OneAjhussi

Fun movie!

STORY:
The story doesn't shine because of its complexity and depth. It is a straightforward spy movie with a simple plot involving many spies and thugs and other gangsters. It is an action packed buddy movie very fast paced but you don't feel like it is missing something. The pace is good and events are unexpected, fun and entertaining.

ACTORS/CHARACTERS:
The main quality of the movie is the numerous characters who allways bring something to the movie, most of the time something funny or a good fighting scene. The main couple is the best of them. Their good chemistry reminded me of Mr and Mrs Smith.

I have watched Kim Young Kwang in the Secret life of my Secretary, Go Ho's starry night and On our wedding day. I feel like he is always the same dumb but caring character who finally does the right thing. Here he had a particular set of skills which gave him a nice dimension. He can be an action hero (anti hero).

First time watching Lee Sun Bin in a lead role. She was surprisingly good.

OST: Nothing special. It supported well the action scene.

REWATCH VALUE: Yes, for the jokes, the fun and the fighting scenes, in particular the last one.

OVERALL: The movie does the job at entertaining the audience. It looks a pretty success in South Korea and there is possibility to make sequels. Highly recommended especially if you like action packed and comedy in movies.

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Failed to be really entertaining

I have never read the novel or source material of this drama and I have not watched any other versions of this drama. I watched it because it popped up in my list of suggestions and because it was the latest version. Here is a feedback FULL OF SPOILER.

CHARACTERS/CAST:

- Sumire: She looked beautiful, competent, with a lot of professionalism and she was a successful woman at work. On the personnal plan, she was a mess. She was wishy washy and indecisive. She did not know how to address her own issues always looking for her pet to comfort her. I really had hard time to understand the difference of personnality and I could not find her likable. She was annoying specially when things started to become draggy. She was dumb to accept the marriage proposal when she was not sure of herself. Only at the end she decided to make things clear because she accidently found the truth.

- Takeshi: I liked him for the qualities he displayed although he looked very young: He was caring, gave attention, he was cheerful and he really had the ability to understand people and situations. In the same time, he looked struggling himself and trying to use the situation to his advantage to find the courage to progess. I thought he was a real good boy despite his own challenges and shortcomings. I liked how he managed the situation and the emotions and feelings he had the best way he could.

- Hasumi : Granted he was handsome and charming but that was the nice facade. I found he was pretty bland and not sincere at all. Too good and too proper to be real. I did not liked him as a person even if I could understand his sitution. And he was a coward until the end when she liberated him of their deadlock.

- Fukushima: She looked a total psycho and a gold digger and a stalker with her crazy schemes to steal the man she likes. Her personnality is weird because in the end, she reveals herselfs a reckless woman full of insecurities, family issues and she has to fight crazily for these reasons and find what she calls happiness. For me it does not made her any better.

STORY:

Basically it is about the relationship between Sumire and Momo and how it contradicts and enters in conflict with her relationship with Hasumi.

- Sumire and Hasumi: Sumire felt inlove with this student who cared for her and looked for her in the forest and saved her and her glasses . But their relationship short and intense does not last because he has a gf and Sumire moves to the USA. 10 years later, she meets her first love again and they quickling rekindle their feelings but truth is the guy is another guy now. He is a handsome professionnal reporter who is always looking neat and great and every girls like him. Their relationship is wrong. She is stucked with her old emotions and feelings for him and she likes being in his arms because it makes her feel valued but she cannot open her heart to him and be herself. As for him, work is his priority, he is not very sincere and never calls her when he is on business trip. He barely cares to know her or what she wants and what are her intentions or needs. It is like he is with her just for sex and he would not pay attention if she does not tell him. They are both human and I can totally understand their situation but I was still annoyed they could not find a solution like adults. Only their continuous mistakes will lead them to an inevitable exit.

- Sumire and Momo: This is called a pet/owner relationship but it has little of that. You can call the drama "You are my baby brother' or 'You are my little step cousin". There are few moments where he behaves like a "pet". He is rather a baby brother that she takes for cuddling playing with his hairs and giving him shampoo. The pet narrative is so inconsistent that it has little credibility. So it is normal that the "baby brother" who is not blood related starts to develop feelings for her and he hides this and plays the game she likes to support her. I thought that relationship was cute and the complexity of it was well described but it became draggy at some points. Maybe there was too many episodes. Momo put an end to this by making a big choice but his declaration was weirdly done. Luckily in the end it unflods greatly for them.

- Hasumi and Fukushima: Yes this is the second couple which forms towards the end. For some reason, Hasumi falls for Fukushima. Because on the contrary of Sumire who does not open to him, Fukushima has no shame and no fear to march head on to woo him. So he cannot resist the panzer charge and starts to think about her and be drawn to her. So it is easy for her to finish the job by establishing brazzenly a de facto "pet/owner" relationship with him which rather looks like a married couple relationship. I hated how he went back and forth and tried to marry Sumire asap to escape the situation. I started to really dislike these two even if they looked funny. Good thing they ended together as their personnalities and sexual needs looked very compatible

MUSIC: Good but nothing special

REWATCH VALUE: No I would not rewatch that.

OVERALL:
I would say it is a drama well made, well acted, with characters who are very humans and sensible despite their many shortcomings but it failed to entertain me because most of the time, they are tortured by their inabilty to face their problems and speak their true self. Overall, I think these kind of romances and their outcome are understandable but it does not make the characters involved any likable or sympathetic so I finally had little sympathy for them .

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I am a big big fan of the korean movie ''The Classic". This movie made me fall in love with Son Ye Jin and Korean entertainment. So I was very curious to know what this remake is worth.

STORY:

I knew the story already and I thought it would a bit boring. But actually it was not. Because this remake made changes in several parts of the writing. It undermined some elements and emphasized others. Most importantly, it changed the general tone of the drama so the emotions you get from watching it are different from the original movie. The original movie was more a roller-coaster of emotions without caring too much about reality or even credibility sometimes. Everything was made for the viewer to smile, laugh, and cry with a story focusing youth, tragedy and fate in a poetic way with things unsaid and two meanings. This Thai version is also full of emotions but the story is more focused on youth, student's life and love, friendship, in a more realistic depiction of the events.

CAST/CHARACTERS:

Son Yeh Jin and Jo Seung Woo were the perfect couple for The classic. They are very talented actors and they portrayed their character perfectly specially in the dramatic scenes were they had to show their emotions. The main couple here are no less deserving. I thought the main actress delivered a great performance. Son Ye Jin always looked liked Son Ye Jin dressed differently. But in this version, I felt like the physical performance was better. The young actress here as a high school girl looked like one: a bit chubby and clumsy. As a student in 1973 she looked a refined student. As a student in 2004, she looked even more different, modern, skinnier and a bit taller. I could almost say it is the daughter of the actress playing the mother and not the same actress. The only thing I liked less was the scene in the restautant. She had curly hairs which suddenly made her look younger and sophisticated. Which I thought was not a great choice.

The actor playing the male lead in 1968 looked so young and even younger as a soldier. He was like a real schoolboy while Oh Jung Ha looked a goofy young man. He had a good chemistry with the main actress anyway. I thought he was bit lacking at times, in the emotional scenes like in the army truck or in the restaurant. Maybe because of less experience. He was convincing enough thought.

I especially liked the male lead in 2004 of this version. For me he corrected something the korean movie missed. Jo In Sung was not great as Oh Sang Min the guy leading the theater troupe. His acting was lacking and moreover his chemistry with Son Ye Jin was not great. Because of too few scenes and interactions to make their story more believable. In this Thai version, it was superb. The two main lead of 2004 looked very good together and they had an excellent chemistry. Thanks also to the writer who took time to develop original scenes for the both of them. I liked the scene of them under the rain and the one of her running with the umbrella alone but mirroring the run they made together. The two love stories here are more balanced.

The friend of the main lead in 1968 was a good but I felt like he few screen time. He was slightly different from the original movie. A bit less funny and less tragic also. Anyway he looked a real buddy.

The female friend of the main girl in 2004 was more of a friend than in the original movies. The writer took the time to show they are very close and in the end, they saved their friendship despite having chased the same guy. This was something nice to see.

MUSIC :

The OST of the original movie contributes to its tone: classcal music / korean songs / Swing / Rock blues ... this OST is a treasury in itself. Here they used some thai version of the Korean songs and some tunes. There are also Thai songs. Overall it matched well with the movie and helped created its own identity.

REWATCH:

I will gladly rewatch this movie for its modern tone is more accessible compared to the original movie. For the orginal movie, you need to be ready to cry a lot more.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT:

This is a very good remake and it is very entertaning from start to end. For people who have not watched the korean version, I am confident that they will like it a smuch as the ones who liked the korean version when it was released. It has a cute and realistic way of telling two love stories at two periods of time. The actors look young but they were very good in their role. I highly recommend this movie as it is one of the asian movies I really enjoyed this year.

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Not as good as expected

WHAT I LIKED:

- Seri : I liked her personality. An independent woman and entrepreneur who is able to distance herself from a crazy family but she is dragged back to them following unexpected events. I thought she was great as a south korean woman lost in NK and she has to establish connections with the villagers, with Captain Ri and his close soldier friends. She was funny doing it but also smiling, smart and open minded. Back in South Korea she acted a bit like a heiress trying any tactics to woo the man she likes to the point she sacrificed herself to save him.

- Ri Jung Hyuk : He as a good character. In the north : a good soldier, good leader of his men and someone with dedication and integrity but after meeting Seri he starts to do weird things and tries to save her and send her back to SK. In the South he was a bit too cold and focused on his mission and supervising his men. He should have enjoyed himself a little bit more like his men did and moreover, he should have decided to man up and do what a grown man would do with a grown up woman like Seri who was only waiting for that.

- Goo Seung Jun: I disliked him at first as a thug with no respect for his men but he slowly revealed an interesting backstory and a good side after meeting Seo Dan to the point he sacrificed himself to save her and redeem himself like that good thing he just met was too good for him. In his next life he met her again but cheated on her with an air stewardess. What an idiot.

- Seo Dan: Same here. Starting from a deluded obsessed fiancée, she revealed herself to be a girl who only craves for real love and she finds a man she can feel close to. Too bad it did not turn so well for them but I was glad she ended with full of hopes of good things to come.

- The bunch of soldiers who forms the squad of Captain Ri: All with funny personalities. They brought a lot of smile.

- The satirical tone used in depicting North Korea and South Korea in an unrealistic, fun and warm way.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

- The romance between Seri and Jung Hyuk: I had the feeling that if the story itself is cute but the way it is depicted was too much. They tried to force the romance using repetitive musics, tools, flash backs... It made the romance romantic like a dreamed one and it is nice but I believe more practical and fun depiction when in Seoul would have been better.

- The main villain: In NK his motives are clear and his bad deeds are measurable and he ends up sentenced to jail. And then he is not a rational villain anymore as his only motivation is to harm Captain Ri by chasing Seri back in SK and hurt her. I thought that was a wrong character development as he became a weak and crazy illogical person.

MUSIC: OK

REWATCH: No. Not even some scenes. Many scenes look cute and romantic and others have good action but they look too disconnected or the ensemble form a drama not entertaining enough for me to rewatch it.

OVERALL: I enjoyed the drama like a patchwork of good things but overall and thinking back about it, I don't think it is a great drama or a great story you can keep in your memory or in the hard disk of your computer.

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Not what I expected but still entertaining

THE TONE :

I expected a dark comedy. Instead, it was slapstick comedy almost burlesque with many characters and situations exagerated and caricatures of what we usually see in Korean dramas. But it worked for me. Because the drama assumed its tone and made me believe in the characters. I liked the good guys and hated the evil ones. And starting from ep10, when the corpses started to pile, it became even more fun.

THE STORY:

Two axis of narration:

1st: the ML is trying to retrieve a treasure from a vault and he has to get rid of a bunch of weirdoes blocking his path as they are residents of the place where the vault is. They go through different phases which bring them together. I Like how it was developed, the deception, the suspicion, the manipulation, until they learn to trust each other and collaborate to solve their problems.

2nd: the ML is involved in a fight against a conglomerate which does not stop at killing people to achieve its goals. They find the ML on their path and they would do anything to get rid of him. This part was fun because ML mostly kicks their a$$es. It's a comedy first so there is no terrible or long angst.

THE CHARACTERS:

I liked:

- Vincenzo Cassano: Handsome, suave, elegant, but also a man with mafia's principles and totally ruthless when needed. He is smart, thoughtful, rarely outsmarted. He has a great ability to anticipate and keep his cool when facing the evil ones.
- Hong Cha Young: I really had difficulties with her personality, her temper and her antics. But she slowly grew on me. I finally liked her for who she is: a courageous woman and a fun and great sidekick for the ML.
- Jang Han Seo: I had pity for him. He looked lost, a coward, pathetic, trying to find a way... and finally, some kind of redemption. I will not lie, Kwak Dong Yeon is one of my favorite underestimated actors.
- Jo Young Joon: VC's friend from the beginning. The guy is interesting, surprising. he goes from high to low in his relationship with VC.
- Tak Hong Shick: One of the hidden talent among the residents with a nice set of skills.
- Seo Mi Ri: Looks kooky but also another hidden talent. I liked her part.
- I liked most of the residents.

I hated:
- Choi Myung Hee : She had no authority, no real power, no real backer, no nothing. Only her big mouth to mock people and yell at them. She looked like the clerk who wants to please the boss for the paycheck and plays super diligent by having people killed like they are numbers. Her demise was super satisfactory.

- Jang Jun Woo/The Great Evil: Ok Taec Yeon had to play two faces of a same guy and they were too different from each other for me to take him seriously. One was too silly and the other one was too much of a nutcase. When he finally showed himself, he was just a complete psycho acting with outburst of anger. Could not top VC like that...

- Han Seung Hyuk: How can a president of a company accept the criminal behavior of his client? He totally had the ending he deserved.

MUSIC:
OK. nothing special to mention for me.

REWATCH VALUE:
The drama was fun to watch but I don't think I will rewatch entirely as I think it suffers from a flaw : the main villain is too weak compared to the main guy. He is basically a complete nutcase from the very beginning and never evolves. He is just venting his anger trying to get rid of people who make him angry . He meets a huge roadblock named VC and this is the end of him. It would have been better with a fair competition but I guess it would have required a darker tone that the drama did not intend to have.

OVERALL: 9/10 . A good drama! 20eps *120 minutes look long but you are rarely bored. Recommended for its many fun, quirky and savage moments.

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