andjel

Awkward Woman

This is an interesting movie, but I wouldn't say that it is for entertainment, but for thinking about foreigners integration. In today's world, in many developed countries, there are a lot of foreign tourists, travelers, workers so that the compactness of nations and states is slowly being lost. Despite all its openness to the world, Korea still proudly preserves its traditions. In this movie we have an unknown woman, a foreigner, who lives in Korea. The title of the film suggests that she is a traveler, but it seems that she would like to be a part of Korea, not just a foreign traveler. The movie touches on what I experienced myself – In Korea, everyone is very kind and friendly to me, but I still feel like a foreigner.

The foreign woman in this movie reflects the difference and clash of cultures. It was awkward and uncomfortable for me to watch her interaction with people, hugging at the first greeting, nonchalance and seeming disinterest in regards to others, irresponsibility for herself, taking private space in sitting to close to other people... The movie has a lot of interesting details, it is especially nice how some sentences and gestures are repeated by several characters to convey that there is something that connects us. In my opinion, the message of the movie is that there is a place for foreigners in Korea, but not without difficulties.

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Change or not to change

This is a beautiful looking movie. Production, story, acting, music – everything looks nice, especially the photography. But is there any value or substance beneath the appearance? I would say that there is.

The topic of living as a single person is very sensitive today because a lot of people live as single people intentionally or by force, and it is impossible to give a comprehensive answer and a sufficiently objective comment on such a life. My comment is that it is not good for a man to be alone. In any way, we need other people, and we live this reality most deeply in a couple as a man and a woman. This film approaches the subject in a creative, comical and, of course, romantic way. It respects single people, but is aware that they are also people who love, i.e. who are looking for/need love. As a book lover, I really liked that they used reading, writing and publishing a book as a metaphor for the human relationships. I would say that the movie gives better advice on writing books than on living as single.

I can't say that I completely agree with the philosophy of the story, but I really enjoyed watching this entertaining and emotional film.

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Exorcism for me and you

I came to this movie after watching the "Exuma" and I can say that between these two movies there are many similarities in both the atmosphere and the structure of the movie. Although this is a short movie, it is divided into chapters whose names are written over the screen in English, Korean and Chinese language. The difference is that here it is about demonic possession, and in "Exhuma" it is about the dead who have not found their peace. Also, similarly, the center of the action is on the characters, so here the deacon who participates in the exorcism is even more important then the act of exorcism itself.

I really liked the movie. It is quite intense and scary, but also comforting in a way. I personally participated in two exorcisms, and I never wanted to do them again because, to be honest, I am afraid of darkness and evil. That's why this movie has a good message. We all have bad experiences and dark areas of our life, but if we want to live in the light, we cannot run away from the darkness, we must face it and overcome it. Therefore, we all need some kind of exorcism, some sort of cleansing and liberation.

PS. If you want to know the whole story of this short movie watch "The Priests" (2015).

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When nothing works

If you want to enjoy this drama don't read anything about the story because the excitement comes from the unexpected events and twists. The actors are not bad but, somehow, I didn’t have enough time to care for them and the flow of the movie is static and not that suspenseful as the story suggests. The main interest of the viewer is what happens next and how will the story connect the protagonists.

The atmosphere is melancholic, depressing and heavy so it is not for everybody, but if you want a good mystery give it a try. But maybe it would be better to just read the book.

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were you there?

There are a lot of Korean movies and shows with a theme of Highschool bullying but this one manages to be original by focusing on students who are standing by and don’t do anything about it, or don’t do enough. So this drama is relevant to all of us. It can be depressing to watch this kind of dramas but it is still important to be reminded about our responsibility to stand up for ourselves and for others. It is a virtue to be meek, but as a song goes “Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man”.

There are two versions of English title for this drama: “We Were There” and “Anyone Anywhere”, the first meaning that the witness is also responsible and the second asking if there is anyone anywhere who is willing to help. I can see this drama being a part of educational programs.

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The Time is Now

The first part of the movie was a little better than this sequel, but I'm glad I have now seen the story to the end. The plot combines past and present well and provides a satisfying conclusion to this complicated but entertaining sf adventure. Everything somehow falls into place.

One thing that bothered me while watching was the emphasis on comedy. The film uses every scene and every situation for some stupid jokes. There is one joke on a treadmill that was so stupid that I had to laugh, but otherwise the goofy jokes were just annoying. I also think that the screenwriters were sloppy because the plot flows somewhat forcedly from one event to another without a sufficiently logical sequence.

The special effects are great, the fights are very good, the characters are charismatic. There are a lot of details that make the film attractive, so I spent a fun evening with Alienoid 2 but I still have the impression that the film could have been much better and more dramatic in terms of atmosphere if it had taken itself a little more seriously.

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Attempt at a dark comedy

The plus of the movie is a certain unpredictability of the story and the interesting idea of moral dilemmas concerning what happens to Mickey. So I really liked the final point that the movie makes switching the title of the Movie, but still, the manner in which the movie is made was just so absurd and parodical that it was unpleasant to watch for me most of the time.

It is hard to comment the acting also. Robert Pattinson was certainly very good, Steven Yeun was fine and Anamaria Vartolomei is very beautiful. The rest were comical beyond my understanding. I was put off by the actors trying so hard to represent the presidential candidates of the USA. I have seen many great imitations of Trump, but this one was the worst, just a strait mockery.

Seeing most of Bong Joon-ho directorial works I can see the pattern - a social political satire with highlighted class divide and raising awareness on some important issues. I commend it and I still look forward to more of his movies but this one was a little over the top for me.

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UFO - Underneath Firmaments of Others

After watching this strange movie I was inspired to look for a meaning of UFO's. Yes this movie has an UFO - Unidentified Flying Object but it uses that background to show something about our reality as humans so i would suggest that UFO also reveals what is Underneath Firmaments of Others. We see the emotions, thoughts, statements, experiences of many people but at the end it is impossible to identify what other people hold underneath their appearances.

I can see how some people would dislike this movie if they are not ready to watch something different. This is a dynamic art film. Many people, many scenes, many words, many details, yet the viewer is lost inside trying to connect the elements of the story. But how can someone connect all humans stories?

This movie shows how people would live with the presence of UFO. For me as Christian this presence of the big flying object in the sky is like the presence of God. He is there above, watching everything, yet staying silently and lets us wonder and explore life.

To conclude, this movie was really interesting and made an impact on my philosophy of life. The music and songs added a lot of soul to the story.

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People are better than this

Let me start by saying that this is a horror movie without you realizing that it is a horror. It looks realistic and familiar with characters you meet in your daily life but with a twist that somehow always take the turn for the worst. So i understand the title "New normal" because this are the normal people in "new" shocking situations. The movie represents the new normal as if this is the new reality we live in but I strongly believe that humans in real world are much better then those in this movie.

Now what i liked and what i didn't like. I liked the actors, the music, the atmosphere, the production and the pace of the story. Everything was nicely done. I am not a fan of short stories because they mostly end up superficial, shallow and over simplistic, but in this movie they were purposely connected by presenting a nihilistic society.

And that is what i didn't like. My heart is not agreeing with the message of this movie. I believe in Jesus who died on the cross out of love to save the world which is opposite to the one small but important detail in the movie (a minor spoiler ahead!!!), and that is a fluorescent lamp in the shape of a cross with an inscription “F*** the World” that one of the main protagonists has on the wall. The movie suggest that you should trust the people and that the world is damned but i believe in good people and in salvation.

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No beginning and no end

Reading Webtoon is one of my favourite hobbies and the "Sweet Home" webtoon is still one of my favourite.
The first season of the series managed to caption the suspension and drama of the webtoon but this second season is just a big complicated mess. So much happens and still nothing happens.
It all felt very disoriented with every character keeping their secrets from others and also from the viewers. With so many characters i couldn't connect with anyone because the story never went anywhere meaningful. Yes there is horror and gore and action and many monsters, but it didn't help much to make the series more watchable and enjoyable. I had to force my self to watch which is a shame. What bothered me the most is slopy dialogue and inconsistent story progression. Looks like the director wants us to stop caring for humans and start rooting for the monsters.

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Hallelujah

the movie is more of the first one, but it hits stronger since the cycle of crime, double crossings and death continues and has a deeper meaning knowing the context. this movie on its own offers a look to the past movie and past events so watching the first movie is not necessary. The characters were very brutal and charismatic, they are both monsters and humans.
but i wonder about the title "Believer". yes we have one gangster who is a believer and knows his bible so that he can quote it in certain situations but that is more of an example what it means to sin against the second commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
ultimately, is there belief and God in this movie? and what is death or justice if there is no God? I would have wanted more hints at that from the movie but i did get a lot to think about. so if you want to look into the soul of some criminals, this movie is for you.

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Korean Women

We had this book for our Korean Book Club, but I decided to watch the movie instead. Now I think the book would have been more interesting because, in the book, the writer explains the emotions of the characters, while in the movie we have to pick up on the emotions ourselves during long silent scenes.

This is a movie about women—women of different generations and views on life—giving us a chance to reflect on how Korean women lived 60 years ago, 30 years ago, and today, each period represented by one of the main characters. Thinking about that, it appears that each of them represents a type of outcast from a traditional society where having a big healthy family is the norm.

The movie mostly focuses on a mother, and we often just watch her as she apparently stoically bears all the issues. Everything else in the movie is seen through her eyes. Another main character is an elderly woman without a family, totally dependent on care in a nursing home. And also, not to forget, there is a daughter who mostly stays in the background. The movie is called "Concerning My Daughter", but it is 105 minutes long, and the daughter has no more than 10 minutes of screen time.

So, it’s not really about the daughter—it is about human connection. We are all afraid of being left alone and helpless. The movie shows that certain human connections are stronger than blood relationships. I strongly agree with that, but still, real marriages and children are the foundation of our society and the exceptions should only enforce the norm.

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Search for Paradise

Stylish but strange. I liked the characters—I mean, they look good, and the producer made sure every shot looks visually appealing—but there is a lot lacking, both in character development and especially in world-building. The movie depicts a fictional, dystopian, broken society that should have been explained better. We just see people without purpose, partying as if there is no tomorrow. What bothered me the most is the lack of sustainability: everyone is simply contributing to the further destruction of the community. It feels somewhat like CHAZ, the self-proclaimed Autonomous Zone, where people occupied a park but soon realized they couldn’t survive on their own, so they returned home and back to normal society.

The movie does well in showing subtle emotions. The dialogue is weak, but the unspoken communication is effective and well done. The two main characters are brothers, and the tension between them is what keeps the movie together.

I can make a comparison to another movie released just one week apart from this one, and that is Project Y. Both movies serve as metaphors for today’s youth, and both show desperate people in a corrupt environment searching for a better life. Project Y is female-centric, focusing on two best friends, while Boy is male-centric, focusing on two brothers. Both try to portray a specific Korean feeling of hopelessness, and I like this one just a little bit more.

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Mother's Duty

The movie has a strange title, and I didn't feel like sugar plays that big a role in the movie, but it makes sense at the end. I am a person who likes sugar maybe a little too much, so that I even avoid all the products that are sugar-free. It was very touching, even stressful, to watch a child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes struggling with the prohibition of sugar and the constant fight with the disease. From the people I met, I know that this illness is very severe, medically and psychologically, on the entire family. In this movie, the central character is the mother who cares for her ill child while also trying her best to balance her personal and professional life.

I would say that this movie is documentary-like, message-heavy, and emotional, but all that in a positive way. The events are shown in a realistic way, and knowing that the movie is based on a true story, at moments it feels like watching the news. There are many important messages in the movie, and I am glad that the supporting roles also had something to say. So the movie is multi-layered. The highlight was a police officer at customs for imported goods with one, if not the only, comedic moment in the movie. And the emotions... The third act of the movie really delivered with emotions. Some of them were exaggerated, but all in all, they completed the story nicely for a movie that I would recommend watching with a family.

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Everyone has his own Love story

I really like what KBS Drama Special did this time with the "Love: Track" series—a compilation of ten 30-minute stories about love that inspire and encourage viewers to dare to open their hearts once again, not only to the stories presented but also to the love in their own lives. All the stories are quick, interesting, and original. They all talk about love, using different elements and showing how love connects all aspects of one's life. Their purpose is to show that Love is what matters most, and theologically, indeed, Love is the driving force of life, of creation, of all experiences, and of our salvation, so I hope this series helps everyone believe in Love.

I posted a short review of each episode individually, so here I will simply rank them by how much I liked each episode.
Best ones: 1. Onion Soup after Hours / 4. My Father's Funeral
Still great: 3. Love Hotel / 8. Minji Minji Minji
Very good: 2. When We Were Wired / 10. A Soundtrack Like No Other
Liked but has some flaws: 7. More than Stars / 9. Love's Grace Period
Just good: 4. Finding Us / 6. Kimchi

PS: Stay until the end because the last episode finishes with an end-credit epilogue that connects all the stories into a beautiful homage to Love.

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