andjel

Oh boy!

From the first scene you can guess correctly where this will go. I started watching it not knowing anything about it and after realizing that at the center is the relationship between two male friends I wanted this to be a show about just friendship, but it turned out to be LGTBQ+ story/propaganda with nice visuals but bad script and acting wasn't convincing. Everyone looked suspicious about the person questioning his identity but no one dared to say anything and the drama never became explicit about it's theme. The Epilogue was a surprise. It worked well from the story perspective but for me it further promoted the - I will say it again - propaganda.

For example there is a performer who they present as a man with female face but he obviously is a woman. So gay story was okay for the most part but wanting to present a man as a beautiful woman, oh boy, that turned me off. It took me four days to finish this drama and i finished it because it is a part of a Drama Special Series that i enjoy a lot and want to complete, and after watching all 225 episodes of the all 14 seasons this is the first one that I felt uncomfortable with.

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Secret Friendship

Excellent diplomatic (historical!) action triller drama, with a touch of comedy - a standard Korean recipe of mixed genres put together to provide a complete experience. In the execution, the movie is both very realistic and surreal with many well thought details that add to the quality of production and to the message. Look for example where they put "Welcome to Mogadishu" sign in the movie about escape from the city. There is only one moment in the movie (where one person tries to raise a white flag) that i found stupid, but i understand how it was needed to add some extra intensity and peril for our main protagonists. The director does a great job never letting the movie to become boring but always adding new elements of suspense.
The title of the movie reveals what the movie is about - an escape from a city/country caught in civil war, but the real drama starts when you have both South and North Korean Diplomats having to work together. This on its own made the movie worth it.
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I just watched this movie for a second time as the opening movie of a Korean Movie Week here in Croatia and i was surprised how i enjoyed the movie now even more then when i saw it for the first time. Seeing it sitting near Korean ambassador in our Country and with a fully packed theatre of audience that laughed and gasped and cheered was an adrenaline rush, and also to me personally i managed to find many new details that i didn't see during my first watch. At this time when we have more conflicts in the world, the message of this movie is even more important.

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Sound of Freedom

This movie deserves every recommendation, and I want to join the praises with a brief review. The producers know how to capture the audience's attention and evoke emotions. This is pure action with a moderate dose of humor but also a lot of seriousness, especially in the second half when we follow criminals committing very serious crimes. No one can remain indifferent when watching children in danger. This movie reminded me of the excellent *Sound of Freedom*.

In short, this movie works excellently both as entertaining action and as a social commentary on criminals on probation after being released from prison. The main actor, Kim Woo-bin, who plays Lee Jeong-do, managed to stand out with his charisma among much more experienced actors, and it’s nice to see his maturation through the experiences he gains in the movie.

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In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

I saw many people disappointed in this movie, but I watched it carefully and with much interest. It reminds me of "Exhuma" for the atmosphere that continue to draw you in, with how the story progress and with many intriguing small details instead of jump scares. Some say that this movie is not very scary, and that is true, but that doesn't take away from the quality. The important thing is that it is authentic and engaging. Thy movie was indeed, no joke, and the stakes were higher then expected.

"Dark Nuns" continues pretty well where "The Priests" (2015) ended 10 years ago. It is also similar to that movie as it spends the most runtime on one specific exorcism. As a priest myself I had a lot of thoughts throughout the movie. Obviously, many things are problematic but it is understandable that in a horror fantasy movie they will use religious themes and symbols in an unreal inauthentic way (categorization of evil spirits, use of tarot cards, made-up relics, nuns authority, gallons of holy water, ...) On the other side, there are many positive elements. I liked the most that the movie highlights the power of prayer, and specifically united prayer, and that it also shows how Koreans fought evil spirits beside Christianity. Prayer is our strongest weapon against the attacks and temptations of Evil. There is indeed a lot to talk about this movie, but watch it first and we can continue talking later.

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Love is a beautiful Thing

A romantic comedy at its best – thank you, Korea, for reminding us how love stories should be told. I mean, this movie is nothing revolutionary or new; it repeats a story already told a hundred times, but it is done in an honest and pure way that makes you remember what love is really about. It is more about friendship than about butterflies in your stomach.

The main protagonist, Park Se-ri, is adorable in her silly attempts to find the love of her life. All the characters are cute and believable. I don’t know how modern students will react to it, but for me, as a 40-year-old guy, this movie was very nostalgic for my high school days. From my experience, the events in the movie are quite realistic.

The production of the movie was also great. I appreciate how much effort people put into making it. This is so much better than your average Netflix movie, but thanks to Netflix many will be able to enjoy it and be inspired to write their own love story.

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