gansta's paradise

deery-lou.

movie: art of fighting [싸움의 기술 ] ssa-woom-eui gi-sool
starring: baek yoon-sik, jae hee, kim eung-soo, choi yeo-jin, sin hyeon-tak
director: sin han-sol
genre: action, martial arts, comedy, drama
country: south korea
year: 2006
ckb: 6
chics with two-tone hair: 1
shirtless men: 2
fight scenes: 6
# of butt slaps: 1
# of times main character gets beat up: throughout entire film
# of people sporting silver ball chain belts: 1
# of times one of the characters spits on self: 2
fashion: buttondown shirt with sleeves cut off
arms broken: 2
scars: 4 [all on same person]
weapon of choice: coins
memorable quote: "you little smurf"
main character keeps a: fight journal
noteworthy scene: grabs knife with hand
rundown: high school boys gets tired of being beat up and looks for someone to teach him how to fight
bottom line: entertaining to say the least
comments: i'm noticing a general theme with these movies: fighting. if you're looking for a good high school fight movie i'd definitely start with once upon a time in high school. its by far the best of what i've seen. this movie had its moments but overall i was pretty unimpressed.
rating: 3 soju bottles

stay gold & be well...

sunset

deery-lou.

movie: shadowless sword [무영검 - 無影劍] moo-yeong-geom
starring: lee seo-jin, yoon soy, lee gi-yong, shin hyeon-joon, jeong ho-bin
director: kim yeong-joon
genre: fantasy, action, history
country: korea
year: 2005
ckbs: 2
badass chics with swords: 2
shirtless men: 1
fights: alot
symbolism: incense
# of people sporting dreads: at least eight
# of people with tattoos on head: 1
# of flashbacks: 4
# of people imploding: 5
corny scene: catching fish with bare hands
animal symbolism: hawk
sexy scars: two
weapon of choice: swords
memorable quote: "sword is t0 protect important things to you"
noteworthy scene: underwater fight scene
cool mystical scene: uses sword to cut through water and then vanishes
rundown: the last remaining prince must be saved so he can become king
bottom line: worth checking out
comments: bought this movie based on the cover. thought it might be similar to crouching tiger hidden dragon and hero. it definitely was. with lots of martial arts and flying in the sky. probably not the best of them but highly entertaining. my only problem was the occasional bits of comedy thrown into the fight scenes.
rating: 3.5 soju bottles

stay gold & be well...

the view from the afternoon

deery-lou.
no film review this week.
i was on holiday.
it'll return next thursday.

stay gold & be well…

speak low

deery-lou.


movie: old boy [올드보이]
starring: choi min-sik, yoo ji-tae, kang hye-jeong, yoon jin-seo, kim byeong-wook, oh dal-soo
director: park chan-wook
genre: drama
country: korea
year: 2003
ckbs: 1
cute girls: 2
shirtless guys: 5
gang fights: 3
symbolism: ants
# of flashbacks: 2
things to be weary of: gifts in violet wrapping
imprisonment food: fried dumplings
gross scene: eating a live squid
butt shots: 2
breast shots: 2
crotch grabbing: 1
scene that made me close my eyes: pulling teeth with a hammer
weapon of choice: hammer
sex scenes: 1
memorable quote: "even though i'm no worse than a beast, don't i have the right to live"
member of: life's imprisonment
fun fact: four live squids were eaten to create the infamous sushi bar scene
based on: manga by minegishi nabuaki and tsuchiya garan
noteworthy scene: the final scene
rundown: man is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. when released he must find out "why".
bottom line: rent it now!
comments: from all that i heard about this movie i went into the film with very high expectations. usually when this happens i'm let down. however, that wasn't the case here. old boy is definitely one of those films that should not be missed. it tackles the subject of revenage and does so with great style and story telling. i don't really want to say too much about the film because i don't want to spoil anything. just be prepared for a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
rating: 4.5 soju bottles

stay gold & be well...

gazebo tree

deery-lou.

movie: see you after school [방과후 옥상] bang-kwa-hoo Ok-sang
starring: bong tae-gyu, kim tae-hyeon, jeong koo-yeon, ha seok-jin, jo dal-hwan, cha seung-yeol
director: lee seok-hoon
genre: comedy
country: korea
year: 2006
ckbs: 5
cute girls: 1
topless men: 3
fights: 5
symbolism: sharks & blowfish
# of people sporting an afro: 1
# of people with a hairpiece: 3
# of daydreams: 4
# of daydreams that include dance sequence: 1
toilet humor: 3
gross scene: picking nose and eating it
weapon of choice: fists
acronym: lc [loser's club]
memorable quote: "his fist was so powerful, tae-son was shitting a load in his pants."
member of: reject escape camp
location for most of film: school
noteworthy scene: namkoong dahl's first day of school
rundown: school loser must face the school champ after school
bottom line: rent it if you've seen everything else
comments: this movie was basically korea's version of the 1987 movie three o'clock high. it had it's moments but overall it was just your basic run-of-the-mill comedy. be sure to check out three o'clock high if you haven't already. a true classic.
rating: 2 soju bottles

stay gold & be well...

accept yourself

deery-lou.

movie: holiday [홀리데이] hol-li-de-i
starring: lee seong-jae, choi min-soo, jang se-jin, lee eol, yeo hyeon-soo, kim jin-hyeok
director: yang yoon-ho
genre: thriller
country: korea
year: 2006
cute k.boys: 3
beatings: numerous
fights scenes: numerous
symbolism: 3 eggs
# of people with gold teeth: 1
featured doll: minnie mouse
men in drag: 1
butt shots: 3
weapon of choice: golf clubs
shoot outs: a lot
attempted rapes: 1
memorable quote: "you act like a human when you're nothing but trash."
motto: money buys justice, lack of money guilt
blood shed: throughout whole movie
location for most of film: prison
explosions: 1
song: "holiday" by the bee-gees
noteworthy scene: when anh seok [prison guard] pisses on ji kang-hyun while he's in solitary confinement
factoid: this films speaks out against the core and custody law, which meant longer terms rather than longer sentences. this law came to an end in 2005. the film was set against the backdrop of the korean government destroying squatter villages inorder to make a more beautiful place for the olympics in 1988.
rundown: man breaks out of prison so he can speak of the injustice due to the core and custody law
bottom line: check it out
comments: when i saw the cover for this movie and the title i thought it was going to be about a family on vacation that comes against some trouble. so not. instead i got a glimpse into the social history of korea and its corruption. while watching the film its hard not to find compassion for the main character but you ultimately get the feeling that its not going to end well.
rating: 3.5 soju bottles

stay gold & be well...

el condor pasa [if i could]

deery-lou.

movie: marathon [말아톤]
starring: jo seung-woo, kim mi-sook, lee ki-young, baek sung-hyun, ahn nae-sang, kim jae-rok
director: jeong yoon-cheol
genre: drama/comedy
country: korea
year: 2004
cute k.boys: 1
subway station fight: 1
bitch slaps: 1
animal symbolism: zebra
# of times he thinks a girl is a zebra: 2
exercise of choice: running
fart scenes: 2
afraid of: being injected
recites: animal kingdom
butt shot: 1
some favorites of cho-won: noodles, cookies, zebras
memorable quote: "run your balls off asshole"
dancing scenes: 3
sauna scenes: 1
location of choice: the track
# of times cho-won wanders off: 2
noteworthy scene: when they go to the coach's house to persuade him to train cho-won
scene that made me smile: everytime cho-won bowed and said hi to his brother [so cute]
rundown: boy with autism finds passion in running
bottom line: a definite must see
comments: i heard alot about this film when it first came out and finally got around to watching it. the acting is great and the story is both funny and touching. from teh beginning i was immediately drawn in. if you're looking for a feel good movie than you should check it out. it was inspired by an actual person, bae hyeong-jin.
rating: 5 soju bottles

stay gold & be well...

i am the lamb

deery-lou.

movie: hello, goodbye little brother [annyeong, hyeonga]
starring: park ji-bin, seo dae-han, choi woo-hyuk, bae jong-ok, park won-sang
director: lim tae-yong
genre: drama
country: korea
year: 2005
cute kids: 3
kids with illness: 2
hospital fights: 1
playground fights: 1
bathroom scenes: 4
game of choice: yu gi oh
daisies compared to: fried eggs
fart jokes: 4
method of transportation: sneaker skates
quote: "the cat taking a nap is run over by a car"
impressions of: a pop star
nickname: shitty pants
allusions to: tarzan man
noteworthy scene: throwing shit water on his brother
rundown: bratty little brother likes to cause trouble and pick on his older brother. older brother is diagnosed with a brain tumor. little boy learns the true meaning of family, friendship, and love.
bottom line: well done family drama that gets you choked up
comments: from the cover i thought it was going to be a family comedy. so wrong. perhaps not the best movie to watch after my last post. there was nothing exceptional about the film. just you basic good old family drama that will make you cry. the film was based on actual people.
rating: 3 soju bottles

be well...

overload

deery-lou.

movie: spirit of jeet kune do: once upon a time in high school [maljuk-geori janhoksa, 말죽거리 잔혹사]
starring: kwon sang-woo, lee jeong-jin, han ka-in, lee jong-hyeok, park hyo-jun, seo dong-won
director: yu ha
genre: action, drama
country: korea
cute k.boys: 4
cute k.girls: 1
rooftop fights: 2
teachers beating students: many
bus fights: 1
pen stabs to the head: 1
pool cues between the legs: 3
hard on references: 2
weapon of choice: nunchuks, bats a close second
sex scenes: 1 [very mild]
shirtless guys: 1
favorite reading material for students: porn
boys in uniforms: too many to count
kissing scenes: 3
disco scenes: 1
milk moustaches: 1
references to abba: 3
song dedication: morris albert's feelings and abba's one summer night
serendes with guitar: 1
catchy nicknames: hamburger, stabber, cheetah, night mist
homage to: bruce lee
bruce lee impersonations: at least 5
actress that eun-ju was compared to: olivia hussey
best line: "fuck every school in korea"
memorble acronym [when learning nouns]: cmpac ["c"ock "m"eets "p"ussy "a"n orgasm is "c"reated
kiss of death quote [eun-ju to hyun-so]: " i like you alot. i feel more comfortable with you than my female friends."
noteworthy scene: final rooftop fight scene [hyun-so kicks some ass]
rundown: shy boy [hyun-so] transfers to a new high school that is notorious for severe punishment by teachers and a power struggle between school gangs. he befriends one of the gang leaders who shares his love of bruce lee. he soon finds himself in a love triangle with his friend and a girl [eun-ju] they meet on the bus, all the while trying to find his place in life.
bottom line: a coming of age film thats worth viewing
comments: this movie was also bought purely for the cover. hmmm, does anyone else see a pattern here. i'm a sucker for coming of age dramas and was completely surprised and pleased when this movie turned out to be one. from the box cover i thought it was going to be a fighting movie. sure enough there was alot of that too but the basic story is about entering adulthood. it gave a good glimpse into korean life in 1978. it seemed to be a time when the country was changing in many ways. i did learn that at one time there was a buslady who basically opened the door for and collected money from the passengars. she would also hit the side of the bus and yell to the driver to move on once the passengers were aboard. gotta love it. this is movie is definitely a keeper. it kind of had the same feel of y tu mama tambien, another great film. and besides who doesn't love a good coming of age film. i might actually have to get this on dvd and toss the vcd aside. thats how good i thought it was.
rating: 5 soju bottles

be well...

all the lazy d_____ (part of song left blank cuz google decided to flag after 17 years)

deery-lou.

movie: mr. socrates [미스터 소크라테스]
starring: kim rae-won, yoon tae-young, kang shin-il, lee jong-hyeok, oh kwang-rok
director: choi jin-won
genre: action, crime
country: korea
cute k.boys: 6
drunken fights: 3
gang fights: 1
brother beat down: 1
car crashes: 1
weapon of choice: bat
sex scenes: 0
shirtless guys: 2
speedos: 2
sauna scenes: 2
allusions to: being a dog
noteworthy scene: eating a cigarette on subway
rundown: thug boy gets recruited by "the syndicate" where's he's trained to be a cop in order to protect "the syndicate". once a cop he must choose between "the syndicate" and his new found duties of being a cop.
bottom line: highly entertaining ganster flick
comments: purchased strictly based on the cover. i had no clue as to what this movie was about. i guessed from the pictures on the back it was some kind of action flick. it really didn't matter as long as there were ck's to watch. nothing extremely fantastic about the film but worth a look. it borders on the drama/comedy side.
rating: 3 soju bottles

be well...