Gorgeous to look at, erotic, dark, fascinating. But soft porn is soft porn, no matter how pretty or beautifully…
Honestly, I have to agree. I have no problem with nude scenes, nor sex scenes as long as I feel some sense that they are truly a part of the story and move the story in one direction or another. Sex just because 'they can' does't do it for me. Hidden touches while passing in the hallway, stolen passionate kisses behind the curtain, the intensity of unrequited passions on the verge of being discovered are far more exciting than what I saw here. And yeah, Im Ji Won...a bit frozen as an actress. Not seeing the attraction. I'm kinda surprised she was able to move into kdrama with the prudishness of the the casting people, etc. I felt let down at the end of this. And, like you, I'm not quite sure why. I expected 'more'...though I'm not smart enough to figure out what that more is!! ;)
Disappointed. This could have been a wonderful heartfelt story about a father searching for closure in the loss of his beloved daughter, finding out all the things he didn't know about her, recovering the belief in the love they shared. And the part of the movie devoted to Lee Sung Min and Sori was just beautiful and very believable. But instead they had to cheapen it with a cornball and unbelievable conspiracy scenario with the cliche corrupt government officials, the token slam against the evil US military, and our one heroic female who helps him escape. Totally ruined the movie for me. What I would have given an 8 or 8.5 I forced myself to give a 6. Greatly disappointed. :(
I have to say I really liked this extremely odd and fractured movie. It's not my genre, mix of horror (sorta), romance (a bit twisted), mystery/murder, spirituality/voodoo type stuff. But the underlying story was so fascinating and engrossing that I just ignored the weirder parts of it. Yes they are half siblings, so that did make things more than odd, and a step off the edge for people who don't watch many Korean films (which will go anywhere and do anything!). Still, I enjoyed the movie for the journey it took me on. I wasn't bored, nor all that confused, and any confusion was pretty well cast aside by the end. For me, I think the guy playing the guitar will be someone for her, sent by Hwan (couldn't tell if he was a doppleganger or not since he kept his head down). But Hwan's goodbye later in the credits tells me he is gone now, moved on into the after life as he should. But I'm sure he had a hand in sending guitar guy to her. My thoughts anyway.
Lovely movie. Sweet and heartfelt with lovely music. It would have been nice if I could find ANYWHERE that the person who actually did Lee Je Hoon's singing was given credit. All the reviews and articles I found only said the songs were dubbed, but no credit given in any of them. The closest I could find was one review that said numerous auditions were held with professional opera singers until they could find one whose voice range closely mimicked Le Je Hoon's (he does actually sing, just not opera!). Not a new or innovative story, but one beautifully acted and well worth the time spent watching. 8.5/10
Perhaps one of the most exhausting 'revenge' type movies I have ever watched, I, at the same time have a bit of a problem with the designation and pigeon-holing by myself and others of categorizing this film as such. It is so much more. As about everyone who watched this film and commented or reviewed it, it really tears at your soul and, perhaps, challenges some beliefs along the way. The synopsis of the film and what we are facing is well publicized going in. We already know the film's trajectory, but don't think that will relieve you of any of the emotions this story evokes. There is so much heart break and food for thought and so much anger that builds inside of you. Chance phrases voiced by minor players will set your hackles bristling and the Broken legal system that protects the young beasts will make your head pound and your heart hurt at the injustice for the victims of this nightmare.
Perhaps the most anger inducing moments for me were watching the mothers, in particular, of these monsters as they defended or outright lied in protecting the animals they had raised. They are women! And as women you would expect at least some shame to know their sons had repeatedly raped and victimized dozens of young women! It reminds me of numerous real life cases like this here in the US...like the Steubenville High School rape case, where not only the parents, but numerous citizens of the town blamed an unconscious girl for her own rape!
I dare to say that 9 out of 10 police and 9 out of 10 citizens would find themselves not only sympathizing, but hoping the father achieves his goal in this movie, perhaps with some inner conflict. Knowing that after brutally raping, drugging, and murdering his young daughter, they would only be facing months in prison due to their age, knowing that these young men are very aware of this loophole, knowing that they live their lives raping and preying on young girls and laughing about it, who would not want them dead, and by the hand or hands of the living victims for whatever measure of peace it gives them. Movies like this evoke this kind of anger and need for vengeance. I felt it every minute while watching. And the end, while predictable, was no less unsatisfying or heartbreaking as a result. In a way it was a happy ending though. He had very little left to live for, and so he unloaded his gun and chose death by cop. So wrong in itself though. What now will that young policeman (or men) have to live with? None of them wanted to shoot the poor man either! I'm exhausted mentally.
Fantastic performances by everyone involved in this production. It was beautifully filmed and the scenes at the end of the father battling the bitter cold only added to the feelings of bitterness this movie leaves for all the unanswered cruelty. None of these young men felt a moment's remorse or guilt for what they did. All of them suffering from a disconnection of feeling that will only be answered when they die and really face the consequences of what they have done. For an eternity one hopes.
wonderful. unbelievably good script and acting for such an old and low budget show. loved it. But not for everyone...kinda like an indie. This drama is regarded by many reviewers and recappers as a classic and a must watch. I understand why now. Unforgettable for me. It's full of real emotions and relatable lives. The level of acting and writing in this is just ...
He blew me away with his performance in Promise. His character was very divisive to the audience and very misunderstood. It was a standout performance and I am hoping it means bigger and better roles for him in the future. He was brilliant in Sirius The drama had some hiccups, but I have watched it 3 times and will continue to go back to it. Like you, I would swear it was 2 different people playing the roles of the twins. He was that good.
For me, a difficult movie to like...or dislike I guess. I'm left sort of in the middle. The director made the choice to detach the audience from this story by switching back and forth between past and present in a very nonlinear way. I found it disorienting, then irritating, and finally disconnecting. But I think he did this on purpose. It seems we are not to make an attachment to these people, but only to observe them. In this way we only see what is happening to them and don't have the time nor enough information to make any judgements about them one way or the other. Halfway through the film, when I reached that point in my thoughts, I was able to relax and just observe the events. I certainly prefer movies that engage me emotionally with the story and the characters, but this was definitely a unique experience and worthwhile. Still, for me, emotional attachment is a huge factor in how I rate a film so I struggle with a rating...I guess it falls between 7 and 8 so a 7.5 it will be!!
I just finished watching at Kiss Asian and didn't find the subs horrible. They were at least in understandable…
oh yes, I totally understand that the subs are not anywhere near what they should be. It's just that the substance of the movie isn't completely destroyed by them. Also, they are understandable as far as tone for a lay watcher. I will definitely be watching for legal subs and hope the DVD comes out soon. The character development and facial expressions of the actors were so well done, you could almost watch with no subs and still get so much out of the movie. Also, this is a movie made for entertainment. It isn't a movie that requires a lot of introspection, so the dialogue doesn't need to be 100% (for me) to just sit back and enjoy it. That's why my ignorance of the Korean language works for me in this case!!! :) :)
I just finished watching at Kiss Asian and didn't find the subs horrible. They were at least in understandable English. I could tell they left out some things, but honestly, there is so much going on visually I didn't care that much. It is an awesome movie. Definitely going to be rewatching this one and buying it as soon as I can. 10/10 for me just for the pure entertainment of it all. Really Really well done zombie movie....best of the best!!
Too darn cute. Really enjoyed this. Very similar in feel to the Pirates movies, it's just a high quality adventure with some tears but mostly cheers and plenty of smiles. 9 for the enjoyment factor. It was a great couple hours.
If you think this movie is amazing, which it is, you need to watch the series Awl, which I gave 10/10 for the amazing performances and terrific writing of a difficult subject. It is based on this same incident and covers the fight in far more detail. It was literally a life changing series for me, one that made me rethink my stance on why labor unions are far more than we think they are and why they are still needed.
KWB gave an amazing performance in this. He has nothing to apologize to his fans for and it's really sad he's been made to feel he has to. As far as the rest of the drama, lame melo script with, as everyone else is saying, people doing lame melo stuff that makes your eyes roll. Too bad. Loved all the performances. Just hated the low brow melo script. These performers deserved better.
Also known as Dragon, it's on Netflix as of this writing and has been for a long time. Donnie Yen at his best. Gorgeous cinematography, excellent script and very good acting. And, as usual, astounding martial arts displays. As good as the Ip Man movies.
Perhaps one of the most exhausting 'revenge' type movies I have ever watched, I, at the same time have a bit of a problem with the designation and pigeon-holing by myself and others of categorizing this film as such. It is so much more. As about everyone who watched this film and commented or reviewed it, it really tears at your soul and, perhaps, challenges some beliefs along the way. The synopsis of the film and what we are facing is well publicized going in. We already know the film's trajectory, but don't think that will relieve you of any of the emotions this story evokes. There is so much heart break and food for thought and so much anger that builds inside of you. Chance phrases voiced by minor players will set your hackles bristling and the Broken legal system that protects the young beasts will make your head pound and your heart hurt at the injustice for the victims of this nightmare.
Perhaps the most anger inducing moments for me were watching the mothers, in particular, of these monsters as they defended or outright lied in protecting the animals they had raised. They are women! And as women you would expect at least some shame to know their sons had repeatedly raped and victimized dozens of young women! It reminds me of numerous real life cases like this here in the US...like the Steubenville High School rape case, where not only the parents, but numerous citizens of the town blamed an unconscious girl for her own rape!
I dare to say that 9 out of 10 police and 9 out of 10 citizens would find themselves not only sympathizing, but hoping the father achieves his goal in this movie, perhaps with some inner conflict. Knowing that after brutally raping, drugging, and murdering his young daughter, they would only be facing months in prison due to their age, knowing that these young men are very aware of this loophole, knowing that they live their lives raping and preying on young girls and laughing about it, who would not want them dead, and by the hand or hands of the living victims for whatever measure of peace it gives them. Movies like this evoke this kind of anger and need for vengeance. I felt it every minute while watching. And the end, while predictable, was no less unsatisfying or heartbreaking as a result. In a way it was a happy ending though. He had very little left to live for, and so he unloaded his gun and chose death by cop. So wrong in itself though. What now will that young policeman (or men) have to live with? None of them wanted to shoot the poor man either! I'm exhausted mentally.
Fantastic performances by everyone involved in this production. It was beautifully filmed and the scenes at the end of the father battling the bitter cold only added to the feelings of bitterness this movie leaves for all the unanswered cruelty. None of these young men felt a moment's remorse or guilt for what they did. All of them suffering from a disconnection of feeling that will only be answered when they die and really face the consequences of what they have done. For an eternity one hopes.
The song DO sings at the end is breathtakingly beautiful....all the more so because of his voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kas7FHW8cCg
9.5/10 for the strong attempt to portray this complex issued in such a short amount of time.