Chulsoo and Younghee (KR 2005)

"Chulsoo and Young Hee" 철수♡영희 cute Korean Movie
Chulsoo & Younghee is a cute movie that I rented and watched last night. After the steady stream of romances and sad dramas, this was a welcome respite. The young Park Tae Young who plays Chulsoo is perfect. He is alway a trouble maker and whenever there is something going amuck, Chulsoo is usually at the heart of the matter. One day, a cute transfer student Younghee becomes his seat mate and his life is about to change....
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Chulsoo and Younghee

Release Date: 2005

Director : Hwang Gyu DeokWriter: Hwang Gyu DeokCast: Jeong Ha Eun ... YoungheePark Tae Young ... Chulsoo

Sypnosis:

What happens when a naughty boy meets a cute, sophisticated girl and falls in love? When it comes to mischievous behavior, Chulsoo is second to none though he has the lowest academic record at school. The only two who greet him are his mother, who is completely engrossed in investing money on the cyber stock market, and a parrot, which repeatedly mimics the phrase, "Chulsoo, you fool."Chulsoo changes completely after Younghee transfers to his school. With both of her parents dead, Younghee, who lives with her grandmother who runs a flower shop, is grief-stricken but so excels in academics and conduct that her other male peers fall in love with her. Chulsoo gradually approaches her but she rarely opens her heart. Finally, Chulsoo prepares a gift for her, but that is just the beginning.It may have been the intent of director Hwang Gyudeok to give the two main characters such typical names - Chulsoo and Younghee - that you can hear everywhere in Korea and which even appear regularly in Korean elementary textbooks (i.e., the equivalent of "Dick and Jane"). This movie is like a children's tale written for adults. Nevertheless, all episodes in the movie are shown through the eyes of children.

http://kmovieaddicts.blogspot.com/search/label/Fantasy (blurb source)

Wedding (K drama 2005)

Ji Hoon
Lee Sena

Jin Hui
Ji Soo

(WEDDING 2005) Because of his family financial situations, Han Seung-woo (Ryu Shi Won) agrees to go on a blind date. Lee Se Na (Jang Nara) a pampered, rich girl is his blind date. Se Na had always dreamed about a perfect marriage... ceremony and all. She was brought up to understand that she would be set up with a man most compatible to her by her parents. Unforunately, this marriage isnt going to be a smooth one. Seung-woo has always believed in marriage for love. Will his marriage with Se Na last if he doesn't even love her? Or will love slowly arise between them? This drama is fully of laughs and life lessons you will enjoy. (AMAZON.com) 18 episodes--웨딩 / We-ding KBS
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I think Ryu Shi Won looked the best in this drama compared to the other ones. Maybe it is the maturity of his character, his smile or his devotion to his mom. But his smile endeared me! Jang Nara is a fave of mine! Though she is supposed to be a spoiled rotten "Pink Princess" she was able to turn her character to be lovable. Even her pink predilection creeped into their home after they both got married. Their marriage is not based out of love and the young couple go through alot before they realize how much they mean to each other. I liked the realistic plot to this one but there was too much of some of the characters not willing to "admit" their feelings to each other. I was getting a bit annoyed but then this is not uncommon to alot of Kdramas! I would say the chemistry between the two main characters was good and the story was not bad. I loved the devotion of the "Pink Princess" father to her. It was rare to see in a Kdrama.

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DRAMAWIKI (source-below)

Starring: Jang Nara, Ryu Shi Won, Myung Se Bin, Lee Hyun Woo

Summary:Lee Se-na (Jang Nara) is the only daughter from a wealthy background. Because of her pampered upbringing, she believes that she can get anything she wants if she sets her heart to it. She meets Han Seung-Woo (Ryu Shi Won), a self-made diplomat, who is not-so-secretly in love with his childhood friend Yoon-su (Myung Se Bin), currently in Japan with her fiance, Seung-Woo's colleague Jin-Hui (Lee Hyun Woo).

Se-na instantly falls in love with Seung-Woo, who asks her what she thinks the meaning of marriage is. In their subsequent marriage, their values are questioned as Se-na's complete trust in Seung-Woo shatters with the realization of Yoon-su's and Seung-Woo's relationship, and Seung-Woo's happiness in marriage shatters with Se-na's deepening mistrust and her own relationship with Jin-Hui.

Cast/Characters:

Lee Sena (Jang Nara) is the pink-princess, the one and only beloved daughter of her parents, a quite wealthy family. Her parents adore her so much, especially her dad, that they granted everything she wishes. When she was meeting Seung-woo for the first time, she is determined to make him hers, because he has asked her from the beginning, "what is the most important thing in a marriage?". True, they met by "arranged marriage" (omiai kekkon - in jdoramas), but then they decided to get married and try to make it work despite of all the 'turbulence' in getting to know each other better and adjust to the idea of living together with your spouse.

Ji Yoon (Jo Hyun Jae) is an upright man, who never been truly in a relationship before. From his childhood years, he has always loved Yoon-su and treats her like a family. After knowing that Yoon-su will get married with Jin-sui hyung, he gave up and decided to marry Se-na. He is an assistant to Korea's famous ambassador, as a diplomat. Even when on his wedding day, they had to go to Japan for honeymoon just because he has to work there right after the wedding. His faithfulness towards making his marriage works, amazes me. The way he handles Se-na and all her tantrums, also amazes me. Ji Yoon is just so sweet as a husband, caring and faithful.

Ji Soo Yun (Hong Soo Hyun) is the childhood friend of Seung-woo, for about 20 years they've been together. She calls seung-woo's mom, Teacher, since apparently, she was taught by her to play piano, and she's been living and known them for 20 years (or so). She wishes to have her as her own mom, and had loved Seung-woo for so long... but when her wishes are not granted, she is destined to be with her Jin-hui oppa who deeply in love with her. After knowing that her only bestfriend, Seung-woo is getting married with Se-na, a girl who he barely knows, she started to have this 'insecure' feelings towards them, but learn to manage and acceptted them.

Suh Jin-hui (Lee Hyun Woo) is the one who loved Yoon-su and take her away from Seung-woo to Japan. They've been together for some time, but one day, he can't stand the idea of her fiance is actually care about Seung-woo's mother. He asks her to choose, Seung-woo or him. And she said, it's not seung-woo, but her family. She needs to be with her family, and be with her Teacher during the times when Seung-woo's mom is falling sick. Jin-hui is also working as a diplomat together with Seung-woo.

K dramas ---some thoughts

We mention a shared appreciation for Jumong (Song Il Gook) and Kim Sam Soon (Hyun Bin 현빈and Daniel Henney). I am catching an old tv show when his 어머니 visited Korea and their experiences together. It was beautiful and touching. I found through a fansite that Daniel was in a Valen Hsu video. *sigh Lucky her!
song title : 祝福了 singer: 許茹芸
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG18pHBGQSw
I mentioned instead of Kachi Video to rent online. I love renting movies and dramas online. It is my savior and Boston is not exactly a hot bed of places to get certain Asian Videos and movies to rent. Plus with my busy schedule I appreciate I get the stuff via the mail!!!!! Such convenience!

Ha Ji Won--Hwang Jini (http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hwang_Jin_Yi) I want to see this drama!

So from a new friend, I learned some tidbits about some Kdrama/entertainment stars such as:
I learned that Song Il Gook's relatives where powerful during WWII and saved some Koreans at that time. His only daughter became an actress (Il Gook's mom). He has been in the industry for over 10 years but it has only been "Hae Shin" and "Jumong" where he has much success! JCK and I were wondering what is he going to do next since it seems like a great role! I want to see 하지원 Ha Ji Won's new Kiseang drama 황진이 (黃眞伊) / Hwang Jini(Hwang Jin Yi) (that ended KBS 2006) in Korea. I saw her first in "SECRET" 비밀 as Kim Ha Neul's evil sister. As my sis said, at that time all the "evil" female characters had big permed hair! (Same with the girl in "Winter Sonata" too Park Sol Mi's character). SCK recommended to put on my radar Hyun Bin's newest (just ended in Korea and parts were filmed in Europe -Austria I believe) Snow Queen (2006 KBS) 눈의 여왕 / Noon Eui Yeo Wang and "Something Happened in Bali" 2004 발리에서 생긴 일 (Bal-li-e-seo Saeng-gil Il)

Three Extremes (2004) Asian horror

I caught the movie on DVD Three.... Extremes. I am not usually a fan of horror films but it was alright. I would call them more thrillers than horror. When I think of horror, I envision "Freddy Krueger" or "Friday the 13th" or "Amityville Horror" more so. I guess the American version of horror with lots of screaming, gore, blood and terror. Or scenes invoke nightmares and unpleasant thoughts. I think my fave really was Miriam Yeung as an aging actress in DUMPLING. I am used to her being in comedies and laughing a lot. The last shot of her at the end of "DUMPLING" was a bit eerie and creepy. As my sister added, she will never look at "ha gar" the same way again. Lee Byun Hun as the director in "CUT" was good. Then again Park Chan Wook delivers in very interesting and out of the ordinary films. It is interesting seeing him as a victim in this piece playing along with a sadistic film extra.

I enjoyed "CUT' then "Dumpling" and then "BOX". "Box" did not do much for me. Trying to bring back a beautiful woman's past is haunting her in her dreams on how she did wrong to her sister. She experiences life and all of the sudden the supernatural, reality, and dreams slowly blur that she is not sure which medium she is in.

Three... Extremes (三更2 Saam gaang yi) is a 2004 international Asian horror film collaboration consisting of three segments by three directors from three countries. It is a sequel to, and follows the concept of Three (2002), this time with more established directors. The three segments are, in the following order:

Dumplings, directed by Fruit Chan (Hong Kong)
Cut, directed by Park Chan-wook (South Korea)
Box, directed by Takashi Miike (Japan)

Fruit Chan later released Dumplings, a 90 minute version of his segment.
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Dumplings - An aging actress wanting to reclaim her youth goes to a woman who makes dumplings that supposedly have regenerative properties. However, they contain a gruesome secret ingredient.

Cut - A successful film director and his wife are kidnapped by an extra, where the director is forced to play his sadistic games. If he fails, his wife's fingers will be chopped off one by one every five minutes.
Box - A soft spoken young woman has a bizarre and recurring nightmare about being buried in a box in the snow. Searching for her long lost sister, she realizes her dreams and reality may possibly be connected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three..._Extremes

http://www.threeextremes.com/

Jumong Starts on AZN!

Jumon on AZN started last week

So when I was visiting YuJin in Korea, she told me one of the top dramas of South Korea that year was "Jumong" with Song Il Gook 송일국 (bday 10/1/71) as the lead. I had the pleasure of seeing him win the "Daesang Award" at the MBC Drama Awards right before I left Seoul on the 30th of December in 2006.

2006 MBC Drama Awards: Daesang Award
2006 MBC Drama Awards: Top Excellence Award
2005 KBS Acting Awards: Best Actor
2002 KBS Acting Awards: Best New Actor

I caught him for the first time in "Emperor of the Sea" *(Hae shin) the drama which was his first big role. He is from an acting family. He also starred in a movie "Art of Seduction" (KR-2005)작업의 정석 (Jak-eob-eui Jeong-seok) playing a handsome playboy who meets his match in his female counterpart.

Song Il Gook plays the man in a historical drama about the first Emperor who united all of Korea! Of course there is alot of embellishments to the story to add more drama. One actress how always plays a villianess is back such as she (Kyeon Mi-Ri 견미리) was in "Dae Jang Geum."
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Song Il-gook Voted TV Performer of the Year

The Broadcasting Producer Association of Korea announced Thursday that it had chosen Song Il-gook of “Jumong” as the best TV actor of the year for the 19th Korean Broadcasting Producers Award.The Award has categories for the best producer, best program, best performer, experimental spirit, and best production. Last year the best TV performer award was shared by actor Kim Myung-min of “Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin” and actress Kim Sun-ah of “My Name is Kim Sam-soon.” (http://www.kbs.com.kr/)

I really enjoy him in this drama and I am up to episode 8 (tonight). I read that this drama is so wildly popular that it was stretched from 60 to 80 episodes (at hour and a half with commercials) it is not short. In fact, this drama is still playing in Korea and slated to end March 5th (per the Korean TV schedule I read online).
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( http://en.wikipedia.org/) source:

Jumong (Korean: 주몽, Hanja: 朱蒙) is a historical drama currently airing on South Korea's MBC television network as a 45th Anniversary Special Drama. Originally set to be 60, MBC has decided to extend it to 80 episodes due to its popularity. It portrays the life of Jumong (later King Dongmyeongseong, founder of the Goguryeo Kingdom). Because few details are found in the historical records on Jumong, much artistic license is taken.

Summary

Gojoseon has fallen to the Han Empire of China. All that is left are separate city-states that have no choice but to appease the Han Empire. The Han are cruel, taking refugees prisoner and demonstrating their new iron weapons on them.

Hae Mo-su a legendary soldier joins hands with Geumwa the crown prince of Buyeo, in order to counter Han savagery, creating the Da-Mul Gun, a band of soldiers who defended Gojoseon refugees. Hae Mo-su gets injured after a skirmish against Han soldiers, and floats down a river, half alive. The princess of the Haebaek tribe finds him and nurses him back to health. The two start a relationship. However, the Han are looking for Hae Mo-su, and discovering that the man the princess was sheltering looked like (and was) Hae Mo-su, and they raze the tribe to the ground. Hae Mo-su escapes just in time and travels until he meets a caravan from the tribe of Gyeh-Ru. The head merchant, who is also the ruler of the Gyeh-Ru tribe, offers Hae Mo-su a job within the caravan, not knowing who the man is. The ruler, Yeon Ta-Bal, tells Hae Mo-su to join him in his tent, and they introduce each other and share a conversation. News of the Habaek tribe pops up in the middle of the conversation, and seeing the shocked look on his guest's face, Yeon Ta-Bal begins to suspect the guest of being Haemosu himself. The next day, the caravan travels but stops when they hear that Yeon's wife has gone into labor. They set up camp and So Seo-No is born and protected, as Hae Mosu defends the trade caravan against a band of thieves, reinforcing Yeon's assumption. Yeon's caravan has trading rights with the Han Dynasty itself. Yeon knows of Hae Mosu's escape, and a great reward for his capture. At this point, he is fully convinced that his guest is Hae Mosu. Yeon decides not to turn Hae Mosu in, because of his deed of defending his caravan and his daughter from harm.

Hae Mo-su returns to Geumwa, and they resume the skirmishes. However, as the Damulgun progress in their obejective to free all refugees, the Han disguise Han soldiers as fake refugees, whom the Damulgun attempt to rescue. Ambushed by the fake refugees and "ironclad cavalry," the Damulgun with him are killed, and he is captured. Hae Mosu is subsequently tortured and blinded by the Han.

Geum-wa, attempts and succeeds in freeing Hae Mo-su, who, though blind, is able to ride a horse. Geum-wa ultimately fails in his task to save Hae Mo-su, who Geumwa sees, trapped upon a chateau, shot with arrows and presumably dead in the river.

Haebaek princess has Hae Mosu's child. She goes to the Crown Prince of Buyeo. After bearing her son, Jumong, he becomes a prince of Buyeo (after the enthronement of the Crown Prince) and she a Royal Concubine upon the new Emperor's insistence. Jumong will learn of his father, his violent rivalry among him and his half-brothers, his love for Soseuno, and finally, a revival of the Da-mul Gun and the founding of Goguryeo.

Cast:
Song Il-gook(송일국) as Prince Jumong(주몽)
Han Hye-jin(한혜진) as Lady Soseono(소서노)
Kim Seung-soo(김성수) as Prince Daeso(대소)
Jeon Gwang-ryeol(전광렬) as King Geumwa(금와)
Oh Yeon-soo(오연수) as Lady Yoohwa(유화)
Kyeon Mi-ri(견미리) as Queen Wonhu(원후)
Kim Byeong-ki (김병기) as Yeontabal(연타발)
Jin Hee-kyeong(진희경) as Sorceress Yeomieul(여미을)
Lee Jae-yong(이재용) as Prime Minister Budeukbul(부득불)
Heo Joon-ho(허준호) as General Haemosu(해모수)
Song Ji-hyo(송지효) as Lady Yesoya(예소야)
Won Ki-joon(원기준) as Prince Yeongpo (영포)
Bae Soo-bin(배수빈) as Sayong (사용)
Park Tam-hee(박탐희) as Lady Yangseolran (양설란)
Lim So-yeong(임소영) as Buyeong (부영)
Yoon Dong-hwan(윤동환) as Yangjeong (양정)
Ahn Jeong-hoon(안정훈) as Mari (마리)
Lim Dae-ho(임대호) as Hyeopbo (협보)
Yeo Ho-min(여호민) as Oyi (오이)
Jeong Ho-bin(정호빈) as Wootae (우태)
An Young Jun as Yuri
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Such a great drama potential just SOOOO long plus it is too early to have quality English subtitles when it is still being shown in Korea. I have to just sit tight and wait. *sigh

Fly High (KR)

Fly High (2006) - 사랑하니까, 괜찮아 (Sa-lang-ha-ni-kka, Kwaen-chanh-a)

I just caught on dvd a movie with Ji Hyeon Woo (지현우)(Kang Min Hyuk) and Lim Jeon Eun (임정은)(Han Mi Hyun) as two young teens who meet in high school and fall in love. But as in many Korean romantic movies, not everything is smooth sailing. Min Hyuk is a good looking, cheerful and popular student who lives with his father and one day meets Mi Hyun while using the bathroom during the school festival. Later on as fate would have it, he bumps into her again but she is using the boy's room again but this time their mutual friends are setting their friends up. After their first encounter she is smitten and has moon eyes while he is dancing is in the acapella group (after doing the hip hop dance troupe), he is smitten later after their second meeting (when their mutual friends are setting them up).

Mi Hyun plays hard to get and says she does not want to date him. Min Hyuk is very persistence and keeps asking her out and boldly kisses her after she rejects him. (not something I see commonly in these types of movies). But in reality Mi Hyun is dying and her poor mom even sells her own bridal shop business to raise funds to go to the States to save her life. This explains her reticence to start anything with Min Hyuk though she really does like him alot. Due to their friends and just hanging out a few more times, Mi Hyun and Min Hyuk fall deeper in love. She breaks Min Hyuk's heart by breaking up with him before departing for the States (without telling him the truth--common action done by Korean characters ie Hee Jin in Kim Sam Soon did the same thing). He is fascinated by her and wants to know all about her from her love of astronomy and of Aurora to buying a bike so he can take her home. During the first snow, he even goes to her home to shovel the path outside her home. Min Hyuk does many sweeping romantic gestures (found in many a Korean drama and movie) this time he snuck into her locker and put in flowers, drew her face and then made a special sign for her as well as put up a ton of balloons.

I enjoyed Ji Hyeon Woo's (지현우) acting as Min Hyuk alot. He did a great job. Some people say he looks like "Rain (비)" I guess in a way but not really.

After talking to some Korean friends, Korean films are unlike American films for the tidy "happy ending" for the romantic films. Also it does tend to be a more cliche film, yet I did not mind. There are some moods I have not minding it.

Presidents Last Bang (Korean Flick 2004) 그때 그사람들

(wikipedia)

The Presidents Last Bang

그때 그사람들

Geuddae Geusaramdeul

CAST

Song Jae-ho 송재호- Park Chung-hee
Han Suk-kyu 한석규- KCIA Chief Agent Ju
Baek Yoon-shik Baek Yoon-shik- KCIA director Kim Jae-kyu

I just caught Im Sang Soo's 임상수(2004) film Geuddae geusaramdeul or The Presidents Last Bang, a great film with the highly fictionalized account taking a look at the life of President Park Chun-hee and the events leading up to his assassination in 1979. It currently is showing at the MFA Boston (Musuem of Fine arts) http://www.mfa.org/ check under film calender for more info.

I definitely enjoyed it. It was dark, there was violence, but it was interesting how betrayal and the director's perspective on this event (all the survivors will not talk about it or alot were persecuted afterwards). In addition, Park's family took the director to court to have this film not shown. As you can see, they lost as this film has been shown all over to critical acclaim.
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(The following is from www.seoulselection.com):

High Points: A hisorical fact translated by an individual. Amusing to watch thanks to the director's perspective. October 26th, 1979, about 7:40 pm. Two gunshots ring through the Presidential secret quarters in Seoul, Korea. The President's long-time right-hand man and KCIA Director had shot the President right in the middle of his own banquet. The fatally wounded President is rushed to the military hospital in Seoul, but in fact he had already died on the spot.

The first of its kind!Inspired by the 24 hours that led to the most shocking incident in modern Korean history, THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG is the first attempt to deal with the October 26th assassination of the President. Twenty-five years have passed yet the truth is left unspoken. THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG combines filmic fabrications and fiction to recreate the suspenseful events of this fateful day. Witness the remarkably candid and biting images and views the film presents on screen.

A new historical perspective!For their own reasons, a number of 'ordinary people' were at the scene of the President's assassination. They were not power players who would receive history's spotlight, but people who bore 'supporting roles' and faded-away in time.

THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG introduces men who without a clue, fire their guns at their superior's orders, women who are invited to the banquet, Presidential Security Servicemen who are killed in the crossfire, a man whose luck runs out when he is called over on his off-duty day just for knowing how to use a gun but in fact can only turn his face away when he actually has to use it, an ordinary man and a father of a beautiful daughter whose grade he cannot remember. They all go through perhaps the longest twenty-four hours of their lives on Oct. 26th, and now they have been forgotten.

THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG deals with the irony of force where a military society that believes in the power of the gun turns the gun onto itself. It discloses the hapless sacrifices made from a culture that demanded command and obedience. It is the entire spectrum of people, from a KCIA head who tells his men to follow him in a deadly plan without reason, a chief who never explains why he is giving his men orders to shoot, to the men who do not have a choice but to obey, that all present a self-portrait of an era of irony.