Friend (2001) - Review

Image from google

“Friend” is another classic Korean film from 2001. It is semi-autobiographic showing the director’s experience with his friends and it is one of the highest grossing Korean movies of all time. I decided to watch this because the storyline reminded me a lot of “Sandglass”.

What is this about:

This movie depicts the lives of four friends: Joon Suk, the son of a gangster, Dung Soo, son of an undertaker , Jung Ho, the school clown and Sang Taek, the narator the story. It starts from 1976, when they were children, continues to 1981 where they are just before adulthood and eventually when they are adults and have chosen different paths.

My review:

This is not an easy film. It doesn’t take you from the hand and tells you this is that. Far from it. It requires from you to pay attention, close attention to what is going on on your screen.

Sang Taek

Although based on the description and the first thirty minutes I thought this was about these four friends, but in the end it is about the two of them, Joon Suk and Dung Soo, who end up in opposing gangster organizations, and the inability of the other two to stop the inevitable. And it was emotional, made even more so by the simplicity, I don’t know if that is the right word, of how their emotions were expressed. Because in real life we don’t confront each other in big dramatic scenes, most of the time we leave many things unsaid, usually the most important ones. Just like in this movie.

Dung Soo

 Jung Ho and Sang Taek are very much us. When we see the disaster unfold before our eyes, we do nothing, not because we don’t want to, but because certain things are beyond our control and we can’t take responsibility for other people’s decisions, even if they are our friends.

Sang Taek and Soon Suk

It is obvious that the director poured his soul in this film. The characterization is so close to real life and the way he told his story mimicked life. You can’t see the purpose of it all until the very end. So, if for the three quarters of the film you wonder where does this lead to, you can’t see a connection to the pieces of their lives, have patience and wait until the last thirty or twenty minutes.

The performances are stellar from everyone. Even for the minor roles the actors were carefully selected. Especially the four leads brought to life interesting flawed humans that you feel for.

However … this could be a masterpiece, but for me failed for one single reason. I was left confused even after the movie ended. I had to search on google to see what I was missing – apparently quite a few. And after I read the information I appreciated the nuances of this film even more. But I would like not to have to look it up, to answer these questions on my own by the end. Perhaps it is not the director’s fault, perhaps he subtitles I used weren’t the best and many things were lost in translation.

Why you should watch:

• One of the best Korean movies.

• Exceptional direction and performances.

• Complex story with layers and layers of details.

• If you like gangster movies.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like ganster movies.

• It has a fair amount of violence and it shows use of drugs and sex.

• Maybe it is too complex story.

Final verdict:

9.5/10. Very close to being a masterpiece. I certainly would watch it again – and with different subtitles – and I highly recommend it.

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Sood Sanae Ha (2009) - Review

“Sood sanae ha” or “Recipe for love” is my first thai drama, or lakorn as they are called, and I couldn’t have made a better choice. Now that I have seen a bit more lakorns I can say with confidence that this is one of the best that thai dramas can offer. Honestly, if I had watched some other lakorn, I wouldn’t like them as I do now.

Image from google

What is this about:

Directed by Ampaiporn Jitmaingong. Star Anne Thongprasom, Ken Theeradeth Wonpuapan. Alin (Anne Thongprasom), a thirty-year-old actress, is without job for the past two years due to her difficult character. An opportunity arises with a cooking show, which she accepts so she can come closer with the producer, Anucha (Willie Ruengrit McIntosh). The problem is that she doesn’t know how to cook, so she hires a chef, Din (Ken Theeradeth Wonpuapan), to help her. More info

My review:

One of the best romantic comedies I have ever seen. Even though it is more on the comedic side, it has enough romance, especially in the second half. It is considered a classic by many and deservingly so. Also, it started my love for the two leads, Anne and Ken, whose projects I follow since then.

Alin is a spoiled, arrogant, self-absorbed actress with remarkable superiority complex. In real life she would be insufferable but here she is hilarious. From her one liners to her attempts to charm her producer she brings tons of laughter. But, beneath all that, there is insecurity and a child-like approach to life. She is so absorbed in her little perfect world that has no idea how the real world is.

Din is the perfect male lead. He is good looking, clever, compassionate, a good son, knows what is right and he isn’t afraid to fight for it and he doesn’t put up with other people’s bad behavior – read Alin here. His only fault is that he feels inferior to others and to the rest of his family because his mother is a maid. That causes him to take a lot of insults from most of his siblings – apart from his older sister – and sometimes he doesn't fight for what he wants.

The second leads are boring. Anucha is a mama’s boy that can’t stand up to his mother. Frankly, I don’t see why Alin likes him. Ta, Anucha’s ex wife and Din’s friend, is the tormented woman that has to deal with her sick daughter – such a sweet child – and Anucha. They are not irritating or make you throw things to your screen, certainly not. It’s just that everytime they have scenes with each other I bless the creator of fast forward.

Lom is Alin’s lawyer and only friend and Din’s best friend. Because Alin’s father helped him with his practice, he thinks that he owes her family – something Alin never fails to remind him – and does everything she asks. On the other hand, his relationship with Din is more brotherly and they support each other. Their bromance is very cute.

His constant mode when dealing with Alin.

As for the mothers, Din's mother is the sweetest. She is so kind and so sweet with her son and with the others, not to mention she is an avid fan of Alin. On the other side, we have Anucha's mother who is your typical lakorn mother-in-law, mean and values people based on their money.

She is so sweet I want to pinch her cheeks.

Lady Amara is rocking 80's hair.

The directing is very city-like which appeals to more international viewers. It seems they paid close attention to every aspect to create this feeling, from the fashion, to how the houses where decorated, to what cars they are driving. And I think this is what makes it classic for me, apart from the storyline and performances.

There are so many Alin's outfits that I love. I wish it was shot in HD so I could swoon over them better.

Another thing that I love about this is that the progression is not fast. Even though this can be viewed as a fault, I really like that there is no defining moment where their feelings change, instead episode by episode we see a little change that eventually builds into something. And we have the combination of two tropes. First, Alin and Din started with not very nice feelings about each other and then became friends and then lovers. So, we have rivals turned to lovers and friends turned to lovers. Two in one.

However, “Sood sanae ha” is not perfect. As I said before the secondary couple, Anucha and Ta, are boring. Moreover, there are many annoying side characters that I fast forward. If a scene doesn’t have Alin or Din in it, I skip it. I don’t miss anything important, there are enough flashbacks to fill me in. Also, the sound effects that are used are very childish and cartoonish and I was put off at first. But after an episode or two I got used to it.

Why you should watch it:

• One of the best rom coms.

• Excellent performances and chemistry from the lead couple. They are so natural with each other.

• Very nice ending song. A bit dated, but so romantic.

• Great amount of physical comedy.

• Funny cooking scenes.

• Steady progression of the romance.

• Easy, breezy watch. Even though every episode is 1 hour and a half, it passes by very fast.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like romantic comedies or lakorns in general.

• Over the top sound effects.

• Very, very annoying side characters.

• This is supposed to make you laugh, don’t look for any deep meaning.

Final verdict:

9.5/10. I would rate it 10/10 if there weren’t all those small things. If you are interested in lakorns but haven’t started yet, watch this, it’s the perfect choice. If you have watched lakorns but you weren’t impressed, watch this, you will possibly change your mind. In any case, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Last but not least, below are two MVs that feature my two favourite songs from this lakorn. Considering that it has three, I think, songs in total, my favoring two is a good ratio.

Kon Tummda

Ter Tung Nun

 

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Bride for rent (2014) - Review

After watching Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo, I immediately wanted to see Kim Chiu and Xiam Lim again in a movie. So I was happy to see that they were paired again – apparently in Philippines it is very common for successful pairings to be paired more than once, which is fine by me. Although it is not as comedic as their previous collaboration, it is still an enjoyable romantic comedy.

What is this about:

Rocky (Kim Chiu) is an aspiring young actress – not that talented – who goes from audition to audition in the hope of landing a role and helping her family. Rocco (Xiam Lim), on the other hand, is a rich boy who is eagerly waiting to get his trust fund. But there is a catch – he has to be married. So, after his friend’s idea, he holds an audition to find a fake wife. Guess who he meets there.

My review:

Another successful pairing between Kim Chiu and Xiam Lim. I am really enjoying this practice to pair movie couples more that once – I think they are called “love teams”, not sure though. Of course I want to see various combinations between the actors, but when something works so well it is nice to repeat it, and in a funny movie like this, even better. 

Kim Chiu as Rocky is a pure joy. She is funny, charming, has a sense of humor and loves her family very much. She brings most of the hilarity in her scenes. That girl has the comedic chops. Xiam Lim as Rocco is again a guy who doesn’t believe in love, but through his interactions with Rocky starts to change. Again, he is not a bad person, just spoiled by his grandmother.

Rocco’s grandmother, Lala, is perhaps the best character in the movie, after Rocky. She is clever and understood immediately her grandson’s plan, she is not someone you can fool easily. She wants what’s best for Rocco and, if forced, she will take drastic measures. And has so many one liners, I think she has the best dialogues in the movie.

I love her sarcasm and sense of humor.

The main theme of this movie is commitment forever. Obviously, we have Rocco who fears commitment like it is the plague and slowly changes. Nothing groundbreaking here. What I loved are certain lines from Lala, which were cheesy but they had truth and sincerity in them. Then again, I love Lala.

Another highlight for me is this old couple. They appear for, maybe, two minutes, but they were so sweet and make you wish you had what they have.

Why you should you watch:

• It is an enjoyable romantic comedy, that has both romance and comedy.
• The chemistry between the leads is amazing.
• Funny side characters.
• It has a main theme and it sticks to it throughout the movie.
• Nice music.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like rom coms.
• It is not as fresh as their first collaboration.
• Again, we have mostly one dimensional characters.

Final verdict:

7/10. A nicely executed, enjoyable romantic comedy. What it lacks in freshness, it has it in chemistry and side characters. I certainly recommended it.

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Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo (2013) - Review

This is the movie that started my love for pinoy movies. I was browsing through Viki and I stumbled upon the trailer (for some reason I can't play it on my browser now, so here's the trailer without english subtitles). It was the funniest thing I had seen for a while and I knew I had to watch it right away. And it didn’t disappoint.

What is this about:

Directed by Joyce Bernal. Stars Kim Chiu, Xiam Lim. We start with our heroine, Sandy (Kim Chiu) who is preparing to celebrate her one year anniversary with her boyfriend, but he breaks up with her. Meanwhile, Alex (Xiam Lim) returns from the States and takes charge of A&I Records. In order to save the company, he needs to fire some employees, among them Sandy. But he soon realizes she was the only one truly working, so he promises to teach her how to make men fall in love with her, if she comes back to work.

My review:

One of the funniest romantic comedies I have seen in long time. What it does really well is that it remembers the “comedy” part of the genre, something that is forgotten far too often. It has many memorable scenes that bring laughter even after the movie ends. But it has also many romantic scenes that are quite good. Overall, I could say that it has achieved a nice balance between the comedy and the romance.

One of my favorite scenes is the one after the breakup. Sandy’s boyfriend breaks up with her over the phone and takes with him the anniversary gift, an ipad. So the heartbroken Sandy goes to the one place where she can forget her pain and has a wild night cleaning the whole office. I wanted to be sad for Sandy for having such a terrible boyfriend, but the hilarity of the scene made me want to laugh at the same time.

Sandy is a naïve, romantic and funny girl – a description that fits the mood of the movie too – and the actress Kim Chiu brought a lot of hilarity to the character. Alex is a charming boy that fears failure more than anything, but his sense of humor and that in fact he is not a bad guy make him sympathetic. That and his smile and jaw line. Very important factors indeed.

On the side characters, Alex’s family is one of the coolest. Especially his grandfather, who is supportive and encouraging and forgiving. I wish I had him in my family too, he would be so fun.

I love their reactions, they're so cute.

 What I loved though is that Sandy’s transformation from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan – the actress is really beautiful – was made by Alex indirectly. Actually, it was Sandy’s brother and his friends that helped her. Alex only saw photos they send to him and of course the final image. And the parade of clothes and styles was done in a very cute and funny way, Sandy way.

The music was nice. None of the songs truly made an impression on me, but fitted the movie and the story very well. There was a variety, from the ballad for the break up to the breezy romantic songs when feelings start to grow. 

But, of course, this is not the perfect romantic comedy, not one of the classics. In the second half the dramatic scenes feel forced and out of place and they force the characterization to a certain direction that doesn’t feel organic. I would definitely do without them, but thankfully they don’t last too long to ruin the mood of the movie.

Besides, the movie relies heavily on the chemistry between the leads, which is amazing.

 Why you should watch:

•    It is romantic comedy that has actual comedy in it.
•    Amazing chemistry between the leads.
•     Nice summer songs.
•    Predictable but nicely executed story. Just because you know what will happen next doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy it, as long as it is well done.
•    A very enjoyable summer romantic comedy.

Why not to watch:

•    Some dramatic elements could be left out.
•    There is no heavy characterization. The characters are often one dimensional.
•    Cheesy ending, but so is the rest of the movie.

Final verdict:

8/10. Might seem a bit much, but I am not comparing to the great classics, such as The seven samurai, I am reviewing it as a romantic comedy, and it is good. Besides it is my first pinoy movie, so it will always be in my heart. Give it a go, I think with the right expectations you will enjoy it.

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The Classic (2002) - Review

Since I started with some classic Korean dramas (Sandglass, Autumn in my heart), I thought to continue with a classic Korean movie, “The classic”. Hehe. It is one of the most well known Korean movies, probably you know it too, and it was a hit back in the day. Many of its scenes are iconic and still used as a reference by many filmmakers, as well as its soundtrack. It surely deserves all the praise because it is a heartfelt movie.

What is this about:

A young student, Ji Hae (Song Ye Jin), is writing emails to help her friend pursue her love interest (Jo In Seung), but she is interested in him too. Meanwhile, she finds her mother’s diary and love letters and so her mother’s story and hers unfolds.

My review:

I think it is one of those movies that the less you know about the story the better. Not that it is based on complex story and plot twists, though it has its share, it’s just that the emotion drives the story. So if you want to feel it in its fullest I’d say you don’t have to read any synopses.

This movie has a plethora of elements that have worked very well together, from direction and writing to the performances.

The actress is uminous in the movie.

All the characters are made human and sympathetic, except Ji Hae’s friend who was a jealous irritating girl that needed to be slapped. So, aside that small irritation, everyone had little things that they did and were so characteristic of them, showing that they weren’t just stereotypes serving the story, but three dimensional characters. Although the leads in the flashbacks were more heartbreaking, the ones in the present were also vulnerable and emotional.

The iconic rain scene.

The direction is stunning with beautiful shots filled with emotions. The use of landscape made it part of the story. The director wisely used sometimes the romance, sometimes the humor and sometimes the drama in order to progress the story smoothly and with this interchange of feelings kept the viewer always present.

So beautiful scenery.

Also, the music has been used very successfully and sticks with you. In most scenes the soundtrack consists of classical music, but it has contemporary songs that suit the modern couple very well.

In case I haven't convienced you by now.

The production values are evidently high on this movie. From the colour palette, to the cinematography to the representation of the 70s and 80s, it is apparent that there was much work behind all these.

Why you should watch:

•    One of the best Korean movies and a well deserved classic.
•    Very good directing and top notch production.
•    Excellent performances from the actors.
•    Memorable soundtrack with a mix of classical and contemporary pieces.
•    Romance and friendship are the cores of the story.

Why not to watch:

•    If romantic movies are not your type.

Final verdict:

10/10. One of the best romantic movies I have ever seen. This movie ought to be in every romantic’s movie list. It’s one of these cases where everything has worked out so well and the end result is even better. Highly recommended.

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Autumn in my heart (2000) - Review

Since my first post was about a classic Korean drama, I thought to review another classic I recently watched. Case in point, Autumn in my heart (alternative title Autumn Fairy Tale/Autumn Tale). It is the first drama of the tetralogy Endless Love, which do not share the same actors or plots, only the theme of endless love. Anyway, Autumn in my Heart is considered by many as the best of the four dramas – haven’t seen the rest so I can’t comment on that, but I plan to watch them – and started the Korean Wave across the Asia. After watching I understand what all the fuss is about and I don’t.

What is this about:

The story begins when two baby girls are switched accidently in the hospital’s baby room. The children grow up without knowing the truth, however an accident forces the truth to be revealed, destroying the lives of the two families.

My review:

This is the handbook of melodramas. It has every cliché, it has tears – lots of it -, it has screams and it has incurable disease. Everything that a melodrama lover could ever hope for. Normally I wouldn’t even bother writing about such a drama, but it has certain values that help it rise above all the others. It is considered a classic for a reason, after all.

The two main characters are Eun Suh (Moon Geun Young as teenager, Song Hye Kyo as adult) and Yoon Joon Suh (Choi Woo Hyuk as teenager, Song Seung Heon as adult), who grew up as siblings, but later on, after they were separated, developed romantic – and platonic it would seem - feelings.

Eun Suh is the ideal heroin, cheery and lovable as a child, and a stoic sad woman after the tragedy. In most cases so much goodness in a character can make her a bit irritating, but here we are lucky to have two very talented actresses for this role. 

Moon Geun Young as Eun Suh

Moon Geun Young who plays the child counterpart is a true revelation here. Rarely have I seen such a powerful performance from a child actor. Every time she cried I wanted to hug her and cry too.

Song Hye Kyo was good too. A bit too reserved some times, but I suppose it is part of the character after what she had been through. 

Eun Suh and Joon Suh

Joon Suh, well, is one of the weaker roles. I certainly preferred him while he was a child, his indecisiveness as an adult was irritating. However, what really bothered me is that there were many instances where he showed he liked Eun Suh romantically even before he learned the truth. It didn’t help for me to sympathize with him.

The young actor did a good job, but next to the terrific Moon Geun Young paled in comparison. The adult actor reminded me the Korean version of Barbie Ken, and he had about the same expressions as him.

The parents are truly amazing. Truly amazing. I felt what they were feeling, just a glance at their faces and I could understand everything they were going through.

But just the performances aren’t enough to make the drama classic. It was also the direction.By today standards the direction here is very old, and for its time I don’t think it was considered novel. What it lacked in technical aspects, it had in abundance in feelings. It had sensitivity, innocence, nostalgia and a forgotten sense of familiarity.

One of the best scenes when the two leads are so close but don't see each other

But what made this drama stand out for me is the use of autumn as an integral character. it was like autumn came to life and became more vibrant. It built the atmosphere of the story and enhanced all the feelings. It’s one of the few Korean dramas that use so well the environment.

Look at those colors, and it's not even in high resolution.

Another important factor to the drama’s popularity is the scenario, obviously. Apart from the novelty of the theme, in the first episodes the writer made us really feel for the characters. He showed us what they loved, what made them happy, what made them sad, what made them humans. Their reactions were understandable and I was feeling for them. In the first episodes.

Later, the more melodramatic elements of the story came in and the tears never ceased. Never. So be warned. 

Why you should watch:

• It’s a classic. Obviously it did something well. 

• If you like melodramas.

• Stunning scenery that will make you wish it was shot today so you could have better resolution.

• Good performances, especially from the older generation and the young Moon Geun Young.

• Nice music. At least it wasn’t irritating.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like melodramas.

• It’s old school.

• Slow pace. The writer and the director certainly take their time to tell the story.

Final verdict:

6/10. It’s well shot and written (mostly) melodrama, better than most of the kind. I didn’t feel I wasted my time, but I wouldn’t watch it again from beginning to end. I’d recommend it only to those who like this kind of dramas or have the patience for something slower and teary. 

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