Reviews

Did someone say plot twist?!!!

"Sweet & Sour" could have been a better movie but sadly everything that makes it good is packed into the last 15 minutes. If "Got emm" was a movie, this would be it, but don't waste your time trying to guess what will happen. Sadly the twist at the end is the payoff for enduring the rest of the movie, which was a struggle for me. The majority of this movie is about a bad relationship, but we don't get a chance to really fall in love with the couple or the characters first so it was hard to care and not just be frustrated at the repetitive problems and fights. It honestly felt like a waste of actors that I normally really like and that's the most disappointing part.

I am a fan of Chae Soo Bin (since I am not a Robot), but I felt cheated out of getting the chance to actually get to like Da Eun. In the beginning her weirdness is interesting but once the story focuses on the relationship everything is about Jang Hyuk's new job and changing perspective and as much as I like Jang Ki Yong he is not likable in this role at all. Yes, both actors do a decent job with showing a "realistic" relationship but they don't have the chemistry nor are they interesting enough to keep the story engaging. Krystal as Bo Young is meant to add some exciting rivalry and chemistry to the story but her performance was too one note for me. In this case the character seemed better written than acted out. She wasn't horrible but I was far from impressed.

The one high rating I have for this drama is rewatch -ability. Once I saw the end I wanted to watch it all again from the beginning with a new perspective. Unfortunately, the majority of the movie would still be mediocre. The retro synth music makes it even cheesier. Also, it's really hard to make scenes interesting when so many of them require reading text messages.

Overall I get why this movie would be popular and highly recommended but that doesn't mean it's good. There are certain things that are never explained (like why was the mysterious wingman constantly messed with the lights lol) and too many work is sooo hard scenes, but by the end I didn't regret watching it and could appreciate the writing more, plus I'm curious about the book it's based on. Maybe if this was a drama instead we could have gotten to know and like the characters enough to make the plot have a stronger impact but this movie felt like it was rushed AND like it dragged simultaneously. With a title like Sweet & Sour I expected this to be less bland.
Still, maybe with different expectations, this movie may suit your taste. I'd prefer more spice!

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everyone is so hyped about this movie, and if ur only focused on the humans, then yeah very entertaining. but i can't - i get that in most if not all Asian countries let alone whales - almost every kind of living creature, can and will end up on a food menu. so maybe cause of that, the travesty against a "mother and its child", ain't no big deal to anyone who has watched this. And YEAH Get that THIS is ONLY A MOVIE - still not for me.

as is this was one idiotic move after another, like Mo Hong Gap killing his subordinate cause he defended Jang Sa Jung, who's only fault was that he dared to voice his opinion, that contradicted the high commander.

then we have that f*cker that commanded the soldiers on the ship, carrying the seal. he is in the whales backyard and he feels affronted that the baby whale came up for air in the path of the ship?!? "oh what audacity". as if they're even a blimp on that creatures radar. of course the mother defended her baby. show me a mother who wouldn't?!?

from there the ball of idiocy just intensified. yeah there were funny bits and tried to ignore the anger and frustration. cause knew this sh*t would end up as a whale hunt.
even Yeo Wol "folded" after Mo Hong Gap's threat, all her talk about the whales being angels of the sea turning into B.S. - cause human life is worthier then an animals. can keep going but pretty sure whoever reads one of two line knows i didn't love this plot.

but have to say this - the end showing the baby still alive - what the f*ck was that?!? a sec before it was harpooned So Ma told Mo Hong Gap that is was a newborn, ain't no new born gonna survive alone without a mother in the vast ocean, with giant whites and load of other dangerous creatures swimming in the deep, not to mention the f*cking humans. plz that was a load of b.s.

not blaming the actors, everyone did a bang-up-job, but the story was SH*T!

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agree with most of the commenters, this is a much better movie (story wise, heck even the violence was toned down and what there was of it, wasn't slasher-movie equivalent) then the first "The Divine Move" with Jeong Woo Seong, here cause of the back-story. and when u "use" kids, poverty, add in physical and sexual violence. how can u not identify and root for the main character?!?

but have to say a description like the one above is miss leading - cause it makes one think Heo Il Do was some kinda saint, that took in a homeless orphan boy off the streets and out of the kindness of his heart taught him not only Go, but how to survive in this world... which nah - not even close.

the side story, with Loner was redundant, as is there was more than enough meat here without that unnecessary add-on. why they had to add his story. donno. plus his wanting to take revenge on Heo Il Do - acceptable, but why Gwi Soo?!? he as a kid and when Loner watched them, didnt he get that Gwi Soo was against duping his father and wanted to return the money? guess after watching his father go up in flames he got kind twisted. but his killing that poor store-keeper just cause he was around was illogical. unless he is so unhinged and on a rampage - killing anyone and everyone who plays "Go" - if so, why aint he a notorious serial-Goplayer- killer and wanted by the cops?!? just doesn't click.- even his death scene was left open... was wondering if he gonna pop-up at the end or after everything ended... just weird.

plus - and a huge one (for me) thank god there was no romantic B.S. it wasn't needed and given the tone of the movie is would feel strange. so glad. the other plus was that the kid survived. didn't want this to be the typical K-movie ending where its either left open to ones interpretation or u cry ugly tears, cause they kill off the lead.

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u have to really like/enjoy action, and not mind violence - this was over the top for me. first off that brother, what cause he is ur big brother, u just follow blindly?!? and when u get its gambling, u stay?!? that was kinda asking for it. what i really disliked was the bad-guys then beating the sh*t out of both brothers, like weren't y'all doing the same thing?!? heck y'all worse, as they had two people working the board. yeah i know i'm the weirdo that is looking for logic and fairness from "bad-guys" but there u have it.

stumbled upon this as saw a new update here for "The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful", and as also watching "Mystery Queen" with Kwon Sang Woo was gonna check it out (as total enjoying him), but as the movie was the sequel though better start from the beginning. not that i know what to expect even after watching this.

Jung Woo Sung is hot and saw somewhere a comment that he looks like Tom Cruise - like Noooo he way hotter. but beside looking good - he a great actor. even though this isn't my cup-of-tea. it wasn't boring.

but wondering why Tae Seok chose to befriend Navel, cause she the only female in this movie of legal age (that he could get down and dirty with?) cause she was with the bad-guys and she was the one that brought them down?!? the fact that she wasn't down with the others beating them doesn't make her blameless... of course u can say she was forced into working for Sal Soo... donno that just felt like filler, so we would have a romantic moment. which wasn't needed.

the other point that bothered me was his not taking his nephew with him, as he was living with the grandmother - and she didn't seem kind and cozy plus her threat, so he wont play the game that destroyed her family - painted a bleak pic of this kids life (maybe i'm reaching) but if he already got a kid, he needs to look after why not two... ah whatever...

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Brilliant and Phenomenal Movie

This was a simple story of serendipity, perhaps fate, and/or destiny. You choose. This was mostly a story with, for, and about teenage boys who fall in love with teenage boys and they alone must resolve their own dilemmas. How this story ends is, for me, a cinematic triumph and has to be experienced personally. So, I leave that up to you. The brilliant mixture of the Catholic Church with fortune-telling and destiny is brilliant and makes this movie so special and unique.

If yo want to read my full review of this exciting movie, please visit my site at BLBliss.com.

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this was the freaking bomb!! freaking roller coaster seeing each turn and twist this story took - loved it!!
i so get Hwa-Yun she didn't want any of it, and she is the one that survived, pretty awesome. love strong female characters, and as much as the men r dangerous and manipulate, u just don't f*ck with women. pretty bad-ass.

period pieces r intriguing as is, but the complexity and how freaking hard everyone had it just adds that extra bit of kick to any story. add the love story and how that ended, sprinkle in unrequited love and on and on with everyone adding their own personal agenda to the plot, and how can u not love it?!?

...and anyone going on about "boo hoo why did she have to kill King Seong Won, cause he was really infatuated/in-love/lust with her. and she could've lived happily ever after..." - be dreaming. given the court-politics and backstabbing going on, sooner rather than later she and more importantly her son, would lose their lives. the fact that the King wanted/loved her didn't mean sh*t - she was still his sister-in-law and with no real power. pretty sure he couldn't make her his queen, one which he already had...
and unlike his mother, who may have started her plot with the objective of securing the crown and safety for her son, once she poisoned her, Step-son the reigning King - she got power hungry.
what Hwa-yun did was so she could survive and safeguarded her son, guess that's why she has a terrified look on her face at the end, cause now that she achieved monetary safety... wtf now is waiting around the corner - was what the look on her face "said".

phenomenal acting, and story - wholeheartedly recommend.

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as someone who has "come" after watching Bad Guys the drama series (season 1) this was wack... and dunno if the vid that was uploaded was the prob or what. cause there were scene that just jumped from one to something else and maybe that was also the problem in me dis-liking this.
i guess the movie was made cause the series was such a success, if so why they rewrite so much?!? they completely deleted Lee Jung Moon's character as if he didn't exist. which given as he was one of the favorites (going by all the commenter - me i favored Jung Tae Soo, the Hitman lol ) was a WTH moment. mentioning Jung Tae Soo, he found religion in prison, so saw him for a shot or two, not enough but - it is what it is.

they also changed the original story, revolving around the big bust of the human organ trafficking not the sick, nut-job Prosecutor (i would think that was a way bigger story, but again whatever).

Mi Young also got a mention, and ironically her she was supposedly one of the good-guys that kicked-ass in the drama - total B.S. but i guess if u r already rewriting "history" why not go all out. and as she wasn't a favorite of the viewers, she was injured at the beginning and that was that of her.
instead of her we got vixen Gwak Noh Soon, a.k.a Jessica the annoying. her sexy seductress ass was freaking annoying, so glad when "sh*t hit the fan" she acted like a normal human, without all the femme fatale sh*t - that got old fast.

even Oh Goo Tak, another annoying f*cker from the series, was way toned-down. that's cause he was sick - B.S. lol

the story is what it is, bad-guys killing other bad-guys, the cops unable to do sh*t. so we turn to the notorious 4 to save the day - which they do and then get sent back to prison. not boring but not better then the series, and that's saying something for me, as it wasn't my fav.

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enjoyed this as much as i did the first one, not as funny but wasn't boring, the plot was different and good. wondered why Dae ma's childhood friend and Tae Soo's partner from the previous movie weren't around...

Lee Kwang Soo as Hopper was a nice addition, didnt add much to the hilarity, but was fun all the same, and enjoyed his part in this movie.

Dae Man's wife was as annoying as the first movie, and that's saying something given there was a lot less of her. even the part where her kid almost gets kidnapped was more on her, and her childish games then on Dae Man. same with the physical abuse - who finds this sh*t funny in this day and age?!? cause i didn't/don't.

anyway the main story was good, just wondered where the adoptive daughter of "venom" went - was she also captured or she disappear?!? cause didn't see her being taken in by the cops at the end. was this intentional or i miss her?!?

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i haven't fallen for a ML so fast as i fell for Kang Dae Man, he was so sweet, funny and big hearted - can't help but love him. he is the best friend everybody wished they had, no matter how many obstacle were put in front of him by his wife and Noh Tae Soo, he kept "fighting" just to help out his friend. and yeah he was totally enjoying playing Detective, but that only added to how hyped he was, at doing the "job" well.

the wives were brutal, all the hitting was really annoying, get it was to add to the element of comedy, but i for one didn't find it funny, let alone hilarious. even the verbal abuse was overdone and pissed me off. Lee Mi Ok - Dae Man's wife even hit her son on the head a few times and i saw red. this sh*t slapstick comedy had it hay-day in the early 1800's time to move into the present, where hitting people aint freaking funny - but retarded.

but ignoring the females (which without the violence, u get where they r coming from, as they r worried about supporting and feeding their families. and as working women they want their hubby to do their share around the house - acceptable. but being a mega maniacal, sadistic b*tch isn't the way to go), this was a great movie, very very funny and not a boring moment.
once Detective Noh Tae Soo loosened-up and accepted Dae Man's help - it got way better, the bickering wasn't a deterrent as it added spice to their relationship. totally gonna add to my re-watch list.

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Tae-sung being related already takes him out of the running of being a possible love interest... regardless of his feeling they r blood related and this would be very weird, if they would've ended up together. him being such a tragic character was freaking depressing...

But the major fact is i don't get why they r so infatuated with her. it's not that i'm saying - she ugly, but in order to be thunder-struck the sec u see someone, there should be something special about them, and she is just another girl. what's more, the more we get into the movie the stupider she gets (sorry, but that is a fact) that so called friend calling her - just to show her that she is now dating the guy she had a crush on. that not enough to wake u up to the fact that she aint ur friend? u keep taking her calls and meeting up with her? why?!? unless u love being stepped on ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
then there is that encounter with the bo girl, after understanding she was set up by their "friend" she stands there getting beat, saying she won't forgive them and crying. that not Stupid?!? not to mention that scene in the field where u got cops after ur ass and she standing the bawling her eyes out...

i hate female leads that don't have a backbone, don't need to be kick-ass, but u have to show growth and have to stop being a pushover... otherwise what's there to root for? meeh

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Shooting my heart dead

Where do I even start? The storytelling was superb. How the first person POV fits the whole narrative will always get me. I watched this twice already yet still felt the same pain. So much more pain, even. This film literally shot my heart dead. Twice.

I love how they used the scenes to evoke specific emotions from the audience. Scenes that are so mundane, so natural, so human. Not a thread of forced sympathy was weaved in this beauty of a story. The message was quite subtle and fragile (you just want to take care of it and watch it evolve/unfold), but the way they portrayed it was loud. Loud with reality, not with noise.

Also, the actors were stellar! They brought the characters to life. They have this nuance and amazing understanding of the characters’ core and embodied that for the world to see.

Need I say more? Because. I cried. A lot. More than a lot.

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everyone is besotted by Kim Seon Dal, which i get - he is a good looking guy (personally though cute), but Gyun stole my heart, he wasn't just naïve - he was too pure for that period in time, surrounded by bad ruthless guys. only someone with tougher skin would survive. after the initial meeting (the 3 slaves meet) whenever i saw him again, had a gut feeling he was gonna be "sacrificed" so we would cry our eyes out. didn't guess wrong.

btw the letter Kim Seon Dal gave him, misleading him into thinking it was for the tailor, wasn't translated so could only guess what was written, from what followed. which was a shame. but it is what it is. and didn't get Kim Seon Dal logic, yeah Gyun needed to be protected, but sending him off on his own with money, when everyone in the gang knew he was a sweet hearted push-over, who couldn't really defend himself. how that work?!? no logic there.

interesting funny take on a period piece, other then the ML and Gyun liked the King, Hyo Jong (who even though didn't have much screen time, wasn't a pushover puppet King that the advisers used however they wanted). also liked seeing Lee Wan (Jun Suk Ho) the commander of the kings knights , remember him fondly from Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.

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seriously.... skipped quite a few good movies cause i read comments that indicated the need for countless tissues boxes to be at the ready. this one had few "warning" about it being sad, but OMG - broke my heart. why can't a korean comedy be just that -Aish!

anyway yeah great movie, freaking moved me to tears how sad these kids had it, and then that ending and that old lady just finished me off.

i feel the message at the end was written by Seo Soo Hyuk [NIS team leader], pretty sure no one can survive being shot and then falling from a freakin tall-ass building (especially as Dong Gu was the one who took all the impact), Dong Gu was pretty kickass but all the training in the world doesn't make him indestructible.

*slept on it and i think the one that survived was Lee Hae Jin, as he was wearing protective-gear which could've included a bulletproof vest, and as Ryu Hwan / Dong Gu took the majority of the impact from the fall - maybe - just maybe there is a way he survived. and given Dong Gu's words before the shoot-out and his clutching the bank-book, Hae Jin knew he was referring to going back to his present life with Jun Son Rim (the old lady who treated him like a son and cared for him)... just a thought.

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it is a good movie as in good acting and wasn't boring (interesting plot), but read comments saying her smile (at the end) indicated she knew everything and went along - total B.S. and wishful thinking.

Sung-yeol had planned the perfect murder and he would've gotten away with it, but he didn't foresee the dog being hooked-up with the spy-cam. that was his one and only downfall.

By the same token Ji-yeon lucked out cause of the spy-cam, otherwise history would've repeated itself and she would ended up paying for some other persons crimes. trying to paint her into some cunning vixen is B.S. - where she figure anything out? she didn't know he scouted her out, after finding any and all info about her, making sure she was desperate and all alone in this world. knowing there wouldn't be anyone she could turn to for help.
even if she suspected he was gonna kill his father (especially after him kissing her), she was sure he was into her, therefore he shortened his father life. so he could be with her, that's why she asked him if he had ever had feeling for her. after him trying to choke her out - she still care? and any one still wondering if she some master-mind? psssh plz.

btw the whole muslim yacht staffer who got beat, was a useless distraction. after witnessing them scheming together why he not suspect her? or Sung-yeol for that matter (him talking to him at the funeral, let alone getting in the car with him was idiotic) instead he was trying to get them the info about the spy-cam, how he sure she/or he didn't off Seok-goo?!? just cause she stepped-in when he was shoving/choking down pork? and cause he was the son - B.S.

back to the smile at the end, it was just a smile u give someone who is trying to have the last word. him saying he made her Cinderella, well so what? who is gonna spend years rotting in jail and who is gonna enjoy their freedom as well as all the wealth?!? his last words were a joke, so what would anyone do - but smile?

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Wow I just finished this movie 5 minutes ago but I think I need more time to really process everything that I have watched.

First of all, I really really love the casting of this movie!!!! Looking back, I think that was the reason why I watched it in the first place. Aside from that, I love that it's under the genre rom-com. After watching a lot of heavy dramas consecutively, I've been craving me some romcom dramas/ movies.

I really liked how they portrayed the characters here, it was really close to reality. Even the relationship and careers of the main characters were portrayed really realistically. But the reason why I didn't give this a perfect score was because of the last part of the movie.

I honestly think the last part can be debatable depending on where you stand. For some it can be considered as the perfect ending because they see the other "Hyeok" as someone who is perfect for our FL since he takes care of her and everything. However, for others (me included) it can be considered as a very unlikely and to some degree "unsettling" ending. I honestly find it weird that the FL tried to get close to her patient because of his name and when she found out that her patient likes her, she used it to her advantage. Some see them as the perfect couple, but honestly all I can think of is that the second "hyeok" is nothing but a rebound guy. Same thoughts on "Boyeong". She's nothing but a rebound girl.

But don't get me wrong, it actually made sense that there were two Hyeoks. I honestly didn't get why the character of Jang Ki Yong suddenly turned for the worst when in the first part he was shown as a very dorky loving guy.

The guys who acts like "cupid" (the security guy i think?) was also a weird part. Like where the heck did he come from? Why is he matchmaking? Why is he throwing all this wisdom to Hyeok? It was really weird and creepy.

But anyhow... it was an okay watch. As what they say, to each his own.

Now unto the next drama/movie!

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