirements for a thrilling serial killer movie.  My only issue though is that I was not left anticipating with the whole psychopath interrogating, tracking and killing.  I felt that the main man tracing the killer’s steps can stand alone, and that the whole police questioning was a useless sequence.  Not that I like it with more bloodbath, but it’s one of those things where you wished the police will only come after the big event.  Nevertheless, I will still recommend for you to watch this movie. 

THE CHASER QUICK SUMMARY

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♥ Fly High (2006) – This is yet another dying girl movie… Yeah, I’m already spoiling it on my first sentence. 

Min-hyuk met his first love in the most awkward place where love can spring – the rest room, and when he confirmed the first surge of romance in his body, he did all he can to win the girl’s heart.  But since the girl is dying she has no choice but not to reciprocate.  She left for further treatment abroad and came back after two years, not successful and just waiting for the expected death. 

Min-hyuk stayed her loving boyfriend until she rested in peace.  He’s so teddy-bear-ish and that man you’d hope to have as your first romance.

I did find the male lead’s performance well and heartfelt but I have some issues with the female lead because there were some emotions that were not displayed at scenes that were most important to be presented.  It’s supposed to be a sad movie, but my heart was not moved, nor did I cry.

A few heart flutters here and there, but if you have watched the classic love films, you will find it mediocre.

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♥Miss Gold digger (2007) -  Min-soo cultivates love.  I remember that All about Anna movie when I saw this perky flick.  She playfully flirted with three men, a smart-potential-prosecutor; a rich-romantic-business man; and a young-talented-rapper.  But her search for the perfect lover gave her a dose of her own medicine and she will realize that love is something you do not plan but you let it happen.

After her brat moment in Moo-yul, I really enjoyed Han Ye-seul’s performance in this love searching/waiting/affirming movie.  Her lead man is already on my stalker list.  He’s not that oozingly hot, but he has this air of being dangerous. 

This is charming, playful and feisty… will give you a Carrie Bradshaw vibe, a bit tamer though… enjoyable and a nice watch with your girlfriends or even your boyfriend. 

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♥ The Housemaid (2010) - dark, twisted romance… dementor-like if I may say… The motivation is clearly defined, and a sexy thriller worth your Saturday night.

Eun-yi works as a househelp in a rich household.  Her primary concern is taking care of the daughter of the eccentric couple.  She engaged in an illicit affair with the father of the household, and when she got pregnant, she was forced to give up the baby. 

The chandelier hanging bursting in fire ending scene, and the amazing hot body of Jae-jun oppa made this melo-drama sizzling and strangely likeable regardless of its gloomy tone. 

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♥Frivolous Wife (2008) – It was like putting Lee-shin inside a snow globe and staring at its serene picture.  It has high and low notes but it’s fun and the baseball hottie from My Little Bride grew up to what I expected him of, a fine handsome man.

Yeon-soo is god’s gift to men, she’s rich, pretty and an only daughter of a land magnate.  When she finally meets her match, she defies her life and moves to live with Jeon-do, a descendant from a traditional family.  She learns to adapt her role as a granddaughter in law the best way she can, and ends up claiming the ever after she so wanted.

I laughed for a minute in the scene when she is already comfortable with the housework and volunteered on cleaning the soy sauce jars, she chants happily and then when she saw the hundreds of jars, my laughter erupts big time.

Considering I don’t know much of the actors, I did enjoy the movie, well I’m partly blaming my recently fondness over sageuk dramas, but it’s really a nice movie to watch.  Simply adorable.

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♥ The case of Itaewon Homicide (2009) - This picture is mediocre, very simply laid, and forgettable.  Well Jang Geun Seok is hot, therefore I still stare at him even if he played on his dark tone.  But this is just one of those passing films that you will watch if you don’t want to read the book or you want a live adaptation of a web story you read.

A young college student unfortunately was murdered by someone he hasn’t met for the first time.  The prosecutor office embarked on an investigation to prove the suspects guilty, but they have to deal with contradicting testimonies and law technicalities.   In the end though justice was not served rightly.

This movie was based on a true story.  I found the portrayals lacking except for Prosecutor Park.  I was pulling the yarn for the film credits to appear because I don’t like how it was so predictable and plain.

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♥ The Good The Bad and the Weird (2008) - Korean bandit, an assassin and a bounty hunter in Western vibe set in Manchurian backdrop.  This film is cool, amusing and engrossing.  The ass kicking fight scenes, Song Kang Ho’s classic self, Lee Byung Hun’s quick abs showcase and my currently running adoration for Jung Woo Sung are some of the reasons why I enjoyed this beauty, but more than that are the excellent fight visuals, the fluidity of the story and how the main leads live up to their existing hype and bear the best that they can to nail an amazing action picture that even a woman like me enjoyed so much.

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♥ Natalie (2010)- Whoa!  The movie kicks off and it was all steamy sex right there and then.  It was yet another love misplaced story.  I don’t know why we girls have at some point in our life has to fall for the wrong guy, if not entirely wrong, it’s a man who will realize too late our worth.

Either enjoy or don’t mind the sizzling sex scenes and delve to the nature of the story… the eccentric passion of the lead actor, the woman who fell for the wrong man, and the man who loved a girl who can’t love him back.

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♥ Loveholic (2009) - bored housewife was seduced by her husband’s friend, the husband engaged in an affair with his wife’s friend… what a string connected love quadrangle.  There’s nothing much going except the infidelity.  The excuses they all have for being unfaithful are their own struggles with how they can be happy.  It was an incomplete closure and I felt that the cheating motivations were poorly depicted. The love scenes are not that much, oh well maybe because I watched Natalie first.  Watch at your own risk… tutututut…  watch it when you’re about to sleep

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♥ The Uninvited (2003) - Seeing Jun Ji-hyun in a psychological thriller was something new, and come to think of it she has that distinct crying face.  It was a plainly laid suspense movie.  Actually I didn’t feel any goose bumps at all.  The shamanic abilities, the little ghost girls and the court case presented I felt were not fitting perfectly.  It felt like putting a magnet and placing something metallic around it but no attraction will eventually happen.  It was supposed to scare my thoughts but I’m afraid it did not.

A man was seeing the ghosts of two girls he encountered on a train one night and they always sat on a table bought by his fiancée.  He can’t seem to dismiss them until he met a woman who can also see them.  The woman helped him uncover the previous life he had as he got entangled with the past he tried to forget and the woman’s frailties and secrets.

It was not scintillatingly freaky so it’s a good warm up if you are on a Korean thriller spree.  It was not that bad, it’s just that it was too easy to understand and will not leave you haunted and thinking.

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♥ Quick (2011) -  I was not expecting much of this movie, hell I didn’t even do a background check which I normally do, but it held me drooling on it the whole time without any rest room break. 

It was a biker movie, and on that note I was really like uttering ancient chants that it won’t bore me.  So when the action-packed motorbike scene begins, the stunts and the speed blew me away.

Gi Su (Lee Min Ki) is a legendary fast biker who works as the errand guy for his friend’s courier service.  In one of his messenger job, he got pop star Ah Rom as his customer and asked him to drive her for their scheduled performance.  Little did they know that someone plot a bomb on Gi Su’s helmet and Ah-rom insisted on wearing the helmet so they got caught up following a bomber-slash-creepy-guy to bring packages meaning to blow up the receivers.  The catch is they can’t part beyond 10 meters or the helmet will explode so they set to follow “big brother’s orders”.

 Here’s a movie you can enjoy with your boyfriend, not so much romance but definitely entrancing and exciting. 

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♥ Once In A Summer (2006) – It is one of the sweetest “summer love” movie I’ve seen unfortunately though they didn’t get their ever after.  Lee Byung Hun translates to the man you won’t regret committing infidelity if you are currently in a relationship.  He’s just so manly in an I-want-to-throw-myself-in-your-arms-kind-of-way.  Su-Ae has such an expressive eyes and her blithe nature in this love movie complements the endearing character of Byung-hun oppa.

A felicity filled tale that will leave you fetching and at the same time agonizing.  It was a sweet melancholic movie of finding love and holding on to it even if it has long been gone.

ONCE IN A SUMMER QUICK MOVIE REVIEW

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♥ Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005) – It definitely live up to my expectations.  This is such a warm action/war film.  All elements synchronized to create a masterpiece.In the middle of Korean war, soldiers from North and South ended up in a remote village.  A US navy captain was also stranded there and to retrieve him the US force have planned to release a bomb to Dongmakgol.  In their stay to the village, they develop connection to the people and be friends with one another.I love how the movie wad richly narrated, and although it has a sad ending, I felt that it didn’t make the movie less appealing.  Full of heart and beautifully done.  The climactic ending was a sight to behold, be sad and be pondered about.

♥ Spellbound aka Chilling Romance (2011) - I bet they were just counting on Son Ye Jin and Lee Min Ki’s star power to pull this off.  Nothing much special about it, typical, and the movie just passes by.  I felt that the chemistry was there but the story was not.

Kang Yu-ri has literally an emotional scary baggage.  She sees dead people.  Her sixth sense ability has saddled her to be accustomed in living alone and avoiding human contact.  But things change when a street magician Ma Jo-goo entered her life, and soon enough they both are aware of the budding romance between them, but they have to defy a grumpy ghost who was Yu-ri’s ex bestfriend Joo-hee, but died in an accident they were both together. 

I will say the talents were wasted here, and if not for the screen presence of the lead couple, the viewer won’t stay afloat.  It was like a denouement all the time, the problem was there, but there was no “what now”?

I’m sure you’ll grab another movie after, and when you doze off, there’s no trace in your memory that the movie happened.  It was enchanting when it’s on the light notes, but the conflict and the plot didn’t justify what could have been a something new romance.  Nevertheless, it’s still a must to watch if you’re a fan of both the lead actors, like me.

SPELLBOUND aka Chilling Romance Movie Musings

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♥ PUNCH (2011) - I am aware that women from poor countries sometimes have no choice but to marry for convenience, and I’m lucky I was able to get another option aside from that.  This movie is invoking, and I appreciate that they did not stoop down to immigrants, but instead emphasized on presenting the viewers what a strong person they are to live in a foreign land to survive.  

To put up the essence of the movie without giving any aspersions is something the filmmaker should be proud of.

The main actors Wan-deuk and Dong-jo set a new kind of bromance, that which bickers amusingly but accidentally brought out the best of one another.

This was a blithe tale of accepting who you are and what extent you can be by embracing the life you did not choose but fought hard to decide the best shot on it.

PUNCH MOVIE RECAP

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♥  Harmony (2010) – Not since The Longest Yard did I enjoy a prison-set film.  This movie warmed my heart and made me even prouder being a daughter, a sister and a woman.

Each woman in the story contributed to an emotion fest offering that lingered in my thoughts and erupted tears in my eyes.  

 

♥  A Reason To Live (2011) - I didn’t like the movie.  I don’t know what part in my sense of feeling it was trying to get through, but I totally just felt nothing while watching it.   I can’t point out its strength nor discuss its weakness.  If you are a Song Hye Gyo fan, you can watch it, and just remind yourself that she gave you full house and worlds within, if not… pick something else.

 ♥Detective K (2011) - Move over Sherlock Holmes… Here comes Detective K.   Set in Joseon era, be amused with the clever detective and his side kick as they unfold the truth behind the King’s enemies. With impeccable wit and comic timing, this comedy-mistery film will make you feel dandy, lively and entertained.

♥Innocent Steps (2005) -This sweet dance movie was an emotion pond..  It made me feel warm, giddyish, frustrated, disappointed, annoyed, sad, appeased and then eventually blissful. The fake marriage, dance moves and the simple yet sure love launched a well deserved love sigh from me. P.S  I love the footprints practice dance floor. 

♥  The Relation of Face, Mind and Love (2009) – I was expecting a lot I must admit because it was Kang Ji Hwan oppa and Lee Ji Ah, but then again I have to charge this to experience because the strong beginning wasn’t able to sustain a story worth keeping.

Kang Tae Pung is a famous architect who had a car accident but his car life-saving bag was able to save him causing minor injury that is “temporary visual impairment”.   So he sort of saw ugly things beautiful and beautiful things ugly.   He then met Wang So-jung, a cheerful-not-so-pretty lady but because of his eye problems she appeared to be his long lost dream girl.  So they then engaged to a whirlwind romance and when his vision went back to reality, her fairytale dream also ended. 

There’s not much love spell and I wondered how Ji Hwan oppa and Ji Ah unni must have felt after their finished film.   It was not ugly but it was just free flowing to somewhere you wouldn’t want to follow.  *yawn

♥Villain and Widow (2010) - Kim Hye-su and Han Su-kyung teamed up in this awkward sometimes funny cohabitation of a conman and a widow saddled with money issues.

Kim Hye Su played the role of a widow who rented the second floor of her house to Han Su Kyung to help in their financial problem.  Han Su Kyung meanwhile took advantage of the lease offer to find a famous tea cup of antique importance that is sought after by a chaebol heir who was in the brink of losing his value to his family and the only thing that could salvage him to stay afloat was that china teacup.  So the villain was summoned to retrieve it and thus he embarked on an I-am-a-writer-scheme to try and look for the elusive teacup which the widow’s husband hid in the house. 

A little cute romance here and there and a scattered shower of humor every now and then were some of the reasons why I finished the movie.  To be honest it was not really that much interesting, but the main leads interaction was fun to watch.  It sort of bland most of the time but it has still managed not to go to the brink of boring-ness.  The good times are mainly when the lead couple did their sort of sweet moments and adult bickering.  Well anyway, it was still a comic watch regardless. 

♥  Pained (2011) – This is the first time I saw Kwon Sang Woo as an actor, he felt so human to me that I stayed the rest of the movie. This was told with no frills attached and in its all natural beauty that I found it sad and yet bracing. 

PAINED QUICK MOVIE MUSINGS

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♥ Sector 7 (2011) - I didn’t see it in 3D but graphics and visual effects wise it felt the same level with Hollywood “beat-the-monster” films.  Hmmmm it was your typical Anaconda vibe flick, the humans thrive on their wit to survive and defeat the monster but they were unsuccessful except Ha Ji Won unni. 

For a thriller I stayed calm and comfy on my bed watching it so it didn’t really boost the fear factor side of me.  I already have foreseen the outcome of the villain so I’ll give this movie an average score for the effects and a Ji Won unni’s stunts.  As a rule thrillers should never be predictable, the viewers should always be on an anticipating ride, and that I didn’t achieve in watching this movie.

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♥ Never Ending Story (2012) - In tradition of the death bound conflict of Korean love story, this charming movie was able to balance the premise and have it set to both the lead couple’s having after life bargains. Oh Song Kyung worked at a bank and has lived her life planned into the smallest details, but what she did not prepare for was a malady that came instantly in her life.  She met Kang Dong Joo who was her exact opposite.  He lives a spontaneous life and never failing to lose hope that he’ll win the lottery someday. The two met because both of them were diagnosed at the same hospital and soon they embark on a bucket list fulfillment that involves funeral preparations for Song Kyung and lottery station hunts for Dong Joo.

 What this movie achieved was setting a sad note to a brighter perception. It was a film about death but the lively scenes and characters have pulled a different take on life’s passing. The love couple were adorable and swung an Edward-Bella pull worthy of your smile and sigh.I love that it was so natural and that they first slept together inside a coffin and never ending to a traditional bed. 

A carefree movie I would definitely recommend.  This was a romance charmer that will raise mirth one moment and then tug your heart at another time.  Watching it made me not expect outcomes or predict what will happen because the conflict surged up when it commenced, but I was left watching them as they have a good time alongside the struggle with their inevitable death.It was simply done but happily narrated, and that made it hit home in me.Radiant and resonating, this is a must watch darling.  ^_^

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♥ Always (2011) - And I finally got the chance to spend an afternoon full of loving vibes.  I received lots of raves about this movie and I must agree to the warm response “Always” has received.  It made me miss the feeling of being in love, and I was left smiling, calmed and inspired as I immersed myself in a love story between two people who found love in their vulnerabilities.

Im Jung Hwa was saddled with temporary blindness after surviving from a car accident that killed her parents.  She works as a customer service representative over the phone and has lived her life in full swing optimism despite of her disability.

Jang Chul-min was a former boxer who after quitting the profession settled to being a merciless bounty hunter, but in one of his bounty mission he found motivation to start his life in good faith again. 

Little by little fondness grew between them, with a life he was never proud of and nothing much to offer, Chul-min mustered whatever he has and took responsibility of a blind woman’s heart.

“Always” broke the romantic dry spell I’ve been having for a while now.  It played with the cutesies, the sweetness, the laidback and the contentment feel of a love movie.

On a distracting note, and I mean it to be really utmost distracting… So Ji Sub in his rough, untidy look was a sight to behold, and the short showcase of his abs was a manna from heaven.

The last movie I liked was Postman to Heaven which was also a movie of Han Hyo Joo.  Playing a sweet, optimist blind Han Hyo-joo connected to her lead man so well that the blue ray screen emanating love swept the romantic side of me.

Seeing the love grew, saddled, steadied, lost and fulfilled was I think the reason why it created huge admiration.  It was an ever after not of a prince and a princess, but by two people whose hearts can love each other with their eyes closed.

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♥ Penny Pinchers aka Many a Little Romance (2011) - I’m getting interesting love couple combination making my special day today worthy of slumping on my bed and making my heart and eyes happy.

 Hong-sil has an addiction to save money after bankruptcy hit her family causing her mother’s death and her father losing himself to gambling. If I get to adapt her saving strategy, I bet I will get a lot from it. So she lives a lonely life until she meets Ji-woong who struggled in getting himself a regular job. She taught him the trick of her trade and we get kmovieland’s first ever penny pincher couple.

 It was not a movie full of awesome love vibes but I was able to finish it without complaint. I think I liked it because the treatment of how their love was realized was because they trusted each other and they are both willing to sacrifice and appreciate each other’s worth.

You will find that “the boy did the impossible to make the girl happy” will now be always a resident element in a Korean romantic movie.

 A mixture of fun, friendship, forced cohabitation, saving money crash course, some cute no money involved dating ideas and a lead couple that were both fitting in their roles. Penny pincher is a stress reliever after a week’s work.

 

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♥ The Crucible (2011) - The crucible touched a very delicate issue and I’m thankful that such eye opening film like this was produced.

An art teacher moved to another city to accept a post in a school for special children. What he was not prepared for was the reality that his visually and hearing impaired students who haven’t even had their families to take care of them were violated mercilessly by their own teachers and the headmaster.

 It’s a rage inducing towards the evilness of the world kind of film. But whenever power was wrongfully used, hope and faith will always find its way to protect the weak.

 A moving, inspiring and a reality biting spectacle not worth missing.

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♥ Love Fiction (2011) - A fiction writer fell in love with a bizaare girl and has to flounder with her infamous history with boys, hairy armpit and heedless actions.While I enjoyed most of it, I felt detached after watching it.  It has an interesting  lead couple who was able to justify the characters and the love conflict they were playing but it doesn’t have the romantic appeal that will make you think of it when you sleep at night.

Interestingly done but mediocre… Feel good and funny but forgettable.

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♥ Dancing Queen (2012) - I honestly didn’t enjoy watching this dream-finding-dream-realization movie.  When the movie ended, I just sighed and said “okay”.  It did well in the box office that’s why I was curious, and then curiousity killed me badly. haha

The lead couple were childhood neighbors and met again in college.  They got married and has been living a simple life but when opportunity to pick up their forgotten dreams opened, they seized it.  But then eventually they both hindered their dream decisions. Uhm Jung-hwa

hid her joining a girl group while her husband was campaigning for the city mayor office, and when it was revealed it damaged her husband’s dream.

So the movie wants to impart that not all opportunities knock once, and if they knock again, we have to claim it.  It touched on the giving-up-dreams-because-of-marriage issues which the society normally overlooked especially on the woman’s side. It was inspiring and easily narrated.  For a woman, it pointed on how much you can give to stand beside your man when you have your own dreams he doesn’t realize.

It felt good, it looked nice but I was not drawn by it.

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♥ Introduction to Architecture aka Architecture 101 (2012) - Architecture 101 was another first-love movie… cute, sweet and nostalgic, but it failed to indulge me.

A woman traced her first love to make him fulfill his promise of making her dream house.  They met in college when the woman took an architecture introductory class.  Because they live in the same town, they do activities together relating to their class.  They were both unaware of each other’s love feeling, and they were able to confess their love when it was too late because the lost love cannot salvage the present they have now.

It was another sad first-love film, and I liked seeing the 2012 kdrama actors in a sort of reunion in this production.

The flashbacks kept me afloat as it drove love to melancholy.  So what do you do when you have another chance you have kept for a long while?  That’s the question this movie asked.

♥ Wonderful Radio (2012) - Although it’s a nice and refreshing film, I felt that the love was missing.  Well it was not really a romance movie even with the kiss scene at the end, it was character driven and much as I want to relate with her, there were some critical scenes I found lacking. A radio dj hosts a program “Wonderful Radio” which has a segment where civilians can impart their message to someone and sing a song after.  She used to be a member of a famous girl group and is wanting to get back to the music scene.  She clashes with the program director at first but they eventually hit the right note and became closer. The conflict supporting the conflict I didn’t like.  I didn’t like what their problem was at all.  If it was a love movie then they should have sprinkled it with couple romance, and no, a kiss scene at the end doesnt qualify for it to be called a romantic movie.  The villains didn’t annoy me and the story was there but the characters were disconnected.  This movie somehow

looked like big love drama but in radio world setting.  It was a fair watch but I was not amused by it.

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♥ Sunny (2011) – This is one of the best friendship movies I’ve seen in my life.  It made me dig back memories I’ve shared with my high school girl friends.

A reflective film that will make you stop and think for a while to wonder and reminisce one of the best days of your life.  It made me cry and happy at the same time.

A dedicated mother and wife accidentally bumped with her dying high school friend and from there they relive the old times while looking for the rest of their circle of friendship.  Told in shifting time, the film beautifully captured the depth of friendship built with trust and respect.

This is a movie that will make you love your friends even more.  An appreciative story that tells how a friendship stays regardless of reasons and changes after all those times.

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♥ More Than Blue (2009) – More than blue less the falling in love and dying part made me yearn to have a boy bestfriend. A film so tender and heartfelt, it will give you that sweet regret feeling as you sleep. The dearest melancholic I-secretly-love-my-bestfriend-movie I have ever seen.

K and Cream were both orphans who decided to live together and become besties, but fate will eventually take K because he has leukemia. As he secretly love his bestfriend he wished that someone will take care of her when he’s gone. Unbeknownst to him Cream accidentally learned of his condition and in an effort to make him happy she fulfilled his dream of her getting married.

Kwon Sang Woo has given me two lovely films so far.

What I love about this movie is the transparency of the characters, it’s as if I’m staring at my neighbor’s life because they acted so naturally good and painfully remembering.

The sad ending was really sadder than sadness but how it concluded was clearly satisfying.

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♥ Blind (2011) – A fairly done thriller about a woman who became blinded after a car accident. She lost her brother and also failed to go back to the police academy. In an unfortunate twist of event she will be marked by a serial killer and will be able to survive and free herself of the long running guilt she felt after losing her brother in the accident.

Any movie with an adorable dog wins my heart over, and Seul-ki, the guide dog here made me cry.

 It was a suspense filled movie that drew strength from the main character’s vulnerability.

 

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♥ M (2008) – I had a hard time digesting the movie. I can’t sway my grasshopper-ish attention span because the movie was so attention seeking. The crisp and avant-garde cinematography was jaw dropping and I’m all praises to the editing.

 A fiction writer Min-woo flounders with his job and a girl who kept visiting his imagination. It brought him to leave his sanity and caused rift to his real life marriage. In between the reality and his mentally indisposed self, it was revealed that the girl was his first love.

 The story was not in a hurried pace, and yet I really mustered all the focus I can get to be immersed on it. It’s the kind of movie a film professor should have his students watch because of how superb it was done technically complementing an unconventional plot

 It’s a sad first love movie that was presented incorporating subconscious yearnings and realms of the imagination that kept our deepest longings.

 What I loved about it was the conflict done in modern vibe and mind boggling way but never leaving the sweet and painful narrative of losing your first love… thinking you are over the memories… and finding yourself haunted and affected by it because you haven’t truly given up on it.

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♥ The Restless (2006) - A supernatural fest that reminded me of Sword of Truth and Lord of the Rings. Superior visual effects, rolling action scenes throughout and Joong Woo Sung oppa are the reasons why I liked the movie. There’s not much of a plot really and even gasping, gripping or jaw-dropping moment… they relied much on their flamboyant visuals maybe.

Set in Midheaven, a place where people who died stays to wait for their reincarnation to happen.. a demon slayer who was formerly the chief of an elite ghost slayer shoulders, was transported to the place, a human was not supposed to be. He chanced upon So Hwa,  a member of the governing circle of the midlands. So Hwa looked exactly Yi Gwak’s lover (Yonhwa) who was burned by the townspeople because of the belief that she has supernatural abilities.

Yi Gwak has to stand in between the woman he loved and lost and his fellow soldiers who all died on earth after pursuing a rebellion. He further learned that their deaths were intentional as they seek to defy the heavens and change the world. So Hwa held a powerful stone that they needed to be victorious, so Yi Gwak traded his life to protect her and hope that he will meet her again.

If you are up for supernatural adventure then you can try this one, but don’t expect much after effect when you are done watching.

 

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♥ Standing Sleeping Tree (2009) - is a movie that tells about the story of a dying firefighter as he takes on the road about his condition. Being a father, a husband and a friend, the film dealt with the point of view of a person facing death as he settles his affair while feeling the pain of leaving his family and life.

There hasn’t been any manual invented to guide you when you are bound to leave someone and it’s against your will.

Although nothing spectacular is in store in this movie, it will not make you hit the stop button. It’s a sad and an easy watch. It’s actually like coming from a book and narrated as it is. I want to be nice but there’s nothing much going on this movie.

 

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